Feigning nonchalance, Li Fan put away the nine Dissociation Discs.
He then inquired of Mo Rubin about their cooperation with Mirror Keeper Cang.
"That fellow Cang is quite interesting. If you hadn't mentioned it beforehand, I really wouldn't have noticed that he had already fallen to become a mirror slave of the Profound Heaven Treasure Mirror." Mo Rubin shook his head slightly.
"Still, with his covert cooperation, carrying out the plan to persuade the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals to construct the great array and take total control over the Profound Heaven Treasure Mirror has gone much more smoothly.
"Even so, the most crucial part still hinges on your side, Brother Xingwang. An array capable of helping the Heavenly Profound Mirror break free from the Dharma-Transmitting Heavenly Venerable's shackles...
"Are you truly confident?" Mo Rubin asked with a hint of doubt.
Li Fan did not offer an immediate guarantee.
Instead, after pondering in silence for a brief moment, he said slowly, "There shouldn't be much of an issue. This little gadget you just handed me indeed seems far superior to the previous Lifeless Array Coronet.
"Still, to be safe, if possible, it would be best for you to inquire more about the restrictions left behind by Chuanfa."
Finding this entirely reasonable, Mo Rubin readily agreed.
"By the way, I recently came across a matter you might find interesting." After exchanging a few more details to keep in mind while executing their plans going forward, Mo Rubin suddenly spoke up just before parting.
"Oh?" Li Fan halted in his tracks.
"Didn't you split off a million mind gods and devils earlier to seize the bodies of many cultivators and cause a massive ruckus?" Mo Rubin recounted with keen interest.
"Huh?" Li Fan put on a bewildered look, as if he had completely forgotten about the affair.
Only after Mo Rubin explained did he feign comprehension and nod, looking as though he had vaguely recalled it.
"Those cultivators had their consciousnesses entirely obliterated, leaving only their physical bodies behind in the world. Yet because they were tied to the operation of the Grand Star-Crossing Array, they could not simply be put to death. As a result, all of them were locked up at the time.
"The original plan was to keep this batch of cultivators forever in a state where their physical bodies lived on while their consciousnesses were gone. But later, after some discussion among us, we deemed that a number on the scale of a million was simply too large. After all, quite a few of them were cultivators at or above the Nascent Soul realm. As long as they remain alive, they occupy resources such as grotto-heavens and about-to-be-born changes. That means the Xuanhuang Realm would forever have fewer normal cultivators in the future.
"So after much deliberation, we decided to preserve only five hundred thousand to be sealed away for eternity.
"As for the remaining five hundred thousand..." Coming to the crucial point, Mo Rubin paused slightly.
"Were they all killed? No, that's not right. I didn't sense any tremors in the Xuanhuang Realm." Li Fan reacted in full cooperation.
Mo Rubin's eyes flashed with keen intrigue. "The Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals actually possesses a technique capable of extracting the grotto-heavens, about-to-be-born changes, and even the animas of Heaven and Earth from within a cultivator's body, returning them to the world!"
"Hmm?" Hearing this, Li Fan's eyes instantly flashed with sharp interest. "How does it differ from returning the Dao to heaven naturally after a cultivator perishes?"
Mo Rubin explained, "When a cultivator dies and returns the Dao to heaven, many years would likely have to pass before those elements are nurtured back into existence between Heaven and Earth. Moreover, those grotto-heavens and animas of Heaven and Earth would undergo corresponding changes along with the workings of the world.
"However, this Alliance technique known as 'Mandate Sealing' is different. In less than half a day at most, the resources of Heaven and Earth devoured by the cultivator are extracted in their original state and returned to the Xuanhuang world.
"Still, while it is said to return the Dao to heaven, it is actually quite different from natural evolution. The most crucial part is that the Alliance has prepared a new holding place for these extracted resources."
Mo Rubin's tone held a touch of marvel, clearly won over by this stroke of genius. "This location lies within the Essence-Devouring White Mist at the border between the Alliance's Central Four Provinces, neither fully attached to nor completely detached from the Xuanhuang Realm. It still falls under the control of the Xuanhuang Realm's Heavenly Dao, yet through their modifications, the Alliance can attain far greater administrative authority over it."
"You mean these extracted and stored resources of Heaven and Earth can be redeployed at any time?" Li Fan thought for a moment, then was slightly startled.
Because the implications behind this were truly terrifying.
"Precisely. In other words, as long as the Alliance is willing, they can swiftly utilize these resources to forge a new army of cultivators. But that isn't the key point; the Alliance has plenty of other ways to achieve the same result.
"The more critical part is that the Alliance can continuously expand this domain. Then, step by step, they can gather all the portions devoured by the world's cultivators into it." The scenario Mo Rubin painted was somewhat chilling.
"Just imagine the consequences if this plan is successfully executed. When that day comes, one might even need the Alliance's 'permission' just to cultivate immortality. The Alliance wouldn't need ordinary cultivators to sustain the Xuanhuang Realm's existence, either. In all likelihood, they would convert vast swathes of cultivators into mortals...
"Tsk, tsk, tsk..."
"To think the Alliance possesses such a method." Li Fan's expression darkened.
"Haha, there's no need for you to worry too much, Brother. Following the views of Dharma Transmitter Jiang and more than half of the Dharma Transmitters, the use of this Mandate Sealing method has been strictly restricted. After all, it is far too dangerous; if control slips, it could lead to a future where immortal cultivation is completely monopolized," Mo Rubin hurried to console him.
"In my view, Dharma Transmitter Jiang is quite decent, truly thinking on behalf of the world's cultivators. As for the other Dharma Transmitters who opposed it, I suspect most of them did so out of concern over the Five Elders Association's strength. After all, if the number of cultivators becomes too small and an all-out war with the Five Elders Association breaks out, relying solely on the combat power provided by the Illusion-Reality Sages would probably not be enough to match them," Mo Rubin analyzed.
"As for the one who developed the Mandate Sealing method... Dharma Transmitter Zheng is extremely dissatisfied with the Council of Dharma Transmitters' decision. That kid has held power for so long that he thinks cultivators across the world have no need to exist at all, and that it would be best if everyone were turned into mortal pigs. Hehehe..."
"Merely relying on the prestige of Chuanfa. Dharma Transmitter Zheng... if I ever run into him..." A peculiar light flashed in Li Fan's eyes.
"Brother Xingwang, you mustn't be careless. This Dharma Transmitter Zheng does have genuine talent and learning. After all, he managed to develop an occult technique like Mandate Sealing..." Mo Rubin warned with some gravity. "You didn't see the miserable state of those cultivators when they underwent Mandate Sealing."
Mo Rubin sighed with emotion. "Even with my breadth of experience, I could hardly bear to watch. And that was while they were already insensate, void of all awareness. If a cultivator's divine sense still remained intact when Mandate Sealing was performed...
"I fear it would surpass every torture known throughout the ages!"
Mo Rubin let out an exclamation, drawing that grim conclusion.
Chapter 1016