A Dou Venerate Expert?!

Several months later, Lightning Swamp.

The once-raging lightning had gradually calmed after several months. Extremely powerful lightning energy filled the sky, all converging toward a single point.

"Boom!"

Heavenly thunder exploded. At the center of the layers of lightning, a figure sat quietly in meditation.

From afar, one could see lightning energy covering that figure's entire body, swimming ceaselessly across his skin like fish in a pond. The lightning seemed to have fused into his flesh and blood, causing even his physical body to emit a faint, lustrous glow.

Suddenly, the figure vanished into thin air.

With only an almost imperceptible flash of lightning, the figure had already appeared in the distance.

"Success."

Lin Mu opened his eyes, delight appearing on his face.

"I've finally achieved the initial mastery of the Nine Thousand Lightning Arts. With my current speed, I definitely won't be inferior to ordinary Dou Zong experts."

Feeling the lightning flickering over his fingers, Lin Mu casually waved his hand, and this stretch of heaven and earth returned to normal.

Lin Mu then landed on the ground. "I wonder how long I've been here. Since my goal has been achieved, it's time to leave."

With a flash, Lin Mu departed from the area.

Having lost the Yin Yang Twin Flames, perhaps the danger of Lightning Swamp would plummet in the future.

"Hmm?"

With Lin Mu's current speed, once he spread his black-and-white wings again, layers of lightning could be seen covering them. In the eyes of ordinary people, Lin Mu's speed could already be called teleportation.

Upon arriving once more at the small village ten miles away, Lin Mu felt waves of unusual activity from the Yin Yang Twin Flames within his body, prompting him to let out a soft sound of surprise.

Descending from the sky, Lin Mu saw the old man from before once again.

He still looked utterly lifeless. Though he clearly lacked the signs of a normal person's life, he truly continued to live here. Moreover, the curse power Lin Mu had sensed before had become especially distinct now.

"Is it because of the Yin Yang Twin Flames' curse power?"

After obtaining the Yin Yang Twin Flames, Lin Mu could now identify what the old man before him had suffered from.

"Looks like he entered Lightning Swamp back then as well. However, he was afflicted by the curse power of the Yin Flame within the Yin Yang Twin Flames, which turned him into this lifeless state."

Lin Mu stood there for quite some time before the old man suddenly spoke. "What a miracle, young man. You actually came out alive!"

"Old man, inside your body..."

Before Lin Mu could finish, the old man interrupted him. "Hehe, I'm already half-dead, so I stayed here to discourage passersby. I simply don't want anyone to repeat my mistakes."

"I can remove the curse inside you."

Lin Mu spoke.

This curse had been born from the Yin Yang Twin Flames, and now that Lin Mu controlled them, there was no reason he could not remove it.

"You... what did you say?"

The old man abruptly raised his head. Shock flashed through his eyes, as though light had appeared in them, but it soon dimmed again.

"Forget it. It isn't as though I've never encountered kindhearted young people. Back then, a young man who called himself the Ice Emperor also said he would remove my curse, but in the end, he accomplished nothing."

The old man waved his hand.

Lin Mu froze. He had not expected this old man to know Hai Bodong.

"Boom!"

A black-and-white flame rose from Lin Mu's hand. Before the old man could react, it turned into a streak of fire and shot into his body. In an instant, the old man felt the curse within him burn into nothingness.

"You!"

The old man suddenly turned around. Looking at the Yin Yang Twin Flames in Lin Mu's hand, his voice became extremely shrill. "You actually subdued this Heavenly Flame?!"

"The curse inside you was born from it, so naturally I have the ability to remove it."

Lin Mu smiled faintly. "Now that the curse has been removed, I won't stay any longer..."

Before he could finish speaking, an incomparably vast surge of Dou Qi descended over heaven and earth. The aura nearly crushed Lin Mu to the point that he could not breathe, and that terrifying Dou Qi was actually being emitted by the old man before him.

"Dou Venerate?"

Lin Mu felt that aura. It was incredibly terrifying, nothing like something a Dou Zong could possibly emit.

However, that terrifying Dou Venerate-level Dou Qi did not last long. A moment later, it receded, and he became an ordinary Dou Emperor again...

Upon realizing that the old man before him had actually been a Dou Venerate expert, Lin Mu was first stunned with shock before his expression became strange.

How did a Dou Venerate expert like you end up in such a state because of the Yin Yang Twin Flames? With your abilities, forcibly subduing them should not have been a problem, right?

"Hehe, young man, don't make that expression."

With the curse gone, the old man before him seemed to have regained his vitality. Not only had his strength recovered, but even his manner of speaking had changed.

"Back then, this old man fought a life-and-death battle with an enemy. Relying on the lightning arts I cultivated, I drew upon the lightning from all directions in the place you call Lightning Swamp and killed him, though I was severely wounded myself."

"Who would have thought that a Heavenly Flame had grown there? I desperately escaped, yet I was still struck by the curse, becoming as you saw me before."

Lin Mu asked in confusion, "Then what was that Dou Venerate aura from just now? Why did it suddenly become that of a Dou Emperor again?"

"This old man is called Venerable Huang Lei. After being severely wounded back then, my cultivation had already fallen to the Dou Emperor realm. Then I was afflicted by the curse. Although you have now removed it for me, perhaps my strength will remain at this level."

Venerable Huang Lei sighed. "That terrifying pressure from before may have been Heaven lamenting my fate, hehe."

He waved his hand. "Still, I must thank you, little friend. At such a young age, you possess the strength of a Dou Emperor and have even subdued a Heavenly Flame. Truly rare!"

"Remain at the Dou Emperor level?"

Lin Mu opened his mouth, feeling that it was somewhat absurd.

If he still had the strength of a Dou Venerate, perhaps I could have gained a Dou Venerate bodyguard.

However, he could not rule out the possibility that this fellow would try to kill him for his treasures. Thus, Dou Emperor strength was suitable enough. If they truly fought, Lin Mu was confident he could kill him.

"I was already someone on the verge of death. You removed the seal for me, which is like giving me back half my life. Hehe, forget it."

Venerable Huang Lei sighed. "Kid, you saved my life. Though I possess the strength of a Dou Emperor, I've already been abandoned by the times. Continuing to live a quiet life here is not so bad."

"And this Heavenly Thunder Scripture, which I created myself, may be able to help you."

With a movement of Venerable Huang Lei's finger, a ray of light entered Lin Mu's brow. An ancient scripture slowly took shape within Lin Mu's mind. "You may comprehend this technique yourself."

"As for this old man, I'll continue living in this little place, drinking tea every day and chatting with the old women in the village."