The Prodigies War

The sword’s chant was sad and mournful.

Its intent permeated the sky with monstrous killing intent!

During his cultivation so far, Lin Xun had seen numerous dazzling and unique sword cultivators. He had also intimately perceived the great might of Battle Emperor Mo Yang and Sword Emperor Taixuan through No Escape and Taixuan Sword Scripture.

However, only this sword qi allowed him to deeply feel ‘madness.’

It was an ‘unrestrained, willful, and sharp to the point of overbearing’ kind of madness!

This was not to say that No Escape and Taixuan Sword Scripture were inferior to this sword intent. They just belonged to different sword paths.

No Escape was a path of extreme acute execution. Just like its name implied, once the sword was drawn, it left no escape for the opponent.

Taixuan Sword Scripture was profound, vast, esoteric, and it fully demonstrated the power of change of the sword path.

This sword intent, on the other hand, gave one the feeling of ‘as long as the target is within reach, I will cleave even if heaven and earth, yin and yang, life and death are blocking my way’!

Ji Xuan's voice rang out with surprise, “It's that sword. To think that it’s still here waiting, crying sorrowfully…

“Back then, Jun Huan and I had also seen this sword here and listened to its mourns. I never thought that after so many years of cycles of withering and thriving the world has gone through, it is still there.”

“Sword?” Lin Xun was astonished. He looked around, but found nothing.

Ji Xuan said, “It’s a sword spirit. Although greatly weakened, it’s still quite terrifying. Jun Huan and I joined hands and attacked it as we wanted to take it away, but in the end, we were disappointed.

“So, you can only imagine the power of its owner. How peerlessly elegant should they be, I wonder.”

A sword spirit!

Only the most supreme of Emperor-grade swords could nurture a spirit, something otherwise only creation was capable of. This kind of existence was of profound mystery, and its battle strength was beyond terrifying.

Ordinary Emperor-grade treasures simply couldn't withstand the onslaught of a sword spirit!

Ji Xuan instructed, “Let's go around this cliff, don’t go near it.”

Lin Xun nodded and was about to move, but right at this moment—

A strand of horrifying sword intent appeared out of nowhere and turned into a figure so faint that it was almost invisible as it arrived in front of Lin Xun. �

The figure was very small with only three inches in height, but for Lin Xun, it was like seeing a blazing sun that single-handedly illuminated everything under heaven. Its dazzling and rampant rays pierced deep into him, making him feel as if his soul was being torn apart.

“Humph! I let you go back then, yet you still dare to be brazen in front of me?” bellowed Ji Xuan in the Sky-Blotting Talisman as he seemed to perceive a grave danger.

“Take me with you…” A vibration of a thought came out from the three-inch tall figure. The voice was hoarse and tinged with a hint of excitement that was hard to conceal.

At the same time, the phenomenon filling Lin Xun's vision disappeared, and the impact to his soul also subsided. However, the figure’s words stunned him again.

This illusory figure was undoubtedly the ‘sword spirit’ that Ji Xuan had just talked about.

Lin Xun just hadn’t expected that it would ask him to take it away. What was the reason?

Ji Xuan also fell silent as he also found this quite unexpected. In the end, he asked, “You have waited here forever. Why…do you want to give up now?”

“He is just like me….” The sword spirit’s appearance was extremely blurry, but his stare at Lin Xun was palpable as he said hoarsely, “We come from the same place.”

Ji Xuan said, “Where?”

The sword spirit's voice was low and indistinct, “A place that doesn't belong here. My master's hometown. You all call that place…the other side of the cosmos...”

Boom!

It was as if a thunder exploded in Lin Xun's mind. The other side of the cosmos!

Doesn’t this mean that this sword spirit, like my mom, uncle, and Mister Lu, has crossed the stars and arrived here?

Lin Xun's heart trembled at the thought of this.

This was the Ancient Immortal Forbidden Zone, a place of great perils and unknowns that was regarded as one of the Eight Forbidden Zones of the Primordial Chaos World.

Who could imagine that a wisp of sword spirit that had been waiting here for countless years could be from the world on the other side of the cosmos?

Ji Xuan said, “You probably got the wrong person. And moreover, as far as I know, the other side of the cosmos has always only existed in legend. Many experts have set off to search for it since primeval times, but ultimately, they either never returned or returned in defeat.”

As the mighty Emperor Faded Lightning who had lived for tens of thousands of years, of course he knew about the other side of the cosmos, a place whose existence was as uncertain and surreal as a myth.

The sword spirit shook his head. “I’m not mistaken. His aura is the same as my master's. There is absolutely no mistake.”

Lin Xun took a deep breath and said, “Dare I ask…who your master is?”

A long silence ensued, after which the sword spirit replied with indescribable sadness, “I…don't remember…”

Lin Xun was stunned. You don't remember?!

How is that even possible?

“That year, my origin power was destroyed along with my shell, so my consciousness was badly damaged as well. I've been waiting, waiting for my master to come find me…although…I forgot who he was...” The sword spirit's grief-stricken voice grew lower and lower toward the end.

Ji Xuan seemed to empathize and let out a long sigh. During the endless years of being caged in the Ancient Immortal Forbidden Zone, his consciousness and mind had also been muddled. All things considered, their situations weren’t much different.

Had it not been for Lin Xun showing up and fortunately helping retrieve this wisp of his primordial spirit, then he probably would have his eternal rest here!

“Take me with you…please…” The sword spirit once again turned his gaze to Lin Xun.

He was like a lost child who desperately longed for home but couldn't find the way back.

“I…” Lin Xun wanted to say something. Such a myth as the other side of the cosmos… He didn't dare to determine how much hope he had in finding it in this life.

“From what I know, the road to the other side of the cosmos has been cut off,” said Ji Xuan suddenly in a heavy voice. “You are bound to be disappointed if you pin your hopes on a young man!”

“No, it is definitely possible to go back.” The sword spirit appeared unswayed as he declared, “Since I could come here with my master, I can definitely return.”

Lin Xun took a deep breath and made his decision, “Alright, I agree to your request.”

Ji Xuan was quite surprised but ultimately didn’t stop Lin Xun from doing so. He only asked, “Does the other side of the cosmos really exist?”

“Yes,” replied the sword spirit without thinking twice because that was where he came from!

Ji Xuan fell silent.

This answer was unimaginable for him, unlocking the doubts that had been deeply buried in his heart.

To an existence of his level, or to be exact, to every Emperor in the nebula, the other side of the cosmos…held a different and special meaning!Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Why was it that all the worlds here shared the common name of Ancient Nebula Road?

The reason was very simple. As early as the beginning of the primeval era, there had been a saying that had been passed down to this day:

“All these worlds are like a grand road, and the end of this road is on the other side of the cosmos!”

In other words, the only way to reach the other side of the cosmos was to exit the Ancient Nebula Road!

Such was the origin of the name Ancient Nebula Road.

However…

For infinite years, countless powerful experts had searched all over the nebula for that exit and attempted to reach the other side of the cosmos, only to find that the road…was cut off!

Gradually, the stories about the other side of the cosmos had turned into legends, hazy and far-fetched.

However, a wisp of sword spirit had just told them that the other side of the cosmos really existed. One could imagine what a shocking piece of news this was to Emperor Faded Lightning.

Unlike him, Lin Xun had known this truth very early on because his mother Luo Qingxun, his uncle Star Annihilation Battle Emperor, and his teacher Lu Boya had all come from there.

On top of that, during his time in the Ziyao Empire, Lin Xun had returned to Feiyun Village and had seen the scene in a mark left by Mister Lu. It had let him not only know that Mister Lu was still alive but also see the woman who was hunting down Mister Lu!

That woman was tall and slender with a golden ribbon around her waist, and had a waterfall of purple hair. She carried a silver spear on her back, and exuded an aura of a god overlooking all beings!

She had once said, "As long as Luo Qingxun lives, she will be captured sooner or later, and her brother won’t be able to do anything even if he has reached the Emperor stage. A traitor is a traitor after all, and sooner or later the crimes will need to be repaid."

It was also then that Lin Xun had learned that his mother, his uncle, and Mister Lu had been regarded as sinners and were fugitives from the other side of the cosmos.

He only had the rough details of those old stories, but he still clearly remembered the purple-haired woman who had appeared in Feiyun Village decades ago in a relentless pursuit of Mister Lu!

From this, it could be deduced that she was also from the other side of the cosmos, which meant she also knew a way to return there.

It proved that the road to the other side of the cosmos was not cut off!

However, it seemed that only the people from there could walk on this road….

Lin Xun couldn't help but have a bold thought.

Perhaps that road is not broken but instead is deliberately sealed up by some kind of power, so as to prevent the cultivators of Ancient Nebula Road from going there?

To put it another way, a lock has been put on the Ancient Nebula Road, and only those who hold the key can open and pass through it?

However, he quickly shook his head. This kind of uncertain thing was still too far from him right now, so any speculation was completely hollow.

Just who has such terrifying power to block the door of the vast Ancient Nebula Road to the other side of the cosmos?

Lin Xun's thoughts were flying.

Ji Xuan’s emotions were similarly fluctuating.

The wisp of sword spirit had calmed down after receiving Lin Xun's consent. Currently, he seemed to be trying to recall something but failing to retrieve anything, which put a perplexed look on his face.

“Let’s go,” Ji Xuan finally spoke after long contemplation, breaking the silence and jolting Lin Xun to his senses.

Inhaling deeply, Lin Xun earnestly looked at the sword spirit. “I cannot promise that I will have the opportunity to travel to the other side of the cosmos in my life, but as long as I live, I will definitely try.”

The sword spirit revealed a big smile.

This was his first smile since he had revealed himself. Even though his figure was illusory and blurry, the smile was incredibly bright and real.

“I can't hold out for long so I need a good meditation session now. If you ever need help, just call out ‘Yezi.’”

Having said that, he transformed into a flying sword that was as thin as a needle. It inserted himself in Lin Xun's hair, illusory as if non-existent, and sank into silence.