After the Great Dao Died

As Chen Lingxi’s voice faded!

The Twenty-Four Mystic Beads tore through the void, shooting straight toward Xi Yuan!

The Twenty-Four Mystic Beads transformed into twenty-four streams of pale golden light. Teeming with pure spiritual qi, they dragged long wakes behind them like twenty-four stars plunging into the mortal realm as they crashed against Xi Yuan’s towering Longevity Bridge!

Upon the bridge, runes swam and spiritual light blazed.

These layered runes flowed across the bridge like living things, pulsing with a deep, heavy radiance.

The mystic beads collided with it, leaving a web of hairline fractures across the Longevity Bridge!

This alone showed the sheer tyranny of the Lord’s Demon-Breaking Twenty-Four Mystic Beads!

But the Longevity Bridge was still the Longevity Bridge.

Fueled by Xi Yuan’s Qi Circulation Eighth Floor cultivation, the spiritual bridge acted like a true stone dragon. Surging spiritual light continuously mended the cracks; before the old fractures could fully heal, new ones were blasted open by the mystic beads, locking them in a relentless tug-of-war.Yet, right in the midst of this deadlock!

Behind Xi Yuan, Lin Suri once again circulated his spiritual qi and charged. The fierce tiger token at his waist had dimmed, but a golden light still flowed across it.

That golden light was not particularly blazing. It looked like a sputtering lamp on the verge of going out, yet it possessed a towering, unyielding resilience.

The golden light spread from the token to cover his entire body, sketching the outline of a divine general phantom behind him.

The phantom was as thin as paper and its features were an indistinguishable blur, with only a pair of majestic eyes faintly visible, slowly opening within the golden light. It raised both hands and pressed down into the void!

A golden barrier crashed down over Xi Yuan’s head like an inescapable net.

Layer upon layer, the barrier looked like a rampart forged from pure gold. Wherever it passed, the air squeezed into visible white rings, emitting a muffled, thunderous drone.

Exhausted from defending, Xi Yuan furrowed his brow and let out a cold snort!

”You court death!”

A cold light flashed in Xi Yuan’s eyes.

At that very moment, Xi Yuan sacrificed a talisman.

The talisman was barely an inch square, dull yellow, bearing complex patterns sketched in dark red ink.

Those dense, overlapping lines each gave off a faint, bloody glow, like countless tiny blood snakes slithering slowly across the paper. The moment the talisman left his hand, it spontaneously ignited without wind.

From within the firelight, a phantom slowly condensed.

The phantom was slender and tall, with cloud-like raven hair and features obscured by the spiritual light.

Only its right hand could be seen rising, delivering a palm strike toward Chen Lingxi and Lin Suri.

Chen Lingxi’s pupils shrank!

It was actually another Xi Yu Talisman!

Xi Yuan was also a figure of the Que Star Xi Family.

However, within this Grotto-Heaven, he hailed from the Fengshan Xi Clan, existing apart from Xi Yu.

But when Xi Yu’s memories awakened, she had given Xi Mu a talisman, and naturally she had given Xi Yuan one as well.

Today, Xi Yuan used this very Xi Yu Talisman!

Within the talisman’s phantom, Xi Yu unleashed a palm strike.

The palm thrust out from the phantom, and the moment its momentum rose, the world changed color! The spiritual energy within a hundred zhang was completely drained by this strike. The air grew stagnant as iron, and the starlight dimmed.

This palm landed upon Lin Suri’s golden general light, instantly devouring it!

It was exceptionally terrifying.

When Xi Yu inscribed this talisman, she had only been at the Qi Circulation Eighth Floor.

Even so, this palm strike was far more powerful than Xi Yuan’s Longevity Bridge divine power.

The might contained in that palm force had already exceeded the scope of the Qi Circulation Eighth Floor, faintly touching upon a higher realm.

Lin Suri’s expression drastically changed.

He reacted almost the instant the talisman lit up. The two clusters of golden flames in his eyes suddenly flared brilliantly as the Six Qi True Method circulated within his body to its absolute limit.

The pool of spiritual liquid in his sea of qi boiled and surged. He unrestrainedly invoked the little spiritual qi he had left.

The fierce tiger token at his waist was pushed to its absolute limit. The fine cracks on the token expanded, golden light leaking from the fissures like a piece of porcelain on the verge of shattering.

The divine general phantom behind him abruptly solidified a fraction. It thrust both hands out, clapping them together in the empty air!

An incomparably heavy golden barrier materialized out of nowhere. Layer upon layer, it acted like a fortress wall forged of pure gold, protecting his entire body in the center.

Countless dense runes flowed across the surface of the golden barrier, each one emitting the faint roar of a fierce tiger.

That sound possessed an awe-inspiring, inviolable majesty.

At the same time, the Jade Sword in his right hand left its sheath.

On the blade of that two-foot Jade Sword, the phantom of an immortal crane spread its wings as if ready to take flight, and three types of precious qi lit up simultaneously—the purple qi was sharp, the azure qi was continuous, and the mystic qi was profound.

The three colors intertwined, forming a sword force roughly a zhang in length. This sword force was far more condensed than before; every inch had been compressed thousands of times, and every wisp of radiance contained Lin Suri’s entire comprehension of the sword dao.

Surprisingly, instead of retreating, he advanced, slashing his sword directly at that palm force.

Boom—

The moment the sword force and palm force collided, a terrifying soundwave capable of tearing eardrums exploded!

Lin Suri’s tricolor sword force held on for less than half a breath against Xi Yu’s palm force before shattering to pieces.

The brilliance of the three precious qis dimmed simultaneously, like three candles snuffed out by a gale.

The palm force’s residual momentum did not wane as it slammed ruthlessly into the golden barrier! The barrier shattered!

Lin Suri groaned. Blood spilled from the corners of his mouth as he was sent flying backward, crashing heavily against the mountain wall.

The Jade Sword slipped from his grasp and stabbed into the ground nearby, its blade still trembling slightly.

The fierce tiger token at his waist finally couldn’t withstand the force; it cracked in two with a snap, falling to the ground with a crisp metallic clatter.

The fluctuations of spiritual qi around him weakened to the absolute extreme, rendering him like a candle in the wind that could be extinguished at any moment.

The astonishing palm strike from the Xi Yu Talisman had stopped Lin Suri.

And this was exactly the moment Xi Yuan had been waiting for.

He ignored Lin Suri, who had been repelled by the palm strike, and turned his gaze upon Chen Lingxi.

A faint trace of killing intent flickered through those unfathomable eyes, resembling a fierce tiger finally freeing its fangs and claws to crush the pesky bug at its feet first.

He activated the Longevity Bridge divine power once again.

That towering spiritual bridge spanned the sky, crashing toward Chen Lingxi like a torrent of spiritual light descending from the heavens.

The Lord’s Demon-Breaking Twenty-Four Mystic Beads collided with it mid-air. After several strikes, they unexpectedly shattered entirely!

Chen Lingxi did not feel surprised in the slightest!

’This treasure from the Credit Peddler can kill Qi Circulation Seventh Floor figures, but it’s no match for Xi Yuan at the Qi Circulation Eighth Floor!’

Right then, Xi Yuan took a step forward.

That step seemed casual, yet it brought him within ten zhang of Chen Lingxi.

He clenched his right fist tightly. The spiritual light on his knuckles condensed to the extreme, compressing all of its might into that tiny space!

He looked coldly at Chen Lingxi. There were no ripples in his deep, unfathomable eyes—only pure, undisguised killing intent.

”Pathetic lower cultivator, ignorant of the immensity of heaven and earth.”

Before his words even fell, his fist punched out. This strike possessed no flashy tricks, only the purest power.

Only...

Chen Lingxi seemed entirely unafraid.

Xi Yuan clearly saw that there was indeed not a single shred of fear in Chen Lingxi’s eyes. Those eyes were as calm as still water, completely devoid of panic or despair. There wasn’t even the reverence one ought to have when facing an Eighth Floor cultivator!

There was only... tranquil composure!

It was as if he had anticipated this moment all along, as if he had been waiting for it.

And then...

An unimaginable aura bloomed from Chen Lingxi’s body!

At first, that aura was incredibly faint, like a spark buried deep beneath ashes.

But the next moment, that spark set a roaring prairie fire!

A terrifying fluctuation of spiritual qi erupted from Chen Lingxi’s body, like a volcano that had slumbered for eons finally waking up.

The aura was far too horrifying.

Xi Yuan’s expression shifted. ”How could you have...”

”A Xi Yu Talisman!”

Before he finished speaking, the void shifted once again. The Xi Yu Talisman on Chen Lingxi’s person was also activated!

A phantom abruptly appeared—slender and tall, raven hair flowing like clouds, its face blurred and indistinct within the spiritual light.

One could only see the phantom raising its right hand and delivering a palm strike toward Xi Yuan.

The palm fell.

Wherever that palm force passed, the world changed color!

Just as it had a moment ago!

The palm force came bearing down ruthlessly upon Xi Yuan.

Xi Yuan retreated violently.

The Longevity Bridge divine power was unreservedly pushed to its absolute limit, condensing into one spiritual light barrier after another before him.

Those layered barriers—each infused with the boundless spiritual energy of his Eighth Floor cultivation—were individually capable of blocking the full-strength blow of an ordinary Seventh Floor cultivator.

Yet, before Xi Yu’s palm, those barriers were like paper mache, shattering one after another.

Boom! The Longevity Bridge trembled violently, the runes upon its span shattered inch by inch by the palm strike.

The runes that had been constantly flowing peeled from the bridge piece by piece like fallen leaves scattered by a gale, turning into a sky full of luminous dust. Countless fine cracks surfaced on the bridge, spreading from one end to the other.

Xi Yuan let out a muffled groan. He tasted sweetness in his throat as a mouthful of blood surged up, but he forcefully swallowed it back down.

Right at that moment, Chen Lingxi had already closed in on him.

A precious saber left its scabbard!

The azure glow of the Cyan Edge Method and the Purple True Precious Qi intertwined.

The two colors twisted together, condensing upon the blade to form an almost physical bicolor edge.

He chopped down, the saber light carving a magnificent yet terrifying arc through the night.

With his spiritual qi churning, Xi Yuan had no choice but to meet it with his right fist!

Then, both men retreated simultaneously!

Xi Yuan’s gaze was incredibly gloomy!

That saber strike just now... had actually left a shallow bloody line across his knuckles. Though it barely broke the skin, it caused the killing intent in his eyes to burn even brighter.

A mere pawn at the Qi Circulation Sixth Floor had repeatedly bounced around in front of him, and now had actually injured him... even if it only broke the skin, it was an immense humiliation for him.

What was even more infuriating... was that Chen Lingxi stood there, saber in hand, and shook his head slightly. ”A higher cultivator... is nothing more than this!”

Xi Yuan’s killing intent surged, but Lin Suri’s voice rang out from behind him.

”Xi Yuan.”

Xi Yuan paused and turned his head.

He saw that Lin Suri had already stood back up from the mountain wall he had smashed into.

His robes were in tatters. The dark brocade robe was unrecognizable, covered everywhere in tears and bloodstains. Blood still lingered at the corners of his mouth, trailing down his jaw and dripping onto the gravel beneath his feet.

Yet he stood there, his back as straight as a pine tree.

In his right hand, he tightly gripped the Jade Sword, having picked it up at some unknown moment.

Xi Yuan’s expression shifted slightly.

He glanced at Lin Suri, then at Chen Lingxi. Pondering for a moment, he suddenly gave a cold snort and suppressed the roiling spiritual qi inside him.

He no longer looked at Chen Lingxi. Turning around, a talisman flared up, carrying his body away into the distance!

He lacked the strength to keep fighting.

Chen Lingxi watched Xi Yuan’s departing figure. His face remained calm, but his heart surged like the tide!

In the bloody battle just now, the Xi Yu Talisman and the Lord’s Demon-Breaking Twenty-Four Mystic Beads... he had exhausted his two strongest trump cards and depleted most of his spiritual qi just to barely hold his own against Xi Yuan.

If not for his greatest trump card, the Xi Yu Talisman, and Lin Suri distracting him from the side, even with such a foundation, he could not have forced Xi Yuan back.

Just then.

He had bailed Lin Suri out, but Lin Suri didn’t hesitate in the slightest; he turned to leave.

”Fellow Daoist!”

Chen Lingxi spoke up.

Lin Suri’s footsteps paused slightly.

The night wind swept through the valley, making his tattered brocade robes flap wildly. A draconic shout drifted over, reaching Lin Suri’s ears.

”The Ancestral Mountain Maternal Qi is merely a lesser path! I have come to discuss... the grand fortune of the Immortal Slough with you!”

Lin Suri’s breath hitched, and he turned to look at Chen Lingxi.

Chen Lingxi’s eyes were as tranquil as water.

He stood within the devastated valley, his own robes equally tattered.

But he stood there with a straight back, his gaze unwavering as he stared at Lin Suri from afar.

The words ”Immortal Slough” falling into Lin Suri’s ears were no different from thunderclaps exploding beside him!

He pondered for a second, then his figure blurred, landing not far from Chen Lingxi.

He stood there with his hands clasped behind his back. Although his spiritual qi was weak, his aura remained entirely undiminished.

Those eyes swept back and forth across Chen Lingxi for a moment... then he suddenly shook his head.

”Official bondservant Chen Lingxi... I remember you. Yet I never imagined that, apart from myself, there was actually another truth-seeking figure within my Baosu Marquis Residence...”

He paused, his gaze gaining a bit more scrutiny. ”Furthermore... you even cultivate my Under-Dao Academy’s Six Qi True Method.” Chen Lingxi laughed. ”I stumbled upon this method in Ehai during my time in the Great Xuanzhuo Realm. Seeing it, I realized its profound mysteries and switched to cultivating it! I never expected this method to share the same origin as yours, Brother Daoist.”

He spun this tale off the cuff without changing his expression.

Lin Suri remained silent, observing Chen Lingxi.

No emotion could be seen in those profound eyes.

After several breaths of time passed, he suddenly asked, ”What does Brother Daoist mean... by Immortal Slough?”

His tone was equally calm.

Yet Chen Lingxi keenly sensed a turbulent killing intent brewing.

That killing intent was incredibly deep and heavy, flowing silently.

Chen Lingxi suddenly smiled, lacking any fear as he said, ”Does Brother Daoist wish to silence me?”

Lin Suri’s aura was like an abyss.

Although his spiritual qi was already weakened, the pressure belonging to a Qi Circulation Seventh Floor cultivator was still as heavy as a mountain.

He stood there without uttering a word, simply watching Chen Lingxi quietly. Chen Lingxi continued to meet Lin Suri’s gaze directly, his eyes bright and searing.

He stood there, his spiritual qi in disarray and his robes torn, clearly possessing only Qi Circulation Sixth Floor cultivation.

But standing there, his demeanor grew increasingly serene. He looked directly at Lin Suri as if discussing the Dao with a peer, completely devoid of timidity.

Then Chen Lingxi spoke slowly, as steady as a boulder.

”Reincarnation! Reincarnation! What ordinary reincarnators seek is nothing more than seeking truth! Reaching the summit! And thereby forming a Dao Foundation to forge the Golden Portal.”

”As for me—within the nebulous Dao mysteries, I saw Fellow Daoist’s origins! I saw Fellow Daoist’s aptitude for the Golden Portal!”

”From the Grotto-Heaven’s mysteries, I foresee this world’s end! I saw the immortal arm! I saw the cultivators of the Pool Soul Courtyard arrive via projection... and I also saw them return shattered!”

With every sentence he spoke, Lin Suri’s gaze sharpened by a fraction.

When the line ”the cultivators of the Pool Soul Courtyard arrive via projection... and I also saw them return shattered” fell, a sliver of genuine shock flickered for the first time through Lin Suri’s deep, well-like, placid eyes.

That shock was like a raging wave, exploding deep within his pupils!

”Fellow Daoist!” Chen Lingxi continued speaking. ”The Immortal Slough is an extraordinary opportunity, but this world’s secrets are no trivial matter... Are you willing to listen closely?”

Lin Suri finally spoke, his aura no longer as calm as before, but rather much more chaotic. ”Brother Daoist... exactly who are you?”