roccoschili Chapter 794 - 794: Severance of Upper and Lower, Hundred Times Time Flow Speed_1
Chapter 794 - 794: Severance of Upper and Lower, Hundred Times Time Flow Speed_1
The three days passed in the blink of an eye, and the entrance to the Shattered Earth Cave had completely collapsed. It wasn't just the thirteen Martial Sovereigns who were working. The remaining Martial Gods and Martial Artists in the cave also helped.For the Martial Artists in the cave, this was very difficult. To die was simple. All they had to do was stop resisting, and the cells in their bodies could instantly produce consciousness and separate from their physical forms, disappearing in an instant without any pain.
But to live wasn't that easy.
Again, that hospital ward... This time, one of the Martial Sovereigns had disappeared—Xiong Sen was missing, and everyone noticed it.
Despite their doubts, no one asked why.
"He has gone to find his son," Chang Yan explained.
The twelve Martial Sovereigns instantly understood the whole story. It was all a play performed by Xiong Sen and Chang Yan, and they had no idea about it.
However, even knowing this, they wouldn't do anything differently. Once Xiong Sen had made his proposal, nothing else was up to them. The real decision-making power lay solely with Chang Yan.
"The rankings aren't surprising. Do any of you have any objections?" Chang Yan asked, looking at the merit rankings in his hand. The three Martial Artists at the peak of the Martial Sovereign realm were indeed in the top three.
It wasn't that he had manipulated the results; they simply had an advantage in strength and were naturally more efficient at shattering the Shattered Earth Cave entrance.
Obviously, no one would object. The rankings were essentially based on the number of cave entrances each had shattered.
"Can Xiong Sen come back?" He Bo, who was ranked first, asked.
Xiong Sen had chosen his son, and He Bo had not chosen his disciple, prompting him to ask the question at this time.
"I don't know." Chang Yan shook his head. Of course, he didn't know. No one on the surface knew how terrifyingly the giganticized microscopic ecosystem in the caves had transformed.
If he were to seriously contemplate it, he would conclude that Xiong Sen had died the moment he entered the cave.
However, Chang Yan didn't want to think like that. He was already dying; why face such a cruel truth? It was enough to just wait for death.
"Don't worry about the remaining nine of you. This doesn't mean we're giving up on you. It's just that resource allocation will be significantly reduced from now on." Chang Yan changed the topic, clearly not intending to continue the conversation with He Bo. He heavily emphasized the words 'significantly reduced' as he spoke.
"So, if we manage to gather resources ourselves and keep up with the progress, then..." asked a late-stage Martial Sovereign.
"I will treat you all equally and assist you in taking the final step," Chang Yan replied. He knew there were still resources among the populace, but tapping into them would invariably cause public grievances. He then warned, "But if I find out you've caused serious consequences, you know what the outcome will be."
"We understand. We won't let things reach that point," the late-stage Martial Sovereign responded.
The implication was that the scavenging would continue, but they would absolutely not damage the foundation of the Human Clan.
"It's good that you understand. However, the final step isn't simple. I can only assist; I cannot guarantee you'll successfully break through to become Martial Gods." Chang Yan looked at the twelve Martial Sovereigns, including the three who were guaranteed advancement. He could only say he would do his best; he couldn't break through for them.
The twelve of them were mentally prepared for this. Becoming a Martial God wasn't easy. Even among the three guaranteed advancement, it was possible some might not break through at all, thereby wasting resources.
However, these were necessary sacrifices. They could not simply give up due to lack of certainty.
"There's one more thing. With the caves gone, the path of Martial Arts will be even more difficult. Policies on all fronts must change. From now on, we need to shift to technology-focused policies." Chang Yan's words struck them like a thunderbolt.
They had never imagined he was suggesting the end of Martial Arts.
"Th... This will cause backlash," He Bo hesitated a moment before asking.
"Publicize the truth about the caves," Chang Yan already had a countermeasure and warned, "Martial Arts relies on the caves as a resource to sustain so many Martial Artists. Without the caves, the Martial Artists' Growth will be insufficient. If the giganticized microscopic ecosystem from the caves invades, who can stop it?"
"But the cave entrance has been completely shattered!" He Bo argued, standing his ground. Martial Arts was the foundation of their Human Clan; it absolutely could not be severed.
"By your logic, the caves wouldn't have appeared a thousand years ago," Chang Yan retorted dismissively. Then he added with a sneer, "Besides, what makes you think Martial Artists can stop the giganticized microscopic ecosystem?"
"Thirty-three Martial Gods are buried in the caves. Countless Martial Sovereigns and Martial Emperors too. Ninety percent of the Human Clan's Martial Artists died in there."
"Even if all twelve of you become Martial Gods, could you cultivate a number of Martial Artists comparable to the peak strength the Human Clan once had?"
Chang Yan's words left He Bo speechless.
"But... Martial Arts can't just be abandoned like this." He Bo was still unwilling to concede. Even though future technology wouldn't affect their status—in fact, if Martial Arts were abandoned, the status of the twelve of them would become even more secure.
Yet, he was still unwilling. How could the Martial Arts they had painstakingly pursued end in such an absurd manner?
"That's your concern. I don't have much time left. This is just a suggestion for you. If something goes wrong in the future, it has nothing to do with me." Chang Yan didn't continue to debate with He Bo. He already had one foot in the grave; what was the use of worrying so much?
Even if they were unwilling to carry it out, it didn't have much to do with Chang Yan.
Once he was dead, how could he manage affairs of the living?
"I... I understand." He Bo's expression was complex. In the end, he chose to implement Chang Yan's ideas. The path of Martial Arts truly was a dead end.
Unless they could find another source of nourishment, the Growth of Martial Artists would only become more difficult than it was before the Shattered Earth Cave appeared.
On the other hand, technology had progressed rapidly in recent years, benefiting from the development of Martial Arts. Whether for civilian, commercial, or military applications, it showed great Potential. However, most technology was primarily aimed at assisting Martial Arts. Now, they needed to reverse this focus.
But this was no easy task.
"Any other thoughts? You can voice them now. I can help you address any gaps or oversights one last time." Chang Yan's meaning was clear: speak now, or the power transition would proceed, and they would have to manage affairs themselves from then on.
Chang Yan wasn't the type to crave power. Such people could never become Martial Gods. If one's energy was too dispersed during their Growth, how could they dedicate themselves wholeheartedly to practicing Martial Arts?
So, when the time came, he would hand over power readily, avoiding unnecessary problems from the transition.
It wasn't that he disliked power, nor that he was unskilled or ignorant in wielding it. After all, having held a high position, he knew what needed to be done.
After this, he would no longer involve himself in matters of power, concentrating instead on helping the twelve of them break through to the Martial God realm as much as possible.
He could only do his best; he couldn't guarantee speed, as he himself was uncertain of success.
Hearing this, the twelve spoke in turn, asking questions. Shifting from Martial Arts to technology was not only a massive undertaking but also carried enormous risks. A single misstep could incite rebellions everywhere.
They had toiled for many years, and just as their efforts were about to bear fruit, they were being told to 'change the bird in the cage.' Who would willingly accept that?
Chang Yan answered what he could, offered advice where he could, and clearly stated what they had to do themselves. There was no beating around the bush.
「…」
"Someone's coming in. Eh? It's a Martial Sovereign." Wang Linchi was in the process of engulfing the entire Shattered Earth Cave. He knew the humans were shattering the connecting passages between the Shattered Earth Cave and the surface to prevent him from reaching it, but he didn't care. His objective was already achieved.
The next steps were simple: wait in this cave world for his main body to arrive, and then he could reap the harvest.
His goal had been to weaken the resisting power of this Martial Arts World, and he had now achieved it.
The Alien Race was exterminated, and ninety percent of the Human Clan's Martial Artists were directly lost. Once his main body arrived, the situation would only be slightly better than a direct takeover.
"Forget it, if they want to die, then let them die. It doesn't matter to me... Wait, what's going on?"
Wang Linchi suddenly sensed something amiss. After the Shattered Earth Cave detached from the surface world, the flow of time on the surface had changed.
"It's accelerated?!" What in the world?! He was utterly astonished.
According to his normal perception of time, he, along with the Six Paths of Reincarnation and the Three Thousand Worlds, should have descended upon this world within a year. But now, due to the altered time flow of this world, his arrival was delayed to a hundred years later.
Essentially, time in that world was now passing a hundred times faster relative to his frame of reference.
"So, the time Superpower is here, right? The Shattered Earth Cave, while being a manifestation of the Space Superpower, also represented time. It was 'stuck' in the Martial Arts World, causing its time flow to slow down."
"Now that I've plucked it out, its time flow has returned to its original speed." Wang Linchi quickly discerned the cause.
"A hundred years, huh? I won't stay here any longer. I'll go back and wait."
He would have to wait a hundred years if he stayed here. However, once he left, the time flow of the Martial Arts World would no longer affect the Void or Wang Linchi.
After all, what was here wasn't his true body, merely a sliver of his consciousness. Besides, even if he were to get involved, his own timeline was still progressing at a rate where it would be one year for him, even as a hundred years passed in the Martial Arts World.
The two did not interfere with each other; he and this Martial Arts World had not truly converged.
"But a hundredfold is indeed too little. The time flow in the worlds within me is 100,000 times faster," Wang Linchi remarked. Other than burning through money, a 100,000-fold time acceleration has no downsides.