Chapter 258: Civilization

I have no opinion!

Hearing Duobao Daoist's suggestion, everyone fell slightly silent.

After all, over these years, disciples of the Three Teachings, including practitioners of the Western Teaching, have grown increasingly prejudiced against each other.

Moreover, with the great calamity approaching, letting everyone set aside their prejudices is easy to say but hard to do!

I agree!

Just then, Xuputi put his arms around Duobao Daoist and Ran Deng Daoist's shoulders, grinning and said: "I've long said that cultivators of the Three Realms are one family; why must we distinguish each other so clearly? If we all work together this time, perhaps we won't need to resort to underhanded tricks during the great calamity."

Upon hearing this, the immortals' expressions turned somewhat strange.

After all, everyone knows the nature of the great calamity; it cannot be resolved with a few words.

However, for now we can indeed cooperate.

Of course, many people do not genuinely wish to cooperate with others.

They merely want, through this cooperation, to gauge the tactics of potential adversaries, making it easier to deal with them later.

"Talking more is useless; all matters will wait until we find the Grand Master of the Mystic Capital."

Ran Deng Daoist waved his right hand, and the Heaven-Earth Ruler flew out, making a light slash before him.

The next moment, everyone saw the space before Ran Deng Daoist twist and distort.

Immediately, Ran Deng Daoist took a step forward and vanished from the spot.

"Within arm's reach yet worlds apart — I never expected that after all these years apart, Ran Deng's strength would have grown so much!"

Xuputi stroked his chin and then said to the immortals: "Since Fellow Daoist Ran Deng has already helped blaze a shortcut, let's not stand on ceremony — let's go!"

Saying this, Xuputi paid no heed to anyone else and stepped onto the path that Ran Deng Daoist had just opened.

Seeing this, the immortals hesitated no longer and all followed suit.

"You few, stay close to me later; don't get lost!"

Ao Yifan said to Nezha and the others.

"Got it, Dad — I'll protect you well!"

Nezha, raised under the careful guidance of Ao Yifan and Lady Yin, has been a filial child since youth; thus his first thought was to rely on his own abilities to protect his father.

After all, if something happened to his father, his mother would be heartbroken!

"Good child!"

Ao Yifan smiled, rubbed Nezha's head, and a relieved grin appeared on his face.

"Indeed, my years of effort as a father have been worth it; I am proud!"

……

"Your Highness Ninth Princess, that otherworldly being's defense is extremely strong; although we used the Two-Dimensional Foil to trap it in two dimensions, we still cannot destroy it!"

Inside a massive mothership resembling a worm, a humanoid creature entirely forged of metal kneels devoutly before a golden-haired woman.

"Oh? Is that so?"

Playing with an hourglass in her hand, the golden-haired woman gazes intently at the exterior of the mothership, at a planar space that looks like a rotating galaxy.

Within that planar space, a handsome young man is sealed, surrounded by a purple-gold furnace.

The Grand Master of the Mystic Capital's eyes flickered with the light of wisdom as he continually analyzed the nature of the opponent's divine abilities.

"Interesting — though I cannot break through my defense, the opponent's use of space is highly complex; perhaps I can gain further insight!"

The Grand Master of the Mystic Capital received an order from the Supreme Pure One to go to the Chaos Sea to investigate anomalies in its depths, where he unexpectedly encountered this group that wields strange divine abilities and treasures.

They possess no spiritual aura or soul fluctuations, yet they can employ various strange divine abilities and treasures.

Ordinary attacks do not bother the Grand Master of the Mystic Capital; instead, he has taken an interest in these people.

But he did not expect that the opponent's sudden deployment of this spatial divine ability would give him a bit of trouble.

Indeed, in the Ninth Princess's view, it is she who used the Two-Dimensional Foil to control the Grand Master of the Mystic Capital.

In fact, it is the Grand Master of the Mystic Capital who has become interested in this spatial application and wishes to study it.

Otherwise, although the Two-Dimensional Foil's use of spatial dimensions is exquisite, its strength is insufficient; as soon as the Grand Master of the Mystic Capital truly exerts himself, he can easily tear it apart.

……

Gazing at the handsome youth "trapped" within the Two-Dimensional Foil, the Ninth Princess's eyes flashed with a hint of greed.

In her empire, to inherit the throne she must achieve results.

An accident allowed this Ninth Princess to discover this dimensional universe.

What delighted the Ninth Princess was that this dimensional universe possesses abundant high-quality energy; if developed, it would surely add weight to her claim to the throne.

However, what surprised the Ninth Princess was that, although the energy of this dimensional universe is rich, it is highly special; even her empire's most advanced technology cannot utilize it.

"Civilization Will!"

Soon the Ninth Princess thought of a possibility: that a universe of seventh-level civilization or higher possesses a Civilization Will.

Such civilizational universes possess great exclusivity; beings from other civilizational universes cannot forcibly harness this universe's energy.

Upon considering this possibility, the Ninth Princess trembled with excitement throughout her body.

After all, according to her understanding of civilization levels, reaching seventh-level civilization means a creation-level civilization.

Such civilizations, even within the entire multiverse, are absolute overlords.

By contrast, the Singer Civilization she belongs to has merely peaked at third-level civilization, which is worlds apart from a true creation-level civilization.

Initially, upon speculating that this dimensional universe might reach seventh-level civilization, the Ninth Princess was also extremely fearful.

After all, if discovered by the rulers of a seventh-level civilization, she and her fleet would be instantly annihilated.

However, subsequent developments gave her a great surprise.

The Ninth Princess joyfully discovered that the Civilization Will of this seventh-level civilization might already be dead!

Indeed, if the Civilization Will is dead, it means this is a fertile land dripping with oil.

However, although the Civilization Will had already died, a remnant trait remained, making it impossible for her fleet to plunder the resources here.

And just then, the Ninth Princess and her companions discovered the Grand Master of the Mysterious Capital.

Upon seeing the Grand Master of the Mysterious Capital, the Ninth Princess became even more certain that this dimensional universe had definitely reached level seven, or even higher.

It was because the Ninth Princess saw, among her Singer Civilization, the legendary perfect sentient beings that possessed eternal life—flesh-and-blood sentient beings!

In such a level-three civilization as the Singer Civilization, immortality is their ultimate pursuit.

However, the means of immortality that their civilization could conceive of was nothing other than mechanical ascension.

That's correct—abandoning their original bodies, editing their consciousness into countless codes, and uploading them into robotic bodies.

Just like the Ninth Princess's subordinates.

Moreover, only members of the Royal Family could use the sky-high-priced gene potion to barely sustain their lives.

But this maintenance of life is also limited.

Even the current Emperor of the Singer Civilization merely managed to live over nine thousand years, and his lifespan is already nearing its end.

Even this Emperor's ultimate fate is to be transformed into mechanical life.