My Longevity Simulation Chapter 1016: Sealing Fate and Extracting Dao Foundation
Previously on My Longevity Simulation...
Li Fan maintained a calm exterior as he discreetly stowed away the nine Dissociation Discs, behaving as though nothing out of the ordinary had occurred.
He then shifted the conversation, inquiring with Mo Rubin regarding their joint efforts with Cang, the Mirror Holder.
Mo Rubin gave a slight shake of his head. "That fellow Cang is quite a fascinating character. Had you not alerted me in advance, I truly would have failed to realize he had long since succumbed to becoming a mirror slave for the Xuantian Treasure Mirror."
"Nevertheless, thanks to his clandestine cooperation, our strategy to convince the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance to build the grand formation—and thereby seize total control over the Xuantian Treasure Mirror—has moved forward with far more ease."
"However, the most vital component rests on your shoulders, Brother Xingwang. Regarding the formation intended to assist the Tianxuan Mirror in escaping the shackles of the Immortal Ancestor..."
"Do you truly possess the confidence to pull it off?" Mo Rubin asked, a hint of skepticism coloring his voice.
Li Fan offered no immediate vow of success.
Following a brief pause, he eventually spoke with measured words. "It shouldn't be a significant issue. The small object you just provided me does appear considerably more potent than the previous Lifeless Formation Crown."
"To ensure total safety, however, you should strive to collect more intelligence concerning the specific restrictions established by the Immortal Ancestor if at all possible."
Agreeing that the request was logical, Mo Rubin nodded immediately.
"Ah, that reminds me; I recently stumbled upon something that might pique your interest." After the pair had finalized several tactical details for their upcoming operations, Mo Rubin spoke up suddenly before they went their separate ways.
"Oh?" Li Fan paused in his tracks.
"Surely you recall the time you split a million strands of divine-thought demon avatars to hijack the bodies of numerous cultivators, sparking a massive commotion?" Mo Rubin remarked with a look of excitement.
"Hmm?" Li Fan assumed a look of confusion, appearing as though the event had entirely slipped his mind.
"The consciousnesses of those cultivators were utterly annihilated, leaving behind only living shells. However, because their existence is tied to the functioning of the Floating-Starry Sky Formation, they couldn't simply be executed. Consequently, they were all placed under confinement at that time."
"The initial intent was to maintain those cultivators' physical forms indefinitely while keeping their minds erased. But after further deliberation, we concluded that a million was an excessively high number. After all, a significant portion of them were Nascent Soul True Lords or even higher in rank."
"As long as they remain among the living, they continue to occupy Cave Heavens, Life-Transformation resources, and other essential assets. This effectively means the total population of active cultivators in the Xuanhuang Realm would be permanently diminished."
"Thus, after much debate, the decision was made to preserve only half—five hundred thousand—to be kept in eternal stasis."
"As for the other five hundred thousand..." Mo Rubin trailed off at the most critical point.
"Were they slaughtered? No, that is impossible. I felt no resonance or tremor throughout the Xuanhuang Realm." Li Fan played his part perfectly, responding with the appropriate level of curiosity.
Mo Rubin's eyes gleamed with intrigue: "Believe it or not, the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance has perfected a technique to siphon the internal Cave-Heaven, the Life-Transformations of Birth, and even the Spirit of Heaven and Earth from a cultivator's body, returning them in their entirety to the world!"
"What?" At these words, Li Fan's gaze sharpened with sudden intensity. "How does this differ from the natural process of returning to the Dao upon a cultivator's death?"
Mo Rubin clarified: "When a cultivator perishes and returns to the Dao naturally, it takes many centuries for those components to reform within the world. Furthermore, those Cave-Heavens and Spirit of Heaven and Earth are altered by the natural cycles of the world during that time."
"However, the 'Sealing Fate' technique developed by the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance is different. In less than half a day, every heavenly resource consumed by the cultivator is extracted in its original state and restored to the Xuanhuang world."
"Yet, while it is framed as a return to the Dao, it diverges from natural evolution. The most vital distinction is that the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance has engineered a new storage location for these reclaimed heavenly resources."
A note of reverence entered Mo Rubin's voice, clearly impressed by the brilliance of the concept: "This storage site is situated within the Essence-Devouring White Mist where the Alliance's four central prefectures intersect—a place simultaneously near and distant from the Xuanhuang Realm. It remains governed by the Xuanhuang world's Heavenly Dao, but through certain modifications, the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance has seized greater authority over it."
"Are you suggesting that these harvested and stored resources can be redeployed at any moment?" Li Fan mused for a second, feeling a jolt of genuine alarm.
The implications of such a system were truly horrifying.
"Precisely. To put it another way, the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance could rapidly utilize these assets to manufacture a new army of cultivators if they so desired. But that isn't the real point; the Alliance has plenty of other ways to do that."
"The more terrifying aspect is that the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance can indefinitely expand this domain. Eventually, they could consolidate every portion of the world ever consumed by cultivators into this single space." The scenario Mo Rubin painted was chilling.
"Consider what happens if this scheme succeeds. In that future, even the act of Cultivation might require the explicit [permission] of the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance. The Alliance would no longer require a large population of cultivators to ensure the Xuanhuang Realm's survival. They would likely transition vast numbers of cultivators back into mere mortals..."
"Tsk tsk tsk..."
"To think the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance holds such a card in their hand." Li Fan's face grew somber.
"Heh, brother, there is no need for undue alarm. Due to the influence of Dharma-Transmitters Jiang and more than half of the Council, the application of this 'Sealing Fate' method has been strictly limited. It is simply too perilous; without rigorous control, it could result in a total monopoly over cultivation." Mo Rubin offered quick reassurance.
"In my estimation, Dharma-Transmitters Jiang is one of the good ones. He genuinely cares for the cultivators of this world. As for the other Transmitters who voted against it, I suspect most did so because they fear the Five Elders Association. After all, if the number of cultivators drops too low and a total war erupts, the combat strength provided by the [True Illusory Sage] alone might not be enough to hold the line." Mo Rubin noted.
"As for the creator of the [Sealing Fate] technique... Dharma-Transmitters Zheng, he is quite bitter about the Council's decision. That man has tasted power for too long and truly believes that the world's cultivators are redundant; he thinks it would be superior if they were all reduced to pig-like mortals. Heh heh heh..."
"But his strength only comes from his status as a transmitter. If I were to cross paths with Dharma-Transmitters Zheng..." A peculiar light flickered in Li Fan's eyes.
"Brother Xingwang, do not underestimate him. Dharma-Transmitters Zheng possesses genuine talent. After all, he was the one who conceived an art as wicked as Sealing Fate..." Mo Rubin cautioned him gravely. "You have not witnessed the agony those cultivators endure during the Sealing Fate process."
Mo Rubin let out a heavy sigh: "Even with my hardened heart, it is a sight that is difficult to stomach. And that is while they are already senseless and unconscious. If a cultivator's divine sense were fully intact while [Sealing Fate] was performed..."
"It would be a torment far worse than any torture devised from ancient times to the present day!"
Mo Rubin sighed once more, bringing his explanation to a close.