The Prodigies War

In the ninth level of Dark Hidden Purgatory.

Berserk bolts raged like bucket-thick, silver-colored snakes dancing and hissing. The whole expanse was filled with lightning and a destructive aura so strong it almost permeated every inch of space.

Looking closely, this piece of heaven and earth was completely drowned in thunder and lightning. The further one walked into its depths, the stronger the lightning grew.

If one reached the central area, some bolts even took the forms of swords, axes, and hammers. It was simply a horrifying sight.

Whoosh!

A handsome figure appeared, his clothes fluttering wildly. A dao aura bloomed around him as he lifted his hands, deploying brilliant sword qi that shredded all the lightning in his path.

His movements weren’t fast, but they carried a crushing momentum of a sword sovereign who was patrolling his territory. Wherever he passed, everything retreated!

This person was none other than Lin Xun.

During three months of fighting in the Dao Forbidden Tract, his mind and will had undergone an unprecedented metamorphosis, which had also elevated his combat power.

Of note, the spirit was the foundation for spirit refinement. Now that Lin Xun's spirit had developed a Will Dharma Form, the might it was capable of erupting could even intimidate an average Emperor expert, causing them to tremble and feel fear!

Aside from that, the addition of the Will Dharma Form had raised Lin Xun's control over his dao and techniques to a new level, which would be most obvious in battle.

Even though Lin Xun was still at the Supreme Quasi-Emperor Stage, his strength had increased by a large margin compared to before!

Confronting a third realm Emperor was no longer a problem for him.

For example, if he encountered a character like the Silver Bat Ghost Emperor now, he could at least fight back if not kill them with his own combat power!

Such a heaven-defying combat power could only be described as horrifying. If word about this spread, many jaws would drop.

However, Lin Xun still felt there was a gap between his current power and the true sublimity that he strived for because this was not his limit.

Currently, his cultivation, mindset, willpower had already reached the peak of this stage, with zero possibility to improve.

However, his dao and martial power had yet to be pushed to perfection.

Take the martial aspect for example, he wielded numerous heritage arts. He had long integrated their essence into his Great Dao Furnace Art, thus becoming capable of deriving all laws with a furnace, but he was still some distance from truly understanding their theories.

The same could be said for the dao powers in his mastery.

However, Lin Xun had a strong inkling that he was not far from certifying himself as an Emperor. In fact, he might take this step at any time now!

Just like at this moment, walking among the world of intertwined lightning in the nine floor, a marvelous urge was restless in his mind, trying to signal him something.

The Law Power of lightning here is pulling my whole cultivation into getting restless with it. Perhaps, with a single thought, I can summon the great tribulation of Emperorhood and advance to the Emperor Stage?

This thought popped up in Lin Xun's mind, but it was quickly discarded.

Becoming an Emperor was something he could have gone for as early as when his cultivation had reached the peak of this stage, but it wasn't what he wanted.

What he wanted was to be a supreme Emperor who was invincible and unique in all history!

This was why he had been suppressing his cultivation growth, and instead had focused on training his dao and martial arts, and honing his mind and will.

The deeper one went into the lightning forbidden zone, the greater the pressure in the atmosphere was. Despite having just experienced a big leap in his strength, Lin Xun gradually began to feel overwhelmed.

It was also at this moment that a great urge hit him.

He had a feeling that even if he kept suppressing his cultivation, in at least half a year and at most two years, the heavenly tribulation for his advancement to the Supreme Emperor Stage would inevitably arrive!

Such was a sense of one’s fate. It was inscrutable and mysterious as somehow one just knew it in their heart.

For cultivators, it was a result after they touched upon the nature of Heaven.

When one’s cultivation reached the Emperor Stage, one could even make use of this heavenly connection to deduce their own future, which was quite miraculous.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Terrifying, eye-piercing lightning power smashed down from the sky like dragons.

Sword qi streamed around Lin Xun and cleaved those bolts apart, reducing them to remnant strands which he then tugged toward himself and let them hammer him. Blinding sparks flew upon the impact, while the affected skin and flesh suffered a tingling pain.

Previously, he had used the willpower of the opponents in the Dao Forbidden Tract to refine his own mind and will. Now, he was using the power of lightning to refine his physical shell.

While doing so was dangerous and painful, the benefit was quickly obvious.

Unfortunately, it took many tries before Lin Xun realized that he had long since reached the peak of all the three ways of physical refinement, qi refinement, and spirit cultivation.

Trying to keep refining his physical body after this would only give muscle pain and not a single improvement in cultivation.

However, since he had cultivated the Great Faded Lightning Scripture, he could effectively fathom the mysteries of the lightning dao in this lightning world.

One day later.

Hmm?

Just when Lin Xun felt that the pressure had reached the point where he had to use all of his strength to resist, a blinding patch of red appeared in the far horizon.

The sky and earth were scarlet, and the bolts were like fire. When they poured down in torrents, a magnificently fiery red color completely enveloped that area.

Between flickers, those red-colored lightning whips seemed to transform into dancing knives, swords, hatchets, battle-axes, cauldrons, pagodas…

Some even turned into suns, moons, and stars, and started circulating like a true galaxy.

Lin Xun even spotted a lightning Luan bird[1] fluttering between heaven and earth, emitting clear cries that carried the threatening power of lightning.

That place was like a true kingdom of lightning and thunder, as red as fire!

The lightning forbidden zone!

Lin Xun instantly judged that it was the terrifying zone that Spirit Martial Battle Emperor had spoken of.

Is a Sacred Kunwu Tree…really hiding in there?

As Lin Xun pondered this, he summoned the Dao Endless Pagoda and released the Old Bronze Tree from it. The latter’s breathing was weak, almost lifeless, but it became focused the moment it appeared.

“This…this is the Kunwu Lightning Fire!” exclaimed the Old Bronze Tree emotionally. In the distant horizon, lightning laced and meandered as it wreaked havoc like a raging fire, but to the old tree, it simply looked like paradise.

Seeing that, Lin Xun, who was resisting the lightning power permeating the atmosphere, drew over a bolt of flaming lightning toward the Old Bronze Tree.

The latter was so excited that it almost ascended to heaven. After it waved its branches to catch and absorb the bolt, a layer of red luster took over its dull skin.

Meanwhile the tree looked like it was savoring some immortal nectar with an expression of satisfaction and intoxication.

“So, that Sacred Kunwu Tree is here?” asked Lin Xun suddenly.

The Old Bronze Tree didn't miss a beat. “It's definitely here. Only the origin of a Sacred Kunwu Tree can diffuse such pure Kunwu Lightning Fire.”

According to it, the lightning submerging everything here was called Kunwu Lightning Fire. It contained the power of lightning origin that only the Sacred Kunwu Tree could wield.

To make it short, the Kunwu Lightning Fire was the dao root of the Sacred Kunwu Tree.

“You lead the way.” Lin Xun pointed at the lightning forbidden zone in the distance. That area was utterly hair-raising, covered with lightning law power that derived all sorts of phenomenon.

Back then, Spirit Martial Battle Emperor’s group had been blocked out and couldn't take a step into the lightning pool.

Lin Xun didn't think that the current him was stronger than a group of Emperor experts.

However, it would be a different story if the Old Bronze Tree paved the way for him. This Emperor fiend spirit shared the same origin with the Sacred Kunwu Tree, and it regarded the lightning-filled zone as a paradise, so gaining entry should not be a difficult task for it.

“Me?” The Old Bronze Tree's face sank drastically. “If I go in there, the Sacred Kunwu Tree will definitely swallow me whole! After all, my original form was only a piece of its root…”

Lin Xun interrupted it, “If you help me, then I naturally won't watch you die. If you don't help me, you will die here and now.”

A series of expressions fleeted across the Old Bronze Tree's face. A long time later, it clenched his teeth and said, “Do you really mean it, Fellow Daoist? If I take you in there, will you really let me live?”

Lin Xun replied without hesitation, “Of course.”

The Old Bronze Tree no longer hesitated. It took a deep breath before heading forward.

Its thick and sturdy branches made a big umbrella that blocked the pouring rain of bolts. Walking under the cover of the umbrella, Lin Xun felt as though he was walking on flat ground and was completely relaxed.

Along the way, he keenly noticed that the Old Bronze Tree was crazily absorbing the lightning power in the air. As it did that, its seriously injured and drained state bloomed with renewed vitality…

However, Lin Xun wasn’t worried.

The Old Bronze Tree was far from being his match even if it recovered to its peak condition.

Soon, the two walked into the lightning forbidden zone.

Rumble!

A bolt in the form of a fiery red dao sword murderously shot at them with a destructive aura. When it hit the Old Bronze Tree, the latter trembled and staggered back.

This area, without a doubt, put quite a pressure on it as well.

Seeing this, Lin Xun immediately made his move. A furnace condensed by great dao law emerged and glided out.

Bang!

It instantly crushed the lightning fire sword into a rain of light.

Seizing the opportunity, the Old Bronze Tree rushed up, expanded its branches, and swept the rain of lightning power into nothingness. It then looked like it had drunk a heavenly tonic and almost moaned out in contentment.

“Fellow Daoist, this is the Kunwu Lightning Liquid. It possesses the wondrous effect of bringing the dead back to life and growing flesh on white bones. It also works incredibly well for repairing dao injuries,” said the Old Bronze Tree as a leaf floated down from its branches.

On the leaf was a droplet of lightning liquid. Beautifully crimson and crystalline, the droplet emitted extremely rich vitality.

This was lightning power in the form of liquid!

Moreover, it was transformed from the origin of the Kunwu Lightning Fire, imbued with an astonishing aura of Law Power!

Lin Xun took out a jade bottle and collected this drop of Kunwu Lightning Liquid before saying, “Just one drop? How generous of you, eh?”

An embarrassed Old Bronze Tree hurriedly said, “Don't worry, Fellow Daoist. You only need to kill the lightning forces here that are able to take different forms, and you will get an endless stream of Kunwu Lightning Liquid!”

“Oh,” uttered Lin Xun without further comment.

The two hit the road again, and before long, a lightning battle spear zapped through the air toward them. It was shrouded in electric arcs and flashing with a world-destroying killing intent.

With a loud roar, the Old Bronze Tree charged forth.

1. a mythological bird, often mistakenly translated as phoenix. A sighting of the Luan bird indicates an omen of peace ☜