MIGHT AS WELL BE OP

Chapter 1273: Reaction

The entire Coliseum-like structure was consumed in pure, unadulterated silence as people stared with their eyes stretched open to the widest extent, their mouths hanging agape as though their jaws threatened to fall off.

They couldn’t believe what they had just seen; they didn’t dare believe it. It was literally impossible. Wasn’t the man known as Null Anthony supposed to have only ascended a couple of days ago? How did he now possess Laws?

How did he now possess Laws that had touched the Law Embodiment Stage? And not just one Law, but multiple. Law of Strength, Law of Metal, Law of Blood, Law of Shadow, Law of Wind, Law of Space.

They had seen him manipulate so many Laws with extreme precision and finesse that they began to doubt their own lives and understanding.

None of them dared believe that the Sect Master had lied to them. After all, reputation meant a great deal within the Hellinder Realm.

They couldn’t help but ask themselves, were Laws suddenly so easy to comprehend? Was the Law Embodiment Stage truly so simple to reach?

First, it had been Tory Hale, who comprehended Laws with unbelievable ease. The entire sect had been left in awe of his astonishing feats, but now, someone even more monstrous had appeared. They couldn’t help but ask themselves if they were comprehending fake Laws while these geniuses comprehended the real deal.

As they stared at Anthony, they couldn’t help but remember the brutality he had just unleashed, the horror they had all just witnessed, all while holding himself back because of the rules. They had seen him tear a Core disciple’s entire arm from its shoulder while amplifying the pain the disciple felt through the Law of Pain.

They had watched him unleash horrors they had never witnessed in their entire lives. They had never seen someone command another person to dig out their own eyeballs and tongue, and the other party had actually obeyed. They had never seen anyone order someone to tear out their own organs, and the victim had actually complied without the slightest hesitation.

Which of them here hadn’t expected bloodshed? Which of them hadn’t killed at least one being from a Major Race? Every single one of them had blood on their hands, and every single one of them had experienced killing intent before, but alas, there was a level to everything, and this level of brutality was simply insane.

What terrified them even more wasn’t merely the gore itself, but the calm expression Anthony had maintained throughout the entire ordeal. There had been no excitement, no bloodlust, no visible pleasure. He had carried out every action with the same indifferent expression one would wear while completing an ordinary task, making it seem as though ripping apart bodies and breaking minds was nothing more than another routine day for him. That emotionless composure seeped into their bones far more deeply than the stream of blood staining the arena.

They couldn’t help but swallow hard. They must stay away from this disaster called Null Anthony. If they ever saw him approaching from the right side, they must immediately move to the left, or better still, leave the fucking road entirely.

Some of them silently thanked whatever god was out there. Why? The answer was simple. Three hundred and five had been the maximum number of people allowed to challenge a single disciple at once. If there hadn’t been such a limitation, surely they too would now be lying on the ground, unconscious and bleeding, balanced upon the very brink of death, desperately praying for the sweet release that stubbornly refused to come.

Everyone had always known and heard that Ascendants possessed battle experience on an entirely different scale and degree because of the endless bloodbath and merciless path they had to carve through before achieving Ascension. But hearing, knowing, and witnessing were never the same. Only after seeing Anthony unleash that massacre before their very eyes did they finally understand what those words truly meant.

At another side of the bleachers, the Above Disciples sat with their eyes trembling in their sockets as they watched the battle unfold. They had once disregarded Anthony, believing they were stronger as long as Laws were brought into the equation. But now, with what they had just witnessed, that entire equation crumbled into nothing more than sand and dust.

While they could reluctantly believe the absurdity of Anthony’s cultivation, Laws were an entirely different domain altogether. Even possessing multiple Laws at the Law Embodiment Stage was enough to leave them stunned. Until now, only Tory had ever accomplished such an outrageous feat.

The moment they had that thought, their eyes shifted toward Tory as they wanted to see his reaction. After all, Tory had always been known for his outrageous comprehension ability when it came to Laws. Yet all they saw was Tory smiling at Anthony with an expectant and pleased smile.

Then it dawned on them; Tory had known.

It didn’t take them more than a moment to understand that he had most likely discovered everything when he had personally escorted Anthony.

Their eyes returned to Anthony. With Anthony now thrown into the mix, they felt pressure unlike ever before. Why? They knew the moment they returned from the Silent Hollow, the entire Above Disciple ranking system was about to undergo a complete upheaval. And they also knew that a lower rank meant fewer resources.

Their eyes narrowed. Pressure only sharpened gems; only glass cracked beneath it.

Above, high within the clouds, the Outer Elders and the Librarian sat with smiles on their faces, yet they were just as shocked as everyone else. They were delighted to see that the Sect Master’s descendant had truly lived up to the mountain of expectations people were beginning to place upon him.

But they couldn’t help but shake their heads, knowing that an Elder who practiced the Law of Life, the Law of Healing, and similar restorative Laws was definitely needed to help these disciples.

After all, injuries caused by Laws weren’t something that could simply be healed by swallowing a random pill or drinking some random potion. Here, Laws halted the natural process of regeneration unless the invading Law itself was first purged. Just as the Asura’s Law had been capable of interfering with Anthony’s own regenerative abilities until Nathaniel helped Anthony.

And even after the Law had been completely purged, healing remained significantly more difficult because the Law itself had already inflicted tremendous and often irreversible damage upon the victim’s body. Hence, why an Elder was required rather than some random healer with ordinary abilities.

Of course, pills capable of healing injuries inflicted by Laws did exist, and they were readily available for those who could afford them. However, their prices were so outrageously absurd that they could bankrupt entire families overnight. Yet people continued purchasing them without the slightest hesitation because everyone understood one simple truth, when facing the terrifying power of Laws, wealth could always be earned again, but a life lost could never be bought back.