Mastering Time Laws

The newly ranked Battle Kings were, naturally, younger than most. They had only recently ascended from the Lower Layer to the Upper Layer of the Land of Origin, and this was their first time witnessing a Laws phenomenon.

When the veteran's words reached their ears, their eyes went wide, shining with reverent awe.

"What?! My Lord Lu Yuan is comprehending a Law?"

"No wonder the pressure is so terrifying! Of course it's Lord Lu Yuan — I had a feeling."

"Does that mean Lord Lu Yuan has broken through again?? Amazing!"

After Lu Yuan had entered seclusion to comprehend Spatial Laws, Kro and the other War Gods had returned to their respective territories. The cosmic upheaval could not be hidden, and since the immediate danger had passed — no Aberration threat loomed, and Aberration organizations would find it nearly impossible to take root — the War Gods deliberated and ultimately chose to release everything to the public.

Everything: the truth about the Aberration, the existence of the Mother of Aberration, and how Lu Yuan had slain Laws Rank Aberrant Beasts. All of it.

For a portion of the powerful, Lu Yuan's strength was already an open secret, and his deeds had long since earned their respect and admiration. But for the vast majority of Gene Warriors, who had never encountered power at that level, the news landed like a thunderclap.

Virtually every Gene Warrior in the universe now harbored a fervent, almost religious reverence for Lu Yuan.

Without him, the entire universe would have been completely devoured by Corruption. Even setting aside the Laws Rank Aberrant Beasts — had those Descended Avatars been allowed to fully gestate, no War God alive could have stood against them.

Lu Yuan had saved this universe not once, but many times over.

Every Gene Warrior had come to see him as their guardian deity.

Those who had witnessed previous phenomena understood the moment they looked up at Sky-Mending City's sky: Lu Yuan had broken through again. The joy that welled up in them had no bottom.

The seasoned veterans smiled knowingly, then let their expressions settle into undisguised envy:

"Count yourselves lucky. Every time Lord Lu Yuan comprehends a Law and triggers a phenomenon, it's a windfall for certain warriors — these phenomena can actually cause Transcendent Genes attuned to that Law to evolve. And I mean genes you've already engraved!"

At that, more than a few Gene Warriors around them seethed with envy.

"What a shame Lord Lu Yuan's Laws are all so rare — none of them Elemental Type. I wonder which lucky few it'll benefit this time?"

"Really?! Something like that can actually happen?? No wonder everyone talks about how exceptional Lord Lu Yuan is!"

The warriors looked around — and found that not a single person had fallen into an evolution trance.

Every face in the crowd went blank.

...??

An awkward silence fell. Then a young Battle King looked at the veteran and asked:

"...So where's this evolution you were talking about?"

The veteran glanced around with an equally baffled expression.

After confirming that not one Gene Warrior was undergoing evolution, they stared at each other in stunned confusion.

"What's going on? Something's off — why hasn't anyone entered comprehension this time?"

"Come to think of it... what Law is this phenomenon even for?"

They looked up at the bronze sand drifting overhead. Most Laws phenomena, in their experience, were recognizable. But this one — they couldn't place it at all.

"Yet another extraordinarily rare Law. As expected of Lord Lu Yuan!"

"...Not a single person is resonating with it? What on earth is it?"

While the crowd buzzed with uncertain speculation over the strange, enigmatic phenomenon, those who had been deep in cultivation — Ruoshui among them — were jolted awake.

Since Lu Yuan had sealed the Cosmic Boundary breaches, and with the entire Universe Bubble now drifting in irregular patterns through the Chaos Sea with no Aberrant Beasts breaking through, the War Gods had found themselves with far more time for Law comprehension.

Now, nearly all of them were gathered in the Upper Layer of the Land of Origin, using its accelerated time flow to cultivate.

Ruoshui, Kro, and the other Human Race War Gods were no exception.

Pulled out of their training chambers by the shifting phenomenon, they rose into the sky.

Among them were faces Lu Yuan would have recognized — Kro, Nuxing — and others he had yet to meet: Chiyan and Beidou.

Chiyan had crimson flames burning in his hair and flame markings flowing across his body. He studied the phenomenon overhead, a trace of astonishment crossing his handsome features.

Then, slowly, he spoke:

"I've heard you speak of Lu Yuan's strength before — that he's comprehended many Laws — but this is my first time witnessing the phenomenon myself. Truly unlike anything else."

Beidou was a man who bore a passing resemblance to Nuxing. He nodded in agreement.

"Nuxing's been telling me about Lu Yuan for ages. I knew his power was terrifying, that he'd protected our universe — but this is the first time I've actually felt it."

"That said... what Law is this phenomenon for? Has anyone sensed anything?"

Kro scratched his head, checked inward, and felt nothing relevant stir. He let out a helpless sigh.

Once again, it wasn't a Law that matched him. Typical.

The others exchanged glances.

Then, one by one, they shook their heads.

"Not a water-type Law..."

"Not Stellar Laws."

"Not a fire-type Law either."

"..."

One War God after another spoke. As the list of eliminations grew, their expressions turned increasingly strange.

They gazed at the enigmatic aura wreathing the bronze sand and furrowed their brows. The truth was that even they couldn't identify which Law this phenomenon belonged to — and these were War Gods. Across hundreds of millions of years, they had collectively witnessed nearly every form of power the universe had to offer. For them to be uncertain was genuinely alarming.

"This aura... somehow it feels almost like time."

The words came from an elderly War God with long gray-white hair, who spoke with slow deliberation.

He was the oldest War God among the Human Race — a man named Tang Ren. His experience outstripped the others', and in raw power, he was the strongest of them all. He had been stationed at the Cosmic Boundary breach until recently.

"Time Laws?!"

The assembled Human Race War Gods stared at him, shock flickering across every face.

"Is it truly Time Laws?"

Ruoshui's breath came faster. She fixed her gaze on Tang Ren.

The others were equally shaken.

Time Laws.

The Land of Origin's Merit exchange system did include time-type Transcendent Genes. People had exchanged for them before — but without exception, every Gene Warrior who had attempted to engrave a time-type gene had perished. Not a single survivor. It didn't matter whether the gene was Divine Grade, Sovereign Grade, or even King Grade. Everyone who tried was gone.

And yet Lu Yuan—

If he was comprehending Time Laws now, it meant he possessed at least one Divine Grade time-type Transcendent Gene.

How terrifying was that?

Even War Gods like Nuxing and Kro — who had watched Lu Yuan single-handedly battle four Laws Rank Aberrant Beasts — felt a wave of disbelief wash over them. The others, who had witnessed far less, could barely process it at all.

"I'm only guessing," Tang Ren said, his own expression colored with surprise. "But if it truly is Time Laws... then our universe may have a real path forward after all."

Silence settled over the group. Then, slowly, heads began to nod.

"Let's hope so."

"We should return to our cultivation. If this phenomenon is of no use to us, standing here is wasting time. And if Lu Yuan intends to counterattack, our current strength won't contribute much."

Chiyan spoke calmly, then turned and walked away.

Seeing him leave, the others exchanged brief glances and dispersed, each returning to their own training.

Time continued to flow.

As the Mother of Aberration kept splitting off Aberrant Touches to scour the Chaos Sea for the Universe Bubble, Lu Yuan remained in seclusion, pressing steadily deeper into his comprehension of Time Laws.

Four hundred Origin Years passed after the bronze sand phenomenon first appeared.

Then the translucent bronze sand hovering over Sky-Mending City shifted.

Phantom Rivers of Time materialized from the far edge of the void, slowly encircling the entirety of Sky-Mending City.

Within those rivers drifted fragments of time — flickering images of the past. Some captured a civilization's long journey from primitive ignorance to enlightenment. Others showed a star's entire lifespan, from blazing birth to cold collapse. Others still depicted individual lives, scattered moments from people across the breadth of history.

And among them, the warriors of Sky-Mending City could make out Lu Yuan: destroying the Blood of Machinery in the Mechanical Kingdom, slaying the King of Flesh's Descended Avatar, cutting down the Descended Avatars of the King of Corruption and King of Destruction, and finally ending the King of Flesh, the King of Destruction, and the King of Corruption themselves — Laws Rank Aberrant entities, every one.

The Gene Warriors of Sky-Mending City watched with wide eyes.

Shock rippled through the entire city.

"Are those... images from the past?!"

"This phenomenon is showing us actual historical events... Could that phantom river be the River of Time?!"

"Then — if that's true — Lord Lu Yuan's Law must be Time Laws?!"

The realization struck like a shockwave. No one who understood power could mistake the enormity of Time Laws. Even by Lu Yuan's already staggering standards, comprehending Time Laws was something none of them had thought possible.

But the evidence hung above them, undeniable. Their disbelief had nowhere left to go.

Their attention quickly shifted back to the river of images in the sky.

"Wait — those images — is that Lord Lu Yuan?"

"That's him destroying the Blood of Machinery in the Mechanical Kingdom! And there — during the counterattack campaign — Lord Lu Yuan single-handedly killing hundreds of Divine Grade Aberrant Beasts!"

"What is that thing made entirely of flesh and blood? That aura is absolutely terrifying... Could that be a Laws Rank creature?!"

"Lord Lu Yuan took it down so effortlessly?! He's incredible — truly incredible!"

"That's nothing — look over there. Four of those things, and the Chaos itself trembles around them. All Laws Rank! And Lord Lu Yuan fought every single one and killed them all! *That's* power!"

The warriors erupted into animated discussion, pointing at image after image. Lu Yuan's strength had long been legend — but seeing it laid bare in the River of Time gave it a visceral weight no secondhand account ever could. Their reverence burned hotter than ever.

Drawn out by the shift in the phenomenon, the Human Race War Gods who had returned to the sky stood gazing at the River of Time, equally stunned.

"It seems Elder Tang Ren was right — Time Laws it is. That River of Time... even just standing near it, you can feel the immense power of time."

Bu Chang spoke quietly.

The others nodded.

Kro said:

"I can't believe Yuan actually comprehended Time Laws. He's incredible."

"If he can comprehend even Time Laws..." Nuxing's voice was thoughtful. "I suddenly feel like we might actually have a fighting chance against the Mother of Aberration after all."

His words drew slow, considered nods from those around him.

A quiet confidence — something that had felt far beyond reach — began to stir among the War Gods. All of it traced back to one man's impossible strength.

More time passed.

In the training chamber, bronze sand and rivers of time swirled around Lu Yuan's body.

His hair streamed in the currents of the phenomenon. Then, slowly, he opened his eyes.

A clock hand rotated within his irises — and quietly faded.

As his eyes opened, the phenomenon around him began to dissolve. The comprehension of Time Laws was complete.

Lu Yuan exhaled a long, slow breath and rose to his feet.

He stretched, his joints popping audibly after so long in one position.

Flexing his fist, he took stock of the power surging within him and turned the experience of Time Laws over in his mind. A quiet, satisfied smile settled on his face.

The difficulty of Time Laws had far exceeded every Law he had mastered before. He had spent nearly a thousand Origin Years — burning through five Hearts of Laws, almost his entire remaining supply — before finally achieving mastery.

That alone spoke to the scale of the challenge.

But the gains more than justified it.

With full command of Time Laws, the things Lu Yuan could now accomplish were almost beyond reckoning.

The simplest of them: through the River of Time, he could summon objects — or even people — from history into the present. This ability he had already possessed at the Divine Grade gene level. At Laws Rank, however, it grew vastly more potent. He could now reach into the River of Time and pull forth a Heart of Laws directly — something utterly beyond the gene-stage version of this power.

Whenever he chose, he could have an endless supply of Hearts of Laws.

Then there were the avatars. He could summon a historical echo of himself from just one second in the past, and that avatar's strength would be barely a hair's breadth below his present self — a Laws Rank entity in every sense.

This was a meaningful change. After Lu Yuan had reached Laws Rank, the historical avatar summoning from his Divine Grade Sands of Time gene could no longer summon a Laws Rank version of himself — the gap between his past and present self was simply too vast. Back then, his Time Laws ability had been operating at the application stage and could not reach someone of Laws Rank caliber.

Now, he could do it with ease.

There was also the matter of his own stability. Previously, even though his Divine Grade gene had provided a form of temporal stabilization, maintaining truly complete stabilization at Laws Rank — holding himself at absolute peak condition — had never been realistic. That was why relocating the entire universe through space had left him feeling the strain. Now, Lu Yuan could hold himself in a state of permanent, perfect readiness. His combat power would never dip below its ceiling.

The impact of that alone was immense.

And finally: he could step into the River of Time itself — temporarily enter the temporal current to evade attacks, slip through the rifts between moments, and conceal himself entirely.

The one thing Time Laws still could not grant was the ability to alter history. The timeline corrected itself, and only a being whose power transcended time itself could hope to override that mechanism. He was not yet there.

But even so — of every Law he had ever mastered, Time Laws had brought the single greatest leap in his overall power.

And for the first time, facing the Mother of Aberration, Lu Yuan felt a thread of genuine confidence.