After the Great Dao Died

Chen Lingxi slowly channeled spiritual qi into the stone shaped like a throwing knife.

The spiritual qi flowed from his dantian, surged along the meridians of his right arm, and seeped through his palm into the stone.

A faint glimmer rippled across the stone’s surface. It was incredibly weak, flashing just once before fading away.

The spiritual qi vanished like a stone dropped into the ocean, yielding no further reaction.

Chen Lingxi frowned. Pushing the spiritual qi a bit harder, he channeled it in once more.

The stone trembled slightly, and the faint light flared for another instant. Then the spiritual qi dissolved soundlessly into the depths of the stone, vanishing without a trace.

He tried seven or eight times. Every attempt ended with the exact same result.

The stone was like a ravenous beast that could never be fed. It swallowed every drop of spiritual qi he poured into it, yet refused to reveal even a hint of anything miraculous.

Chen Lingxi pulled his hand back and looked down at the stone resting in his palm.

”It seems my spiritual qi is too weak to activate it.”A realization dawned on him.

This stone was definitely no ordinary object.

”Perhaps I’ll uncover its secrets once I step onto the Qi Circulation 4th Floor.”

He closed his hand around the stone, a hint of anticipation in his eyes. With a shift of his will, the stone vanished from his grasp, stored away in his Cosmos Bag.

He sat cross-legged and sank his consciousness into the Divine Chamber.

Floating in the void of the Divine Chamber, the line of golden, tadpole-like text glared back at him: [Thorough Awakening restoration progress: 95.1%].

He was less than five percent away.

He opened his eyes, retrieved a vitality pill from his Cosmos Bag, and washed it down with warm water.

The pill settled in his stomach and dissolved into a warm current that drifted slowly through his meridians.

The spiritual energy within the pill was so sparse that he could barely feel any growth in the streak of azure qi within his dantian.

But he did not slack off in his cultivation. More importantly, cultivating also advanced the progress of his Perceiving Clear Divine Ability.

After months of practice, Chen Lingxi had come to a firm conclusion.

The restoration of the Perceiving Clear Divine Ability has nothing to do with spiritual energy, but with the growth of my cultivation base.

Simply absorbing spiritual energy does not advance the progress. The restoration only happens when my current cultivation level increases.

If not for Liu Changle and that mysterious stone, I probably would not have been able to fully restore it until I reached the Qi Circulation 4th Floor.

He ran the calculations in his head before pushing the thoughts aside. Refusing to dwell on it further, he swallowed another pill, closed his eyes, and began to refine it.

His breaths grew long and steady. With every inhalation and exhalation, his chest and stomach rose and fell like the tide as spiritual qi circulated slowly within him.

The night passed in silence.

Early the next morning, just as the sky began to turn a hazy gray, Chen Lingxi got out of bed.

He changed into a clean indigo tunic, picked up a bamboo basket, and headed toward the rear garden to gather flowers.

In the garden, he plucked a few early-blooming golden osmanthus sprigs, snapped off several bamboo twigs, and paired them with a handful of red leaves. He arranged them carefully in an unglazed earthen vase, tied them off with thin hemp twine, and carried it toward the West Courtyard East Hall.

Along the way, the flow of scurrying servants was far heavier than usual.

Some were hauling lumber toward the East Courtyard; some were jogging with short, quick steps while clutching bolts of silk and satin; others were sweating profusely as they carried heavy wooden desks and folding screens.

Several men who looked like stewards stood under the covered corridors, clutching ledgers. They pointed and gestured as they tallied the items, each shouting louder than the last.

”Faster, faster! These drapes are for the main hall; there can’t be a single flaw in the pattern!”

”Move those potted kumquats to the entrance of the East Courtyard! Line them up properly, don’t let them sit crooked!”

”Bring out that red sandalwood furniture set from the storehouse, and be careful! If you chip even a single corner, I’ll hold you all accountable!”

Over in the East Courtyard, scaffolding had already been erected. Artisans stood on ladders, swapping out roof tiles. The rhythmic clatter of their hammers mixed into the morning breeze, echoing far and wide.

Imperial Consort Chun is coming to the Baosu Marquis Residence in the twelfth month.

Chen Lingxi repeated the name silently in his heart, a faint trace of coldness flashing through his eyes.

Folk rumors claimed that Imperial Consort Chun used the Mirror-Listening Technique to blackmail and control the officials. From the Three Excellencies and Nine Ministers at the top of the court down to the lowliest county clerks, everyone deeply feared her.

The emperor blindly trusted her and hung onto her every word. Though she lacked the title of empress, she was truly second only to one and above all others.

With a position like that, she was bound to be surrounded by elite guards.

Furthermore, in the letter Lin Suri had written to Wu Mohe aboard that riverboat, he had mentioned one specific detail.

The precious mirror in the consort’s hands is also a cauldron artifact fragment.

A cauldron artifact fragment.

Chen Lingxi chewed on those words, his brow furrowing slightly.

The Time Candle, the Beast-Fighting Palace—he had already seen two cauldron artifact fragments.

Each one possessed unimaginable power. Each one concealed a Venerable Cauldron who could make deals with cultivators, trading lifespans, lives, and all manner of other prices in exchange for treasures, spiritual energy, and fortuitous encounters.

If the precious mirror in Imperial Consort Chun’s hands was also a cauldron artifact fragment...

Could she also be someone from the Great World?

The thought flashed through his mind.

He did not dwell on it.

He had never forgotten the blood debt of his parents.

On the execution ground that day, his father, Chen Yanzhi, had knelt on the yellow dirt. When the executioner’s broadsword came down, his head went rolling far away, and blood erupted from his severed neck, dyeing the yellow earth a dark, muddy red.

His mother had followed closely after.

He had been reduced to an official bondservant. Had he not stumbled upon the opportunity to practice Qi Circulation, he and his descendants would never have been able to rise again.

All of this was thanks to Imperial Consort Chun.

He took a deep breath, slowly exhaling the stagnant air that had welled up in his chest.

I need to get my hands on the Qi-Gathering Pill and step onto the Qi Circulation 4th Floor first.

—

Time hurried on. In the blink of an eye, over ten days had passed.

The tail end of the ninth month slipped away quietly after a few autumn showers, bringing the tenth month right to the doorstep.

Throughout these days, Chen Lingxi never set foot outside his quarters. He practiced his martial arts during the day, consumed pills at night, and never ceased his breathing exercises.

His spiritual qi grew at a painfully slow pace, but to Chen Lingxi, the most crucial harvest was...

His restoration progress was finally full!

Within the Divine Chamber, a line of tadpole-like text materialized in the void.

[Divine Power: Thorough Awakening (Ready)]

Chen Lingxi let out a long breath of stale air.

He stood up and calculated the date.

”There are still three days left before my appointment with Wu Mohe.”

Chen Lingxi’s eyes were calm and steady as his will shifted.

”Thorough Awakening.”

In the Divine Chamber, the clouds and mist parted, revealing two bright mirrors.

The twin mirrors suddenly flared to life, casting down brilliant pillars of light that illuminated his consciousness-formed body, bathing his entire figure in a woven glow of gold and white.

The void shattered.

Light and shadow warped.

The scene before him began to blur, spin, and reassemble.

When everything finally stilled, he found himself standing in his servant’s quarters within the Divine Chamber. Outside the window, two precious mirrors hung high in the sky.

Thorough Awakening had begun.

High above, the twin precious mirrors hung suspended like the sun and moon.

Chen Lingxi took a moment to steady himself. Once the mild wave of dizziness faded, he began to form a plan.

This instance of Thorough Awakening was the perfect opportunity to scout the path ahead for his true body’s trip three days from now.

With that thought in mind, he quietly pushed open the door and slipped out of the courtyard. The Concealed Edge Method circulated to its absolute limit within him, wrapping his aura up tightly as he silently departed the Baosu Marquis Residence.

Pedestrians wove through the long streets like thread on a loom, but not a single person noticed the slender young man with a concealed aura.

Chen Lingxi followed the main street south, and it did not take long for him to reach the banks of the Yuanjiang.

The river’s waters had thinned out under the autumn sun, exposing large swaths of grayish-white riverbank.

He walked along the willow-lined embankment for a distance until he found the three-arched stone bridge where Lin Suri had originally sunk the Time Candle. With a leap, he dove into the river.

Fifteen minutes later, he broke the surface of the water.

”It seems the Time Candle has already been taken by either Lin Suri or Lu Baizhong.”

He stood on the riverbank and shook his head slightly.

He had anticipated as much.

In the evolutions of Thorough Awakening, Lu Baizhong had only appeared because Lin Suri had lured him in using the Time Candle as bait.

Now that those two had likely clashed multiple times, the Time Candle naturally would not remain here anymore.

He wrung the water from the hem of his clothes and pondered his next move, deciding against visiting Liujie Alley to investigate that strange willow tree.

That willow tree is too mysterious. I am currently in the Thorough Awakening space, and if I rashly go investigate, there is no telling what kind of danger might arise.

If I die here, the Thorough Awakening will shatter. Not only would I waste a use of my divine power and bring nothing back, but I also cannot afford to neglect my trip to Cuojin Mountain.

He suppressed the urge.

I will head to Cuojin Mountain first to keep my appointment with Wu Mohe.

Once I come down from the mountain, I will drop by Liujie Alley on the way back.

His mind made up, he wasted no more time. He found a secluded alleyway, retrieved his black robe and the green-faced, fanged ghost mask, and put them on.

The Concealed Edge Method operated at full capacity, withdrawing his aura until it was practically nonexistent.

Hiding his presence and masking his intent, he exited the city gates and followed the official road toward Cuojin Mountain.

He was arriving three days earlier than the agreed date.

This was something he had carefully thought through even before his true body took action.

Originally, if the Thorough Awakening progress had not filled up, he had planned to use buying wild flowers as an excuse to leave the estate and arrive at Cuojin Mountain three days early. Relying on the Concealed Edge Method, he would have hidden in the shadows to see if any experts under Wu Mohe’s command had arrived ahead of time to lay an ambush.

Wu Mohe’s cultivation was unfathomably deep, and his methods were incredibly treacherous and unpredictable.

He had to be on guard.

Even though this was the Thorough Awakening space, he still needed to be careful. After all, he had not yet investigated the Undying Willow. If he died, it would be a pointless waste of a use of Thorough Awakening.

At sunset, Chen Lingxi arrived outside the Cuojin Mountain East King Palace.

The towering palace was built into the mountainside. Its mottled vermilion walls looked increasingly gloomy in the fading evening light.

He did not get close, merely hiding far away behind a patch of short pines. Sitting cross-legged, he pushed the Concealed Edge Method to its limits. His entire being melted into the grove like a moss-covered rock.

He waited quietly.

The mountain wind blew down from the peaks, carrying the scent of pine needles and dirt, mixed with the desolate smell of late autumn flora hovering on the edge of withering.

A few late-returning crows landed on some distant dead branches, cawing roughly a couple of times before falling silent.

He waited for a full night and an entire day.

On the first day, no one came.

On the second day, there were still no arrivals. Chen Lingxi remained perfectly still, only stretching his stiff muscles slightly deep in the night before resuming his concealment.

It was not until the third day, just as the twilight was beginning to deepen, that the sound of footsteps finally drifted up the mountain path.

The steps were unhurried, echoing crisply against the rocky trail.

Peering through the gaps in the pine trees, Chen Lingxi spotted a scholar dressed in a green robe, a short sword hanging at his waist, walking up the mountain path all alone.

He carried a wine pot in one hand, drinking as he walked.

It was the very same scholar—the Mohe Envoy who, during the previous Thorough Awakening evolution, had used his own blood to summon Wu Mohe’s avatar.

Chen Lingxi did not reveal himself right away.

He stayed hidden behind the short pines, pushing his perception to the limit as he carefully scanned the area for any movement.

The scholar entered the palace, lit a bonfire in the main hall, and sat cross-legged, drinking alone as he waited.

Chen Lingxi narrowed his eyes. Through the pine branches, his gaze fell on the faint flicker of the bonfire within the palace.

He continued to lay low.

Another full night passed.

Based on the agreed-upon time, Chen Lingxi had already missed the appointment.

The scholar sat by the fire alone, finishing off half a pot of wine.

He never looked around, nor did he show the slightest hint of impatience. He was like a seasoned angler, sitting in perfect silence, waiting for a bite.

It was not until the early morning of the fourth day that a sliver of pale white stretched across the horizon.

The scholar finally stood up. He poured the rest of his wine over the bonfire. The flames hissed and died, sending up a plume of blue smoke.

He brushed the dust from his robes and glanced toward the main entrance. Frowning slightly, he lingered for a moment longer before eventually letting out a sigh.

”I suppose he isn’t coming.”

He shook his head and turned around, walking back down the mountain completely alone.

Chen Lingxi still did not move.

Maintaining the Concealed Edge Method, he silently slipped into the palace and scoured the main hall, the side halls, the rear courtyard, and the corner rooms, one by one.

There were no ambushes inside.

The corpses of the silver-armored guards in the side hall were long gone. They had presumably been discovered and cleared out by the local yamen.

Perhaps the yamen had been in an uproar over the murders in the East King Palace over the past month, but it had eventually settled back into peace.

Regardless, the entire palace was empty. There was not a single living soul in sight.

With that, Chen Lingxi headed down the mountain as well.

The scholar reached the foot of the mountain alone. His pace was steady as he walked westward along the riverbank.

Chen Lingxi trailed far behind him, following him for about three li.

There was nothing out of the ordinary.

Chen Lingxi stood still for a moment before his figure blurred, vanishing into the reeds along the shore.

About the time it takes to drink a cup of tea later, back on the road leading to Cuojin Mountain—at a fork the scholar had just passed—the branches of a large tree suddenly rustled.

Chen Lingxi revealed himself from within the canopy.

His black robes snapped in the wind, and the ghost mask stared out with eerie coldness.

The scholar, who was just walking beneath the tree, heard the noise and looked up. The moment he recognized the figure, his wariness dissolved into profound reverence.

He hurriedly straightened his clothes and bowed deeply, sinking all the way to the ground in a formal salute.

”Greetings, General Zhiling.”

Chen Lingxi gave a slight nod and drifted down from the canopy as light as a feather, landing just a few steps away from the scholar.

The scholar straightened up. Without another word, he reached into his robes and pulled out a Jade Slip, offering it up with both hands.

The Jade Slip was only the size of a palm, yet it was thoroughly lustrous and white. The jade itself looked warm and smooth, though it gave off a faint, chilly gleam in the morning light.

”This is what my king ordered me to bring to you, General!”