Chapter 4137: It Was Him After All
Ever since Lin Moyu began studying formations, he had rarely encountered a true challenge until now. The opposing party's formation skills were extremely high; imitating a natural formation was exceptionally difficult. Among all the people Lin Moyu knew, only he himself could do it neither the Lord of Formations nor Old Yin head could. Not only did he have to unravel this formation, but he also had to do it quietly, without alerting the owner, and without disrupting the formation's original function. For Lin Moyu, this was no small challenge.
He spent several years on research, even modifying some special divine runes for this formation. He felt like a locksmith picking the hardest lock in the world. One by one, the specially crafted, complex runes silently merged into the formation, creating a subtle connection between Lin Moyu and the array. At last, the seamless formation showed a flaw. The formation had an owner, but Lin Moyu's method was like secretly opening a side door behind the owner's back. Outwardly, nothing changed but in secret, the formation now recognized Lin Moyu as its second master. Its functions remained unchanged.
A small, silent passage appeared, just big enough for one person. With a slight smile, Lin Moyu entered and passed through. From the underground cavern to the surface was a great distance, and at intervals, there were identical formations. The other party had linked these formations in series, channeling the threads of power that surpassed the Great Dao upward. Lin Moyu unlocked each formation in turn, moving toward the surface, working carefully and never letting his guard down.
Three months passed. Lin Moyu gradually sensed the presence of the surface. "One more to go!" In three months, he had unlocked ninety eight formations; before him was the ninety ninth and final one. Using ninety nine formations to channel such transcendent filth power seemed reasonable to Lin Moyu after all, this power surpassed the world's Daos and should not exist in the world.
The last formation was larger and more complex than the previous ninety eight. If the ninety nine formations were a whole, this was the master switch the most complex of all. Through the formation, Lin Moyu could vaguely see outside, and it seemed there was a statue.
A flood of divine runes merged into the formation. With his previous experience, even this more complex formation could be handled the same way. In just half a day, Lin Moyu became the formation's second master. A passage naturally appeared, and Lin Moyu stepped in.
A familiar aura greeted him as he returned to the surface. The Dao Cloud rolled in the sky; all around was silent. Lin Moyu keenly noticed there was no trace of wild beasts here, meaning that for countless years, no wild beast had ever come to this place. The Great Wilderness was the wild beasts' domain, yet at its very core was a pure land they had never set foot in truly strange.
In this pure land, a formation operated alone on the ground, running for who knows how many years. At its center stood a colossal statue, ten thousand meters tall. This statue was the true core of the entire formation in the Great Wilderness.
Leaving the formation, Lin Moyu saw the statue clearly and was shaken. He suddenly realized his previous assumptions were wrong many things were not as he had thought. Someone was indeed collecting filth power that surpassed the world's Daos, and that someone was from within this world but not one of the original eight Dao Lords of the Origin Land. It was Candle Dragon (Zhulong).
The statue before him was of Candle Dragon, coiled with its massive body, head raised to the sky. Within the statue flowed filth power refined to the utmost purity. Lin Moyu felt as if it was gazing not at the sky, but at the world beyond.
"Why is Candle Dragon collecting filth power?" Lin Moyu wondered. Candle Dragon was a unique being, guardian of the Origin Ancestral Land, seemingly an enemy of the Dao wild beasts but clearly, things were not so simple.
He recalled Candle Dragon's words, actions, and the rules it followed. Gradually, some answers formed in his mind though more speculation than certainty.
"What Candle Dragon wants most isn't for one side to win, but to maintain balance in the world. He needs the Dao wild beasts to exist, but won't allow them to devour the Daos and destroy the world. Amid this balance, Candle Dragon is also pursuing his own last step." That last step wasn't exclusive to Eternals Candle Dragon had his own as well.
Lin Moyu approached the statue, hovering in the air and looking into its eyes. The statue's eyes felt alive, not dead stone. Upon closer inspection, Lin Moyu saw two formations one in each eye, different from the previous ones. He realized these formations connected to the dragon horns on the statue's head, which emitted a unique soul fluctuation, capable of triggering soul resonance.
"Enlightenment!" Lin Moyu was shocked he finally understood the source of the wild beasts' intelligence. The Beast Emperors' wisdom came from here. Initially, they had little to no intelligence, driven almost entirely by instinct. But Candle Dragon, through his own methods, used soul fluctuations to gradually enhance their intelligence. This process was slow, taking countless years, so the Beast Emperors' wisdom had always been increasing. They became ever smarter and harder to deal with, putting cultivators at a disadvantage.
Was Candle Dragon doing this to maintain balance? Lin Moyu was unsure.
Suddenly, a gleam appeared in the statue's eyes, a spark of life as if the statue came alive.
"You actually found this place." Candle Dragon's voice resounded in Lin Moyu's soul.
Lin Moyu sighed he'd been discovered after all, though he hadn't tried to hide. Before, he didn't know who the owner was, so he had been extremely cautious while breaking the formations. Now that he knew it was Candle Dragon, he realized there was no way to hide.
Lin Moyu asked, "Why are you doing this?"
The statue glowed, and a middle aged man stepped out of the light Candle Dragon's human form.
Candle Dragon spoke softly, "You're so clever can't you figure it out?"
Lin Moyu replied, "You want to transcend?"
Candle Dragon chuckled, "Transcendence isn't just for you cultivators if you can take the last step, why can't I?"
Lin Moyu nodded, "Of course you can. I just don't understand why you would help the Dao wild beasts become more intelligent."
Candle Dragon smiled, "I have my reasons. You don't need to know. As long as I'm here, no matter how smart the Dao wild beasts become, they can't stir up any real trouble. As long as I'm here, they'll never devour the world's Daos or destroy it."
What Candle Dragon meant was clear: as long as he hadn't transcended, he would keep watch. Once he transcended, he would no longer interfere.
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