Chapter 2924 - Lin Xun!
Chapter 2924 - Lin Xun!
Su Yi had been defeated, and he toppled over unconscious.
Ling Xuanzi hurried over and said with concern, “Eldest Senior Brother, you used too much force. What if you damaged his foundations in the Grand Dao...”
The Combat Emperor glanced coolly at Ling Xuanzi, who froze, then said sheepishly, “Given your abilities, there’s no way you’d let that happen.”
The Combat Emperor said, “Don’t touch him.”
With that, he vanished into thin air.
Ling Xuanzi silently sighed in relief. He wasn’t afraid of his master, nor did he fear his sectmates. The only member of Fangchun Mountain he feared was Eldest Senior Brother.
The Combat Emperor was ferocious and unrestrained. If he attacked, he might well truly beat him to death!
Ling Xuanzi looked at Su Yi, who lay in an unconscious heap on the ground. A complicated look appeared on his face. He really managed to last that long against Eldest Senior Brother, despite a whole realm of cultivation separating them. That’s just ridiculous!
No one on Fangchun Mountain could do that except Little Junior Brother.
Three days passed before Su Yi regained consciousness. He rose with great difficulty, then looked around in a daze.
Several moments passed before he recalled his battle with the Combat Emperor in detail. At the same time, all manner of wondrous revelations flooded his heart.
He promptly sat cross-legged and started cultivating.
Pursuing the Grand Dao had always been difficult. Every step down that path was increasingly arduous, especially since he sought a supreme, perfect breakthrough. That in turn required overcoming immense difficulties. Only then could he achieve complete comprehension, then face death and overcome it.
This was what they meant when they spoke of breaking barriers. You had to break before you could build.
Su Yi’s battle with the Combat Emperor had left his body, cultivation, heart, soul, and vital source weakened to the point of a “false death.” This was the “breaking” that preceded “rebuilding.”
Most wondrous of all, although Su YI lost in the end, his foundations in the Grand Dao and vital source weren’t destroyed. Thus, after just three days, his whole body erupted with newfound vitality.
The way Su Yi saw it, he’d effectively rebuilt himself from the ground up!
All of this left Su Yi overcome with astonishment at the Combat Emperor’s abilities. The Eldest Senior Brother of Fangchun Mountain had achieved unbelievable heights in his understanding and mastery of combat. Even when he injured his opponents, he had an utterly exquisite degree of control.
All of this had an enormous impact on Su Yi. It was enlightening.
A sage once said, “When I walk with two others, both can serve as my teachers.” True experts never shied away from learning from others’ strengths or remedying their own weaknesses.
Those who wanted to reach the true pinnacle had to select the best parts from all schools of thought, then build on them. Only then could one have the bearing of a true founder of one’s own school.
Zhong Qiu had that kind of bearing. The Combat Emperor did, too.
So did Su Yi’s second and third incarnations, Jiang Wuchen and Xiao Jian. Both felt self-contained, like they carried the Dao within themselves, and both were qualified to lead and teach others.
It was a matter of attainment. Su Yi was perhaps not at that level yet, but he could learn from them and be enlightened in the process.
Seven days later, he made a complete recovery. His most obvious transformation was that he’d made progress in his Silent Realm cultivation.
His body, soul, and heart had changed, too. Even his foundations in the Grand Dao had been reforged and strengthened.
The Combat Emperor appeared out of nowhere, looked Su Yi up and down, then said, “Shall we fight again?”
Su Yi inclined his head. “Let’s!”
Boom!
The two of them attacked practically simultaneously.
When Ling Xuanzi saw this from a distance, he sighed. He could tell that his eldest senior brother attached great importance to Su Yi. Otherwise, he would never have initiated a battle of his own accord. He was obviously using this sparring match as an opportunity to help Su Yi temper his cultivation base.
This time, it took Su Yi two days to awaken from his coma. As soon as he regained consciousness, he sat down without a word, then calmed his heart and cultivated.
Ten days later, he awakened from his meditation. He’d already broken into the mid-stage Silent Realm!
His foundations in the Grand Dao were incomparably firm. They’d been tempered hundreds and thousands of times over. He was like a sharp sword hidden in its sheath, its light withdrawn.
When the Combat Emperor reappeared, he looked Su Yi up and down, then said, “I’m no longer a match for you, and fighting me won’t benefit you. Moreover, this avatar of mine no longer has the strength to fight.”
Su Yi clasped his fist. “I’ve benefited considerably from our two matches. Thank you!”
The Combat Emperor said solemnly, “Your first incarnation was an unparalleled senior I could only look up to. I’m looking forward to the day you reach even greater heights than he did!”
With that, he turned to leave.
Ling Xuanzi, meanwhile, led Su Yi to the peak of a mountain swathed in a sea of clouds. It was full of geysers, waterfalls, and strangely shaped stones, like a scene straight out of a painting.
When Su Yi and Ling Xuanzi arrived, they found someone standing there waiting for them. He was dressed in white, his back as upright as a pine tree. His long hair was tied into a casual topknot, and his features were steely. His eyes sparkled like sunlit pools of clear water.
There was no need for Ling Xuanzi to introduce him. Su Yi recognized the man at a glance. This was none other than Lin Jinghong’s father, “Demon God Lin.”
He was the last disciple of Fangchun Mountain, the lotus that Grandmaster Bodhi had awaited for countless years, the supreme legend who’d mastered reincarnation and sealed the Spirit Martial Epoch!
“Lin Xun of Fangchun Mountain greets you, Fellow Daoist!” said the man in white.
Su Yi smiled. “I met an imprint of your power back in the Immortal Realm.”
Lin Xun pondered briefly, then smiled. “This is but an avatar, and I know nothing of our last meeting, but I can say with certainty that my true body was behind it.”
He waved his sleeve through the air, and a stone table and two chairs appeared out of nowhere. “Please have a seat, Daoist Brother.”
Su Yi blinked. “Aren’t we going to fight first?”
Lin Xun smiled and shook his head. “It wasn’t easy to find this opportunity to meet with you. It won’t be too late to spar after we’ve chatted a bit.”
He left for the All-Wonder Dominion without ever getting to meet the mysterious sword cultivator who’d suppressed Alpha Origin. He’d lamented this ever since.
Now, he finally got to meet that swordsman’s reincarnation. He was fulfilling one of his long-held desires, and he was naturally excited about it.
It was just a pity that this was only his avatar. Otherwise, he’d have been sure to link arms with Su Yi and drink to intoxication.
“Where’s my seat, Little Junior Brother?” reminded Ling Xuanzi.
Lin Xun laughed. “Senior Brother, I’d like to chat with Senior Su privately. Don’t be an eyesore.”
Ling Xuanzi rolled his eyes, threw up his hands in exasperation, and left. Soon, only Su Yi and Lin Xun remained.
“To tell the truth, Daoist Brother, I already agreed to entrust our ancestral grounds to you,” said Lin Xun. “My goal is actually simple. I want to help you, and I want to help Fangchun Mountain, too. I hope to borrow your hands to spread our teachings throughout the River of Destiny.”
Su Yi took out a jug of wine and had a sip. “Miss Ruo Su mentioned that to me, but I’m curious. Why not run things here yourself? Surely you’re better suited to passing on your legacies than an outsider like me?”
Lin Xun sighed. “We can no longer return here.”
Su Yi blinked. “What do you mean?”
Lin Xun paused to think. “I’m not acting mysterious on purpose, but this involves changes in the All-Wonder Dominion, including several ultimate taboos. If I speak of them, it will lead to unforeseeable variables, and I’m afraid it’ll have a dire impact on your new incarnation’s cultivation.”
Su Yi’s gaze focused. What kind of secrets qualify as ‘ultimate taboos’? Even speaking of them will lead to unforeseeable consequences and affect my cultivation? That sounds rather-fetched.
But when he thought of his experiences in the Cave of Obsession, he was certain that Lin Xun wasn’t just being an alarmist.
“Simply put, those of us who left for the All-Wonder Dominion will find it difficult to ever return to the River of Destiny,” said Lin Xun. “Fortunately, Master left our ancestral grounds here and entrusted Third Senior Sister to watch over it. Otherwise, there’d be no hope of rekindling our legacy.”
Su Yi rubbed his brow. “Is this good for you, or bad?”
Lin Xun shook his head. “It’s hard to say. Our avatars on Fangchun Mountain have long since lost contact with our true bodies, and so much time has passed. None of us can say for certain what’s happened in the All-Wonder Dominion over the years.
“The only thing we know with certainty is that our true bodies will most likely never return.”
Here, Lin Xun changed the subject and smiled. “Daoist Brother, you might well understand some of these secrets when you reawaken the memories of your first life. Until then, you needn’t concern yourself with such things.”
Su Yi said irritably, “Ah, I understand now. You just think my cultivation base is so low that I needn’t worry about all this.”
Lin Xun blinked at him. “It is low, isn’t it?”
“Oho!” Su Yi rose. “Talking more won’t do us any good. Shall we play together?”
Demon God Lin had long since left a deep impression on him, and not just because he was Lin Jinghong’s father. More than that, he too, had mastered reincarnation!
If he wasn’t able to tell Su Yi about what had happened in the All-Wonder Dominion, they might as well just start sparring already.
“I’ve been looking forward to this part for a long time, too.” Lin Xun smiled and rose, the depths of his gaze full of anticipation.
He’d spent his life in pursuit of the Dao, but he’d only ever truly admired two people. The first was Chen Xi. The second, Su Yi’s first incarnation, that mysterious, transcendent swordsman!
Lin Xun had heard numerous legends surrounding him, but only one shook Lin Xun to the core: the way he’d suppressed Alpha Origin!
Alpha Origin was the most terrifying foe Lin Xun had encountered during his cultivation. There wasn’t even a close second!
When Lin Xun first learned that a mysterious swordsman’s sword seal was keeping Alpha Origin suppressed, he was completely flabbergasted. He couldn’t have been any more shocked.
Alpha Origin! The most dangerous, terrifying existence in the All-Wonder Dominion.
He was originally one of the clones of Golden Cicada’s true body, and the Golden Cicada was from beyond the Chaos Epoch! [1]
An unknown, mysterious place beyond the known universe!
That swordsman had used a sword seal to suppress Alpha Origin in the All-Wonder Dominion. It was only natural that this accomplishment would astonish Lin Xun.
Even after Lin Xun broke through and reached even greater heights of the Grand Dao, his respect and admiration for that sword cultivator remained unchanged.
An opportunity to spar with his reincarnation and confirm his Dao was naturally something that Lin Xun longed for, but had previously been unable to attain.
1. Okay, so the novel hasn't gone into Chaos Epochs in detail yet, but they were mentioned once previously, in Chapter 1952. Here's the most relevant quote as a refresher:
(Su Yi) asked, “I know that the River of Epochs contains numerous epoch civilizations. Is the Chaos Epoch one of them?”
“No,” said (Lin Xun). “A Chaos Epoch encompasses the epoch civilizations, the Grand Dao, and all living beings and phenomena, as well as the immeasurable alternations of the ages. The epoch civilizations of the River of Epochs were just part of the Chaos Epoch. You’ll naturally understand once you’ve risen above the River of Destiny.” ☜