"I am eternally grateful for this life-saving grace. I will gladly go through fire and water for you!" Li Fan responded, cupping his hands.
As he spoke, he checked his status on the True Return panel. His remaining lifespan had surged from a mere ten years to over five hundred. This clearly demonstrated the power of the Equal Heavens Technique.
"After the technique, my lifespan should be the same as these Celestial Ark elders."
"Five hundred years, not much, but not insignificant either. Most importantly…"
Li Fan carefully examined his current physical state. Suddenly, his eyes narrowed slightly. "This added lifespan... it's unstable?"
Having previously enjoyed a healthy and normal body, Li Fan keenly sensed that his current body, forcibly rejuvenated by the Equal Heavens Technique, was aging at an abnormally accelerated rate, several times faster than normal. At times, his lifespan would even inexplicably jump down.
As he observed, the fluctuating age displayed on the True Return panel confirmed his suspicions. Li Fan didn't attempt to hide his changing expression.
Zhong Daogong noticed Li Fan's doubt. "The Heavenly Dao is fickle and ever-changing. Change is eternal, while equilibrium is temporary."
"Equalizing all under heaven goes against the natural order. I believe even true True Immortal Seal scripts written by actual immortals might not be able to maintain the state of 'equality' indefinitely. What more can we do? So, don't be concerned. Falling from the 'equal' state is a normal phenomenon."
"There are two ways to mitigate this. One is to revisit the original 'Ancient' character. A brief regression can slow the rate of decline."
"The second is to perform the Equal Heavens Technique again when your lifespan nears its end. In fact, this is what the Celestial Ark's council of elders has been doing."
"Extending individual lifespans by drawing upon the collective lifespan. Everyone helps me, and I, in turn, help everyone." Zhong Daogong glanced at the surrounding elders, smiling.
Li Fan's expression cleared. "If that's the case, I'm relieved."
Sighing, he added, "Now I understand why the Celestial Ark elders, despite their apparent disagreements, always manage to maintain a unified direction on important matters."
"This Equal Heavens Technique is truly profound! Even in Great Qi, it would be considered a top-tier divine ability!"
Despite Li Fan's lavish praise, Zhong Daogong didn't appear smug. Instead, a wry smile flickered across his face. "It's a necessary measure. Limited by resources, the Celestial Ark's population has always been kept at a low level. The slow pace of talent renewal requires us to maintain the number of council members to survive in this Dark Star Sea."
"Researching True Immortal Seal scripts is also fraught with danger. A slight misstep can result in being affected by True Immortal power. Throughout history, quite a few elders have perished because of this. Yet, it's crucial for the future of the Celestial Ark, and we cannot abandon it."
"Therefore, every elder is the Celestial Ark's most precious asset…"
Li Fan remained noncommittal about Zhong Daogong's explanation. He knew about the Dao Pill Technique on the Celestial Ark, which allowed them to refine and consume geniuses, absorbing their talents.
"The Celestial Ark must have produced numerous geniuses over the years. It's a pity that talent alone isn't enough to become an elder. The number of Celestial Ark elders, much like the mortals in the Xuanhuang World, can neither be too many nor too few. A delicate balance must be maintained." Li Fan pondered silently, keeping his thoughts to himself.
After experiencing the Equal Heavens Technique, the elders' attitudes towards him subtly shifted. If their previous approval had been based on Li Fan's performance and mutual benefit, it was now genuine acceptance, as if they truly were "family."
Li Fan then inquired about the Equal Heavens Plan, which required the sacrifice of Great Qi's populace. "To require so many souls to bear the backlash, who exactly is the target of this Equal Heavens Technique…?"
This time, Zhong Daogong and the others didn't hesitate. They revealed the answer directly: "Our target is…"
"The Source Consciousness of the Star Sea!"
Li Fan's eyes lit up.
"Thanks to the Grand Method of the Supreme Armour you imparted to us, we were able to glimpse the vast, reviving consciousness of the Star Sea."
"Only through direct contact can one truly comprehend the immense power of the Star Sea. Undiminished by the Star Sea's desolation, it remains beyond the comprehension of us mortal cultivators."
"But…" A strange expression appeared on the faces of the Celestial Ark elders.
Jian Daosheng waved his hand, displaying a vision of the desolate Dark Star Sea. At its center, shining like a brilliant diamond, was the True Intent of the Star Sea's Source.
"The consciousness of the Star Sea is essentially the same as the Heavenly Dao of past cultivation worlds."
"In the past, there were cultivators who achieved unity with heaven and partially controlled the world's Heavenly Dao. Now, with our combined efforts in the Equal Heavens Technique, we might be able to collectively control the power of the Star Sea!" Jian Daosheng declared powerfully.
Zhong Daogong stroked his beard, smiling. "If we can equalize the power of the Star Sea, even without True Immortal Seal scripts, traversing the High Wall is within our reach!"
Li Fan frowned, lost in thought. After a while, he slowly nodded. "The High Wall seals the Dark Star Sea, but only for the beings within it. If we leverage the power of the Star Sea itself to raise towering waves, perhaps the droplets within those waves can leap over the wall!"
"Precisely! Only by reaching the level of a True Immortal can one cross the High Wall. But the power of the Star Sea is no less than that of a True Immortal! In ancient times, even True Immortals had to yield to the numerous phenomena that illuminated the Star Sea. This demonstrates the magnitude of the Star Sea's power. Even ravaged by the Immortal Realm's calamity and plunged into desolation, its life force endures…"
The elders' voices grew increasingly excited.
"It is the perfect target for equalization!"
"If the ritual succeeds, even if it can't lift the Celestial Ark over the High Wall, temporarily controlling the power of the Star Sea would be enough to create an absolutely safe haven for us within this Dark Star Sea!"
...
After listening to the elders' plan, Li Fan couldn't help but applaud. "Brilliant! Truly brilliant!"
"This is what it means to steal the heavens' power for personal gain. However…"
Li Fan's tone suddenly shifted, his brow furrowing. "I've contacted the Star Sea consciousness using the Grand Method of the Supreme Armour. Before it, we cultivators are truly like ants. And now, these ants wish to steal its power, to stand as equals…"
Li Fan's expression turned somber as he looked at them. "Heaven has its wrath, and so does the Star Sea. Even if we succeed, we'll likely face the Star Sea Source Consciousness's furious retaliation. Not to mention what would happen if we fail."
"I fear that the Celestial Ark might not be able to withstand it!"
"Succeed or perish… Isn't the risk a bit too high?" Having his lifespan extended by five hundred years, Li Fan's thinking and approach were no longer as extreme.
Zhong Daogong nodded, acknowledging Li Fan's point. "You're right. The Celestial Ark isn't yet at a point where we can afford to gamble everything. That's why your trip to Great Qi is so important." His tone was filled with confidence.
Li Fan was puzzled. "Can the lives of one hundred million humans truly appease the Star Sea's wrath?"
Zhong Daogong smiled, his eyes gleaming. "Not with humans, but with a world!"
"If it were merely a matter of human lives, even several times more might not make a difference to the Star Sea Source Consciousness. But if we use the lives of these one hundred million humans as a foundation to construct a world, to divert the power of the Star Sea in the name of a world…"
"The Star Sea's backlash will be significantly weakened!" Zhong Daogong asserted.
"This is due to the inherent mechanisms of the Star Sea. Based on fragments of ancient records found on the Celestial Ark, we are almost certain of this."
Li Fan fell silent, pondering Zhong Daogong's words.
"Nurturing and evolving cultivation worlds is a fundamental law of the Star Sea. Even if a cultivation world's power swells to the point of influencing the Star Sea, the Star Sea won't directly destroy it."
"Instead, it will, at most, manifest as various Star Sea phenomena."
"Star Sea phenomena are far easier to deal with than the wrath of the Star Sea's Source!" Jian Daosheng, not giving Li Fan time to contemplate further, eagerly provided the explanation.
Zhong Daogong's eyes shone with pride. "The Celestial Ark possesses records and basic countermeasures for almost every Star Sea phenomenon recorded in history. The Star Sea is currently merely reviving after its desolation; it hasn't reached the stage of rebirth and mutation, so the possibility of new Star Sea phenomena emerging…"
"…is low."
"Even if some do emerge, they are likely related to the lingering True Immortal residual power in the void. With True Immortal Seal scripts at our disposal, weathering such storms won't be a problem." The Celestial Ark elders exuded confidence.
Silence fell over the room for a moment.
Finally, Zhong Daogong's voice deepened. "Of course, to avoid the worst-case scenario, we will leave the Celestial Ark during the Equal Heavens Technique ritual, taking only essential supplies."
"Even if our plan fails, we can preserve the Celestial Ark. With the embers we leave behind, it can endure for hundreds, even thousands of years."
…
For now, although the Celestial Ark's plan to equalize the Star Sea seemed audacious, it was clear that they had meticulously considered it. Success would mean freedom, wielding half the power of the Star Sea, ensuring a safe haven even amidst the dangers beyond the High Wall. Failure wouldn't mean complete annihilation.
It was far superior to their previous plan of crashing the entire Celestial Ark into the High Wall.
And this was the change that Li Fan's Grand Method of the Supreme Armour had brought to the Celestial Ark.
It had to be said that the Celestial Ark's council of elders weren't inflexible. They could perfectly accept new knowledge and quickly put it to use.
"When will we act?" Li Fan asked. "Since we're equalizing the Star Sea's power, theoretically, the stronger the Star Sea's revival, the better, right?"
However, he quickly refuted his own judgment. "No, if the Star Sea is too strong, its retaliation will also be stronger. If we are too greedy, we might exceed the critical threshold we can withstand…"
Zhong Daogong agreed. "Therefore, we must choose the optimal moment."
"The Celestial Ark has established a dedicated team of elders who take turns using the Grand Method of the Supreme Armour to approach and observe the Star Sea consciousness."
"According to our predictions, the optimal time will arrive within thirty years."
"During this period, the Star Sea's power and the remaining True Immortal residual power will interact and constrain each other, creating a delicate balance."
"After that…"
"As one waxes and the other wanes, the True Immortal residual power will likely gradually dissipate into the Star Sea."
Zhong Daogong's conclusion mirrored that of the previous timeline.
Li Fan nodded with satisfaction. "Good. I now have ample lifespan and sufficient time to wait."
"Is there anything else I need to prepare?" he asked proactively.
Zhong Daogong pondered for a moment, then offered some suggestions. "First, it would be best to see if you can increase the number of humans encompassed by the ritual…"
Li Fan's brows furrowed. After a moment of hesitation, his expression relaxed. "Although there are risks, if I'm careful, it should be possible. But this can only be done once. If we're going to do it, let's do it big, so we won't have any regrets later."
Li Fan's words pleased Zhong Daogong. "The number of ritual sacrifices is crucial. Every doubling increases our chances of success by ten percent. We'll need you to put in more effort in this regard."
"Alright," Li Fan agreed, his expression serious as he seemed to contemplate the methods.
"As for the second point…" Zhong Daogong paused. "It's something you can do alongside the first. If it works, great. If not, it won't have much impact. It's just a backup plan."
Li Fan: "Oh? I'd like to hear it, Elder Zhong."
"The key to the ritual's success lies in mimicking a cultivation world within the Star Sea," Zhong Daogong explained, using projected images to illustrate his point.
"As you know, all worlds within the Star Sea are shattered, except for your Great Qi…"
"But Great Qi's strength is comparable to ours. Occupying it as a readily available disguise would inevitably lead to a devastating war, which would be unwise."
"Therefore, using the corpses of shattered worlds as a disguise is a viable alternative."
"Within the Great Wall of Shattered Worlds, the fragments of past worlds are interconnected. Taking them won't be easy. But we don't actually need the world fragments themselves. We just need to try and gather the imprints left behind after the collapse of their Heavenly Daos…" Zhong Daogong pointed towards the distant Great Wall of Shattered Worlds.
"Hmm?" Li Fan looked puzzled.
"What do you mean by 'imprints left behind after the collapse of their Heavenly Daos'?"
Zhong Daogong extended his hand, revealing an object. It resembled amber, yet also resembled white jade, naturally formed without any carvings. It was shaped like a wooden umbrella.
"This is the sole remnant of a cultivation world after its destruction. The Celestial Ark obtained it from the void after a Star Sea phenomenon subsided."
"If you search carefully, you're bound to find many similar objects within the Great Wall of Shattered Worlds. With your divine escape technique, searching would be far easier for you than for us." Zhong Daogong quickly put the umbrella-shaped white jade away.
"But don't force it. The Celestial Ark's vault contains a few of these Heavenly Dao imprints, which should be enough for the disguise."
(End of Chapter)