The Prodigies War

Realm of All Mysteries, Black Profound Domain.

Ten round, scarlet moons hung in the sky, shedding bright red rays of light that resembled vicious liquid. The whole world was a deep red, and on the very top of an old, black tree, a black-clothed young girl sat. Her slender and fair legs dangled in the air, and her feet glistened with a faint halo.

She wore her snow-white hair down. Her face presented a beauty that was purely devilish, and her two, ruby-like eyes were clear and chilling. The light dropping from the ten scarlet moons surged towards the black-clothed maiden as if under a pulling force, adding an intimidating and mysterious air to her delicate silhouette.

Suddenly, a cold wind blew in the desolate, blood-red region. Then, an old ape as tall as a mountain with a pair of swords on his back appeared out of nowhere and bowed to her as he spoke.

“Young Miss, Heavenly Mandate Dao Lord of the Kun Department, Qing Yangzi, has just sent word that the young man named Lin Xun has shown up in the Qing Kingdom of the Mortal Transformation Zone.”

Above the black tree, the black-clothed maiden's eyes lit up. “He’s finally here. Did Qing Yangzi make any move, Ape Ancestor?”

The old ape with the twin swords remained in his bowing posture. “Qing Yangzi has ordered all his Heavenly Mandate Apostles in the Mortal Transformation Zone to take action. Should there be any new development, he will report it to you immediately.”

After a pause, the old ape added, “Also, Qing Yangzi has asked if Young Miss has any other instructions for him.”

The black-clothed maiden was about to say something, but then fell silent. Finally, she said, “I’m merely one who relay orders from the master to them. How they will do about it is their business. Going forward, tell the nine Heavenly Mandate Dao Lords that they don't need my opinion on anything.”

The old ape said, “Yes.”

The black-clothed maiden waved her hand. “Go now.”

A cold wind blew, and the old ape vanished.

“So be it, time to see the Lord again.” The black-robed maiden decided after some thinking. With a flicker, she swiftly transformed into a crow with pitch-black feathers, flapping her wings and taking off into the air.

......

In that vast, primal world of chaotic nothingness, the black crow perched on a tree branch, feeling stressed and apprehensive inside.

She had reported about Lin Xun's appearance in the Qing Kingdom but so far hadn't gotten any hint of a response.

It wasn't until the black crow started to feel scared when a voice rang directly in her head, “From today onwards, you will stay here. You will not take one step out, and you shall not have any more contact with the others.”

The voice was calm and flat, but Black Crow stiffened. Her scarlet eyes widened as she wanted to ask why, but the indescribable fear filling her stopped her.

After what felt like half a day, the voice of the Alpha Origin Master resounded once again, “As I have said, I want to see how many hurdles the sole variable can overcome and how many changes he can make happen, not you presumptuously trying to deal with him.”

Black Crow whispered, “My Lord, I did not instruct the others to deal with Lin Xun.”

“Heh, little crow, how many epochs has Ape Ancestor served you? How could he not know what you really think? Don't act like he won't go ahead and do it even if you don't say it.” The voice of the Alpha Origin Master was icy, “When all sides are sitting tight, whoever jumps out first will fall into a disadvantage.”

Black Crow bowed her head like a child who had done something wrong. She could not read the Alpha Origin Master’s mind, she just wanted to do something. Clearly, though, the Alpha Origin Master deemed what she had done a mistake!

“Maintaining vigilance from beginning to end is how you avoid failures... I've been caged for epochs, but have I ever been in a hurry?” the Alpha Origin Master murmured. “When it comes the time to decide the final victor, there won't be more than a handful in the entire All-Wonder Dominion who are our match anyway.”

Black Crow said, “My Lord, I only have one question.”

“Ask.”

“What if Lin Xun passes all the ninefold gates, crosses the Immortal Slaying Path, and arrives in this Realm of All Mysteries?”

“As far as I'm concerned, that is a blessing.”

“I...don't understand.”

“Just wait and watch from here.”

......

In the Hidden Domain, the golden cicada softly asked, “Dao Brother, that little disciple of yours is here. Do you want to go and meet him?”

Just a moment ago, Lone Man had come and reported about Lin Xun's appearance in the Mortal Transformation Zone.

“No rush, the time is not yet ripe.” The Lord of Fangchun Mountain shook his head.

The golden cicada mused, “But those subordinates of Alpha Origin cannot wait anymore.”

“As long as Alpha Origin is still waiting, we cannot move,” replied the Lord of Fangchun Mountain as he sighed. “You pull one hair and the whole body starts moving... It's a murky storm ahead of us.”

The golden cicada chuckled. “Then we'll wait a little longer, but I'm afraid that Lone Man and the others won't be waiting with us.”

“No harm in that.” The Lord of Fangchun Mountain said, “Only when a great change occurs can the grand finale be ushered in.”

......

Several days flew by. Lin Xun and Xia Zhi had been waiting for the enemies to find them while also waiting for their friends to find them. At the moment, they were sitting in a rather large teahouse in the capital of Qing, listening in leisure to an animated storyteller at work.

Outside the imperial city...

In recent days, a significant number of mighty figures had been pouring in, some coming from other cities of the Qing Kingdom, some from other kingdoms in the Mortal Transformation Zone. By now, several hundred cultivators had gathered here!

However, no matter who they were, everyone chose to stay outside the imperial city, with no intention of entering it. In short, these old fellows were here to have fun as an audience.

When news came out a few days ago that Fangchun Mountain’s Lin Xun had killed a group of Heavenly Mandate Apostles in the capital of Qing, all the cultivators scattered across the Mortal Transformation Zone had been shaken.

Lin Xun! Who did not know of this name?

Over the past centuries, his staggering deeds in the Sea of Fate had long spread throughout the Mortal Transformation Zone, causing one sensation after another. Now that this legendary young man had crossed over and appeared in the imperial city of the Qing Kingdom, it was hard not to garner attention.

An old man sitting upright in the clouds couldn't help but check his Jade Book of Merits again. In the jade book, points of light represented the experts scattered throughout the Mortal Transformation Zone. If one looked closely, they would see that many of these dots were heading towards the Qing Kingdom.

It was foreseeable that the number of cultivators coming to the imperial city of Qing would only increase! The old man saw this and was shaken... Being targeted by the Alpha Origin Master’s faction, this man called Lin Xun is in huge trouble!

“I've heard long ago that Lin Xun is an unpredictable variable. I fear his arrival is the start of a great storm in this All-Wonder Dominion,” whispered someone in the nearby area.

“Whether it will start a storm or not, I don't know. What I'm curious about now is whether he can survive this Mortal Transformation Zone...”

Outside the imperial city, there were sounds of discussions everywhere. These Immeasurable Eternals were either in small groups of three to five or alone. They were all rivals, but at a time like this, they all chose to stay put.

Suddenly, someone exclaimed, “Isn't that Xing Jianxia and Fu Nanli?”

Not far away, two figures appeared out of thin air and wasted no time flying straight into the imperial city.

“It's indeed them, the respective disciples of Origin Sect Founder Yuan Chu and Spirit Sect Founder Xu Yin.”

“I’ve heard they have a good relationship with Lin Xun. Since they looked like they came in a hurry, it's probably to help him.”

In the midst of the discussion, a deep and thick voice suddenly resounded, “Help? More like they have a death wish! Take a look at your Jade Book of Merits and you'll agree with me. Last I checked, nearly two hundred Heavenly Mandate Apostles of the Kun Department have gathered and already reached the borderlands of Qing. In less than a day, this terrifying force will storm this place!”

As soon as these words rang out, the crowd all checked their Jade Books of Merits. What ensued was a collective gasp. Sure enough, that army, now having gathered over three hundred auras, couldn't be more conspicuous at the border of the Qing Kingdom!

Someone couldn't help but wonder aloud, “Anyone else would have fled long ago in this kind of situation, but why isn't Lin Xun leaving the city?”

The crowd looked at one another in confusion. That's right, why isn't Lin Xun fleeing?

Meanwhile, inside the imperial capital...

In that large teahouse, Lin Xun suddenly had an inkling of something. He got up and walked out of the teahouse to see Xing Jianxia and Fu Nanli approaching from a distance.

“Seniors, it's great to see you again,” Lin Xun walked up and greeted them with a smile.

Xing Jianxia and Fu Nanli both smiled as well.

“After we heard that you were here in the imperial city of the Qing Kingdom, we immediately rushed here. Good to know we weren't late,” said Xing Jianxia.

Fu Nanli retracted his smile and said with a somber look, “The capital of Qing has attracted the whole world's attention and become a dangerous place to linger around. Let us leave right away.”

“Yes, the Heavenly Mandate Apostles in the Mortal Transformation Zone are all headed here. We need to leave as soon as possible.” Xing Jianxia also revealed a serious expression.

Lin Xun laughed. “I have noticed the same thing from the Jade Book of Merits. However, I've been waiting not only for you guys but also for them to find me as well, so I sure don't want to just up and leave now.”

Fu Nanli was startled. “You plan to fight them?”

Lin Xun thought for a moment before he explained, “There are eight hundred Heavenly Mandate Apostles in the Mortal Transformation Zone, yet only three hundred or so are coming today. They may look numerous, but in reality they are just a motley crew and not much of a threat.”

After a brief pause, he continued, “Besides, they can always find me through the Jade Book of Merits. Instead of constantly running away from their hunt, I'd rather crush them right here in this city once and for all.”

“Well...” Both Xing Jianxia and Fu Nanli were shocked by Lin Xun's decision. After carefully considering it, however, they realized he had a point. He could defeat top-tier bigwigs like Chi Qianji and Tian Xingzi, so ordinary opponents were no different from moths charging into a flame if they came at him.

To be exact, it was now very difficult to threaten Lin Xun with mere numbers. Even if he couldn't defeat these three hundred or so Heavenly Mandate Apostles, he could always escape and absolutely no one would be able to stop him.

Before Xing Jianxia and Fu Nanli could return to their senses, Lin Xun put a stop to this topic. Smilingly retrieving a jug of aged wine, he invited, “Seniors, you've come at the perfect time. I'm new here and have quite a few things I'd like advice on, so why don't we have a chat as we enjoy this wine?”