The hall spirit's eyes narrowed slightly as it stared at Lin Moyu. "Are you truly certain you will give up eternal life and everlasting existence, and not become a divine servant?"
Its voice was still full of seductive pull. If one's Dao heart were not firm, one might not withstand the temptation and choose to become a divine servant.
However, anyone who could become a Hongmeng true supreme powerhouse would have a Dao heart that was not bad. Most likely, these temptations could be endured.
Could it be that what Divine Thunder Emperor said, to be careful about the choice, did not refer to just now?
Lin Moyu had thoughts in his heart. He hummed in acknowledgment. "Junior does not wish to become a divine servant."
The hall spirit asked again, "Last chance. Are you truly sure?"
Lin Moyu answered firmly, "I am sure."
The hall spirit sighed. The giant face slowly disappeared. Starlight poured down, and an old man paced out from the starlight. His smile was kindly and amiable. The moment he appeared, he gave people an indescribable sense of closeness, as if he were very worthy of trust.
Lin Moyu's Dao heart was firm. That feeling appeared only for an instant before being erased. He knew the Divine Servant Hall was not safe. Any step taken wrongly could lead to eternal damnation.
Lin Moyu bowed slightly. "Lin Moyu greets senior hall spirit."
The hall spirit smiled warmly. "Little friend, no need for such courtesy. Congratulations, little friend, for passing the test of the divine-servant selection."
Lin Moyu asked, "That just now was a test?"
The hall spirit said, "Naturally. It was a test against the temptation of eternal undying and great power."
The corner of Lin Moyu's mouth twitched faintly. This kind of test seemed to have no difficulty at all. I am afraid not many true supreme powerhouses would choose to become a divine servant. Anyone who could become a true supreme powerhouse was a peerless genius with a firm Dao heart. What is more, those who could even come here were the peak existences among true supreme powerhouses.
The hall spirit chuckled. "Little friend surely feels that the earlier choice was somewhat childish, it seems."
Lin Moyu spoke truthfully. "Indeed."
The hall spirit shook his head. "For little friend, it is indeed childish. But for some, it is not."
The hall spirit continued. "When little friend entered the hall, did you see those remnant souls?"
Lin Moyu said, "I saw them."
The hall spirit said, "They are all divine servants, thirty-eight in total. Every one is a Hongmeng true supreme powerhouse. Among them, eighteen could not withstand the temptation and directly chose to become divine servants."
So many. Among thirty-eight divine servants, eighteen could not withstand temptation, nearly half. That was far too many.
The hall spirit continued, "Those who can come here are all top existences, but after the long journey, some have already suffered damage to their Dao hearts. Then after being struck by annihilating power, the damage only becomes heavier."
"Rising Immortal Road lives one life can only repair soul, flesh body, and cultivation, but cannot repair Dao heart. Moreover, under the concealment of cultivation, they cannot even discover that their Dao hearts are damaged."
"Thus, before the temptation of eternal life, they choose to become divine servants. And little friend's Dao heart is complete, so naturally you are unaffected."
So that was it.
Lin Moyu asked, "Then if one chooses to become a divine servant, what happens?"
The hall spirit said, "Then naturally one turns into a remnant soul and remains in the hall forever. Their Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth will also naturally collapse. Everything returns to nothingness."
A chill rose in Lin Moyu's heart. As expected, it was terrifying. A single wrong choice could turn all one's efforts into nothing.
The hall spirit smiled. "Little friend has made the correct choice. No need to worry too much."
Lin Moyu would not believe such nonsense. Since there were twenty people who did not choose to become divine servants, yet in the end they still ended as remnant souls in the hall and still became divine servants, it meant what came next was also unsafe, perhaps even more dangerous.
Lin Moyu asked, "Since Lin has passed the test, what must be done next?"
The hall spirit said, "Naturally, carry out the next round of choice according to the master's will. This time it is not a test, but a choice."
That matched exactly with Divine Thunder Emperor's reminder.
What choice would it be?
Lin Moyu became alert.
The hall spirit before him should be a spirit of a treasure, acting according to the rules set by its master. Therefore, the deciding power of the choice did not lie with it, but with its master.
That master seemed to have vanished for many years.
Lin Moyu felt that before choosing, he could ask more questions to gain some information and help him decide.
The hall spirit chuckled. "Two choices."
"First: take what the master prepared for little friend, then follow the method the master left behind to strike at the next step."
"Second choice is also to take what the master left behind, but little friend must leave a thread of your soul in the hall. If little friend fails, your remnant soul will belong to the hall. This old one will decide, based on little friend's condition at that time, whether little friend can become a divine servant."
Lin Moyu's heart stirred.
If he chose the second, then if he died, he might still become a divine servant. But the rules of the world were that gain came with loss. One could not gain benefits for nothing.
Lin Moyu immediately asked, "What exactly is the difference between these two choices?"
The hall spirit chuckled and wore a kindly smile. "If you choose the first, there will be no road of retreat. Once the strike fails, little friend will have your soul scattered and your spirit dispersed, reduced to ashes and smoke."
"If you choose the second, even if you fail, little friend still has a chance to become a divine servant. However, once you choose the second, you must leave a thread of your soul behind. Then the success rate of striking the next step will be reduced by one tenth."
Choose one: no retreat, if you die then you die.
Choose two: there is a retreat, if you die you still have a chance to become a divine servant, still able to exist forever.
From this, it seemed those twenty Hongmeng true supreme powerhouses chose the second.
But then again, it was only a reduction of one tenth. Choosing the second seemed like the correct choice.
Lin Moyu finally understood why Divine Thunder Emperor told him to be careful about the choice. Divine Thunder Emperor chose the second. He failed and became a divine servant. Did that mean he was very close to success? He might feel that if he had chosen the first and not lost that one-tenth probability, he would have succeeded.
Of course, Lin Moyu thought this was most likely only his delusion. Even if he chose the first, he still might not succeed. One tenth might seem small, but sometimes a tiny difference could lead to a thousand-mile miss. Not even a hair's breadth could be off, let alone one tenth.
Choosing one did not guarantee success. Choosing two guaranteed failure.
The hall spirit still wore a kindly smile. "Little friend, have you decided which you will choose?"
Lin Moyu had already calculated in his heart, but he did not choose immediately. Instead, he asked, "Junior has a few questions. I wonder if senior can answer."
The hall spirit smiled. "Ask. As the victor of this Great Annihilation cycle, you are qualified to ask."
Lin Moyu asked, "Since the Divine Servant Hall was established, how many people have come? Among those who chose the first option, has anyone succeeded?"
The hall spirit seemed to have long expected this question. "In total, seventy-nine have come before. Little friend is the eightieth."
"Other than the thirty-eight divine servants little friend saw, the remaining forty-two all chose the first. None of them succeeded."
A coldness rose in Lin Moyu's heart. As expected. Even choosing the first did not guarantee success.
He did not believe those forty-two Hongmeng true supreme powerhouses were all inferior to Divine Thunder Emperor. Divine Thunder Emperor was strong, but only among the best, not the strongest.
Just now, among those divine servants, several did not speak at all, but their aura was terrifyingly strong, surpassing Divine Thunder Emperor. Even the Living Beings Heavenly Emperor's aura seemed stronger than Divine Thunder Emperor by a few degrees.
Lin Moyu asked, "Does senior know what the result would be if one successfully steps into the next step?"
The hall spirit laughed. "Little friend jokes. That already exceeds what this old one knows."
Lin Moyu pressed, "Then how does senior know those forty-two all failed?"
The hall spirit said, "Because their Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth all collapsed, and they also turned to ashes and smoke."
Lin Moyu's heart moved. "If one succeeds, can the Great Annihilation stop?"
The hall spirit's gaze changed slightly. "Perhaps it can."
It did not answer directly. This ambiguous answer required Lin Moyu to think for himself. But to Lin Moyu's ears, it was already an answer. It meant yes.
In truth, this choice was not two choices. There was only one option. Only by choosing to abandon retreat did one have a chance to go further. If one left a retreat, the outcome was already destined.
But even if one chose the first and pressed forward without retreat, the chance of success was still not high. Those forty-two predecessors already gave the answer.
The questions he asked were likely asked by many. After getting this answer, some would retreat.
But he would not.
Lin Moyu already had an answer.
The hall spirit smiled kindly. "Little friend, have you decided?"
Lin Moyu said, "I have."
"Junior chooses the first, leaving no retreat."
The hall spirit's smile did not change, but its eyes did. In the depths of its eyes, there seemed to be a trace of sharpness, even a trace of killing intent.
Lin Moyu frowned slightly.
It wants to kill me.
The hall spirit hid it well, but it still could not conceal it from Lin Moyu's soul. That trace of killing intent, faint to the extreme, was precisely captured.
Clearly, the hall spirit did not want him to choose the first. It wanted him to choose the second. Because if he chose the second, he either died or became a divine servant. There was no other possibility.
Thinking back to the first test, the hall spirit also repeatedly asked him then. In fact, at that time it already hoped he would choose wrong.
Afterwards, though it pretended to act by the rules, that was not the case.
It was the hall spirit, the treasure spirit of the Divine Servant Hall. It indeed had to act by the rules, but it might also possess certain privileges, such as subtle guidance.
Lin Moyu did not think further. He did not want his reaction to be noticed by the hall spirit. He immediately answered, "Although junior does not wish to die, junior's Dao heart tells junior that I must press forward without retreat."
The hall spirit's eyes flickered, its smile unchanged. "You are sure?"
Lin Moyu replied extremely firmly, "I am sure. Junior chooses the first, leaving no retreat."
Just in case, Lin Moyu repeated his choice once more.
As long as his answer was clear and firm enough, the hall spirit could not alter it.
The hall spirit's smile gradually vanished, replaced by a serious look. "Since so, then I wish little friend good luck."
It said it wished him luck, but Lin Moyu heard a trace of anger. It was still hiding it. In truth, it did not want to violate the rules, or rather, it did not dare violate the rules.
Lin Moyu pretended to notice nothing. "Many thanks, senior hall spirit."
The hall spirit raised a hand and tapped lightly. A streak of starlight fell, producing a square box.
"Take it. What comes next, whether you succeed or not, depends on you."
As it spoke, it swept a hand.
The Divine Servant Hall suddenly vanished. Even the divine mountain beneath his feet vanished together with it.
Lin Moyu stood in the void. The annihilating power of the Life-Forbidden Zone surged in from all directions. If not for the box before him, everything that happened earlier might have seemed like a great dream.
Lin Moyu took the box and turned to leave.
He did not open the box immediately. Instead, he moved far away. He did not know whether the Divine Servant Hall had truly left. It might only have hidden. He might still be under surveillance. The other side's level was too high. He had to be careful.
After flying for a long time and having gone far away, runes flew from Lin Moyu's fingertips, two runes of yin-yang and real and empty. The runes interwove into a grand array that enveloped Lin Moyu. The grand array blocked annihilating power and isolated inside from outside.
Here, treasures could not be used. Even the Calamity Scepter had sunk into silence. The Chess of All Living Beings and the Zijin Thunder Pagoda were likewise suppressed.
The only thing he could rely on was himself.
One grand array forming was not enough.
More and more runes flew out. One grand array nested within another. Every grand array formed its own space. The spaces overlapped each other, dense and layered.
With too many grand arrays, stability weakened. The space inside the arrays became somewhat chaotic.
This chaos was exactly what Lin Moyu wanted. The more chaotic it was, the safer he was. Others would find it harder to surveil him.
A lotus bloomed from the grand array beneath him. He sat cross-legged. His eyes closed. Only now did he begin to formally sort through what he experienced in the Divine Servant Hall.
The hall spirit was the treasure spirit of the Divine Servant Hall. A treasure spirit should not betray. The probability should be near zero.
But this hall spirit clearly had developed ulterior intent.
Yet as the hall spirit, it still had to act according to the rules its master set.
It could possess some privileges, but could not completely violate them.
So it could not act openly, only in sneaky ways.
The master of the Divine Servant Hall had not returned for a long time. That throne had been empty for unknown ages. Even those seats meant for divine servants had never been sat upon.
The divine servants inside the hall never went in to sit.
They were divine servants but did not sit because they could not sit.
In other words, the master was absent, and they were not qualified to sit.
Those seats had existed for countless years, ancient beyond measure, with no trace of being touched across endless years.
This also indicated that even the hall spirit had no qualification to move them.
The hall spirit's power was limited, so it could only guide.
But no matter what it did, it was only a hall spirit. Even if it had ulterior intent, why would it guide others like this, making them become divine servants? That brought it no obvious benefit. These divine servants did not have much to do with it.
No matter who it was, doing anything, one sought a benefit.
The hall spirit gained no benefit, yet insisted on doing it. That meant someone else could gain benefit.
Thinking to this point, Lin Moyu felt he had caught some information.
Making people become divine servants did not benefit the hall spirit, but it might benefit others.
That meant there was someone behind the hall spirit.
Moreover, the hall spirit did not want anyone to succeed. That meant if someone succeeded, it would harm it and bring it no benefit.
Who was the one hidden behind the hall spirit?
It could not be the hall spirit's master. That supreme master had long departed.
Whoever was behind the hall spirit could only be extremely powerful, but due to some reason could not act directly. The hall spirit also could not act directly.
Not being able to act directly against him did not mean they could not tamper, such as adding difficulty.
Whoever blocks me, I will slaughter them.
After sorting his thoughts, Lin Moyu finally opened the box.
This box was what the master of the Divine Servant Hall left behind. The hall spirit could not violate it. As long as he chose, it had to hand it to him.
The box opened. An unusual aura rushed at him.
Inside the box were two items.
One was a square, seven-colored jade stone.
The other was a fist-sized object like a seed.
At the instant the box opened, a stream of information flowed into his soul.
In the void, a giant eye faintly appeared.
The giant eye stared at Lin Moyu's grand arrays.
"This child is very cautious. Will he have noticed something?"
"It should not come to that. Across countless years, cycle after cycle of Great Annihilation, so many Hongmeng true supreme powerhouses noticed nothing. He is only one of them."
"Call it caution, or call it cowardice. Even if he made the correct choice, this step cannot be completed."
"Since you seek death, then go die."
"A few more cycles, and this hall spirit can be free as well."
The giant eye gradually disappeared.
The hall spirit came secretly, but Lin Moyu still sensed it.
These grand arrays isolated inside from outside, and they were also Lin Moyu's eyes.
Lin Moyu murmured in his heart, "As expected, there is a problem."
The hall spirit's appearance did not escape Lin Moyu, confirming his thoughts.
He set up so many grand arrays, seemingly to conceal himself, but Lin Moyu knew that his arrays might not necessarily work. He still did it to make the hall spirit feel his caution, even his cowardice. It was a small deception.
Lin Moyu did not know how great the hall spirit's privileges were. Without being able to judge accurately, being careful was not excessive.
The box opened, and information entered his soul. Lin Moyu learned what he must do next.
This seed was the seed of a Hongmeng Spirit Tree.
Plant it within a heaven-and-earth, let it grow, and it would become a Hongmeng Spirit Tree.
The Hongmeng Spirit Tree was the most important thing of a Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth. Only it could support a Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth. Without a Hongmeng Spirit Tree, a Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth could not be formed.
At the same time, the Hongmeng Spirit Tree could also carry other heavens-and-earth, absorb their power, and help the Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth grow.
When a Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth was formed, its true supreme powerhouse would become a Hongmeng true supreme powerhouse, and only then would they have the qualification to step into the next step.
As for what the next step was, it matched Lin Moyu's guess.
It was to enter the Heaven-and-Earth Wall.
The so-called next step was very simple, and could be explained in a single sentence, a few words:
Use every method to enter the Heaven-and-Earth Wall.
If you enter, then the next step is considered successful.
The simpler it sounded, the harder it truly was. Otherwise, so many Hongmeng true supreme powerhouses would not have all failed.
Moreover, the hall spirit and the one behind it would definitely not allow him to succeed.
This step was established by the master of the Divine Servant Hall, with rules of its own. They also had to act by the rules.
So they could not directly kill him, but they would certainly obstruct him at certain moments and force him to fail.
Thinking through, his thoughts became clear, and his Dao heart condensed into one sentence:
Whoever blocks me, I will slaughter them.
I already have a Hongmeng Spirit Tree. This seed is perfect for Elder Sister.
Elder Sister's heaven-and-earth, though it could evolve into a Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth, would sooner or later collapse over time without a Hongmeng Spirit Tree. Originally, I wanted Little Tree to help support it. That was never the correct solution. Now with this seed, that problem is solved.
As for the other thing in the box, that square stone was named Hongmeng Divine Jade.
Hongmeng Divine Jade was a raw material for refining Hongmeng supreme treasures. It could refine a Hongmeng supreme treasure according to the heart-intent of each owner.
And the decisive factor determining how strong that Hongmeng supreme treasure would be was not the owner's cultivation, but the soul and flesh body.
To refine it, one had to place it into the body and refine it with soul essence blood.
Thus, the stronger the soul and flesh body, the stronger the Hongmeng supreme treasure refined.
Once the treasure was refined, its upper limit was decided. Even if one later tried to enhance it, it could not exceed that upper limit.
Just like the Chess of All Living Beings. Later, even if the Living Beings Heavenly Emperor poured in his entire Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth and all of himself, he could only bring the Chess of All Living Beings to its upper limit, but could not surpass it.
Lin Moyu picked up the Hongmeng Divine Jade and murmured inwardly, "If I am not mistaken, this jade is the key to entering the next step. This Hongmeng supreme treasure is extremely important. What should I refine it into?"
Not yet.
Go back first, then decide.
Just as he was about to put the Hongmeng Divine Jade back into the box, the Hongmeng Divine Jade turned into flowing water and burrowed into his body.
It entered his soul and had already begun absorbing essence blood and soul.
It had not yet started refining. The Hongmeng Divine Jade was only automatically absorbing essence blood and soul, like preheating, preparing for the future.
"Master, Master."
Two voices sounded one after another, coming from Hongmeng Gemstone and Little Tree.
The Hongmeng Gemstone and Little Tree, disconnected for a long time, both stirred at once.
Lin Moyu felt that he had reestablished connection with Yushen Heaven-and-Earth.
It was the effect of the Hongmeng Divine Jade.
Lin Moyu's heart moved, already understanding what was happening.
Before he could respond, the box in his hand also turned into a rune and imprinted onto the back of his right hand.
Lin Moyu's eyes lit up the instant he looked at this rune.
This rune fused yin-yang and real and empty. It was precisely the realm he had always sought.
The runes he currently drew, one yin, one yang, one real, one empty, were only one step away from reaching the end point, completing the fusion of yin-yang and real and empty.
At that time, it would be one thought forming a rune, one rune forming a grand array, one thought giving birth to ten thousand grand arrays.
This was what he had never found a path for, and had been unable to succeed at for many years.
The appearance of this rune was like a guiding lamp, pointing the way for him.
As long as he studied it deeply, reaching the end point of formation Dao would only be a matter of time.
This was the true opportunity.
"I know what I will refine."
Lin Moyu's inspiration surged. The appearance of this rune let him know what kind of Hongmeng supreme treasure he should refine.
The idea existed.
Next was to carefully carve and temper it.
This rune currently had only one function: teleportation.
It could teleport him across an immeasurable distance in an extremely short time.
With it, traveling back and forth would be far more convenient.
He did not know how many years he had flown to arrive.
Now to return, at most one year would suffice.
"Master, why are you not speaking?"
Hongmeng Gemstone's voice came again. Here it was still suppressed, unable to manifest, and could only speak.
Lin Moyu moved by intent. "Do not speak yet. Wait until I return, then we will talk. This place is not safe. The hall spirit might still be surveilling me. Everything must wait until I return."
Lin Moyu activated the rune on the back of his hand. The rune flashed and enveloped Lin Moyu. Lin Moyu vanished in an instant.
After Lin Moyu left, the hall spirit's giant eye appeared again.
It muttered to itself, "With him there, no one can enter. Another failure. Pity, one divine servant wasted."
As Lin Moyu departed, the grand arrays he had set up gradually collapsed.
Even the hall spirit did not discover that within the grand arrays, an Undying Spirit Soldier had been hidden.
The Undying Spirit Soldier's aura merged into one with the grand arrays, and it collapsed together with them.
Perhaps no one had ever done this before.
Or perhaps it was sheer confidence.
The hall spirit's muttering was not concealed at all.
Everything was recorded by the Undying Spirit Soldier and passed to Lin Moyu.
Originally, Lin Moyu had not even thought he could do this.
After the Hongmeng Divine Jade merged into his body, the suppression in this area weakened. Hongmeng Gemstone awakened, Little Tree regained contact, and along with them, the Technique Domain also recovered, allowing him to summon Undying Spirit Soldiers.
Thus, Lin Moyu silently placed an Undying Spirit Soldier into the grand arrays, letting it be born and perish together with the arrays.
As expected, after he left, the hall spirit appeared again and spoke that line.
Somewhere in the void, Lin Moyu ended a teleport and received the information transmitted by the Undying Spirit Soldier.
This fellow likely never imagined someone would do such a thing, so it had no guard.
A treasure spirit was always only a treasure spirit. It did not have the complexity of human hearts.
Though it had some malicious intent, it was still too naive.
That one line of self-talk from the hall spirit also contained a small amount of information.
In its view, Lin Moyu was destined to fail and die, matching Lin Moyu's guess.
There was someone hidden behind the hall spirit. That one would stop him.
And that one was not in the Divine Servant Hall.
That one was at the gate of the Heaven-and-Earth Wall.