“This Thunderforce Bead is an inheritance artifact left behind by the supreme being True Saint Lei Xing before his demise," the white-robed child spoke in a childish voice. [1]

“After you became its owner and reached the Archimmortal level of Dao comprehension in the Law of Thunder, it activated the imprint remnant of the True Saint.

Therefore, I was born. You may call me Thunder Spirit," the white-robed child said. "Under my guidance, you will inherit the glory of True Saint Lei Xing, and in the not-too-distant future, become a great Sovereign or even an Overlord..."

Wu Yuan listened silently, growing increasingly shocked. True Saint Lei Xing's inheritance? Inheritance artifact? Thunder Spirit?

In an instant, he thought of Zhuo Haiyue. How was Zhuo Haiyue's progress so rapid? The main reason was probably that she had obtained a True Saint's inheritance.

Wu Yuan had cultivated for so long, yet his mastery of the Law of Thunder had barely reached the Archimmortal threshold. His progress in the Law of Thunder was laughably slow compared to Zhuo Haiyue.

“I don’t have a strong aptitude for the Law of Thunder.”

Wu Yuan shook his head.

"Haha, you don't need to,” the white-robed child laughed. "The True Saint left an imprint. As long as you fuse with it, your progress in the Law of Thunder will skyrocket. You'll advance rapidly without even realizing it. Your compatibility should be over 80%... In at most 100,000 years, you'll fully comprehend the Law of Thunder."

"Fully comprehend the Law of Thunder in 100,000 years?" Wu Yuan's pupils constricted slightly, instinctively finding it unbelievable.

He was also somewhat suspicious. Even the greatest Supreme Geniuses throughout history rarely completed their breakthroughs within 100,000 years.

"What do I need to do?" Wu Yuan asked, keeping his expression neutral.

"Lower all the defensive measures around your soul, don't resist, and let me fuse the True Saint's imprint with your soul..." the white-robed child urged. "It will be quick. I was originally planning to fuse it directly, but your reaction was too aggressive."

Wu Yuan listened silently, but made no move to comply.

"Ming Jian?" the white-robed child called out again.

"Stop trying to deceive me," Wu Yuan suddenly spoke. "That soul attack just now was an attempt to control my soul, wasn't it?"

At this, the white-robed child's expression changed slightly.

But Wu Yuan was already certain.

His reasoning was simple. First, judging from Zhuo Haiyue's various words and actions, this so-called Thunderforce Bead and Thunder True Saint inheritance should be more harmful than beneficial, practically a dead end.

Second, the other party's promises were too unrealistic. The Creation Emissary had never claimed that Wu Yuan could comprehend a Greater Law in 100,000 years, only telling him to work hard. [2]

Third, Wu Yuan had once activated the Devil Subduing Tome, and the attack it unleashed was very similar to the one he had just experienced.

Fourth, and most importantly, Wu Yuan was already powerful enough now, with a sufficiently strong immortal root. There was simply no need to take risks. Ɽ𝖆ΝȪBƐŜ

Lower all defensive measures? If he did that, this so-called Thunder Spirit before him could easily overpower Wu Yuan. That would be a moment of irredeemable regret.

"Ming Jian, it's not what you think..." the white-robed child began to explain.

"If you want me to believe you, it's simple," Wu Yuan said. "Reveal the imprint you spoke of, showing all the Dao patterns it contains, and I'll judge its effects for myself.

At the same time, release your control over the Thunderforce Bead. If I'm not mistaken, this sphere should be the true core of the Thunderforce Bead, right?" Wu Yuan said.

The white-robed child's expression changed again.

"Hmph!" the white-robed child's voice grew cold as he snorted, "Since you don't believe me, there's no need for further words. I advise you to give up on claiming ownership over the Thunderforce Bead."

Boom!

The white-robed child instantly dissolved into countless points of light, surging into the sphere crackling with lightning. The sphere then began to dissipate, seemingly returning to its previous state.

Wu Yuan hesitated for a moment, but then, he sensed a vague directive from the black pagoda in his upper dantian lobe—Destroy it!!

Though shocked, Wu Yuan didn't hesitate for long.

Subdue!

Wu Yuan willed.

Immense surges of Astral Lord-level mana flooded into this Dao essence realm.

Combined with his comprehension of Spacetime and the power of the Thunderforce Bead that Wu Yuan commanded, it completely enveloped the Dao essence core of the Thunderforce Bead.

It also immobilized the sphere, rendering it unable to continue dissipating.

"Ming Jian, what are you trying to do?" The childish voice suddenly rang out from the sphere again, tinged with shock and anger.

"I don't trust you, and you just attacked my soul, so I don't want to let you off," Wu Yuan shook his head. "I'm very curious to see if this so-called inheritance of yours can withstand my attacks."

Whoosh!

A dazzling sword light instantly descended, its power boundless, illuminating the entire realm of the Dao Instrument's essence. It stabbed directly towards the seemingly tiny sphere.

Boom!

A terrifying explosion ensued.

"Ah! No!" The sphere appeared unscathed, yet agonized screams in that childish voice rang out.

"Ming Jian, you're insane! You dare attack me? This means war with the True Saint, war with a supreme being!" The childish voice wailed.

"War with a supreme being? You think too highly of me," Wu Yuan shook his head. "I'm merely curious about you."

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Flashes of sword lights lit up. Wu Yuan's swordsmanship was far more powerful now than it had been thousands of years ago in the Snowlight Mist Realm battle.

Even without using any artifacts, relying solely on his Dao comprehension combined with the divine power unleashed through the ‘Genesis Law Sacrifice’, he wielded might on par with an Astral Monarch.

Howls of agony emanated from the sphere, but Wu Yuan paid them no heed, coldly looking on as strike after strike landed.

The Thunderforce Bead was a high-grade Dao Instrument. Every high-grade Dao Instrument contained a vast, nearly indestructible internal realm. Thus, such a battle erupting within its Dao essence had minimal impact on the Thunderforce Bead itself.

After a full thousand strikes, the lightning sphere's aura grew increasingly feeble. It tried to struggle time and again, but all attempts failed.

The Thunderforce Bead was ultimately an artifact that Wu Yuan had deciphered and controlled. He held the initiative here.

Perhaps the white-robed child had some special privileges, but in this direct confrontation, it was no match for Wu Yuan.

Boom!

Finally, with a world-shattering explosion and one last agonized scream, the entire Thunderforce Bead violently shook. That sphere emanating lightning suddenly exploded.

Whoosh!

A vast and magnificent wave of power suddenly erupted, with streaks of purple light shooting in all directions.

Hmm?

The expression of Wu Yuan's avatar shifted.

He could sense that this wave of power was vast and majestic, seemingly eternal, giving off an unrelenting pressure.

Wu Yuan had only felt such an aura and pressure once before. It was when he had distantly glimpsed True Saint Bu Xiu in the Immutable Land.

The two were strikingly similar.

When those streaks of purple light burst forth, it was as if heaven and earth fell silent. Time itself seemed to freeze.

"You dare try to destroy my imprint. Blasphemer, you shall ultimately fall to the Saint. Your fate is sealed." A vast and cold voice echoed in Wu Yuan's strand of consciousness.

It reverberated in Wu Yuan's soul, resounding in the depths of his spirit, as if to be etched into Wu Yuan's Yuan Soul and destiny, ensuring he could never escape this mark.

Wu Yuan felt his spirit grow dim, like a mortal suddenly burdened with hundreds of catties of weight, his vision nearly blacking out.

Waves of oppression washed over him.

Is this what it means to be supreme? Just a single imprint, a remnant thought, a few simple words, yet it has such a profound impact.

A sense of dread and terror involuntarily crept into Wu Yuan's mind.

This was an instinctive fear stemming from the immense gap in the order of life, a difference in willpower that the spirit could not overcome.

If Wu Yuan could not break free from this intangible influence, it would affect his Dao Heart and willpower going forward, causing his spirit to develop flaws and fear of the future.

Once it reached that point, forget about the massive impact on his future, even now, Wu Yuan's cultivation would likely stagnate immediately.

Without a powerful spirit, how could one control great power?

The lifeblood of power is the spirit. The most awe-inspiring power was that of the mind.

No! I cannot!

A voice seemed to cry out from the depths of Wu Yuan's spirit, roaring in anger, screaming in defiance.

At this moment, an unprecedented power erupted from deep within Wu Yuan's spirit, growing resolute.

He understood that if he could not overcome this obstacle today, his spirit would be tarnished, and there would be no future to speak of.

1. Thunder True Saint = True Saint Lei Xing ☜

2. That’s how you spot a scam ☜