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**
After concluding the matter with the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree, Mo Yu and his group didn't linger long in the Ancient Wasteland Region. They immediately set off and, after several days of travel, returned to Yuan Manor.
This journey to the Ancient Wasteland Region had undoubtedly benefited Mo Yu the most. Not only did he successfully persuade the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree to nurture the Divine Wood Gang Thunder, ranked second on the Thunder Soul List, but he also absorbed the soul power of a Dou Di and acquired a large number of Bodhi Seeds. Additionally, he forged alliances with several top-tier experts.
More importantly, by utilizing the Divine Wood Gang Thunder, Mo Yu established a connection with the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree. With this friendship, Yuan Manor would never lack Bodhi Seeds.
A single Bodhi Seed was enough to make countless peak Dou Zun experts green with envy—not for its other functions, but for its ability to increase the chances of breaking through to Ban Sheng. This single factor was enough to drive even the most powerful individuals into madness.
With sufficient Bodhi Seeds, Yuan Manor could cultivate its own Ban Sheng experts and use the seeds to draw in more Dou Zun experts, thereby rapidly strengthening the faction.
Despite the abundant rewards, the highlight for Mo Yu was killing Hei Guang Sheng Zhe, the Third Tianzun.
This act not only dealt a heavy blow to the Hall of Souls but also made Mo Yu's name echo throughout the Central Plains.
Slaying a Sheng-level expert while at the Dou Zun realm was an unprecedented feat in the continent's history.
Mo Yu's name would undoubtedly go down in legend.
Yuan Manor
Upon returning to Yuan Manor, Mo Yu and his group rested for an entire week to recover from the arduous journey. The trip to the ancient territory had been far from easy.
At the entrance of a mountain cave, She Lao glanced at Mo Yu with a smile. "Now, you can focus on your secluded cultivation. Leave Yuan Manor's matters to me—I'll ensure nothing goes wrong. Your priority is to break through to Ban Sheng as soon as possible."
Mo Yu silently nodded. Ban Sheng was a critical hurdle, like a fish leaping over a dragon gate. Crossing it meant stepping into the ranks of the continent's pinnacle experts. Failing to do so would leave him stuck at the top-tier level, which was utterly powerless against the colossal threat of the Hun Clan.
"After you enter seclusion, I'll also handle the cultivation of Xiao Yu, Cai Lin, Xiao Yixian, and Qing Lin. They're not ordinary women. With the right opportunities, their strength will grow quickly. By the time you emerge, they certainly won't hold you back."
She Lao patted Mo Yu on the shoulder before glancing behind him, where Cai Lin, Xiao Yixian, and the others stood silently, not interrupting the conversation.
"Alright," Mo Yu replied softly. He then took out all the Bodhi Seeds he carried and handed them to She Lao. "You should keep these. Use them as rewards for elders with opportunities to break through to Ban Sheng or those who make significant contributions."
She Lao hesitated for a moment before accepting the seeds.
As a Ban Sheng himself, he was well aware of the value of these seeds. With more than ten Bodhi Seeds, Yuan Manor's strength could be significantly enhanced in a short time.
Seeing She Lao take the seeds, Mo Yu smiled lightly. "The time has come. I'll begin my seclusion now. I don't know how long this session will last, but it likely won't be short. During this time, you'll all follow She Lao's instructions."
"Understood," Xiao Yu, Cai Lin, Xiao Yixian, and the others nodded slightly.
"Take care, She Lao!"
Mo Yu took a deep breath, clasped his fists toward She Lao, and then, without hesitation, turned and walked into the thick stone door under everyone's gaze.
"Boom!"
As Mo Yu entered, the massive stone door slowly descended, finally slamming into the ground with a heavy thud, stirring up a cloud of dust.
Staring at the enormous stone door, everyone fell silent. They could sense that Mo Yu's seclusion this time might last quite a while.
"Let's go. All we can do now is wait for him to successfully break through to Ban Sheng," She Lao sighed, waved his hand to store the Bodhi Seeds, and slowly departed. Cai Lin and the others reluctantly followed, glancing back repeatedly.
Inside the stone cave, Mo Yu sat cross-legged but didn't immediately begin cultivating. Instead, he pulled open his robe, exposing his chest.
Frowning slightly, he gazed at the strange black mark imbued with a sinister soul power on his chest.
This mark was the "Demonic Soul Mark" left by the Third Tianzun as his dying strike. It was a fusion of his soul power and the souls he had devoured—a devastating final attack.
As a killing move left by a Ban Sheng expert, the Demonic Soul Mark was far from simple. Even ordinary Ban Sheng experts would suffer torment or face death if afflicted by it.
However, Mo Yu wasn't too concerned. After all, he possessed the Black Lotus Soul Thunder, ranked third on the Thunder Soul List, which was uniquely suited to counter such malevolent soul powers.
With this thought, Mo Yu's heart stirred, and a black, lotus-shaped thunder emerged.
The black lotus thunder rotated slowly in midair, exuding an eerie soul power. Under Mo Yu's guidance, it descended toward the Demonic Soul Mark on his chest like a ravenous wolf.
"Zzzt zzzt!"
The moment the Black Lotus Soul Thunder entered the mark, crackling sounds filled the air. The previously domineering mark began to recoil, seemingly attempting to evade.
Seeing this, Mo Yu's eyes lit up. As expected, the Black Lotus Soul Thunder was the nemesis of such soul powers. If the Third Tianzun had known, he would've been enraged enough to crawl out of his grave.
His painstakingly crafted killing move had turned out to be utterly useless.
Under the influence of the black lotus thunder, the black threads of energy within the mark writhed like small snakes. With each twist, the dark hue faded slightly under the thunder's refinement.
Though the process was slow, without any additional reinforcement, the dark energy would eventually be entirely eradicated.
As the Demonic Soul Mark was refined, the soul power of several Dou Zun experts contained within it, as well as the soul power of the Third Tianzun and the magical beast that had one foot in the Ban Sheng realm, all became nourishment for the Black Lotus Soul Thunder.
Thinking of this, Mo Yu revealed a faint smile. Such an abundant amount of soul power was something even the Eight Ancient Clans would not casually bring out, yet thanks to the "gift" from the Third Tianzun, Mo Yu had essentially received it for free.
If he could successfully refine and absorb all the soul power within the Demonic Soul Mark, even if the Black Lotus Soul Thunder could not fully recover to its peak, it would not take long to come close.
As these thoughts ran through Mo Yu's mind, the black lightning surrounding the Demonic Soul Mark began to fade noticeably. Gradually, the dense and viscous soul power within, almost like liquid, became faintly visible.
This extremely slow refinement process lasted for an unknown amount of time. Mo Yu only knew that in order to refine this strand of the Demonic Soul Mark, nearly two-thirds of his Dou Qi had been consumed.
This alone was enough to demonstrate how troublesome the Demonic Soul Mark was. A mere strand of it had already drained Mo Yu to such an extent. However, this also brought Mo Yu immense joy. The abundant soul power within the Demonic Soul Mark, once fully refined, would undoubtedly bring significant benefits to the Black Lotus Soul Thunder.
Unexpectedly, this refinement process lasted an entire year.
A year was neither long nor short. Within the Yuan Manor, the news of the Manor Lord's closed-door cultivation to prepare for a breakthrough to Ban Sheng spread quickly, and everyone was eagerly awaiting the rise of another Ban Sheng expert within the Yuan Manor.
Time passed slowly amidst everyone's anticipation. Seasons came and went, and the massive stone door sealing Mo Yu's retreat gradually became covered with lush wild grass and green moss.
Over the course of this year, the retreat area became a forbidden zone within the Yuan Manor. Except for a select few, even some guest elders of the manor were strictly forbidden from entering.
After a year, although some in the manor grew restless, they had no choice but to suppress their impatience. After all, no amount of anxiety could change the situation. The only thing that reassured everyone was that She Lao could still sense a faint yet steady aura deep within the mountain, even through hundreds of meters of rock.
This aura, though as thin as a thread, was not weak. On the contrary, it seemed to be in a state of transformation.
Knowing that Mo Yu's presence could still be felt greatly alleviated everyone's worries. At such a critical time, no one dared to disturb him. All they could do was wait patiently in silence.
During Mo Yu's year-long retreat, the Central Plains saw its share of turbulence. The Hall of Souls' retaliation did not come immediately, allowing the Yuan Manor to seize the opportunity to grow even stronger under She Lao's leadership.
Many powerful individuals were drawn to the Yuan Manor, particularly after news of the manor possessing a Bodhi Seed spread. Even some peak Dou Zun experts, who usually remained low-key, couldn't resist and quietly became guest elders of the Yuan Manor.
The allure of the Bodhi Seed was simply too great, enough for them to trade away some of their freedom.
Of course, She Lao was not about to hand out Bodhi Seeds to these guest elders upon meeting them. These strong individuals were no fools and understood that such a good deal was impossible without effort.
Thus, these experts diligently contributed to the Yuan Manor in hopes of gaining She Lao's trust and obtaining a Bodhi Seed to achieve their long-desired breakthroughs.
Within the Yuan Manor, as Xiao Yu, Cai Lin, and the other women, along with Mo Yu's three new disciples, grew stronger, the Manor Lord's faction solidified its control over the manor's power.
This ensured that even if Mo Yu were to encounter any issues or lose his cultivation entirely, his hold over the Yuan Manor would remain unshaken.
Under such a virtuous cycle, the Yuan Manor's strength surged rapidly. It had already become a force on the Central Plains comparable to the Two Sects—old and established powers with long histories.
Moreover, with Yao Lao now leading the Falling Star Pavilion, that faction was also growing stronger by the day. The alliance between the two factions had become so influential that even the Hall of Souls and the Pill Tower could no longer afford to underestimate them.
Over the past year, while the Central Plains experienced a brief period of calm, this tranquility was soon shattered by a shocking piece of news that sparked waves of turmoil.
The subject of this news was the Ling Clan, one of the Eight Ancient Clans.
Not long ago, a group of experts discovered that the Ling Clan's dimension had reopened. However, upon investigation, they found the Ling Realm completely deserted. Not a single soul remained—not even the Ling Clan's common folk.
The sight of the empty space, devoid of any life, left the experts stunned. Soon, a chilling sensation crept up their spines.
The Ling Realm, which should have housed at least a million people including the Ling Clan's commoners, had completely vanished without a trace.
When this news reached the other clans, it caused a massive uproar. Each clan immediately dispatched experts to investigate the Ling Realm, but no matter how thoroughly they searched, they couldn't find a single Ling Clan member. It was as if the entire clan had vanished into thin air.
The Ling Clan, despite its decline in recent years, was still a member of the Eight Ancient Clans. A dying camel is still larger than a horse, and the Ling Clan had remained a top-tier power on the Central Plains.
If this was a case of annihilation, even the Gu Clan, with its immense strength, would find it nearly impossible to silently wipe out an entire clan.
The Ling Clan's mysterious disappearance caused an uproar across the Central Plains, with factions speculating about the cause of the incident.
If Mo Yu were present, he would undoubtedly know the truth. Across the continent, only the Hall of Souls, possessing the second-ranked Nihility Devouring Flame on the Heavenly Flame Ranking, had both the motive and capability to eradicate the Ling Clan by absorbing their bloodline.
However, even if Mo Yu knew that the Hall of Souls was responsible, he couldn't change anything. Once the Hall of Souls' war machine was set into motion, nothing could stop it—unless the other clans immediately set aside their differences and launched a united assault to annihilate the Hall of Souls.
But such an idea was nothing short of wishful thinking. If the Hall of Souls could destroy the Ling Clan, couldn't the Gu Clan do the same? Once seeds of doubt were sown, the possibility of a united front among the clans became a mere fantasy.
Even if such an alliance was forcibly formed, the Hall of Souls would exploit internal divisions and crush them one by one, potentially accelerating its own plans.
Mo Yu, knowing he was no strategist like Su Qin, understood that the chances of such an alliance were slim. Hence, he had no intention of exposing the Hall of Souls' actions and provoking a desperate response.
For now, his sole focus was breaking through to the Ban Sheng level…
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For exclusive access to 500+ advanced chapters and more, visit my Ko-fi page and support the journey:
ko-fi.com/laoyao95
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or Support me at patreon for 500+ advanced chapters :
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