392: Chapter 383 The Sixth Incarnation: Heavenly Venerable (Seventy-One)

The intent of the Dao Lord of Death was the first to sound, cold and desolate, like the grinding of eternal ice.

"Shangqing's calculations have disrupted everything. We have manifested ahead of time, our Dao Foundations have been shaken, and our auras have been exposed. The variables will only continue to increase."

"Continuing to wait carries too much risk."

"The river of time has been muddied, and the tributaries of the future have become blurred and indistinct."

The intent of the Dao Lord of Time seemed to come from the far end of endless years, carrying an ancient exhaustion and an indisputable calculation.

"I can sense an existence deliberately interfering with the chronological order and hiding itself. Delaying further is disadvantageous to us. We must seize the initiative at this 'present' node."

"Since Heaven and Earth are fragmented and the Great Dao is incomplete, blocking our path, then let us destroy all 'Impurities' between Heaven and Earth and use their Origin to recast Perfection! Why wait any longer!"

The intent of the Dao Lord of Destruction was the most violent and direct, like an end-time storm roaring, "Devour them! All of them!"

...

Though expressed differently, the core of the ten intents converged with startling consistency—they could no longer wait passively!

"Blood Sacrifice."

The Dao Lord of Death coldly uttered these two words, like the tolling of a death knell.

"Only by blood-sacrificing all spirits of cultivation, from Dao Lords above to ants below, using the 'Spirit' gathered from their lifetime of cultivation, their insights, their Dao attainment, and even the Origin of their existence, can we forcibly fill the fragments of Heaven and Earth and drive the Great Dao to Perfection."

"Only in this way can we most quickly and powerfully catalyze the opportunity for 'Soul Transformation' before our Dao Foundations are completely shaken and those hidden rats find more opportunities to strike!"

The cold words of the Dao Lord of Death echoed in this Court of Nothingness like a final judgment.

Blood-sacrificing all spirits of cultivation, using the Dao attainment, Origin, and existence of countless living beings as fuel to forcibly fill the fragments of Heaven and Earth and catalyze the "Soul Transformation" opportunity—this plan was cruel enough to make any existence with a shred of pity left shudder, go mad, or even have their Dao Heart collapse.

However, the ten intents of the most ancient Dao Lords gathered here did not even show the slightest ripple.

To them, humanity? Emotion? Pity? These terms had long since turned into something more insignificant than dust through the washing of endless years and the ultimate pursuit of the Great Dao.

They were the original observers, the makers of rules, and also the ascetic monks and martyrs on the path to transcendence. Aside from the obsession with that singular "Soul Transformation" transcendence, there was very little in this world that could truly disturb their indifferent heartstrings, which were akin to the "Heavenly Dao."

The wailing of all living beings? The collapse of civilizations? The end of an era?

These were but insignificant ripples in the cycle of the Great Dao, dust that they could casually step over on their journey to climb to a higher Realm.

"Approved."

"Good."

"It shall be so."

"Devour! Refine! Supplement!"

...

Ten intents—some cold, some ancient, some indifferent, some violent, some Chaos... expressed their agreement with this world-ending plan in their own ways.

There was no moral burden, no psychological struggle, only the purest and coldest calculation of interests and choice of Dao path.

The massive "quantity" required for the blood sacrifice and the terrifying Karma that might result were, in their eyes, merely a matter of the amount of "cost" and "resources" needed to achieve their goal, nothing more.

The ten terrifying intents reached a consensus.

This Court of Nothingness seemed to freeze for an instant, as an indescribable, terrifying determination to drag the entire era and all cultivation civilizations into a final grave spread out, making this absolute "nothingness" seem to groan under the unbearable weight.

But beneath this seemingly monolithic consensus, in the deepest part of every intent, the sea of calculation that had been frozen for ages began to churn with completely different undercurrents.

The blood sacrifice was a consensus.

But there was only one "Soul Transformation" opportunity!

How could they seize the most "Spirit" and Origin within this blood sacrifice formation that encompassed the heavens, so as to occupy the most advantageous position when the opportunity appeared?

How could they secretly weaken or restrain other "allies" while maintaining the formation's operation and countering potential variables?

How could they ensure they were the first and only one to grasp it at the final moment, the fleeting instant the "Soul Transformation" opportunity manifested?

These questions, like venomous snakes, coiled in the cold hearts of every Ancient Venerable.

The so-called Alliance was merely a fragile union based on current common interests and threats.

Once the "All-Spirit Return to Ruins" was activated, Heaven and Earth would be in turmoil and the Great Dao in Chaos; that would be the best and final opportunity—not only to deal with external variables but also... to eliminate potential competitors among the "allies"!

"The blood sacrifice formation should be based on our Great Dao, covering the heavens and locking onto all cultivation auras."

The intent of the Dao Lord of Order echoed in the Court of Nothingness like a cold, iron law.

"However, the distribution of the formation's base, the allocation of power, and even the response to those possible variables require a clear protocol. We must never again be calculated against as before, wasting our efforts and only increasing the variables."

The Dao Lord of Order deliberately mentioned "calculations," immediately evoking the bad memories of the other Ancient Venerables who had been toyed with and forced to descend early not long ago.

That cold fury of being betrayed and used, though not explicitly stated, spread through the invisible field where the ten intents intertwined, making the already fragile foundation of "trust" even more unstable.

"Hmph, a protocol?"

The intent of the Dao Lord of Destruction was filled with violence and impatience.

"In this seat's view, why bother with some integrated formation that only adds constraints!"

"We shall each divide our own regions, starting from the Chaos borderlands and blood-sacrificing all the way through, finally meeting at the Heart of the World! Whoever refines the most 'Spirit' has the greater skill! As for that Shangqing and those two bugs, whoever dares to show their head and interfere will be crushed by the person in that region! Wouldn't that be more direct and satisfying?!"

This proposal perfectly matched the style of the Dao Lord of Destruction—crude, direct, full of possessiveness, and minimizing the risk of a "backstab" that mutual cooperation might bring; at least until the final convergence, everyone would work on their own.

The Dao Lord of Death fell silent for a moment, rapidly weighing the options in his heart. An integrated formation was most efficient, but the internal risks were too great, especially after experiencing the betrayal of an "ally," he did not dare to completely turn his back to the others.

Sacrificing separately might allow Shangqing and the others to find loopholes and could lead to uneven sacrifice efficiency, but at least it minimized the primary and direct risk of betrayal.

When they finally converged, they could also roughly see each person's contribution and status based on the amount of Origin obtained from their respective sacrifices. At that time, whether to fight or make peace, to join forces or turn against each other, they would have more initiative.

"Approved."

The Dao Lord of Death finally made a decision, his cold voice setting the tone for this argument, "We shall do as Destruction says: divide the regions, sacrifice separately, and finally meet at the 'Heart of the World.'"

"With the torrent of blood sacrifice, we shall strike the Source Sea, supplement Heaven and Earth, and trigger the opportunity!"