Dilia was keeping Weidi company, but she noticed Lin Lei standing perfectly still, his eyes even closed. "What's wrong with Lin Lei? Could it be...?" Given his current state, Dilia naturally thought of—
Epiphany. Breakthrough!
Indeed, at this moment Lin Lei had finally crossed the threshold of the 'Power of Life' profound mystery. There were two great hurdles in cultivating a single profound mystery: the first was entry, the second was breaking through the bottleneck to perfection. Although obstacles might arise during the process, they could all be overcome through effort.
But entry and breaking through the bottleneck to perfection—mere perseverance alone wouldn't cut it. It required talent, opportunity, and a brief flash of epiphany.
At the beginning of an epiphany, the speed of comprehension was astonishing, advancing with overwhelming momentum. However, after a moment, Lin Lei's rate of progress dropped sharply. After all, an epiphany only clarified the entry portion; what came after still demanded painstaking cultivation.
Lin Lei opened his eyes to find Dilia standing before him, watching.
"Did you break through?" Dilia asked softly.
Lin Lei nodded with a smile. "I've finally stepped into the threshold of the Power of Life profound mystery... As expected, comprehending a profound mystery is no simple matter. It was only after experiencing so much, after my state of mind shifted... through accumulated insight that I could seize that instant of inspiration and achieve this epiphany."
A smile bloomed across Dilia's face.
"Lin Lei, didn't you say that reaching the Highgod level makes fusion much harder?" Dilia couldn't help but ask.
When fusing profound mysteries, the difficulty was lower during the initial stages of comprehension. It was like a young tree—while it's still growing, you can bend it, and over time it will naturally become a bent tree. But once the tree is fully grown, bending it is far more difficult.
"This fusion is even harder than entering the threshold of a single profound mystery," Lin Lei shook his head. "Otherwise, across the countless ages, Highgods who have reached Great Perfection wouldn't be so exceedingly rare."
"The further you go, the greater the fusion difficulty," Lin Lei sighed. "Look at me—I fused three profound mysteries in less than a thousand years. But fusing the fourth... it's been over six hundred years now, and I've only managed to fuse Power with Earth Pulse. No further progress at all."
Not a single bit of progress—should he just keep wasting time?
Looking at the cultivation histories of others, fusing four profound mysteries—even for the most genius of cultivators—took no less than ten thousand years.
"But once I reach the Highgod level, my strength will increase more than tenfold," Lin Lei said confidently. "At that point, even facing a Shura, I'd at least have the assurance of preserving my life."
His soul would be elevated, and with the absorption of amethysts, it would reach an entirely new height.
Meanwhile, Lin Lei's 'Black Stone Space' had previously been powered by mid-level Earth divine power. Once he reached the Highgod level, he would cast it with high-level Earth divine power instead. The power of the 'Black Stone Space' would increase dramatically once more!
The Purgatory Commander Reis Jing had used high-level Earth divine power when casting his Gravity Space.
Once Lin Lei reached the Highgod level, the 'soul confusion' effect of the Black Stone Space would increase more than tenfold! The gravitational force would also experience a terrifying boost. At that point, even a Seven-star Demon would find it difficult to move freely within the Black Stone Space.
And when that time came...
Lin Lei's Black Stone Space would be hardly inferior to that of Purgatory Commander Reis Jing.
"Moreover, only after reaching the Highgod level will there be hope of repairing the Coiling Dragon Ring," Lin Lei sighed. "Mental Power can repair it, yes, but it is ultimately a soul-defense chief divine artifact. My Mental Power is still far too weak. Once I reach the Highgod level and use amethysts to elevate my soul to the pinnacle of the Highgod realm—even without a perfect restoration, I can bring back several tenths of its power."
Greed beyond one's capacity would only lead to ruin.
Now that Lin Lei was about to break through to the Highgod level, his strength would already be formidable enough. Better to reach the Highgod level as soon as possible.
Time flowed like water, trickling silently onward. Lin Lei cultivated quietly in the great canyon, advancing steadily. Weidi, too, had grown into adulthood, and once the hundred-year mark arrived, he went to receive the Ancestral Temple Baptism.
Lin Lei couldn't help but sigh...
He himself had cultivated to godhood through countless hardships, breaking through step by step. Yet Weidi, through the Ancestral Temple Baptism, had directly become a Water System god.
"Weidi's strength is still far too weak. In Hell, a Lowgod's power isn't nearly enough to roam freely." Although Lin Lei wanted Weidi to experience some trials and setbacks, he wasn't willing to let the boy go out and throw his life away.
Weidi usually sparred with other Lowgods in the Heavenly Sacrifice Mountain Range.
It had been over a hundred years since Fuerhan was killed. But the higher-ups of the Four Divine Beast Families all felt oppressed! The enemy—the Eight Great Families—were growing ever more aggressive, while their own elders had suffered far too many losses.
Patriarch Gaisleisen's residence.
"Patriarch!" Jiawei said urgently. "We can't go on like this. If this continues for another thousand years, I'm afraid the Azure Dragon Clan won't have many Seven-star Demon elders left."
Gaisleisen stood with his back to him, silent.
"Patriarch!" Jiawei called out again.
"Then what do you suggest we do?" Gaisleisen said in a low voice.
Jiawei hesitated briefly, then gritted his teeth. "Patriarch, pull all our forces back. Let the Eight Great Families shout and bluster along the fixed routes... We should stay in the Heavenly Sacrifice Mountain Range and recuperate!"
Gaisleisen fell silent.
How glorious the Four Divine Beast Families had once been! Their reputation had spread across every Supreme Divine Plane and Deity Plane. No family had ever dared look down on them. The life of an ordinary family's patriarch was worth less than that of a common disciple of the Four Divine Beast Families.
Family glory—this was sacred and inviolable.
For countless ages, the children of the Four Divine Beast Families had never bowed their heads, even in death. Because they all understood that even if they fell, the family would avenge them! The disciples of the Four Divine Beast Families were proud!
"You want the Four Divine Beast Families to submit? To cower within the mountain range and never venture out?" Gaisleisen said, his voice low. "Jiawei, do you know what they'll say outside? They'll say... our Four Divine Beast Families were beaten into hiding by the Eight Great Families, that we're a bunch of cowards who don't dare show our faces! I guarantee the Eight Great Families will spread this news with all their might—across Hell, across all four Supreme Divine Planes!"
To ordinary people, Gaisleisen's thinking might seem laughable.
That was because ordinary people had never stood at the height Gaisleisen occupied. Even in material planes, ordinary mortals would sacrifice their lives for family glory—let alone god-level powerhouses who possessed eternal lives. To them, family glory was all the more precious!
"Jiawei, go back," Gaisleisen said with a low sigh.
"Patriarch." Jiawei grew anxious.
"I told you to go back!"
Gaisleisen's voice was deep and heavy. Jiawei froze, then left helplessly. The hall now held only Gaisleisen. His brows were deeply furrowed, his mind filled with endless worry.
He had never imagined that the unshakable mountain behind him—the Old Ancestors—would all perish.
With the Old Ancestors gone, all the pressure had fallen upon his shoulders.