The Prodigies War
chapter-996

The Grand Universe Ark’s value was maximized when used to escape in times of crisis. Hence, it would be a waste to use it now.

In fact, Lin Xun had used the Grand Universe Ark previously because he had been in a hurry to reach Cloud Sand City.

However, he was still too late, and the ancient teleportation array could no longer be used.

At present, Lin Xun’s aim was to find a way to safely break through the heavenly net deployed by the Heaven Axis Holy Land to achieve his goal of leaving the Ancient Blue Province!

……

However, Lin Xun never imagined he would encounter obstruction less than an hour after entering the Terminus Desert.

"You there, stop!" A group of cultivators were lined up in a row, blocking the path with fierce expressions.

Upon seeing Lin Xun's figure, a man who was thin as a bamboo sternly shouted, ''Obediently accept the questioning. If you don't obey, you'll be killed without warning!"

Lin Xun muttered to himself, "Killed without warning?"

He could tell at a glance that these cultivators were not from the Heaven Axis Holy Land and likely belonged to a faction that was following Heaven Axis Holy Land’s orders.

The bamboo-thin man said in a low voice, "The Terminus Desert has been blockaded. Even a fly won’t be able to leave freely, let alone you!"

Lin Xun acknowledged with a grunt and continued on his way. He ignored the cultivators and seemed determined to force his way through.

The bamboo-thin man was taken aback. Soon after, he bellowed, "How cocky, attack!"

Swish! Swish! Swish!

The prepared cultivators immediately rose into the air to surround Lin Xun.

They weren’t ordinary experts but ferocious individuals who would often be seen licking the blood from their blades.

Unfortunately, they were currently up against Lin Xun.

Rumble!

Before anyone could get close, a terrifying pressure was suddenly released from Lin Xun.

The cultivators’ vision suddenly spun wildly as they were flung away as if a hurricane was sweeping through.

Several loud thuds immediately followed as the cultivators crashed into the ground and saw stars.

When they tried to find Lin Xun again, he was nowhere to be seen.

Scary!

The faces of these cultivators changed drastically. If the other party had decided to kill them, wouldn’t they be unable to resist?

Lin Xun encountered several more blockades. However, none of them were able to stop his advance.

Despite this, Lin Xun still found them rather troublesome.

If this continued, an incident would occur sooner or later!

Hence, he decided to change his tactics.

……

The cruel sun hung high in the sky above the vast desert.

Sand dolls of various sizes and appearances were lined up on the ground like an army.

These sand dolls were a type of puppet that was created through a secret method. As long as sufficient aeth essences were provided to power them, they would be able to move according to the instructions given by a cultivator.

For example, they could fight, mine, grow herbs...and so on.

Additionally, the higher the grade, the more powerful the sand puppet.

The army of sand puppets belonged to the combat category. Each puppet was worth ten thousand gold pieces and possessed fighting power equivalent to the Cyclic Derivation stage!

"Sect Master, is this too much? These sand combat puppets are the foundation of our sect. It would be a huge loss if something were to go wrong."

A young man stood in the distance. He could not fathom why the sect would invest so heavily in this operation.

"You don't understand. If we manage to apprehend Demon God Lin, even the loss of several puppets will be worth it."

The speaker was a dignified-looking middle-aged man with his hands behind his back. His name was Qu Xiucheng, and he was the sect master of the Sand Puppet Sect.

The young man could not help but ask, "How is it worth it?"

"The Heaven Axis Holy Land said that if we manage to capture Demon God Lin, they will give us some good cultivation land in the Ancient Blue Province as a reward!"

Desire glowed in Qu Xiucheng’s eyes at the mention of good cultivation land.

Their Sand Puppet Sect had been inhabiting this godforsaken desert for thousands of years. Hence, it would be an unbelievable blessing if the sect could be relocated to a good cultivation land.

Unfortunately, almost all of the good cultivation land in the Ancient Blue Province was controlled by Heaven Axis Holy Land. Hence, Qu Xiucheng struggled to find any opportunities.

Now, that opportunity had finally arrived!

"In the past, we made sand puppets because we could obtain inexhaustible materials from this desert. But now, our clan's power is at a bottleneck and we have to take a risk in order to break through!"

Qu Xiucheng displayed a determined expression. "It matters not if it's Demon God Lin or Demon God Li, as long as he dares to show up, he won’t be able to escape!"

The young man was still unable to comprehend such thinking. Was it really worth it?

Swish!

It wasn't long before a black-haired figure appeared from the horizon. It was none other than Lin Xun, only this time, he was no longer concealing his appearance.

"Demon God Lin!"

The young man exclaimed as his pupils contracted. He never imagined that they would actually encounter the famous individual wanted by Heaven Axis Holy Land.

"Demon God Lin, you no longer have anywhere to run!" Qu Xiucheng shouted, unable to hide his excitement.

He pointed to the distance as he said, "See that? In order to deal with you, I brought out all 800 sand combat puppets. Even a half-step King expert wouldn't be able to get away, let alone you!"

Lin Xun lifted his gaze and saw numerous sand puppets standing on the sand in an orderly fashion. They were like a large army brimming with murderous intent and gave off an oppressive aura.

There were sand puppets shaped like tigers and leopards, puppets shaped like avians, and puppets wielding swords, spears, blades, halberds, and other weapons. Although they appeared to be inanimate, they gave off presences comparable to Cyclic Derivation experts.

Lin Xun asked, "Are you sure these toys can stop me?"

"I am!" Qu Xiucheng was confident.

However, the young man next to him suddenly felt a bad premonition. Lin Xun was too composed. He had not shown even the slightest sign of panic since the start.

It was as if the entire 800-strong puppet army didn’t even exist in his eyes!

However, when the young man tried to warn the sect master, it was already too late.

Clang!

Lin Xun made his move. The Broken Blade left a snow-white trail as it soared into the air. The blade cried out like a dragon, rippling the nine heavens and ten lands.

In an instant, Lin Xun seemed to transform into a demon god. Clear light swirled around his body, and his presence suddenly became terrifying and endless like a giant abyss spanning the world, seeking to devour everything!

Crap!

The young man’s heart nearly popped out of his throat in alarm.

Meanwhile, Qu Xiucheng's expression also changed. He waved his sleeve and shouted, "Doh!"

Rumble!

All 800 sand combat puppets immediately attacked like an army and rushed toward Lin Xun from all directions.

Some spewed lightning, wind, and fire from their mouths.

Some slashed at him with their claws and fangs.

Some brandished their weapons and displayed frightening combat techniques.

There were sand combat puppets fearlessly unleashing their power as far as the eye could see. They flooded the sky and land, painting an extremely intimidating sight.

It was exactly as Qu Xiucheng had claimed. Even a half-step King expert would be unable to escape such an onslaught.

Despite this, Lin Xun was completely calm as he casually released a slash that had been accumulating power for quite some time.

Swish!

The illusory snow-white Broken Blade shone as brightly as the sun. It left a several-thousand-foot-long streak in the air as it slashed downward.

All noise faded as everything returned to silence, leaving only the power of the slash that seemed to become the only light in the world.

Plop plop plop!

Sand combat puppets comparable to Cyclic Derivation experts disintegrated one after another!

In a split second, a giant crack was slashed open in the attacking army!

The crack stretched across the sky and earth, imprinting its inevitable existence upon the world.

All the sand combat puppets near the crack were erased as if they were merely stains on a canvas!

The young man’s heart turned cold as a chill filled his body. He felt as if he was in an ice cave despite the blazing sun in the sky above.

A single strike had destroyed 137 sand combat puppets!

It was a feat that even a half-step King expert could not achieve!

Qu Xiucheng was frozen in shock. The excitement in his heart had long vanished. Every sand puppet was akin to his lifeblood and was extremely difficult to create.

But now, more than a hundred of them were destroyed before they even had a chance to show their power!

It was a tremendous mental blow that nearly made him faint and cough blood.

"Can you stop me?"

Lin Xun retrieved the Broken Blade and left these words behind. He then flew away without even looking at Xiu Qiucheng and the young man.

Can you stop me?

The casual words ruthlessly stabbed Qu Xiucheng’s heart like a knife, causing him to feel pain and despair.

Never in his wildest dreams would he have imagined that the young Demon God Lin would be so terrifying!

"Sect Master, Demon God Lin has already shown mercy." The young man spoke out in an attempt to comfort the sect master, "At the very least, he didn't destroy everything."

Qu Xiucheng had a miserable expression as he muttered, "Yes, it’s all our fault for overestimating our capabilities..."

Soon after, he took a deep breath and firmly said, ''Spread the news of what happened here. Since we’ve already experienced such losses, we can't let other cultivators repeat our mistakes. This might be...the only thing we can do."

The young man nodded and accepted the order.

He had a hunch that the other party had shown mercy because he wanted to borrow their power to spread such news.

It was a show of force and a warning to the other factions that followed the orders of Heaven Axis Holy Land!

……

Sure enough, the news created waves in the Ancient Blue Province.

The other factions finally realized that the opponent wasn’t as simple as they had imagined.

On the contrary, he was an extremely tricky and scary young man!

Anyone who wanted to face him should first consider whether they could withstand his power!

On the other hand, the uninvolved cultivators were secretly amazed. As the saying went, only a strong dragon would cross the mighty river. Demon God Lin was indeed an incredibly formidable individual.

However, this also enraged the Heaven Axis Holy Land. On the very same day, they dispatched even more elite forces in pursuit of him.

If they failed to capture such a youngster in their own territory, what dignity would they have left?

How would the cultivation world view them?

Since it concerned the dignity of an ancient orthodoxy, Heaven Axis Holy Land was now fully serious!