Lightning Is the Only Way

Gravis talked with Orpheus some more, and he had also gotten the answer how it was so cheap for the Research Institute to open portals to other worlds. After all, something like that needed a lot of Energy.

The answer was as obvious as it was brilliant.

Prisoners from Opposer City's Guards.

The Research Institute and the guards had a deeply connected relationship, and one could even say that one of them nearly couldn't live without the other one.

The Research Institute gave the guards plenty of techniques and Form Laws in exchange for some of the prisoners. All the prisoners that only had to work for a finite amount of time would be sent to the mines to mine God Stones, from which a huge part would go to the Research Institute.

However, the prisoners that had committed severe crimes wouldn't be sent to the mines but to the tubes.

The prisoner's will would be put into stasis by a complex Formation Array. The will of the prisoner still existed, but as long as no one woke them up, they wouldn't wake up on their own.

In that state, the prisoner would still count as alive, and their body would still absorb Energy. Several tubes would be put into the bodies of the willless prisoners that sucked out all their Energy, and their body's subconscious absorption of Energy would always refill their Energy storage.

These prisoners would remain in this situation until their longevity ran out.

They were essentially refilling Energy batteries.

It was quite a dark image, but Gravis didn't find it weird.

The Cultivation world was rather dark, after all. This wasn't anything special.

Gravis had also worked as a torturer for a couple of years, and that job wasn't any prettier.

Eventually, Gravis and Orpheus ran out of things to talk about, and Gravis left.

Gravis had told Orpheus about the fact that Lina was trying to find a way to repay him and that Orpheus should give her some time.

Orpheus scratched his chin in thought and then shrugged. "Sure, I'll give her some time," he said.

Gravis nodded. This was everything he could do for Lina. Everything else was up to her. If she couldn't make appropriate amends, Orpheus would kill her.

Opposer City to spend

of note happened during that time. Gravis only talked with his father, mother, and the Black

that, Gravis went back to

now, Gravis had talked to

wanted to meet

faster than

surprise as he felt Stella

already back?" he asked as

saw that Gravis was still alive, a

with the tribulation since I

what about you, Gravis?" Stella asked with interest. "How was the

didn't think about his Heaven's Trial

only thinking about Stella as he looked at

had already reached the level of a level three Ancestral God. It was definitely powerful enough for her to become

hadn't

smiled brightly at Gravis like nothing had happened, but Gravis knew that she had

that there had been a high chance that Stella

to temper herself, Gravis was thrown into

didn't want her to die, but he also couldn't help her in her

could do was trust Orthar that he wasn't

Orthar as his enemy, but it still frustrated him that the survival of all of his friends and loved ones basically

previous opponent, but the new opponent would have Laws that could counter Stella or had a

Stella was still alive was because Orthar wasn't sending her against geniuses from a Peak Sect with similar powers. Those geniuses were geniuses because their minds were very susceptible

be about equally as powerful. Nearly all of the time, the winner of the

for comprehending Laws, but he also knew that there were people with

put against someone like that, she would most

his friend, but Orthar's sheer control over Gravis' entire life still left a bad taste

more, Orthar also wasn't perfect. He knew a lot, but he couldn't know everything. For example, Orthar had been uncertain about Mortis' survival during Samsara, and he had also been uncertain when Gravis

that he had chosen an optimal opponent and that something had

Would Gravis believe that?

Yes.

and he didn't want