After the Great Dao Died

On the fourteenth of the twelfth lunar month, the imperial consort entered the city. On the fifteenth, she left it to explore the surrounding mountains.

Chen Lingxi also left Mount Qiaoji and returned to Yuanjiang Prefecture.

Once the consort’s imperial carriage departed, all the city’s guards and guest retainers followed to protect her, leaving Yuanjiang Prefecture practically empty.

Since the imperial consort was exploring the peaks, there was no guarantee she wouldn’t visit Mount Qiaoji. Chen Lingxi wasn’t sure if the methods of the Qi Circulation Upper Three Floors could detect his presence. Just to be safe, he stowed away his Pure Wondrous Qi Pivot Array Formation, left the mountain, and relocated to the prefecture.

He found an inconspicuous inn in the southern part of the city and booked a room.

Sitting cross-legged on the bed, he calmed his mind and let his consciousness sink into the Divine Chamber.

He activated the Vision Roaming Divine Ability.

Soon, a thought stirred in his mind.

’Lin Suri has returned. He’s here in Yuanjiang Prefecture.’

He was staying at another inn in the city, no more than seven or eight streets away from Chen Lingxi’s own.That establishment was far more extravagant. Built beside the river, it boasted upturned eaves, vermilion railings, and jade-green tiles. Opening a window offered a sweeping view of the misty Yuanjiang River.

Borrowing Lin Suri’s perspective, Chen Lingxi got a clear look at his current state.

The usually calm and collected eldest young master of the Marquis Manor was shockingly pale. His aura was withered, and as he sat cross-legged on his bed, his chest heaved much faster than normal.

’He’s injured, and it’s not a light wound either.’

Chen Lingxi’s mind raced. ’It’s highly likely Lin Suri also participated in Imperial Consort Chun’s encirclement.’

Just like the letter Lin Suri had written to Wu Mohe, his goal was undoubtedly the Mirror Listening Treasure Mirror.

As Lin Suri focused on healing his injuries, Chen Lingxi was about to withdraw his Vision Roaming when the young master suddenly opened his eyes.

He raised his right hand, palm facing upward with his fingers slightly spread.

A faint glimmer ignited in his palm. It started out dim but instantly flared into a brilliant lamp.

The lamp was about the size of a hand, carved entirely from jade. Its body was etched with intricate, interconnecting patterns that resembled an array formation.

A tiny, cyan flame burned in its center. As it flickered, specks of spiritual light spilled outward like countless tiny fireflies taking flight from the fire, slowly drifting and swirling through the air.

The motes of light did not fade. Instead, they orbited Lin Suri, cloaking him in a thin veil woven from starlight.

Immediately after, a surging wave of spiritual qi erupted from the flame, pouring frantically into Lin Suri’s body like a burst dam.

Lin Suri closed his eyes and channeled the Six Qi True Method. Strands of that spiritual qi were slowly gathered, refined, and drawn into his sea of qi.

Color returned to his face at a visible rate, and his withered aura recovered inch by inch.

’Lin Suri has found another opportunity. I wonder what kind of treasure this jade lamp is.’

Chen Lingxi watched in silent amazement.

This bright lamp was by no means an ordinary item. The sheer abundance of spiritual qi contained within it rivaled the spirit stones he had taken from Xi Mu.

Waiting patiently, he continued to observe through Lin Suri’s perspective.

After about the time it took to drink a cup of tea, Lin Suri’s injuries had mostly healed.

Opening his eyes, the young master exhaled a long breath of turbid air. With a wave of his hand, the radiant lamp vanished.

In its place appeared a jade slip.

It was roughly hand-sized, crafted from smooth, warm, and translucent white jade.

As Lin Suri gripped the slip, a golden radiance surged within his eyes!

The light erupted from deep within his pupils. At first it was only a faint glimmer, but in the blink of an eye, it spread like a raging fire burning across the plain, igniting both of his eyes into a blinding, brilliant gold.

Then, a streak of golden spiritual light burst from between his eyebrows. It was so dense it almost looked physical, tracing a faint golden streak through the air before diving into the jade slip.

’Spiritual Qi 6th Floor, Golden Blood Spirit.’

Chen Lingxi was secretly astonished. Right at that moment, Lin Suri’s perspective violently warped—and so did Chen Lingxi’s!

He felt the world flip upside down in a chaotic blur of light and shadow. It was as if an invisible giant hand had seized his consciousness, yanking him out of the inn room and hurling him into an entirely unfamiliar place.

By the time Chen Lingxi regained his bearings, the scenery in Lin Suri’s vision had transformed into a pool.

The pool wasn’t large, roughly a zhang square. The water was milky white and as thick as actual milk, with a faint mist drifting lazily over the surface.

Lin Suri’s perspective soared out of the pool, much like a fish leaping from the water’s depths.

His field of vision was suddenly opening up to wide light!

’Where is this?’

Chen Lingxi was immensely shocked.

’Does such a wondrous place actually exist in this world?’

He saw countless towering mountains layered upon one another, stretching endlessly toward the horizon. Their majestic, clustered peaks were inexplicably larger and grander than Cuojin Mountain or Mount Qiaoji.

Rivers and seas interlinked between the mountains, their waters a clear, jade-like green that shimmered under the sunlight.

Immortal cranes cried out in the sky, flying in formation through the clouds. Immortal deer dashed through the forests, vines draped over their antlers. As they ran, tiny flowers shook loose from the vines, scattering across the ground.

Further away, magnificent palaces floated in midair. Resplendent in gold and jade, with upturned eaves, they were cradled by the mist like immortal islands adrift on a sea of clouds!

Chen Lingxi was so captivated he nearly forgot to breathe.

’Could this be...’

’The Under-Dao Academy?’

Chen Lingxi had a vague suspicion!

But if this really was the academy, it was far too massive!

He had originally thought it would just be an exceptionally grand school, imposing at best.

Yet the realm sprawling before him was no mere school. It was a minor world of its own—a true immortal paradise.

Just as he marveled at the sight...

In his vision, Lin Suri’s consciousness took on a human form and landed at the foot of a mountain.

A dense forest grew there, with a winding path leading deep into the woods.

Lin Suri’s conscious form slowly walked along the path.

After walking for about the time it takes an incense stick to burn, the trees parted, suddenly opening up to wide light and revealing a clearing.

In the center of the clearing sat a bluestone boulder. Someone was perched cross-legged upon it, playing a zither.

The lingering melody tinkled like spring water and sighed like a pine breeze sweeping through a ravine. It was clear, resonant, and distant, bringing a soothing comfort to anyone who heard it.

Lin Suri stopped three zhang away from the figure. He offered a deep, respectful bow and said, ”Martial Aunt.”

As he spoke, the forest mist abruptly dissipated.

The musician’s face was finally revealed in full clarity.

It was a woman.

She was breathtakingly beautiful. Her eyebrows arched like long hills, her eyes rippled like autumn water, and her nose and lips were finely sculpted. She looked like a jade statue meticulously carved from the highest quality mutton-fat jade.

She wore a crimson robe woven from some unknown material. Layered rosy hues shimmered across the fabric in the sunlight, framing her like a blazing inferno.

Yet, her gaze was devastatingly cold. No hint of joy or anger touched those autumn-water eyes; they held only a bottomless, tranquil abyss.

With a slight sweep of her sleeve, the zither music stopped at once.

The wide fabric fluttered in the breeze like a passing red cloud.

”Have you found any traces of the Immortal Slough?”

Her voice was as clear and melodic as striking jade.

’Immortal Slough?’

Chen Lingxi’s heart skipped a beat.

Lin Suri had entered this Grotto-Heaven with the purpose of seeking truth and inquiring about the cauldrons.

”Seeking truth” meant searching for Cauldron Vessels.

”Inquiring about the cauldrons” meant battling cultivators from various factions to claim them.

But what on earth was an ”Immortal Slough”?

It didn’t sound like a mundane item. If anything, it felt even more mysterious than a Cauldron Vessel.

”I have heard nothing yet,” Lin Suri replied respectfully, his voice steady.

The woman in red frowned slightly.

The motion was subtle, just a slight knitting of her brows, yet it added a chilling, imposing majesty to her stunning face.

She remained silent for a few breaths before speaking again. ”The opportunity of the Immortal Slough is deeply hidden. Even the Que Star Xi Family doesn’t know that one rests within that Qi-Depleted Grotto-Heaven.

”Do your utmost to find it. The moment you uncover even spider silk and horse tracks, report back to the Academy.”

She paused, a faint gleam flashing in her indifferent eyes. ”Chi Soul Master will consult the Dao Teacher, who will then borrow the Cauldron Vessel, the Myriad Realms Projection. With it, the Academy’s masters can project their avatars into that Grotto-Heaven to retrieve the Immortal Slough.”

’Myriad Realms Projection...’

Chen Lingxi silently recited the name to himself.

Another Cauldron Vessel.

He now knew that Cauldron Vessels were exceedingly precious treasures within the Greater World. Each one possessed unimaginable power.

The Time Candle traded lifespan for spiritual qi. The Crown Prince’s Beast-Fighting Palace demanded lives as sacrifices in exchange for fortune. The Host Star Stone designated a fated nemesis, granting an opportunity upon their death.

And this Myriad Realms Projection...

’It seems these experts from the Great World can’t freely enter or exit a Grotto-Heaven. They have to rely on the wondrous powers of a Cauldron Vessel.’

Chen Lingxi mused.

Lin Suri offered a respectful word of compliance.

The woman in red looked Lin Suri up and down, her gaze sweeping over him before she suddenly shook her head.

It was a subtle gesture, yet it carried undisguised pity.

”You originally had a chance at the Golden Portal.”

”Making you take a trip through the Pool of Reincarnation was an injustice to you.

”However, the opportunity of the Immortal Slough is far too important. We simply couldn’t trust it in the hands of ordinary Dao Palace disciples.”

Chen Lingxi’s heart stirred.

Xi Mu had mentioned this before: passing through the Pool of Reincarnation damaged both one’s life force and Dao Foundation.

If one failed to find a Cauldron Vessel or obtain some other grand opportunity, achieving the Dao Foundation in the future would be nearly impossible, stripping them of true freedom.

It was a massive price to pay.

The woman in red continued, ”But you went in too late. With only two years having passed, you’re quite a bit behind the other cultivators seeking truth and inquiring about the cauldrons. And as for the Cauldron Vessels...”

She paused. ”Cauldron Vessels are incredibly precious. Even many Golden Portal experts never stumble across one.

”If you can acquire a Cauldron Vessel from that Grotto-Heaven, it would be a major stroke of fortune. Your path in cultivation would widen considerably. If you fail to get one, but succeed in finding the Immortal Slough, I will petition the Dao Teacher. I will ask him to use the Heaven-Determining Brush to establish your path, granting you the Cultivation of Myriad Dharmas!”

Lin Suri’s face remained serene as he quietly agreed.

He kept his eyes lowered, showing no outward emotion.

The woman gave a slight nod, a faint trace of softness finally passing through her cold eyes. ”I know it’s rare for your consciousness to return to the Great World. You may go about your business.”

With that, the mist rolled in once more, swallowing her figure inch by inch.

The crimson robe blurred into the fog until only a faint red shadow remained, flickering like a dying ember before vanishing entirely.

Lin Suri straightened up and gazed toward the empty sky.

A white crane descended from the clouds. Its wingspan stretched over a zhang wide, its feathers were as white as snow, and its beak was as red as cinnabar. As it landed beside him, it fluttered its wings gently and stood firm.

Lin Suri stepped onto its back. With a long, resonant cry, the white crane beat its wings and soared into the sky. It carried his conscious avatar over endless mountain ranges, sprawling rivers and seas, and floating cloud palaces, flying straight into the distance.

Trailing behind the crane, Chen Lingxi’s perspective took in the entirety of this immortal paradise.

The more he looked, the more astounded he became.

The sheer vastness and mystical wonder of this realm far exceeded his wildest imagination.

Vast mountains and long rivers!

Palaces drifted through the sky, radiant in gold and jade, buoyed by the mist like immortal cities floating on an ocean of clouds.

Rainbow bridges linked the palaces together.

Even further out, the world was a sprawling, boundless expanse, stretching further than the eye could see.

Chen Lingxi felt his very soul seized by the majesty of this heaven and earth.

’This is the true Great World.’

As he murmured to himself, the white crane flew on for a long time before finally landing on a floating mountain.

The peak was incredibly high and as flat as if it had been sheared clean off, resembling an overturned bowl.

Lin Suri stepped down from the crane, walking to the mountain’s highest point to gaze out over the distance.

Following his line of sight, Chen Lingxi spotted another mountain opposite them.

It stood in remote opposition to the one Lin Suri stood on. Its peak was similarly flat, but it was several times larger.

A sea of clouds churned across the summit, and someone sat cross-legged upon the mist.

It was a slender figure in cyan robes that fluttered gently in the wind. Her dark hair was pinned back with a green jade hairpin, exposing the pale curve of her neck.

Facing the sea of clouds, she had her back to Lin Suri. Her face was hidden; he could only see her elegant silhouette.

Lin Suri watched her for a long time.

He stood frozen in place, as still as a stone statue.

The mountain wind whipped the hem of his brocade robes and tossed his hair into a mess, but he seemed entirely oblivious.

That cyan silhouette reflected in his deep eyes. There were no ripples or waves in his gaze, only a profound, almost solidified calmness.

It appeared tranquil on the surface, but beneath that calm lay a deep and complex storm of emotion.

’Who is that? Lin Suri’s dream lover?’

Chen Lingxi made a malicious guess.

While he pondered, another figure suddenly appeared on the opposite mountain’s sea of clouds.

It was a tall, slender man dressed in a moon-white brocade robe secured by a jade belt. His face was handsome, and his aura was commanding.

He strolled out from the clouds as effortlessly as if walking on solid ground. Stepping up beside the woman in cyan, he stood with his hands clasped behind his back. The two gazed out over the clouds together, chatting and laughing cheerfully.

Lin Suri’s gaze finally wavered. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

At that exact moment, his consciousness shattered.

The vision fractured, and the world flipped once more.

Chen Lingxi’s perspective slammed back into the room at the Riverside Immortal Inn.

Lin Suri was still sitting cross-legged on his bed, putting the jade slip away.

Outside the window, the sun had already tipped westward. The river shimmered with thousands of golden motes of light, disturbed only by the occasional passing skiff splashing water as it was poled along.

Lin Suri stared blankly into space.

Chen Lingxi’s thoughts were still trapped in that immortal paradise.

’An immortal paradise... an Immortal Slough...’

While he was mulling this over, there was a new movement in Lin Suri’s room.

A wisp of black fog seeped through an inconspicuous crack in the corner of the wall. It churned and gathered, molding itself into a human shape.

A gaunt man in black robes stepped out of the shadows. A mask covered his face, exposing only his eyes.

Those eyes had no pupils. Instead, they were entirely pale, resembling two white porcelain beads frozen in ice. It was an incredibly eerie sight.

It was the Cultivator Surnamed Chao who had previously traded with Lin Suri.

He appeared much more relaxed this time, as if he and Lin Suri had been acquainted for ages.

Striding over to Lin Suri, he skipped all pleasantries and simply sat down cross-legged across from him.

Lin Suri opened his eyes and glanced at him. He offered a slight nod but said nothing.

The Cultivator Surnamed Chao spoke directly, cutting right to the chase, ”There is still some time before the Ancestral Mountain Maternal Qi emerges. It is highly likely that Imperial Consort Chun did not come to Yuanjiang Prefecture for that.”

He paused, a faint trace of doubt flashing through his pale eyes. ”The consort is deeply unfathomable, and her Mirror Listening Cauldron Vessel is incredibly bizarre.

”With her in Yuanjiang Prefecture, our plans now face many new variables.”

Lin Suri furrowed his brow. ”Are you saying... Imperial Consort Chun has also come for the slaughter-oriented Cauldron Vessel Fragment?”

The Cultivator Surnamed Chao nodded slightly. ”A slaughter-oriented Cauldron Vessel Fragment is something you can only chance upon, not seek out. Whoever obtains it, even if they can only use it once or twice, will possess the power to kill those above their own cultivation realm. Never mind in this Grotto-Heaven—even out in the Greater World, such an opportunity is a stroke of incredible luck.

”It is highly probable she came for exactly that reason.”

Lin Suri nodded. ”I understand.”

Without another word, the black-robed cultivator stood up. His body dissolved into black fog, vanishing into thin air inch by inch.

Lin Suri thought for a moment before getting up. He walked to the window and pushed it open.

The river wind rushed in, snapping at his brocade robes and causing the lamp flame on the table to flicker wildly.

He stood by the window with his hands behind his back, a golden light flashing in his eyes.

Chen Lingxi had seen this golden light before. Long ago, Lin Suri had used this exact golden light technique to witness the saber-wielding assassin attempt to kill Crown Prince Ying Chi.

At that moment, Lin Suri’s perspective soared outward. It crossed the river, shot past the city walls, and flew over vast forests, landing far in the distance.

Chen Lingxi’s perspective was pulled along with it.

He saw the imperial consort’s carriage.

The carriage was traveling alongside the Yuanjiang River. The rumble of its wheels blended into the rushing water, making it hard to hear clearly. It was flanked by armored soldiers, an honor guard, and a massive entourage that stretched out for a solid half-li.

The procession traveled west for the better part of an hour before finally coming to a halt.

They had stopped right where the Yuanjiang River met the Zhuzhao River.

The Yuanjiang River was a tributary to the Zhuzhao River. The latter was much wider, and its waters were far darker and heavier, resembling a ribbon of black ink.

At their confluence, the surface of the Zhuzhao River was strangely dim, as if something submerged beneath the water was swallowing all the sunlight.

Imperial Consort Chun stepped slowly out of her jade carriage.

She stood by the riverbank, rosy light flowing across her robes, making her look like a true immortal descended from the nine heavens to the mortal world.

She stared at the dim river surface for a very long time.

Then, a subtle smile tugged at the corners of her lips, carrying an indescribable, mysterious implication.

It was the look of a hunter who had finally found her prey’s tracks in a dense forest.

Lin Suri’s spell dissipated.

The golden light in his eyes slowly faded away, and his perspective returned to his own body.

He stood by the window, staring out at the misty expanse of the Yuanjiang River, lost in his own thoughts.

The Vision Roaming fractured and ended.