Dragon God's Palace.
The Dragon God watched the scene playing out in the reincarnation space with great interest, eyes gleaming.
"Little one, let me see how long it takes you to comprehend the Law of Life!"
"Alright, little one. Let me see how long it takes you to grasp the Law of Life," Salama murmured, gaze locked on Son Gohan within the pocket dimension.
Inside the Reincarnation Space.
Gohan was reborn again.
Except… his luck seemed absolutely terrible.
His very first reincarnation?
He was born a pig.
The funniest part was that he did not awaken his past-life memories in time. Before he was even fully grown, he was taken away, roasted, and served on a table as a delicacy.
Roast suckling pig.
This entire space was illusory, shaped by his memories and consciousness.
"Pfft… hahahaha… roast suckling pig!" Dragon God Salama clutched his stomach, laughing so hard he almost wheezed.
The second life, he finally reincarnated as a human, into something like an ancient dynasty from Earth's history.
This time, he became a great general. His whole life was either killing, or on the way to kill someone.
Merit upon merit, title upon title.
General.
Marquis.
A foreign prince.
A harem full of wives and concubines, a house of children and grandchildren.
Then a new king ascended the throne.
His achievements overshadowed the ruler.
Naturally, his path ended in execution and the extermination of his entire clan.
Third life, he was abandoned at birth.
Fourth life, he was born into the imperial family, spending his entire life scheming and plotting. In the end, he seized the throne and carved out a vast empire through war.
After that, time in the reincarnation space sped up more and more. Scenes flickered by in a blur.
A hundred years inside passed in the span of a few seconds outside.
A thousand cycles of reincarnation.
The Law of Death inside his body spun wildly. When extremity was reached, a counter-force arose. From the deepest core of that Death power, a single point of green light quietly appeared.
In that same instant, the reincarnation space shattered.
Gohan's body reappeared in the Dragon God's hall, and a dense surge of life force burst out from him, endless and inexhaustible.
Even the massive golden tiles beneath his feet began to sprout green shoots. Flowers and grass raced across the floor of the grand hall, turning it into a lush, emerald garden.
"Now that is impressive. Only a thousand lives, and you already grasped it," Salama said with a nod.
He raised his hand and pressed down lightly.
The flowers and grass vanished. The floor returned to its previous golden brilliance, spotless.
"Dragon God, thank you for your guidance," Gohan said, bowing respectfully.
"Helping you is helping myself," Salama replied calmly. "You know as well as I do, it will not be long before I leave as well. Being able to see the next successor with my own eyes… I am genuinely pleased."
"Successor?" Gohan blinked. "What is that supposed to mean?"
"Even though I do not directly govern the main universe, that doesn't mean I ignore its troubles," Salama said. "Lord King of Time is as crafty as they come. Both of us owe him favors. Standing by and doing nothing would be unreasonable.
You know this as well 'Little Zeno' is only a fragment of Zeno's consciousness. Even with the Grand Priest assisting him, it is not as if the main universe has no enemies.
My existence has been a deterrent, forcing many hidden beings to keep their hands to themselves."
"If that's the case, why not simply destroy those enemies?" Gohan asked, genuinely puzzled. "From what I know, someone who reaches the realm of the One True Existence can crush anything."
"Where there is order, there must also be chaos," Salama said. "If you want the universe to progress, justice alone is not enough. Evil is also one of the engines that push things forward.
With enemies comes pressure. With pressure comes the desire to grow stronger. That is a path every world must walk.
And good and evil are not so easily defined. In my eyes, anyone who stands against me is 'evil.' In their eyes, I am the villain.
But I, Salama, have feared no one in my life, save Lord King of Time. The reason the main universe has developed safely for so many years is the fear my name inspires.
As long as I exist, there are no threats."
His voice rang through the hall, a declaration that shook the soul.
As long as I exist, there are no threats.
Gohan's heart trembled. He could not help but be awed by the Dragon God's overwhelming presence.
"Hehe, but that also comes with one little downside," Salama added, that imposing aura vanishing in an instant, replaced by a mischievous grin. "If I leave and you still haven't reached my level… then things will get very interesting."
"You're setting me up?" Gohan's scalp tingled. "Digging a pit for me to fall into?"
"With great power comes great responsibility," Salama said lazily.
"Don't brainwash me," Gohan snapped. "I have no sense of duty. Morality cannot shackle me. If the sky falls, the tall ones can hold it up. What does it have to do with me?
The universe has Gods of Destruction, Angels, and above them the Grand Priest and Zeno himself. I have a rotten personality, and I fully intend to enjoy a rotten life. I refuse all PUA."
"This isn't up to you," Salama countered. "Think about it. If one day someone appears that even Little Zeno cannot erase, what will you do?
You may not want to be their enemy, but once they notice your talent, do you really think they won't try to take you out preemptively?
What will you do then? Are you saying you don't have family? No friends? If you decide to stand on their side, do your family and friends stand with them too?"
Open conspiracy.
"You people are ruthless," Gohan muttered. "Since when is having talent a crime? All I wanted was to live a good life."
He understood, though. This was not some trap that Salama and the King of Time dug for him out of malice. It was a step he had to take.
They hadn't forced him to do anything. All they had done was help him grow stronger, give him the potential to reach the realm of the One True Existence.
But in doing so, they had also, quietly, given him enemies.
"Hehe. That is what inheritance is," Salama said, grinning. "I went through the same thing. When Lord King of Time left, I had already reached the peak of the Angel realm. With the Grand Priest and Little Zeno still around, those creatures lurking in the shadows did not dare to move recklessly.
You, however, are still a long way from that level. So you better work hard."
"Some 'inheritance' this is. You're all conniving old foxes," Gohan grumbled, rolling his eyes.
"You brat. No respect for your elders. Get out," Salama snorted.
He flicked his hand.
A tremendous force slammed into Gohan, launching him away. His figure faded rapidly.
"Hmph. If it was going to take ten thousand years, I will make it a hundred instead. That's your punishment for not respecting your elders," Salama muttered, deciding to move up his timetable for leaving.
Seventh Universe, Supreme Kai's World.
"Shameless fossil. Old scheming bastard." Gohan was still cursing as he tumbled through space.
"Gohan, you are finally back!" Tien Shinhan rushed forward excitedly.
"Damn. Damn. Damn. They are both screwing me over. Two old scheming bastards," Gohan snapped, instantly realizing he had returned to the main universe.
His annoyance only grew.
"Son Gohan, who exactly are you cursing?" Old Kai asked curiously.
"Who else? The King of Time and the Dragon God, of course. Those two old schemers," Gohan said through gritted teeth.
"Have you lost your mind? How dare you speak so rudely?" Old Kai almost jumped out of his skin. "Dragon God Salama is a being on the same level as Lord Zeno, and the King of Time is even higher. They are supreme!"
"Hmph. Forget it. I don't want to talk about it. I'm pissed," Gohan said.
He vanished with Instant Transmission.
On a deserted planet.
Gohan stood alone on the barren world, dust swirling at his feet.
"Let's see how much my Mystic Form has changed," he murmured, beginning to transform.
What happened next surprised even him.
The originally gray, gloomy aura flaring around him turned pure white again.
The oppressive stillness and suffocating despair melted away without a trace.
His Mystic Form had reverted to its earliest appearance.
But although the look had returned to the beginning, the power had not regressed at all quite the opposite.
His battle power multiplier had climbed to a full 2000 times.
He willed more power into motion, testing the new rules he had awakened.
He found he could still freely invoke the Laws of Death and Life.
First came Death.
A chilling shadow of death spilled out over the planet, as if everything had lost its color and will to live.
His form shifted into Death-Aspect Mystic Form.
The multiplier doubled again 4000 times.
Then the power of Death faded, replaced by the Law of Life.
Gohan's hair turned a vivid grass green, his aura brimming with vitality. Even his pupils became green.
The battle power multiplier was the same 4000 times.
"Damn, that is way too green. Greener than half the so-called 'legendary' forms out there. No way," Gohan muttered, quickly suppressing the Life aspect and dispersing the transformation.
At this moment, he had only just learned the Laws of Life and Death. He had not yet fused them into the Law of Creation.
But he was confident.
It would not be long before he transformed Life and Death into Creation.
And when that happened, his Mystic Form would undergo another qualitative evolution.