Normally, directly integrating a fragment of another world, even a shattered one, into the Heavenly Law World would trigger resistance and rejection.
But the world fragment the Healer had grafted had already been fused with the remains of the five Dao Integration cultivators. The power of the Heavenly Souls within them originated from the Heavenly Law World, significantly reducing the rejection.
The integration proceeded smoothly.
The Healer, sensing vitality flowing from the world fragment into the Heavenly Law World, sighed in relief.
"My arduous journey wasn't in vain."
He observed for a while. Perhaps because the Heavenly Law World had been starved for so long, this fragment was particularly effective, not only replenishing its energy, but also stimulating its vitality, which had been suppressed by the Heavenly Dao due to the cultivators' endless greed.
"Future integrations won't be so complicated. I can directly connect them to the remnants of this first fragment."
"But I'll need to return to the edge of the Star Sea and retrieve a new fragment before the world fully digests this one…" The Healer frowned slightly.
Although he could travel quickly through the Star Sea, largely ignoring the dangers along the way, the vastness of the Star Sea meant a round trip would take over a year. And he estimated that the Heavenly Law World would need about two years to digest the world fragment.
"That leaves me no time for anything else. I'm stretched too thin…" He sighed, feeling overwhelmed.
Although he had nurtured some promising disciples, they were still far from being able to shoulder such responsibilities. He missed his old comrades.
As images of his fallen friends flashed through his mind, he paused at one.
"Tian Mo…" The Healer's expression turned complex.
Before the war between the two worlds, Tian Mo had embarked on a spiritual journey beyond the heavens. It hadn't returned even during the most brutal stages of the conflict. But the Healer could sense that it wasn't dead, but still existed somewhere in the Star Sea.
He hadn't intended to contact this most unusual of the Venerables. The other Venerables were beings born from the Heavenly Law World, resonating with the Constant Dao.
Tian Mo was the sole exception.
Like a dissonant note in a grand symphony, Tian Mo was the embodiment of the Heavenly Law's Constant Dao related to inner demons, spontaneously formed. It was the Heavenly Dao of inner demons.
He had interacted with the other Venerables, but not extensively.
Although born from the Heavenly Law World, Tian Mo had severed its connection to its birthplace the moment it came into existence. It cared little for the world, seeking only to transcend, to pursue the elusive realm of the Supreme Being.
Remaining in the Heavenly Law World would have limited its potential. So, it left.
Tian Mo hadn't appeared even when the Heavenly Law World was on the brink of destruction. There was no longer any connection between them.
"I wonder if it has reached the threshold of the Supreme Being."
Lost in thought, the Healer finally decided to search for Tian Mo.
Looking at the sky, he transformed into a gentle breeze, merging with the Heavenly Law World. The Constant Dao rumbled, its laws operating like a precise machine.
Although Tian Mo had severed its connection to the Constant Dao, it was still born from this world. The Healer, now the Grand Venerable of All Laws, channeled the Heavenly Dao, sensing through the vast Star Sea.
After a while, he finally located Tian Mo's approximate location. It was at the edge of the Star Sea, near the Great Wall of Shattered Worlds!
The Healer was surprised, pondering the reason for Tian Mo's presence there. He didn't act immediately. Before departing, he summoned the six current Longevity Celestial Venerables of the Heavenly Law World to discuss its future.
Although they appeared as projections, not physically, it didn't hinder their communication.
"We will follow your lead, Grand Venerable. After all, the Heavenly Law World is our home. If it falls into the Immortal Ruins… there will be nowhere for us in the vast Star Sea," a scholarly-looking man said.
This man had achieved Dao Integration during the desolate era of the cultivation world. Seeing how the endless fighting had made cultivators paranoid and distrustful, he had reversed this principle, making lies impossible. He was known as the Truth-Speaking Celestial Venerable.
"Heeheehee…" Before he could finish, a strange laughter echoed.
"What do I care about the Heavenly Law World's survival? I can't wait for it to fall into the Immortal Ruins!"
The Healer looked at the figure hidden within a black cloak, a murderous glint in his eyes. If there was one among the Celestial Venerables he wanted to eliminate, it was this one, the Inverse Fusion Celestial Venerable.
This individual, originally a master healer, had studied the process of the Heavenly Law World devouring Xuanhuang, using it to reverse the principle of fusion, causing a resistance to emerge whenever the Heavenly Law World attempted to absorb another world. This was how he achieved Longevity.
If not for his interference, the Heavenly Law World would have completely devoured and digested Xuanhuang long ago. Integrating world fragments wouldn't be so time-consuming now.
Unafraid of the Healer, the Inverse Fusion Celestial Venerable continued mockingly, "When the Heavenly Law World falls into the Immortal Ruins, it will be torn apart. That will be my chance to achieve true mastery! I can't wait!"
The other Celestial Venerables looked away.
Only the Single-Minded Celestial Venerable, Zhao Ruoxi, spoke with a mixture of resentment and infatuation. "It seems Brother Li dislikes me now, eager to escape my presence."
As she spoke, shimmering tears rolled down her face.
The Inverse Fusion Celestial Venerable abruptly stopped speaking, instinctively moving away from her with apprehension.
The Healer scoffed, his voice serious. "I won't force any of you to help. But if anyone dares to obstruct me…"
"…even if it damages the Constant Dao, I will eliminate them completely!"
"Don't say I didn't warn you!" The words of the Grand Venerable of All Laws carried weight.
Even the arrogant Inverse Fusion Celestial Venerable didn't dare to object, nodding in agreement.
While reversing the world's principles, the Inverse Fusion Celestial Venerable had also become a part of the Heavenly Law's Constant Dao. As long as the world existed, he couldn't die. This was the source of his Longevity.
But Longevity didn't mean invulnerability. By forcibly extracting and destroying the principle he represented from the Heavenly Law World, he could be killed.
However, this could only be done by someone with a complete understanding of the world's principles, like the Healer, the Grand Venerable of All Laws. And even then, extracting a fundamental principle would inevitably affect the other principles, severely weakening the already fragile Heavenly Law World.
This was why the Healer hadn't acted yet.
"But after feeding it a few more times, restoring some of its vitality, I should be able to remove these parasites." He looked at the Inverse Fusion Celestial Venerable, suppressing his killing intent for now.
"A few days ago, I left the Heavenly Law World and went to the Immortal Ruins. I saw a figure sitting cross-legged within…" A voice suddenly broke the silence, startling everyone.
The Healer looked towards the speaker.
It was the Dao Attainment Celestial Venerable, Su Bai. Touched by the suffering of mortals, unable to cultivate and attain the Dao due to the Celestial-Mortal Miasma, he had reversed this principle, taking on the burden of the miasma himself. Mortals only needed to pray to him with sincerity to be freed from its effects.
Su Bai smiled faintly. "I also glimpsed a character on the Immortal Ruins."
Using his finger as a brush, he wrote the character 饥 (jī - hunger) in the air.
"My vision was blurry. This is all I could make out." He shook his head regretfully.
Despite his words, the powerful fluctuations emanating from the character demonstrated the terrifying power of the True Immortal Seal script.
"I believe this character is the culprit behind the Immortal Ruins' suction."
"True Immortal power naturally requires True Immortal methods to counter it."
"There's still a considerable amount of residual True Immortal power in the Star Sea. My suggestion is to study it, reverse-engineer the original True Immortal Seal scripts, and use them against the Immortal Ruins," Su Bai said seriously.
This suggestion made the other Celestial Venerables ponder. Even the Healer considered its feasibility.
Seeing their interest, Su Bai added, "I've been secretly researching this and have made some progress. Your talents are superior to mine. If we work together…"
"…controlling the Immortal Ruins with True Immortal Seal scripts is within our reach!"
He wrote another character, but it was clearly weaker than the one he'd seen on the Immortal Ruins.
The Healer, seeing the other Celestial Venerables' interest, felt a sense of unease. He understood the power of True Immortal Seal scripts. These individuals were already difficult to deal with. If they mastered True Immortal Seal scripts… even if he acted against them, the Heavenly Law World would be caught in the crossfire and reduced to ruins!
This sense of urgency intensified.
During their subsequent discussion, they reached a consensus, dividing into three factions.
The first would help the Healer nourish and strengthen the Heavenly Law World.
The second would focus on comprehending True Immortal Seal scripts to resist the Immortal Ruins.
The third would remain neutral.
After dismissing them, the Healer, exhausted, felt the weight of the world on his shoulders.
With the six Longevity Celestial Venerables maintaining order, the Heavenly Law World wouldn't face any immediate danger. So, he refocused his energy, setting off towards Tian Mo's location.
"With Tian Mo's help, I can possess these Longevity Celestial Venerables without alerting anyone."
"This will minimize unnecessary casualties…"
The thought intensified his desire to find Tian Mo.
He traveled through the Star Sea, day after day.
Finally, he reached the edge of the Star Sea. After searching within his sensory range, he finally found Tian Mo.
It was alive, but encased in a strange crystal!
"The Diamond Dust Wind?" The Healer observed from afar, recognizing the power that had trapped Tian Mo.
"Star Sea phenomena are rare now."
"It seems Tian Mo encountered this shortly after leaving the Heavenly Law World…"
"Perhaps I misjudged it. It wasn't that it didn't want to help, but couldn't."
Seeing his old friend's plight, the Healer felt a pang of sympathy.
"It's said that the Diamond Dust Wind can freeze entire star regions. It's one of the most terrifying phenomena in the Star Sea."
"Even someone as powerful as Tian Mo couldn't resist it."
The Healer's expression turned grave. "After so long, its power hasn't diminished."
"Its chilling cold can even freeze True Immortal power…"
But the Healer was resourceful. After pondering for a while, he found a solution. He wrapped the crystal in hundreds of golden threads and dragged it towards the invisible High Wall. Just as they neared it, he abruptly flung the crystal forward.
The speeding crystal stopped mid-air, trembling as if it had struck something solid.
The Healer's eyes lit up. He sensed the freezing power weaken slightly from the impact.
"Only the High Wall can affect this power."
He retracted the golden threads, pulling the crystal away from the wall before repeating the process.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
With each impact, the crystal grew smaller. When only a thin layer remained, the Healer softened his throws. Although Tian Mo was theoretically indestructible, the High Wall was unpredictable. He had to be careful.
He didn't want to accidentally kill his old friend, not to mention losing a valuable ally.
The Healer's control over his power was impeccable. He finally freed Tian Mo using this unusual method.
A translucent, blurry figure stared intently at the Healer, remaining silent.
"Tian Mo…" Knowing that even encased in ice, Tian Mo would have some awareness of its surroundings, the Healer spoke first, a hint of awkwardness in his voice.
Tian Mo's figure vanished, then reappeared within the Healer's mind!
(End of Chapter)