The Prodigies War-Chapter 2781 There Has Never Been a Clan With the Surname Chen
Avoid disaster!
Lin Xun's heart trembled.
Xuan Feiling continued, "If it wasn’t for the sake of avoiding disaster, then there would be no need to leave her true form within the Eternity Coffin. This is undoubtedly a very passive position to take."
Taixuan nodded in agreement. "That's right."
Lin Xun remained silent, trying to calm himself down a little bit. He clasped his fists and said, "Thank you, Seniors, for your guidance."
He recalled the karma Mister Lu had mentioned. From the moment Luo Tongtian obtained the Eternity Coffin, it meant that a karma would manifest itself in his descendants. Naturally, Xia Zhi was a product of the karma in question.[1]
However, only now did Lin Xun deduct how bizarre and unbelievable Xia Zhi's background was! Should he tell her about this? This was the first time during his cultivation journey that he had felt so conflicted!
If he didn't tell Xia Zhi, if he could just tell her not to remove the seal within her, then Xia Zhi would have nothing to do with the person in the coffin in this lifetime. That way, they could always be together. However, wouldn't that be too selfish of him?
On the other hand, if he informed her of this, and one day she did merge with the person in the coffin, inheriting her past memories and wisdom, would she...still be the Xia Zhi he knew? Lin Xun was bewildered and didn't know what was the best choice.
"Perhaps you could leave this issue to Xia Zhi to decide." Xuan Feiling couldn't help but give him a suggestion from the side.
Lin Xun shook his head. "She definitely wouldn't choose to merge with the person in the coffin."
He knew her all too well.
Taixuan asked, "So, what have you decided? Will you still go to the Fortune Dominion?"
"Yes." Lin Xun decided without a bit of hesitation. "My parents are still trapped there, waiting for me to bring them back. Besides, I also want to explore the origins of the Eternity Coffin. Perhaps I can learn the identity of the person inside. Then, I can make a better decision about whether to tell Xia Zhi."
Taixuan said approvingly, "That's a wise move."
He flipped his palm, and a sword shaped token emerged. "This token contains the power of my willpower. Take it. If you encounter danger in the Fortune Dominion, you can use the power of my willpower within this token to avert disaster. You can also use this token to travel to the Great Underworld Ruins. Simply activate it, and someone will immediately come to your aid."
Lin Xun took the token and said, "Thank you, Senior."
Taixuan smiled. "No need to be this polite. Although on the surface we may not be master and disciple in name, we are in fact master and disciple."
After a moment's hesitation, Lin Xun asked, "Senior, may I ask if you and Senior Chen Linkong are still in contact?"
Years ago, he had encountered the willpower manifestation belonging to his mother, Luo Qingxun, through the bronze box gifted by Mister Lu. It was then that he learned that his parents were trapped in a secret realm formed by a time-space barrier within the Fortune Dominion.[2]
At that time, a mysterious and powerful figure named Chen had passed by and helped Luo Qingxun take the bronze box out from the Fortune Dominion before delivering it to Lu Boya.
Lu Boya then passed it to the Xuan Clan, and it eventually fell into the hands of Lin Xun, who had obtained the Fortune Sword from it.
Back then, Lin Xun had suspected that this mysterious figure named Chen was most likely Chen Linkong. In fact, when he later met Mister Lu, the latter did reveal that the person who had given him the bronze box was none other than Chen Linkong, the self-proclaimed Burning Immortal!
Lin Xun now understood that the Fortune Dominion contained numerous ruins of previous epochs. If he searched blindly, then there was no telling how long it would take before he found the place where his parents were trapped. However, if he could learn of Chen Linkong's whereabouts, perhaps he could discover the exact location where they were.
"Ah, him..." Taixuan's eyes flickered with a strange light. "We haven't met ever since I arrived at the Eternal True Realm. Why are you suddenly asking about him?"
Lin Xun recounted the entire story.
Taixuan immediately understood his reasoning and said, "He did go to the Fortune Dominion. Apparently, he's investigating the mastermind behind the destruction of the epochs."
"What do you mean?"
Xuan Feiling was startled. Could there be a hidden secret behind every epoch's supposedly inevitable destruction?
Taixuan skirted the question, "When you reach the Eternal Stage, you'll naturally understand."
Xuan Feiling shouted angrily, "I hate secretive people like you. Never say things outright. It's so annoying!"
Taixuan disagreed. He then said to Lin Xun, "Chen Linkong is not an ordinary person. Or rather, he doesn't belong to this epoch. Although I've known him for many years, to be honest, I still can't tell what kind of person he is. There are so many mysteries about him."
At the end, the look in his eyes became subtle. "Young friend, in your entire cultivation journey, have you ever met any cultivators with the surname ‘Chen’ besides Chen Linkong?"[3]
Lin Xun was taken aback. Then he pondered for a moment and shook his head. "No, I really haven’t."
Taixuan then asked, "The surname Chen had once been very common, but in this world today, there is no Chen Clan. Don't you find it strange?"
Xuan Feiling realized something and asked out of surprise, "Why is that?"
"Surnames symbolize a clan. For us cultivators, given names, dao names, dharma names, honorific titles... They all carry great importance. Yet, the Chen surname, which should be a common one, has no descendants from a clan named that in this world. This only leaves one possibility."
Taixuan paused and then added, "The surname is like the dao: widely known, yet rarely encountered!"
A hint of wonder lingered in his voice.
"So, the clan behind Chen Linkong is truly mysterious, isn't it?" Xuan Feiling was taken aback. His surname, Xuan, was extremely profound. He naturally understood how unique his own surname was as it was one that couldn't be borne by just anybody or any clan.
It was precisely because of this surname that the Xuan Clan had received immense blessings and maintained a deep heritage, which had safeguarded their continued existence to this day. Thus, Xuan Feiling was incredibly surprised to learn of the mysterious nature of the Chen surname.
"All of this proves that Chen Linkong's background is extremely complex," Taixuan explained. "Therefore, finding him won't be easy. However, you mentioned earlier that he had appeared in the Fortune Dominion. If he's still there, I have a way to help you find him."
Lin Xun's spirits immediately perked up. "Senior, please enlighten me."
Taixuan pulled out a fiery red jade token from his sleeve. The character Chen was engraved on it, carved in powerful, clear, and elegant handwriting.
The mere sight of this carven token immediately captured the attention of Xuan Feiling and Lin Xun. Each stroke seemed unremarkable, but if one concentrated intently on it, it was like glimpsing a part of the great dao. A forceful, invisible pressure came from it that shook the soul.
Of note, Xuan Feiling was a Transcendent Immortal and had lived for countless millennia, whereas Lin Xun had also embarked on the Eternal Supreme path. Despite that, when faced with the engraved Chen character, a sense of shock and awe filled them.
"This..." Xuan Feiling was obviously shaken.
Taixuan's eyes flickered with reminiscence. "This is Chen Linkong's personal token that had been hand-engraved by his grandfather. He said he had nothing else on him but this token, so when we parted ways, he gave it to me.
"Now that I've attained the Eternal Stage, every time I see this token, I feel a sense of restlessness. The aura imbued within the writing is truly transcendent.
"This is precisely what leads me to conclude that Chen Linkong's grandfather must have been an extremely terrifying being, so powerful that the very words he inscribed were imprinted with his own unique influence!
"At least at my current cultivation, I can't imagine imprinting such an incredible aura within an ordinary carving."
He sighed at the end. Chen Linkong. In Taixuan's heart, this person was also a true enigma.
Xuan Feiling couldn't help but exclaim, "Such a figure actually exists in the world! Remarkable, truly remarkable."
Lin Xun watched the two great men sigh in awe, and a thought struck him. Xia Zhi had said that after that epic chess game in the Ancient Nebula Road, Chen Linkong and the golden cicada had traveled to the Law Extinction Zone and met her there. It was Chen Linkong who had discerned the law power of fate within her!
"That senior is truly enigmatic." Lin Xun sighed softly.
Thinking back on the past, it wasn't just Chen Linkong who was shrouded in mystery; even the golden cicada was praised by his master, the Lord of the Fangchun Mountain, as possessing a
‘dao above Heaven,’ was incredibly mysterious.
"Take this token. Wear it upon your arrival at the Fortune Dominion. If Chen Linkong is there, he will surely be aware of it,” said Taixuan as he handed the fiery red jade to Lin Xun.
"Thank you, Senior."
Lin Xun couldn't help but feel a bit overwhelmed. Just now, Taixuan had gifted him with a token imprinted with his willpower, and now he had also given him a token from Chen Linkong. This kind favor was truly immense.
Xuan Feiling laughed heartily. "What's there to thank him for? We all come from the Ancient Nebula Road, and your master, the Lord of Fangchun Mountain, is a great being whom Taixuan revered in his youth. He still regards your master as 'the unrivaled master of the Ancient Nebula Road,' and you, having inherited his sword dao, are no longer an outsider."
Taixuan also smiled and nodded in agreement
"The unrivaled master of the Ancient Nebula Road..." Lin Xun murmured, unable to resist the urge to ask, "Seniors, tell me, if my master were still alive, where would he be now?"
"Don't know." Taixuan and Xuan Feiling both shook their heads. Lin Xun sighed. He had asked without much hope of getting an actual answer.
"When do you plan to travel to the Fortune Dominion?" asked Xuan Feiling.
"If possible, I want to go right now."
Lin Xun didn't want to waste any more time. After learning some of the secrets within the Eternity Coffin, he desperately wanted to know the identity of the person within. Besides, he already had the power to rescue his parents and didn't want to delay any further.
Taixuan pondered for a moment before coming to a decision. "If you leave the Origin Sect, you'll definitely be noticed by those monitoring you. How about this? Let Old Monster Xuan escort you out of Origin World. That way, at least no one will know where you will be going."
"Why don't you escort him personally?" asked Xuan Feiling out of dissatisfaction.
Taixuan pointed to the chessboard in front of him and said in a helpless manner, "I'm stuck in a battle with myself. I can't possibly get away."
"Then just keep on messing around. Lin Xun, let's go,” snapped Xuan Feiling sullenly, and he led Lin Xun away from Wuxuan Forbidden Land.
"Could the variables involved in this solitary lotus blossoming on Fangchun Mountain be destined to shatter the heavens?"
Under the starry sky, Taixuan sat cross-legged before a chessboard, pondering silently.
1. See chapter 2643 for first mention of this. ☜
2. See chapter 2611. ☜
3. He’s referring to 陈. ☜
