Chapter 1016: Sealing Life and Extracting the Foundation
With a casual air, Li Fan put away the nine Dissociation Disks.
He then began to ask Mo Rubin about the details of their collaboration with Cang, the Mirror Holder.
"That fellow Cang... he's quite a character. If you hadn't told me beforehand, I never would have guessed he'd been reduced to a mere slave of the Xuantian Treasure Mirror," Mo Rubin remarked, shaking his head slightly.
"Still, with his covert cooperation, the plan to persuade the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance to construct the grand array and seize complete control of the Heavenly Profound Mirror has proceeded much more smoothly."
"But the most crucial part still rests on your shoulders, Brother Xingwang. An array capable of freeing the Heavenly Profound Mirror from the shackles left by the Dharma Spreader..."
"Are you truly confident you can create it?" Mo Rubin inquired, a hint of doubt in his voice.
Li Fan didn't offer an immediate guarantee.
Instead, he fell silent for a moment, lost in thought, before slowly replying, "It shouldn't be a major issue. This little thing you just gave me does seem to be far superior to the old Lifeless Array Crown."
Finding this reasonable, Mo Rubin readily agreed.
"Oh, right. I recently encountered something that might pique your interest." Just as they were about to part ways after exchanging a few more details about the plan's execution, Mo Rubin suddenly spoke again.
"Oh?" Li Fan paused.
"Remember how you once split your consciousness into a million thought-demons, possessed the bodies of countless cultivators, and caused a massive uproar?" Mo Rubin asked, his voice brimming with excitement.
"Ah?" Li Fan, however, put on a baffled expression, as if the memory had completely slipped his mind.
It was only after Mo Rubin's explanation that he feigned a nod, appearing as though he was just beginning to recall the event.
"The consciousness of those cultivators was completely obliterated, leaving only their bodies behind. But since they were integral to the operation of the Floating Starry Sky Grand Formation, they couldn't simply be executed. So, at the time, they were all imprisoned."
"The original plan was to keep this group of cultivators in a state of physical life but mental death forever. But after some discussion, we decided that a million was far too many. After all, a good number of them were Nascent Soul cultivators or higher. As long as they lived, they continued to occupy resources like grotto-heavens and World Birthing Changes. That meant the number of new cultivators who could rise in the Xuanhuang Realm would forever be diminished."
"So, after careful consideration, we decided to preserve only five hundred thousand of them, sealed away for eternity."
"As for the remaining five hundred thousand..." Mo Rubin paused at the critical point.
"You killed them all? No, that can't be right. I didn't feel the Xuanhuang Realm tremble," Li Fan played along, reacting just as expected.
A flicker of fascination appeared in Mo Rubin's eyes. "The Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance has mastered a technique to extract a cultivator's grotto-heaven, their World Birthing Changes, and even their Spirit of Heaven and Earth, returning it all to the world!"
"Hmm?" Upon hearing this, Li Fan's eyes flashed with a keen light. "How is that different from a cultivator naturally returning their Dao to Heaven upon death?"
Mo Rubin explained, "When a cultivator dies, it can take many years for their Dao to be returned to Heaven and re-assimilated by the world. Furthermore, those grotto-heavens and Spirits of Heaven and Earth will inevitably change as the world turns."
"But this technique from the Alliance, called [Sealing Life], is different. In less than half a day, all the worldly resources a cultivator has consumed are extracted, exactly as they were, and then returned to the Xuanhuang Realm."
"However, though it's called 'returning the Dao to Heaven,' it's not the same as the natural process. The most critical difference is that the Alliance has prepared a new place to store these extracted resources."
Mo Rubin's tone held a note of awe, clearly impressed by the genius of the idea. "This place is located within the Devouring Origin White Mist at the junction of the Central Four Prefectures, semi-detached from the Xuanhuang Realm. It remains under the control of the Xuanhuang Realm's Heavenly Dao, but through modifications, the Alliance can exert a much greater degree of control over it."
"You mean... these extracted and stored resources can be redeployed at any time?" Li Fan considered this, a flicker of shock crossing his face.
The implications were truly terrifying.
"Precisely. This means that if the Alliance wishes, it can use these resources to rapidly forge an entirely new army of cultivators. But that's not the main point; the Alliance has plenty of other ways to achieve that."
"What's more critical is that the Alliance can continuously expand this domain. Then, slowly but surely, they can gather the resources consumed by *every* cultivator in the world and store them there," Mo Rubin painted a chilling picture.
"Just imagine the consequences if this plan is successfully carried out. A day might come when even the act of cultivation requires 'permission' from the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance. The Alliance would no longer need ordinary cultivators to sustain the Xuanhuang Realm. They would likely revert the vast majority of them back into mortals..."
"Tsk, tsk, tsk..."
"To think the Alliance possessed such a method," Li Fan's expression darkened.
"Heh, you don't need to worry too much, brother. On the recommendation of Dharma Transmitter Jiang and over half of the other Dharma Transmitters, the use of this Sealing Life technique has been strictly limited. After all, it's far too dangerous. If they lose control, it could lead to a future where cultivation is a complete monopoly," Mo Rubin quickly consoled him.
"From what I can see, Dharma Transmitter Jiang is a decent sort, truly considering the welfare of all cultivators. As for the other Dharma Transmitters who opposed it, I suspect most of them are wary of the Five Elders Council. After all, if the number of cultivators becomes too small, the power provided by the 'Illusionary Truth Sages' alone probably wouldn't be enough to win a full-scale war," Mo Rubin analyzed.
"As for the one who developed the [Sealing Life] technique... Dharma Transmitter Zheng... he was deeply dissatisfied with the council's decision. That brat has been in power for too long. He's come to believe that the existence of cultivators is completely unnecessary, that it would be better if they were all reduced to mortals, no better than swine. Heh, heh, heh..."
"He's just riding on the coattails of the Dharma Spreader's legacy. Dharma Transmitter Zheng... if I ever run into him..." A strange light flashed in Li Fan's eyes.
"Don't be careless, Brother Xingwang. This Dharma Transmitter Zheng has some real skill. To be able to research a wicked art like Sealing Life..." Mo Rubin warned with a solemn tone. "You didn't see the horrific state of those cultivators as their lives were sealed."
Mo Rubin sighed with a hint of lingering shock. "Even with all I've seen, I could hardly bear to watch. And that was with them already in a mindless state. If a cultivator's consciousness were still intact while [Sealing Life] was performed..."
"I'm afraid it would surpass any torture ever devised throughout history!"
Mo Rubin let out a final sigh, delivering his conclusion.
(End of Chapter)
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