Wizard: Starting With the Knights Breathing Method Chapter 2882: 586: Meeting the Netherworld Ancestor, the Secret of Lifespan!

All of a sudden, a familiar volume caught his eye on the table... "Soronan Quotations," brimming with renowned sayings from Sauron. What struck him as especially odd was the elegant signature it bore.

"Sauron must have visited this place and encountered the Netherworld Ancestor."

Uncertain of the time that had passed in his wait, the sound of approaching steps pulled Levi from his reverie.

"Welcome to the Netherworld Ancestor Hall... Levi."

A captivating yet gentle feminine voice echoed, as the crystalline drape parted, revealing a woman in a gray robe with a notably ashen skin tone, who stepped forward and lifted her flawless features.

Levi locked eyes with her, and in those depths, he appeared to glimpse the existences of countless billions of beings throughout the Multidimensional Plane, along with echoes from the primordial Nether eras.

This was undoubtedly a supreme figure!

An authentic Ancient entity!

The embodiment and enforcer of the Underworld Source River's intent!

"Greetings, Netherworld Ancestor."

"Are you seeking to bring Holy Dragon Augustus into the Underworld?"

"That's one way to put it. Right now, the Underworld battles the Abyss, and gaining another level-10 power would be beneficial, in my view."

"Your perspective holds merit... Yet, are you aware that every fresh Nether Emperor emerging in such a brief period spells the untimely demise of innumerable lives in remote reaches of this Universe through myriad mishaps?" The Netherworld Ancestor's stare intensified.

"I'm not aware," Levi replied honestly.

With hands clasped behind her back, the Netherworld Ancestor gazed toward the Mother River spanning the celestial vault:

"The Mother River does not originate lifespans; it merely oversees and distributes them. Our Land of Darkness expands and strengthens at a steady pace.

However, that pace faces constraints, resources remain finite, and within any given epoch, the number of civilizations and level-10s it supports is capped.

As a wizard, you grasp this well.

For an ordinary novice to ascend to primordial soul wizard status, the resources required are enormous, let alone for Grand Wizards or Legendary Wizards.

Every transcendent path follows suit.

Even those innate powerhouses like demons, Gods, Nether Emperors... they demand vast resources too. What form do these resources take?

You ingest elixirs, potions; you utilize Aether Stones, ores—these are the tangible ones. But there are intangible kinds as well, with lifespan being the most straightforward.

Barring us early-born God-demons and Nether Emperors from the Four Primordial Worlds, the majority of existences in Nora and the Multidimensional Plane originate from the Land of Darkness. Yet from birth, they aren't wholly owned by it.

They develop their own notions, beliefs; via feelings, interactions, innovations, they broaden life's breadth—elements the Land of Darkness cannot dominate.

All it can do is moderately curb life's duration, which is lifespan, since beings strive for advancement and breakthrough, perpetually challenging the set limits.

Similar to other assets, lifespan stays relatively constant over short spans but steadily increases over long ones; it's like a reservoir.

Still, its accumulation rate fails to match the rapid proliferation of those inventive entities. Take you wizards, for instance... your progress is alarmingly swift.

You uncover secrets of knowledge, apply that knowledge, chase the truths burning in your souls. This journey demands a resource expenditure that outpaces other societies by far.

That's why wizards endure shorter lifespans. Nora forms a segment of the Land of Darkness; were its inhabitants granted Dragon Clan-like longevity, outcomes might prove favorable or disastrous...

But this Universe offers no room for such experiments.

Thus, wizards' lifespans can only extend gradually, in modest increments. An unseen force governs this entirety—that's our role in the Underworld.

We manage, we do not generate. New Nether Emperors must sustain enduring lifespans without conjuring them from nowhere.

You frequently engage in the Netherworld Market within Hell; the 'Joss Paper' wielded by devils is essentially 'lifespan' transformed through our oversight.

It flows through Hell, ultimately feeding back into the Mother River in an endless loop. This very constraint on lifespan prevents the Underworld from unchecked growth.

In truth, for entire civilizations, excessive lifespan isn't always a boon. Do you find the wizard civilization's entrenchment of interests particularly rigid?"

At the query, Levi responded candidly:

"Yes, quite rigid—established families and sects dominate resources, leaving typical wandering wizards and newcomers struggling to advance."

The Netherworld Ancestor chuckled: "Imagine if wizards' lifespans stretched ten times longer?"

Levi pondered briefly before replying: "It might worsen considerably."

Lifting "Soronan Quotations," the Netherworld Ancestor leafed through it idly:

"Without doubt, enduring species wielding authority and extended lives would seize total control, as seen in the Abyss, astral world, Nightmare realm, and even the Underworld.

Long ago, Sauron arrived in the Underworld and forged a pact with me for the future. The Underworld and Nora would jointly combat the Abyss, enduring the looming Great Tribulation side by side, united in fate.

The Underworld bolsters Nora, enabling this innovative society to surge ahead; Nora serves as our keen blade, slashing into the Abyss and countering the other Three Realms on our behalf.

He requested a single favor: granting each Legendary Wizard a chance at rebirth. I questioned why not simply prolong their lives to twenty thousand years.

Why bother with such complexity?

He explained: Ten thousand years feels eternal, yet one must seize the now.

Ten thousand years strikes the ideal balance for human potential, fostering ingenuity while curbing stagnation to promote renewal.

Not too brief, not overly vast, avoiding potential pitfalls.

He asserted that human ingenuity suffices to contend with the heavens through personal effort, wresting slivers of vitality incrementally from the Land of Darkness.

He noted that the native entities of the Four Primordial Worlds appear mighty, yet their vast lifespans dull their sense of urgency and attunement to time's passage.