89: Dao Realm

The Dragon Soul remained silent for a while before replying, "Actually, I can't be certain."

Lin Mu smiled and said, "You can't be certain, yet you went to such great lengths to bring me here?"

The Dragon Soul gave a bitter smile and said, "Actually, you're not the first person I've brought here."

"Before you, two others have already been here. But they both failed."

Lin Mu asked curiously, "Who were they?"

Then, he suddenly thought of someone and tentatively asked, "Was one of them the Emperor of Yanshan Kingdom?"

The Dragon Soul nodded and said, "You guessed correctly. The first to come was indeed the first Emperor of Yanshan Kingdom."

"I remember he was called Li Changgong. He established the Yanshan Kingdom after leaving me."

"He truly was a prodigy, a rarity even in the God Realm."

"What a pity..."

After some thought, Lin Mu said, "From what I know, when Li Changgong came, he hadn't yet broken through to the Emperor Realm."

"A Venerable Realm expert, and you thought he might be able to break the seal?"

The Dragon Soul said, "This seal was transmitted from the void by a God Emperor of the God Realm through great divine powers."

"While sealing me, it would generate repulsion with this world."

"As long as one uses the heavenly dao stone, there's a chance to break the seal."

"Unfortunately, too few people can control the heavenly dao stone."

"And the only ones who can truly pull the heavenly dao stone out of the seal are those who can ring the heavenly dao bell."

Lin Mu immediately understood the key point: "So that's how it is. Those two must have been the ones who rang the heavenly dao bell."

"Is the other person the Ice Emperor of Wind and Snow Country?"

The Dragon Soul shook his head and said, "It wasn't her. Originally, before you, the Ice Emperor was indeed my backup candidate."

Lin Mu then asked, "Who was it then? Anyone who can ring the heavenly dao bell is a renowned individual."

The Dragon Soul said, "That person was indeed renowned; he was the only human who approached godhood."

Lin Mu was startled by this: "The only human who approached godhood? Does that mean no one on this continent can become a god?"

The Dragon Soul suddenly burst into laughter: "Haha, it seems you know nothing about this world."

"This Nine Nether Continent is merely a small world where the God Realm exiles criminals."

"There are tens of thousands of such small worlds in the God Realm."

"Divine power is scarce here, so all criminals exiled here will never be able to return to the God Realm."

The Dragon Soul's words once again plunged Lin Mu into silence.

He couldn't help but think of the system.

He distinctly remembered that the system had once said that as long as he collected nine heavenly dao stones, he would have a chance to ascend and become a god.

For a moment, Lin Mu couldn't tell whether the system was lying to him or if the Dragon Soul was.

The expression on his face was uncertain.

The Dragon Soul beside him immediately became nervous.

He was afraid that Lin Mu would suddenly attack him, so he quickly added, "Actually, it's not entirely impossible to ascend and become a god."

Lin Mu's heart stirred, and he said, "Oh? How does one become a god?"

Seeing this, the Dragon Soul quickly added, "In every Place of Exile, the heavenly dao of that world often comes into being."

"After the heavenly dao gains sentience, it gathers the essence of this world and finally condenses a divine body."

"After cultivating for a long period, there's a chance to cultivate the eye of the heavenly dao."

"It is said that when the eye of the heavenly dao opens, it will build a passage between this world and the God Realm."

"At that time, everyone who has reached the Dao One Realm can ascend to the God Realm through the passage."

Lin Mu was slightly taken aback by this.

Although the system had concealed many facts from him, it wasn't entirely lying.

It seemed that collecting the heavenly dao stones to summon the eye of the heavenly dao might not be false after all.

He just didn't know what kind of conspiracy was hidden within it.

Thinking of this, Lin Mu suddenly remembered the Dragon King's previous words.

His words clearly indicated knowledge of the system's existence.

He looked at the Dragon Soul with sharp eyes, then asked in a deep voice, "I remember you once said that even the person behind me couldn't do anything to you."

"How much do you know about him? Tell me everything. As long as you tell the truth, I can guarantee you a way out."

The Dragon Soul's expression upon hearing this was a mix of joy and sorrow.

He remained silent for an exceptionally long time this time, and Lin Mu didn't rush him.

After a period of internal struggle, he finally made up his mind.

He then spoke, "Actually, my knowledge is also limited."

"I only know that everyone who rings the heavenly dao bell will become a pawn of Heaven Sect Academy."

"That Dean seems to have a hidden agenda."

Lin Mu said, "The person behind me you mentioned, is he the Dean of Heaven Sect Academy?"

The Dragon Soul was surprised, "Isn't he?"

"Everyone who rings the heavenly dao bell receives strong support from Heaven Sect Academy."

"They will grow rapidly in a very short time."

"I once infiltrated them, and although that Academy Dean hides himself very well,"

"But I can feel that he definitely possesses strength above Dao One."

Lin Mu heard the Dragon Soul mention the Dao One Realm again, and he couldn't help but ask, "What is the Dao One Realm?"

The Dragon Soul said, "After a martial artist breaks through to the Emperor Realm, the next step up is the Dao Realm."

"The Dao Realm has three levels: Dao One, Dao Two, and Dao Three."

"The Dao Realm is a state between humans and gods."

Yun Feiyang, who had been silent all this time, couldn't help but ask, "Between the two? What kind of realm is that?"

The Dragon Soul glanced at Yun Feiyang and continued, "When a martial artist in the Emperor Realm first breaks through to the Dao Realm, it's the Dao One Realm."

"This realm can already be called a false god. After cultivating Dao One to perfection, one can choose to continue cultivating the Dao Realm."

"Those who choose this path and break through again will reach the Dao Two Realm."

"If one cannot break through to the Dao Two Realm, they can actively trigger the divine tribulation and break through to become a god."

"Once the breakthrough is successful, they successfully advance to a Heavenly God."

Yun Feiyang unconsciously swallowed and asked eagerly, "What if the tribulation fails?"

The Dragon Soul said disdainfully, "Most who fail the tribulation will die under the lightning tribulation; only a very few will survive."

"However, even if they are lucky enough to survive, they can only remain in the Dao One Realm for the rest of their lives, unable to advance further."

Yun Feiyang was terrified by this; the path to godhood was indeed fraught with peril.

Lin Mu looked at the Dragon Soul with interest and asked, "What realm are you then?"

The Dragon Soul immediately said with a triumphant look, "Back then, this King was a God Monarch Realm Expert, second only to the God Emperor."

"If I hadn't been severely wounded by the God Emperor and then sealed in this impoverished land for tens of thousands of years,"

"Causing my cultivation to drop to the Heavenly God Realm. My strength is less than one percent of what it was."

"That's why I lost to a mere human like you."

The Dragon Soul became more and more agitated as he spoke, as if he wanted to vent all the injustices in his heart in one go.

Just as he was speaking enthusiastically, he inadvertently glanced at Lin Mu.

Only then did he realize his predicament.

He immediately changed to a fawning expression and said, "Slip of the tongue, slip of the tongue. I didn't mean that."

Lin Mu said calmly, "Oh? What did you mean then?"

The Dragon Soul noticed Lin Mu's displeasure and said with a conciliatory smile, "Actually, what I meant was, it's only natural for someone like Young Master Lin to defeat me."

Lin Mu looked at his flattering manner and couldn't help but turn to glance at Yun Feiyang.

Yun Feiyang was a bit confused by Lin Mu's sudden gaze.

Then he heard the Dragon Soul say, "Young Master Lin, I've told you everything I know. Can I leave now?"

Lin Mu said calmly, "I always keep my word, but I still have something to ask you."

The Dragon Soul asked, puzzled, "What else does Young Master Lin need?"

Lin Mu said, "About the Dean of Heaven Sect Academy."