Chapter 700 386: Creator of the Gray Mist Space (Part 2)

For example, if we intervene personally, create a crisis and then save it, we can't obtain Gray Mist.

Another example: for Parallel Universes we ourselves have created, if they face a predetermined fated crisis, then even after saving them we still can't obtain Gray Mist.

In fact, these restrictions have long been a subject of research within the Association.

From a logical perspective, many of them look like they were deliberately arranged by the Gray Mist Space.

The apparent purpose is to stop them from exploiting certain loopholes to easily obtain Gray Mist.

After all, if Gray Mist really is obtained from the process of changing a living being's destined annihilation, then there's no reason the Parallel Universes we create shouldn't count.

Those are living beings too, with equally predetermined destinies of destruction.

And now, these restrictions are actually starting to unlock?

"Specifically, to what extent has the unlocking progressed?" intersellar world Shen Yu asked.

"First, the beings we save no longer need our recognition." Shen Yu said. "This means that as long as they've been saved—no matter what bizarre kind of beings they are—they can all provide us with Gray Mist."

This single change alone made quite a few Shen Yu's eyes light up.

Intersellar world Shen Yu immediately began rapid calculations.

Up to now, the Association's pace in opening up All Heavens Worlds has been getting faster and faster.

So why does the supply of Gray Mist still fall into shortage?

Naturally, because most of the beings in those worlds have never been recognized by Association members.

The Association only has so many members; just recognizing the beings of their own worlds is already no simple matter. This demands a shift in self-cognition, seeing all those strange creatures as human, or at least as intelligent life on par with humans.

The difficulty is self-evident.

Thus, aside from a small number of worlds populated by humans, or by humanoid beings that many Shen Yu can accept, in most worlds—even if they're saved, even if they're liberated—they still can't provide much Gray Mist.

This kind of restriction has, to a great extent, hampered the Association's efficiency in acquiring Gray Mist.

After all, even if the majority of All Heavens Worlds don't face doomsday crises, the beings in those worlds are still mostly living in dire straits.

If all of that could truly count as Gray Mist, then in one go it would bring the Association a colossal influx of Gray Mist!

The sheer number of those worlds is simply too great.

"Our routine Gray Mist income will increase by a full sixteen times because of this!" Intersellar world Shen Yu quickly gave the answer, his expression filled with excitement. "This can greatly ease our Gray Mist pressure; what's more, if we increase our investment in exploring All Heavens Worlds, our efficiency in obtaining Gray Mist can be raised even further."

This was indeed an inspiring piece of news.

The positive role Gray Mist plays in the Association's development is simply enormous.

From macro-level technological progress down to individual cultivation, all of it requires Gray Mist.

More importantly, this change actually allowed everyone present to see a certain trend.

A trend of, in the truest sense, gaining control over the entire Gray Mist Space.

And at this moment, Shen Yu threw out a second piece of good news.

"In addition to that, the restrictions on us intervening artificially to obtain Gray Mist have also been greatly reduced." Shen Yu looked around at everyone and said slowly, "Although we still can't deliberately fabricate a destroyed destiny and then rescue it, we can now obtain Gray Mist by saving Parallel Universes of our own creation—there's just a certain discount applied."

This too was a huge piece of good news.

Although creating Parallel Universes itself requires no small cost, under the condition of having mastered the Time Law, these costs can only be considered ordinary.

This also means that the Association has effectively grasped the ability to convert ordinary resources into Gray Mist!

While it might not appear as lucrative as lifting the restrictions on living beings, the benefit to the Association is just as immense.

With these two changes combined, the Association's development speed can be accelerated even further.

"For the moment, only these two restrictions have been unlocked. But I can clearly feel that as our Power increases, even more restrictions can be lifted." Shen Yu said slowly. "Although we still don't know for what purpose the creator of the Gray Mist Space forged such a powerful existence, we are indeed already close to the answer. Perhaps the creator's limit lies at the next tier—the Thirteenth Tier!"

Yes, Shen Yu had never had such a clear sense of it.

These words also stirred everyone's spirits.

The creator of the Gray Mist Space has always been a dark cloud hanging over the entire Association.

Not because it is necessarily so dangerous, but its sheer level and the uncertainty it represents impose massive pressure on development.

After all, with the Association having developed to its current extent, even though it has been striving to strengthen its own Power, its dependence on the Gray Mist Space is still at an extremely high level.

To say nothing of anything else—if the Gray Mist Space truly went out of control in the very next instant, the Association's internal development speed would instantly be dragged down to at most one percent of its current pace.

Over eighty to ninety percent of research institutes would grind to a halt.

Virtually all top-tier geniuses would be forced back to their original cultivation state, at perhaps only one-tenth the speed they now enjoy under the conditions provided by the Gray Mist Space.

And the worst, most serious impact would be on the Association's real-time control over all All Heavens Worlds.

After all, the production speed of All Heavens starships could never match the Association's efficiency in opening up the All Heavens.

The Association's current ability to perfectly control all the All Heavens Worlds it has opened relies entirely on the Gray Mist Space.

It can only be said that this kind of dependence is fundamentally unavoidable.

And the only solution is to completely seize control of the Gray Mist Space!

To remove every last trace of danger and uncertainty—not just these restrictions, but also the very maker of the Gray Mist Space.

And now, they finally seemed to be nearing that answer.

How could this not excite the many Shen Yu?

"The Thirteenth Realm, huh?" Quite a few Shen Yu silently repeated the words in their hearts.

It seemed no longer so far away.

"Next, we'll further accelerate our acquisition of Gray Mist, and, based on the new changes in the Gray Mist Space, make certain adjustments to the Association's development…" Shen Yu then made a series of arrangements.

They were fairly ordinary.

It was simply a matter of encouraging expansion.

After all, prior to this, because the Association's resources were so abundant, some All Heavens explorers were no longer willing to continue exploring the All Heavens. They chose other ways to earn rewards and resources, and such behavior had already become something in need of cleanup.

Especially since the Association had just obtained over ten thousand Saint Dao Fruits in one go.

This only gave the main force of All Heavens exploration—the Daluo Golden Immortals—even better options.

And what the Association needed to do was to intervene in the name of the Association, so that these explorers would once again embark on the path of exploring All Heavens Worlds.

Thus, as the plan was put into effect, the Association once more began to receive a steady and substantial stream of Gray Mist.

Moreover, thanks to the ample Gray Mist resources, the Association also began accelerating its closing net around the remaining remnants of the Great Wind Empire.

They no longer merely hinted at the Great Wind Emperor who was fleeing in desperation.

Instead, every time the Great Wind Emperor escaped to a new place, they would swagger right into his presence.

"It's impossible for you to escape our lock-on."

"Your only choices are surrender or annihilation."

"We don't particularly care about your Power. The only reason we're this patient is because of a few secrets on you."

"That power of destruction, like a black hole, born of the Law of annihilation—that doesn't actually belong to you, does it?"

"…"

Word after word, meeting after meeting, relentlessly wore down the Great Wind Emperor's resolve.

Only after all possible methods had been exhausted did the Great Wind Emperor finally have to accept that he truly had no chance of escape.

Even if a stronger All Heavens Force were to suddenly appear and intervene with overwhelming might.

For the Great Wind Emperor, anything that could reach that level would be nothing more than a new prison.