The Prodigies War

“How can he do that?!” someone exclaimed indignantly.

All of them were Greater Boundless Eternals who had been on the path of cultivation for no one knew how long, so who couldn't tell that Kuhe was demanding them to risk their lives with Lin Xun?

“We submitted ourselves to the Alpha Origin Master and have achieved what we have today after countless years of fighting for him. If this was an order from the supreme master himself, I wouldn't have batted an eye to throw my life away, but as far as I know, there are no instructions regarding the matter of Lin Xun directly from the Master or Young Miss,” another said in a low voice.

What these words implied was clear: the operation against Lin Xun was entirely Kuhe’s own idea. The eyes of the people in the hall flickered as they harbored different thoughts.

After a long silence, Tushan Leng sighed, “So be it, if any of you want to leave, you can leave now. I won't force you to stay, nor will I hold a grudge against you over it.”

The others all looked at each other in disbelief.

“Brother Tushan, what are you going to do?” You Jiang asked.

“I’m staying.” Tushan Leng's expression was now utterly calm. “This old life of mine was rescued by the department leader. It's time I give it back to him.”

The atmosphere became suffocating all of a sudden.

Boom!

The whole place quaked. Everyone in the grand hall got up in alarm. Outside, it was as if the region had been impacted by some kind of horrifying force. The scenery shook violently and showed no signs of stopping.

“What is happening?” Someone was startled.

They had been walking the Dark Zone for many years, but they had never seen the heavens and earth here creating such a commotion, as if someone was trying to flip the world upside down.

“It must have something to do with Lin Xun!” Tushan Leng looked grave. “Those who want to leave, leave now. This Dark Zone is no longer a safe place for the likes of us.”

Indescribably depressing emotions welled up in his heart. Who could have thought of this before, that Lin Xun alone would be able to have them living in fear and on tenterhooks?

On this same day, a group of Heavenly Mandate Apostles affiliated with the Xun Department left the Dark Zone. It was not hard as they had each collected enough mist spirits during their long stationing here.

Despite knowing that leaving would invite great trouble, none of them cared. After all, behind the nine sky zones of the Realm of All Spirits, there was still a Dao Slaying Path. These Heavenly Mandate Apostles didn't think that they would be able to break through these heavy passes and enter the Realm of All Mysteries anytime soon.

So long as they didn't appear in the Realm of All Mysteries, there was nothing Heavenly Mandate Dao Lord Kuhe could do to them no matter how angry he was. In the end, only nineteen of the Xun Department’s Heavenly Mandate Apostles remained in the Dark Zone, including Tushan Leng.

......

Just as Tushan Leng had guessed, the shocking quake was Lin Xun's handiwork. At this moment, deep within the Dark Spring, a three-inch wooden sword tamely floated before him.

“Thank you, Senior.” Lin Xun cupped his fist as he thanked the swordsman. During these three months, he had confronted the three-inch wooden sword twelve times, and this was also the amount of time that his dao had undergone extreme tempering.

Not only had his potential been completely tapped into and consolidated, but his cultivation had also been refined and improved a great deal! Lin Xun had the feeling that his cultivation base was approaching perfection, as in, it was no different from that of an Immeasurable Dao Lord’s. Of course, his actual combat power had long surpassed Immeasurable Dao Lords now!

Whoosh~

The three-inch wooden sword fell into Lin Xun's hand. He then turned his gaze to the deeper area, which was where the Primal Chaos Core of the Dark Zone was located. That place was swirling with an obscure energy of primal chaos origin.

In addition to that, there was a mysterious restrictive power covering the Primal Chaos Core. It was all too familiar to Lin Xun, clearly coming from the same source as the Alpha Origin Principle that covered the Fortune Dominion!

“The three-inch wooden sword was left here by Senior Swordsman before he was reincarnated, while according to Lingyuan, the Alpha Origin Principle appeared much earlier. If so, what kind of cultivation level was the Alpha Origin Master at the time?”

As Lin Xun pondered this, he suddenly smiled. Let's try and find out!

He jabbed out with a finger.

Swish!

A qi sword shot out, containing nothing but the profound truths of Nirvana within. It seemed light and casually executed, but in reality, it was the strongest attack at Lin Xun's current dao.

Kaboom!

The Primal Chaos Core heaved. Suddenly, the Alpha Origin Principle shrouding it swept up, constructing a strange talisman filled with the aura of calamity. When Lin Xun's qi sword hit the talisman, it was as if two supreme daos were clashing! The entire Dark Zone shook violently, and appalling cracks appeared in the endless void.

However, such a destructive scene disappeared after a blink of an eye. The Alpha Origin Principle around the Primal Chaos Core in the depths of the Dark Spring had collapsed and completely dissipated. Only the qi sword released by Lin Xun bobbed up and down in the air, flowing with a divine light.

“Compared to the three-inch wooden sword, this Alpha Origin Principle was slightly weaker, so it should not be the power of the Alpha Origin Master at his peak but when he first entered the Dark Zone.”

Lin Xun reflected on the experience for a moment and then turned to leave. He wasn't interested in taking the Primal Chaos Core of the Dark Zone for himself. He also didn't need the Primal Chaos Core to enhance his dao.

Having reached this level in cultivation, his mindset and way of viewing fortunes had also changed. The past him would not hesitate to refine the Primal Chaos Core into his own. Now, however, he had realized that the Primal Chaos Core maintained the law power of the entire Dark Zone like a mother womb. If he took it away, this world would suffer irreparable damage.

In that scenario, cultivators who entered the Dark Zone in the future probably would no longer be able to leave through its heavenly gate, and thus would never have the chance to enter the next sky zone. This was undoubtedly synonymous to cutting off the cultivation path of many.

Back then, Alpha Origin hadn't done so, and that swordsman had not done so either even though they had the chance. This was probably out of the same consideration.

“Success?” A meditating Xia Zhi immediately opened her eyes and looked at Lin Xun the moment he flew out from the Dark Spring.

Lin Xun nodded with a smile.

Xia Zhi instantly laughed and flipped her palm, on which a crystal clear water bead appeared. Her melodious voice resounded with a hint of doting, “Little Lingyuan, you can go with us now.”

“Awesome!” Lingyuan cheered, so excited that it levitated and flashed back and forth.

“Here, your wooden sword.” Lin Xun handed over the three-inch wooden sword, “Carry it on you moving forward. If you ever come across its master, whether you still recognize him or not, this sword will resonate with him.”

Rustle~

The droplet suddenly stirred, dispensing ripples that enveloped the three-inch wooden sword and put it away.

Just then, Lingyuan said gratefully, “Many thanks, Senior!”

Lin Xun was dumbfounded.

Xia Zhi caressed the droplet and remarked, “You call me big sister but call him senior?”

Lingyuan said, “Oh, I know, it should be brother-in-law, right?”

Lin Xun was first stunned, and then broke into a delighted chortle. Xia Zhi couldn't help but smile brightly as well. She was never a shy girl and would never fail to show the joy she felt in front of Lin Xun.

“Let's go and settle those enemies, and then we will leave the Dark Zone,” Lin Xun said.

Having already let those enemies prolong their lives for three months, it was time he put an end to this.

......

In that palace atop the mountain, a white-robed Tushan Leng sat, his murky eyes scanning a geomancy map drawn on brown beast leather, his expression calm and focused. On both sides of the hall sat the other eighteen Heavenly Mandate Apostles. The atmosphere was unusually quiet.

That was the scene that greeted Lin Xun when he arrived. His arrival also broke the quiet atmosphere in the hall. The other eighteen Heavenly Mandate Apostles rose to their feet in unison with their guard on, their expressions either of doubt, gravity, or ruthlessness.

In the central main seat, Tushan Leng put away the geomancy map. His gaze landed on Lin Xun and Xia Zhi outside the hall as he lamented, “I knew the restrictions around this place wouldn't be able to hold you back, Fellow Daoist Lin.”

“Why didn't you run?” Lin Xun asked as he looked around the whole hall.

“Instead of running and hiding, I prefer to fight it out with you fair and square. Even if I die, it shall be an honorable death.” Tushan Leng slowly got up and said with a calm demeanor, “But before that, can I ask you something?”

“Go ahead,” Lin Xun nonchalantly said, being to the point with his words.

Tushan Leng asked, “On your path of cultivation so far, have you ever thought what is the reason you embarked on it in the first place?”

Lin Xun was caught off guard. He hadn't expected such a question from the other party. After thinking for a moment, he replied, “Initially, it was to survive.”

When he was a child, he and Lu Boya had led a rather unpleasant life in a mine prison. His physical constitution had been weak and prone to sickness. If it hadn't been for Lu Boya taking good care of him and teaching him how to cultivate, surviving would have been almost impossible for him.

“To think that someone as heaven-defying as you only started out trying to survive.” After a moment of a daze, Tushan Leng continued, “The matter of survival was resolved, so what was the reason you persevered on the cultivation path?”

“Revenge.” Lin Xun did not think twice.

The look in Tushan Leng's eyes became odd. “What about now? You already possess the power to defeat Immeasurable Dao Lords and aren't far from becoming a true Immeasurable Sovereign. What is the reason you're still keeping on going?”

“There aren't so many reasons in this world,” Lin Xun whispered. “If I have to sum it up, then it's quite simple: cultivation to me is every breath I take, every move I make, and every thought I have. It is as natural as how mortal beings go from birth to death. If you're too fixated on the why, then it will only be detrimental and may well even become an invisible cage that traps you from making progress.”

As he spoke, his state of mind became increasingly clear and pure. At first, he had started cultivation to live. Later, it was a tool to take revenge. Now, cultivation had long been a part of his life. Why did there have to be a reason for something so natural, unrestrained, and free?

“An invisible cage that traps you from making progress...” Tushan Leng muttered. After what felt like half a day, he clasped his fist. “My eyes have been opened.”

Following that, he straightened his posture, his expression unprecedentedly calm. “Fellow Daoist Lin, you may start.”

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