The Prodigies War

Moonlit Mountain, the seat of the Tianling Sect.

In less than a quarter of an hour, Lin Xun drifted through the void and appeared above the mountain range. He did not trouble the disciples guarding the mountain gate. With a single step, he silently bypassed layer after layer of restriction arrays, entering the sect as though strolling through open air. Before long, he arrived at a secluded cave dwelling deep within Moonlit Mountain.

“Not a bad place to cultivate.” Hands clasped behind his back, Lin Xun surveyed the surroundings. Then he casually lifted a finger and tapped the air.

Buzz!

The restriction formations around the cave rippled violently. However,Yet no one emerged. After a long moment of silence, Lin Xun raised an eyebrow and stepped forward. The restriction forces shattered like fragile glass, collapsing soundlessly as he entered.

He glanced around. “That woman is cautious...she fled in advance.”

His gaze fell on a teacup resting on a stone table. He lifted it lightly and found the tea inside was still faintly warm. “She left only minutes ago.

“When I slaughtered Wen Tuyang and the others at the Tianwu Sect’s mountain gate, she must have sensed their deaths and escaped immediately.”

Realizing this, he furrowed his brows slightly. He had not expected Tian Ruojing to be so vigilant.

“It makes no difference. Let’s see what you can do.”

He turned to leave. However,But just as he was about to depart the Tianling Sect, his spirit sense caught sight of a familiar figure.

Wei Xian! He was theThe Tianling Sect disciple who had once beaten Qing Feng into unconsciousness.

Wei Xian stood in flowing white robes, his handsome features highlighted by a confident smile as he chatted leisurely with a delicate, charming young woman. Suddenly, his expression stiffened. His gaze locked onto the distance, then shock flashed across his face.

“Qing Ffeng!? How dare you come to my Tianling Sect?”

Lin Xun gave a faint smile before his eyes shifted to the woman beside Wei Xian. “If Wei Xian’s cultivation was crippled, would you still remain by his side for the rest of your life?”

The young woman froze, clearly caught off guard.

“You’re courting death!”

Wei Xian’s expression darkened. With a furious shout, he lunged forward, launching a palm strike at Lin Xun. But before he had even crossed half the distance, his body trembled violently. In the next instant, his qi burst outward like air escaping from a punctured vessel.

In the blink of an eye, his cultivation vanished completely. He seemed to age years, his entire figure exuding an indescribable fatigue.

The young woman shrieked, “Ahh—!”

By the time her cry faded, Lin Xun was nowhere to be seen.

“No...no... my cultivation? What happened to my cultivation?!” Wei Xian collapsed onto the ground, trembling uncontrollably. Panic contorted his face, and his eyes were unfocused and wild, as though his mind was on the verge of breaking. In a single instant, he had been reduced from a lofty cultivator to a powerless mortal, how could he possibly accept such a fall?

“Senior Brother, I’ll go find Master!” Her voice trembled as she turned to leave.

Wei Xian clawed at the ground, desperation flooding his eyes. “Junior Sister! You mustn’t leave me! Please! I beg you! Don’t abandon me!”

The young woman forced a strained smile. “Senior Brother, I won’t. Just wait here, I’ll go bring Master.”

WAnd with that, she turned and hurried away without looking back. Before long, a group of figures rushed over. Wei Xian’s master was among them, along with several important elders of the sect.

Wei Xian lifted his head frantically, searching through the crowd. Unfortunately,But he did not see the young woman anywhere. In that instant, the final sliver of hope in his heart shattered. He thought of Qing Feng, and of the humiliation and ridicule that trash had endured all these years...

“Qing Feng still has his senior brother, Qing Heng, to protect him. He still has his Cyclic Derivation cultivation. What about me? I have no cultivation anymore...I have nothing...nothing at all...”

At thatIn that moment, something inside Wei Xian finally snapped. He broke down completely.

......

Tianwu Sect.

The great hall.

When Lin Xun returned, Qing Heng, Fu Yunzi, and the others were already waiting.

Qing Heng rose at once. “Did your trip go smoothly, Fellow Daoist?”

Lin Xun replied, “Tian Ruojing fled in advance. If my guess is correct, she has gone either to the Crimson Serpent Immortal Sect or to the Immortal Pavilion,”

His gaze swept across the hall, and he found that Qing Heng, Fu Yunzi, and the elders were all very calm when facing him. They had clearly accepted the truth that Qing Feng was no longer Qing Feng. He was a Dao Deriver.

“That’s troublesome,” Qing Heng said, brows knitting tightly. “With Tian Ruojing’s cunning, she must have sensed something. Given her standing, both the Crimson Serpent Immortal Sect and the Immortal Pavilion will likely dispatch people to investigate. If they begin to suspect your identity...”

He did not finish the sentence, but the meaning was already clear. Fu Yunzi and the others’ expressions changed at once. No matter how events unfolded, the Tianwu Sect was destined to be drawn into the storm.

Lin Xun spoke calmly, “If you trust me, then gather everyone in the Tianwu Sect and leave this place with me.”

Fu Yunzi and the others exchanged uneasy glances.

“Very well!” Qing Heng answered without hesitation.

He had already considered this path. Following Lin Xun was their only chance at survival. Otherwise, the Tianwu Sect would have no hope of enduring what was to come. Seeing Qing Heng agreeing with that suggestionagreed, the others nodded as well.

Lin Xun wasted no time. Moments later...Boom!

A thunderous roar shook Maple Cloud Spirit Mountain, the very foundation of the Tianwu Sect. The entire mountain trembled violently, then tore free from the earth. Not far away, Lin Xun formed a series of hand seals. Under his control, the massive Maple Cloud Spirit Mountain began to shrink, compressing again and again until it was no larger than a fist. With a casual gesture, he drew it through the air and handed it to Qing Heng.

Qing Heng carefully received the miniature Maple Cloud Divine Mountain and stored it within his sleeve. Then he asked, “Fellow Daoist, where do we go next?”

Lin Xun replied without hesitation, “Even if our enemies are already on their way, it will take time for them to arrive. We will use this opportunity to leave this territory first. Once I step onto the Immortal Path, I will settle accounts with them, one by one.”

In the past, his cultivation had been so weak that he could only lie low within the Tianwu Sect and bide his time. Now things were different.

His cultivation had already reached the pinnacle of the Emperor Ancestor Stage, and he now possessed the strength to protect himself. If he chose to conceal himself, even Immortals would find it difficult to track him down.

“Very well!” Qing Heng nodded.

“Fellow Daoist, do not worry. I have experienced countless life-and-death trials in my lifetime. Compared to those, the present situation is nothing.” Lin Xun smiled faintly. He could tell that though Qing Heng appeared calm on the surface, beneath that composure lay tightly restrained anxiety.

After a brief pause, Lin Xun continued, “And you need not worry about the damage to your dao foundation. I will resolve it for you.”

Qing Heng trembled slightly. He forcibly suppressed the surge of emotion rising in his chest and cupped his fists deeply. “Thank you, Fellow Daoist!”

Lin Xun only smiled and said no more. In the next instant, he drifted into the void, Qing Heng following at his side.

......

Two days later, beneath the vast heavens, a group of terrifying figures tore through the sky like falling stars before finally coming to a halt above the former grounds of the Tianwu Sect.

At their head stood Yuan Zhong, supreme elder of the Immortal Pavilion, a pinnacle Transcendence Immortal and one of the seven Heavenly Mandate Apostles of the Gen Department stationed in the Dao Derivation Zone.

Beside him were several Immortal figures from the Immortal Pavilion, along with ancient monsters from the Crimson Serpent Immortal Sect. Each possessed Immortal cultivation. Among them stood Tian Ruojing. However, before so many true Immortals, her sSupreme Emperor Ancestor cultivation seemed insignificant.

“Maple Cloud Spirit Mountain...is gone.” Tiang Rouling’s pupils contracted slightly.

“So,” Yuan Zhong murmured, brows faintly furrowed,. “they sensed danger and fled in advance?”

He wore wide-sleeved robes and his long hair was bound high in a topknot. A perfectly round, translucent Immortal Halo shimmered behind him, making him appear like a celestial descended into the mortal world.

“That must be the case,” Tian Ruojing replied, drawing a steady breath. “But in my view, the more they fled in haste, the more it proves that Qing Feng’s identity is suspicious. He is very likely the Dao Deriver Lin Xun you seniors have been searching for this past year!”

A cold gaze swept over her. “That is only speculation. Do you have proof?”

Tian Ruojing’s heart trembled, but she did not falter. After a brief silence, she said solemnly, “I have no concrete evidence, but I am willing to stake my life on this. Qing Feng is undoubtedly a Dao Deriver.”

Several days earlier, she had met Qing Feng personally at the Tianwu Sect. At the time, she had already sensed something amiss. His composure, his tone, and even his gaze were unlike before.

In addition,And after returning to her residence, that unease only deepened. How could a mere Cyclic Derivation cultivator casually perceive the karmic obstruction within her heart after only a few exchanges?

Then after she ordered Wen Tuyang of the Tianling Sect to lead a group of experts to the Tianwu Sect, the events that followed made her draw a firm conclusion: there was something deeply wrong with Qing Feng! Otherwise, how could Wen Tuyang and the others have been wiped out?

The Tianwu Sect was merely a second tier faction. Even its strongest member, Qing Heng, was already burdened with severe dao injuries. Under such circumstances, they simply did not possess the strength to eliminate Wen Tuyang and the others.

There was only one explanation. Qing Feng was the anomaly. This was Tian Ruoling’s conclusion.

“What you say is reasonable. If Qing Feng’s identity were not suspicious, the Tianwu Sect would have had no need to abandon their grounds and flee in advance.”

Yuan Zhong’s eyes flickered with thought. “If the Dao Deriver who borrowed Qing Feng’s body and identity is truly Lin Xun, then we can infer that he chose to retreat the moment he realized the news might leak.”

An Immortal nearby frowned. “This is troublesome. The Dao Derivation Zone is vast beyond measure. If he chooses to hide, where are we supposed to begin our search?”

Yuan Zhong could not help but let out a long sigh. A shadow passed across his brows. “Indeed. He will not be easy to find.”

At that moment, Tian Ruojing suddenly spoke. “Seniors, in my humble view, the very fact that Lin Xun chose to flee proves that he has not yet acquired the strength to contend with you. He may not even have stepped onto the Immortal Path.”

Yuan Zhong cast her another measured glance. “Your reasoning is not without merit. But on what grounds do you conclude that he has not yet entered the Immortal Stage?”

Tian Ruojing’s heart trembled with excitement. She knew she had successfully drawn Yuan Zhong’s attention. Suppressing the surge of elation within her, she composed herself and replied calmly, “It’s simple. Lin Xun has only been in the Dao Derivation Zone for little more than a year. As far as I know, throughout history, almost no Dao Deriver has ever stepped onto the Immortal Path in so short a time.”

She paused deliberately, sensing every gaze fixed on her. A confident smile bloomed across her exquisite features. “As I mentioned earlier, Lin Xun chose to flee rather than fight. That alone is proof enough that his strength has not yet reached a level capable of contending with the Immortal level!”

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