The Prodigies War

“From the past few days of studying the No-Nonsense Bow, I’ve deduced that its origins are extremely extraordinary. Although I can’t tell who made it, I’m certain that it once killed a Saint expert!”

Zhao Xingye quickly gave an answer.

However, this greatly alarmed Lin Xun.

Killed a Saint expert?! That is no less than earth-shaking information.

In Lin Xun’s view, a Saint was a near-invincible existence who could pluck the stars from the sky, seize the moon with a swipe, travel the cosmos, and possess a lifespan equal to the sun and moon.

Hence, it was easy to imagine how shocking the news was to him.

Even Zhao Xingye had a slightly surprised expression despite being the one to share the information. It was indeed an earth-shaking revelation and even she could not imagine how the bow could possess such a bloody and amazing past.

Killed a Saint expert!

This alone would shock the entire world.

The most inconceivable part to Zhao Xingye was that the bow had killed more than one Saint expert…

“This bow had once been dyed in Saint blood and destroyed a Saint spirit. It is a horrifying weapon even in the ancient era. However, it has suffered serious damage and contains so much savageness and bloodthirstiness that will one day explode.”

Zhao Xingye’s expression turned grave as she looked at Lin Xun. “When that happens, you will suffer backlash given your current strength. That is an outcome you will not be able to endure!”

Lin Xun’s eyes narrowed. He had not expected that there would be such a ‘hidden danger’ in the bow.

“Backlash…” He could not help but ask, “How scary will it be?”

Zhao Xingye looked Lin Xun up and down and casually said, “When I killed Gold Brute King Jin Chaoshui, a wisp of savage nature in the bow escaped. That single wisp managed to attack my spirit and nearly seized control of my will.”

“When I killed Fire Brute King Yan Qiong, the lingering grudge of a Saint charged out from the bow and nearly destroyed my life force.”

By this point, there was a rarely seen trace of fear in Zhao Xingye’s expression. “Back then, if I didn’t possess a secret treasure that could guard my spirit, my spirit would have likely been destroyed by the bow and I would have died.”

Although her tone was calm, the words made Lin Xun stiffen as he gasped.

Zhao Xingye was an apex existence in the King stage, but even someone like her had suffered an increasingly dangerous backlash from the No-Nonsense Bow twice and nearly lost her life!

It showed just how terrifying the savage nature inside the bow was.

“However, you need not be overly worried. The stronger the user’s cultivation the greater the backlash from the bow. Since you’ve yet to encounter any backlash, it’s clear that the No-Nonsense bow cannot hurt your current self.”

Zhao Xingye seemed to guess what Lin Xun was worried about and said, “However, as your cultivation grows, you’ll need to start paying attention to this potential problem. After all, it’ll always be a hidden threat unless…”

Lin Xun’s heart shook as he asked, “Unless what?”

“Unless you can find its lost weapon spirit.”

“Weapon spirit?”

“That’s right. Such a supreme treasure should have been born with its own spirit when it was created, like how a human possesses a soul.”

Zhao Xingye’s eyes flickered with intelligence as she continued, “Such a treasure is also known as an egofied Saint treasure.

Lin Xun pondered as he mumbled, “Weapon spirit…egofied Saint treasure…”

Zhao Xingye suddenly advised, “When you head to the Ancient Wasteland Domain in the future, if you find the chance to, I recommend you head to one of the mysterious hidden sacred lands, ‘Sunset Current Valley’.”

Lin Xun was unfamiliar with the term ‘hidden sacred land’ and did not have much of a reaction, but when he heard the words ‘Sunset Current Valley’, he was immediately taken aback.

When he was in the Spirit Burial Sea, he had caused a ‘flowers blooming in the sky’ phenomenon when he advanced to the mid Heaven Ascension stage. That majestic and gorgeous sight could be rated as one of the most beautiful in the world.

However, Toady had disdainfully said that in the ancient era, there had been a sacred land called ‘Sunset Current Valley’ where the divine golden crow had turned into a sun and entrenched itself in the sky all year round. The sight of it casting its glorious radiance onto the land was akin to a true wonder of the world.

Back then, Lin Xun had suspected that Toady was merely boasting, but after hearing Zhao Xingye mention the same ‘Sunset Current Valley’, he realized that the land Toady had talked about actually existed!

“Do you remember the scene that appeared when the bow was used where the sun was falling into darkness and the golden crow’s blood dyed the sea? I am certain that this bow once killed a Saint expert from the Golden Crow Clan!”

Zhao Xingye deduced, “If you wish to find where the bow’s spirit was lost, then Sunset Current Valley is undoubtedly a good place to start. It used to be the nest of the Ancient Golden Crow Clan and still contains numerous unsolved secrets today.”

Lin Xun earnestly nodded and committed this information to memory.

“If you manage to find the weapon spirit, you’ll not only be able to suppress the savage nature in the bow but also recover a portion of its lost power.”

Zhao Xingye’s slender fingers gently traced the No-Nonsense Bow’s length. It was made of bones which made it look exceptionally sinister. Despite this, it gave off a holy and sacred sensation instead of fear.

Zhao Xingye could not help but sigh. “Look at these bones. I suspect that the bow was made from the skulls of Saint experts!”

Her guess made Lin Xun jump in fear. Saint expert skulls! The bow contained a total of eighteen skulls. If Zhao Xingye was correct, wouldn’t it mean that eighteen Saint experts' skulls had been used to craft its body alone?

That was far too horrifying to imagine.

Zhao Xingye carefully returned the No-Nonsense Bow to Lin Xun before she took out the Biluo Arrow and said, “As for this arrow, I recognize it. It is one of the nine divine arrows of the Great Yi Tribe.”

“These nine divine arrows are named: Biluo, Huangquan, Shangxie, Moli, Quya, Jiguang, Pianyu, Hunxi, and Wucui!”

“Each arrow possesses a unique ability and unimaginably terrifying power.”

“Everyone knows that members of the Great Yi Tribe are godly archers and possess an extremely glorious past. As such, the fact that these nine divine arrows could become the tribe’s supreme treasures is more than proof of their extraordinary origins.”

“Regretfully, the Biluo Arrow and the Huangquan Arrow are a set of twin arrows that are known to only produce their greatest power when paired with the Soul-Tether Bow”

Lin Xun was stunned by this information. He had originally believed that there was some kind of relation between the No-Nonsense Bow and the Biluo Arrow and they might have been created as a set.

However, this wasn’t the case at all.

“I see…”

Lin Xun realized that he had overthought it. How could it be so coincidental that he would find a matching divine arrow for the No-Nonsense Bow in the Blood Kill Battlefield?

“However, the No-Nonsense Bow should be stronger than the Soul-Tether Bow. Otherwise, even in its damaged state, the Biluo Bow would not have been so easily subdued.”

Zhao Xingye was undoubtedly an amazing King stage existence. With a few words, she managed to deduce many things Lin Xun himself didn’t know, leaving him no choice but to be amazed at her capability.

“Remember, when you enter the Ancient Wasteland Domain in the future, do not recklessly use the No-Nonsense Bow unless it’s a critical moment. There are too many powerful experts there who will bring you endless trouble if they discover the bow’s power.”

Deep in the night, Zhao Xingye left Lin Xun one final warning before she left, causing him to shiver.

Lin Xun naturally understood the ‘crime’ of possessing something valuable.

……

Due to the Brute side laying down their arms and calling for a temporary ceasefire, the empire camp was much more relaxed during the following days.

In the 7th army camp, no one was taking the risk to leave unless it was an urgent matter. Since there was a ceasefire and they didn’t have many supplies left, no one would voluntarily cause trouble.

The rare peace instead made Lin Xun somewhat uncomfortable.

However, he kept himself busy by practicing his martial arts and helping the other cultivators craft or repair their equipment at the workshop.

When he was free, he would occasionally have gatherings with Lu Wenting, A’bi, Yan Feng, and other friends. However, meeting them would inevitably make him a little depressed because it would make him recall Old Huang and Hu Tong.

Amidst these dull days, Lin Xun would sometimes leave the camp and take a stroll in the Blood Kill Battlefield.

It was a world that was eternally dark, gloomy, dangerous, and barren. Although there were no longer any enemies on the battlefield, it was still filled with various dangers.

However, Lin Xun was already used to it and was no longer as nervous as he was the first time he had arrived here.

When he passed by the Mulberry Woodland, he could not help but try to peer inside, recalling the majestic ice saint tree and the golden cicada that had the grand goal of allowing all living things to become Saints.

He also recalled the blood-colored moth with a clear and gentle voice despite its fierce and imposing aura plus the white cicada whose cry could resound across the nine heavens.

There was also the giant azure dragon he had caught a glimpse of, which was also a terrifying creature that had reached the Saint stage.

Lastly, there was the mysterious dao palace that had appeared. It had 9999 steps, which resembled a staircase to the heavens! Its divine light illuminated the sky and dyed the land in a layer of majestic sacredness. The sight of such a phenomenon had been peerless, to say the least.

What was inside this mysterious dao palace and what secrets did it hide?

Why had so many Saint stage creatures been drawn to it and desperately fought over it?

Lin Xun didn’t know. The Mulberry Woodland was different from the past and was now covered by a thick blood-colored mist that was impenetrable by sight.

Due to this, Lin Xun did not dare to take a single step inside.

However, he was certain that when the Great Dao Catastrophe arrived, the terrifying creatures in Mulberry Woodland would not stay silent and emerge into the world!

Time swiftly shot past like an arrow.

The time for the passageway to the empire to open had quietly arrived…