Translator: AnubisTL
Jieming did a quick calculation of the Black Giants' current proliferation rate.
Including the main pool and its spawned offshoots, he now possessed ten deeply modified hatcheries.
Powered by the nearly infinite energy of the seventh-tier elemental pool, each hatchery could "produce" a third-tier Black Giant at the staggering speed of one per minute.
Yet, even with such astonishing efficiency, expanding the Black Giant population to his desired ten billion would still require a considerable amount of time to accumulate.
The Purgatory Sulfur Plane was a typical small material plane, with a surface area roughly equivalent to Earth from Jieming's previous life.
The difference, however, was the absence of azure oceans and distinct continental plates.
As far as the eye could see, the vast majority of the region consisted of churning lava seas, erupting volcanic clusters, and scorched earth shrouded in sulfurous smog.
This environment, which would be a desolate wasteland to ordinary creatures, was a perfect paradise for the Black Giants, who fed on lava and energy.
Consequently, this plane could support an exceptionally large biological population.
Even with Black Giants typically standing over ten meters tall, Jieming's rough calculations suggested that at its absolute limit, the Purgatory Sulfur Plane could support nearly one hundred billion of them!
Of course, that was merely a theoretical figure.
If such a density were ever reached, not only would the quality of life for the Black Giants plummet, but the energy and resources available to each individual would be spread too thin, hindering the early stages of their devouring evolution.
After careful consideration, Jieming concluded that maintaining a population in the ten-billion range was the ideal target for the current phase.
"Ten billion Black Giants..." Jieming imagined the sight of that legion, a black tide blotting out the sky, and couldn't help but feel a surge of anticipation. "At that scale, even a regular sixth-tier wizard would probably break into a cold sweat just facing my reserve army."
But that was a vision for the future.
For now, the initial connection to the seventh-tier large elemental pool was complete.
The subsequent deep debugging and full integration with the plane's ley lines would be a slow, meticulous process—something to be left to time.
Jieming focused his main efforts on the most critical transformation of the Purgatory Sulfur Plane: completely converting the original Divine Power Faith Network into the Incense Divine Path System!
He did not follow the traditional Incense Divine Path construction methods from the Great Dao Library Pavilion—designed for the cultivation world—to the letter.
Instead, he combined his understanding of the "Divine Power Faith Network's" operational mechanisms from the wizard world with the core principles of the Incense Divine Path to create a highly customized, adaptive modification.
The entire process also required the seamless integration of the already established "Elemental Spiritual Energy Transformation System," making it the energy foundation for the Incense Divine Path system.
Jieming knew that the specific functions he truly needed from the Incense Divine Path were concentrated in four key areas:
1. Producing Incense Power. 2. Granting the Black Giant settlements "societal" attributes, enabling them to stably generate Mortal Dust Qi and sustain the Divine Path's operation. 3. Achieving cross-spatial, ultra-long-distance energy transmission. 4. Efficiently transforming elemental power and maintaining the spiritual energy environment within the plane.
As for the traditional functions of the Incense Divine Path—such as enhancing a "divine being's" power or regulating favorable weather and resource regeneration within its jurisdiction—he considered them non-essential and could be simplified or even discarded.
If such needs truly arose in the future, he could simply add those functions on an ad hoc basis.
This highly targeted design significantly reduced the overall difficulty of constructing the Incense Divine Path.
Yet, even so, its complexity remained unimaginably vast.
It was akin to rewriting the fundamental laws of a plane; every step demanded the utmost caution.
The construction process was far from smooth.
Jieming frequently encountered energy circuit conflicts, rule repulsions, and unstable rune arrays.
These setbacks forced him to halt the project and bury himself in the Great Dao Library Pavilion's massive archives and his own past research notes, searching for solutions and refining his design.
Fortunately, this continuous cycle of encountering and solving problems proved to be an exceptional form of tempering.
Jieming could clearly feel his understanding of the essence of "spiritual energy" becoming more comprehensive and profound.
The vast array of seemingly unrelated knowledge he had acquired over the years began to connect and fuse under this intense application, deepening his mastery.
Fifty years slipped by unnoticed in the midst of his relentless construction and research.
The seventh-tier large elemental pool had fully integrated with the plane core, steadily outputting a vast torrent of energy.
Meanwhile, the overall construction of the Incense Divine Path was roughly one-third complete. While not fast, its foundation was laid exceptionally solid.
During this time, Jieming also received an unexpected surprise.
In the laboratory, he gazed contentedly at a soft glow that pulsed like a gentle breath.
This was his newly refined body-protecting treasure—the Profound Astral Red Dust Barrier!
The original Profound Astral Red Dust Barrier had been forged from various baleful qi and Mortal Dust Qi. It could form an invisible shield around Jieming, effectively warding off curses and divination-type detection, making it a crucial tool for his defense and concealment.
However, after delving into the actual combat data and giant beast samples Black had provided from that bizarre otherworld, Jieming's expertise in resisting illusion magic and mental interference had advanced by leaps and bounds.
Looking back at the "Mind Barrier Bracer" he had once crafted for Black, he now found it crude and outdated.
Thus, in the intervals between constructing the Incense Divine Path, he found the time to upgrade his own body-protecting treasure.
He infused the Profound Astral Red Dust Barrier with a large quantity of high-purity liquid adamantine he had refined, along with several other rare materials designed to enhance spiritual stability and conceptual "anchoring."
Then, he employed the profound artifact refinement method recorded in the Great Dao Library Pavilion to refine these tangible materials from "form" to "formless."
This not only granted the adamantine the ability to resist illusion magic but also allowed it to blend perfectly with the Profound Astral Red Dust Barrier's baleful qi and Red Dust Foundation, becoming indistinguishable from them.
Jieming raised his hand and beckoned. The soft glow spread like flowing water, enveloping his entire body and forming an almost imperceptible thin film.
Then, the light drew inward and completely vanished.
After being reforged, the Profound Astral Red Dust Barrier's defensive capabilities had undergone a qualitative leap.
It could now not only ward off curses and prophecies but also possessed the powerful ability to resist illusion magic and mental interference.
Its defensive mechanism remained similar to before, relying on the adamantine and other materials—now refined into formless concepts—as "consumables." Before their reserves were exhausted, they could effectively isolate the vast majority of spiritual incursions.
Furthermore, because it was a magic treasure linked to his own spirit...
If an attack exceeded the shield's limits and brought it to the brink of shattering, Jieming would immediately sense a warning. He would clearly realize he might have been compromised, thereby gaining precious reaction time.
Savoring the enhanced sensation of the magic treasure, Jieming nodded slightly, but a trace of imperceptible regret still flashed in his eyes.
It's barely a half-finished product... he evaluated inwardly.
In his original design, the perfect spiritual defense shouldn't rely solely on the "eternal" property of adamantine to rigidly offset attacks.
The incense power, containing the beliefs and wish power of all living beings, possessed a natural restraint and purifying effect against forces of illusion and delusion.
This is the ideal "material" for constructing a spiritual defense line.
"Once the Incense Divine Path is established and has gathered sufficient incense power, I will refine it into this Profound Astral Red Dust Barrier. Only then will this treasure truly be perfected."
(End of the Chapter)
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