Glancing at Huang Xian, John couldn't help but ask another batch of very important questions.
"What kind of situation will I find myself in after the Soul Fusion? Will the fused soul get reincarnated with their memories intact? Or will it get returned to a time before the body's death?"
Showing an unusual, slightly conflicted smile, the Heavenly Emperor shook his head.
"Neither. The fused soul will be returned to the physical vessel at the point in time immediately after its death. Simultaneously, the body will instantly be restored to perfect health. If it has been completely obliterated, then it will simply be recreated from scratch."
Speechless at this, John's eyes widened, then he couldn't help but annoyedly complain.
"But that way, if the dangerous situation that led to body's death still persists, won't I just die again?!"
Helplessly, Huang Xian shrugged.
"Yes. But intervening any further than this will definitely be noticed. Additionally, even if I could potentially find a way to circumvent this, I do not have enough power left to make use of those loopholes, or to brute-force it."
Realizing that very likely, he would immediately be walking on thin ice and undergoing a desperate gamble starting the exact moment of his revival, John felt a mixture of both irritation as well as excitement.
He was vexed at the fact that it was possible for his second chance to be cut short straight away, but throughout his past life, he had felt joy whenever he had overcome yet another unreasonable obstacle. Maybe he had been forcefully conditioned into a state like this by the unbearable abuse that he had endured, desperately seeking to find any and all positives in a life as profoundly despair-inducing as his. Or perhaps, he truly was just someone who enjoyed a thrilling challenge. It could even be a bit of both...
Shaking his head to get rid of his distracting thoughts, John eventually made his decision. With a slight smirk, he faced the Heavenly Emperor and told him what the man had already known about the very moment that it had come to his mind.
"Alright, I'll choose Theodore Winter. He is the only realistically viable option."
Nodding in approval, Huang Xian rose from his throne and beckoned for John to follow him, then the two unhurriedly strolled through the palace's countless hallways and rooms. It somewhat felt like a house tour, leaving John a bit confused as to why they were doing this, prompting his host to explain himself.
"I've sat around on that throne for a very, very long time now. With the end in sight, I felt like having a look at my self-created home here. I'll also lead you to the place where we need to go."
Realizing something from his words that should have already been blatantly obvious, but which he simply hadn't noticed, John shot a conflicted gaze at the man that he had only recently got to know. Why did he feel a bit pained at the thought of Huang Xian's continued existence coming to an end?
"Don't mourn for me. If it wasn't for you, then I would waste away without a chance to turn the tables. All those contingencies that I put in place so long ago would become pointless. Also, your choice will not only open a new door for yourself, but also revive someone else alongside you. It's two lives for the price of one. Well, those two lives will be fused together, so in the end, it's still a one for one exchange. But you get what I mean."
Smirking to himself, the Heavenly Emperor thought of another issue and glanced at John, who was walking next to him.
"I'm sure you'll realize this very quickly yourself, but I still feel the need to caution you. Do not become complacent! No matter how much potential the Talent of Theodore Winter has, you will need time to grow. If that wasn't the case, then poor Theodore wouldn't have died. Aside from that, there will also always be others whose Talents will rival yours, or even surpass it. There is no such thing as a 'greatest genius of all time'."
Although a part of John wanted to argue that there should indeed be one such being somewhere out there, he had to admit that he was far less qualified to make statements about this than Huang Xian. It was likely that there was something that he was unaware of or overlooking, which kept him from fully understanding the matter. Nonetheless, regardless of his doubts, he still took the advice to heart. He had never thought of himself as particularly outstanding, and promised himself to not do so in the future either, no matter to which exalted status he might rise.
"I understand. Thanks for the warning."
Eventually, the two finally came to the ultimate destination of their stroll–and it was entirely different from what John had expected.
After opening a completely inconspicuous door, they entered into a singular room almost as incomprehensibly large as the entire palace! Only now did he realize that everything that he had seen up to this point was merely the comparatively tiny portion of the building that was actually meant for inhabitation. This almost celestial body-sized hall, however, was anything but.
Along the walls, ceiling and floor ran countless channels, inscriptions and patterns that intertwined and combined in ways that made John extremely dizzy merely from looking at them. It was so overwhelming that he had to close his eyes and actively choose to ignore them if he didn't want to faint on the spot. A part of him even feared that if he continued to stare for too long, then his soul might just implode and disappear.
Only after snapping out of that terrifying state did he realize that the two of them had arrived on a floating platform positioned at the very centre of this space. It was connected to every single part of those patterns that he didn't dare to scrutinize any longer. Evidently, it was the core of whatever he now found himself in.
"Technically, all of this is considered a type of formation or interlayered magic circle, which the people of my home world call an 'Array'. To make it even easier to understand, you can think of it as a sort of program that I wrote. If I input enough energy, it will do exactly what I have arranged for it to do."
Observing his work with a hint of pride but also reluctance in his eyes, the Heavenly Emperor double-checked the entire Array with a few glances, then he turned to face John once more, his demeanour thoroughly serious.
"We have already delayed for long enough. Are you ready? If so, please stand at the very centre of the platform and stay in place."
Taking a deep breath and reaffirming his decision internally, John nodded and stepped forwards, coming to a halt at exactly the spot that his host had pointed out. The two looked at each other for a moment, before both showing an appreciative smile.
"You will realize everything else that you need to know on your own. So, farewell. I wish you the best."
"Thank you for your help, and goodbye!"
No other words were exchanged.
Raising his hands and closing his eyes, Huang Xian unceasingly infused the energy contained in his body into the complex gigantic Array around them. Within a few moments, all of the intricate parts of it were lit up with a gentle, blue hue, while his own body became increasingly transparent.
The hue's brightness increased from second to second, until everything before the two of them became a pure white. At this moment, John's consciousness fell into a deep but relaxed slumber, while the Heavenly Emperor of old had all but disappeared.
As the unfortunate soul before him was suddenly whisked away, Huang Xian felt a familiar World's Will, the Heavenly Dao, make brief contact with his own consciousness. Countless thoughts were exchanged between the both of them during that instant, before they parted again–this time forever.
Left behind all alone in the celestial body-sized Array, he couldn't help but reminisce about the past, about all of his treasured memories. To him, the Heavenly Dao was like his own child. Having got the opportunity to interact with it again brought much-needed solace to him.
With a bright smile on his lips, this time entirely devoid of any and all worries or regrets, he turned the rest of his existence into pure energy, infusing it into the Array. From one instant to the next, he vanished.
Huang Xian was gone.