Chapter 533: Bella’s Breakthrough

Humm—

A golden cocoon of light wrapped around Leon. Waves of law energy spread outward in ripples, sweeping across the entire Celestial Imperial City.

This shocking law reconstruction lasted for six full hours.

At last, the divine light filling the sky faded away, and the cocoon slowly cracked open.

A figure drifted down from the air.

Aiden focused his eyes on him.

The Leon standing before him was no longer the mysterious being who was over five hundred years old and carried the decaying aura and overwhelming presence of a god.

He now looked like a middle-aged man in his forties. His temples were lightly streaked with gray, and his face was strong and firm.

The aura of the half-primordial had completely vanished. His ability to sense the laws had also fallen sharply, finally settling at the level of a lesser god.

But he now possessed something new—a sense of life, warmth, and humanity. He carried the simple, earthy feeling of an ordinary mortal.

Drip.

Without warning, a clear tear rolled from the corner of Leon’s eye and fell onto the soil of the Law Garden.

Leon froze.

He slowly raised his hand and touched the wetness at the corner of his eye.

Five hundred years.

Because of the restrictions placed on his half-primordial body, he had never shed a single tear.

But now, he could feel the warmth of the tear. He could feel his heart beating strongly inside his chest.

"Aiden."

Leon raised his hand and looked at the tear on his fingertip. A relieved smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"You once said that evolution belongs to everyone."

"From now on, I’m one of them too."

He turned around, gently wiped away the tear, and walked out of the Law Garden step by step.

Outside, sunlight shone warmly over the square of Celestial Imperial City.

Leon stood on a high platform and looked out over the city.

In a pavilion in the distance, Cheryl was humming as she awkwardly poured tea for her sister, Rainn.

Bella, dressed in white, quietly leaned against the window and watched the busy streets.

Kelsey had her arms around Zoey’s arm. Her mouth was stuffed with street food she had just bought, and she laughed through her food.

On a nearby rooftop, Faye, the Mythic-Rank Heaven-Devouring Mystic Dragon, had taken human form. She swung her fair legs casually, showing none of the dignity expected of an empress.

On the training grounds not far away, Victor swung his blade, sending waves of fire rolling through the air. Nearby, Jade read through intelligence reports from the military and occasionally offered a few words of advice.

These lively people had once been nothing more than cold names on the Dawn Society’s intelligence network—each marked as a "key variable that might affect the plan."

But now, they were all standing here, alive and well, creating a scene full of energy and life.

Warmth filled Leon’s eyes as he watched them.

He turned to Aiden, who had followed him outside, and said quietly:

"Yves was right. He’s lucky to have you as his successor."

"But I’m not doing too badly either."

Leon pointed at the people in the square, then at the entire, flourishing Celestial Imperial City.

"I have them too."

He was not pointing to any one person.

He meant everyone in this newly reborn world—everyone united as one.

...

On the sixtieth day after Earth’s reconstruction, an unprecedented tide of laws surged across the sky above Celestial Imperial City.

The new law ecosystem nourished this vast land like spring rain. It also gave countless powerful beings who had been stuck at bottlenecks the chance to break through.

Bella was about to break through.

She chose not to hide away in a secret chamber. Instead, she quietly stood in the projection area of the Law Garden in Celestial Imperial City, right in front of everyone.

Under Earth’s new law network, personal evolution was no longer something that happened in isolation. It now required resonance with the laws of the entire world.

Throughout Celestial Imperial City, countless Reclassers and residents stopped what they were doing and looked up in awe at the cold, snow-white figure.

Humm—

The void trembled slightly. An extremely pure golden glow suddenly spread out from beneath Bella’s feet.

This was her domain, the "Pure Land of Light."

In the past, even at its limit, the domain could cover only three kilometers. But the moment it came into contact with the new law ecosystem, it began to expand wildly.

Three kilometers. Five kilometers. Ten kilometers...

Until it reached a full twelve kilometers!

At that moment, the entire magnificent Celestial Imperial City was covered in a warm golden light of laws.

The light was not harsh at all. It was as gentle as the first ray of sunlight in the morning, softly calming everyone’s restless souls.

Clang—

A clear sword cry rang through the sky. The long sword in Bella’s hand suddenly shattered, turning into countless brilliant golden threads.

The Law of the Sword and the Law of Light formed a connection that had never existed before within the new ecosystem. The sword was no longer merely a weapon of destruction. It had become a physical manifestation of the Law of Light.

Bella lightly raised one finger. The countless golden threads moved through the air like embroidery needles.

With every swing of her hand, a dazzling golden symbol was driven into the void, firmly reinforcing Earth’s new law network deep within the land.

This was no longer simple destructive power. It was the power of creation and construction.

At that moment, Bella transformed from humanity’s sharpest warrior into a living guardian of Earth’s law network.

Boom!

As she broke through the highest point of the Supreme God bottleneck, two completely different paths of evolution quietly unfolded within Bella’s sea of consciousness.

One path led to the God-Emperor and Divine Emperor realms—the usual path of evolution, focused on achieving the greatest destructive power as an individual.

The other path was the path of the "Law Keeper." It was hidden deep within the law network and carried a steady, peaceful presence.

Bella did not hesitate. She firmly turned away and chose the path that represented protection.

She gave up the endless possibilities of evolving into a God-Emperor and willingly became the first guardian of Earth’s law network—the Shield of Earth.

She had not become weaker. Instead, she had merged her life with the laws of the new Earth. As long as Earth remained, she would be unbreakable.

The golden light slowly faded. Bella opened her eyes, warm golden radiance flowing through them.

She walked out of the Law Garden projection area step by step. All the sharpness in her aura had disappeared, leaving her as flawless and gentle as a piece of fine jade.

Cheryl was the first to approach her. A little shyly, she held out a blue crystal that radiated an intense chill.

This was no ordinary cooling artifact. It was a replacement for the Frost Crystal that Bella had shattered during the brutal battle.

After the battle, Cheryl had used the last of her own power reserves to refine it again, working day and night without rest.

Bella reached out and accepted it. Her fingertips gently brushed across the crystal’s surface.

Two priceless crystals—one representing the purest ice, the other the purest light—had now been placed in one person’s hands by another.

The two women looked at each other. They needed no words to express everything they felt.

That night, the air was cool and the moon shone like water.

On the ancient walls of Celestial Imperial City, moonlight fell across the cold bricks and reflected a faint silver glow.

Aiden rested both hands on the wall and let the night wind blow through his black hair. Bella stood quietly beside him.

"I traded all my power of destruction for the power to protect others. Do you think I lost out?" Bella asked softly. Her voice sounded faint and distant in the night wind.

"Whether you lost out has never been about counting battle strength." Aiden turned to her. His unusual double-pupiled eyes glimmered warmly in the darkness.

"It is about counting how many people are standing behind you when you stand on the city wall."

"Now, the whole Earth stands behind you."

Bella was slightly stunned. Then the corners of her lips lifted into a faint but beautiful smile.

She rarely smiled, but this time, there was no restraint in it. It was like ice and snow melting beneath the warmth of spring.

"Aiden, did you know that I used to love you?" she asked as she gazed at the night sky in the distance. Her voice was calm, as if she were talking about an old story that had nothing to do with her.

"I knew." Aiden nodded, his voice gentle. "I knew from the moment you said, ’We’ll decide in two years.’"

Bella turned to him, her bright eyes fixed on his face.

"Then aren’t you going to say something in response?"

"There’s no need," Aiden said softly. "You have already given the best answer through your actions."

"You chose to become a Law Keeper. You are protecting all of us."

"That is clearer and carries more weight than anything words could ever say."

Bella held Cheryl’s Frost Crystal tightly against her chest, feeling its refreshing chill.

"Yes. I chose everyone. That includes you—and Cheryl."

"So... there really is no need for an answer."

The two of them said nothing more. They stood side by side on the city wall, quietly gazing at the newborn starry sky above them.

After Earth had been rebuilt, the night sky was more brilliant than ever. The stars were no longer isolated points of light. They formed a vast network, linked together by countless strands of laws.

However, there were some things Bella did not say on the wall—but the person beneath it heard every word clearly.

Cheryl was crouching at the foot of the wall, holding a faint strand of ice-blue law energy in her hand.

She had not been trying to eavesdrop. She was simply sorting through the last remaining crystal fragment she had recovered from the ruins of the battlefield—the only piece left after she had exhausted all her power in the final battle.

Carefully, Cheryl placed the fragment into a crack between the ancient bricks and gently patted it into place.

"Thank you for not leaving her there alone..." she whispered.

Her voice was so soft that only the night could hear it.

After finishing, Cheryl stood up and brushed the dust from her hands. Then she cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted toward the top of the wall.

"Hey! The tea’s gone cold! Do you want me to warm it up for you two?"

Aiden and Bella turned around at the same time and looked down at the girl below, who stood with her hands on her hips and a playful pout on her face.

Moonlight fell across all three of them. Aiden and Bella looked at each other, then both broke into warm, carefree laughter.