The Prodigies War

All-Wonder Dominion, Hongling Domain.

A heavy, chaotic aura permeated the heavens and earth, and the mountains and rivers were vast, desolate, empty and silent. In the center of this domain stood a mountain. The mountain was steep and towering, reaching straight into the clouds.

"Grandfather is still in seclusion..." Chen Linkong stood halfway up the mountain, looking at a simple and clean thatched hut that was not far away. A feeling of helplessness was rising in his heart. How much longer would he have to wait?

Just as Chen Linkong had this thought, a voice echoed in his mind: Soon.

This simple answer made Chen Linkong tremble, his eyes brightening. "Grandfather, you've awakened?"

"A variable has arrived; who can remain indifferent?" This time, the voice came from the thatched hut, calm and peaceful, resonating like the spiritual essence of the great dao. "Don't be anxious. Just wait for the opportune moment to come, and then observe carefully and comprehend with your heart."

Chen Linkong was also a formidable powerful expert, but at this moment he was extremely humble as he said, "Grandfather, are you also planning to wait until the variable arrives before taking action to deal with the mastermind?"

The tightly closed door of the thatched hut opened, and a tall, slender figure emerged. At this moment, the originally vast and gloomy world suddenly became bright and colorful, and everything seemed to burst with boundless vitality.

"Linkong, don't be impatient. An unsettled mind leads to a scattered spirit, and a scattered spirit breeds distracting thoughts. If some powerful experts notice this, they can easily trap you,” said the tall figure as he stepped forward, soared into the air, reaching above the clouds.

In his eyes, the entire Realm of All Mysteries seemed to be within his sight. The countless worlds scattered throughout this realm were like brilliant pearls. The tall figure's gaze penetrated these countless brilliant worlds, looking further into the distance, where there was an obscure and dark path called the Dao Slaying Path.

At the other end of the Dao Slaying Path was the Realm of All Spirits. His calm voice drifted down from the heavens, “In the nine sky zones of the Realm of All Spirits, each sky zone has a gate, and each gate holds a profound mystery. Linkong, let me ask you, when you entered the first sky zone, the Mortal Transformation Zone, how did you pass through that heavenly gate?”

Chen Linkong replied without hesitation, “At that time, I used my own grand dao and encountered thirty-nine Dao Competitions in the Mortal Transformation Zone. In the first thirty battles, I used many sword techniques and expended much effort and thought. In the last nine battles, I was too lazy to say another word, and simply broke through them all with a single sword strike. Thus, I obtained a Chaos Dao Fruit and soared through the heavenly gate.”

When talking about these things, Chen Linkong couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion. The Mortal Transformation Zone was a place for educating ordinary mortals.

Among the powerful experts who entered this zone, there were Dao Competitions. Whoever won could use their own dao to influence the world's situation, and their power would become the ironclad laws and regulations for educating all beings in this zone, making them accept their principles of the dao and regard them as the ultimate truth.

Furthermore, upon achieving this, one could obtain the profound mystery of this realm—the Chaos Dao Fruit! It was a kind of innate principle born from primordial chaos. With this, one could successfully pass through the first heavenly gate.

From above the clouds, the tall figure asked with interest, “What did the dao you established in the Mortal Transformation Zone transform into?”

Chen Linkong said, "A sword stele. Although it is only three feet tall, it possesses a power that can reach the heavens. At that time, it was added to the Heavenly Cycle Dao Laws of the Mortal Transformation Zone."

He then couldn't help but ask, "Grandfather, why are you asking about this?"

"Throughout countless ages, countless powerful figures from various epochs have arrived at the All-Wonder Dominion, and this first trial appears in the Mortal Transformation Zone. If I'm not mistaken, to this day, one thousand six hundred and fourteen people have passed this first heavenly trial. But do you know how many powerful figures are currently trapped in the Mortal Transformation Zone?"

The tall figure then answered his own question, "At least tens of thousands! The fact that tens of thousands of people have reached the Immeasurable Realm means that there are tens of thousands of supreme dao paths. Everyone wants to stand out in the competition of dao, making their own dao occupy a place in the Heavenly Cycle Dao Laws of the Mortal Transformation Zone. The intensity of such a competition is unimaginable."

At this point, the tall figure asked, "Linkong, how long did it take you to pass through the heavenly gate of the Mortal Transformation Zone?"

"Thirty-three years," Chen Linkong answered without hesitation.

The tall figure asked again, "Then, how long do you think the little disciple of the Lord of Fangchun Mountain will take to pass through the Mortal Transformation Zone?"

"This..." Chen Linkong contemplated this question. When he had left the Fortune Dominion, Lin Xun was only a cultivator on the path of immortality. If he had the ability to successfully cross the Sea of Fate and arrive at the All-Wonder Dominion, his cultivation had to be at the Immeasurable Realm.

Combining his understanding of Lin Xun's foundation and talent, Chen Linkong said, "A character like him, once he enters the Immeasurable Realm, would have combat power that is far beyond that of others in the same realm. If he wants to pass through the heavenly gate of the Mortal Transformation Zone, he should be no less capable than me."

The tall figure couldn't help but let out a hearty laugh. "The amount of time it takes cannot measure the level of one's dao. If I'm not mistaken, this Lin Xun will definitely be different from all the previous competitors."

Chen Linkong fell into thought.

...

Boom! Dark clouds hung heavy, lightning flashed, and above the wild, primitive mountains and rivers, dark clouds rolled and thunder roared, shaking the mountains and terrifying all living creatures. Before long, large raindrops poured down, shrouding the world in a misty rain. In the distance, the roars of birds and beasts could be heard.

Lin Xun and Xia Zhi stood beneath a rock face at the foot of a mountain. The rock face had a ten-foot-wide indentation, providing shelter from the rain.

He glanced around, but he was momentarily lost in thought. Previously, he and Xia Zhi had stepped onto the Fate Lotus Dao Altar and then felt a dizzying shift of space and time. This had all occurred in less than fifteen minutes.

Then, they suddenly appeared in this place, witnessing this scene of wild mountains and rivers, and a torrential rain.

"Is this the All-Wonder Dominion?"

Lin Xun wasn't entirely sure. He spread his divine consciousness, sensing the surrounding world. Instantly, a series of wondrous and incredible insights flooded his mind.

The Mortal Transformation Zone is the first sky zone of the Realm of All Spirits, and it has a boundless and vast territory, containing forty-nine kingdoms built by ordinary mortals that are scattered throughout this realm. Each kingdom has hundreds of millions of inhabitants...

The struggle for the great dao is a competition of influence, using one's own dao to influence the world, and transforming one's own principles into laws that educate all living beings. Those whose dao is included in the Heavenly Cycle Dao Laws of this zone can obtain a Chaos Dao Fruit and ascend to the heavenly gate...

Upon receiving these insights, Lin Xun finally confirmed that he and Xia Zhi had indeed arrived at the All-Wonder Dominion! However, the existence of this Mortal Transformation Zone seemed incredibly strange.

The struggle for the great dao was a competition of superiority, a competition of the influence of their respective dao. Only in this way could their own dao be included in the Heavenly Dao Principles of the Mortal Transformation Zone, becoming the ironclad laws and rules that governed all living beings here.

"Interesting." Lin Xun told Xia Zhi what he had learned.

Xia Zhi thought for a moment, then said in a clear voice, "It's nothing more than fighting, a competition to see whose dao is more powerful."

Lin Xun smiled. "That's true."

In his mind, however, he couldn't help but think of many people, such as his master, the Lord of Fangchun Mountain, the golden cicada, Chen Linkong, and some others. He also recalled the friends he had made in the Sea of Fate, such as Xing Jianxia and Fu Nanli.

"I wonder if I'll be able to meet them in this Mortal Transformation Zone..." Lin Xun mused.

Suddenly, a loud clap of thunder echoed in the distance, and amidst the deep, dark, and violent rain, the sound of fighting faintly reached his ears. Lin Xun was not surprised, but instead was rather pleased. He said, "Let's go and take a look."

Having just arrived, it would be best to meet some fellow cultivators to learn about the situation in the Mortal Transformation Zone. This would save him the time of exploring everything himself.

Immediately, Lin Xun and Xia Zhi teleported through the void, and after flying south for a short while, they saw an old, dilapidated temple standing in a deep mountain shrouded in torrential rain. The sound of fighting was coming from the temple.

Lin Xun was surprised, and as his divine sense spread out, what he saw instantly changed. The inconspicuous temple had transformed into a magnificent temple of golden light, looking sacred and resplendent, as if it were the dwelling place of gods.

Upon closer inspection, a statue was enshrined in the temple, with a flowing beard and hair, and a majestic appearance, as if a deity had descended to the world. At this moment, the statue was emitting a brilliant light, revealing a dazzling and imposing figure engaged in battle.

His opponent was a man in a gray robe, wielding a green battle saber. His body radiated layers of purple divine light, and his power was extremely terrifying. He was clearly a Greater Boundless Eternal.

When Lin Xun saw this, his eyebrows twitched. He clearly saw that the magnificent temple of golden light and the illusory image of the statue within were all formed by the power of principles, not real people. In other words, the gray-robed man was fighting against the power of this temple!

In the middle of nowhere, there stands an extraordinary and mysterious temple, and a Greater Boundless Immeasurable has come here to fight against it on this rainy night. Just what is he doing?

Lin Xun became even more curious. Just then—Swish!

Suddenly, the gray-robed man seemed to sense something, and he retreated from the temple. Instantly, the temple radiating dazzling golden light and the illusory figure within it fell silent. Looking again, the temple stood amidst the mountains, ancient and weathered, without any trace of energy fluctuations.

“Which fellow daoist has arrived here? Please show yourself.” The man in the gray robe spoke in a deep voice, his voice echoing in the night, even suppressing the sound of thunder in the sky. He held a green battle saber in his hand, his figure tall and imposing. The power of principles around him transformed into a hazy purple mist, and his aura was incredibly powerful.

“I have come uninvited. If I have caused any disturbance, I hope my fellow daoist will forgive me.” Lin Xun walked leisurely from a distance, cupping his hands in greeting towards the gray-robed man. Behind him, Xia Zhi followed closely.

The gray-robed man glanced at Lin Xun and Xia Zhi, then frowned, saying, “Does Fellow Daoist not know that in this Mortal Transformation Zone, during a Dao Competition, it is most taboo for others to pry?”

A Dao Competition?

Lin Xun was startled, then cupped his hands again, saying frankly, “Please don’t be angry, Fellow Daoist. I have just arrived in this zone and haven’t yet understood the affairs of this world.”

The gray-robed man’s eyes revealed a look of understanding, saying, “So you have just crossed the Sea of Fate to arrive here. That’s understandable.”

He was visibly relieved and put away his green battle saber while cupping his hands in greeting, saying, “Our meeting was ordained by fate. My name is Nie Ting. Before the imminent destruction of the Immortal Martial Epoch, I crossed over to this Mortal Transformation Zone. May I ask for your name, Fellow Daoist?”

Lin Xun also cupped his hands, saying, “My name is Lin Xun, and I’m from the Spirit Martial Epoch.”

“So it’s Fellow Daoist Lin Xun... Hmm? Wait, you are that Lin Xun?!” The gray-robed man, who called himself Nie Ting, suddenly seemed to realize something, his eyes widening abruptly.