Warhammer Cultivation: Cultivating the Tao Te Ching in the 40K Universe

He knew that now was not the time to investigate "why".

This is not the time to wallow in despair.

He looked at the "Lord of the Way" from distant Terra, the only one who had seen through all the truths.

His voice was hoarse, yet it carried a tremor that even he himself was unaware of.

"Dao Master..."

"Since you can see through its true nature."

"Does that mean..."

"...Do you have a way to eradicate it?"

This question struck like a thunderbolt, causing all the Holy Blood Angels present to suddenly raise their heads!

All eyes were focused on Hector.

There was no longer any doubt in his eyes.

All that remained was the most primal, most instinctive... will to survive!

Hector met everyone's gaze with the same calm and composed expression.

But what he said next was even more shocking than the previous diagnosis!

"There is a way."

"But not eradicate it."

He paused and said word by word:

"Instead... refine it!"

"What I am about to propose is an unprecedented treatment plan. A grand alchemical ritual that will require the combined power of your entire Ninth Legion, and even the entire Baal system."

I named it—

"The Great Blood Spring Formation of Ten Thousand Spirits!"

Looking at the mixture of hope and confusion in the eyes of Saint Gilles and his commanders, he knew that this mysterious name was still too unfamiliar to them.

He smiled slightly and added, "Of course, this is just a name that fits the academy's style. If we were to name it in terms the Empire could understand, we might call it—'Baal Purification Protocol.' Or, to put it more bluntly..."

"Angel Rebirth Project".

Chapter 219 Dragon and Tiger Meet (Bonus Chapter 8)

"The Bal Purification Protocol..."

Saint Gilles pondered the name, which was more in line with the imperial style. The confusion in his eyes faded slightly, but the shock remained.

Instead of answering directly, Hector asked in return, "Your Highness, in your opinion, what is the Ninth Legion's most valuable asset?"

“It is loyalty, it is honor, it is the spirit of sacrifice for the emperor and for mankind,” Saint Gilles answered without hesitation.

“No,” Hector shook his head. “These are manifestations of your noble character, but not the source of your power.”

He pointed a finger at Kafil, the early-stage Bloodthirst warrior who was still growling in his chains.

"He, and all the Holy Blood Angels, have a flame burning within their hearts. A flame filled with an endless thirst for battle. This flame, when 'thirsty for blood,' manifests as a bloodthirsty frenzy that destroys everything. When 'red rage,' it manifests as an extreme madness that fights to the death."

"This flame is the true source of your power! It is also the fundamental reason why Khorne was able to silently imprint His mark deep within your souls!"

"Because your essence is similar to His on this level."

These words were like a heavy blow, making the faces of Radoron and the others turn ugly once again.

But this time, they did not refute it.

Because they knew that Hector was telling the truth.

“My plan is not to extinguish this flame,” Hector’s voice was filled with powerful confidence. “Because once it is extinguished, the Blood Angels will no longer be Blood Angels. You will lose that indomitable courage, that fighting spirit that could strike fear into the hearts of your enemies…”

"What I need to do is add a 'bridle' to this flame! It's about purifying and sublimating this almost demonic, violent instinct through a grand alchemical ritual, ultimately refining it into something that belongs only to you, something that can be perfectly controlled..."

"...Holy Wrath!"

These four words seemed to possess a certain magic, simultaneously igniting a spark of hope in the eyes of Saint Gilles and his commanders!

"Is... this really possible?" Chief Pharmacist Melos couldn't help but ask in a tone full of academic inquiry.

Hector nodded and began to expound on his groundbreaking theory.

"In the ancient medical text 'Huangdi Neijing' in the Daoist Canon, all things in the world are divided into the 'Five Elements': metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. The Five Elements generate and restrain each other, forming a perfect and balanced cycle."

"This idea also applies to energy and to the laws."

“Deep within your bloodline lies the mark of Khorne’s divine curse, which is essentially an energy filled with ‘killing’ and ‘hatred.’ According to the Five Elements theory, it belongs to ‘metal,’ but its nature, after being depicted by the treacherous, is extremely yin and evil, which I call ‘evil.’”

"The malevolent energy is tenacious and hidden, like a maggot clinging to a bone. Ordinary methods simply cannot remove it. Forcibly removing it will only lead to the complete collapse of the genetic seed."

"Therefore, we cannot use 'water' to extinguish it, nor can we use 'wood' to wear it down."

"We will use 'fire'!"

"We must use a force that is more powerful, more explosive, and more destructive to confront it head-on!"

"Fight poison with poison!"

A glint of light flashed in Saint Gilles' eyes: "The 'fire' you mentioned, you mean..."

“Baal’s radiation!” Hector’s voice was firm and powerful. “This red wasteland, scorched by stars for billions of years, contains in every grain of sand and every breath of air a destructive energy that is extremely yang and powerful! This energy is a deadly ‘poison’ to ordinary life!”

"However, for the 'alchemy' we are about to undertake, it is the most perfect ingredient... 'medicine'!"

"Khorne's curse is 'evil' and 'yin'."

"Baal's radiation is 'poison' and 'yang'."

"What I'm going to do is set up a super array covering the entire planet Baal... or rather, a massive project! With this array, I'll leverage the radiation power of the entire planet, condense and purify it, turning it into a 'True Fire of the Sun,' and pour it into the body of each and every one of you!"

"Use this 'yang poison' to attack, burn, and detonate that trace of 'yin evil' deepest within your souls!"

"In the Daoist academy's 'Dao of Alchemy,' this is called—"

"When dragon and tiger meet, water and fire are in harmony!"

The entire Gene Sanctuary fell into a deathly silence once again.

All the Holy Blood Angels were utterly shocked by Hector's crazy yet imaginative theory!

Using the radiation of a planet as a furnace!

The entire legion's warriors will be used as the elixir!

What a masterpiece!

What a magnificent spirit!

"...This is insane."

Chief Pharmacist Melos muttered to himself.

His eyes gleamed with a mixture of fear and fanaticism: "The radiation energy that will affect the entire planet... its intensity will be astronomical! No matter can withstand it! Our bodies will be vaporized in an instant! Not even a single atom will remain!"

"Under normal circumstances, that is indeed the case."

Hector acknowledged, "When yin and yang collide, the inevitable result is mutual annihilation. But what if, at the very moment of this 'annihilation,' a sufficiently powerful third-party force, imbued with 'order' and 'harmony,' intervenes?"

He held out two fingers.

One of them pointed towards Saint Gilles.

"Your Highness, your soul is filled with 'light.' It is the most sacred and noble guardian will originating from the Emperor."

The other one pointed to itself.

"And my 'Tao' represents 'stillness.' That is the most fundamental and ultimate law of the universe, the law of balance for all things."

"When the great formation is activated, I will establish the deepest spiritual energy link with you. My 'Golden Core Universe' will merge with your 'Angel Realm'!"

"Together, we will build an absolutely stable 'singularity of order'!"

"When the 'Yang Poison' and 'Yin Sha' annihilate each other within your bodies, your souls will experience a fleeting, absolute state of 'blankness' and 'purity'!"

"And we must seize this moment!"

"With our 'light' and 'way' as the core, and with the indomitable fighting spirit of all your soldiers as the 'flame,' on that 'blank' canvas, we will re-imprint for you a brand new, pure one, belonging only to the Holy Blood Angels—"

"Soul Imprint!"

"At that time, the curse of Khorne will be completely eradicated!"

"And your ferocious fighting instincts will be restrained and guided by this new mark, ultimately transforming into a force that can be controlled and used at will, burning solely to protect humanity..."

"Holy Wrath!"

Chapter 220 Soul Alchemy (Bonus Chapter 9)

That concludes the explanation.

The entire plan unfolded slowly before everyone's eyes, like a magnificent scroll painting.

It is fraught with risks.

At the same time, it is logically rigorous and interconnected!

It is filled with... irresistible hope!

Hector looked at Tectus-19.

"Yes, Dao Master."

The technical supervisor stepped forward.

His red optical lens gleamed brilliantly. Clearly, while Hector was explaining his theories, his terrifying computing core had already transformed all his ideas into executable engineering blueprints!

A magnificent, precise, and complex three-dimensional array covering the entire planet Baal was instantly projected into the sky above the Gene Sanctuary!

That was a masterpiece that could drive any engineer crazy!

The entire planet Baal was completely enveloped by a massive energy network composed of countless hexagonal runes.

“This was developed and designed by the Dao Academy based on the Dao Lord’s vision from the moment it received the invitation from the Primarch,” Tectus began to explain in his emotionless synthesized voice, “'The Great Blood Spring Array of Ten Thousand Spirits' is divided into three layers.”

"The first layer is the 'gravitational layer.' We need to deploy 3,600 'gravitational anchoring towers' in Baal's synchronous orbit. Their role is to stabilize the planet's magnetic field and provide an absolutely stable 'base' for the operation of the array."

"The second layer is the 'energy guiding layer.' We need to build 129,600 'energy guiding rune towers' on the surface of Baal, according to specific 'meridian' nodes. They will act like capillaries, absorbing the radiation energy from the entire planet and precisely delivering it to the core of the grand array."

He pointed to the center of the array, to the spot where the light shone the brightest.

"The third layer, which is the core of the great formation, is the 'Refining Furnace'!"

"This core must be built in the region with the strongest radiation in the entire Barr system—"

"Right in the center of the 'Great Wasteland'!"

"At that time, all combat cultivators of the Ninth Legion will enter the 'Furnace.' The Dao Lord and the Legion Commander will sit at the Yin and Yang poles of the 'Furnace,' jointly presiding over this unprecedented event..."

"...Soul Alchemy!"

The magnificent array slowly rotated in mid-air.

Each node gleams with the cold light of data, representing absolute rationality.

But what it points to is a transformation of the soul, imbued with Eastern mysticism.

Science and metaphysics.

Logic and mythology.

At this moment, an unprecedented and perfect fusion was achieved on this array diagram.

Saint-Gilles gazed for a long time at this blueprint, both mad and full of hope.

The swirling light was reflected in his eyes.

His soul is engaged in an unprecedented, and surely final, battle between heaven and man.

He knew how risky this plan was.

If he is not careful, the entire Ninth Legion, along with himself, will be reduced to cosmic dust along with this planet.