Dual Cultivation God Returns

Chapter 654  Deliberations

Wu Long's words caused surprise to appear on the faces of most people in the room.

"Are you saying there is an Ascension World Stone here on the Three Continents?", Ye Long spoke with genuine surprise.

"Haha, not on the Three Continents, but indeed, there is one not that far", he nodded with a smile, adding "you must have heard from Ziyan of what she saw from the Blue Moon, right?"

"That this world was actually far greater... you mean that it is one of the Main Worlds?", she spoke as everything started to finally click into place.

After all, Hua Ziyan saw a World for the first time, so it was hard to tell what she meant by a giant world.

"A Main World?", Cao Mei asked with curiosity and Wu Long chuckled, nodding.

"As I told you, there are a great many, countless in fact, worlds within each Boundless World. Among them, there are Small, Minor, Intermediate, Major, and Greater worlds. What divides them, however, is not only their size but also the number of World Stones covering their surface, or rather, the number of links to other worlds they have.

Small Worlds generally never have more than three, a great many of them possessing only one, which classifies them as Endpoint Worlds, those that end in a dead-end with only one way to enter and exit.

Greater Worlds, on the other hand, can have hundreds of links to other worlds"

Wu Long slightly reiterated what they knew, and then added a more detailed explanation on top, continuing with...

"But above those there is a very small number, only around a hundred thousand in case of the Boundless Mortal World, and much much less in the higher ones, of Main Worlds.

Those which size is immensely larger than any other, and that connect a number of worlds so vast that they naturally become the very centers of our civilization within the Boundless World they are located in.

And while Ascension World Stones that allow for travel between Boundless Worlds can technically exist within a world of any size, all Main Worlds without exception have them, in fact those are the most used avenues to gain access to the Boundless Profound World" As Wu Long finished his explanation, a slightly confused look appeared on Song Lingfei's face.

"Wait, but how did Sister Ye Ling understand that it was in fact a Main World instead of just a Major or Greater World with an Ascension World Stone?", she then asked a bit puzzled.

"I made a guess because there were other inconsistencies about this being an average one, even if it was a Greater, World", Ye Ling shook her head with a gentle smile, her previous surprise already mostly settled.

"Inconsistencies?", Feng Yi raised her eyebrow and Ye Ling nodded.

"The number of Essence Gathering Realm experts and influential organizations that were in this world before the Great Calamity", she pointed out.

"Mm, you see, the deviation of Spiritual Root that allows one to cultivate to Essence Gathering Realm while in Boundless Mortal World is truly rare, and yet there were four alive ones in the tiny space of Three Continents"

Wu Long added to the explanation, and then proceeded to add...

"Not to mention that both the Frozen Garden Palace's and Brilliant Sun Temple's legacy comes from two Major Sects, as well as the Bahshi Assassins, Alchemy Tower's origins and other such factors.

All this is possible only because this was not an ordinary world to begin with, but a broken down Main World, which, I imagine caused quite a stir outsied, as I've yet to hear about a Main World becoming a Fractured one ever before"

Wu Long added an explanation, finishing with a chuckle. Even an intermediate-sized world becoming a Fractured one was big news, as the ones that usually fell to this fate were mainly Small Worlds.

"Hmm, the fact you brought up a direct way toward the Boundless Profound World means that you have at least considered following that path... what are you concerned about then?", Nie Xiwang clarified as it seemed like the curiosity of others was satisfied.

For her, a direct path like that was very logical to follow, but she knew that his earlier hesitation must have a reason.

Wei Lan also had a concerned look, as she knew part of that hesitation was tied to her.

"Mm, it is just that our civilization in the Boundless Profound World is way smaller than in the Boundless Mortal World.

Don't get me wrong, it is still incredibly vast, but you just cannot imagine how truly incomprehensibly enormous the explored and settled area of the Boundless Mortal World is"

Wu Long nodded, voicing the first of his considerations regarding the way forward.

"Information... huh", Madam Liang sighed, releasing a long stream of herbal smoke with a thoughtful expression.

"Hmm", Nie Xiwang also nodded, understanding his concerns, and then noticing nearby-sitting Gong Cui's expression, as if confirming the meaning for herself, added "So you are saying that going in blind without first learning about the current situation in the Seven Boundless Worlds is risky...?"

"Yes and no, after all the amount of truly important information that is allowed to seep down into the Boundless Mortal World is almost nonexistent. But yet again, gauging the general situation is still possible so there is that to consider too.

And since it is so vast, and the lifespan of its inhabitants relatively short, it is far less under control than the higher Boundless Worlds, it is simply impossible to grasp. Thus testing out the waters in the Boundless Mortal World is a far safer option"

Wu Long inwardly chuckled at the unexpected bond between the Blade Empress and Gong Cui while he answered.

"But you also have other reasons you are not pushing with the plan to immediately breach the Wall of Ascension...", Ye Ling added and he nodded to her.

"Indeed.

After all, we do have the power to change the situation on the Cloud Piercing Continent"

He added, as Wei Lan made a slight sigh.

"Don't be so burdened, Lan'er", Wu Long gently smiled seeing that reaction.

"Wei Lan, I may not be the most morally apt person, but even I agree with Wu Long when he sees the appeal in your worldview", Lian Zhiqiu spoke up, causing a few surprised looks to turn her way.

She rarely spoke during these gatherings and meetings discussing plans and official business, as she held little interest in those things.

For Lian Zhiqiu everything was extremely simple, she followed whichever way Wu Long decided to go, and did not feel the need to understand the reasoning as she was not that interested in it.

Thus, the fact she decided to weigh in was quite unusual to say the least.

"Mm, Wu Long would not make decisions that he truly feels are wrong. It is only that he sees your point and considers it viable that he considers it", Ye Ling added to her Master's words.

Wei Lan revealed a slight blush as she realized that she suddenly became the center of attention.

"Haha, don't worry, you're not the only one who is so concerned about the fate of that continent either", Cao Xiang added with a chuckle, as she was also a compassionate person, and was not completely even-hearted to the fate of people around.

Cao Mei who sat beside Wei Lan nodding in agreement to her Mother, as she gave the latter moral support from the side. Nôv(el)B\\jnn

"Haha, besides it is not like meddling with that continent is completely without merit to us.

Though it may need some time and work, but that time would also be almost equal to the one during which we have to wait for the link with the Boundless Mortal World.

And such harsh conditions as on that continent, are exactly where Old Yen finds the best candidates to join his subordinates, so we might have an opportunity to expand our allies. After all, the group we create now is crucial, as it will make up the core of our future force. Remember, that those that join us later on may not be as reliable as those that have a longer history with us"

Wu Long then added a few more arguments that finally put Wei Lan a bit at ease.

"Time? Don't we just need to get rid of all the bad guys and be done with it?", Wu Mengqi then asked with surprise as Wu Long chuckled.

"Hahaha, it's not so easy to make a change, Mengqi. That continent has been operating in a settled way for a very very long time, and simply removing some people will not change it.

And it is not only in large scale things, it is in small everyday life, the little things, that the way of life, the way of thinking manifests.

It would require a massive overhaul of how the economy of that continent operates, and what incentives are at play for it to experience a change that will last.

Even on this continent, there are still a lot of things that we are still doing every single day, courtesy of Old Yen and the Thousand Eyes Palace, to eliminate the lingering effects of the Alchemy Tower's influence on all levels"

Wu Long lightly laughed, shaking his head.

He knew well how hard it was to truly create change, one that would last.

It may seem simple, remove the biggest "bad guys", and that's it, the rest will become better on its own. But his experience showed, that such a method would only bring change for a moment, and then things will immediately return to the way they used to be.

"But, all that can still be done in a reasonably short time. Even if we spent a decade or two here that would not really mean much to us. So it is also not the biggest reason I hesitate to go straight to the Boundless Profound World...

The biggest reason is time itself.

Far from being an inconvenience, that pause could give us some time to train and increase our forces, as well as use some time to improve ourselves, to nurture and consolidate our strength"

Wu Long then added as he looked around the room.

The people in here, as well as numerous who were not part of this meeting, might have received a superior legacy from him, and boasted very high talent on average, but they still have only been familiar with the knowledge he gave them for a year or two, most even less than a year.

This made the strength of the current Eternal Duality Valley, albeit with some exceptions, slightly superficial.

It lacked the foundation of experience and familiarity with the knowledge he gave over time.

It might have worked well here in the Fractured World because everyone else had a vastly inferior legacy and lower cultivation bases, but in the outside world this force was still a bit shaky.

Not to mention that it went against Wu Long's own principles of what true strength was.

In addition, he could use some time to understand and work on all the new powers he got, as even the future path of Cultivation was still not that clear to him.

He could see looks of understanding on the faces of many, as they knew he was right.

"Besides, there's also some loose ends.

Since I learned that Lust Cultivators have taken refuge in the Corrupt Path, I also wanted to confirm whether they have come out of the woodworks.

I might not be able to traverse the entire Boundless Mortal World to hunt them, but establishing a starting point for their second doom after the likely revival should be possible with some time"

He then chuckled, adding a bonus reason.

"Then, what are the advantages of going to the Boundless Profound World directly?", Nie Xiwang raised her eyebrow.

The way he listed so many reasons against going directly that route made her confused why he still was lingering on that option.

Wu Long nodded, acknowledging the natural question, proceeding with...

"Hmm, well, for one, Old Man Zhao might have gotten better, but his longevity is still a problem. Only by ascending and cultivating further can he truly overcome his age"

As he spoke, Zhao Biren revealed a worried look, as his father was currently near the Tree Spirit, conserving his lifespan.

"Second, is that we can still do the training I have described earlier as the main reason once we ascend. We would just need to settle in a suitable location for some time, although that would still be far riskier and prone to possible complications

And third, is that since this world became Fractured around 10 000 years ago, it is likely no one monitors the link to the Boundless Profound World, which, quite conveniently, connects to a rather remote access point there.

But that would change once this world reconnects, and it is known that that link may be operational once again"

Wu Long was explaining with a pondering look, as everyone finally understood that the choices were not so clear-cut.