Chapter 4820: The Choice
The Hall Spirit narrowed his eyes slightly and stared at Lin Moyu.
"Are you truly certain you will give up eternal existence and not become a God Servant?"
His voice was still full of temptation.
If one's Dao heart was not firm, it was entirely possible to succumb to that temptation and choose to become a God Servant.
However, anyone who could become a Primal Chaos apex powerhouse would not have a weak Dao heart, and such temptations could be resisted eight or nine times out of ten.
"So perhaps what the Divine Thunder Emperor Sovereign meant about being careful with choices was not referring to this moment."
Thoughts turned in Lin Moyu's heart.
He responded, "This junior does not wish to become a God Servant."
The Hall Spirit asked again, "This is the last chance.
"Are you truly sure?"
Lin Moyu answered firmly, "I am sure."
The Hall Spirit sighed, and the giant face slowly faded away.
Starlight cascaded down, and an old man stepped out from within the light.
He wore a kindly smile, and the moment he appeared he gave off an indescribable sense of closeness, as if he were someone extremely worthy of trust.
Lin Moyu's Dao heart was firm; that feeling lasted only for an instant before being wiped away.
He knew the God Servant Hall was not a safe place and that a single misstep here might mean ruin with no hope of recovery.
Lin Moyu cupped his hands slightly.
"Junior Lin Moyu greets Senior Hall Spirit."
The Hall Spirit smiled amicably.
"There is no need to stand on ceremony, young friend.
"Congratulations on passing the trial of the God Servant's choice."
Lin Moyu asked, "That was a trial just now?"
The Hall Spirit replied, "Naturally.
"It was a trial of resisting the temptation of eternal life and invincible power."
The corner of Lin Moyu's mouth twitched imperceptibly.
This so called trial did not seem difficult at all; it was hard to imagine many apex powerhouses truly choosing to be God Servants.
Those who became apex powerhouses were all peerlessly intelligent and possessed firm Dao hearts.
Moreover, those apex beings who could get this far were the very pinnacle among the apex.
The Hall Spirit chuckled.
"Young friend must feel that the previous choice was somewhat childish."
Lin Moyu spoke honestly.
"It did feel that way."
The Hall Spirit shook his head.
"For you, it may indeed have seemed childish, but for some people it is not.
"When you entered the hall, did you see those remnant souls?"
Lin Moyu said, "I did."
The Hall Spirit said, "They are all God Servants, thirty eight in total.
"Every one of them was a Primal Chaos apex powerhouse.
"Of them, eighteen could not withstand the temptation and chose to become God Servants on the spot."
So many!
Among thirty eight God Servants, eighteen had failed to resist the temptation almost half.
That was far too many.
The Hall Spirit continued, "Although all who come here are top tier existences, some suffer damage to their Dao hearts after that long journey.
"Then, under the impact of the Annihilation Power, the damage only grows worse.
"The Mountain of Divine Immortals can restore body, soul, and cultivation, but it cannot mend the Dao heart.
"And with their cultivation masking everything, they often cannot even perceive that their Dao hearts have been damaged.
"In that state, when faced with the temptation of eternal life, they chose to become God Servants.
"Young friend's Dao heart is complete, so naturally you remain unaffected."
So that was the reason.
Lin Moyu asked, "And what happens to those who do choose to become God Servants?"
The Hall Spirit replied, "Naturally, they turn into remnant souls and remain in the hall forever.
"Their Primal Chaos Heavens and Earth collapse, and everything returns to nothingness."
A chill rose in Lin Moyu's heart.
It truly was terrifying one wrong choice and all of one's efforts would be wiped away.
The Hall Spirit smiled.
"Young friend has already made the correct choice; there is no need to worry too much."
Lin Moyu would never believe such pretty words.
If twenty of them had refused to become God Servants yet still ended up as remnant souls in the hall, they had still become God Servants in the end.
Clearly, what lay ahead was not safe either and perhaps even more dangerous.
Lin Moyu asked, "Since Lin has passed the trial, what comes next?"
The Hall Spirit said, "Naturally, we proceed according to the master's will with the next round of choices."
This time was not a trial, but a choice just as the Divine Thunder Emperor Sovereign's warning implied.
"What choice?"
Vigilance rose in Lin Moyu's heart.
The Hall Spirit was likely the spirit of a treasure acting strictly in accordance with the rules set by the master, so the true authority over these choices did not lie with him at all, but with that master.
That master seemed to have been gone for many years.
Lin Moyu felt that before making any choice, he should ask as many questions as possible and extract as much information as he could.
The Hall Spirit laughed.
"There are two options.
"The first is to take what the master prepared for you and then follow the method the master left behind to strike at the next step.
"The second is also to take what the master left behind, but you must leave a strand of your soul here in the hall.
"If you fail, your remnant soul will belong to the hall, and this old man will decide, based on your condition at that time, whether you are qualified to become a God Servant or not."
Lin Moyu's heart stirred.
If he chose the second, then even if he died, he might still have a chance to become a God Servant.
But the laws of the world dictate that gain comes with loss; no benefit comes without price.
Lin Moyu immediately asked, "What is the specific difference between these two options?"
The Hall Spirit chuckled, showing a kindly smile.
"If you choose the first, there will be no retreat.
"Once you fail to break through, your soul will be scattered and you will vanish forever.
"If you choose the second, you will still have a chance to become a God Servant even if you fail.
"However, once you choose the second option, you must leave behind a strand of your soul, and your success rate for breaking through to the next step will drop by ten percent."
Choose the first and there is no way back; die and that is the end.
Choose the second and there is a way back; even if you die, you can still become a God Servant and live eternally.
Judging from this, those twenty Primal Chaos apex powerhouses must have chosen the second option.
But then again, with only a ten percent reduction in success rate, the second option looked like the more reasonable choice.
Lin Moyu finally understood why the Divine Thunder Emperor Sovereign had warned him to choose carefully.
He had chosen the second option and failed, becoming a God Servant.
Did this mean that he had been very close to success and believed that if he had chosen the first option and not lost that ten percent success rate, he would have succeeded?
Of course, Lin Moyu felt there was an eighty to ninety percent chance that this was nothing more than the Divine Thunder Emperor Sovereign's illusion.
Even if he had chosen the first option, success would not have been guaranteed.
"A ten percent difference may not seem like much, but sometimes, a tiny discrepancy can lead to a thousand mile deviation.
"One cannot afford even the slightest miscalculation, let alone a full ten percent."
"Choosing the first option does not guarantee success.
"Choosing the second guarantees failure."
The Hall Spirit still wore his kindly smile.
"Have you decided which to choose, young friend?"
Lin Moyu already had his own calculations.
He did not choose immediately, but instead asked, "This junior has a few questions.
"I wonder if Senior can answer them?"
The Hall Spirit smiled.
"Ask away.
"As the victor of this cycle's Great Annihilation, you have the qualification to ask."
Lin Moyu said, "Since the God Servant Hall was established, how many have come here?
"And among those who chose the first option, has anyone succeeded?"
The Hall Spirit seemed to have long anticipated this question.
"Altogether, seventy nine people have come before you.
"You are the eightieth.
"Other than the thirty eight God Servants you saw, the remaining forty two all chose the first option.
"None of them succeeded."
A chill ran through Lin Moyu's heart.
So even choosing the first option did not guarantee success.
He did not believe that all forty two Primal Chaos apex powerhouses were inferior to the Divine Thunder Emperor Sovereign.
The Divine Thunder Emperor Sovereign was indeed strong, but he was only one of the more outstanding figures among them, not the strongest of all.
When he had seen those God Servants earlier, several had remained silent yet emanated a terrifying aura even more oppressive than that of the Divine Thunder Emperor Sovereign.
Even the Living Beings Heavenly Emperor's aura was somewhat stronger than the Divine Thunder Emperor Sovereign's.
Lin Moyu asked, "Does Senior know what happens if one does succeed in taking the next step?"
The Hall Spirit smiled.
"Young friend jests.
"That has already surpassed what this old man can know."
Lin Moyu pressed further.
"Then how does Senior know that all forty two who chose the first option failed?"
The Hall Spirit replied, "Because all of their Primal Chaos Heavens and Earth were shattered, and they vanished entirely."
Lin Moyu's heart moved slightly.
"Does this mean that if one succeeds, the Annihilation can be stopped?"
The Hall Spirit's gaze shifted slightly.
"Perhaps."