The Prodigies War

The Emperor-level experts’ expressions shifted repeatedly. Without another word, they turned and fled. They would certainly pass on the message, but their survival came first! Without life, nothing else mattered

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

Their figures tore through the void. They had arrived swiftly, but they fled even faster. Furthermore, since they had kept their distance from the start, their escape should have been easier.

“Do you truly think you can escape?” Lin Xun raised his right hand and snapped his fingers.

Buzz!

In an instant, invisible dao shackles manifested out of thin air. Vast and formless, they descended upon the fleeing Emperors, sealing the surrounding void and suppressing them completely. One after another, they froze in midair, like insects caught in a web, unable even to struggle.

“This...”

“Damn it!”

Their faces drained of color as terror surged through them. Qing Heng stood frozen. A mere snap of the fingers and a group of Emperor experts had been utterly suppressed. What kind of supreme technique was that?

“There is no need to panic,” Lin Xun said calmly as he stepped forward. “I am not some bloodthirsty tyrant, nor do I intend to make things difficult for minor figures merely following orders.”

As he spoke, he flicked his sleeve lightly. Swoosh!

Streams of radiant light burst forth from the trapped Emperors. In the blink of an eye, every treasure they carried, even those hidden deep within their bodies, had been stripped away.

The Emperors’ faces turned ashen. Of course, compared to death, this outcome almost felt like mercy. Treasures could be regained. Life could not.

Lin Xun then asked, “Next, I will examine your spirits for information. Do not resist. If your spirit is damaged, you will have only yourselves to blame.”

Before they could react, a terrifying spirit sense surged into their mind-seas like a tidal wave. Pain exploded within them. Their expressions instantly went vacant and dazed. Moments later, Lin Xun withdrew his spirit sense and turned to Qing Heng. “Let’s go, we’ll head first to the Crimson Serpent Immortal Sect.”

From the fragments of their memories, Lin Xun had already learned everything he needed. Under the orders of the four great dao lineages, thirty-six Immortals from the twelve first tier forces of the Dao Derivation Zone had long been stationed at the Crimson Serpent Immortal Sect. They were led by Yuan Zhong, Supreme Elder of the Immortal Pavilion and one of the seven Heavenly Mandate Apostles of the Gen Department.

Each Immortal was responsible for mobilizing groups of Emperor-level cultivators from various factions, patrolling vast stretches of territory in search of his whereabouts.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

Lin Xun and Qing Heng departed without another word. Only after they disappeared into the distance did the invisible suppression binding the Emperors dissipate. Freed at last, they stood there in silence, each feeling as though they had just escaped from the jaws of death.

“He...let us go...” someone murmured, still unable to believe it.

“Before this, I thought Dao Deriver Lin Xun was some ruthless fiend...but he is nothing like the rumors,” another said in a low voice.

“Should we...still spread the news?” someone asked hesitantly.

Silence fell. After a long pause, one of them exhaled heavily. “Didn’t you hear him? He’s heading to the Crimson Serpent Immortal Sect. Even if we say nothing, the world will soon know!”

Many felt a chill run down their spines.

“That’s right. He revealed himself openly outside Ning’an City. He didn’t even bother concealing his aura. He has no intention of hiding anymore.”

“Is he really going to gamble his life?”

“He’s only at the Supreme Emperor Ancestor Stage. How could he possibly contend with so many Immortals?”

“Just wait. Before long, the entire world will know whether Lin Xun lives or dies!”

......

Amid the boundless mountains and rivers, Lin Xun strode forward at an unhurried pace. He made no attempt to conceal his supreme Emperor Ancestor aura.

From afar, he appeared no different from a celestial being descended to the mortal world, his radiance piercing through the eternal clouds!

“Fellow Daoist...do you really intend to storm the Crimson Serpent Immortal Sect just like this?” Qing Heng asked, unable to suppress his concern.

Lin Xun’s actions were simply too bold. He did not conceal himself at all. It was as though he was eager to draw the enemy’s attention, inviting them to come. More importantly, the direction he was walking in was precisely that of the Crimson Serpent Immortal Sect!

“I require power,” Lin Xun said lightly. “And the fastest way to obtain it is naturally to take it from the enemies.”

He glanced toward the horizon. “In other words...I hope they arrive as quickly as possible.”

There was even a trace of anticipation in his voice. Qing Heng drew in a sharp breath, utterly stunned by Lin Xun’s plan. In all his years of cultivation, this was the first time he had witnessed someone so astonishing, so utterly beyond reason.

Before long, the sharp whistle of tearing air echoed from the distance. A formation of Emperor-level cultivators swept across the sky like divine generals patrolling the mountains. At their heads stood two supreme Emperor Ancestors.

This group was clearly far stronger than the last. Even in the entire Dao Derivation Zone, such a lineup would command the awe of the vast majority of cultivators.

“There!”

“It’s Qing Feng of Tianwu Sect! And Qing Heng with him!”

“Hahaha! We’ve searched everywhere without success, and now they’ve delivered themselves to our doorstep! Everyone, seize them with me! Once this is done, we’ll be richly rewarded!”

The cultivators’ faces flushed with excitement, their eyes gleaming. It was as though they were about to capture prey they had long coveted.

Rumble!

They surged forward from afar, aggressive and unstoppable. At the sight, Qing Heng could not help but reveal a trace of reluctant pity. Then, the familiar scene unfolded once again.

Lin Xun snapped his fingers. In the very next instant, the charging cultivators froze midair, their bodies rigid, like geese seized by the throat.

Before their bewildered, horrified gazes, Lin Xun stepped forward unhurriedly. With a casual sweep of his sleeve, streaks of radiant light shot forth, and in the blink of an eye, every treasure they carried was stripped away in an instant. Their disbelief deepened, and their expressions became a spectacle of shock and confusion.

Watching this unfold, Qing Heng could not help but feel a trace of sympathy. Anyone subjected to such a crushing blow would likely be just as dazed and perhaps even left questioning the very meaning of their existence. Before long, Lin Xun and Qing Heng turned and departed once more.

Amidst the mountains and rivers, the cultivators regained their freedom, but each of them stood pale as death, faces ashen and eyes vacant, as though their souls had been torn from them. Even now, they could not fathom how they had been imprisoned in an instant.

Furthermore, that alone was enough to tell them that if Lin Xun truly wished to kill them, it would have been no more difficult than crushing a swarm of ants!

......

Along the way, wave after wave of cultivators descended upon him, drawn by the aura Lin Xun deliberately radiated. These cultivators came from various forces, some in groups of five or six, and some more than a dozen. Among them were even supreme Emperor Ancestors.

It was no exaggeration to say that had Qing Heng faced them alone, he would have long since collapsed in despair. After all, each of them stood proudly upon the Emperor Path in the Dao Derivation Zone. Which among them was not a terrifying figure whose reputations shook entire regions?

Now in Qing Heng's eyes at this moment, these cultivators who came seeking them were no different from prey walking willingly into a trap. They arrived swiftly, only to be stripped of their treasures even more swiftly.

Each time Qing Heng witnessed the transformations in their expressions, confidence giving way to shock, then shock dissolving into despair, he could not help but sigh. “Why seek out such suffering...”

All of it made him realize that, although Lin Xun’s cultivation still appeared to be at the Supreme Emperor Ancestor Stage, his true strength had long since surpassed that level. It was now enough to sweep aside all who stood within the same cultivation stage!

......

News of Lin Xun’s appearance spread like wildfire, reaching the Crimson Serpent Immortal Sect in the shortest possible time. The Immortals stationed instantly lit up with excitement.

“The beast has finally shown himself. The time to eliminate him has come!” one declared, brimming with confidence.

“Hah! I knew beneath our net he would have nowhere left to hide or flee,” another said with a smug smile.

The Immortals from the various top-tier forces were all restless, eager to make their move.

Seeing this, Yuan Zhong, a supreme elder of the Immortal Pavilion, frowned slightly and spoke in a cold voice, “Do you really believe Lin Xun is so easy to deal with?”

That single sentence was enough to make the Immortals stiffen.

“Do not take offense,” Yuan Zhong said coldly, “but in the eyes of we Dao Derivers, you are nothing more than frogs at the bottom of a well. You have no understanding whatsoever of what it means to be a Dao Deriver!”

His expression was icy. The Immortals’ expressions shifted uneasily, but none dared to refute him.

Yuan Zhong continued, “Lin Xun’s appearance is indeed good news. But precisely because of that, we must not grow complacent. On the contrary, we must be even more vigilant and even more cautious.”

One Immortal hesitated before speaking in a lowered voice, “Lord Yuan, the reports state that Lin Xun remains at the Supreme Emperor Ancestor Stage and has yet to step onto the Immortal Path. If that is the case...why should we fear him?”

Several others clearly shared the same confusion.

Yuan Zhong replied coldly, “Have you not noticed the report also states that he revealed himself openly and is advancing in the direction of the Crimson Serpent Immortal Sect?”

“That...” A flicker passed through their eyes.

“In my humble opinion,” Tian Ruojing said suddenly from Yuan Zhong’s side, “all of this suggests that Lin Xun may already possess the strength to contend with Immortals. Otherwise, why would he dare come to us so boldly? Under such circumstances, a bit of caution would not be a bad thing.”

In the past, none of those Immortals would have spared a second glance at a mere supreme Emperor Ancestor like Tian Ruojing. However, things were different now. They all knew that Yuan Zhong held her in high regard and had kept her by his side throughout this time.

“What do you propose?” Yuan Zhong asked.

Tian Ruojing pondered for a moment before replying, “We should wait here and let him come to us. Only then can we concentrate all our strength and eliminate him in a single stroke. Of course, I doubt he truly dares to come. After all, so many esteemed seniors are stationed here. Anyone in their right mind would never do something so self-destructive.”

Yuan Zhong nodded slowly. “Waiting for the rabbit at the stump...that was my thought as well. But in the end, you still do not understand what a Dao Deriver truly is, nor do you grasp the danger Lin Xun represents.”

He let out a faint breath, almost as if in quiet reflection. “If he were an ordinary Dao Deriver, how could he have made the seven of us Heavenly Mandate Apostles take him so seriously? Would we have mobilized the powers of the entire Dao Derivation Zone to hunt him down?”

As he finished speaking, his gaze swept slowly across the crowd. “To speak bluntly...before he steps onto the Immortal Path, you may still have a chance to kill him. But once he does...even all of you combined will not be enough.”

Everyone’s expression changed at once.