Chapter 1416: Can’t Fail.

As divine beings, they are connected to the Supreme Metac of their pathway through their Divine Metac, so they know what a Supreme Metac should look like and how it should operate. With this experience, they can create a viable image or concept for their own Supreme Metac.

This is why dragons and other people who aren’t part of sects will find it very difficult to create a Supreme Metac. If they don’t know what a Supreme Metac should look like and how it should operate, how can they draw a design diagram for a new Supreme Metac?

Even as a Dao Lord with many years of experience, he often failed at this step. Yet, looking at the web of interaction before him, he saw a new possibility.

To test that possibility, he decided to tweak the interactions. He removed one unit of commonality and observed the result.

As the unit of commonality was jerked away, the 18 entanglements between it and the other 18 units snapped off, and they stopped communicating. Upon seeing this, he braced for a collapse.

But the incomplete Supreme Metac didn’t collapse as a result. Instead, the incomplete Supreme Metac behaved as if nothing had happened.

"Unbelievable," he said in disbelief.

He pushed the idea further by removing one more unit of commonality. Then he removed a third one. Next came the fourth, fifth, and so on.

He didn’t stop until he reached the last unit of commonality. During the entire process, the incomplete Supreme Metac didn’t collapse.

Seeing this, he grinned and began adding the units of commonality back into the incomplete Supreme Metac. One by one, he restored the units of commonality until all 19 settled comfortably into place.

"So this is what perfect control means. But how far can it go?"

Then he pushed his capabilities even further by changing the instructions within each unit of commonality. He switched the instructions of two units to see what would happen.

Unlike the Supreme Metacs he made in the world, this incomplete Supreme Metac didn’t collapse at the slightest disturbance. It kept operating as if he hadn’t done anything to it.

He was still smiling as he changed one unit’s instructions into something completely wrong. Then he stopped smiling and became solemn when the incomplete Supreme Metac still didn’t collapse.

"Wait a minute. Is this a good thing or a bad thing?" he asked himself solemnly.

If it was a good thing, it meant he could create any Supreme Metac regardless of the rules he used to make it. This possibility increased the beating rate of his nonexistent heart.

He decided to confirm his conjecture immediately. But as he thought about how to do it, he suddenly realized a big problem he had overlooked all along.

"Where is the response from the Dao Source?" he asked, looking around in the darkness.

Usually, when an incomplete Supreme Metac reached the last unit of commonality without collapsing, it would seek the approval of a Dao Source. If it received the approval, it would grow translucent skin and transform from a bunch of glowing points of commonality into a phantom structure of the Supreme Metac.

This is what the guardian meant when they said that Dao Lords steal or borrow the power of a Dao Source. So without a Dao Source, a Supreme Metac won’t form.

Based on the rules, the incomplete Supreme Metac should have transformed into a phantom form when he put in the 19th Supreme Metac. Since he used an identical image and instructions from a successful Devouring Body Supreme Metac, he had no doubt he did everything right.

Of course, he didn’t intend to complete the last step and spend lifespan to solidify. He only used a Supreme Metac he was familiar with to test the process.

He planned to destroy the final product because the spark of power would repel it, since a Devouring Body Supreme Metac was already here. But he didn’t even get that chance.

"So this is the side effect of perfect control," he thought, clicking his tongue.

"I can do whatever I want here, but that doesn’t mean it is valid. And the spark of power can only control the power I already have. It can’t create new power."

Before him lay the incomplete Supreme Metac. It had 19 parts, each firing like neurons in a brain and exciting the neurons they are connected to.

It was a beautiful sight that nearly moved him to tears. But it was also a dead sight. It served no purpose because he couldn’t create Supreme Metacs on his own.

"This is not the end. I just need to find what’s so great about Supreme Metacs and copy that."

Just to be sure that he wasn’t missing anything, he infused lifespan into the incomplete Supreme Metac. Unfortunately, there was nothing to infuse lifespan into.

The units of commonality refused to accept the lifespan, and the connections between them ignored his offering completely. He wanted to spend 8.1 million years of his lifespan for the slim chance that something would happen. But he couldn’t even make that reckless gamble because no one was accepting his bid.

Seeing this, he snorted and said, "Just you wait."

After snorting and venting some of his dissatisfaction, he called out to Black Loki, "Hey, blockhead. Time to work."

He didn’t actually speak with Black Loki. He only nudged him, helping him become inspired. Black Loki took the inspiration seriously and got to work, trying to make a new Supreme Metac of the Devouring Pathway.

He had been roaming around for a while with nothing to do, other than grinding conversion efficiency. But then he suddenly had an idea for a new Supreme Metac.

"This is going to be expensive, though," he said, worried.

He was really worried about where he could get the lifespan from, but that didn’t stop him from trying to make it anyway. He chose to behave like a fool who had been inspired and decided to follow his muse wherever it might lead.