249: Inert Resonance

"Time to wind you up."

Li Dong's words were soft, yet they seemed to carry a strange magic, echoing through the network of Wither Laws.

He dissipated the [Law Scalpel] at his fingertips, capable of slicing through the world, and replaced it by transforming his own understanding of the Universe's harmony into a silent melody.

This was not a sound, but a pure fluctuation of Law, a "Tune of Harmony."

"Since you like sleeping so much, you need an alarm clock, right?"

He muttered to himself, gently and slowly pushing this fluctuation toward the massive energy cocoon deep within the planet's core.

There was no aggression, no intention of destruction, just like a Tuner carefully touching an out-of-tune string.

Hmmm—

The "Tune of Harmony" permeated the defensive network around the giant cocoon without any resistance.

The next second, inside the giant cocoon, the imprisoned ball of World Origin light seemed to hear a long-lost call, and for the first time, it began to resonate actively and violently.

The entire energy cocoon shook violently as a result, as if someone sleeping soundly were being forcibly shaken awake.

"...Noisy..."

A cold consciousness, a hundred times stronger than before, erupted.

This time, it was not merely a mental shock, but a Domain.

Inertia Domain.

In an instant, Li Dong felt as if he had fallen into a solidified piece of amber.

Everything around him slowed down—no, his own thoughts and perceptions were being forcibly dragged into a quagmire.

A thought had just arisen, and before it could even take shape, it felt as if centuries had passed.

The action of raising his hand decomposed into countless slow frames; every inch of movement consumed a vast amount of energy.

Time had lost its meaning here.

Or rather, it had been stretched to the point of near stillness.

This was the strongest defense of the "Mother of Wither," and also its most essential power—dragging everything into eternal silence.

"Interesting. Is this trying to drag me down to lie flat with it?" Even in his sluggish thoughts, such a notion popped up in Li Dong's mind.

Just as his consciousness was about to be completely frozen by this inertia, the [ancient stone slab] inside him finally reacted.

It did not erupt with bright light, nor did it release terrifying energy; it simply emitted a low, resilient resonance.

Thump.

It was like the first heartbeat when the Universe first began.

This fluctuation was not large, but it possessed a penetrative power that could not be delayed.

It echoed within Li Dong's Sea of Consciousness, instantly dispelling the feeling of solidification and allowing his thoughts to become clear once again.

"So that's how it is."

Li Dong stood in place, no longer attempting to use force to resist this Domain.

He understood that against "laziness," using "diligence" was useless; it would only make the opponent more irritable and resist more fiercely.

To deal with extreme inertia, one must follow its rhythm.

Find the rhythm of its "lying flat," and then... add a slightly different note into its beat.

"Come, follow my rhythm."

Li Dong closed his eyes, immersing all his focus into the unchanging, ancient pulsations of the [ancient stone slab].

He was no longer resisting, but amplifying this pulsation, again and again, transforming it into a "Life Pulse" that was perfectly synchronized with the life rhythm of the entire Universe.

This pulse was not his own power, but a beat he, as a "Tuner," had "borrowed" from the Universe's Origin.

Thump... Thump... Thump...

The "Life Pulse" penetrated the layers of the Inertia Domain, without stirring up any resistance; instead, like a drop of water merging into the ocean, it naturally reached the deepest part of the energy cocoon.

It touched the imprisoned ball of pure Origin.

At that moment, the ball of light, suppressed for countless years, seemed to find its backbone, and its beating frequency instantly synchronized perfectly with the "Life Pulse"!

"Ah—! No! Don't!"

Deep within the planet's core, the remnant soul of the Mother of Wither let out a wail of extreme pain.

This was even more unbearable than attacking it directly.

It felt as if a heart had been forcibly installed inside its body—a heart full of vitality, tireless, and beating crazily!

It wanted to make this heart stop, but the heart's beating was in sync with the Universe, and it simply could not resist.

A portion of its Wither Laws began to passively transform into violent energy to counterattack Li Dong, but more of it, under this "torture" of internal and external pressure, unconsciously collapsed and disintegrated.

"Now is the time!"

Li Dong opened his eyes and suddenly opened his left hand.

[Eternal Prison]!

But this time, he was not devouring.

The familiar dark vortex formed in his palm, but it did not generate any suction.

Instead, he forcibly infused a pure Law of Vitality from within his own body, in reverse, through the "port" of the [Eternal Prison]!

If any of his previous opponents had seen this maneuver, their jaws would likely have dropped in shock.

Actively giving his own power to the enemy?

But this was exactly the effect Li Dong wanted.

He was not feeding it; he was "activating" it.

"Move... for me!"

That pure Law of Vitality was like a fuse lighting a powder keg, instantly detonating the "heart" inside the giant cocoon that was in sync with the Universe.

Boom!

The energy cocoon could no longer maintain its form and began to disintegrate inch by inch from within.

Upon contacting that surging vitality, countless black threads of Wither Laws were no longer withered and silent, but were assimilated and transformed by another, more Advanced Law.

The blackness faded, replaced by a fresh green symbolizing life.

On the withered earth, the first touch of green broke through the soil.

Immediately after, came the second touch, the third...

In the blink of an eye, the green spread like a tide; clear springs flowed again in the dry riverbeds, and the dead sky turned azure blue.

The entire world had come alive.

At the planet's core, in the center of the collapsing cocoon, the remnant soul of the Mother of Wither was cleansed of all resentment, weariness, and malice under the washing of endless vitality.

It was no longer a twisted monster, but had turned into a pure ball of conscious light.

It did not dissipate but transformed into a stream of information, gently touching Li Dong's consciousness.

"...Thank you... Sleep... is also a new beginning..."

The information was blurry, but Li Dong understood its meaning.

Immediately after, another, clearer piece of information arrived.

"...The Observer... was once the guardian of 'Stillness'... Your 'Movement'... has awakened Him... Beware..."

The ancient Observer?

Li Dong's heart stirred.

So that mysterious existence that had been spying on him all along had such a connection with the "Mother of Wither"?

Was He the guardian of "Stillness"?

In that case, having quelled the Genesis Storm and "wound up" this patient with chronic laziness, causing such a huge commotion—in that entity's eyes, wasn't he just that brat who turned the entire Universe upside down?

Thinking of this, Li Dong couldn't help but want to laugh.

After transmitting the information, that consciousness turned into specks of light, completely merging into this newborn world and becoming a part of it.

Li Dong looked up, his gaze seeming to pierce through the newborn sky, looking toward the depths of the endless Void Realm.

"Hey, did you see that?"

He spoke softly, as if talking to some invisible listener.

"You're next."