Chapter 520: The Vessel - Phase Two

At present, only powerhouses at the Intermediate God level or above could barely sense this flow.

But this was only the beginning of something irreversible.

Half a month later, in the war room of the Celestial Imperial City.

On the large screen, a 3D model of Earth made up of countless glowing points of law was running through simulations at high speed. Red lights flashed across it.

Leon stood before the screen, his expression extremely grim.

"This is my final assessment based on the speed of the ley line flow."

Leon pointed at the screen. At once, the red lights on the model connected into one large area.

"When the flow of the ley lines becomes so strong that even ordinary Divine Rank experts, Lesser Gods, can clearly see it, the Heavenly Demon Clan will definitely notice."

"That will mean the reconstruction has entered an irreversible stage."

"Once that happens, the Heavenly Demon Clan’s full-scale counterattack will be triggered automatically."

Jade rested a hand on the divine sword at his waist. Sword intent flowed from it, making the air around him tremble.

"How much time do we have left?"

"Seven to eight months."

Leon gave a cold and cruel answer.

"In other words, our original one-year deadline has been shortened."

Aiden sat at the head of the table, lightly tapping his fingers against its surface. Clear tapping sounds echoed through the room.

"Eight months."

Aiden’s voice was calm, but it carried unquestionable authority.

"I must forcefully trigger [All Things Return to Their Source] within eight months."

"Otherwise, if the main forces of the Heavenly Demon Clan launch their counterattack first, Earth will be doomed."

The air in the meeting room froze. The pressure was so heavy that it was hard to breathe.

Cheryl stood beside Aiden. Her beautiful eyes were filled with worry, but also determination.

Looking at him, she asked softly, "Aiden, your overall understanding of the Laws is now at 75%, and your Vessel is at 33%."

"To raise the Vessel of [All Things Return to Their Source] to 100% within eight months, while also increasing your understanding of the Laws to at least 80%..."

"How confident are you?"

Aiden did not answer right away.

He slowly closed his eyes.

In his mind, the ancient wheel of [All Things Return to Their Source] spun wildly. Countless possibilities flashed through the calculations of his double-pupiled eyes.

Three seconds later.

Aiden opened his eyes. Divine light burst from his double pupils, sharp enough to pierce the heart.

"By myself, about thirty percent."

Everyone was shaken.

Thirty percent.

Faced with the threat of the Heavenly Demon Clan destroying the world, those odds were almost the same as having one foot in the grave.

Yet Aiden’s lips curled into a cold, confident smile.

"The other 70%..."

Aiden rose to his full height and looked at everyone in the room.

"Will come from all of you."

Cheryl froze for a moment. Then a stunning smile bloomed across her delicate face.

She stepped forward and tightly held Aiden’s broad, warm hand.

"Then we’ll make it 70%."

Cheryl’s clear, firm voice echoed through the entire meeting room.

"We’ll give you that other 70%!"

Outside, on the vast plaza of the Celestial Imperial City, fierce winds howled.

Thin columns of smoke rose from the Dragon Clan Rapid Response Legion’s camp.

The smoke mixed with the countless faint lights shining from the distant Golden Great Wall, twisting together beneath the sky.

At that moment, the hourglass counting down seemed to speed up.

The final calm before the storm had been completely torn apart.

Every month they gained would come at the cost of a brutal, bloody battle.

And Earth’s fate now rested on the Vessel reaching one hundred percent.

...

The storm roared outside the Celestial Imperial City, but inside the secret chamber, it was so quiet that a falling leaf could be heard.

Aiden sat cross-legged. In his double-pupiled eyes, two brilliant Flames of Law burned fiercely.

With the eight-month deadline drawing closer, every passing minute took another piece of Earth’s hope away.

"Phase Two. Begin."

Aiden spoke softly and brought his hands together in the air.

Boom!

The ancient wheel of [All Things Return to Their Source] appeared behind him. The number thirty-three glowed with a faint light.

This time, he would force that number to sixty.

"Activate the Three-Law Link!"

Aiden shouted in his mind.

This was a mad plan that even Intermediate Gods rarely dared to attempt:

Three-Law Linked Energy Supply.

Buzz!

Space tore open in an instant.

The Law of Space descended with crushing force, creating a complete vacuum zone of Laws within three hundred meters around Aiden.

Next, the Law of Light became the pure Whiteflare Divine Flame. In its strongest form of purification, it flowed steadily into the Garden of Laws.

Finally, the Law of Thunder formed a high-frequency web of heavenly lightning. It roared through the vacuum zone, smashing space into its most basic particles of Law.

Space became the furnace. Light became the fire. Thunder became the hammer.

The three powerful Laws created a constant, living resonance inside the Garden of Laws. They became a brilliant storm of Laws that surged straight into Aiden’s head.

"Mm..."

Aiden let out a muffled groan. Veins stood out on his forehead.

This level of power tore at both his Inner Spirit and body every second.

The cost was terrible. Each day, he could only remain in this extreme state for four hours.

But during those four hours, his progress was three times faster than normal cultivation.

Violent lightning and pure light filled the secret chamber, making Aiden look like an ancient god who controlled divine punishment.

Time passed silently, rushing by through thunder and flame.

The third month quietly came to an end.

The stone door of the chamber remained tightly shut. Only occasional waves of terrifying Law energy leaked out, making the powerful guards outside tremble with fear.

At the end of the third month, Aiden slowly opened his eyes.

Divine light flashed through his double pupils like lightning, piercing the space before him.

Understanding of the Laws: 77%!

[All Things Return to Their Source] Vessel: 45%!

"Not enough. Again!"

Without taking any rest, Aiden closed his eyes and formed a hand seal.

Rumble!

The resonance of the Three-Law Link filled the secret chamber once more.

The fourth month began.

The earth veins were flowing faster. Even the Sovereign City could faintly feel the shaking coming from the direction of the Golden Great Wall.

Everyone was holding on with all they had. Aiden, meanwhile, was locked in the hardest race of his life: a race against time.

Finally, on the last day of the fourth month, the storm of Laws inside the chamber reached its peak.

Buzz!

A clear sound rang through Aiden’s mind.

Understanding of the Laws: 79%!

[All Things Return to Their Source] Vessel: 62%!

He had gone beyond his target.

But before Aiden could relax, something unexpected happened.

The moment the Vessel passed fifty percent, the dormant "10,000x Critical Hit System" inside him suddenly let out a greedy roar.

Its pulling force rose by 1.3 times without warning.

The system had sensed the danger. At the final moment, it was trying to swallow all of Aiden’s progress.

"I knew you would try something like this."

A cold light flashed in Aiden’s eyes.

"Space Repulsion Zone, suppress it!"

Aiden pressed one hand against the ground.

The Law of Space burst open inside his body, forming an absolute barrier that pushed everything away.

That sudden surge of devouring power was blocked by the space barrier.

Then, with overwhelming force, Aiden redirected it through a spatial passage and forced it outward.

Boom!

The space deep inside the secret chamber was torn apart by the power, collapsing into nothingness.

The danger was gone. But the cost of suppressing the system while pushing the three Laws beyond their limit hit Aiden’s body at once.

His body began to shake violently. Beneath his skin, golden divine power boiled like molten lava.

His body temperature had reached a terrifying level.

It was a sign that both his body and Inner Spirit were close to breaking down from overload.

Creak...

The heavy stone door of the chamber slowly opened.

Aiden stepped out, one slow step at a time, dragging his exhausted and burning body forward.

The air around him twisted from the intense heat. White steam poured continuously from his pores.

At the end of the passage, Cheryl stood quietly in white robes.

The moment she saw Aiden, pain and concern flashed in her eyes.

For the past four months, she had not left this place for even one day.

Cheryl quickly walked over, holding a necklace that gave off a deep, freezing cold.

Its pendant was a small charm made from ninety-nine highly refined frost crystals.

"Put it on," Cheryl said softly, her voice trembling slightly.

Aiden took the charm. The moment it touched his hand, a deep, refreshing cold spread through him.

The terrible heat that had nearly burned through his body quickly faded under the calming power of the Frost Law.

Even the sharp pain in his Inner Spirit was greatly relieved.

Aiden held the charm and narrowed his double-pupiled eyes as he looked at Cheryl’s pale face.

"Even the Great Shaw Empire’s treasury produces fewer than ten refined frost crystals in a year."

His voice was low and firm.

"You did not have ninety-nine of them."

Cheryl turned her head away, avoiding Aiden’s eyes as if they could see through everything.

"I did."

She bit her lip lightly, speaking in a quiet voice.

"The Great Shaw Empire’s treasury did not have them. But the Azurecloud Empire did. Those hidden families did too."

Aiden looked at her. His calm voice was almost frightening.

"You traded away all your cultivation resources for them?"

Cheryl did not answer.

She simply stood there in silence, while the edge of her clothes moved gently in the breeze flowing through the passage.

Aiden sighed. Then he slowly put the charm, made from ninety-nine frost crystals, around his neck.

Its cold touch reached deep into his heart.

He looked at Cheryl, and a gentle smile appeared on his face.

"Cheryl, you are getting worse at lying."

Cheryl looked up. A stubborn look flashed in her beautiful eyes.

"No," she said. "You are just getting better at reading people."