Immortality is the enemy of time.
The Scions of Long, who command the [Dominion of Immortality], are the ones least concerned with time. Not only does the power of time not wear down their spirits or bodies, but it also makes them stronger.
The so-called frailty of old age…
At least, it does not exist in the nascent Empire, which has a history of only a few thousand years.
Incidentally, the [Dominion of Abundance] that the Monarch commands, although it mainly manifests as the [Authority of Prayer] in his hands—or the power of faith, in common parlance—its most prominent expression in the cosmic sea is actually the [Incorruptible Body].
This is a weakened version of immortality that only manifests in the physical body.
Those races whose prayers have been answered by "Yaoshi, the Astral God of Abundance" call themselves the [People of Abundance]. The reason for the term "self-proclaimed" is that throughout the cosmic sea, they are mostly known as the [Abominations]. A rotten spirit combined with a pristine appearance is the origin of this epithet.
On another note, the "Lan, the Astral God of the Hunt," also known by the title [Lord of the Hunt who Wields the Imperial Bow], has a faction of retainers known as the [Xianzhou Alliance]. They have an elite force called the [Cloud Knights], which specializes in hunting the [Abominations] throughout the cosmic sea.
Clearly, these two Astral Gods are hostile to one another.
---o---
Returning to the main topic.
As the golden dragon coiled around the mountain peak slowly revealed itself, Hua finally saw with her own eyes just how exaggerated the existence her three friends had described truly was.
In Hua's perception, whether in the Previous Era or the present, Chiyou was already the largest Honkai Beast. Although size doesn't represent everything, a large body usually means a greater capacity for Honkai energy, and their strength is generally far greater than that of smaller Honkai Beasts.
But compared to the giant dragon before her…
Hua now understood why the two sisters, Cangxuan and Danzhu, had been so certain in their words.
"Lord Yinglong."
"Thank you for extending your aid."
Hua slowly bowed her head, placing a hand over her chest to express her gratitude.
"A trivial matter."
"…"
"…"
The conversation fell into a mysterious silence.
As mentioned before, Hua was not skilled at such exchanges. And unlike the other Hua, the Apostle, the one before the Monarch was still far from having moved on from her past memories. She was still that "chess piece" who would only advance when guided by others. The only difference was… this chess piece now had a heart of its own.
"Um."
Unable to bear the long silence, Danzhu finally broke it.
"Although you mentioned you would help… what exactly should we do?"
"Before the regular meeting is convened, we cannot inform our other companions of the plan, but we can certainly make some preparations in advance."
"This concerns the test of an entire civilization…"
"There should be many things to do beforehand, right?"
"…"
"What to do?"
The Monarch considered this very carefully.
Putting aside the Authority of Origin and the Stigma Project, if he simply wanted the Current Civilization to pass the test, it was actually very simple:
Become a part of the Empire.
---o---
"Finality" had already become a fixed formula.
In the fields of science and technology, all the achievements that this civilization would attain, now and even five thousand years later, were built entirely upon the research of the Previous Era.
There was no surpassing it.
At least, no breakthrough advancements.
For this very reason, "Finality" had lost the possibility of growing stronger along with the civilization's development. Its upper limit was almost locked at the level of the "Previous Era's Finality."
Against such a backdrop, if the Empire were to intervene, it could very easily help them pass the test.
But, it could not be done.
The Monarch had no such intention.
Such a method of "bribing the examiner" was, in essence, a form of cheating. Whether the mission could be completed was secondary; the key was that it did not conform to the Empire's "founding principles."
Therefore…
"Just like Ji Lin."
The Monarch began to speak slowly.
"The ideas you once placed in the Fusion Warrior and Stigma Projects were not wrong."
"Where the real problem lies is in the 'arrogance' of the entire civilization."
"Internal strife and conceit are the root causes of your failure."
"…"
Hua was clearer on this issue than anyone.
Right up until the arrival of Finality, the "few" remaining humans were still fighting over so-called fame and status. The simple truth that "without your titles, you are nothing" was something that the leaders standing at the pinnacle of billions of people had failed to understand, even in death.
"You understand quickly."
The Monarch did not spare his praise at this moment.
"In the guise of 'gods,' become the 'dictators' standing at the apex of civilization."
"This is the simplest method I can think of. You have, in fact, already been doing it, you just haven't been doing it perfectly enough."
The Monarch's peripheral vision swept over Danzhu.
From the moment she started erecting "godly statues" of Hua, Danzhu had never stopped this kind of "story-writing." It was impossible to say she didn't have similar ideas, even if her original intention was to fight the Honkai.
"As for the dictator here."
"Whether it is one person, or a group…"
Though the voice was righteous and peaceful, for some reason, Hua found it filled with an inciting quality.
"I only provide the path."
"The rest is for you to choose."
---o---
"…"
After a long hesitation, Hua raised her head and spoke solemnly to the Monarch:
"Su has observed countless worlds."
"Among them, there was no shortage of 'dictators'."
"There was even an existence who could easily control an entire world with their power alone. Even Su had to flee before that person took an interest in him… and he almost failed to escape."
Hua had heard some interesting stories from Su.
She had a particularly deep memory of the "gender-bent Su who was an empress."
"Such a powerful individual, such a 'cohesive' civilization."
"In the end, none of them could escape their fate."
"I am not questioning your method, it is just that…"
"It is of no concern."
The Monarch interrupted Hua's apology.
"A suggestion is merely a suggestion."
"My experience may indeed not be suitable for all civilizations."
"Since you have no such intention, then simply continue to execute Danzhu's 'original plan.' It may yet prove to be an effective method."
"Danzhu's plan?"
Project FIRESEED had already failed.
Packaging the knowledge of the Previous Era into stories and legends, and imperceptibly integrating them into the lives of the tribes—the appearance of Chiyou and "Jiu You" was the landmark event signaling the failure of this plan. The greatest possibility Hua could think of now was that this being was willing to act directly, to erase all the powerful Honkai Beasts that might be born.
But once such a precedent was set, it would simply be a case of one "godly" dictator being replaced by another. It wouldn't solve the fundamental…
"No."
"You seem to be overthinking it."
Those who are not good at speaking often think a lot. Hua was clearly such a person.
"With just the three of you hotheads (referring to the three heroines), creating Fusion Warriors is a bit of a tall order. But what if you were to pass down the 'method of controlling Honkai energy' to the 'mortal world' as 'divine…,' no, as 'Immortal Arts'?"
"Could it be…"
"Is that not a highly feasible plan?"