The Myriad Realms Takes Shape

After listening to Qing's introduction, Li Fan closely observed the entire operating process of the hourglass. A flicker of pleasant surprise arose within him. Under the crushing pressure of impending annihilation, the people of the Empire had truly unleashed unimaginable potential. Even Li Fan had not expected them to create a device that could be called virtually flawless. Even through his critical eyes, it was difficult to find any shortcomings in it. "Neither this strange beast nor the hourglass apparatus currently possesses a name," Qing said, giving a subtle nod to the Imperial Daughter. The Imperial Daughter bowed respectfully and said in a gentle voice, "We invite Senior to bestow names upon them." "Heh..." Li Fan let out a light laugh. Even knowing their petty schemes, Li Fan found the gesture exceedingly gratifying. Pondering for a moment, he found his answer. "It is said that when heaven and earth first opened, the two divided into yin and yang. Yin and yang combined to engender myriad things. And as the adage goes: the Dao produced one, one produced two, two produced three, and three produced all things... This strange beast can be named the Dao One Worm. And this apparatus..." Li Fan paused briefly before announcing clearly, "...can be named the Heaven and Earth Furnace!" The three women exchanged glances, their eyes brimming with delight. "We thank Senior for bestowing these names!" they chorused. Li Fan then inquired into further details regarding the Heaven and Earth Furnace. Forging the furnaces themselves was not difficult. So long as resources were sufficient, churning out over ten thousand cauldrons a day was entirely within reach. One only needed to introduce a portion of the Dao One Worms into a new, vacant furnace, pour in nutrients, and wait ten days. Then, the Heaven and Earth Furnace could steadily generate spiritual energy without interruption. "The only potential hidden danger lies in the Dao One Worm mutating during its self-replication process. The probability of mutation is minute, and its direction is uncertain. Yet no matter how it mutates, it will inevitably cause the Heaven and Earth Furnace to malfunction. "Furthermore, because the Dao One Worm has been selectively bred to an extremely simplistic structure, it cannot compete against any mutated variant. As a result, they will always be replaced by those newly formed mutants. "To ensure that the Dao One Worm constantly remains at peak spiritual energy output, any mutant individual detected within a furnace must be eradicated completely. "We also advise maintaining multiple backup cultures of the original Dao One Worm strain to guard against catastrophic widespread mutation or extinction events." ... One had to admit that nothing in this world was truly perfect. Even after hundreds of generations of refinement, this shortcoming of the Dao One Worm could not be eliminated. Yet then again, compared to the benefits they offered, these flaws were practically negligible. It merely meant that the Heaven and Earth Furnaces had to be replaced periodically. *In fact, it can't even be considered a drawback.* *If the furnaces are sealed with secret arts so outsiders cannot pry them open, each furnace will naturally expire after a set time. To keep using them, one must seek out new furnaces...* *Isn't this a flawless mechanism of control? Even if distributed throughout all the pocket worlds across the heavens, it will vastly mitigate the risk of losing control.* In an instant, Li Fan deduced various potential outcomes, the satisfaction in his heart swelling even further. Outwardly, however, he betrayed not a flicker of emotion. Putting away several Heaven and Earth Furnaces, Li Fan turned his gaze upon the three women of the Empire. After a suffocating silence, he spoke. "Very good! "I am well pleased with your performance this time! "Our Myriad Realms Association has always been clear in distributing rewards and punishments. You have performed a great service, so how could we not reward you? From this day forth, your Empire is officially a member of the Myriad Realms Association." With those words, the phantom image of a faceless stone statue materialized before the three women. Guiding them through their oaths before the statue, Li Fan then imparted the God Descends upon the Body technique. "With the protection of a fiendgod, you will have more than enough power to handle the ordinary crises that arise within your Empire." All three women possessed exceptional talent. Under Li Fan's watch, only a short moment passed before each had summoned her own fiendgod. Feeling the formidable aura of these entities, they could not hide their excitement. "This is merely the most basic reward," Li Fan said, dangling a grand promise with an indifferent tone. "Once I return and report on what we have achieved here, the Association will dispatch many more rewards. These will include, but are not limited to, elevating your cultivation, providing material support to your Empire, and more. If the opportunity arises, you may even have the honor of visiting the Association's headquarters. "By the way, as the pocket world that engineered the Heaven and Earth Furnace, the Association permits you to popularize it throughout your own realm first. Moreover, whenever a Heaven and Earth Furnace is deployed in other pocket worlds, you will receive a corresponding share of the rewards. The allocated resources will be settled once every ten years and delivered directly to you. While the percentage may not be vast, it will certainly suffice to develop and elevate your pocket world here." This was a wholly unexpected windfall, and delight broke out across the three women's faces. "Remember, our Association never mistreats its own. Anyone who contributes to the Association will receive a hundredfold, thousandfold return." As if to substantiate his words, Li Fan handed the three women a storage ring. When Qing saw the sheer wealth of resources contained within, her pupils shrank. She hurriedly bowed to express her gratitude. Li Fan waved a hand dismissively. "Your performance this time exceeded my expectations. Next, I have another mission for you." From his storage ring, Li Fan retrieved the Sky-Patrolling Arrow, its surface formations erased, leaving only the dormant living entity at its core. "See if you can determine this beast's properties and achieve large-scale breeding," Li Fan said in a solemn voice. Both his expression and tone conveyed the importance of this task. "If you can accomplish this, the Association will reward you lavishly!" Qing took the Sky-Patrolling Arrow solemnly. After examining it, surprise surfaced on her face. Nonetheless, she promptly declared, "We will certainly not fail Senior's trust!" After going over a few relevant matters, Li Fan left behind a jade talisman for communication at any time, then quietly departed the Empire's pocket world. *** Inside the Imperial Palace. Hong frowned slightly as she looked toward Xiaoqing. "Qing, doesn't this thing look a bit familiar?" Qing shook her head. "It truly does resemble that thing from our sect back then. But I cannot be certain yet. It needs further study." After a brief silence, Hong asked again, "What do you make of... this Myriad Realms Association?" "We are fish on the chopping block, so what choice do we have? We can only take things one step at a time. Besides, judging by their actions so far, they do not appear to be villainous monsters." Silence settled over the palace once more. As if recalling something, Qing suddenly said, "Right, those fiendgods Senior bestowed upon us... Do not use them unless absolutely necessary. I cannot shake the feeling that there is something strange about them." Hong and the Imperial Daughter both nodded silently. ... Having already returned to the Xuanhuang Realm, Li Fan sensed the women's conversation through his fiendgod thought avatar. A cold sneer crept across his lips.