The Prodigies War

Lin Xun lingered around Fallen Cloud City for half a day before he continued onwards to Star Cliff City.

Star Cliff City, an ancient city located in the hinterland of the Great Qin Province, was said to have existed since ancient times.

The city was well-known throughout the West Infinity World because it hosted the Dao Lantern Festival every one hundred years on Cangwu Mountain, which was on the outskirts of the city.

……

Half a day later, outside Star Cliff City, Lin Xun withdrew the treasure ship and swiftly entered the city.

“Master, since Cangwu Mountain is outside the city, why aren’t we heading there right away? Why are we entering the city and waiting around?”

“Haha, this is your first time participating in the Dao Lantern Festival so you must not know that Cangwu Mountain was also a sacred mountain in ancient times. It is rumored that the deities established a training hall there to impart the dao and pass on their knowledge. Hence, it is a place steeped in history and divine legends.”

“If the time is not right, even if you try to ascend such a sacred mountain then you are doomed to fail.”

“I understand.”

The center of Star Cliff City was busy and crowded with an endless stream of people and carriages. The noise of pedestrians and traffic flying past was deafening.

This grand and ancient city was one of the most prosperous and bustling places in the Great Qin Province, with a population of tens of thousands.

As the Dao Lantern Festival neared, the city also became the most popular place in the entire West Infinity World.

Every day, an unknown number of experts flocked here from all over the world. The successors of ancient sects and descendants of clans with a long history all arrived here one after another.

Of course, the majority only came to watch and enjoy the bustling atmosphere. After all, not everyone was qualified to participate in the festival.

The moment that Lin Xun stepped into the city, his black eyes lit up with surprise.

There are so many cultivators!

Through his tremendous spirit power, he could notice that, among the huge crowd on the street, many radiated a powerful aura and some were able to match up to the geniuses he had met in the past in terms of bearing and demeanor!

There were also some old monsters among them, as well as the elders of a certain sect, or the influential figures of a certain clan.

They were all followed by a group of young men and women.

“Some people exude an aura comparable to that of Zhuo Kuanglan and Lu Jiuge...It seems that the news is accurate. Star Cliff City has indeed become a gathering place for the young generation of talented people from the West Infinity World,” Lin Xun exclaimed.

He had only just arrived in the city, but he already noticed so many talents and geniuses on the street. Imaginably, the Dao Lantern Festival had drawn the attention of countless influential figures in the West Infinity World.

However, there were only a few top talents comparable to Zhuo Kuanglan and Lu Jiuge, with only two or three out of one thousand people.

Even so, it was still astonishing.

After all, Zhuo Kuanglan was one of the five true successors of the ancient Feather Sword Sect, and there were only a handful of people like him in the ancient sects of the West Infinity World.

Lin Xun followed the crowd toward the center of the city.

In almost all of the thousands of provinces and cities in the West Infinity World stood a News Tree, and Star Cliff City was no exception.

“There are fewer than seven days left until the Dao Lantern Festival kicks off. Our Windspeaker Clan estimates that over one thousand talented people from various places have now gathered in Star Cliff City!”

“But this number is still increasing at an astonishing rate. We are certain that, when the Dao Lantern Festival officially starts, a magnificent performance of striving for superiority will break out!”

“Now that the great age is quickly approaching, the Dao Lantern Festival holds even more significance. In the end, which one of the peerless talents will rise above the others and win the title of No. 1 in the Dao Lantern Festival? I look forward to the result!”

……

A huge crowd gathered around the News Tree, watching the countless leaves unfold and project the latest news one after another.

Lin Xun stood among the crowd. His aura had been restrained, and he had activated the Great Formless Art to prevent anyone from recognizing him.

He learned that atop Cangwu Mountain stood an extremely sacred ancient tree that extended up to the sky. Its sturdy and strong body seemed mystical like it was cast from bronze.

It had been standing since ancient times and survived the changes of thousands of generations. It had a past and history that could shock anyone in the world.

The most miraculous thing about the tree was that every one hundred years, buds would grow on its bare branches and when bloomed, they resembled lit bronze lanterns hanging on the tree. The shower of colorful and gorgeous divine flame-light they produced created the most spectacular and sacred scene as it illuminated the sky.

Those bronze flowers were called Ancient Dao Lantern Flowers.

And the ancient and sacred bronze tree was called the Ancient Dao Lantern Tree!

The so-called Dao Lantern Festival that was held every one hundred years would kick off under the Ancient Dao Lantern Tree.

However, before the ancient Dao Lantern Flowers bloomed, the sacred tree would never reveal itself to the world like a sage recluse.

Even if they arrived at Cangwu Mountain ahead of time, they wouldn’t be able to find any traces of the tree at all.

The reason that the Dao Lantern Festival attracted the attention of the entire West Infinity World was not just as simple as discussing the Dao but rather the ‘Lantern Festival.’

There were remarkable opportunities hidden within the Ancient Dao Lantern Tree, but only those considered truly outstanding would have the opportunity to obtain them!

Rumor had it that Mu Cangxue, the Sect Master of the Unsolved Mystery Sword Alms, won a supreme opportunity at the Dao Lantern Festival when he was a young age and that accelerated his cultivation path. It took him less than a hundred years to forge the dao, ascend to a Life Death Stage King and become superior in the world!

Furthermore, Mu Cangxue was hailed as the pinnacle legend among the current Life Death Stage Kings. Many ancient sects believed that, within a few years, he would break through the Nine Tribulations of Longevity, seek the path of the Saint, and become another saint of the Unsolved Mystery Sword Alms!

Quite a few people had also obtained blessings at the previous Dao Lantern Festival just like Mu Cangxue did in the past, and the majority of them had undergone tremendous transformations on their own paths.

This was precisely why the Dao Lantern Festival attracted cultivators from all over the West Infinity World. It was the dream of any cultivator to obtain an astonishing blessing.

However, only the most talented of the younger generation were qualified to participate in the Dao Lantern Festival. Those who did not meet the criteria wouldn’t be able to get close to the Dao Lantern Tree even if they tried.

“Move aside!”

Suddenly, a loud yell rumbled like a thunderbolt. Some cultivators flinched back and almost fell to the ground.

Not far away, a huge ten-foot-tall man with a burly body and a fierce aura marched over, and with a sweep of his giant palm-leaf-like hand, the crowd parted, opening up a path for him.

Cultivators unable to dodge in time were blasted to the ground. They were about to curse, but the sight of the giant man silenced them and changed their furious expressions.

“An expert from the Ocean Shark Clan of the Fiend Devil Sea!” someone gasped.

Immediately, many nearby cultivators blanched. The Fiend Devil Sea wasn’t an ordinary place as many ancient sea clans with an ancient history resided there.

And the Ocean Shark Clan was an overlord-like clan in the Fiend Devil Sea!

The giant man snorted coldly. His arrogance was evident. But he immediately turned around and respectfully moved to one side, appearing extremely humble.

The spectators then noticed a group of men and women following up behind the giant man.

They were headed by a tall and built man dressed in a golden robe and with long flowing blue hair. But his eyes were extremely frightening and menacing like razor-sharp blades.

The other men and women surrounded him like stars guarding the moon as they approached the News Tree.

“That’s...the saint of the Ocean Shark Clan! Sha Liuchan, who is known as one of the top ten talents of the Fiend Devil Sea!”

Some cultivators exclaimed in shock.

The Ocean Shark Clan had a terrifying reputation and Sha Liuchan, the current saint of the Ocean Shark Clan, also was well-known among the younger generation of the West Infinity World.

He was rumored to be born with the gift of talent and the root of wisdom, and he possessed unfathomable strengths owing to the mysterious ancient Buddhist secret arts that he practiced.

Sha Liuchan and his group wore expressions of arrogance and superiority as they disregarded the fearful and awed gazes around them and marched straight to the News Tree.

“Why is there no news about Demon God Lin?”

After a moment, Sha Liuchan complained, “I have heard a lot about him on the way to Star Cliff City, and I hoped to take this opportunity to see if he is as powerful as the rumors say, but why hasn’t he come yet?”

The cultivators gasped inwardly. The saint of the Ocean Shark Clan, one of the top ten talents of the Fiend Devil Sea, also wants to deal with Demon God Lin!

What did they mean by he also wants to?

It was simple. In Star Cliff City, countless geniuses and talents couldn’t stand Demon God Lin and wanted to teach him a lesson before the Dao Lantern Festival began!

This was nothing new since it had already spread throughout the entire Great Qin Province a few days ago.

Many were also curious to know whether or not the remarkable Demon God Lin would dare to come to participate in the Dao Lantern Festival.

In the crowd, Lin Xun remained expressionless, but he couldn’t help cursing Bai Fengliu who started everything. If he hadn’t been broadcasting my deeds a while ago, how would I be targeted by so many people?

Look at what he’s done now! Everyone, even if I haven’t met them before, sees me as a threat!

Lin Xun was speechless for a while.

Of course, he wasn’t afraid. He just found it very troublesome.

As the saying went, man dreads fame as a pig dreads becoming fat!

“From now on, if anyone discovers any traces of Demon God Lin appearing in Star Cliff City, they can come to find me to receive a reward!”

Sha Liuchan looked aloof and proud with a hint of superiority as he said calmly, “Of course, if Demon God Lin shows up by himself and admits that he is not as good as me, then I also won’t let him lose too tragically!”

After he finished speaking, he turned around and led the group of men and women away from the crowd in long strides.

The rest of the people gasped audibly. Does Sha Liuchan also want to crush Demon God Lin in front of the world just like Zhongli Wuji and Qing Lian’er?

Lin Xun mumbled to himself irritably, “Why is everyone jumping out to attack and criticize me now?”