Elder Cultivator-Chapter 1229

When Bear Hug heard that work was being done on the second planet to go to the upper realms- the one that would have life established on it- they were extremely enthusiastic about going to help. “We can add trees! And vines! We can put grass, and fishies, and ferns, and algae, and gophers, and briars, and deer, and-”

“Calm yourself,” Anton said, soothing with his energy. “The intent is to make a balanced ecosystem, yes. However, there are some risks that must be managed. Throwing things together without plans won’t work.”

“That’s why we put some of everything,” Bear Hug said. “It all works together on other planets.”

“Eventually,” Anton agreed. “With careful management… or long periods of balancing acts. However, because the planet will have to travel between realms, it is likely that most or all of the life will perish. That means-”

“Noooo! You can’t let that happen!”

“It’s not really up to me,” Anton said. “And it’s pretty much impossible to have any other result with twenty or so years of sunlessness. Followed by probably another hundred of mostly sunlessness.”

“That sounds terrible, what did the poor planet do to you?”

“Nothing,” Anton tried to explain. “Also, it doesn’t even have life yet. It’s meant for one of our allies to harvest.”

“That’s bad!” Bear Hug protested.

“The resources are rare in the upper realms. It will be valuable. The price-”

“You can’t send a friend dead stuff!” Bear Hug said. “Unless they like eating dead stuff. But fresh stuff is so much better.”

“As I was explaining, it won’t be possible to keep things alive.”

“Why?”

“No stars means no natural energy.”

“Use those formation things!”

Anton continued his explanation, “...And then it will be entirely surrounded by upper energy, which isn’t absorbed the same way.”

“Use that technology stuff!”

“That’s not really practical. Even if we had the technology for that- which we don’t- it would run out of power rather quickly. Single ships are nothing compared to a planet.”

“What about-” Bear Hug was flailing around in frustration. “Bounty! You said Bounty survived!”

Anton took a few moments to composed his words carefully. “Bounty wasn’t going very far… and it took a monumental amount of work. It only crossed from border to border. This planet would have many systems to pass between on both sides of the border.” They were trying to minimize how many on their side by picking the correct candidate. “It would need an Assimilation cultivator- many Assimilation cultivators- to commit for decades. If they could even function in the upper realms.”

“What’s wrong with the upper realms? You said something about it being bad for you?”

“Bad for me, in particular? Yes,” Anton agreed. “For others, it simply isn’t the correct sort of energy for them to function with. Now, there are many in the upper realms who could and would guide it, but it wouldn’t matter because everything would be dead already. Might as well leave the planet frozen in stasis.”

“And dead.”

“Everything humans use is dead,” Anton said. “Or never alive. We talked about this.”

“But it wouldn’t be fresh. That’s less good, right?”

“Ratna will be pleased regardless. That’s the best we can do.”

“You’re a terrible friend, to send an imperfect gift!”

“First… it’s not really a gift, but a payment. And we’re not even friends. Just allies. Ratna and I have never met.”

Bear Hug thought about that. “Some of your friends have, though. I think you should make it better.”

“Well, if you want, you can help develop the planet. According to the instructions of those already there, of course. They have plans for how things can be done best.”

“... will there be fishies?”

“There probably has to be, to keep the sea from being taken over by algae.”

“Ooh, sounds fun!”

“Until it makes everything toxic or uses up all the air the other sea creatures need.”

“They need to get better algae.”

Anton shrugged. “Nothing is really balanced on its own. They’ll figure things out.”

“And I’ll help people grow things!”

“If you can follow instructions.”

-----

A much less mirthful scenario was taking place in the upper realms. That was merely because Prasad was not a mirthful man. Furthermore, he was not the sort to celebrate prematurely. There would be plenty of time for festivities afterwards.

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Ever since Timothy and Catarina had reached Domination, he had been considering routes to success himself. With their guidance and that of the more recent advancement of Prospero Vandale, Prasad could see the parameters of his own success. He had spent much of his most recent years gathering devotion from the public, letting the public see the effects of both himself and the One Thousand Palms. Both reflected well on him.

Then, he had created a statue. Anchors were the most visible piece, critically important to a Domination cultivator if not the only requirement. It was a bit arrogant to create a massive statue of oneself, and given that none of the other Domination Cultivators seemed to do the same- though the Harmonious Citadel might have been trying to go that route- it was likely ill advised.

A representational one, however, was not inappropriate. Two massive hands, joined in a position of prayer. He’d considered everything from full arms, to the forearms down, but ultimately he settled on little more than the wrists. The rest was somewhat superfluous.

He had chosen the best materials he had access to in any quantity. Prasad of course knew that a transformation would occur upon the creation of an anchor, but it should be better to start with a proper base material. It certainly felt right to him, and a cultivator should trust their gut, at least if they made it very far. Those that couldn’t usually perished early in their careers.

How to announce his intent to advance was something he struggled with for some time. The eyes of the Scarlet Alliance had been upon Catarina and Timothy. Prospero Vandale had advanced almost without anyone knowing. The former method fit Prasad, but if he created too many parallels then he might not be considered in the hearts of the people. With devotion being so important to the process, he didn’t want to screw anything up.

He focused mainly on the disciples of the One Thousand Palms, centered around the eastern Scarlet Alliance but not exclusive to the area. They needed to be ready for his advancement, with others less directly aware.

Prasad set aside a month. A period short enough that disciples could maintain a vigil, but long enough that he was not pressured into acting when he was unready. Unlike the first advancements, he felt the natural ebb and flow of thoughts would be important to him. Locking himself to a specific day might result in greater chances of success… or guaranteed failure.

When the time came, Prasad sat in front of the statue with it at his back. He called upon his own energy, projecting himself over the material as only felt right.

Ten days into the cycle, he felt himself reach his natural peak of power. It was time.

He drew upon the power within himself. Around himself. The devotion of those waiting, and even the devotion his allies sent. The confidence of Domination cultivators was not something that should be discounted.

Energy built up rapidly, seeming to naturally want to spark a frenzy. It was too much to be contained naturally, but Prasad had expected nothing less than the greatest intensity. He would split the trial with his chosen anchor, as was appropriate.

Heat filled him and his anchor. Fire was not an element appropriate to his style. No, elements themselves were not within his usual operation. Prasad suppressed the heat, seeking an evenness. But the power never ceased, and he could only increase his intensity evermore until…

-----

Three figures surveyed the planet Ahiri, with others keeping their distance. Alva was one of those, looking down at the frozen planet. Approaching closer herself might have been dangerous. It was that significant of an event, even after the fact. Only the three Domination cultivators- which very specifically did not include Chidi- were actually on the homeworld of the One Thousand Palms Sect.

The details weren’t really important. Alva knew the summary. It was obvious to anyone who saw it, really.

The whole planet- some hundred billion individuals- was dead. There was no way to get around that fact. It was a disaster with more casualties than the war of Domination cultivators. There, the casualties had been high for the short amount of time the battle raged. Millions of cultivators throughout the system. Powerful ones, weak ones, and even some number of civilians. Damage to planets and orbital platforms. But the cost had not been so immense as this.

The planet was dead. Not just the people, or animals, but the core of the planet itself. The light of the local star provided a mere trickle of upper energy that was reflected back into space off of its icy surface.

There might be a few recordings from far off ships, either those planning to land or those on their way out. Anything local seemed likely to have been destroyed. At the very least, salvaging anything useful would be a difficult task. Regular ice inside delicate devices would be bad enough. A supernatural freeze was something far different.

The worst part was how it looked as if everyone could suddenly return to life. Except for the damage caused by things that were moving- especially ships that had been flying over the planet- everything was perfectly preserved as it was.

Alva focused her eyes on a single individual down below. She could only augment her eyes, as any energy she extended below was frozen. The old woman she saw looked as if she was about to say something to her adult son or younger husband. She was halfway through the motions, just like everyone else.

At least there shouldn’t have been any pain. Not physical, at least. She could only hope that only the bodies and energy of the cultivators below had been frozen. It was possible their souls would be trapped and unable to move on to reincarnation- knowing or not. Alva was not a cultivator who specialized in souls or reincarnation by any means, but she suspected it would be quite problematic to have such a big shock all at once. Though perhaps across every world in the upper realms, this many deaths was still not all that out of the ordinary.

Just not all concentrated in a single place and time. It would be spread out over years or decades. This was… too much. Too much to think about, even.

-----

Anton was not entirely surprised when Alva came to visit. He expected at least some people to call upon him for comfort. He’d sent pleasant words, but no matter how much he put into them with hundreds of lightyears of distance they really couldn't mean the same thing. Furthermore, it was a disaster he hadn’t seen with his own eyes. Comprehending it himself was quite difficult, though he did have an awareness of far more individuals than that single planet.

He had a connection to each of those in a planet near his stars, through Unity. It was simply imprecise.

“... What do I do?” Alva asked, trembling.

Anton gave himself some time to ponder the question, as he had no doubt that the questioner had more thoughts to process herself. “That would depend in what area of your life you are referring to. I think, in general, you can only do the best you can, just as you have already been. Return and comfort your people. Don’t try to forget. They shouldn’t be forgotten.”

“I was…” Alva took a deep breath. “I was going to try to reach Domination. Soon. But now, I’m afraid. For me, for others. I can’t… what happens if I run?”

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“What do you want me to say, my precious granddaughter? Because I can tell you only what you already know. Like this, any attempt to reach Domination would be foolish. Doubting yourself will never be the answer. If you pull away… then perhaps the opportunity will come again in the future.”

“I don’t think it will,” Alva said, crestfallen.

“Perhaps not,” Anton agreed, drawing her into a hug as he held his hand on her head. “But I see no reason why we should risk more loss. Do not think that just because you are missing the loftiest title that you are less important for it. That you matter any less to the people around you, or the Alliance as a whole.”

Later, perhaps, would be the time for entertaining distractions and uplifting words. For the moment, refusing to face the truth would only result in greater tragedy.