The Prodigies War

The person was a bright and lovely girl who looked about fifteen or sixteen years old, standing playfully on a stone step.

“Why does it feel somewhat familiar?” she muttered, her big watery eyes blinking. Then, she slapped her forehead as realization hit. “It’s that little big brother.”

She simply stopped advancing and squatted down on the stone step, her hands cupping her face as she waited quietly.

Not long after, Lin Xun appeared. A flash of surprise gleamed in the girl’s eyes, seemingly not expecting that he would defeat his opponent so quickly.

She waved at him with a grin. “Little big brother, we meet again.”

Lin Xun was stunned. Chi Yao?

The girl was smiling sweetly. Her long, soft, fiery red hair was coiled into a bun with a tree branch. Her delicate figure was wrapped in a huge, fiery red leaf, revealing almost translucent calves and snow-white bare feet.

Around her ankles was a bizarre black chain.

Between her eyebrows was a strange flame pattern.

This was Chi Yao; the girl who Toady had referred to as the ‘pill-eating girl.’

And she was not simple at all!

For countless years, she had been silent in the Scarlet Cloud Sacred Tree, but once she came out, she had smashed the heavenly tribulations and broken free from her shackle, which was simply amazing.

“Miss Chi Yao.” Lin Xun regained his composure. This woman was an unfathomable ancient freak. Contrary to her pure and bright appearance, she was full of eccentricities.

“You must be Demon God Lin. I really can’t think of anyone else in this Burning Immortal World who is as strong, being able to advance into the first hundred steps of the heavenly stairs so easily,” said Chi Yao with a lovely smile, her voice clear and her eyes charming.

Lin Xun simply nodded as there was no need to hide.

Chi Yao got up and stretched her slim waist before saying, “Little big brother, I actually wanted to talk to you alone when we first met, but now can be just as good a time for that.”

Lin Xun was surprised. “Talk about what?”

Chi Yao smiled. “I got a deal for you. If my guess is correct, you have a piece of Bodhi wood that has been struck by the Dao Slashing Power, don’t you?”

Hearing this, Lin Xun looked calm, but his heart was a little shaken.

He did have a piece of charred and dried Bodhi wood in his possession, which he had obtained from the dilapidated temple left behind by Saint Monk Duji.

Inside the Bodhi wood sealed a strange and mysterious golden power, which was undoubtedly the Dao Slashing Power.

But how would Chi Yao know that he had this item on him?

“Don’t think too much. I can feel the presence of Bodhi wood due to my bloodline’s instinctive talent.” Chi Yao’s clear eyes flashed with a strange gleam as her smile never waned.

Lin Xun was still unable to calm down. Who exactly is this girl, and how does she have such a peculiar natural instinct?

“So to speak, you’ve set your sights on me from the first time we met?” he asked.

Chi Yao blinked innocently and nodded. “Yes, the Bodhi wood is of great use to me. I will certainly fight for it if I have to.”

Her voice was relaxed, but it carried a hint of determination.

But immediately, she smiled again and pointed at the strange black chain around her ankles. “If you are willing to let go of the Bodhi wood, I can exchange this treasure for it.”

Once again, Lin Xun was shocked.

He hadn’t forgotten what Toady had said about this chain being a terrifying divine treasure of extraordinary origin!

While it was only about the thickness of a pinky finger, the pitch-black chain was in stark contrast to the girl’s snow-white ankles as it exuded strands of palpitating death qi.

These bizarre strands of death qi even formed twisted runes, densely marking every inch of the chain.

Anyone would be drawn in by this sight and then shocked by it!

However, what actually caught him off guard was Chi Yao’s willingness to exchange such a horrifying and extraordinary treasure for the Bodhi wood!

“Don’t tell me the wood is worth more than a Saint Treasure?” he asked.

“To me, it’s more attractive than a Saint Treasure, and that’s why I’m willing to exchange a Saint Treasure for it. But I’m afraid that in the eyes of other people, it’s not much different from a piece of rotten wood.” Chi Yao’s pink lips were adorned with a sweet smile, revealing her clear white teeth.

Lin Xun laughed. “You know what? Great minds think alike, so I’ve never intended to sell this piece of ‘rotten wood’ to anyone.”

“Little big brother, you really don’t want to think twice about it?” said the stunned Chi Yao, who then bit her lips shyly. Her eyes seemed to reflect the waves of an autumn pond as they radiated an amazing charm, and her voice softened, “If you are willing to let go of your prized treasure, then I…may just repay you with my body.”

At that moment, she looked more beautiful than ever as her skin seemed to glow. This coupled with her coy demeanor gave off an extreme allure that would charm anyone to their soul and make them hot-headed.

However, there wasn’t a single ripple of emotion in Lin Xun’s eyes. “How can cultivators like us lust after beauty on the path of dao? Please have some respect!”

Chi Yao’s eyes widened in disbelief for a good moment before her face flushed, and she spat, “Compared to the little big brother of the Three-Legged Golden Toad Clan, you really are a piece of wood. You can’t read the mood at all!”

Lin Xun kept a solemn expression and sighed, “Under all that beauty is ultimately flesh and bones. You may possess beauty that can destroy a kingdom, but in my eyes, it’s nothing new or interesting.”

Chi Yao seemed a bit annoyed. “You have always been single, right?”

Lin Xun was stunned.

Seeing this, Chi Yao let out a giggle and pointed at him. “Hit the nail on the head, didn’t I? You’re so dense that when a girl likes you, you won’t even be able to notice it.”

Lin Xun smiled slightly, “Even so, it still has nothing to do with you, Miss.”

In the face of his unbothered manner, Chi Yao couldn’t help but sigh. “Little big brother, you’re so stubborn that you make it really difficult for me. If I don’t get the Bodhi wood, I definitely won’t be able to eat and sleep well, let alone continuing on the path of cultivation and seeking the mysteries of the dao.”

Lin Xun raised his brow. “So you’re planning to rob it from me using violence?”

Chi Yao pondered for a while before waving her hand as if troubled by the thought of it. “Let’s not think about this for now. I’ll see about it later.”

Lin Xun suddenly said with seriousness, “Miss, if possible, I don’t want to become enemies with you, so please consider it carefully.”

With that, he paid no more attention to Chi Yao and went back to climbing the stairs.

Swish!

He disappeared into the next duel.

It was at this moment that the smile on Chi Yao’s face slowly vanished into an extremely calm and aloof expression. Her aura also became eerily cold, and she no longer looked lively like before.

In her eyes that were as bright as stars, a terrifying fire flickered.

“Can’t see through…really can’t see through him… If I could, I would have attacked right from the start,” she murmured.

A while later, she took a deep breath. The gloomy aura around her retracted, and her bearing returned to its previous liveliness and innocence.

Lin Xun also reappeared after breaking through the challenge on the 65th stone step.

“Little big brother, if you can ascend to the first step, I promise to seriously consider your suggestion,” said Chi Yao cheerfully with a dazzling, sweet smile.

“Me ascending to the first step or not has nothing to do with the advice I gave you. No one can stop you if you insist on making a bad choice. However, I might as well be blunt and tell you this in advance, my enemies are always doomed to a bad ending sooner or later.” Lin Xun shrugged.

Chi Yao narrowed her eyes until they looked like a pair of sharp blades. Then, she smiled, seemingly unimpressed by his warning.

As for Lin Xun, he wasted no more words and continued upward.

From this point onward, the two had nothing to talk about, and the atmosphere felt heavy.

Chi Yao resumed sitting there and no longer climbed the stairs.

She just quietly watched Lin Xun with her hands cupping her face. Her eyes blinked from time to time, seemingly trying to figure out what kind of person he was.

64th.

63rd.

…

Every time Lin Xun took a step, she would recall the duel she had with the corresponding dao flame and made a comparison on the time it took them.

And then, her eyes would flash with a strange glint because up until now, his speed was slightly better than hers every time.

However, she didn’t care much about it, because had she wanted to, she could have managed the same feat.

Soon, Lin Xun arrived at the fiftieth step.

And Chi Yao, who was sitting on the forty-ninth step, suddenly opened her mouth to speak, “There are fifty great paths and forty-nine possibilities of heaven. Do you know what it means, little big brother?”

Her voice was clear and comforting.

But it made Lin Xun frown. He replied, “Escape is one option?”

Chi Yao pursed her lips and laughed without saying anything.

Lin Xun also laughed. With a composed expression, he set foot on the forty-ninth step.

Chi Yao was stunned. She tensed up imperceptibly before relaxing again, but her gaze toward Lin Xun now carried an icy hint.

Lin Xun paid it no heed. Of course he understood the implication behind her words. She was advising him not to push the situation past the point of no return and that he should leave himself room to maneuver if he were to change his mind later.

Unfortunately, it was impossible for Lin Xun to hand over this piece of Bodhi wood no matter what, because it held clues as to why Saint Monk Duji and Black Phoenix Saint Queen had fallen, which was a forbidden mystery!

Lin Xun would never give such a thing away.

If Chi Yao was willing to make an enemy of him for it, then he wouldn’t mind killing one more person!

“Looks like there is no way to persuade him...”

Watching Lin Xun move up step by step, Chi Yao rubbed her temples in what appeared to be distress and sighed quietly.

Had it only been an ordinary piece of Bodhi wood, she simply wouldn’t have cared.

But the one Lin Xun possessed was different. It had withstood the might of the Dao Slashing Power, which gave it a huge enough value to make her fight for it despite everything!

This piece of Bodhi wood was a rare and forbidden object from ancient times, which should have been wiped out from this world, but for some unknown reason, it was preserved until this day.

In order to have the opportunity to gain insight into the forbidden mysteries within it…

Even Saints would go crazy!