The Prodigies War

That incident had been so unexpected that Baqi's heart palpitated whenever he recalled it, even to this day.

The mood in the hall was heavy. Looking at Great Emperor Baqi who seemed to be deep in thought, Demon Emperor Wind Slaughter, Region Lord Hongyu, and Region Lord Xuanchong were all surprised and confused.

Seeing that the atmosphere was becoming more and more oppressive, Wind Slaughter couldn't help but say, “Senior Uncle, the infant you mentioned…wouldn't happen to be Sword Demon Daoyuan, would he?”

The question woke Baqi from his recollections. He nodded. “It is him. If my speculation is correct, then his real name…is actually Lin Xun.”

Lin Xun, that Fangchun Mountain disciple!

Wind Slaughter and the two region lords all looked incredulous. How could it be him?

Hongyu was the first to react, “I see. There are rumors that, back in the Great Primordial Chaos World, Lin Xun was able to kill Emperor experts such as Ice Devouring Sword Emperor, which raised a whole commotion in the entire Ancient Nebula Road.

“Only a character like him could help Heikong continuously annex the territories of Xuening, Huanghou, Mingyue, and the others!”

Wind Slaughter immediately became excited. “That explains it! Daoyuan came out of nowhere only two months ago, and old Heikong would never have the power to make it this far alone. It really makes perfect sense that Daoyuan is Lin Xun.”

Who could have imagined that the target of the Underworld-wide bounty hunt had been right under his nose?

“Your stupidity isn’t beyond saving after all,” commented Great Emperor Baqi indifferently. “Starting now, Heikong no longer holds any weight in this. The most important thing is to find Lin Xun, who is using the identity Sword Demon Daoyuan.”

Wind Slaughter took a deep breath and said murderously, “Don't worry, Senior Uncle, I'll mobilize all of my forces to search for him!

“No matter what, I will not let him escape from Frosty Air Region!”

Hongyu and Xuanchong were also in high spirits.

However, Baqi frowned and looked at them like they were idiots. “What’s the point of mobilizing all your forces when he has the means to kill even Emperors?”

Wind Slaughter’s expression froze and turned into one of embarrassment. Inwardly, he actually felt some fear of what could have happened if he really went and did that.

Honestly, Lin Xun's status as a supreme quasi-Emperor made it so easy for people to belittle and disregard him, especially for an Emperor expert like Wind Slaughter who had never taken cultivators below the Emperor Stage seriously.

However, it was obvious that Lin Xun was different!

Not to mention the far past, in the last two months, he had squashed six region lords: Xuening, Huanghou, Mingyue, Linfeng, Feiya, and Huishuang.

This was clearly not something that Heikong alone was capable of.

Wind Slaughter even suspected that Heikong had also been suppressed long ago.

Under such a circumstance, sending normal Emperors to capture Lin Xun…was indeed no different from sending them to their death!

From the changes in the expressions of Hongyu and Xuanchong, apparently they had also realized this as well. Their blood ran cold. If it wasn't for Great Emperor Baqi deciding to come here, who in Frosty Air Region could be a match for Sword Demon Daoyuan…no, for Fangchun Mountain’s Lin Xun?

“Senior Uncle, what do you think should be done?” Demon Emperor Wind Slaughter looked incredibly humble at the moment as he asked for advice.

Great Emperor Baqi's gaze was unfathomable, his scarlet pupils flickering with a bizarre light. “Since he walks around the Underworld as Sword Demon Daoyuan, it’s clear that he’s afraid to expose his true identity and become hunted by the entire universe.

“But he is also raising a ruckus in Frosty Air Region, acting with so much audacity when he knows that our Holy Illumination Ancient Sect won't stand idly and tolerate it... Why do you think…he is doing this?”

Wind Slaughter and the two region lords exchanged looks before shaking their heads.

To their surprise, Baqi said, “I also have no idea why.

“But I'm sure that since he has gone to such great lengths, he definitely won’t stop until he achieves his goal. This means that he shouldn't be leaving Frosty Air Region anytime soon.”

With that, he turned to Wind Slaughter and asked, “Didn’t you order for Heikong to come and accept punishment within three days?”

Wind Slaughter repeatedly nodded.

Baqi mused, “Whether or not Heikong will show up, it will be Lin Xun who makes that decision. On top of that, he should have already guessed that our sect will take action after this.

“But he won't give up on whatever he’s planning, so, faced with such a disadvantageous situation, what would he do to get out of it?”

Wind Slaughter was stunned. “Don’t tell me he’ll actually come and accept punishment?”

Baqi said, “Now you got that right.”

Wind Slaughter was dumbfounded. He had just said it mindlessly and actually didn’t believe it himself, but shockingly, his guess seemed to be correct!

Baqi continued, “However, it’s definitely not to accept punishment, but rather to solve the difficult problem on his path. So, all we need to do is wait here.”

Toward the end, his tone was firm with certainty.

If Lin Xun had been here and heard this, he would have marveled at Baqi’s meticulous deduction and analysis. He had completely speculated the whole thing!

Such intelligence was undoubtedly terrifying.

“We’ll see. In fact, I also want to meet him. An infant who should have been bound to die after losing his natural talent, yet incredibly, he lives until now, and has done one staggering thing after another in the nebula. Simply a miracle.”

Great Emperor Baqi’s gaze traveled out of the hall with a hint of emotion.

He was suddenly reminded of Yun Qingbai.

If Yun Qingbai hadn’t died at Lin Xun’s hand in the Supreme Realm, then he would also possess the kind of strength and influence that could shake the nebula today, wouldn’t he?

A pawn born with an innate sword bone who then had refined the Grand Abyss Heaven Devourer artery into his own, destroyed just like that…

It was truly a pity.

……

The next day.

From afar, Lin Xun finally saw Exquisite Cloud Mountain.

“Yezi, you good?” He patted the bronze sword case on his back.

“There hasn’t been enough time. Can only sustain for less than a quarter of an hour.” Yezi's calm voice resounded from the case.

“That’s more than enough to deal with just an old fogey from Holy Illumination Ancient Sect.” Lin Xun smiled and continued shuttling toward Exquisite Cloud Mountain.

To his surprise, there was not a single defensive measure installed on Exquisite Cloud Mountain. There wasn’t even a silhouette of a cultivator.

“Maybe Wind Slaughter guessed that I would come and was worried that his important subordinates would get caught up in the fire of battle, so he let them evacuate beforehand?”

As Lin Xun was pondering, he suddenly perceived a horrifyingly cold intent that shot out from Exquisite Cloud Mountain and swept across the sky toward him.

His pupils constricted, and he instantly came to a stop with a look of gravity.

“After so many years, we finally meet again, Lin Xun,” echoed a flat, hoarse voice that was laced with a hint of lamentation.

With it, Great Emperor Baqi appeared out of thin air above Exquisite Cloud Mountain. He was clad in a black, wide-sleeved robe. On his handsome, fair face was a pair of scarlet eyes that shone like jewels with a demonic luster.

Lin Xun suddenly looked up, his eyes profound as he stared fixedly at that figure. He realized that he had underestimated Holy Illumination Ancient Sect after all, since the other party had obviously figured out his identity.

It took only a second for Lin Xun's state of mind to recover. There was not a ripple on his expression as he said, “So you have been waiting for me here, no wonder this place is silent and deserted. But may I ask…who you are again?”

Great Emperor Baqi laughed. Standing in the air like an evil god, he said leisurely, “You don’t remember? When you were an infant, I personally ripped out your Origin Aeth Artery and gave it to Yun Qingbai.”

Boom!

As if struck by lightning, Lin Xun’s rock-solid mentality was still shaken at this moment, and his face turned frosty.

The killing intent and hatred that had been accumulated for so many years in his heart boiled up like a torrent, getting close to spiralling out of control.

Baqi!

The culprit behind the massacre of his family!

Previously, Lin Xun had contemplated how to go to Holy Illumination Ancient Sect and meet this mortal enemy whose face he had never known.

To think that today, right before Exquisite Cloud Mountain, Baqi had appeared!

This actually caught Lin Xun off-guard.

Baqi sighed, “Speaking of which, I’m just as taken aback as you are, but it seems that we are fated to meet here in the Underworld.”

He had decided to come to Frosty Air Region on a sudden whim, with the purpose to resolve the turbulence caused by Region Lord Heikong.

Who had thought that it would lead him to accidentally discover the infant from back then!

Therefore, looking at the silent Lin Xun, Great Emperor Baqi could understand his feelings quite well. This meeting really was too coincidental.

“Wouldn't that be better?” Lin Xun inhaled deeply as he seethed with a fighting spirit. The desire to kill and resentment that he had pent up surged out and washed over him like a storm.

He had endured it so far, far too long, and at this moment, he was unwilling to endure it anymore!

He simply needed to vent!

From his early childhood until now, the shadow of the Lin Family’s tragedy had always loomed over his cultivation path: his parents had disappeared, his Origin Aeth Artery had been mercilessly stripped away, and Mister Lu’s condition was still unknown.

Over the years, the unspeakable doubts, rage, and hatred buried deep in his heart had constantly reminded him that for as long as the culprit lived, his resentment and regret would never fade away.

For this reason, he had conquered the Ancient Wasteland Domain. After various perilous trials and tribulations, he had finally slain Yun Qingbai in the Supreme Realm…

Only to realize that the culprit was actually someone else, and that Yun Qingbai was only a miserable character who could not control his own destiny….

Only later on had Lin Xun learned from the jade slip left by Lone Man and the old seer that Holy Illumination Ancient Sect was the one behind everything, and only then had he peeked into the various conspiracies and inner workings behind the Lin Family's bloodshed.

Although, without the help of the taboo law power, that tragedy wouldn’t have happened so easily.

None of it could change the fact that Baqi was the culprit!

“I’ve really…waited for you for so long…” Lin Xun’s voice was ice-cold and brimming with resentment.

Standing in the void, his clothes fluttered, and his long black hair danced wildly. A horrifying murderous aura pierced the sky and drowned the earth, causing the region to shake and wail.

All the accumulated hatred erupted at this moment!

For the first time in his cultivation life, Lin Xun no longer suppressed the enmity in his heart. He let the fire of fury roam free inside and outside around him.

His rationality and composure were replaced by an unprecedented killing intent.

Today, no matter what the cost, he wanted the culprit…dead!