On the way back, Wan Lei and Fang Xiaoyu captured some Great Vehicle stage Thunder Beasts to fill the Myriad Demon Array.
The two left the Thunder Star Sea. Wan Lei casually set up a teleportation array. With his current cultivation and array mastery, setting up a cross-star teleportation array was a piece of cake.
Of course, this was on the premise that Wan Lei knew the coordinates of the Thunder Emperor Hall's teleportation array. He couldn't just set up an array and reach a place in the starry sky he hadn't been to.
Upon returning to the Thunder Emperor Hall, it was still crowded. Wan Lei, in front of everyone, deployed the Myriad Demon Array around the Thunder Emperor Hall, protecting it.
He summoned Xi Renjun and, after removing his own imprint from the array bead controlling the Myriad Demon Array, handed it over to Xi Renjun, instructing him to recognize it as his master.
The other tribulation-crossing powerhouses didn't say anything upon seeing this, merely lamenting that if they had possessed such a treasure during the final great battle, the war would not have been so arduous.
Wan Lei looked up at the Destiny Chart in the sky. As its owner, he could clearly sense that within the Destiny Chart's world, a mysterious and ineffable power had accumulated.
This power was invisible, intangible, to be felt with the heart and guided by intent, and could be drawn into one's body.
He surmised this was念力 (nianli - thought power/willpower).
Only half a day had passed, and so much had already accumulated. It seemed he had underestimated the determination of the people of the Thunder Wind Realm to unite against an external enemy.
"Xiaoyu, everything here is ready, and all that needs to be done has been done. Now, you can ascend to immortality with peace of mind."
Wan Lei held Fang Xiaoyu's hand, his gaze calm.
This would be a farewell. He didn't know how long they would be separated. Upon their reunion, either she would return as an immortal, or they would face the Demon Lord again as tribulation-crossers.
From the moment the demons invaded, every decision Wan Lei and Fang Xiaoyu made determined the life and death of the Thunder Wind Realm.
And this time, they were facing the greatest crisis.
If they could ascend, with their peerless talent at the same realm, they wouldn't fear any number of Demon Lords. If they failed to ascend, Wan Lei might have to fight desperately once more, to see how he measured up against the five who had brutally defeated the three great emperors.
Wan Lei and Fang Xiaoyu arrived in mid-air above the Thunder Emperor Hall.
Billions of cultivators looked up at them.
Wan Lei raised his head and shouted in a deep voice,
"Heavenly Dao, open the spatial通道 (tongdao - passage)!"
A second later, a dark, swirling vortex通道 opened before Wan Lei, allowing people to glimpse the vast and majestic Cosmic Heart within.
Upon seeing the Cosmic Heart, the shock and reverence in everyone's hearts were boundless.
This was the Heavenly Dao, the will of heaven and earth, the origin that had nurtured countless lives in the entire Thunder Wind Realm.
It could be said that this luminous entity was the common ancestor of all life in this universe.
The moment it appeared, the suppression on bloodline and soul made everyone involuntarily bow in submission.
"Give the Origin Thunder to me."
Wan Lei's voice once again echoed throughout the Thunder Emperor Hall. And because the spatial通道 had opened, people could also feel the divine sense of the Cosmic Heart.
It seemed... a little reluctant?
Sensing the Cosmic Heart's emotion, Wan Lei's gaze sharpened, and his expression turned displeased. He let out a cold snort,
"Hmph?!"
Clearly, the Cosmic Heart sensed Wan Lei's anger. After a moment, a profoundly mysterious, primordial thunderbolt stripped itself from within the Cosmic Heart and flew towards Wan Lei.
This scene stunned everyone.
What was going on?!
That was the Cosmic Heart, the mother of all things, and it had actually surrendered at Lord Thunder Emperor's cold snort?
It shouldn't be like this. In the mortal world, emperors called themselves the Son of Heaven, ruling the people on behalf of heaven, meaning they were the sons of the Heavenly Dao, managing the populace in its stead.
But Lord Thunder Emperor's demeanor wasn't like the son of the Heavenly Dao; rather, he seemed like the Heavenly Dao's father.
Those below, whether Wan Lei knew them or not, were all stunned.
Sui Xiaohang's eyes lit up, filled with pride. "See? My brother is awesome, right?"
Tian Suanzi's expression was peculiar. He had spent his life calculating the Heavenly Dao, and obtaining some information from it, calculating destiny, was already immensely impressive. But Wan Lei was actually commanding the Heavenly Dao?
While he was still fawning over the Heavenly Dao, Wan Lei was already riding it?
Wan Liuchuan's expression was calm, his heart filled with emotion. The gap between him and Wan Lei now was like that between a mortal and a deity.
Liu Yuxin beside him pouted and rolled her eyes, mumbling something under her breath. One could imagine she was saying something like, "Show off, I'll definitely beat you sooner or later," given Wan Lei knew her sharp-tongued but kind-hearted nature very well.
Liu Yuxin and her parents had participated in the battle to counterattack the Liu family, though they had stood too far from Wan Lei.
When his parents saw the scene of carnage in the Liu family, besides hating Liu Naiweng to the core, they were also extremely grateful for how correct Liu Yuxin's decision to forcibly take them away had been.
This family of theirs was now the only direct lineage remaining in the Liu family.
Wan Hongxin, Wan Yangfan, Old Fang, and others looked at Wan Lei with unconcealed pride in their eyes.
Thousand Bird Demon Marshal was not here; he had gone to the Liu family alone to wait.
When the demons were about to arrive, he would immediately notify Wan Lei.
Fang Xiaoyu turned, gave Wan Lei a gentle hug, then turned back and scanned the billions of cultivators.
In their eyes, there was respect, anticipation, encouragement, hope, and reliance.
"Shall we have a competition to see who ascends first?"
Fang Xiaoyu's lips curved into a playful smile.
"Alright, what's the stake?"
Wan Lei also smiled.
"The stake is, if I win, I'll be the boss of this family from now on."
"Alright, then if I win..."
The stake for the last sentence was conveyed by Wan Lei through telepathy.
Upon hearing this, Fang Xiaoyu's face instantly flushed crimson. She glared at him fiercely, then turned and entered the spatial通道.
After Fang Xiaoyu entered, the spatial通道 abruptly vanished.
Wan Lei took out the Creation Divine Disk, enlarged it to the size of a person, and placed it beneath his feet, then sat cross-legged upon it.
He needed the Creation Divine Disk to provide him with the energy required for ascension.
The Destiny Chart collected the念力 of all beings, and the Creation Divine Disk provided the primordial chaotic energy of the universe.
Wan Lei didn't know if his method would work. This method of ascension was not recorded in any texts or legends, nor was there any mention of the application of念力.
His approach was unprecedented, pioneering a new path.
Two divine artifacts, billions of living beings, to help him ascend.
He would,
Condense the thoughts of all beings,
And become an eternal immortal!!!