Enlightenment in Ancestor Cave

Inside Ancestor Cave was not the deep, secluded cavern he had imagined, but an endless expanse of chaotic void.

There was no distinction between up, down, left, or right, no sense of time passing. Only countless motes of light, bright or dim, large or small, floated and flowed like stars.

Every mote of light contained the Dao resonance, insights, obsessions, and even the condensed essence of a Maoshan predecessor's lifelong cultivation.

Mo Yuan floated within this sea of Dao resonance stars, his mind instantly submerged by the vast and overwhelming torrent of information.

Some predecessors demonstrated lightning arts, revealing the principles of life and death amid flashing lightning and roaring thunder.

Some sages traced talismans, each stroke communicating with the laws of heaven and earth.

Some patriarchs sat in meditation to comprehend the Dao, becoming one with it as they expounded upon nature's mysteries.

There was also the righteous spirit of slaying demons and exterminating evil, as well as the compassionate aspiration to protect all living beings...

All manner of insights came crashing in, battering his sea of consciousness.

He firmly guarded the sliver of Qing Ming within his spiritual platform. The Soul Cleansing Banner floated at the center of his sea of consciousness, its clear radiance flowing as it protected his mind from being overwhelmed by those countless chaotic thoughts.

He did not greedily attempt to absorb everything. Instead, following his heart, he focused most of his attention on the Great Dao of lightning, the path most compatible with his own.

He "walked" through the sea of stars, deliberately approaching the motes of light that radiated intense lightning intent and talismanic Dao resonance.

A blazing mote of light like the sun merged into him. He seemed to become an ancient lightning cultivator, summoning ten thousand bolts of lightning above the Ninth Heaven and experiencing the supreme majesty of wielding punishment and carrying out Heaven's will—the insight of a master who had attained great accomplishment in the Nine Heavens Thunder Talisman Grand Codex.

A restrained yet profound mote of light drew near, and he sensed an artistic conception that fused the power of lightning into swordsmanship, refining it to the utmost sharpness for a single killing strike—this would greatly benefit his efforts to perfect the fusion of Geng Metal Sword Qi and lightning arts.

Another nimble, ethereal mote of light swept past, displaying the mystery of merging lightning into movement techniques, transforming into a flash of lightning that left no trace behind—it corroborated his self-created Swift Lightning Step, causing inspiration to burst forth.

The lightning True Essence within his body began to circulate, imitate, and transform of its own accord.

That undying fragment of Thunder Emperor's Will, within such a dense environment of Dao resonance,

seemed to have returned home, becoming exceptionally active as it autonomously absorbed the scattered fragments of insight regarding the Great Dao of lightning throughout the sea of stars.

It too became more solid and distinct.

Meanwhile, the introductory mnemonic for the newly acquired Five Thunder Righteous Method - Heavenly Heart Scroll was comprehended and absorbed at an unprecedented speed in this uniquely favorable environment.

"The five thunders are not the thunders of the Five Elements, but the five functions of the Dao: exterminating evil, shattering delusion, life and death, punishment, and creation..."

A grand Dao voice seemed to resound directly within the depths of his soul.

He cast aside the relatively complex talisman-drawing and spiritual power circulation methods of the Nine Heavens Thunder Talisman Grand Codex.

Instead, he began using his own Dao foundation, with Thunder Emperor's Will as the core, to comprehend and invoke the five artistic conceptions of the Great Dao of lightning that existed in the unseen.

His mind became completely immersed in it. He forgot time, forgot himself, leaving only his exploration of lightning's true essence.

Who knew how long passed? Perhaps an instant, perhaps eternity.

The aura around Mo Yuan began to undergo a mysterious transformation.

At times, it was incomparably sharp, carrying the resolve to cleanse all evil from the world (Exterminating Evil).

At times, it was clear and penetrating, as though it could see the true essence of all things and shatter every false illusion (Shattering Delusion).

At times, it was as silent as an abyss of death; at others, it erupted like the first bolt of lightning at creation (Life and Death).

At times, it was as imposing as the laws and decrees of Heaven, carrying out punishment on Heaven's behalf without room for doubt (Punishment).

At times, it even revealed a strange trace of infinite vitality, capable of nurturing the growth of all things (the embryonic form of Creation)...

The five artistic conceptions were not separate. Under the dominion of Thunder Emperor's Will, they began to merge and circulate, forming a subtle cycle.

The violet-gold lake of True Essence within his Dantian became deeper in color.

Above the lake, the embryonic Purple Mansion formed from the mist of divine sense became more stable as well. Lightning runes faintly appeared within it, flickering between birth and extinction.

His cultivation quietly broke through to the middle stage of Foundation Establishment amid this natural progression of insight.

His True Essence became denser and purer, the range of his divine sense expanded once more, and his control over his power reached a new height.

"System, sign in!"

[ Ding! Sign-in successful! Congratulations to the host for obtaining: Top-Grade Spirit Stone x8, Thunder Source Dao Seed (Embryonic Form) x1, Shrinking the Earth to an Inch (Incomplete) Insight x1, Primordial World residual aura: an imprint of a single ripple of spacetime! ]

[ Thunder Source Dao Seed (Embryonic Form) ]: A seed containing a trace of the origin law of lightning. Once implanted into the Dao foundation, it can slowly grow on its own, continuously improving the host's talent and power in lightning arts. It also has a certain chance of nurturing lightning-element divine abilities.

[ Shrinking the Earth to an Inch (Incomplete) Insight ]: The incomplete insight of a predecessor into the spatial divine ability "Shrinking the Earth to an Inch." It can greatly enhance short-distance movement speed and flexibility.

[ Imprint of a Single Ripple of Spacetime ]: Contains an extremely faint trace of spacetime laws. It can assist in comprehending spatial spells and improve sensitivity to the flow of time.

"Thunder Source Dao Seed! Shrinking the Earth to an Inch!"

Mo Yuan was overjoyed. These rewards directly touched upon the domains of laws and divine abilities.

Without hesitation, he guided the Thunder Source Dao Seed, which flickered with countless tiny lightning patterns, into his Dantian and carefully implanted it into his lightning Dao foundation.

The instant the Dao Seed merged with it, his entire Dao foundation trembled slightly, as though it had been infused with brand-new vitality.

It formed a closer connection with the Great Dao of lightning between heaven and earth, and the efficiency with which it absorbed and transformed lightning spiritual energy increased significantly.

He could even vaguely sense that, in the distant future, this seed might truly nurture a lightning divine ability that belonged solely to him.

The insight into Shrinking the Earth to an Inch brought his understanding of movement techniques to a new level.

Swift Lightning Step was fast, but it was more focused on short-range bursts and unpredictable changes, whereas Shrinking the Earth to an Inch involved folding space and was the embryonic form of a true great divine ability.

Though it was merely incomplete insight and could not truly achieve Shrinking the Earth to an Inch, it was enough to raise the speed of his Swift Lightning Step another level and even imbue it with a trace of the profound mystery of spatial transformation.

As he digested these gains, an extremely faint and dim mote of light, carrying an ancient, weathered aura, quietly drifted before him.

Unlike the dazzling insights left behind by the other predecessors, this mote of light was older and more obscure. It even carried a trace of... demonic struggle?

Mo Yuan felt something stir within him, and his divine sense carefully reached out to touch it.

In an instant, he seemed to see a fragmented scene: a predecessor dressed in ancient Maoshan Daoist robes, his face blurred, engaged in a savage battle against an indescribable dark demonic shadow formed from countless twisted faces and chaotic wills.

His Dao arts reached the heavens, and lightning illuminated the world, yet he could not completely destroy that demonic shadow.

In the end, that predecessor used his own Dao foundation and soul as the catalyst to establish a heaven-shaking seal, suppressing the demonic shadow deep beneath the earth.

He himself then perished in body and soul, leaving behind only a lingering thought filled with warning and unwillingness...

"...Nine Nether... Gate... key... must not appear in this world... beware... Yellow Springs..."

A fragmented spiritual imprint filled with pain and resolve entered Mo Yuan's mind. The dim mote of light then completely dissipated.

Mo Yuan's mind shook violently!

The Nine Nether Gate? Yellow Springs?

This vaguely corresponded to the information he had deciphered from the black stone tablet: "seal," "key," "return," and so on.

Could the thing that predecessor had sealed be the "ancient demon" that the Black Fiend Sect and the Netherworld now sought to release?

And what did "Yellow Springs" refer to? Another key, or the ancient demon's name?

This unexpected gain gave him a more direct and profound understanding of the danger lurking within the Ancient Demon Ruins.

That was no ordinary evil demon, but a terrifying existence that had forced a Maoshan predecessor to pay the price of his life to seal it away.

The three-day limit passed in the blink of an eye.

When the exit of Ancestor Cave appeared within his perception once again, Mo Yuan slowly opened his eyes.

No longer did his eyes merely flicker with lightning. Instead, five different artistic conceptions of lightning seemed to circulate within them, rising and fading before ultimately returning to an unfathomable calm.

His aura was rounded and restrained, yet it gave others the feeling of an abyssal sea, impossible to fathom.

Middle-stage Foundation Establishment, the initial formation of the Five Thunders, the Thunder Source Dao Seed taking root, and knowledge of a warning concerning ancient secrets.

His strength and perspective had already undergone earth-shaking changes.

With one step, he left Ancestor Cave and returned to Stone Bamboo Shoot Mountain.

Outside, the sunlight was bright and the spiritual energy abundant, but compared to the insight of directly confronting the source of the Great Dao within the cave, it felt as though a thin veil lay between them.

Uncle Nine had long been waiting outside. The moment he saw Mo Yuan, an incredulous gleam burst from his eyes. "Middle-stage Foundation Establishment?! The Five Thunder artistic conceptions?! Good! Good! Good!"

He said "good" three times in succession, unable to conceal his excitement.

He could sense that his disciple already faintly possessed the bearing of a grandmaster. Even he could not estimate Mo Yuan's future achievements.

"Master."

Mo Yuan bowed and briefly told him of what he had gained inside the cave, excluding anything related to the system. He especially mentioned the spiritual imprint left by the predecessor who had perished together with the demonic shadow.

Upon hearing this, Uncle Nine's expression immediately turned extremely solemn. "This matter is far too significant. We must report it to the sect master at once!"

Just then, a communication talisman shot through the air and landed in Uncle Nine's hand.

He swept it with his divine sense, and his expression changed again. "The sect master urgently summons us! It seems something has changed outside!"

A sharp gleam flashed in Mo Yuan's eyes.

He had only just emerged from seclusion and his strength had greatly increased. He needed tempering. With trouble rising again, it suited him perfectly.

"Let's go, Master. Let's see what petty villains dare stir up trouble again!"