"Boundary Guardian?"
The Heavenly Dao child froze for a moment. His eyes, woven from laws, blinked as though he were digesting the concept.
Seeing no response from him, Si Chen asked, "What? You can't do it?"
"Please calm your anger, Your Eminence."
"The law of ascension is part of the cycle of all things. Forcing someone to remain isn't impossible... it's just..."
"Just what?" Si Chen asked.
The Heavenly Dao hesitated, then said helplessly, "The Lower Realm's spiritual energy is ultimately limited, and its Great Dao laws are incomplete. There is no immortal essence to nourish them."
"If powerful cultivators who have surpassed this realm's limits are forced to remain here, their cultivation will not advance an inch..."
"For a short time, that would be harmless, but over the long term..."
He did not finish, but Si Chen understood what he meant and frowned slightly.
Unable to cultivate.
For a cultivator, that was indeed a cruelty.
"Then set a time limit."
"A time limit?" The Heavenly Dao faltered.
After a moment's thought, Si Chen said evenly, "A thousand years."
"Rotate them every thousand years. Each person will guard the realm for a thousand years, then ascend once their term is complete, with the next person taking over."
"A thousand years isn't particularly long for a high-level cultivator."
The Heavenly Dao's law-filled eyes flickered several times, as though he had calculated the karmic consequences. Then he bowed slightly. "If it is only a thousand-year term, with yin and yang turning in succession, this method... is feasible."
"However, does Your Eminence have a suitable candidate in mind?" The Heavenly Dao looked up at Si Chen, a hint of inquiry in his gaze.
A suitable candidate?
The faces of the people on Undying Mountain flashed through Si Chen's mind.
Xie Changsheng, Song Chi,