After the Great Dao Died

’Vision Wander is already incredibly profound. What marvelous uses might this Perceiving Clear Divine Ability have?’ Chen Lingxi felt a surge of anticipation. His consciousness quietly settled onto the two characters for Thorough Awakening.

In that instant, an invisible force abruptly enveloped his mind. His vision blurred, then snapped back into focus.

His perspective pulled infinitely upward, as if his soul had left his body to hang above the highest heavens, gazing down at the Divine Chamber.

The Divine Chamber, whose boundaries he could previously sense, was now shrouded in rolling layers of thick mist.

’The Divine Chamber seems larger now—vast and boundless, only hidden by this mist,’ he thought.

Chen Lingxi studied the dense fog with curiosity.

The mist constantly shifted in color. Deep within, specks of golden light flickered like fireflies, casting an aura of profound mystery over the entire Divine Chamber.

His mind felt unusually clear.

’Just what kind of divine ability... is this Thorough Awakening?’ The moment the thought surfaced in his mind, a sudden change occurred!

Down in the Divine Chamber’s replica of the Baosu Marquis Residence, the ”Chen Lingxi” who had been sitting quietly cross-legged abruptly opened his eyes and began to chant:”The Great Dao births clear qi, the Divine Chamber opens the Purple Prefecture.

Sun and moon hang like illusory mirrors, illuminating me as if in ancient times.

Ten days ride the wheel together, heaven and earth suddenly seem like a gamble.

Glimpsing the shape of the future, the Torch Dragon holds the tinder.”

His own familiar voice recited the verse, stirring the surrounding clouds. It rumbled with a grand, solemn resonance, like the tolling of a massive cosmic bell.

Every word of the poem fell like pearls, ringing with a crisp, chiming cadence.

Chen Lingxi listened, completely entranced.

It wasn’t until the verse drew to a close and the final word ”tinder” was spoken that it happened.

Boom!

A thunderclap seemed to explode in Chen Lingxi’s mind, loud enough to snap the pillars of heaven!

The world spun around him. Light and shadow twisted into chaos.

He felt grabbed by an irresistible, overwhelming force that dragged him down, plunging him into the thick mist of the Divine Chamber!

The Divine Chamber—previously veiled in mist and impossible to see in its entirety—was instantly ”pulled closer”!

By the time Chen Lingxi regained his bearings, he realized his consciousness had fallen directly into the body of the ”Chen Lingxi” inside the Divine Chamber.

’What’s going on?’

Chen Lingxi instinctively frowned, then suddenly realized something.

He tried raising his left hand, reaching for the daffodil resting on the desk in front of him.

His fingers closed around the flower.

’I can control this body inside the Divine Chamber?’

Chen Lingxi was deeply astonished.

He tried standing up, looking all around him.

’The world inside the Divine Chamber is far too real. There is almost no difference between it and the actual world outside.’

As this thought crossed his mind, he suddenly looked up.

He froze, a look of absolute shock washing over his face.

Up in the previously gray, empty void, two brilliant orbs of light now hung high in the sky!

One was blazing gold, its light swirling as it radiated boundless heat and brilliance, like a soaring sun.

The other was silver-white, casting a pure, quiet, and profound coldness, much like a bright moon.

’What are those?’

Chen Lingxi narrowed his eyes to focus. ’They’re... two mirrors?’

This sun and moon were indeed two mirrors.

Their high suspension in the sky reminded Chen Lingxi that this was definitely the Divine Chamber, not the real world outside.

’Aside from those two mirrors, this world in the Divine Chamber—even this body of mine—is completely indistinguishable from reality.’

He muttered to himself, suppressing the shock in his heart as he stepped out of the wing room.

The courtyard outside the room hadn’t changed at all.

The peony he had transplanted into the yard two hours ago was still growing by the wall.

A gust of wind blew past, rustling the peony and fluttering the hem of Chen Lingxi’s robes.

Sensing something, Chen Lingxi walked out of the courtyard.

Beyond the courtyard, a few servants living in the West Courtyard waved at him from a distance.

One who was closer hurriedly ran over, bowing with a smile. ”Brother Chen, do you have any clothes that need washing? I happen to have a few here, so I can wash yours while I’m at it.”

Ever since the news spread that Chen Lingxi was studying martial arts under a guest minister, the servants living in the West Courtyard had been quite polite to him.

Chen Lingxi thought for a moment, then smiled and exchanged some pleasantries.

The man left.

Chen Lingxi stared at the servant’s retreating back, speechless for a long time.

The sun was still in the sky. A cloud drifted over, blocking its light.

Chen Lingxi narrowed his eyes and took a deep breath.

’I am inside the Divine Chamber, but it doesn’t feel like a dead thing. Time is still moving forward. The people here are like projections of the real world.’

”The Great Dao births clear qi, the Divine Chamber opens the Purple Prefecture.

Sun and moon hang like illusory mirrors, illuminating me as if in ancient times.

Ten days ride the wheel together, heaven and earth suddenly seem like a gamble.

Glimpsing the shape of the future, the Torch Dragon holds the tinder.”

As Chen Lingxi recited the verse once more, the two bright mirrors in the sky seemed to project their radiance, piercing through the roof to land squarely on his head.

A flood of information instantly poured into his mind.

’Ten days, heaven and earth, the future!’

’So this Perceiving Clear Divine Ability is simulating the outside world. The Divine Chamber has even simulated the flow of time itself.’

’While I am inside this simulated Divine Chamber, time passes normally here, but outside, only a single moment passes.

’I can most likely rely on this Perceiving Clear Divine Ability, and the flow of time within this space, to foresee everything that will happen over the next ten days!’

’After ten days in the Divine Chamber, or if ”I” die in here, I will return to reality!’

Chen Lingxi found it all completely unimaginable, yet he had no choice but to believe it.

He thought for a moment, then turned and walked back into his room to start arranging flowers.

He took out a Small Celadon Vase that senior steward Liu Que had ordered someone to deliver.

With his left hand, he plucked a mountain peach branch from a pot and placed it in the vase, then took a short, sturdy apricot branch...

An hour later, the flower arrangement was finished.

Holding the arrangement in his hands, Chen Lingxi headed to the West Courtyard East Hall.

Today, County Princess Yunhe had surprisingly not visited the Baosu Marquis Residence, and Lin Longyue was practicing martial arts in the spacious plaza before the West Courtyard East Hall!

Her posture was graceful and fluid. As her techniques flowed, it was as if cold moonlight spilled over her, making her skin glow with a lustrous sheen.

She thrust out a gentle palm, and silver-white qi and blood instantly surged from it. At the same time, a flash of silver light burst from deep within her bones and muscles. Her qi and blood rushed and surged, but it lacked the boiling, scorching heat of the Bronze-Red Realm. Instead, it carried a restrained, flexible, and piercing chill.

’The Silver Bone Realm.’

Chen Lingxi’s heart gave a jolt.

Just a few days ago, Lin Longyue was still in the Bronze-Red Realm, but now she had actually broken through to Silver Bone!

He was surprised, but he didn’t linger. He simply handed the flower arrangement to a waiting maid and returned to his room.

On his way back, he saw the West Courtyard senior steward, Liu Que, reprimanding a few servants. Seeing him walk by, a smile actually appeared on the steward’s face.

”Brother Chen, today is payday for the monthly allowance. Go ahead and collect it from the accounting room!”

Chen Lingxi exchanged some pleasantries with Liu Que, went to the accounting room, and collected ten taels of silver.

Back in his courtyard, Chen Lingxi looked up at the two mirrors and took a deep breath.

He had intentionally left all these traces behind. Once he exited the Divine Chamber, he would see if the events in the outside world perfectly matched what happened in here.

’With this Perceiving Clear Divine Ability, what can I do?’

’I have ten days of time here. I can use it to comprehend cultivation methods, like practicing the Mountain-Collapsing Force!’

’Although it won’t actually strengthen my qi and blood, it will allow me to clearly understand the profound depths of the Mountain-Collapsing Force.’

’I can also learn what will happen over the next ten days so I can prepare accordingly.’

Thoughts swirled chaotically in Chen Lingxi’s mind.

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him.

He abruptly remembered a certain item!

’The Time Candle!’

Chen Lingxi’s eyes lit up with a frightening intensity. He even stood up in excitement.

’I saw Lin Suri bury the Time Candle in Yuanjiang. I already know its exact location.’

’If this were the real world, given my current cultivation realm, daring to plot for such a treasure would give me a massive chance of being discovered by Lin Suri.’

’Once he found out, I would undoubtedly die. There wouldn’t be the slightest possibility of any other outcome.’

’But here, inside this Perceiving Clear Divine Ability...’

The more Chen Lingxi thought about it, the more excited he became. All sorts of plans sprouted in his mind as he calculated the many possibilities.

A long time later, Chen Lingxi took a deep breath, suppressing the excitement in his eyes.

’The Time Candle is in Yuanjiang. However, with my current status, I am still not allowed to leave the residence without permission. I can’t reach the riverbank.’

’The only chance will be when I go to report to the Duguan Bureau...’

Chen Lingxi was a government slave. Even though his registry had been transferred to the Baosu Marquis Residence, according to the Great Li Statutory Code, he still had to report to the Duguan Bureau once every two months.

Chen Lingxi counted the days on his fingers.

’Four days from now!’

’That’s enough time.’

’In four days, I’ll find a chance to go meet the Venerable Cauldron inside the Time Candle!’