Ling Zichen shrugged in response. "There are other alternatives. However, if you want to set off Eternal Heaven directly, then there's only one way to minimize the damage it'll do to our continent, and that's to throw it deep into the abyssal passageway prior to detonation. In that case, the explosion won't even take place on our continent, so it naturally won't affect our side."
Tang Wulin's heart stirred slightly upon hearing this. This didn't seem to be all that implausible. After all, the Blood God Legion was guarding another abyssal passageway.
However, the thought was dashed from his mind almost as soon as it appeared. Even if they were to bomb the abyssal plane itself, that wouldn't resolve the threat of the Blood River Godslayer Array. Furthermore, none of them knew exactly how the abyssal plane operated; what if the explosion couldn't truly harm the abyssal plane at all?
In addition, unless he accompanied the missile, even if the explosion were to kill a huge number of abyssal creatures, there would be no one around to devour the abyssal energy, so all of the killed abyssal creatures would eventually be resurrected, leaving nothing to show for their efforts.
After considering the situation, Chen Xinjie quickly arrived at a decision. "Guanzhi, report our situation to the federation immediately. Head Researcher Ling, please prepare to make the modifications."
Ling Zichen nodded in response.
"How long would the modifications take to complete?" Yu Guanzhi asked.
Ling Zichen replied, "At least two days, and I require Tang Wulin's assistance. With his help, both the success rate and rate of progress will be higher."
"No way!" the three Limit Douluos blurted out almost in perfect unison; even Tang Wulin was quite startled by their urgent reactions.
Cao Dezhi glared at Ling Zichen, and said, "That's out of the question. Don't you know how important Wulin is to the Tang Sect and Shrek Academy? If something were to happen to him, what would become of the Tang Sect and Shrek Academy?"
Chen Xinjie chimed in, "Indeed. On top of that, the Tang Sect and Shrek Academy aren't the only ones who need him; everyone on this battlefield is depending on his Golden Dragon Spear to chip away at the abyssal plane, so we can't allow him to be put in any harm's way. As an alternative, I can get the military's best blacksmiths and soul weaponry experts to assist you."
Ling Zichen thought about this for a moment before replying, "That can also work, but the success rate will be lower because I require Wulin's heavenly refinement to forge the metals necessary for the shell of the super weapon; any metals of lower calibers won't be able to withstand the energy changes that take place within the weapon. As I'm sure you're all aware, the shell of Eternal Heaven was constructed from heavenly refined metals, but the metal is still of a far lower quality than what Wulin is able to forge. On top of that, new parts are required for the modifications, and that won't be possible without a Divine Blacksmith."
Cao Dezhi suggested, "Then you can get Wulin to forge whatever parts you require here according to your specifications."
Ling Zichen pouted in response. "I knew you cared more about him than me. Why aren't you concerned about my safety?"
Cao Dezhi sighed, "Of course I care about you. I watched you grow up, and in my heart, you're no different from a daughter to me. However, Wulin is different; he is the future of the Tang Sect and Shrek Academy. He won't be accompanying you, but both Old Man Zang and I will be present, and we'll do everything in our power to save you if something goes wrong. If we can't get away, then we'll just have to stay with you until the bitter end."
Cao Dezhi was speaking in a very nonchalant manner, but both Chen Xinjie and Yu Guanzhi were struck by a sense of respect and admiration toward him. This was the spirit of the Tang Sect!
"Old Man Cao, this may be our final battle together, but I'm proud to have a comrade like you!" Yu Guanzhi said with a serious expression.
Cao Dezhi smiled, and replied, "Don't get all mushy on me; I'm doing this for the Tang Sect, not for you! If the modification of Eternal Heaven is successful, it'll remain a weapon of our Tang Sect, and it won't have anything to do with you. Anyway, that's enough talk; go and inform the federation of the current situation. In the meantime, we'll begin our preparatory work. We'll have to count on you to keep the enemies at bay. Two days isn't a long time, but it's definitely not a short time, either."
Thus, Tang Wulin, Cao Dezhi, and Ling Zichen returned to the barracks for Shrek Academy and the Tang Sect.
Upon their return, Cao Dezhi turned to Ling Zichen with a stern expression, and said, "Alright, tell me what the success rate actually is."
Ling Zichen put on a cheeky smile, and replied, "What do you mean? Didn't I already say what the success rate was back there?"
Cao Dezhi harrumphed, "Don't try that on me; I know you better than anyone else. This is not a laughing matter, so tell me the truth."
Ling Zichen stuck out her tongue in a sheepish manner, then replied, "There's actually no risk with the modification process, but there will be some risk with the usage of the super weapon as no one knows how powerful the weapon will be. On top of that, I'm the only one capable of using it as no one else truly understands the unique properties of source positive circulation cores."
Cao Dezhi gently flicked her on the forehead in a gesture of exasperation. "What if something goes wrong during the modification process? Will Eternal Heaven be affected?"
Ling Zichen replied. "No. Eternal Heaven isn't that easy to modify; I'm merely changing its method of power output, which isn't actually difficult. What's more troublesome is the material of the missile, so Wulin's assistance really is required; only heavenly refinement will ensure that Eternal Heaven will still retain sufficient power even after the modifications are done. Even after the modifications are complete, Eternal Heaven can still be used as a soul missile at any time, but a price will have to be paid to use it in such a manner."
"What's the price?" Cao Dezhi asked.
Ling Zichen replied, "There's no need for you to know that; I can tell you that it's something that I can bear."
"Alright, then commence the modification process as soon as we get back; time is of the essence," Cao Dezhi said.
Ling Zichen had made the modification process sound so dangerous when speaking with Chen Xinjie and Yu Guanzhi as she was thinking for the sake of the Tang Sect.
Not only was the Tang Sect handing over Eternal Heaven, there was some risk involved as well, so even though Ling Zichen hadn't explicitly asked for compensation, the implications were quite clear.
She had never given up on her research into source positive circulation cores, but this research required a huge amount of uncommon metals. She had always been of the opinion that if she could succeed in this area of research, then source positive circulation cores would be able to replace soul power as a brand new energy source. Furthermore, this technology was also a major hurdle standing in the path of further breakthroughs in soul technology.
Why was it that humans were still unable to successfully create a spaceship that could facilitate space exploration? The root problem was a lack of energy. Soul Masters could inject their soul power into the spaceship as an energy source, but the energy of Soul Masters was also limited. Once research and development into source positive circulation cores succeeded, the human race would have a new energy source with enormous potential. In contrast with using Soul Masters as an energy source, uncommon metals would clearly be much more reliable in outer space.
The Tang Sect was already doing everything in its power to support her research, but the resources that it could provide her with were still limited. As such, it would naturally be a good thing if they could secure some uncommon metals from the federation.
Only now did Tang Wulin truly understand why Ling Zichen had made the modification process seem more dangerous than it was, and he couldn't help but shake his own head in a resigned manner. It seemed that he was still too naive and innocent! However, what Ling Zichen had said about the ice shelves melting was most likely true as that claim was very easy to verify.
They really did have to be careful in their deployment of Eternal Heaven as a slight mishap could result in a massive disaster.
The bombing still hadn't ceased, and all types of soul weapons, including heavy ion lasers, had been tested on the Blood River Godslayer Array.