Even in the vast universe, the study of will is an enormous subject.
The most intuitive manifestation is that once will in a certain aspect surpasses a threshold, the person will begin to walk a path that suits them. It may even draw the gaze of an Aeon, allowing one to rise in a single leap and become a top-tier Pathstrider among mortals.
As an inorganic lifeform, Irontomb is fated to be unable to understand human emotions.
The more one lacks something, the more one yearns for it. Just like Screwllum, who devotes himself to study human emotions, the field of organic life's will is likewise a topic Irontomb seeks to explore.
Thus, he very gladly agreed to join Celenova's plan to cripple the Xianzhou Alliance.
Along the way, through calculation, he verified many of his previous hypotheses. According to the principle of equivalent exchange, the gains brought by this result had already balanced out the losses caused by directly confronting the Xianzhou Alliance.
As for the loss of the mechanical legion, to him they were nothing more than disposable toys casually discarded. Gains and losses should not be weighed by secular values, but judged according to one's own objectives.
With the Balanza Furnace under his control, his mechanical legion blots out the sky and is inexhaustible.
A clash with the Xianzhou Alliance was something bound to happen anyway.
Spending only a bit of time and effort to obtain an idea of the Xianzhou Alliance was, without question, an incredibly cheap bargain.
According to the planned itinerary, he should have returned to the Balanza Furnace next, developing a device capable of mobilizing the will of the people, thereby achieving a breakthrough leap in the domain of consciousness.
It should have gone like that.
....
"Ugh!!"
Amid the endless cycle of death and rebirth imposed by the activated planet, wills that had already collapsed were continuously linked together. The chaotic situation was brought under control. Like igniting the brilliance of countless stars, a central core transformed into a sharp blade, piercing through the gray, concealed haze embedded within the Path's framework.
One by one, stars that had long lost their course were reignited.
Electric currents flickered within the massive machine. Torrents of data surged wildly through it, until a final position was locked in.
"The one who broke the deadlock by linking wills during the siege of Dr. Primitive?"
This ability instantly reminded Irontomb of that special individual who had connected the wills of the Galaxy Rangers during the encirclement of Dr. Primitive.
Although they had been in the Sea of Quanta at the time, there is no such thing as a wall without cracks. With fragmented clues pieced together, it was not difficult to infer certain truths.
Naturally, he had marked this special ability in his records.
However, that was all he knew. The actual owner of this ability remained unknown.
"Could it be a hidden figure from the Xianzhou?" Irontomb did not know. But facing the faintly restless Xianzhou people, he seemed to understand what the other side intended to do.
"Hey, is this really going to work?" The Herrscher of Sentience asked skeptically.
At this moment, she stood at the center of a planet-shaped device. As the device exerted its power, more and more points of light appeared around her. In just a few seconds, they completely enveloped the Herrscher of Sentience.
"How do you feel right now?" Herta asked.
"I'm fine, I guess. It just feels like a lot of people are chattering nonstop next to my ears, and I can't even make out what they're saying. It's annoying as hell."
The Herrscher of Sentience frowned slightly, the constant noise pushing her patience to its limits.
"This consciousness amplification device has undergone multiple calibrations. In a zero-pressure environment, it can amplify your consciousness-linking ability by a hundredfold. Since consciousness acts reciprocally, the stabilizing and protection systems were reinforced accordingly," Screwllum explained.
Herta leaned in, carefully observing the growing number of light points, and said softly, "The device is impressive, but these probably aren't the consciousness of all people on the activated planet."
"Nonsense! If they all came rushing into me, no one could handle that!" The Herrscher of Sentience instantly bristled.
She might be a bit airheaded, but she wasn't stupid. If these thousands of lives were ordinary people, she might try to take it on, but they weren't.
They were Xianzhou people blessed by Abundance. The moment they received that blessing, their consciousness was elevated, regardless of their accumulated experience.
At its core, Mara is the result of a person unable to bear the weight of their own memories.
The sheer volume of information in that instant would be enough to burst the Herrscher of Sentience when she had barely reached a full state.
Even the current situation was only possible thanks to the amplification equipment and protective systems developed by Screwllum. Otherwise, she absolutely could not withstand consciousness overlap on such a scale.
Struggling to control the continuously stacking wills, when the light points increased by another quarter, the Herrscher of Sentience waved her hands repeatedly.
"That's it, that's it, I can't take any more, I feel crushed."
After such a short time, she was already exhausted, panting heavily with her hands braced on her knees, her face full of fatigue.
"That's all you can last? Is there really nothing left?" Herta had been observing with great interest, only for it to cut off suddenly. This was truly bad behavior!
"Reply: This is indeed Fu Hua's limit. Preliminary estimates suggest there are several thousand Xianzhou consciousnesses here, which is sufficient for us to proceed to the next step."
Though sharp-tongued, Herta understood that this truly was the Herrscher of Sentience's limit.
Thousands of Xianzhou consciousnesses unified in one place, this was a scene that had never occurred since the Xianzhou first received the blessing of Abundance!
"So what do we do next?" Despite her exhaustion, the stubbornness deep in the Herrscher of Sentience pushed her to straighten up as she asked Screwllum.
Herta also looked at Screwllum and shrugged. "That's up to you. I'm just here to help find someone."
Their appearance here was due to Jing Yuan contacting her, asking her to help locate the Herrscher of Sentience, the one who had played a crucial role during the siege of Dr. Primitive in the Sea of Quanta.
Originally, this was just a casual move on Jing Yuan's part. Even if they couldn't find her, it wouldn't have mattered, he had other plans.
But even Jing Yuan hadn't expected that the moment his request for support was sent out, he would receive a reply from Herta the very next second.
And she even brought along Screwllum and the already-departed Mobius. That single casual move instantly lifted his spirits.
"Next, we need Lady Fu Hua to mobilize the already-linked consciousnesses, guiding them to stir up the remaining wills, thereby influencing the actions of the activated planet."
"Huh? Are you sure you're not messing with me? That unknown thing is one thing, but there's also a big guy inside it! And you want us to just openly mess with him like this?"
The Herrscher of Sentience stared at Screwllum as if he had completely lost his mind.
She seriously suspected that something inside that mechanical head was broken.
The Lord Ravager hiding inside the activated planet had chased so many people into retreat. And now she was supposed to proactively dive into enemy territory and mobilize enemy units, wasn't that just sending meat buns to a dog?
Just as Screwllum was about to speak, a soft chuckle came from the silent Mobius beside them.
"Hehe, no, it won't be a problem~~" She slightly raised her chin, her naturally seductive eyes meeting Screwllum's, and smiled lightly.
"That Lord Ravager also wants to see what kind of fruit this will bear. So go ahead and do it boldly, we'll be right here with you."
Having long delved into the field of life and devoted herself to uncovering more of its mysteries, Mobius had carefully studied the structure of Intellitrons.
How machines truly gave birth to real life is a topic we can set aside for now.
When it comes to resolve, Intellitrons, being inorganic lifeforms, are far ahead of organic beings.
Mobius once analyzed Irontomb's behavior and concluded that the primary reason Irontomb appeared here was to activate the consciousness on the planet.
What would an intelligent machine want inorganic life to do?
When his actions before and after are taken into account, it isn't hard to guess Irontomb's true objective.
"Precisely because of this, he wants to know even more than we do what kind of result will be produced when the consciousness of the people is stacked together. That's what he came here for in the first place."
After listening to Mobius's explanation, the Herrscher of Sentience nodded, half-understanding.
Although she still didn't fully grasp everything, she basically understood that Irontomb had come purely for research purposes. And what they were doing right now happened to perfectly align with his expectations.
In that case, Irontomb would not only refrain from interfering, but would instead open the gates wide and obediently let her wreak havoc on the body she had just obtained.
"…You'd better make sure your judgment is correct." Gritting her teeth and stomping her foot, so what if it meant confronting an Emanator head-on? She, the Celestial Immortal, would take it on!!
Hearing the answer they had been hoping for, the three exchanged glances.
Begin the operation! The Herrscher of Sentience took a deep breath and slowly closed her eyes.
Her consciousness gradually sank into the sea of consciousness.
As the Herrscher of Sentience, how much power she could exert depended entirely on the authority granted from the other side.
If she were still back on Earth, the Herrscher of Sentience would absolutely not be able to connect to a consciousness sea of this scale, the limit was simply there.
But external power allowed her to break through that limit. Achieving something that had once been completely impossible!
Within the sea of consciousness, the Herrscher of Sentience slowly opened her eyes, and jumped in shock.
She had long prepared herself mentally, and had already witnessed the increase in numbers before, but coming back and seeing it again was still startling.
Everyone knows that "a sea of people" is usually a realistic description.
But if you asked the Herrscher of Sentience, she'd say, what sea of people? This is what truly deserves to be called a sea of people!
Dense beyond measure, stretching endlessly into the distance.
The souls who had just awakened from the barrier between Rahu and Destruction power had flames burning in their eyes, their entire bodies radiating a will that would not rest until the enemy was destroyed.
And when all of that momentum gathered into one, it could even stir this sea of consciousness!
The Herrscher of Sentience's authority, now being shaken, confirmed that this was indeed the case.
Within the domain of consciousness, she was being challenged.
Under normal circumstances, the Herrscher of Sentience would have smashed anyone daring to provoke her, but right now, she wasn't in the mood.
The influence of consciousness goes both ways.
She could feel the will within the hearts of those who should have long since died, yet were unable to die.
"Hah… what a pain. You people really know how to give me trouble." Letting out a light breath, the Herrscher of Sentience put her hands on her hips and stared straight ahead, speaking boldly.
"You all know what you need to do, right? Since you know, then get moving. I'll build the road for you, what happens next depends on you!"
Her voice echoed in the ears of everyone within the sea of consciousness. No one spoke. All of them bowed deeply.
Such kindness could never be repaid. As people who should have been dead, all they could offer was their most sincere gratitude.
Awakened consciousnesses began rushing everywhere, rousing companions who were currently suppressed by Destruction's power.
Word spread rapidly. In just a brief moment, the once-dull consciousness layer was dyed in vibrant colors.
In response to this change, Irontomb, located at the center, flickered with streams of data, recording this rare and precious spectacle.
Activated planets were already exceedingly rare, let alone an activated planet that had devoured a large number of people.
...
Under such harsh prerequisite conditions, not to mention observing future developments, even finding an activated planet was already a troublesome task.
"Consciousness-linking capability… fascinating."
Aside from the changes unfolding before him, Irontomb also noticed the core that had triggered it all.
There were many abilities or devices capable of linking consciousness, but to connect such a vast number, especially Xianzhou people, was highly unusual.
At the very least, Irontomb, who had roamed the galaxy unchecked for countless ages, had never heard of anyone possessing such a capability.
Even Penacony couldn't do it.
Without the unique memory matter of the Asdana Star System, neither the Family nor the Garden of Recollection could manage it.
This sparked the thought of taking the Herrscher of Sentience away once everything was over.
Before anyone noticed, all consciousnesses on the activated planet had awakened. The moment they were finally freed from their long torment, everyone felt dazed.
But immediately afterward, they noticed something was wrong with their bodies.
The power of the activated planet was still at work. However, because it acted purely on instinct and had not yet been fully activated by an Emanator of Abundance, its power was being suppressed by Destruction.
Many people opened their eyes only to find that large portions of their bodies had transformed into the form of Void Soldiers, instantly snapping them awake.
Spear tips pointed straight at Irontomb.
Irontomb's defenses were being broken through bit by bit, just as someone once said.
Three thousand minds might not be powerful enough, but at this moment, the people of the Xianzhou Cangcheng were a true singularity of will!
The essence of the Hunt is revenge. Death is not the end. Even if body and soul are destroyed, they will still fire their final arrow!!
All wills converged into one. At this moment, regardless of which Path they once walked in life,
At this moment, they walked the same path.
The path called the Hunt!
This is, the Hunt!!
"Data collection nearing completion. Willpower strength continues to increase. Unable to determine the upper limit."
In just a few seconds, the situation reversed. Irontomb was pushed into a disadvantageous position.
But this was exactly what he had hoped to see. The fusion of consciousness truly could unleash extraordinary power!
At this moment, Irontomb felt his processors spinning at full speed. This was great data, data never recorded before!
He would forever remember this moment, recording everything that happened here, the story he personally experienced.
The Hunt does not wait. As the cold, gleaming arrowhead was about to pierce the final layer of defense, Irontomb felt a twinge of regret, but maintained absolute rationality.
"Recording complete. Initiating retreat." As the mechanical voice fell, Irontomb's consciousness began transferring. The next instant,
Crack!
The final layer of defense was pierced, just as Irontomb's consciousness completed its transfer.
Countless consciousnesses surged forward, engulfing the center completely!
The departure of a Lord Ravager is something that can be sensed by others of the same level.
"Irontomb? He ran?!"
Celenova, who was locked in fierce combat with Feixiao, instinctively froze. Her eyes widened, disbelief written all over her face.
Just moments ago, he had been completely suppressing the Zhuming side, the situation was looking great, and then he ran?!
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T/N: I think the author is writing whatever comes to their mind. A group of souls, even Xianzhou natives, together drove away a Lord Ravager.
Then if the entire Xianzhou came, all the Lord Ravagers would be defeated? Lol!
It's not like I'm against Xianzhou or anything, but after seeing the Lord Ravagers trailer, I feel the Xianzhou Alliance here is way over-inflated.
Just my humble opinion. And damn where the hell is Godzilla.