The Prodigies War

“Fellow Daoist...he has moved.”

The golden cicada rose to his feet, his robes billowing as a wondrous light flashed within his eyes.

“You thought he would remain on the All Mysteries Dao Platform forever?” Bodhi laughed softly as he stood as well. “Movement brings change, and change opens the path forward. Whether it leads to victory or defeat, in the end, it must be settled by one’s own hands.”

“I did not expect Chen Xi would allow Chen Linkong to act,” the golden cicada said quietly.

Bodhi did not reply. His attention remained fixed on what was occurring before the All Mysteries Dao Platform.

The Hongling Domain.

The thatched hut stood silent and still. Chen Xi did not move, but he was also watching from afar.

“Master, he’s come out!” Black Crow’s voice trembled with an excitement she could scarcely suppress, as though the moment she had waited for countless years had finally arrived.

Deep beneath the earth, Alpha Origin’s voice echoed faintly, “Wait a little longer.”

Wait? Black Crow could not understand.

......

Outside the All Mysteries Dao Platform.

Pei Tu and the other Heavenly Mandate Dao Lords, along with Tian Wu and Shi, all grew solemn, their expressions tightening as they prepared for battle.

They had long speculated that Lin Xun had already reached the level of an Immeasurable Dao Lord back in the Xuanhuang Zone. However, after he had passed the Dao Slaying Path, no one knew how far his cultivation had advanced.

At almost the same moment, Yuan Chu and Xu Yin in the distance readied themselves as well. Just as Lin Xun stepped off the platform, he turned his head slightly and said, “Seniors...just watch.”

Before his words had fully fallen, his figure had already left the bounds of the All Mysteries Dao Platform. In that instant, no longer under the platform’s protection, his aura was fully revealed.

Pei Tu and the others began to frown. They could sense nothing. The aura around Lin Xun was like emptiness itself. It was as if he did not exist within this world. And yet, at the same time, it was as though he had become one with it. The world was him, and he was the world.

Realizing this, Pei Tu and the others felt a tremor in their hearts. Even they, Immeasurable Dao Lords, were unable to perceive his cultivation. Did that not mean that Lin Xun’s cultivation had already far surpassed their understanding?

Meanwhile, freed from the isolation of the All Mysteries Dao Platform, Lin Xun’s spirit sense and mind finally extended outward. Only now could he truly perceive the Realm of All Mysteries.

This divine realm was obscure like primal chaos, vast and boundless. Within this boundless expanse lay countless secret realms, scattered like stars. Among them, three in particular drew his attention.

From one of them, he sensed two familiar presences. In an instant, realization dawned. His master, the Lord of Fangchun Mountain, and the golden cicada were there. The former’s aura was vast and inscrutable, while the latter’s was calm as still water.

In another secret realm, an unfathomable aura lingered, with traces of profound reincarnation and divine power drifting through the void. That could only belong to Chen Xi.

In the third secret realm, primal chaos churned. A cold, biting aura surged forth, accompanied by another presence so obscure it was almost imperceptible. The moment Lin Xun captured that obscure aura, a sense of familiarity arose within him. There was no doubt. This was the aura of Alpha Origin. He had encountered it back in the Spirit Empowerment World.

As for that cold, piercing aura, it could only belong to Alpha Origin’s number one dao servant, Black Crow.

Soon, Lin Xun withdrew his perception. He stood tall, his gaze sweeping over Pei Tu and the others waiting in the distance before shifting toward the far-off secret realms.

“Alpha Origin,” he said calmly, “now that I have arrived...you don’t intend to send these people to their deaths, do you?”

His voice was calm, but it echoed throughout the world. Although Pei Tu, Tian Wu, and Shi kept their expressions composed, a strange sense of absurdity welled up within them.

This Lin Xun...does he not take us seriously at all now?

In the distance, Yuan Chu and Xu Yin exchanged glances, their expressions turning subtly strange. They could see it clearly. Lin Xun indeed had no regard for them whatsoever. Or perhaps, to him, they were not even worth acknowledging.

Bodhi revealed a look of pride and relief. “So...he has already reached this level.”

“Fellow Daoist, you didn’t expect this?” the golden cicada asked.

“I thought he would be like me, standing at the ultimate pinnacle of the Immeasurable Stage. To touch upon the Dao of Life, he would still need to seek within the Realm of All Mysteries. But now it seems...he has already walked ahead of me.”

A genuine smile spread across Bodhi’s face. “In the past, I told my successors that disciples need not be inferior to their masters. And now, Lin Xun has indeed surpassed me.”

The golden cicada fell silent for a moment, then smiled. “It is indeed unexpected. But at least he has not disappointed you, nor has he wasted all the effort you have poured into him.”

“Well done, Lin Xun!” From within the thatched hut in the Hongling Domain, a voice of surprised admiration rang out. The unexpected...was itself a variable.

“Interesting...but there’s no need to rush. The game has only just begun. Young Friend Lin, I’ll give you the chance to take a proper look at this Realm of All Mysteries.”

At that moment, Alpha Origin’s voice echoed throughout the world surrounding the All Mysteries Dao Platform. His tone was unhurried and casual. “Ape Ancestor, bring them back.”

“Understood.” Ape Ancestor, still locked in a fierce battle with Chen Linkong, nodded.

“Leaving already?” Chen Linkong sneered. “Did I agree to that?”

Ape Ancestor’s voice was calm and indifferent. “If I wish to leave, why would I need your consent?”

Boom!

The next moment, the aura around his towering, mountain-like body shifted abruptly. With a single punch, he sent Chen Linkong flying back dozens of feet.

Pu!

By the time he regained his footing, Chen Linkong’s chest was heaving violently, and he could not help but cough up a mouthful of blood. This took everyone by surprise. A battle that had seemed evenly matched...was shattered in an instant by the terrifying power Ape Ancestor unleashed.

Even Lin Xun had not foreseen this.

Shua!

Ape Ancestor had already shifted through the void. With a sweep of his sleeve, he moved to take Pei Tu and the others away.

Lin Xun raised two fingers and thrust forward. A streak of sword qi tore through the void, slashing straight toward Ape Ancestor!

The moment Pei Tu and the others sensed the aura contained within that strike, their hearts trembled in horror. They found they could not even summon the will to resist. All that remained was a suffocating sense of helplessness and despair!

Furthermore, this sword was not aimed at them, but at Ape Ancestor. They did not dare imagine what would happen if it were. Only then did they finally understand why Lin Xun had dismissed them earlier. On the path of the great dao, he had long since left them, Immeasurable Dao Lords, far behind.

Facing Lin Xun’s sword, Ape Ancestor’s towering form suddenly shrank to the height of an ordinary man. However, his aura surged violently, far surpassing before. With a punch, he met the incoming sword qi head-on, forcibly halting it before both forces exploded together.

Boom!

A deafening explosion shook heaven and earth as divine radiance swept across the land. Taking advantage of that moment, Ape Ancestor vanished without a trace, taking Pei Tu and the others with him.

By the time Lin Xun moved to pursue, it was already too late. In truth, even he had not expected that Ape Ancestor could block that sword. That miscalculation had cost him the chance to give chase.

The entire exchange had unfolded in the blink of an eye. When it ended, Yuan Chu and Xu Yin were already drenched in cold sweat. The power Lin Xun revealed was already surprising. However, the strength Ape Ancestor displayed in that moment was even more astonishing.

“That old monster...he’s been hiding his strength all along.” In the distance, Chen Linkong wiped the blood from the corner of his lips, his expression growing grave. Recalling that clash, a chill ran through his heart.

If Ape Ancestor had used his full strength from the very beginning...would he have been able to hold on until now? The thought alone sent a chill down his spine.

“He has already stepped beyond the ultimate pinnacle and touched upon the mysteries of the Dao of Life.”

Only now did Lin Xun arrive at a firm conclusion. Ape Ancestor’s cultivation was not just at the pinnacle of the Immeasurable Stage, but like himself, he had already taken that step beyond it.

A chill rose in Lin Xun’s heart. Recalling Ape Ancestor’s earlier words...The game had been destined, from the very beginning, to end in their defeat. It was now clear that Ape Ancestor was one of Alpha Origin’s hidden trump cards!

“This time, it was you who saved me.” Chen Linkong walked over, looking Lin Xun up and down. “If you hadn’t taken that step, Alpha Origin would never have ordered Ape Ancestor to withdraw so decisively.”

He had not expected that Lin Xun, who had only just passed the Dao Slaying Path, would have already reached such a level.

“Elder, this is not a place to talk,” Lin Xun said with a smile.

Though the immediate danger had passed, the power Ape Ancestor had displayed left him deeply wary. No one knew what other methods Alpha Origin might still have in reserve.

“Would you like to meet my grandfather?” Chen Linkong asked.

Lin Xun thought for a moment, then shook his head slightly. “It would be better for me to pay my respects to my master first. After that, I will go and visit Elder Chen Xi.”

Chen Linkong nodded, then frowned slightly. “Still...doesn’t it feel like Ape Ancestor and the others withdrew a bit too abruptly? Even with those variables, the whole situation feels strangely anticlimactic.”

Lin Xun replied calmly, “If I were still at the pinnacle of the Immeasurable Stage, and if Ape Ancestor had not revealed his true strength, this situation would not have ended so easily.”

Chen Linkong fell into thought, then suddenly drew in a sharp breath. “You’re right. Even if my grandfather had acted, Ape Ancestor would have done everything in his power to hold him back. Even if he couldn’t win, he could at least stall for time. And in that moment, Alpha Origin would have made his move against you. At that point, even if your master Bodhi and the golden cicada joined forces, they likely wouldn’t have been able to stop him...”

This was not to belittle Bodhi or the golden cicada. It was simply a truth everyone in the Realm of All Mysteries understood. The only one capable of truly threatening Alpha Origin was Chen Xi.

If Chen Xi was restrained, then Alpha Origin would be invincible and unstoppable!

Therefore, it was precisely because Lin Xun’s cultivation had already stepped beyond the pinnacle of the Immeasurable Stage, far beyond what anyone had expected, that a variable had emerged in what should have been a killing trap.

The moment Alpha Origin realized this, he made a decisive decision and ordered Ape Ancestor to withdraw at once. The situation had resolved in an instant, but even a single misstep could have escalated into a catastrophic calamity.

Yuan Chu and Xu Yin listened to Chen Linkong’s analysis on the side, their hearts pounding as their expressions shifted. Indeed, if not for the ‘variable’ in Lin Xun’s cultivation, the killing intent hidden within that situation would have been more than enough to decide life and death.

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