Chapter 2125

According to his rank, he had already reached the level of an eighth-rank Array Grandmaster, just a step away from the highest ninth rank.

After thousands of years of meticulous preparation, Daoist Tianlei launched his charge.

In the end, he still failed.

Although he did not die, his soul was wounded by the Dao, severing his foundation.

The physical body he had painstakingly cultivated throughout his life was also heavily damaged, but with the help of Thunder Mountain's origin spirit vein, his physical body gradually recovered later on.

However, this wounded soul could never recover.

Furthermore, he had already been targeted by the Great Dao and could not leave this place.

When he failed back then, he used a special method to deceive the Great Dao, making it believe he was dead.

Once he left this place, the Great Dao would bring down lightning once more, putting him to death again.

Lin Moyu opened his eyes and saw that Daoist Tianlei's Remnant Soul was already standing in front of him, while his physical body still sat motionless in the Thunder Sea.

Daoist Tianlei said softly, 'You know everything now, don't you?'

An urge rose in Lin Moyu's heart to use the spirit flower to help heal Daoist Tianlei's injuries.

Perhaps the spirit flower could heal injuries caused by the Great Dao.

But Lin Moyu did not move. He did not know how Daoist Tianlei would treat him once he took out the spirit flower.

Human hearts are fickle. Without the ability to protect himself, Lin Moyu did not dare to easily take out the spirit flower.

Lin Moyu understood very well the principle that possessing a treasure can bring disaster.

Lin Moyu asked softly, 'Senior, is your injury truly untreatable?'

Daoist Tianlei said, 'Even if it can be cured, so what? Once cured, will I just go out and be struck back to my original state by the Great Dao?'

'This deity has no confidence in preserving my life a second time under the Great Dao.'

'Now, by relying on this Thunder Mountain spirit vein, I can still linger on. In truth, being here is no different from being outside.'

He spoke with a hint of sorrow, carrying a strong sense of helplessness.

Lin Moyu couldn't help but ask, 'Then what can I do for you, Senior?'

Daoist Tianlei's eyes flashed with thunder. 'You are the only one who truly passed the test. Unfortunately, you are not suited for this deity's Dao.'

Lin Moyu knew that he was indeed not suited for Daoist Tianlei's Dao. Their fundamental concepts were completely different; perhaps they could eventually reach the same destination through different paths, but not right now.

'This deity has no regrets about failing the breakthrough. My only remaining wish now is that I do not want my Dao to be severed here.'

Chapter 2574: Keeping the Good Stuff in the Family

Daoist Tianlei had no regrets about failing his charge towards that realm.

All he wanted was to find a successor who could pass down his Dao.

Yet he was so proud that he looked down on ordinary people, and he similarly looked down on those whose concepts did not align with his.

Someone had once entered this place, obtained his preliminary approval, and received some benefits he left behind.

That person was the ancestor of the Lei Family. It could also be said that the Lei Family's Dao originated from Daoist Tianlei.

However, the Lei Family had only obtained a very small portion of his inheritance. Nevertheless, the Lei Family's ancestor later used Daoist Tianlei's Dao to evolve his own inheritance and walk his own path.

Everyone knew that the Lei Family made their fortune from Thunder Mountain, but they did not know that a true powerhouse was hidden within Thunder Mountain.

Furthermore, the origin spirit vein controlled by the Lei Family was not the most fundamental one.

The most fundamental eighth-rank thunder-attribute origin spirit vein in Thunder Mountain had always been controlled by Daoist Tianlei.

Moreover, after Daoist Tianlei failed to break through to a higher realm, this spirit vein was influenced by the power of the Great Dao and evolved once again.

Over hundreds of thousands of years, the origin spirit vein had gradually grown stronger and was developing towards a ninth-rank origin spirit vein.

And this spirit vein grew a huge branch outside Thunder Mountain, forming a seventh-rank thunder-attribute origin spirit vein.

This seventh-rank origin spirit vein was the one actually controlled by the Lei Family.

This seventh-rank origin spirit vein continuously grew beneath the earth, splitting into many branches. Many forces established their sects and families on this spirit vein, but they also had to depend on the Lei Family, paying tribute to them every year and obeying their commands.

Otherwise, once the Lei Family cut off their spiritual energy, it would mean the severance of their orthodox lineage, destroying their sects and exterminating their clans.

Therefore, after gaining control of Thunder Mountain, the Lei Family continued to explore it, hoping to find the source of the spirit vein and truly control Thunder Mountain.

Unfortunately, as long as Daoist Tianlei remained for a single day, the Lei Family could forget about controlling Thunder Mountain.

This was also the reason why the Lei Family had not made much progress over all these years.

Lin Moyu finally understood the whole story. With his understanding of karma, he did not believe that Daoist Tianlei was completely beyond saving.

'Senior, based on my understanding of karma, Heaven never seals off all exits. Since you were once able to preserve your life under the Great Dao, there must be another path to take.'

Daoist Tianlei revealed a rare smile. 'There is indeed a path, but it is not easy to walk.'

Lin Moyu said, 'May I boldly ask how your path should be walked, Senior? Perhaps I can be of assistance.'

Daoist Tianlei shook his head. 'You cannot help. But there is no harm in telling you. The most important thing is for this spirit vein to become a ninth-rank spirit vein.'

'At that time, this deity will merge with it. With the help of the spirit vein's power, perhaps there will be another chance to make a final gamble.'

'But how difficult is it for a spirit vein to ascend? Especially from the eighth rank to the ninth rank. I do not know how many more years I will have to wait, nor do I know if I can last until then.'

One could hear that Daoist Tianlei did not harbor much hope.

Perhaps this hope was truly slim, but it was not completely nonexistent.

Lin Moyu said, 'I believe that day will come. But what about your soul, Senior?'

Daoist Tianlei suddenly burst into laughter. 'You underestimate the Dao Nine Realm too much. As long as the origin spirit vein can ascend to the ninth rank, this deity's soul injury can naturally be restored.'

'If my soul remains in this state, how could I even talk about making a gamble!'

Lin Moyu thought about it and realized it made sense. Although soul injuries were difficult to treat, they were not completely incurable.

If even he had ways to deal with them, how could an existence of the Dao Nine Realm have no way?

Through Daoist Tianlei's words, Lin Moyu already knew the distinctions within the Dao Venerable Realm.

The Dao Venerable Realm was different from any previous realm. It was not divided into low, middle, and high ranks, but was classified in much greater detail.

The Dao Venerable Realm was divided very meticulously, from the weakest Dao One Realm to the strongest Dao Nine Realm.

In the Dao Venerable Realm, there was a saying that each realm was like ascending to heaven; the difference in strength between each realm was immense.

It was just that Lin Moyu did not yet know which realm the few Dao Venerables he had encountered actually belonged to.

After chatting with Daoist Tianlei for a while, Lin Moyu raised the most important question. 'Senior, since you are giving the inheritance to me, could you tell me your requirements for the successor?'

Daoist Tianlei had waited here for so many years and screened countless people. Other than the ancestor of the Lei Family, no one had caught his eye, which showed how high his requirements were.

In light of this, Lin Moyu could not just find any random person to give the inheritance to.

Aside from good talent, their character also had to be tested.

He couldn't just find a bloodthirsty maniac, or the karmic trouble would be immense.

Daoist Tianlei said in a deep voice, 'Originally, you were a very good candidate. Unfortunately, you have too many Daos, which conflicts with this deity's concepts.'

'However, you can inherit this deity's path of the Artifact Array. You are highly talented in the aspect of Artifact Arrays, so there is no issue with that.'

'As for this deity's fundamental Thunder Dao, I hope you can find someone with concepts similar to mine. You will assess their talent and other matters; this deity will place no restrictions.'

The subtext of this sentence was: I can't control you anyway, so just do as you see fit.

Lin Moyu naturally understood. 'Then does Senior have any requirements regarding gender? Is there any restriction like passing it down to males but not females?'

Daoist Tianlei was amused. 'Is this old man such a pedantic person?'

Not pedantic?

Lin Moyu felt that Daoist Tianlei was actually quite pedantic. Otherwise, his Dao would have been passed down long ago, and he wouldn't have waited for hundreds of thousands of years without finding a single successor.

He could have first found some passable candidates to pass down his Dao, letting it gradually branch out and grow. As the numbers increased, some geniuses would bound to emerge.

Yet he insisted on waiting for someone who was top-tier in every aspect. As a result, he waited for hundreds of thousands of years and ended up with absolutely nothing.

The ancestor of the Lei Family was considered lucky to have obtained a tiny bit of the inheritance.

It was fine to think these things in his heart, but he did not dare to say them aloud.

Lin Moyu said, 'I have a disciple who is currently inside Thunder Mountain. I think she might be suitable.'

Daoist Tianlei's gaze focused. 'You plan to keep the good stuff in the family?'

'I indeed have this thought. You can take a look first, Senior. It must naturally receive your approval first.'

He knew that Daoist Tianlei could see the entire Thunder Mountain.

As the source of the origin spirit vein, nothing that happened in Thunder Mountain could be hidden from him.

Daoist Tianlei lightly gestured with his fingers, causing the Thunder Sea to churn as the people who had entered Thunder Mountain were revealed one by one in the image.

Revealed along with them was a huge origin spirit vein. These people who entered were all located on various nodes of the origin spirit vein.

Lin Moyu quickly analyzed that this spirit vein was the seventh-rank origin spirit vein controlled by the Lei Family.

Those who entered the Core Area were located at the center of a certain node of the spirit vein, while those with ordinary qualifications were near the nodes of the spirit vein.

At the center of the nodes, the origin power was naturally much stronger.

Through arrays, the Lei Family stripped the thunder attribute from the spirit vein, turning it into pure origin power, allowing everyone cultivating inside to obtain a large amount of origin power.

Lin Moyu saw Xiaoyue and also saw Gu Nianshui.

'Huh? Gu Nianshui's appearance…'

Chapter 2575: Xiaoyue's Second Master

Lin Moyu would not mistake the person. Gu Nianshui's clothing had not changed; the only change was her appearance.

A different appearance, a different temperament.

Daoist Tianlei asked, 'The disciple you mentioned is her?'

Lin Moyu shook his head. 'No, not her. Her name is Gu Nianshui, and she is from the Hanshui Holy Land. When I saw her before, she was in a male body. For some reason, she has turned into a woman.'

Daoist Tianlei glanced at her. 'She has a magic treasure that can alter her appearance and temperament. The grade of the magic treasure is decent, at the Dao Venerable Realm, which is why you cannot see through it.'

So that was how it was!

Daoist Tianlei said, 'Is there enmity between the two of you?'

Lin Moyu asked, 'Why do you say that, Senior?'

Daoist Tianlei said, 'There is a karmic entanglement between you and her. It is either enmity or affection. Since you didn't even know her gender, it is highly likely to be enmity.'

Lin Moyu said, 'Earlier, because of the competition for Star Lord Jiaojiao's inheritance, there was some conflict between us. It can't really be considered enmity.'

Daoist Tianlei looked at Gu Nianshui, thunder faintly flashing in his eyes. 'This girl is a bit unlucky.'

'It seems she won't gain much this time, and for a period of time afterward, she shouldn't expect smooth sailing either.'

'However, backed by the Hanshui Holy Land, she can recover under the washing of the Holy Land's destiny, though it will take some time.'

Lin Moyu immediately realized what was happening. It must have been Mist who took action, invisibly placing a Curse on Gu Nianshui.

Before, with Dao Venerable Gu Nianhai by her side, Mist did not dare to Curse her, fearing discovery.

After Gu Nianshui entered the Core Area, Mist could stealthily cast the Curse to weaken Gu Nianshui's destiny.

With Mist's Heavenly Venerable Realm level, Gu Nianshui could not detect this silent Curse at all.

Looking at Gu Nianshui in the image, her brow was slightly furrowed, and her cultivation was clearly not going smoothly.

Lin Moyu didn't bother to worry about her either, but instead looked at Xiaoyue. 'Senior, this is my disciple.'

Daoist Tianlei looked toward Xiaoyue, and gradually, his gaze became focused.

The image in front of them enlarged, and everyone else disappeared, leaving only Xiaoyue.

Daoist Tianlei said softly, 'I misjudged her. She actually has a Natural Jade Soul!'

The Lei Family had given Xiaoyue a magic treasure to conceal her aura, which had even deceived Daoist Tianlei.

Xiaoyue's Natural Jade Soul was an extremely strong cultivation talent.

But as to whether she could meet Daoist Tianlei's requirements, Lin Moyu was also unsure.

Daoist Tianlei looked at Xiaoyue, a look of satisfaction gradually appearing in his eyes, and muttered to himself, 'She has only recently reached the Super God Realm, has not comprehended laws, and promoted entirely by relying on physical strength.'