The Prodigies War

“That’s the Calamity Tribulation Wind!” The big black bird gasped. “It’s a kind of ominous wind that can blow apart even the souls of Saints. Truly terrifying.”

Lin Xun also grew serious. It was no wonder that Stupa Brahma Land was regarded as a land of great perils. It was indeed terrifying.

The duo continued on their journey on constant alert.

Whooo~

The Calamity Tribulation Wind was like a patch of black mist dancing wildly around this land, making the hearts of travelers flinch.

Luckily, it was detectable and could be circumvented early. Otherwise, no one would be able to enter this place.

Graaarrrl~

Not long after, on a barren mountain where not an inch of grass grew, a mournful roar resounded.

From afar, one could see a towering figure tens of thousands of feet tall atop the mountain. It had scarlet eyes that were larger than a lake, a head that topped the sky, and a body covered in rolling blood mist.

Just a single roar of this creature made the qi and blood of Lin Xun and the big black bird churn.

“That’s a Sky Demon remnant soul!” shrieked the big black bird.

The Sky Demon was an extremely bizarre and horrifying species that roamed the void.

Ancient texts had recorded that when a cultivator underwent Saint tribulation, they would be subjected to an attack from the extra-terrestrial Sky Demons, and a single slip would cause the destruction of their soul!

And to think that Stupa Brahma Land had a Sky Demon’s remnant soul!

Its incomparable height was hidden in the rolling blood mist, emitting a chilling and ferocious aura that made the entire region tremble.

However, upon closer inspection, one would see that on this Sky Demon remnant soul was a glittering golden talisman filled with a Buddhist breath stuck upon it.

“Om, Ma, Ni, Pad, Me, Hum! This is the famous six-syllabled Sanskrit Mantra of Buddhism!” the big black bird’s eyes almost popped out when it recognized what the talisman was. “This talisman must have been left by a Saint Monk, or else it wouldn’t have been able to suppress that evil creature!”

“In that case, Stupa Brahma Land very likely has some relation to Buddhist cultivators?” Lin Xun’s gaze flickered.

“Naturally. Ancient Buddha Son’s original self obtained that heaven-defying fortune right here in this land and completely made up for the shortcomings of his cultivation path,” said the big black bird casually before lamenting. “It’s a pity that this six-syllabled Sanskrit talisman can’t be taken, otherwise, it would be an amazing weapon, letting anyone deliver an all-out strike at the power of the Saint stage.”

The two then continued onward. Before long, Lin Xun’s eyes were fixed on a huge city in the sky!

“What is that?” he asked.

The city was massive. It was a piece of land suspended in the sky, emitting a divine glow with walls that looked like they were cast in dazzling gold. Just a glance from afar was mind-blowing.

“Huh?” The big black bird was also surprised. “How could there be such a sacred-looking city in this eerie and menacing place?”

“Let’s check it out.”

The duo headed toward the city.

Upon approaching, they saw that the city in the sky looked like the legendary City of Gods. It was truly glorious and sacred. Its brilliant luster dyed the sky and earth in a layer of golden hue.

All around the city, auspicious clouds converged and sprinkled fine rain, holy rainbows and light streaks. It was simply out of this world.

In front of this city, any human would look like an insignificant ant. It was just that huge!

Lin Xun and the big black bird were both dumbstruck.

Their journey to Stupa Brahma Land had been dangerous and bizarre, with terrifying dangers lurking at every turn, such as the Calamity Tribulation Wind, the Sky Demon remnant soul, and many more.

But now, they saw a sacred city floating in the sky that was so majestic, holy, and brilliant. How could one not be shocked by the contrast?

“Someone’s there!” Lin Xun quickly noticed that there were many cultivators standing near the sacred city, surveying and scrutinizing it.

He and the big black bird approached very quietly until they could overhear their conversation.

“I’ve never ever before heard of such a sacred city in this Stupa Brahma Land.”

“That’s exactly the case because this city only appeared here yesterday. It’s just too strange.”

“Why don’t you all enter to investigate but choose to stay here instead?”

“You must have just arrived, right? Let me tell you, its holy vibe is just but an illusion. This city is far more terrifying than you could ever imagine!”

Listening in on the others, Lin Xun and the big black bird learned that the sacred city had just only appeared yesterday.

“No wonder there have been so many cultivators risking their lives to come here lately. There really is a big event happening in Stupa Brahma Land,” Lin Xun pondered.

“No way, this city is so holy. How terrifying can it be?” someone couldn’t help but wonder.

Boom!

Their words were still echoing when there was suddenly a deafening noise in the sky, and the city’s sacred haze all turned into a bizarre ink-black fog.

The auspicious clouds, the drizzle, the divine rainbows and light streams had all dissolved in the black fog!

The most frightening thing was that the majestic city of divine gold color had completely turned pitch-black as well!

At the same time, a burst of hair-raising screams resounded from the lofty city.

Looking closely, one could vaguely see tattered and decayed corpses walking around the city, with many figures swaying in the drifting black fog.

“Oh heavens!” someone shouted in fright, feeling cold sweat dripping down.

Several powerful cultivators gulped hard, and shivers ran through their spines.

The originally sacred and splendid city had transformed into a ghostly domain filled with uncanny images!

The sinister atmosphere that was blowing out from it had completely changed the appearance of the region. Even Lin Xu and the big black bird felt their blood run cold.

It was extremely bizarre!

“Look over there.” The big black bird’s eyes suddenly glowed when it looked at the top of the city’s gate.

There was a line of words there that said: ‘Land of Tragic Death. Do not enter!’

Each word was dripping with blood and especially eye-catching in the drifting fog, striking fear into everyone’s heart!

The big black bird suddenly remembered a rumor and told Lin Xun, “Legend has it that at the beginning of the ancient era, there was a city called Tragic Death where the resentful souls were sent to. Any soul who had died innocently for whatever reason during their lifetime would be trapped in Tragic Death City and would not be allowed to reincarnate for all eternity.

“As far as I can tell, even if this city isn’t the Tragic Death City in the legends, it must still have a close connection!”

Lin Xun’s heart was shaken. Tragic Death City?

He looked up at the words dripping with blood on the gate of the distant city and thought to himself that the bird’s speculation might just be right.

“There must be a great mystery hidden in that city. Are there any fellow cultivators who are willing to explore it with me?” someone suddenly spoke loudly.

However, the crowd only looked at each other, and no one responded.

Someone kindly reminded the inviter, “My friend, from yesterday until now, dozens of powerful groups have entered the city, but without exception, no one has ever come out.”

This one sentence made everyone including the newly arrived cultivators shudder.

When they looked at the floating city again, their gazes had all changed!

“Come with me. This city is a place of great evil to others, but to us both, it’s a land filled with treasures!” the big black bird suddenly transmitted its voice and led Lin Xun toward the distance.

The city in the sky was extremely huge and vast. Impressively, it had a total of thirty-six gates in all directions!

Without exception, above every gate had signs with ‘Land of Tragic Death. Do not enter’ in characters dripping with blood.

Soon, the big black bird and Lin Xun found a sparsely populated city gate.

“The city is full of trapped resentful souls. After you enter, you only need to use the method in the Great Treasury Silent Scripture to easily transcend them.” The big black bird tried to suppress the excitement in its voice. “This is a good deed of immense merit, and it’s highly likely that you’ll receive unimaginable benefits.”

Only upon hearing this did Lin Xun realize, and he was looking forward to the action.

“I still have some Buddhist treasures that I scavenged from Ancient Buddha Son’s clone, so even if we run into troubles, we should be able to escape safely,” said the bird.

“Then let’s go.”

“Go!”

The two flew up toward the selected gate like two lightning bolts.

“Look at that, someone’s seeking to die again,” someone in the vicinity mocked.

“If they are ready to throw away their lives for the sake of fortunes, then they’ll have no one else to blame.”

Many people joined in and laughed at Lin Xun and the big black bird. Obviously, they were not optimistic about the two.

……

In the city, the drifting black fog blotted out the sky.

“Look at these buildings, they clearly have existed for a very long time, you can just smell the breath of time on them. It’s proof that this city has existed for very long.” The big black bird’s eyes shone brightly as it surveyed everything on the way.

They were walking on a spacious street with houses lining up on both sides. However, they all looked old and outdated, and some had even collapsed into ruins.

Lin Xun noticed that all of these houses were built with foreign black stones, and on some of the walls, vague images of totems, flowers, birds, insects, fish, ancestral sacrifices still remained.

But very soon, his attention was taken away by the icy atmosphere of the city. The air was filled with a savage aura that was close to materializing, leaving a tingling sensation on his skin.

Deep in the dark fog on the road ahead, mournful screams echoed like the cries of vengeful ghosts, tearing the eardrums.

The atmosphere was oppressive to the core!

Buzz~

Lin Xun operated the Great Treasury Silent Scripture. Immediately, a stream of peaceful and solemn Buddhist light flowed around him, sweeping away all discomfort and pressure.

It works!

Lin Xun’s spirit was lifted.

At the same time, the big black bird threw the Fearless Demon-Subduing Pestle to Lin Xun, while it held up a dark bowl.

These two treasures were looted from Ancient Buddha Son’s clone. Even the clone himself was being suppressed inside the black wok on the big black bird’s back.

Boom!

The duo hadn’t traveled long when a violent turbulence rang out from the black mist.

Then, figures were seen charging out with a ferocious roar and a blazing murderous aura, as if a group of evil spirits from hell were infesting the area.

Looking closely, they weren’t evil spirits, but weren’t that much different from one. They were all broken and rotten corpses, some missing half of the body, some having holes through their skulls, some having torn chests, some running in a frenzy with only the lower half of their body left…

“Look at that! A group of resentful spirits who have been trapped here for who knows how many years, waiting for us to transcend them!” The big black bird wasn’t scared at all and instead was quite happy, flapping its wings and laughing like crazy.