Chapter 2690 Attack the Body, Break the Mind

In Absolute Sunder Sword Palace.

Seeing Xiao Wenyuan return, Donghuang Qing asked with a smile, “Brother Xiao, what do you think of Lin Xun now that you've met him?”

Taken aback, Xiao Wenyuan said, “What do you think, Brother Donghuang?”

Donghuang Qing laughed brightly, “I am a member of the Donghuang Clan after all. I have nothing good to say about a disciple of Fangchun Mountain. This is not an appropriate time to say anything anyway.”

Xiao Wenyuan chuckled, “Brother Donghuang, you are truly open and honest. As for my opinion, Lin Xun is a very interesting young man.”

Donghuang Qing raised his brow, “Care to elaborate?”

Xiao Wenyuan casually said, “This young man has made enemies with numerous immortal factions. Yet, he is surprisingly still alive and kicking. Is that not interesting?”

Donghuang Qing went silent for a moment before he asked, “So, Brother Xiao, do you think he can pass the selection?”

Xiao Wenyuan shook his head, “I didn't say that. Everyone knows what's going on with this selection. Once it begins, Lin Xun will definitely become everyone's target. I cannot comment rashly under such a circumstance.”

Donghuang Qing laughed, “That’s only fair. Fangchun Mountain is known as the enemy of the whole world. Countless organizations want it erased from existence. Now Lin Xun has shown himself in public in an attempt to join the Origin Sect Ancestral Court, he clearly sees our sect as a place of refuge.”

He paused, a cold gleam flashing in his eyes. “Perhaps this young man believes that once he becomes a disciple of our sect, he will be safe, and no one will dare to harm his life?”

Hearing this, Xiao Wenyuan frowned.

Li Zhen, who had been quiet the whole time, suddenly said, “If he truly becomes a disciple of the Origin Sect, will there still be anyone who dares to harm him?”

He had a loud and deep voice, a large frame, bronze-colored skin, unkempt hair, and eyes like the coldest lightning. Seemingly normal otherwise, he gave off a strong sense of oppression the moment he spoke.

Donghuang Qing's smile faded. He said indifferently, “That depends on whether he can become a disciple of our sect.”

Li Zhen looked Donghuang Qing in the eyes, “You didn't answer my question.”

The tension in the atmosphere heightened as it felt like an interrogation.

Donghuang Qing looked at Li Zhen without flinching and said firmly, “Because your question is meaningless; Lin Xun has no chance of passing the selection!”

Li Zhen stared at Donghuang Qing for a moment and said, “If you dare to violate our rules and commit shameful acts, I will not forgive you.”

Donghuang Qing's face darkened, “Li Zhen, what do you mean by that?”

“All right, no need to argue,” the calm and detached Fang Daoping frowned. “My requirement for this selection is very simple: follow the rules. This is also my personal stance.”

Li Zhen fell silent and said nothing more.

Donghuang Qing nodded, “Rest assured, Deputy Pavilion Master Fang, I will not tolerate any violations of the rules.”

Xiao Wenyuan looked at Li Zhen, then at Donghuang Qing, smiling without a word as he fiddled with his jade scepter.

The selection hadn't even begun, and two chief examiners are already at loggerheads. Lin Xun can indeed stir up unexpected waves... But what does Deputy Pavilion Master Fang actually think of him?

Xiao Wenyuan couldn't figure it out, but he found the matter increasingly interesting. An undercurrent of treacherous turmoils was surging!

......

Inside Absolute Sunder Battlefield, mountains and rivers undulated infinitely beneath the azure sky. Lin Xun appeared in a canyon. The instant he did, an intangible law power descended, restraining his cultivation without hindering his movement. Before the competition began, his cultivation would remain restricted like this.

Lin Xun looked around. After some time, he sat down cross-legged and recalled the various rules of the first round.

The use of law power was prohibited! The use of treasures and external forces beyond the scope of the Supreme Ancestor Stage was prohibited!

The nameplate token acted as the final lifeline; when a participant was killed, it would automatically sustain their life.

The first round would last one month. Those who defeat three opponents within the time limit could advance to the second assessment.

Among the rules, one put a frown on Lin Xun’s face, which was that an opponent he killed wouldn't really die but instead would have their life preserved by their nameplate.

He found this rule troublesome, but he had already devised a strategy to go around it: when encountering an enemy, he would attack their body and break their mind!

The higher one's cultivation level was, the more perilous the calamities they would face if their mental state went awry.

Take Martial Uncle Kong Jue for instance, the issues with his mental state had turned him into an insane person with a muddled consciousness. His situation was utterly miserable.

Another example was Yan Ji, the pavilion master of Origin Sky Pavilion. He was said to have lost his mind during cultivation, and all that had remained afterward was only his primordial spirit...

Lin Xun was certain that as long as he broke his opponent's mind, they would be nothing but a waste even if they managed to live. Even if their cultivation made a complete recovery after that, they would never be able to tread the path of immortality in their lifetime!

However, it was not easy to achieve this. After all, anyone who could reach the Ancestor Stage had a mind of steel that was far more resilient than the ordinary.

For such individuals, any form of mental torture, humiliation, or provocation is useless. To break their mind, I must deal a fatal, devastating blow to the very core of their confidence and force them to live under the shadow of their defeat for the rest of their lives. Only then will their mentality crumble...

Lin Xun had made up his mind. He then got up and began walking around the canyon, surveying his surroundings. Although his cultivation was limited, it did not affect his ability to perceive with his spirit sense.

Two days passed in the blink of an eye.

In the big training ground before Absolute Sunder Sword Palace...

Buzz!

A strange fluctuation rolled out, revealing a bizarre, magnificent world in a painting where the mountains and rivers stretched endlessly. It was none other than the world inside the Absolute Sunder Battlefield!

The cultivators who had been waiting in the vicinity all stopped whatever they were doing and became fixated on the projection.

“The first round is about to start!” They couldn't help but feel excited, having endured the long wait for this exact moment.

The Origin Sect Ancestral Court was once again publicly recruiting disciples after so many years. Such a rare event naturally attracted the attention of all the major Heaven Domains. Even four Immortal Giants from the Eighth Heaven Domain were participating, making it an unprecedented spectacle.

Now, the curtain to the first round was about to be drawn open. How many of the talented supreme Emperor Ancestor participants would be able to pass?

In the quiet and solemn atmosphere, Deputy Pavilion Master Fang Daoping of Origin Clarity Pavilion led the three elders Donghuang Qing, Xiao Wenyuan, and Li Zhen to emerge before the Absolute Sunder Sword Palace.

Instantly, all eyes fell on them.

Fang Daoping, with his hands on his back, calmly announced, “There are a total of one hundred and nine Emperor Ancestors participating in this successor selection of the Origin Sect. When the assessment begins, everyone present will be able to watch everything that takes place in the Absolute Sunder Battlefield.

“In other words, you are all witnesses to this assessment. My stance is simple: regardless of who you are, your background, or your origin, anyone found to be cheating or violating the rules will immediately be kicked out.”

His voice resonated through the field like the tolling of a bell, letting the crowd feel the gravity of it.

Follow the rules!

Such was Fang Daoping's attitude, as well as the attitude of Origin Clarity Pavilion and the whole Origin Sect Ancestral Court!

Finishing his speech, Fang Daoping nodded to Xiao Wenyuan. The latter stepped forward and gently waved his jade scepter. The world of the Absolute Sunder Battlefield projected in the air like an unfolded scroll painting suddenly rippled.

Following that, the figures of the one hundred and nine Emperor Ancestor participants appeared on it, scattered in different parts of the painting world like chess pieces. The venue erupted with voices.

“Look, that's Donghuang Shaowen, the strongest supreme Emperor Ancestor of the Donghuang Clan this generation. They call him the dragon son of the Eighth Heaven Domain. He commands a very powerful natural talent that once allowed him to ignore the cultivation gap and kill an Immortal expert, or so I heard!”

“That one is Qi Qingshi. Since entering the Ancestor Stage, she has been undefeated through numerous battles and risen so high above the rest. An extremely stunning goddess of the Eighth Heaven Domain.”

“See that person? That’s Mu Zunwu, an invincible existence so terrifying that people made a quote about him: Zunwu is the only one respected on the great dao path!”

All kinds of discussions heated up the atmosphere. The one hundred and nine Emperor Ancestors were all extraordinary individuals in their stage, each having their own unique talent, power, prestige, and charm.

They had been leading glorious lives in the highest Heaven Domains, shining like the sun at its zenith that illuminated their respective territory. Now, they had converged in the Absolute Sunder Battlefield, about to stage an unparalleled competition. How could the audience not be thrilled and full of anticipation?

“On the Emperor path, the Ancestor Stage is the supreme apex. To think that a group of supreme Emperor Ancestors are about to have a debate on the dao here... Such a grand occasion is rarely seen in thousands of years!” lamented an old fossil.

Lin Xun also gathered a great deal of attention, even surpassing that of other participants, for everyone knew that once the round began, he would become the very first target of his many enemies who aimed to destroy him!

“The round begins!” shouted Xiao Wenyuan, his voice echoing in the whole field.

Almost simultaneously, the participants scattered in different regions of Absolute Sunder Battlefield felt their sealed cultivation come back, which let them know that the competition had begun!

In the canyon, Lin Xun immediately opened his eyes, waking from meditation. He rose to his feet and scanned the surroundings. His moon-white clothes then fluttered as an overwhelming killing intent surged out from his core.

He made no attempt to conceal any of his aura, instead even striding out of the canyon with his hands crossed behind his back. He walked out in the open with confidence!

In the past many years, he had been hunted down by numerous hostile factions and slandered as a remnant of Fangchun Mountain. He had been forced to hide his tracks, suppress his killing intent, and act with discretion wherever he went.

Even in front of Absolute Sunder Sword Palace earlier, he and his senior sister had been repeatedly provoked and mocked by those hostile forces.

However, from this moment on, at the territory of the Origin Sect Ancestral Court, in this Absolute Sunder Battlefield, he would no longer dim his light and bide his time like he had done before!