Lightning Is the Only Way

Gravis talked with Arc for another two hours until it was time for him to return. His questions regarding the Law Comprehension Fruits had been answered.

SHING!

Gravis broke Arc's emblem and returned to the place he had left. Siral had waited at the same spot.

"Welcome back, Master," Siral said respectfully. Siral didn't question where Gravis had gone. After all, it wasn't a servant's place to ask about their Master's whereabouts.

Gravis nodded. "Purchase a good map of the world," Gravis said. "Just the locations of the Peak Sects isn't enough if I want to move through these areas. 20 million Immortal Stones is the maximum that you should pay for a map. Any maps that are even more accurate are not worth the money."

"Yes, Master," Siral said as he teleported away.

Gravis needed a good map of the Nine Elements Sect's territory, and a map of the world would be even better. However, the chances that Gravis could find a map that included all the different territories was low. Having a good map of the Nine Elements Sect was already good enough. If Gravis ever needed a good map for a different territory, he could simply send Siral there to buy one locally.

It took Siral over three days to return, but he returned with a great map.

"Master," Siral said with a bow. "I have scouted out different cities to see if I can find a trustworthy map. I also had to be careful that no one followed me. 20 million Immortal Stones is something that even Major Circulation Immortal Kings are interested in. I apologize that it has taken so long."

Gravis nodded. "Good job. Show me the map," he said.

An image was projected into Gravis' head.

It was a world map, but the area of the Nine Elements Sect was by far the clearest. The areas for the other Peak Sects showed a couple of High-Grade Sects and significant cities, but the area of the Nine Elements Sect showed even smaller towns and several forbidden locations.

Most of these forbidden locations were Law Comprehension Areas that belonged to several Sects, but some of them were also something entirely different.

Gravis focused on one of these areas, and several pieces of information got transmitted into his mind. Apparently, the map even has an introduction for every location on it. Something like this was very valuable.

"Primordial Life Valley: It is said that this valley has a wide variety of lifeforms from the lower and middle worlds. The survival rate for people below the Immortal Emperor Realm is below 10%. The valley is currently being owned by the Elemental Life Sect, which has a close partnership with the Life Sect."

Gravis scratched his chin as he read that. Actual danger zones? Gravis had not come across something like this previously. All the worlds he had been to had had all their locations mapped out. There wasn't something as mysterious and dangerous as this.

Gravis started feeling excited when he thought about a mysterious land with lots of danger. So many things were always clear to him, and such danger zones were entirely new to him.

'There are probably also a ton of unknown plants in there. If someone manages to get some specimens out of there, other Sects can maybe cultivate these specimens. Although, there is also a possibility that there are specimens that can't be cultivated outside this environment.'

'It's a wonder that something like this can exist,' Gravis thought as he scratched his chin in thought. 'Shouldn't the most powerful Cultivators of this world already have the power to enter all these areas? How can something like this still be unmapped?'

'Though, it's also possible that these danger zones remain unmapped on purpose. Maybe the powerful Sects want to leave such areas for their disciples to temper themselves with.'

Gravis looked at another forbidden area.

"Shrine of Powerlessness: Anyone that enters the shrine will be transported to a mortal world without any Cultivation. The Cultivator's power will also vanish. Most of the Cultivators that enter never return. The chances to survive with a stronger Cultivation is higher, but not by much. Immortal Kings and Immortal Emperors have a similar survival rate, which is at around 5%."

'That truly sounds magical,' Gravis thought. 'A shrine that saps someone of their Cultivation? Creating something like this is impossible without the Major Law of Life and an incredible Cultivation.'

'Could this be Arc's doing?' Gravis thought. 'He knows the Major Law of the True World, and he is probably the only person that can create something with such power.'

Suddenly, Gravis' eyes shone. 'These could be Heaven's Trials catered to different Laws,' Gravis thought. 'They kill a lot of less talented people and increase the power of the survivors. The fact that Realm isn't that relevant to survival also shows that surviving this danger zone doesn't have much to do with power. It has probably something to do with comprehending a Law. Basically, it tests the comprehension ability of Cultivators.'

Gravis looked over the map for another minute and saw several more of these locations. 'Are these all Heaven's Trials?' Gravis thought. 'If so, there's a terrifying amount of Heaven's Trials in this world. However, this is the most powerful higher world, which also means that the filtering of true geniuses must also be severe.'

Gravis' eyes narrowed. 'If so, I must avoid them at all cost.'

Why?

'These Heaven's Trials can only be effective if there is enough incentive to pull a ton of Cultivators in. This means that one can either only find wealth or a rare Law that doesn't have any normal Law Comprehension Areas.'

'I wouldn't have a problem with a Law Comprehension Area that gives out wealth as a reward, but the Law Heaven's Trials are dangerous. I don't have an issue with the Laws of Perceived Reality, Dead World, or Life, but if I run into one that requires me to learn an Emotional Law, I can basically already commit suicide. Comprehending the Emotional Laws is nearly impossible for me right now, due to the issue with my lightning.'

'I can tell the rewards for some of these areas, but it is still far too vague to be sure. The Shrine of Powerlessness could teach one the Law of Humility. After all, when one was bereft of all power, one must accept to be weak.'

'However, it could also be for the Law of Empathy. Seeing one's loved ones die to disease and old age while oneself also slowly closes in on death could teach someone Empathy.'

'It's too difficult to see the rewards for these areas. On top of that, I can't even go there. There are probably Immortal Emperors keeping watch over these areas, and there would also be Beast Crystals. As soon as I go to one of them, I will be killed.'

"How much did you pay for this map?" Gravis asked Siral.

"13 million Immortal Stones," Siral said.

Gravis nodded. "Give me the remaining stones."

Siral handed the remaining stones over to Gravis and continued bowing in front of him.

Gravis shot another glance at the map and found a good location. Gravis transmitted an image into Siral's mind. "We'll go there, and we'll stay there until your tribulation arrives," he said.

"Yes, Master," Siral said.

"Go take the lead," Gravis said.

Siral bowed once again and teleported away as Gravis followed him. Gravis had chosen a location at the northeastern corner of the Nine Elements Sect's territory. It wasn't at the border but relatively close to it. No cities, towns, or powerful Sects were close to this location. This location was about as remote as it got.

Siral and Gravis traveled for nearly a month, and Gravis was reminded again of how humongous this world was. The two of them were teleporting like crazy, and it still took them a month of uninterrupted travel to get there.

'Father said that the highest world is about as big as all the other worlds combined. There must be over a thousand higher worlds, and the others should only be marginally smaller.'

'The size of the highest world is truly beyond comprehension.'

'How long would it even take me to go from one powerful Sect to the other with my current speed in the highest world?'

'Centuries? Millennia?'

Gravis already had difficulties imagining the size of this world, and he was trying to comprehend the size of the highest world. Obviously, this was impossible for the current him.

After Siral and Gravis arrived, Gravis told Siral that he should remain a couple thousand kilometers away from him. Gravis wanted his peace while he was comprehending the Major Law of Magma.

Siral left, and Gravis remained alone on a mountain.

The only thing that Gravis could see was nature and an abundance of mortal villages and cities.

Nearly no powerful Cultivators came here, which meant that this was a paradise for mortals.

Maybe not even one Cultivator would pass here every thousand years, and then they wouldn't even fight.

A thousand years was an insanely long time for mortals. Empires and Kingdoms rose and fell in a millennium.

Immortals and maybe even Cultivators were probably only the stuff of legends. No one in this area had probably ever met a powerful Cultivator.

This was a mortal paradise inside a world governed by Immortals.

Cultivators were so elusive for these mortals that believing in them would be akin to a religion. After all, there was no evidence of their existence.

No one had ever seen an Immortal.

There were no Immortal materials or anything.

Cultivation didn't exist.

As Gravis thought about these lands, he took out his Law Comprehension Fruits and concentrated on them.

This mortal life had nothing to do with him.

It was time to check out the effectiveness of these fruits.