"I didn't expect an ancient civilization to emerge..." I expressed my thoughts.

"You don't need to be overly concerned about that background. Didn't I mention? This ancient civilization has been completely wiped out. Whether it's material traces or cultural traces..." Gua Tianshi said, "Considering this is history from long before human history, the fact that this ancient civilization existed is at least not wrong. However, due to it being so utterly extinct, I have no way to grasp its specific information. I can only infer its existence through my own divination and prophecy methods, based on some indistinct clues."

After thinking it over, I asked, "You said they created the post-mortem world using the divine seal... So, was the divine seal a technological creation of this ancient civilization?"

"I don't know," Gua Tianshi said candidly, "At least one thing can be confirmed, the divine seal has the function of fulfilling all wishes, which clearly wasn't designed specifically for creating the post-mortem world. Perhaps this ancient civilization, like our current human one, accidentally came into contact with the divine seal."

"If that's the case, then the origin of the divine seal might be some kind of alien technological creation. As for why this ancient civilization was destroyed, given the current situation, I have some guesses."

I continued along his line of thought, "Are you saying... this ancient civilization also misused the divine seal, causing an error in their own history, which in turn led to doomsday?"

When it comes to the mass extinction that happened sixty-six million years ago, I can only think of the fifth mass extinction of life at the end of the Cretaceous period. The most credible hypothesis is the asteroid impact event during that time, which directly caused the mass extinction of dinosaurs and provided opportunities for the rise of mammals in later times.

But an asteroid impact alone couldn't erase a civilization with the divine seal to the extent that no trace of its history could be unearthed—unless they encountered the same problem as us.

"This could also explain why almost no trace related to this ancient civilization has been passed down," Gua Tianshi said. "Since it's a contradictory history, it naturally couldn't be smoothly transmitted to the present. Perhaps they too made every effort in their own way; thus, even though they inevitably faced catastrophe, they didn't drag this planet down with them."

"And their legacy, the post-mortem world, continued to play a role in the distant future. The 'normal development' of the planet's natural will was interrupted. Not only were the souls of the dead thereafter completely transferred to the post-mortem world, but even a large number of soul components originally settled underground were absorbed by the post-mortem world."

"In this process, the planet's natural will also smoothly became an entity spanning the living world and the post-mortem world. Although soul components continued to settle in another world, they accumulated as construction materials for the expansion of the post-mortem world, so their density always remained at a relatively low level."

"The key is 'density'?" I caught the keyword.

"Density is a very important concept," Gua Tianshi said. "The reason Great Impermanence has Fatian Xiangdi is not because our power is truly greater than the planet's natural will. Bear in mind that the mantle and core, with temperatures reaching hundreds or thousands of degrees, account for over ninety-nine percent of the Earth's mass. The energy the Earth operates with could easily obliterate surface civilizations thousands of times. Our Great Impermanence's power is just a drop in the ocean.

"Yet we still can cause the planet to change in response to itself—much like placing a few kilograms of a lead ball on several tons of cotton. Even though there's a thousandfold disparity in mass, the lead ball can still leave an indentation on the cotton. This indentation is our Fatian Xiangdi. It is the foundation of our ability to command the natural environment.

"Thanks to the existence of the post-mortem world, the density accumulation of the planet's natural will halted temporarily, allowing it to continue existing as the planet's natural will without evolving into a monster that destroys everything in our era."

He sighed as he spoke, "However... the legacy of the ancient civilization can only delay things. It's uncertain if the post-mortem world itself has a usage limit or if the planet's natural will instinctively interferes... In the era after the advent of humanity, the sealability of the post-mortem world already showed issues. If the souls of the dead could easily return to the living world, the density accumulation of the planet's natural will would slowly rise again."

"Now the post-mortem world has somehow restored its sealability, but this is likely only a temporary state. In the distant future, the planet's natural will is bound to transform into a god of decay that destroys everything, marking the end of this planet. Our human civilization must become a starfaring civilization before that happens...

"Luckily, this countdown should be quite long. We still have time measured in tens of millions of years—provided that we first overcome the immediate challenge of this world-ending crisis."

I agreed with his opinion and then remembered about Mazao.

"Since the planet's natural will has such intense negative properties, if we harness its power, won't it have adverse effects on us?" I asked.

Gua Tianshi asked in surprise, "What do you mean?"

I explained in detail to Gua Tianshi how Mazao might be able to mimic the principle of the Human Dao Divine Weapon by harnessing the power of the planet's natural will.

After hearing, Gua Tianshi pondered seriously for a moment and then said, "I've observed the fate entangled around that girl Mazao many times, and it's apparent that it seems to be the planet's natural will exerting force from the shadows... Regarding whether harnessing this power is dangerous, of course, it's very dangerous, just in a different direction than you think."

"Different?" I asked.

"It's not just a matter of standing at the center of the race or world's destiny vortex and combining it with the nature of the Divine Son to wield great power," Gua Tianshi patiently explained. "If it were that simple, past Divine Sons could completely replicate similar behaviors, or if I were the collective unconscious of humanity, why not just place a Divine Son at the center of the race's destiny vortex during a human crisis, instead of hoping for more Great Impermanence to emerge among humanity?

"The answer is that Divine Sons also can't bear such immense power burdens. The reason why a Human Dao Divine Weapon can enable ordinary people to wield the power of Great Impermanence under extreme conditions is that the burden is entirely borne by the Human Dao Divine Weapon. But there is only one of those divine weapons.

"To bear the power of Great Impermanence with one's own flesh and soul, at the very least, a person must have been eligible to become a Great Impermanence. One must have the capacity to handle great nourishment, or else they will just rupture themselves from within. It's such a simple truth."

"If that's the case... It might be worth a try?" I thought.

Mazao is someone even Huang Quan recognized as "qualified to become a Great Impermanence," perhaps she truly has met all the criteria.

"Beyond that, is there an inherent danger in the power of the planet's natural will?" I asked.

Perhaps Gua Tianshi too had insights into Mazao's potential, for he showed no surprise at my attitude, only seriously responded, "If you can overcome the difficulties mentioned above, then I believe it's unnecessary to overthink. Just go ahead and try."

"Why is that?" I wondered.

"Because whether you want to use it or not, that power has already been imposed on her," Gua Tianshi said. "From now on, the only difference is whether it's output in the form of so-called 'sweeping star power' or a form she can control.

"Moreover, even though the planet's natural will has the potential to bring death to all in the distant future, at least in the present era and at its current density, it manifests as the soul of the planet, supporting the continuity of the world.

"I won't claim this is a benevolent power; you certainly need to research carefully before officially using it. Ignoring it is the worst choice."

"I understand... Thank you for your guidance, Gua Tianshi." I expressed my gratitude again.

Afterward, I discussed some issues with Gua Tianshi, then returned to Luo Mountain's residence to carefully organize and digest the information I had obtained.

At night, I shared my conversation with Gua Tianshi about the planet's natural will with Little Bowl, and then together found Mazao in the hallway of the residence, telling her about the possible ways to help her become stronger.

"I could potentially harness the power of the Naraku Gospel... become a Great Impermanence?" Mazao was stunned.

"To be precise, there's a possibility of summoning power beyond Great Impermanence," Little Bowl corrected. "However, as of now, it's only a possibility, with significant burdens, so it can't be put into practice immediately..."

Considering Mazao's soul hasn't fully healed yet, she absolutely isn't in a state to try harnessing the power of the planet's natural will. Perhaps there's no need to mention the existence of this method now. Yet, such an important matter, only knowing between Little Bowl and me, was evidently not good. Meanwhile, Little Bowl seemed to have her own thoughts—as long as it's just about the very early preparation stage, it might still be doable.

"Moreover, Naraku Gospel has an evil side, inciting Blessed Monks and those on the verge of Sin demonization to slaughter humans, with countless irrefutable cases already proving this. If we hastily harness the Naraku Gospel's power, it might cause spiritual influence. So, we have to conduct safety tests in this regard first," Little Bowl said solemnly. "If after testing, we find that such adverse signs do appear, we must immediately terminate this plan and never use such power again in the future.

"Additionally, the feasibility of this strengthening plan to a sufficient degree can also be explored during this safety test stage."

Mazao seemed to be trying hard to digest this information, then said, "I understand... So, what should I do next?"