You want me to take out a loan to practice cultivation? I'll just pay off the debt physically.

[Amidst the clash between despair and reason, the gears of the Abyss's will finally completed a difficult turn.]

He needs to change his approach!

We can no longer manage demons with the mindset of treating disobedient tools or livestock awaiting slaughter.

A completely new, more sophisticated, and more robust system of shackles and symbiosis must be designed.

[We must utilize the power and greed of the demons, but also ensure that this power and greed ultimately serve our purposes, rather than turning against us.]

[Thus, this great will of the abyss temporarily suppressed its destructive impulses and began to extend its vast and terrifying intent, like the finest tentacles and invisible ripples, silently and imperceptibly.]

[This is not for conquest or absorption, but rather an unprecedented, large-scale experiment in observing civilization.]

[His consciousness swept across countless starlight, descending upon civilizations—whether primitive, advanced, peculiar, or ordinary—to deeply observe their social structures, methods of governance, means of thought control, and paths of technological development.]

[Especially those methods for handling the conflict between individual power and collective authority.]

The will of the abyss seeks a solution amidst the development of numerous civilizations.

He observed that certain mechanical civilizations used sophisticated logical protocols and low-level code to lock away the autonomy of intelligent agents.

[We have observed that some psionic civilizations use collective consciousness networks to assimilate individuals, turning the thoughts of geniuses into nourishment for the network.]

[We see certain feudal theocratic civilizations using complex dogmas, rituals, and bloodline curses to bind the powerful.]

[We also witnessed some extremely free civilizations disintegrate due to internal power struggles. Massive amounts of information and countless successes and failures were rapidly analyzed, refined, and reorganized within the abyssal will's mind core, which transcended mortal comprehension.]

[Throughout this process, He has not forgotten His most pressing enemy whom He currently desires to kill!]

[The Demon God of the Heart!]

But for now, the reality is clear and harsh.

Even with His full power, combined with the temporary blockade of the spirit world and hell, He could not trap the opponent and allow him to escape safely.

This is frustrating, but it must be accepted.

[If this was the case even at its peak, let alone after successively losing the five authorities of Mind, Stars, Source of Energy, Destruction and End, and Pure Slaughter, its own power structure and integrity have already been damaged.]

[A direct confrontation with the Inner Demon God offers little hope of victory and may instead expose more weaknesses, attracting the covetous eyes of the Spirit Realm or the Red Heart Society.]

Therefore, He began to devote more of His will to rewriting the current system of demons and gods.

After a long process of observation, selection, and deduction, the bizarre, ingenious, and even cruel wisdom within the minds of living beings finally led the will of the abyss to find a core logical contradiction capable of suppressing the sacrifice of the demon god.

[And on this basis, He built His new system.]

This methodology involves limiting authority to what one can control.

The old model involved granting authority to demons, which was tantamount to delegating power. Demons had a high degree of autonomy in the use of this authority, responding only to the abyss's call when needed.

This ambiguity between property rights and usage rights is a breeding ground for rebellion.

Even though the will of the abyss can reclaim its power at any time, the existence of sacrifice creates a major flaw in this model. The new model must completely separate ownership from usage rights, and firmly hold the switch to usage rights in its own hands.

Specifically, the Abyss Demons can continue to wield and comprehend the corresponding authority, thereby gaining power and status.

However, an application must be submitted to the Abyss's will only be made when a large-scale mobilization of authority is required for conquest, construction, or the casting of powerful divine spells.

[Only after obtaining permission can one mobilize the corresponding share of authority; the power will be reclaimed after the task is completed.]

This is equivalent to demoting a demon god from a lord of authority to a mere custodian or holder of authority, severely restricting the freedom and immediacy of their power manipulation.

This will undoubtedly weaken the Demon God's combat power. In the event of a sudden battle or when an instantaneous burst of power is needed, the application and approval process will cause delays, making it cumbersome and inefficient.

But it's okay!

[The will of the abyss had already considered this!]

[While conceiving this system of restrictions, a more insidious and ambitious complementary plan was taking shape in His mind.]

While exploring this new model, the Abyss's Will conceived of another method that, ostensibly, could enhance the Demon God's combat power, but in reality, it would allow for a deeper level of binding and plunder.

That is, to allow, and even encourage, demon gods to comprehend and cultivate the divine path of rules!

Since the allure of sacrificial rituals cannot be eradicated, and the demons' yearning for pure power of rules cannot be suppressed, then let's guide them and proactively open this window for them. But the scenery behind that window has already been carefully altered.

[In any case, the ownership and core access rights to the abyssal authority within the demon god can be frozen or revoked at any time under the control of the abyssal will.]

The soul and true spirit of the demon god, nurtured by the abyss and long imprinted by its authority, are fundamentally bound to the abyss and are under its control.

[So, given this, what's there to worry about in allowing demons to cultivate and comprehend those pure divine paths of rules that are independent of the abyss's authority system?]

Doesn't this mean that the pure, unpolluted rules that the demons cultivated and comprehended, and the origins of those rules that arose within them, are, in a sense, like crops growing in the soil of the abyss?

[Could they ultimately become resources that nourish the Abyss, enriching its rule base and potentially even leading to benign mutations?]

[Through this process of planning, the will of the abyss has envisioned a perfect picture of exploitation.]

On one hand, the Demon God enhanced his basic combat strength and understanding of the rules by cultivating the Divine Path of Rules, seemingly gaining freedom to grow.

On the other hand, all the insights into rules and growth in their origins gained through cultivation are, because of the deep bond between their souls and the Abyss, slowly and unconsciously perceived and absorbed by the will of the Abyss.

[The will of the abyss can achieve a double harvest without directly stripping the demon god of their hard work through this method.]

[Through a system of requesting authority, they firmly control the most powerful authority of the demon gods.]

[Furthermore, by allowing the cultivation of the divine path of rules, they secretly absorb the private wealth that the demon gods have developed themselves, namely the origin and insights of the rules.]

This is indeed a win-win situation!

[At least, from the perspective of the Abyss's will, that's the case.] (End of Chapter)