Alm and Bruno studied everything they could until they came across the cultivation system called Anima Cultivation. Right from the first descriptions, both were stunned.
This cultivation system was based on the absorption of laws and the creation of a small universe in one’s core, which would grow over time and generate its own laws. The will of the heavens in that place was the cultivator’s own will, materialized outwardly. The power of this at its peak should have been unique and terrifying... then the two remembered having felt it before; unknowingly, they had already encountered a Divine Inquisitor in the past—but they had killed him while he was meditating. (Chapter 302)
The laws created were initially incomplete but would slowly form fully. When a Divine Inquisitor was born, their laws would surpass even the heavenly laws of the universes.
At their peak, when they became Divine Inquisitors, they would all ascend to a higher world. The books described this place as a world full of strange energy, and Alm and Bruno were certain it referred to the conventional universes.
Upon arriving in these universes, the power of this cultivation became something abnormal, far superior to the usual. Since the inner universe resided in the core, Divine Inquisitors could start cultivating conventional Qi, having the power of two cultivation systems at their disposal.
’Two systems at the same time? That’s such a cheat!’ Bruno exclaimed. But he forgot that they did exactly the same with physical cultivation.
In summary, if Heroes were considered powerful for mastering heavenly laws, Divine Inquisitors were equally terrifying, but in a different way.
In Anima Cultivation, there were seven realms. These realms weren’t divided by numbered levels, but only by three stages: minor, intermediate, and great.
The last realm was obviously the Divine Inquisitor Realm. The first two were the True Apprentice, which marked the formation of the core, and the True Warrior, where all nine laws were absorbed.
The other realms revolved around creating incomplete laws and forming three to nine different cores, each with their own laws.
In the seventh realm, these cores would fuse into one, forming a micro-universe. But this universe would only house laws, with no sign of life.
Afterward, they studied the structure and division of the world they were in: the Nine Divine Star World was a small and simple place, with three great empires. They were: Empire Nine Secrets, Empire Natural Harmony, and Empire New Order.
They were in the Empire Nine Secrets. Each of the three empires consisted of a group of eight planets, connected by the laws of chaos.
Each planet was inhabited by the nine races, who sometimes united, sometimes divided, and at other times killed each other. In short, like any place with a lot of power, where there’s power, there are those who covet it.
The name of the empires reflected the derivation of the methods of the laws created by the cultivators. These laws were the foundation of their inner universes, molded into something new. Each empire had a simple foundation, but countless techniques had been developed to guide the cultivators.
In short, the Nine Divine Star World was the size of a small galaxy, divided into three planetary systems. Above that void, nine orbs radiated nine terrifying laws, bathing the three empires.
The empires were constantly at war, fighting for supremacy. There was always a dominant one, while another plotted its destruction. The third was despised and used as a tool.
From time to time, this order would magically reverse. The factor that changed the status quo was when someone reached the level of Divine Inquisitor in one of the empires.
Currently, the Empire Nine Secrets was the most powerful, having recently produced a female Divine Inquisitor. She was precisely the daughter of the King who ruled the empire, King Vulke.
’I guess that’s everything...’ Bruno murmured, thoughtfully.
They spent more than two months reading everything they could about cultivation and that place, but still felt some important information was missing. The planet they were on was only the sixth of the eight that made up the empire.
Alm nodded and said: ’Staying here doesn’t make sense. Let’s start cultivating and head to the main planet as soon as possible.’
Kakarotto looked at Vazi, who had been at the entrance the entire time. He wasn’t idle, just had his eyes closed, seemingly meditating on his internal laws in his cultivation.
Now, Alm and Bruno could assess him accurately, using their divine souls to analyze him. Vazi was at the intermediate level of the True Champion Realm, the third realm of Anima cultivation.
Noticing Kakarotto’s approach, Vazi opened his eyes. That demon quickly stood up and bowed respectfully. The reason for such respect was simple: King Vulke and his entire family were Primordial Elemental Spirits.
Anyone from that empire was required to treat this race with respect and assist them. But this only occurred on the seven weaker planets. On the main planet, all races competed equally, divided into clans.
"Are you finished? Do you wish to start cultivating?" Vazi asked, kindly.
"Yes, let’s go. I read there’s a special place here for that," Kakarotto replied calmly.
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Vazi nodded and guided him outside. They moved to the deeper regions of the castle, passing by several cultivators in transit. Most were Primordial Elemental Spirits, and the servants were mostly from other races.
’Heaven’s Will was kind to put us in this race, but screwed us by placing us at the bottom of an ocean and forcing us to fend for ourselves,’ Bruno reflected. ’There should’ve been a smoother way to do this... but knowing the manipulations, there must be hidden things for us to discover.’
Alm didn’t answer, but he knew surprises were waiting for them. They climbed a large spiral staircase until they reached an open space at the top of the castle, amidst the clouds. It was a wide courtyard, with inscriptions all over the floor.
Vazi waved them to the center. "This is a great privilege. Here, you can enter the True Apprentice Realm after using the power of these inscriptions to gather cosmic energy, creating a very large and powerful core. Do you need any detailed instructions?"
"No, thanks. I’ve read everything about it, and all my confusion is completely gone,"
Kakarotto answered softly and stepped forward, sitting in the center of the carved inscriptions on the castle’s stone floor.
In regular cultivation, creating a core was the third realm on the path of mortal cultivation. But here, it was the first step. The reason was simple: everyone used the Law of Chaos around them to form this core. They had a technique that everyone knew, something that perfectly manipulated the Law of Chaos. If this technique were taken to the common cultivation world, it would cause an absolute shock.
Alm and Bruno imagined the impact. If they ignored the fact that it required finding the Laws of Chaos to do it... Using this technique to create a core in a mortal would allow them to start Qi cultivation with a core already in their body.
That mortal would be like a god at the beginning; but right after the realm where everyone creates a core, the difference would be small. However, at the peak of divine cultivation, there would be a significant difference.
Everyone’s core is nourished with each realm, and the laws become purer with every advance. Starting with a core from the beginning would mean having two additional realms to nourish it. This would create a huge difference when everyone reached the peak, with few ways to grow stronger.
’For us and our allies, it doesn’t make much difference right now. But for the people in our universe, where there’s an abundance of Chaos Laws... it’ll be like the difference between heaven and earth. The difference between the Queen’s universe laws might not be a problem anymore. They’ll have other advantages to compensate,’ Bruno thought, excited.
At that moment, Alm activated his divine soul and invaded the inscriptions on the spot. Suddenly, the whole castle pulsed with a strong light.
Vazi’s eyes widened, surprised. All the inscriptions seemed to have been triggered by a deity... and he was right, without even knowing it.
’Hmm... creating a micro-universe, absorbing laws, creating new laws. We’ve done something similar before, haven’t we?’ Alm murmured with a sinister smile. ’Let’s test some interesting things.’
Suddenly, the inventory rune appeared on Kakarotto’s forehead. The first realm involved the formation of the core, but they skipped that — they already had the inventory, which served that function.
’Absorb the laws.’
They both murmured, and a Yin and Yang tattoo shone brightly in their eyes. Soon, these tattoos formed on Kakarotto’s fists; with them physically created, their abilities became easier to use.
They used all the power of the place as support, and the tattoos commanded the laws like a general leading an infinite army of soldiers into battle.
It took just a minute.
Suddenly, Vazi fell on his backside, pale. The entire sky above the planet distorted, and it seemed like the nine celestial gods were pouring all their power into the world.
A brilliant nine-colored light appeared. It was so intense that everyone on the planet closed their eyes and fell to the ground, pressing their faces against the earth to protect their eyes. The light funneled down and was absorbed into a single point.
’Great, the True Warrior was easy. Now, creating a law... we’ve done that before,’ Bruno murmured, and then the tattoos manipulated the laws. Within seconds, the Duality of Shadows Law materialized.
Alm smiled, saying: ’True Champion complete. Next is the True Transcended, which is all about fully using the laws... but we already know how to do that. Let’s move on.’
Bruno added: ’True Saint is about creating three, six, and then nine cores, each with a law... let’s make seven, following this empire’s method. It shouldn’t be hard.’
**RUMBLE!!**
The whole planet shook as if it were the end of the world. The already terrifying and powerful light they had drawn now multiplied its strength by a hundred.
It was an apocalypse on that planet! The inhabitants despaired, thinking the world was ending. But it was just light and laws; nothing was actually being destroyed.
’Master... I think you said they should hold back...’ Liumi murmured, concerned.
’Ah, being weak doesn’t help much either. We’re not doing anything too big... everything’s going to be fine,’ Bruno replied quickly, but even he didn’t believe his own words.
Five minutes later, seven runes representing the basic laws and Yin and Yang emerged.
’Adding the Duality of Shadows Law, that makes eight... wait! What was written was: One incomplete law for each core. But it didn’t say they had to be completely different laws. And our laws... they’re completely perfect!’
Bruno exclaimed, and Alm nodded, sharing the same realization. They drew even more energy into the planet.
"HEAVENS! MAY THE GODS PROTECT US!"
Desperate cries echoed everywhere. The phenomena didn’t subside, only multiplied. It looked like the heavens were collapsing and the planet was about to explode.
’40... 68... 80... I think that’s enough. A nice round number.’ Alm murmured softly.
’The True Emperor was about stabilizing and completing the laws; the sixth realm is complete. Now the last... would be to merge the cores into one... but everything’s already united, right?’
Bruno nodded. ’Everyone has just nine laws; but we’ve got 80 now... I don’t think that’ll be a problem. Let’s create a core like everyone else and stick to the same cultivation. Maybe, when we have the nine cores, we can do something interesting.’
Satisfied, Alm and Bruno didn’t waste anything. They didn’t extract more from the formation, just absorbed enough to create a simple core identical to the others. Secretly, something astronomical and terrifying was hidden inside the inventory.
After finishing, they waved, and the inscriptions around vibrated as the light faded. In seconds, they looked over and saw Vazi completely catatonic on the ground.
"This is our goodbye. Thanks for everything." Kakarotto said softly, and Vazi turned to him.
Alm and Bruno scoffed, then waved, controlling the laws around them. They created nine more complete laws and nine cores. Then they launched them and placed them in Vazi.
"And a little help. The laws are complete; you don’t need to form new ones or finish them. Just study them and keep this a secret. Once you learn to use them, you’ll be right at the True Emperor level. Merging all nine is your job. Well, I’m leaving; pretend you never saw me."
With that, a buzzing echoed. All the carved inscriptions lit up. The light began to physically manifest, slowly forming a giant arrow high above.
Kakarotto floated and entered the middle of the arrow. They felt where the central planet was and calculated the strength and direction.
*Boom!*
The arrow shot out, piercing through space, and Kakarotto disappeared. In the same second, all the phenomena on the planet stopped, as if nothing had happened.
Vazi stood still, in a catatonic state. Until he felt the change inside him. Awakening from the shock, he widened his eyes and ran, fearing that someone might discover him.