Chapter 481: The Secret of Earth’s Core
For a thousand years, humanity had relied on the Golden Great Wall to hold back the Abyss. They had relied on the gods to seal the Demons. From the moment every Reclasser completed their Class Change, the iron rule they were taught was simple:
"Destroy the Abyss."
But if that path was truly right, why had the Abyss’s invasions only become more violent?
Why did even a Divine Emperor as powerful as Yves end up leaving behind only his will, waiting for someone in the future to inherit it?
"No. This direction is wrong."
Aiden suddenly opened his eyes. A sharp light burst from his double pupils, brighter than anything before.
The law crystal left behind by Yves did not contain destructive Strength.
It contained the origin of space-a power that could embrace all things.
And the voice heard by Kelsey’s Ethereal Physique was not a curse.
It was a call from somewhere unseen.
When the Demon of Pride faced him, that faint trembling was not from fear.
It was a resonance that came from sharing the same source.
There was one thing in Egretta’s mad logic that was right-blindly running away and sealing things off was only giving Earth a slow death sentence.
"It’s not about fighting it. It’s about understanding it."
Aiden murmured to himself. His voice echoed through the silent tower, faintly stirring the laws around him.
"Sealing it only pushes the problem into the future."
"Only by truly understanding the Abyss, understanding the Strength of the Heavenly Demon, and even understanding the deepest rules of this universe, can we completely end this disaster that has lasted for a thousand years."
Boom!
The moment this thought became clear in Aiden’s mind, it felt as if some ancient shackle deep within his soul had been violently broken.
The system’s cold, mechanical voice exploded beside his ears.
[Ding! It has been detected that the host has gained a deep understanding of the nature of the world. Your state of mind is in harmony with the origin of the laws!]
[Your comprehension of the Law of Space has begun to rise rapidly!]
Buzz-!
Inside the Tower of Laws, the once gentle space waves suddenly went out of control.
Countless silver-white threads of space fell from thin air, wrapping around Aiden until he became a giant silver cocoon of light.
28%...
29%...
32%...
Aiden felt his Inner Spirit rising without limit. The outline of the entire Celestial Imperial City, and even all of Earth, became incredibly clear in his perception.
35%!
[Ding! Congratulations, host. Your comprehension of the Law of Space has reached 35%. The Law of Space has advanced to-Advanced Mastery!]
At that moment, a line from Yves’s final words suddenly echoed in Aiden’s mind:
"When you truly understand something, the patterns of its laws will naturally appear."
Aiden smiled.
It was the calm smile of someone who had finally understood.
So, the true realm of the gods was never just a simple pile of divine power and experience points.
It was a deep understanding of the universe, and of the rules that made all things move.
The deeper your understanding, the more this world would open its arms to you and let you command it.
Aiden slowly raised his hand. He did not use any divine power. He only moved his mind slightly.
Rip.
The empty space in front of him slid apart on its own, like soft silk being gently pulled to both sides, revealing the deep and quiet subspace within.
With Advanced Mastery of the Law of Space, he no longer needed chants or preparation. Space itself had become his hands and feet.
"Hoo-"
Aiden let out a long breath. His double pupils had now completely turned a deep silver, as if two star fields were hidden inside his eyes.
He decided to test this new Strength.
Aiden closed his eyes. The Strength of the Advanced Law of Space spread out from him like an invisible tide, racing wildly in every direction.
This sense passed through the Tower of Laws, then through the golden barrier of Celestial Imperial City.
Like the most precise invisible scalpel, it began to peel open Earth’s space structure layer by layer.
It swept over the countless lights of the Great Shaw Empire.
It passed through the thick crust and crossed the burning mantle.
Aiden’s "sight" kept moving downward, all the way to the deepest core of Earth.
There, where the core should have been silent and lifeless.
However, under the analysis of the Advanced Law of Space, Aiden saw the full picture of Earth’s core for the first time.
There, an unimaginably huge space node was hidden.
It looked like the ultimate seal meant to suppress the heavens, but also like an ancient giant gate that had been buried in dust for countless ages.
And through the faint crack of that gate, a holy and warm light was shining out.
That light was exactly the same as the golden gate Kelsey had described countless times in her dreams.
Aiden slowly opened his eyes. The silver light of the laws faded from them like a retreating tide, and his deep double pupils returned.
Without the slightest hesitation, he gently swept his right hand through the air.
Rip.
Space was torn open as easily as a thin sheet of paper. Aiden stepped forward, and his figure instantly vanished from the Tower of Laws.
With Advanced Law of Space, distance no longer mattered. A place thousands of miles away could be reached in a single step.
When he appeared again, he was already standing silently inside the main control hall at the heart of Celestial Imperial City.
In the center of the hall, Zoey was meditating with her eyes closed. Faint formation light circled around her body.
"Zoey."
Aiden’s voice was calm, yet it sounded like thunder falling from the highest heavens, echoing through the empty hall.
Zoey’s body trembled slightly, and she suddenly opened her eyes.
When she saw the silver threads of space in Aiden’s eyes-still not fully faded, bright like a river of stars-her pupils sharply contracted.
"You... broke through?!"
Zoey’s voice was filled with shock she could not hide.
Aiden did not answer. He only looked at her in silence. His double pupils seemed able to see through every illusion in the world.
"Just now, I used the Law of Space to inspect Earth’s core."
Aiden’s voice was quiet, but every word struck heavily against Zoey’s heart.
"Deep in the very center, I sensed a massive space node. It looked like an ancient giant gate that had been sealed for countless ages."
"Golden light was shining through the crack of the gate. It was exactly the same as the light Kelsey saw in her dreams."
Aiden took a step forward. For one brief moment, a terrifying divine pressure flashed through the hall.
"Tell me. What is it?"
The air inside the hall seemed to freeze completely.
Zoey stood there in a daze. All color drained from her beautiful face, and her lips trembled slightly.
She stared at Aiden, her eyes filled with struggle, pain, relief, and awe all at once.
After a long time, she finally let out a quiet sigh, as if she had set down a burden she had carried for a thousand years.
"So... you sensed it after all..."
Zoey slowly closed her eyes. Her voice was trembling, filled with endless age and sorrow.
"Yes. It is a gate."
"A gate leading to the higher universe."
"And the Lord of the Primordial from the legends is waiting inside that gate."
Aiden frowned slightly. A faint silver light flickered in his eyes.
"If the path to the higher universe is right here, then why didn’t Yves open it a thousand years ago? Why did he choose to seal it instead?"
With Yves’s power as the first legendary ruler of the Great Shaw Empire, a Divine Emperor who was almost beyond the limits of the world, who could have stopped him if he wanted to open that gate?
Zoey opened her eyes and stared blankly into the air, as if she were looking through a thousand years of time.
"Because he didn’t dare."
"The price of opening that gate is the destruction of everything that exists now."
Zoey’s voice echoed through the hall, carrying a chilling coldness.
"It is not as simple as pushing open a door. The moment it opens, the entire space structure of Earth and the Abyss will be completely rebuilt."
"And before the power of that spatial reconstruction, the current Earth, the current Abyss, and even all matter and laws would collapse in an instant, breaking down into the most basic particles."
Aiden’s pupils suddenly narrowed.
"All life must go through an ’evolutionary leap’ before it can survive in the new, higher-dimensional universe."
Zoey turned her head and stared hard at Aiden.
"This is the ultimate gamble, with no way back."
"If the evolution succeeds, Earth’s civilization will enter a brand-new stage unlike anything before. The Abyss Great Destruction that has lasted for a thousand years will finally come to an end."
"But if it fails..."
"Earth, the Abyss, and billions of living beings will vanish in an instant. Not even their souls will remain!"
The hall fell into a deathly silence.
Aiden stood with his hands behind his back. A strong wind blew against the hem of his clothes, making them snap sharply in the air.
At last, he understood.
It was not that Yves had not known about the gate.
It was that he had not dared to take the gamble.
He had been a great leader, but he could not decide the fate of billions of lives on this planet by gambling on life and death.
So, he had chosen to turn his broken body into the Golden Great Wall, seal the ancient gate, and delay this final problem for a full thousand years.
"The madmen of Dawn Society know the truth, don’t they?"
Aiden spoke coldly. In his mind, he saw the fanatical and stubborn expression of Executive Elder Egretta.
"Yes. They believe humanity is ready."
Zoey gave a self-mocking smile.
"They want to use the Strength of the Heavenly Demon to forcefully tear open the space barrier and open that gate. Even if ninety-nine percent of humanity is wiped out, they won’t care-as long as even one small spark can ascend to the higher universe."
Zoey looked at Aiden, her beautiful eyes filled with worry and searching.
"Aiden, now it’s your turn."
"Do you think humanity is ready?"
Aiden turned around and took one step to the edge of the hall. He looked down at the busy and peaceful Celestial Imperial City below.
Countless Reclassers moved through the streets. Children were laughing and playing. The warmth of ordinary life rose from the city.
"I don’t know."
Aiden’s voice was calm like still water, but it carried a power that could not be questioned.
"But I know one thing."
"This is not a fate one person should decide."
"Whether we live or die, whether we keep struggling to survive or risk everything for one final chance-this choice must be made by all life on Earth together."
Aiden turned his head slightly and looked at Zoey.
"Before Yves died, did he ever tell you how the person who inherited his will should choose?"
The flow of laws inside the hall seemed to pause for a moment.
Zoey stood in the shadows, looking a little dazed, as if she were seeing that lonely figure from a thousand years ago, standing at the center of the storm once again.
She was silent for a very, very long time.
Then she finally spoke softly, her voice so distant that it seemed to come from ancient times.
"He said..."
"Let that person choose for himself."
"Don’t let him be like me, making everyone’s choice for them."