Chapter 2696: 2000 Days They had prepared themselves for what lay ahead, but the reality was far harsher than anything they had imagined. The first hurdle came in the form of dozens of winged serpents, their scaled bodies glimmering with starlight as they swarmed in a frenzy. Emery and the others plunged into the chaos, pushing against the raging currents of the void. "Break through!" Cosmic flames erupted from Morgana, burning paths through the serpent swarm. Dark Emery unleashed void blades sharp enough to tear through the chaotic currents, while Light Emery summoned jade roots to bind the creatures and create pathways. But the deeper they pushed, the stronger the spatial currents became. Invisible ripples crashed against their bodies like tidal waves, shattering their balance and throwing them back. The void itself fought against their escape, and in an instant, the serpents regrouped, surrounding them once more. "Keep moving!" Dark Emery roared, his void blade carving arcs of destruction. Emery’s divine sense expanded to its very limit, forcing clarity against the chaos. And there, amidst the shifting space, he saw it. A faint shimmer. "The exit! Thirty miles away!" Hope surged, but was quickly cut short. The dark Emery tried again and again to open spatial gates, each attempt collapsing in on itself, shredded by the distorted currents. The void rejected his mastery, denying shortcuts. That left them with only one option. All three transformed. [Twilight] [Primal] [Dawn] In unison, their forms shifted. Silvery fur emerged from Emery’s body, and a glowing verdant green tattoo shone. The clone frame warped into a towering, beastlike silhouette cloaked in primal void, while Morgana’s cosmic flames condensed into a blazing armor around her body. For a moment, their combined strength overwhelmed even the raging void currents. They pushed forward, each clash with the serpents tearing the air apart, every movement consuming their very lifeforce. One mile. two miles. three. An hour passed, their transformed bodies burning with strain. Bones cracked, skin tore, and their cores screamed in protest. But they endured — until their bodies began to collapse under their own power. And in the end, they gained only ten miles. One third of the way. Light Emery faltered, his voice strained."We won’t make it!!" Dark Emery’s response was a growl, more beast than man."No! We go full primal!" The intention was clear—unite their power, unleash everything. Light Emery hesitated, doubt clawing at his mind. But in the end, he gave a grim nod. If nothing else, they had to test the limit. A thunderous HOWWWLLL tore across the void as their forms shifted once again. Their bodies expanded, muscles rippling, claws and fangs bared, they charged into the storm as living juggernauts. Morgana flew behind, her silhouette wrapped in cosmic fire. Flames unfurled like a divine cloak, burning through serpents that tried to circle behind them. She shielded their backs, ensuring the void-born predators couldn’t swarm. With their combined fury, they surged forward another five miles. For a fleeting moment, the exit felt within reach. Then the star devouring beast within stirred. Emery’s domain quaked at its movement, and he instantly knew—forcing their forms any further risked damaging the domain. They couldn’t sustain it "Fall back!" Light Emery roared. Reluctantly, they disengaged, retreating to the relative safety at the edge of the chamber. Their bodies collapsed, primal forms dispersing, leaving them exhausted and bloodied. They had failed their attempt. Emery released a long, weary sigh. There would be another five hundred days before they could even make another attempt. The thought was disheartening, but at least there was some relief—the belly beast did not possess the same temporal anomaly as the realm they had crossed before. According to the note left by his future self, time here flowed at a normal pace. That assurance alone gave him a measure of comfort. Around them, the raging storm that had filled the place was finally beginning to dissipate. The monstrous serpent’s colossal corpse slowly crumbled into motes of nothingness, its essence unraveling into the void. As its body dissolved, the surrounding hundreds of spatial rifts weakened and flickered, their violent pull reduced to harmless ripples. Without hesitation, Emery dropped into a lotus position, his expression firm. "Let’s not waste time," he declared. Once more, they were given a hundred precious days to cultivate in this bizarre environment saturated with overwhelming spirit energy. But unlike before, Emery did not plan to divide the gathered energy into his domain. This time, he intended to use every drop directly for his own growth. Morgana settled nearby, her dark eyes gleaming with determination, while the shadowy figure of the dark Emery clone positioned himself opposite. The three of them were immersed in silence, focusing on absorbing and refining the spiritual essence around them. The flood of energy surged into their cores, their minds clearing, their bodies trembling under the intoxicating rush of power. But there was a price. Both Morgana and the clone’s body quickly discovered that their defenses could only hold for so long. Inevitably, their bodies faltered, and they had no choice but to retreat into the safety of Emery’s domain to rest and cleanse the poison. A day’s respite, then a new clone was summoned to replace the withered one, and once more they sat together, refusing to waste a single breath of this opportunity. Cycle after cycle, their cultivation pressed forward, straining the limits of what their bodies could endure. By the end of the hundred days, when the last ripples of energy finally faded, all three rose from meditation with newfound strength pulsing in their veins. Their growth was not just noticeable—it was tremendous. The dark Emery, in particular, had gained the most. The power of the newly awakened Death Gate seemed to resonate within him, granting not only a deeper comprehension but also an ominous new strand of Khaos energy that wove itself seamlessly into his soul. The next four hundred days passed in relentless practice. When the third cycle arrived, they already knew their attempt to break through would fail. Instead of throwing themselves blindly against the raging currents, they tested strategies: flying along the edges of the storm where the pressure was weaker, redirecting spatial currents with roots of jade, and even manipulating the flying serpents with the [Varkhall Banner], forcing them into a shield to clear a path. Despite all of this, the exit remained just beyond reach. But the cycle was not wasted. The one hundred days of overwhelming spirit energy in that third cycle finally pushed the dark Emery beyond his bottleneck. A surge of power erupted from his body. [You have successfully formed a third layer of Cosmos] [Emery – Dark] [Grand Magus Realm – One Cosmos, Third Layer] [Soul Force: 1310 (1378)] [Law of Space: 50%] [Law of Devour: 21%] [Law of Gravity: 14%] [Law of Sword: 9%] The clone rose with a smirk, his aura sharp as a blade. "Hahaa! I progress faster than you. Another cycle, and I’ll form my second cosmos!" But his triumph was cut short when he saw the light Emery calmly continuing his meditation, offering no response. The lack of acknowledgment stung more than any insult. Dark Emery’s smug expression twisted into irritation before he clicked his tongue and sat back down. The fourth cycle came and went, and despite his boastful confidence, dark Emery’s progress slowed. The truth became clear: advancing into the second cosmos was not as simple as amassing soul force. It required a deeper comprehension of the laws, a harmony of insight and will. He grunted, forcing himself deeper into cultivation, refusing to admit defeat. By the end of the cycle, it was the light Emery who broke through instead.[You have successfully formed a third layer of Cosmos] [Emery – Light] [Grand Magus Realm – One Cosmos, Third Layer] [Soul Force: 1172 (1285)] [Law of Nature: 49%] [Law of Light: 40%] [Law of Time: 11%] Two thousand days had passed—five full years trapped inside the belly of the world beast. In that time, they had grown from the fragile early stage of the first cosmos to the third layer. It was a level of progress that would have taken decades, even centuries, for others. In the quiet after the fourth cycle, Emery sat cross-legged with his future self’s note in hand. "It’s like you said," he murmured to himself. "To break through this place, the second cosmos is the way." ##### Four cycles later... Another 2000 days, The void whale beast quaked with a resonance unlike anything before. A guttural shriek tore from its throat, a sound so primal it made the very void itself shudder. Spatial rifts ripped open in violent succession—and then, in an instant, the massive world beast was gone. The rampage ended. The storm of unleashed energy slowly ebbed away, fading into an unnatural silence. And within that silence stood a lone figure. His presence was immense, his aura towering and oppressive, yet strangely balanced—perfectly attuned to both light and shadow. Emery. A Grand Magus of the Second Cosmos. ##### Author Note This Chapter concludes the month of August, and once again, I would like to express my gratitude for your support. I hope it has been an enjoyable read. The next arc will follow Emery’s return to a changing Earth after twenty years, where he must face his new destiny and work to reshape a ruined future. I have prepared many twists and surprises along the way. Thank you for your continued support and patience. I’ve also read many of your requests to increase the publishing rate, and I will do my best to deliver while maintaining both the quality of the story and my sanity. Next month marks the novel’s 5th anniversary. What began as a simple hobby to pass the time during the pandemic has now grown into a nearly 3,000-Chapter story. Please accept my deepest gratitude for supporting this novel. I truly appreciate it, and I look forward to your continued support in the coming month.