The Prodigies War

The golden cicada was gone. Gone completely from this world. As they thought back on everything that had happened today, recalling all the memories tied to him everyone was left unsettled and at a loss.

Were they resentful? Not quite.

Were they fully without resentment? Not entirely.

Their emotions were subtle, tangled and difficult to describe.

To Bodhi and Chen Linkong, the golden cicada had been a confidant, a fellow daoist, and a close friend with whom they had shared wine, discussed the dao, and walked side by side. To Lin Xun, he was a senior worthy of trust and admiration. To Chen Xi and Xia Zhi, never once had they sensed even a trace of hostility from him.

One undeniable fact remained: golden cicada, Alpha Origin, and Taishan had all originated from the same source. Though each walked a different path, when it came to seizing the power of Nirvana, they had always stood in the same camp. It was this truth that made the golden cicada’s disappearance so hard to accept, leaving a lingering unease in everyone’s heart.

In the distance, Alpha Origin stood staring blankly at the place where the golden cicada had vanished. His expression flickered, caught between laughter and tears, complex beyond words. After a long while, he turned to Lin Xun. “Could you...spare Black Crow?”

Black Crow trembled, her eyes widening. In her memory, her master had lived through countless epochs, witnessed the rise and fall of all things, and endured endless life and death trials, but never once had he asked anything of anyone!

Now...for her sake, he was asking Lin Xun for a favor!

“I don’t want it! I don’t want it!” she cried out, her voice breaking as if she had lost control. “It’s only death! I want to stay with you! I’m not afraid!”

Alpha Origin smiled faintly, ignoring her as his gaze settled on Lin Xun. “She has been by my side since she was young, always following me. I can guarantee she never had the chance to do anything wrong. Even when you entered the All Wonder Dominion, she wanted to kill you, but failed. Instead, I kept her by my side...”

Alpha Origin’s voice softened. “It would be a pity...for such a good girl to die because of me.”

“Very well.” Lin Xun nodded.

Alpha Origin seemed to let out a quiet breath of relief. He cupped his hands in gratitude and smiled faintly. “Thank you.”

“Master, I said I would stay with you...even if it means death...” Black Crow lifted her face, staring at him with unwavering resolve. Tears streamed down her crimson, crystalline eyes, her voice trembling and broken. Then, her body suddenly went limp, collapsing into Alpha Origin’s arms.

Her life force was fading rapidly. Her delicate body grew colder by the moment. The smile on Alpha Origin’s face froze. He lowered his head, looking at the girl in his arms.

After a long silence, he slowly raised a trembling hand and gently stroked her hair. “I told you long ago...I cannot bear to see tears...so why wouldn’t you listen to me...?”

His voice was soft, helpless, and tinged with melancholy and an unhidden sorrow. The scene moved Lin Xun, Chen Xi, and the others watching from afar.

Dying for love? Dying for the dao? Or perhaps, she simply could not bear to live on alone in this world, and so she chose to end her life quietly in the presence of the one dearest to her.

“I can help bring her back.” Lin Xun’s voice broke the silence. Black Crow’s actions reminded him of Xia Zhi, of her unwavering resolve and her willingness to risk everything to save him. A strange surge of emotion rose uncontrollably within his heart.

“No need.” Alpha Origin lowered his gaze to the girl in his arms. Tears quietly gathered in his eyes. “For her...living on might be far more painful than dying like this.”

He gently brushed aside a strand of her hair, his voice soft. “Little crow...only you would be so foolish in this world...”

Then he lifted his head, his gaze sweeping across Lin Xun, Chen Xi, and the others. A faint smile touched his lips. “Everyone, this game today has been thoroughly satisfying. The bitterness and unwillingness in my heart have long since faded like smoke. My only regret...is that I never had the chance to meet that swordsman again. But no matter....even in death, one can still leave something behind as remembrance.”

He stood there, holding Black Crow’s delicate body. His spirit blazed bright, unrestrained and radiant. It was as though he had returned to the proud, composed man he once was. Then, his body, along with Black Crow’s, began to dissolve. Their figures turned into a drifting rain of light, scattering gently into the world, fading away bit by bit until nothing remained.

They would never appear again. Where they had vanished, a pair of whetstones lay quietly on the ground. From afar, Chen Xi cupped his hands and gave a slight bow. “Farewell!”

Lin Xun stepped forward and gathered the pair of whetstones.

“Leave something behind as remembrance...I just wonder...when that elder swordsman learns that you fell here, will he rejoice or grieve for you?” He murmured softly.

Before his words had even faded, Xia Zhi rushed forward and threw her arms tightly around him. Her beautiful face shone with heartfelt relief and joy. In the distance, Bodhi and Chen Linkong exchanged a quiet smile. In that moment, silence spoke louder than words.

......

On this day, the earth-shattering battle awaited for countless ages finally came to an end. Golden Cicada, Taishang, and Alpha Origin all fell, vanishing from the world. The nine Heavenly Mandate Dao Lords, along with Tian Wu and Shi hidden within the Taihun Domain, were all suppressed by Chen Xi and eternally sealed within the cycle of reincarnation.

On this day, Lin Xun found life in the face of death, reborn through nirvana. He achieved his ultimate breakthrough and, in the truest sense, stepped onto the Dao of Life, uniting the origins of the four dao dominions into one and comprehending the deepest mysteries of the Chaos Era.

......

A few days later.

The Realm of All Mysteries.

Lin Xun sat while drinking with Chen Xi. Mid-conversation, he suddenly paused. “Senior, would you like to hear a story?”

Chen Xi raised a brow, intrigued. “What is it about?

“A golden cicada.”

“...Him?”

Long ago...

When this Chaos Era had only just come into being, a golden cicada crossed the boundless void and flew into this world. He came in search of the dao and in search of a fated opportunity, a supreme path tied to life.

Through countless hardships and wandering across chaos, he finally arrived before the All-Wonder Tree of Life. There, he settled upon its branches, quietly sensing the tree’s growth and transformation. And so he remained there for endless years.

This great tree had witnessed the four dao dominions arise from nothingness, the epochal worlds evolve from its earliest form to completion, and the endless cycles of rise and fall across countless civilizations...

This golden cicada, in turn, witnessed the growth and transformation of the tree itself.

At last, one day, the golden cicada came to sense the profound essence of Nirvana, and was filled with immense joy. He believed this to be the wondrous opportunity he had long sought, one capable of resolving the bottlenecks and hidden flaws along his own dao path.

However, at that very moment, a devastating calamity descended, tearing apart the branches and leaves of the All-Wonder Tree of Life and shattering the Dao of Life that had taken root within it. Even the origin of Nirvana was thrown into turmoil.

The golden cicada had already fled the moment the calamity fell, yet he could do nothing but helplessly watch it unfold, his heart torn by unbearable pain. A fated opportunity lay a hair’s breadth away, but it slipped past him. The endless years he had waited, the painstaking effort he had poured in...all of it came to nothing.

No one knew that the golden cicada had come to this Chaos Era in search of the Dao of Life and a fated opportunity, seeking to resolve the hidden flaw within his state of mind.

Unfortunately, this very flaw erupted the moment he witnessed the great calamity that befell the All-Wonder Tree of Life.

His dao cultivation disintegrated, splitting into three. One became Alpha Origin, embodying the dao of fearless and relentless advancement. One became Taishang, upholding the supreme dao of sentiment devoidness. The last became the golden cicada, preserving his original heart.

After hearing the story, Chen Xi took a sip of wine and said, “So...does that mean there are other Chaos Eras beyond this one?”

“Correct.” Lin Xun nodded. “However, only those who have stepped onto the Dao of Life possess the ability to leave this Chaos Era.”

“Then where did the golden cicada come from?” Chen Xi asked.

Lin Xun replied, “Before the original self of him, Alpha Origin and Taishang came to this Chaos Era, he had already embarked upon the Dao of Life. But problems arose in his dao path and flaws appeared in his state of mind. This is why he was forced to search so desperately for a solution.”

Chen Xi nodded slowly. “No wonder Alpha Origin, Taishang, and the golden cicada each walked their own paths, each clinging to their own obsessions. Their understandings diverged, and at times, even clashed outright. It must have all stemmed from the hidden flaw within their state of mind from the very beginning.”

“That’s right. Only Senior Golden Cicada preserved his original heart. Unfortunately, due to the nature of cultivation, much of his later years were spent in a hazy, half-conscious state...”

Lin Xun continued, “The reason was simple...his true form is a cicada.”

Chen Xi’s eyes lit up in realization. “The morning mushroom knows nothing of the passing of days; the cicada knows nothing of the turning of the seasons. In the mortal world, cicadas appear only in summer. They cannot behold the passing of spring and autumn. If this is the way of the cicada...then it is also the flaw in its life.”

“Exactly.” Lin Xun nodded. “That is why, in the past, Senior Golden Cicada’s cultivation fluctuated. Though beings across different epochs have encountered him, very few ever realized just how extraordinary he truly was.”

Chen Xi fell into thought, then said, “If it were me, I would sever the dao of Alpha Origin and Taishang, merge it into my own, attain perfection, and then reaffirm Nirvana to resolve the flaw within my state mind.”

He paused, then shook his head. “No...someone like him would have certainly considered using such a method to prove his dao. Which means the root of the problem lies deeper...in the very foundation of his true self’s state of mind.”

Lin Xun let out a sigh. “I only came to understand Senior Golden Cicada’s past when I was deducing the aura of the All-Wonder Tree of Life. Only then did I realize why he chose to join forces with Alpha Origin and Taishang to seize the power of Nirvana. In the end, it was an obsession rooted deep within his true self.”

Chen Xi nodded, then suddenly asked, “That devastating calamity that struck the All-Wonder Tree of Life...where did it come from?”

Lin Xun pondered for a moment before replying, “I can only vaguely deduce that it came from beyond this Chaos Era and that its target being the Dao of Life itself. As for the truth, we may only uncover it once the Dao of Life has been restored to completeness.”

Chen Xi said, “So...only by reshaping the origin of the All-Wonder Tree of Life with the power of Nirvana can the Dao of Life truly manifest within this Chaos Era?”

“That’s right. But with my current strength, it would take countless years to accomplish this. So...in this matter, I’ll need your help.” As Lin Xun spoke, he flicked his finger. A sphere of light imbued with the profound essence of Nirvana appeared, drifting gently toward Chen Xi.

Chen Xi was briefly stunned, then let out a chuckle. “Worried I’d be too embarrassed to accept it, so you came up with a reason I couldn’t refuse?”

Lin Xun laughed as well. “You misunderstand. I just need someone to share the burden of restoring the Dao of Life. After all, I can’t remain in the All-Wonder Dominion forever.”

Chen Xi rubbed his nose and sighed, “So you’re just roping me in as free labor...but somehow I find I can’t refuse.”

He let out a laugh. “Where are you planning to go?”

Lin Xun exhaled slowly, a faint smile appearing on his face. “Home.”

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