Chapter 1193: Ancient God Token

Jiang Ding had been in quiet cultivation for several months before opening his eyes once more.

"Senior Daring."

Before him, an old man in a dark blue Daoist robe bowed in greeting and said with a measure of reverence: "I am Tianqing, Dean of the Immortal Gate Academy of Sciences, here to report to you."

He had received a summons from Master Canghai Canghai Tianjun.

The Dean of the Immortal Gate Academy of Sciences and the various Vice-Deans did exactly this kind of work — serving the various Soul Transformation cultivators, and assembling research teams around those Soul Transformation cultivators as their cores; the position was essentially an administrative officer, not necessarily held by one of the Immortal Gate's strongest.

Just as Jiang Ding's Sword Dao Hall Group had already been elevated into the Immortal Gate Sword Dao Academy of Sciences, Jiang Ding himself was not the Dean.

"You're Tianqing?"

"Tianqing, it's been a long time."

Jiang Ding finished absorbing the memories of his various avatars, a look of recollection crossing his face: "If I remember right, it was three hundred and twenty-seven years ago — back then you had only just advanced to Nascent Soul stage, and you looked very young. Now you've aged quite a bit… are there a great many worries weighing on you?"

As a cultivator who had mastered the Great Sun Dao-Comprehension Hall technique, many of the younger generation liked to come to Jiang Ding with questions.

Because of this, Jiang Ding was fairly familiar with the Immortal Gate's younger generation.

This Tianqing Master Dinghai Zhenjun was one of the most outstanding Nascent Soul cultivators the Immortal Gate had produced over the past several hundred years; he had achieved considerable success in Array Spirit Algorithms, and thus became Dean of the Immortal Gate Academy of Sciences.

It was a form of commendation, because this position made it easier to come into contact with the cutting edge of Immortal Dao technology, and easier to obtain a Soul Transformation opportunity.

It was also a good opportunity for improving one's own Immortal Dao foundation.

"Senior Daring, you flatter me."

Tianqing Master Dinghai Zhenjun, despite his advanced years and already greying beard, now showed a touch of bashfulness, revealing a childlike quality: "I've encountered many problems in my research that I cannot solve, and so my mental energy has been somewhat worn down — it is truly that my comprehension of Array Spirit Algorithm studies is insufficient."

"Take it slow — study, study, let it come naturally, and you'll see through it in the end."

Jiang Ding offered encouragement.

"The reason I've called you here this time is that there's an important matter I want to get started on."

Jiang Ding steered the conversation back to business: "I want to establish a Six Paths of Reincarnation Laboratory — a top-tier laboratory. Here are the relevant materials; take a look and tell me when you can have it ready."

He handed over a jade slip.

Everything inside related to the Six Paths Order had been simplified and was not truly laid out in full, because Tianqing Master Dinghai Zhenjun would not be able to understand it; he only needed to memorize by rote what sort of thing it was.

"Top-tier?"

Tianqing Master Dinghai Zhenjun's heart gave a jolt.

The Immortal Gate's current top-tier laboratories could be counted on one hand; building another top-tier laboratory would consume a truly staggering amount of resources — it was quite possible that even the Immortal Gate's entire annual tax revenue poured in would still fall far short.

However, this was a Canghai Tianjun's request, and he could only carry it out.

After several months of careful thought and repeated deliberation, Tianqing Master Dinghai Zhenjun said: "Senior Daring, a laboratory of this level exceeds my capabilities. I will submit it on your behalf to Zhenjun Shenji Canghai Tianjun. I estimate it will cost somewhere between two million and three million top-grade spirit stones, along with a great many fifth-tier and sixth-tier heavenly materials and earthly treasures — please be mentally prepared."

This was the standard procedure.

"Fine, no problem."

Jiang Ding nodded with a smile.

In this respect, he still had a certain confidence.

His savings were sufficient, to say nothing of the many Void Refinement battle merits he could draw upon; the only thing to consider was whether it would hold back the Immortal Gate's development, but that had already been calculated in advance and was not an issue.

"Yes."

"Senior Daring, this junior takes his leave."

Tianqing Master Dinghai Zhenjun bowed once, then retreated backward.

……

After Tianqing Master Dinghai Zhenjun departed, Jiang Ding flew out of Dayang Dayang Tianchi, dropped down through the planet's atmosphere, and finally landed before the Immortal Capital Library, where he paced about for a while before entering the Golden Imperial Palace.

There, he met Zhenjun Shenji Canghai Tianjun.

"Jiang Ding, has your laboratory construction plan been submitted?"

Zhenjun Shenji Canghai Tianjun asked.

On matters like this, the two of them had naturally communicated in advance.

They spent year after year in constant exchange on Immortal Dao technology, insights, and collaborative work such as the development of planet-class warships and the development of techniques; one could say their exchanges were more intimate than those between mortal husbands and wives, or parents and children.

This was what a Dao-companion — a friend of the Great Dao — truly was; not that loose, polite form of address, but a genuine Dao-companion.

"Senior, it has been submitted."

Jiang Ding gave a slight nod: "The Six Paths of Reincarnation structure is extremely important to me. I have an idea — this structure seems applicable to the engine furnace of planet-class warships, and could add roughly twenty percent in power and output."

"The wisdom contained in the inheritance of the Endless Starry Sky's hegemon race is simply astonishing. That human cultivator who pioneered the Six Paths of Reincarnation structure must certainly have been no obscure nobody in the Endless Starry Sky — he might even have been an immortal…"

"I have that same feeling."

Zhenjun Shenji Canghai Tianjun nodded, then shook his head: "However, the planet-class engine has already been built into an experimental ship. Out of consideration for the Immortal Gate's military security, the standard planet-class warships will not undergo major modifications in the short term — we must wait until the Immortal Gate fully possesses Harmonization-stage combat power before doing these things."

"Right now, the most critical thing is to have planet-class warships in hand; optimization can wait."

"Indeed."

Jiang Ding felt a touch of regret.

Now, over a hundred years — nearly two hundred years — having passed, the slaughter on the Jiao Jiao Mingyu Zhong Senior Qian Shi Gao Jie Jiao Mo Gao Jie battlefield was reaching the moment when the dagger would finally be revealed; the victor would very likely be decided within the next one or two

hundred years.

When that time came, the situation across the realms would undergo tremendous change.

Amid such undercurrents, if the Immortal Gate could not master Harmonization-stage power — and not just barely master it, but possess enough to face Harmonization-stage beings alone — it would not even qualify to survive.

Under such circumstances, the speed at which planet-class warships could be mass-produced was of the utmost importance.

"Senior, there's something I need to tell you."

Jiang Ding took out an ancient, unadorned token and handed it to Zhenjun Shenji Canghai Tianjun, his expression solemn: "This is something that appeared in my storage jade pendant at some unknown time after I broke through the King of Equality's Yin-Yang Inversion Grand Array of Yama Hell that day. I only just now discovered its existence."

"This token has one peculiar property — it cannot be discarded. No matter where I go, it follows me."

"This must absolutely be Immortal Dao technology far beyond us!"

Except when going to the other realm.

Jiang Ding added in his heart.

"An item containing immortal dao techniques far beyond our own?"

Zhenjun Shenji Canghai Tianjun's heart gave a jolt. He carefully took it over and found three cold, austere large characters written on it — he didn't recognize them, but he could understand their meaning.

Ancient God Token.

Only that, nothing else out of the ordinary.

Seeing this, Jiang Ding extended his divine sense to touch it, activating the thing hidden within.

"Living being,"

"You have broken the Black Horn Ant Clan's Grand Equality Formation. You are now an inner disciple of the Ancient God Dao."

It was a vast, aged elder's voice.

Extremely overbearing — asking nothing of one's birth, nothing of one's origins, nothing of one's willingness — it directly branded the mark of the Ancient God Dao upon him, as though staking out its own prey, its possession.

"This thing is very dangerous."

Jiang Ding said: "Senior, through it I can sense that somewhere in the Jiao Jiao Mingyu there may exist a certain passage — a passage leading to a greater realm. This is a message it conveyed to me."

"I suspect that, if this were during the heyday of the Ancient God Dao faction in history, someone would have already come to capture me by now — either to take me in, or to make me an item."