The Prodigies War

The hall was silent, an oppressive aura permeating the air. Lin Xun swept his gaze over the crowd and asked, “How come you guys are the only ones here?”

Tushan Leng was silent for a moment before he said, “The other colleagues left in fear of your might, Fellow Daoist Lin, which is them waving their white flag. Should you come across them in the future, I hope you could show mercy.”

Saying that, he smiled bitterly. “Of course I know that I'm in no position to ask this of you, but from what I've seen, those colleagues of mine will never dare to be your enemy ever again.”

Lin Xun mused, “What about you guys, why didn't you leave?”

This time, Tushan Leng said outright, “We are acting under an order from above to remain stationed in the Dark Zone.”

“I see.” Lin Xun nodded and asked out of nowhere, “If something bad happens to the Alpha Origin Master one day, how should you all deal with yourselves?”

Tushan Leng’s group was collectively stunned. His Lordship...will lose?

They had never thought about this possibility, for the might of the Alpha Origin Master had long been ingrained in their impression. No one would ever think that he would lose to anything!

“Just think about it.”

With that, Lin Xun turned and left. Xia Zhi followed closely behind. Even after they disappeared from sight, Tushan Leng and the others were still incredulous. Lin Xun left...just like that?

“He actually spared us?” It was only after a long silence that someone asked in confusion and disbelief.

“Perhaps in his eyes, we old things are no different from small fries, and only those above the level of Immeasurable Dao Lords can be taken seriously...” another said bitterly.

“By what he just said, he plans to go against the supreme master?” another wondered with a shocked look.

“Regardless, it's a blessing that we get to live this time, no?” someone muttered.

At this moment, the quiet Tushan Leng suddenly bowed and cupped his fist toward the grand entrance. Although he said not a word, everyone present understood that he was thanking Lin Xun for not killing them!

......

In the void.

“Why didn't you kill them?” a puzzled Xia Zhi asked. Lin Xun was the decisive type and usually wouldn't show mercy in similar situations.

Lin Xun casually said, “When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter. Their tree is the Alpha Origin Master, and only by defeating this individual can we end the problem once and for all. Otherwise, no matter how many we kill, he can just cultivate a constant stream of new subordinates in no time.

“Of course, there's a more important reason why I let them live: they're bound to share this news with the other Heavenly Mandate Apostles of the Nine Departments of Alpha Origin. In the future, whoever intends to interfere with us again will have to carefully weigh the consequences.”

“Just like back in the Mortal Transformation Zone, when you spared that middle-aged man in the capital of the Qing Kingdom?” Xia Zhi asked.

“Yes, sparing their lives will actually lead to their morale and order falling apart internally. If we kill them, there won't be anyone to help spread the message to the rest of our enemies,” Lin Xun explained. “Of course, the most important thing is to deal with the Alpha Origin Master. As they say, to catch brigands, first catch their leader, or else the scourge forever stays.”

“But can you defeat him yet?” Xia Zhi asked.

Lin Xun shook his head and said softly, “Not yet, but what I have is the opportunity to improve, while he no longer has it, that's my advantage!”

“I don't get it?” Xia Zhi was a bit confused.

Lin Xun patiently explained, “A long time ago, the Alpha Origin Master arrived at the All-Wonder Dominion. At the time, he was just like us now, slowly passing the ninefold gates of the Realm of All Spirits, traversing the Dao Slaying Path, and ultimately arriving in the Realm of All Mysteries.

“During this process, he similarly obtained primal chaos origin after primal chaos origin, which allowed his dao to reach an unimaginable level. I even suspect that he has already taken a step up from the very peak of the Greater Boundless Realm, meaning Immeasurable Sovereigns in the general sense are no longer a match for him.

“However, despite being that powerful, he's still trapped in the Realm of All Mysteries. As you also know, beyond the Realm of All Mysteries, there is also the Realm of Myriad Wonders, aka the Forbidden Land of Myriad Wonders. No one has ever dared to travel there since the dawn of time, same for the Alpha Origin Master and Senior Chen Xi.

“Judging from this, supreme figures like Alpha Origin and Chen Xi have hit a bottleneck and have been unable to advance another inch in their cultivation for countless moons now. Otherwise, they would have long gone to explore the Forbidden Land of Myriad Wonders.”

At this part, Xia Zhi voiced her doubt, “Isn't the Alpha Origin Master restricted by the sword seal of that swordsman?”

“Who knows if he truly can't break free or is deliberately putting on an act?” Lin Xun said, “Either way, even Senior Chen Xi has remained in the Realm of All Mysteries all this time as well. He must be like Alpha Origin, either standing at the peak of the Immeasurable Realm or having made one step beyond the Eternal path.

“Despite that, characters of their caliber have been stuck in the Realm of All Mysteries for epochs. This is proof that they have made no breakthroughs or advancements all this time.”

Lin Xun paused briefly before continuing, “But it's different for me. My dao still has room for improvement. The Dark Zone is only the third sky zone of the Realm of All Mysteries, there are six more sky zones and also the Dao Slaying Path.

“Whatever growth opportunities they obtained, I’ll also have the same chance to obtain. As long as I get to the Realm of All Mysteries alive, I have hopes to stand on equal ground with them!”

Towards the end of his speech, Lin Xun’s eyes had taken on the light of confidence. “When the day comes where there's no more gap in strength, what is there to fear, even if it's a direct confrontation with the Alpha Origin Master?”

Xia Zhi said softly, “And no matter what, you still have me.”

Lin Xun held her hand and smiled. “That’s right, I have you.”

There were still things that Lin Xun omitted, for example, in the Realm of All Mysteries, there was also the Lord of Fangchun Mountain, the golden cicada, as well as Chen Linkong and Chen Xi!

They were all waiting for him! Right now, the only thing he had to do was to break through all the obstacles ahead and work hard to improve his cultivation base!

“Let us head to the Past Retracing Zone.”

Saying this, Lin Xun raised a thought, and a heavenly gate appeared before him.

During the last three months here, he had absorbed plenty of primal chaos origin. This was tantamount to possessing the power of this Dark Zone in advance and thus there was no need to borrow Lingyuan’s power to invoke the heavenly gate.

Without any further ado, Lin Xun and Xia Zhi flew into the gate together.

......

The fourth sky zone of the Realm of All Spirits was called Past Retracing. It was as the name implied, once cultivators entered this zone and started perceiving its Heavenly Cycle Dao Laws, they would enter the time flow of their past.

It was like turning back the clock. Cultivators would relive their lives, and the marvelous thing here was that it would be reality!

On the quest of cultivation, one was bound to undergo things they were unable to undo or change when they were weak. These were all moments of helplessness that turned into regrets. Even if they became a Greater Boundless Eternal, there was still no way to compensate for terrible experiences that had happened in the far past.

However, in the Past Retracing Zone, one had the opportunity to step into the past and do just that! Throughout history, most cultivators who got here would do everything in their power to go back and make up for the shortcomings in their life trajectory. This was the divine marvel of the Past Retracing Zone!

However, in doing so, one was required to shoulder great risks and even pay a hefty price, for one's past was by no means an isolated line, but instead was like a net of thousands of karmic threads that involved many other people and affairs.

For example, the friends and enemies one had made and the various deeds that one had encountered on the path of cultivation were interconnected. Any alteration at any node would lead to a whole series of changes in the life of others. At that time, whether it was a blessing or a curse was completely out of one's control.

In the past, there was once a mighty expert who went back to the past to amend a regret during their youth. They had succeeded but proceeded to drop dead.

The reason lay in the unexpected changes that followed the alternation. Unforeseeable catastrophes had befallen, and so this mighty expert had been unable to return from their past before they perished in it.

There were many more similar examples. Some managed to amend all of the regrets they had, only for changes to arise and affect many subsequent life nodes. When an unmanageable disaster occurred during those nodes, the cultivator died and could no longer return to the present.

Of course, there were also great sages who, with their calm, perseverance, and wisdom, had not only made up for their past flaws but also advanced further on their cultivation path, welcoming in incredible metamorphoses.

In the final analysis, the Past Retracing Zone offered the opportunity to go back and fix one's past with a huge risk entailed. It could either turn out to be a blessing or a curse.

In the Past Retracing Zone, there was only one kingdom called Huai'an. The imperial capital of Huai'an was called Nanke.

Those who wished to return to their past had to first go to Nanke because only in this city could they study the ‘Pillow of Golden Millet’ in the Heavenly Cycle Dao Laws. This pillow was a divine artifact made of primal chaos origin power. Falling asleep on it would result in an experience similar to sleepwalking where one walked back into the past.

In a clear, vast expanse of heaven and earth with only beautiful clouds in the sky, Lin Xun and Xia Zhi appeared out of thin air. After surveying the surroundings, they flew straight forward.

They had gotten all the important information on this Past Retracing Zone, but as newcomers, they had no idea which direction the Huai'an Kingdom was. For now, they could only teleport around to see if they could stumble upon any fellow cultivators.

“Xia Zhi, if there is a chance to return to the past, what would you do?” on the way, Lin Xun asked with a smile.

“I would do nothing. What I have right now is perfect,” replied Xia Zhi without thinking before she asked back, “What about you? Have you thought about what you'd do when you go back to the past?”