The Prodigies War

The conversation was interrupted, and everyone’s gazes collectively swiveled toward Shun Baixuan.

The extremely arrogant supreme genius from a Saint Clan was in a sorry state. His hair was tousled, his clothes in tatters, and his skin was covered in wounds.

He lay sprawled on the ground, twitching erratically as if suffering from epilepsy. It was a drastic contrast to the insufferable arrogance he had displayed previously.

Even those familiar with Shun Baixuan would probably be afraid to identify with him at this moment.

It was a genuinely pitiful and wretched appearance.

"Alas, the fool ultimately stumbled."

Kou Xing and the others sighed.

Shun Baixuan’s twitching immediately intensified due to this statement.

No one could see his expression since he was facing the floor. However, everyone knew that he was feeling extremely embarrassed and didn’t dare to show his face.

Miss Le had a strange expression.

The Shun Clan was definitely an ancient clan with a glorious history and had produced more than one Saint expert since the ancient era.

In the four great worlds of the Ancient Wasteland Domain, the Shun Clan was considered a hegemon-like existence possessing overwhelming power comparable to even the top ancient orthodoxies.

As a descendant of the Shun Clan who was viewed as a genius and given the title Demon King of Chaos, being beaten to such a state would make anyone sigh.

Luo Jia also had an equally strange expression.

She wondered what people would feel if they knew that the infamous Demon King of Chaos was brutalized by a girl today.

"You people are courting death!"

Shun Baixuan roared furiously. It was already horrible being viciously beaten by a girl. Hence, Kou Xing’s and the others’ scalding remarks were akin to adding salt to the wound, which nearly made him go crazy.

However, Xia Zhi appeared at this moment. Her graceful figure gently landed on the deck as an aura of silent darkness spread.

Shun Baixuan immediately turned rigid and played dead on the deck. What else could he do? He was already starting to crumble internally.

Lin Xun and the others were stunned. Soon after, they soundlessly laughed.

Shun Baixuan had clearly been beaten until he became timid. The sight of Xia Zhi was akin to a mouse seeing a cat, instinctively causing him to cower in fear.

……

"The Dark Blood Black Phoenix’s remnant spirit cannot be subdued, but it might be possible to communicate with it. However, there is a problem that needs to be resolved before that."

"What problem?"

"Breaking the seal!"

In the room on the ship, Lin Xun, Miss Le, Luo Jia, and the others discussed the Dark Blood Black Phoenix.

"Seal?" Luo Jia said, "I’ve brought along my sect’s ultimate treasure, the Demon Purging Absolute Heavenly Sword. It should be sufficient to deal with the seal."

"No." Miss Le shook her head. "It is a seal left by an ancient Buddhist Saint and can’t be broken with brute force."

"Not even with the Demon Purging Absolute Heavenly Sword?" Luo Jia frowned.

"Nope." Miss Le went straight to the crux. "Without the method to break it, even a Saint treasure will be powerless."

Lin Xun and Luo Jia were astonished. Neither of them expected the seal to be so incredible.

Luo Jia asked, "So how do we break the seal, Miss Le?"

"It will depend on Young Master Lin." Miss Le's clear eyes glittered with intelligence as she smiled at Lin Xun.

It wasn’t just Luo Jia, even Lin Xun himself was stunned.

Before they could ask, Miss Le explained, "I heard that during the Dao Lantern Festival, even the Blue Luan Clan's Four Divisions King Array failed to trap you. Hence, I believe you are extremely adept in the art of runes."

Lin Xun nodded. It wasn’t something he needed to hide.

"That was a King-level forbidden array. Although Qing Lian'er could not display its full power, it is not something you can neutralize so effortlessly. As such, I’ve concluded that you have already attained the level of a rune founder, right?" Miss Le displayed a faint smile.

Lin Xun nodded again as he inwardly sighed in admiration. Her insight was simply god-like. It was incredible how she could discover so many things from a few small clues.

Luo Jia was shaken because it suddenly occurred to her that Demon God Lin was also a rune founder!

"That will make things manageable. The seal left by the ancient Buddhist Saint is a type of alpha divine restriction. Only rune founders and Saint experts will be able to decipher its secrets."

Miss Le continued in an unhurried manner, "When the time comes, we’ll need Young Master Lin to break the seal to allow Miss Luo Jia to meet the Dark Blood Black Phoenix remnant spirit."

By this point, Luo Jia finally understood everything and could not help but feel thankful that she had encountered Miss Le. If not, their trip would have likely ended in failure and frustration.

Lin Xun was a little baffled. He wasn’t friends with Luo Jia, so there should at least be a reason for him to help, right?

Miss Le smiled and said, "Young Master Lin should not refuse. Miss Luo Jia’s goal might be to obtain the Black Phoenix Void Obliteration Art of the Celestial Phoenix Nine Manuals, but it is not the only blessing that can be found at the seal area."

She didn’t conceal anything nor did she use voice-transmission, appearing very frank about the matter. "If my understanding of the secret is correct, the sealed area also holds a legacy related to the Buddhist Saint."

Luo Jia's eyes widened in understanding and said, "If that is true, I will happily relinquish this blessing as thanks for the help."

Miss Le smiled and said, "Then I’ll have to thank you in advance. Although the blessing is useless to me, if we manage to obtain it, it will be of immeasurable benefit to Young Master Lin's future cultivation."

Lin Xun finally realized why Miss Le was so interested in the matter. It was to obtain a blessing for him!

He could not help but feel a little puzzled but he quickly figured it out after some thought. He had helped her resolve a crisis from the Sacred Fire Sect, so she was probably doing this as repayment.

……

Under Luo Jia's lead, the group changed their destination and the ship shifted its course.

Although they encountered several dangerous situations along the way, the group managed to safely avoid them.

The most dangerous encounter was when they came across a stalk of Hell Grass floating in the Boundary River.

It was an omen of terror and death that had all sorts of legends about it since the ancient era.

According to the rumors, the grass was related to the source of death and reincarnation. When it appeared, even Saint experts had no choice but to retreat lest they be touched by its aura!

If not for Miss Le’s timely warning, Lin Xun and the others would have probably allowed the dim yellow halo released by the Hell Grass to touch them.

They ultimately managed to narrowly avoid disaster, but their ship was instantly turned to dust and erased from existence!

The bizarre scene made Lin Xun’s hair stand on end. The ship had been soundlessly destroyed by a single wisp, making it almost impossible to guard against without prior knowledge.

The incident made Lin Xun more clearly realize the terror of the Boundary River. There were far too many bizarre and unexplainable things within it.

Two days later.

After eating a meal that Lin Xun had meticulously prepared, Xia Zhi fell into a deep sleep and began her fourth cycle of obliteration.

Lin Xun carefully put her into the Nameless Pagoda.

For the past few days, the usually unbearably arrogant Shun Baixuan had been very quiet. He shut himself into his room and refused to step out.

Xia Zhi's beating had left a dark shadow on him which he was still unable to walk out from.

A few more days passed.

About ten days had passed since Lin Xun and his team entered the Boundary River.

The Sacred Fire Sect forces didn’t appear again, allowing Miss Le to relax.

"We’re here."

Luo Jia's voice sounded outside the ship. When Lin Xun and others walked onto the deck, they saw a huge whirlpool in the distance. The pitch-black whirlpool slowly rotated, emitting power that distorted and collapsed the nearby space.

The atmosphere was eerily silent. Even the usually raging river was still. The only movement in the area was the slowly rotating whirlpool.

Lin Xun and the others felt a little frightened. It felt as if there was a terrifying force hidden deep within the giant whirlpool.

"Back then, the Dark Blood Black Phoenix Saint expert died here and its remnant spirit was sealed in this area."

There was a trace of emotion in Luo Jia’s eyes. Misty light sprinkled from the pitch-black phoenix feather in her hand as it seemed to resonate with the humongous whirlpool in the distance.

Evidently, Luo Jia had found this place through the Dark Blood Black Phoenix’s true feather. Otherwise, locating such a place in the vast and dangerous Boundary River would be no different from searching for a needle in a haystack.

"Eh? Someone is approaching!"

Lin Xun’s pupils shrank as Suanni Qi billowed from him and covered the entire ship. In a flash, they seemed to completely disappear into thin air.

At the same time, a peculiar group suddenly appeared from the other side of the whirlpool.

The group consisted of about a dozen young-looking monks. However, they wore black kasayas with black rosary beads hanging from their necks. Their hands were placed together in front of them as if praying while displaying impassive expressions, making them appear solemn, indifferent, and lonely.

They rode on a black lotus flower which had twenty-four petals. It was shaped like a ship, and black mist overflowed from it and hovered above the river.

The sudden appearance of a black lotus-like ship carrying a group of black-clad monks would be a strange and mysterious sight to anyone.

"Disciples of the Lifeless World’s Earth Treasury Temple!"

Miss Le's pupils shrank. "Could the rumor be true? Was the ancient Buddhist Saint who killed the Dark Blood Black Phoenix from the Earth Treasury Temple?"

She seemed surprised and had lost her composure.

Earth Treasury Temple?

Lifeless World?

They were unfamiliar names to Lin Xun and Luo Jia. However, Miss Le’s appearance made them keenly aware that the situation had changed!

Was the group of black-clad monks also here for the hidden blessing?