After the Great Dao Died

The night in Ancestral Mountain seemed a few shades deeper than elsewhere. Starlight spilled from the canopy, warm and fluid as water, illuminating this pocket of the world.

Lin Suri had been surrounded.

Four Qi Circulation 7th Floor cultivators hemmed him in. Beyond them, Xi Yuan—a cultivator at the Qi Circulation 8th Floor—stood aloof on the Longevity Bridge, yet to make a move.

The spiritual bridge stretched across the sky. The spiritual light flowing across its span cast shifting shadows over Xi Yuan’s ordinary features.

He stood at the bridgehead with his hands clasped behind his back, his Daoist robes fluttering in the night breeze. His gaze rested on Lin Suri, placid as water, like a man watching a trapped beast in a cage.

Among the four 7th Floor cultivators, two hailed from Great Zhou. One wore a black robe, the other a moon-white brocade gown—the exact two who had previously teamed up against Lu Baizhong.

But right now, they had reached some sort of tacit understanding with the other two 7th Floor cultivators.

Those other two cultivators were unfamiliar faces.

One was a man in his thirties wearing a slate-blue brocade robe and a jade crown. The spiritual qi around him felt as heavy and solid as a mountain.

The other was a white-haired woman with a stunningly youthful face. She held a gnarled wooden staff embedded with a pitch-black orb that faintly swirled with spiritual light.The combined pressure of the four formed invisible walls that trapped Lin Suri in the center, while also maintaining a subtle standoff against Xi Yuan.

Xi Yuan had already used his Longevity Bridge divine ability to suppress Lu Baizhong and had hunted down the two Great Zhou cultivators. With Imperial Consort Chun’s whereabouts currently unknown, he was indisputably the most tyrannical figure within Ancestral Mountain. If not for his overwhelming cultivation, the four 7th Floor cultivators would never have set aside their mutual guard to form this loose alliance.

Only Lin Suri stood alone, resembling a lamb waiting for slaughter.

He remained silent upon the starlit rocks.

No emotion showed in his deep eyes.

Right then, Xi Yuan stepped forward on the Longevity Bridge.

He still wore that ordinary face, save for a pair of unfathomable eyes.

As he moved, the towering spiritual bridge beneath his feet trembled slightly. The complex, ancient runic lines across the bridge lit up simultaneously, pulsing with heavy, dense spiritual light.

Standing at the bridgehead with his hands behind his back, he looked down at Lin Suri from his high vantage, then swept a glance over the four 7th Floor cultivators. A smile touched his lips.

”Lin Suri may appear to be only at the Qi Circulation 7th Floor, but his foundation is extraordinary. He has that fierce tiger token and that two-foot Jade Sword... If he goes all out, even Lu Baizhong is no match for him.”

Xi Yuan’s clear voice echoed endlessly through the quiet valley. ”If we fight amongst ourselves, Lin Suri will inevitably reap the benefits.

”We might as well kill Lin Suri first, and then fight over the Mother Qi.

”When the time comes, I will face the attacks of you four alone. If I lose, I will hand over the Mother Qi without a fight.” At his words, the four cultivators immediately hesitated.

The two Great Zhou cultivators exchanged a glance, doubt flickering in their eyes.

They had witnessed the terrifying might of Xi Yuan’s Longevity Bridge with their own eyes. An invincible 7th Floor figure like Lu Baizhong had been smashed into coughing blood and forced to flee. If they really clashed with Xi Yuan, their chances of winning were desperately low.

But if they trusted him and killed Lin Suri first, things might take a turn for the worse...

The cultivator in the slate-blue robe frowned, the spiritual light in his hands flickering uncertainly.

The white-haired woman leaned on her wooden staff. The pitch-black orb at its head slowly spun, its light dimming and brightening in time with her wavering thoughts.

Lin Suri furrowed his brow.

He truly was like a lamb waiting for slaughter.

Xi Yuan’s killing intent flared cold, and he prepared to speak again.

Right at that moment...

A sudden fluctuation rippled from the distance. The clouds and mist boiled over, and layers of grayish-white vapor swept in from afar!

Everyone turned to look. Out on the distant horizon, a heavenly boat suddenly pierced through the surging sea of clouds.

”Imperial Consort Chun’s heavenly boat!” the white-haired woman blurted out.

But their expressions changed immediately upon seeing the person standing at the bow.

”That isn’t Imperial Consort Chun on the boat...”

”It’s the man who was hunting her down!”

The two Great Zhou cultivators looked at each other in sheer shock.

”Did he actually kill Imperial Consort Chun?”

Atop the heavenly boat, Chen Lingxi stood with his sword at his side, exuding a staggering aura!

The Thunder Radiance Longsword hung at his waist. Imbued with his spiritual qi, the once-dull lightning runes on the scabbard now pulsed with a faint golden light, like a slumbering lightning serpent slowly waking up.

Standing there, his robes snapped loudly in the wind.

His imposing presence was not a single bit inferior to Xi Yuan standing on the Longevity Bridge.

The crowd recognized him—the 7th Floor cultivator who had chased after Imperial Consort Chun! The faces of the two Great Zhou cultivators turned even uglier.

Ever since they infiltrated Great Yu and entered Ancestral Mountain... First there was Lu Baizhong, then Xi Yuan and Imperial Consort Chun, and now a 7th Floor cultivator capable of slaying an 8th Floor expert had emerged. Just how many powerhouses were hidden in this mountain?

The middle-aged cultivator in the slate-blue robe narrowed his eyes. His gaze swept back and forth over Chen Lingxi, a profound wariness flashing in his eyes.

The white-haired woman was even more direct. She leveled her wooden staff in front of her, the pitch-black orb spinning rapidly and bursting with spiritual light, like a startled beast baring its fangs.

Lin Suri looked at the distant heavenly boat, his eyes flashing with complex emotion as he took in the sword-bearing young man at its bow.

Of course he recognized him. Chen Lingxi, an official bondservant of the Baosu Marquis Residence.

Before this trip to Ancestral Mountain, he had never imagined his estate housed such an expert!

At this thought, Lin Suri frowned.

He figured this was just another formidable enemy coming to fight for the Mother Qi!

Up on the boat, Chen Lingxi’s calm gaze swept over the crowd.

Then...

Without a single wasted word, he thrust his hand out!

The spiritual pool within his sea of qi violently surged. Profound Qi, Sword Edge Qi, and lightning precious qi—all three erupted at once!

Gold, silver, and pale-gold light spewed from his pores, weaving into an incomparably magnificent veil of light behind him.

His right hand clawed viciously at the empty air!

The Heaven-Seizing Seal circulated!

The Profound Qi flooded in, amplifying the technique’s might.

The seal’s radiance blazed, shifting from its original teal to a blinding, brilliant gold.

Countless intricate runes swirled faintly within the golden light, each exuding a subtle, mystical aura!

The Subtle Realm!

For the first time, genuine astonishment flickered in Xi Yuan’s unfathomable eyes.

”That hand seal is coming for me!”

He had no time to think. The Heaven-Seizing Seal was already crashing down!

In an instant, an invisible force violently churned the layered clouds high above. In the blink of an eye, the vapor coalesced in the direction of Chen Lingxi’s palm strike, forming a massive, ten-zhang wide hand seal.

The tricolored glow of gold, silver, and pale gold coiled between the seal’s fingers, while a frantically spinning vortex of highly compressed spiritual mechanics formed at the center of the palm.

Before the seal even finished descending, its majestic pressure crashed over Xi Yuan’s head like an invisible tidal wave.

The pressure forced the light on the Longevity Bridge to flicker violently. The flowing runes along its span were suppressed until they dimmed inch by inch, trembling like candles in the wind.

Rumble!

Air currents surged with terrifying momentum.

The hand seal brought an apocalyptic might with it, hurtling straight for Xi Yuan!

Xi Yuan’s expression shifted.

He scoffed coldly, and the Longevity Bridge beneath his feet flared.

The complex ancient runes along the bridge simultaneously erupted with blinding spiritual light. The light stacked layer upon layer, forming a thick barrier at the head of the bridge.

The barrier took an octagonal shape, each corner embedded with a highly condensed rune of light. The runes emitted a low hum as they circulated, standing tall in the void like a fortress forged from solid light. ’A mere Qi Circulation 7th Floor. How utterly foolish,’ Xi Yuan thought to himself.

The Longevity Bridge collided with the hand seal.

Boom!

Spiritual light splashed out like rain, and shockwaves swept frantically in all directions, shattering the surrounding clouds and mist!

The bridge’s light barrier trembled violently under the Heaven-Seizing Seal’s bombardment. The octagonal runes spun wildly, grinding away a fraction of the seal’s might with every rotation.

But the Heaven-Seizing Seal’s power was simply too vast. It battered down upon the barrier palm after palm, like a genuine stroke of divine retribution.

Every strike carried an irresistible and overwhelming, terrifying force, sending violent shudders through the barrier.

Xi Yuan’s face finally changed.

He could sense an incredibly thick tide of spiritual qi within Chen Lingxi’s hand seal.

That spiritual qi was far too pure, vastly outstripping any ordinary 7th Floor cultivator.

”Who exactly is this person? Where did he come from?”

While Xi Yuan reeled in shock, Chen Lingxi’s voice rang out... He stood on the Lustrous White Heavenly Boat, his robes billowing, the three-colored radiance swirling around him without pause.

The Thunder Radiance Longsword still hung sheathed at his waist, but the man himself felt like a peerless blade completely unsheathed, his sharp aura piercing straight into the sky!

He suddenly looked toward Lin Suri and smiled slightly.

It was an open, effortless smile, like an old friend reuniting after a long time.

”Brother Lin, why don’t we join forces? Let’s wipe out these scoundrels, and then just the two of us can fight over the Mother Qi.”

Chen Lingxi’s voice rang clear, his smiling face perfectly composed.

Gripping his dull Jade Sword, Lin Suri raised his head. His gaze cut past the cultivators besieging him and landed squarely on the sword-bearing young man on the heavenly boat.

He looked at Chen Lingxi’s open smile and his eyes, which were as calm as still water. Lin Suri stayed silent for only a single breath.

Then...

”Alright,” he said!

Lin Suri had no idea why this man wanted to team up with him, but having such strong backup right now was undoubtedly a good thing.

Whether the man genuinely meant to help or had ulterior motives, the 8th Floor Xi Yuan was their common enemy. Eradicating Xi Yuan and these four 7th Floor cultivators first, then figuring out the rest, was the most sensible path.

Chen Lingxi’s smile held firm!

His right hand brushed his waist, and the Thunder Radiance Longsword sang as it left its sheath.

The moment the blade cleared the scabbard, countless fine, pale-golden arcs of lightning leapt off the metal!

Lightning precious qi roared through his sea of qi, surging along his meridians and pouring into the sword.

The lightning runes on the longsword flared to life all at once, spreading from the crossguard straight to the tip!

Simultaneously, the silvery-white light of the Sword Edge Qi lit up, clinging to the edge and rendering the already peerlessly sharp blade even deadlier.

Purple True Precious Qi coiled around the steel like a roaming purple dragon, pulsing unsteadily.

The blade transformed into a mass of blinding lightning.

Chen Lingxi took a step forward. The Lustrous White Heavenly Boat beneath his feet accelerated sharply, hurtling directly toward the four 7th Floor cultivators like a glowing white meteor!

At the Qi Circulation 7th Floor, under the profound mastery of Refined Thought!

His divine consciousness spread out from his brow like a massive, invisible hand. The flow of his own spiritual qi, the trajectory of his sword qi, and every minute change in the surrounding spiritual mechanics were all held tightly in his grasp. Through the power of Refined Thought, his consciousness could simultaneously manipulate dozens of sensory threads with pinpoint precision!

Pushing this mastery to its very limit, he used those threads to tug at the tri-colored brilliance of lightning, Sword Edge, and purple qi on his longsword. It split into dozens of hair-thin streaks of sword light that erupted from his blade.

Those streaks of sword light shot toward one of the 7th Floor cultivators like a torrential, inverted rainstorm.

The target was the cultivator in the slate-blue robe!

Dozens of streaks wove through the air in complex, exquisite arcs. None collided with the others, yet they sealed off every single avenue of retreat.

They tore through heavy layers of thunder and charged right at him!

The man in the slate-blue robe reacted instantly. He clapped his hands together, manifesting a thick spiritual shield out of thin air.

It was clearly an incredibly profound defensive technique.

But the moment the sword light hit, the seemingly indestructible shield was punctured like wet paper.

His pupils contracted violently. He threw himself backward in a panic, but the sword light was simply too fast.

One streak clipped his left shoulder, slicing his entire arm cleanly off. Blood sprayed as the severed limb hit the ground, its five fingers still twitching slightly.

Meanwhile, the hitherto silent Lin Suri exploded into action! His fierce tiger token flashed, the phantom of a divine general flickering around him. He clenched his fist and shot forward like lightning, throwing a devastating punch!

The strike was terrifyingly fast. Defying everyone’s expectations, it crossed dozens of zhang and slammed into the one-armed cultivator!

Crack!

The head of the 7th Floor cultivator shattered like a melon, killing him instantly!

Their assault was far too decisive, and both of them had struck with full force. The brocade-robed cultivator had been slaughtered before he could even process what was happening!

”Kill!”

With a combatant down, Xi Yuan immediately struck!

The Longevity Bridge beneath him flared up. The complex ancient runes along its body erupted with blinding light.

The light surged in all directions, rolling over the landscape like an inverted sea of radiance that completely blanketed a hundred-zhang radius of the void.

The 8th Floor mastery—Divine Might!

The divine might was formless yet tangible. Like an invisible cage falling from the sky, it trapped both Chen Lingxi and Lin Suri inside.

The moment the pressure fell, Chen Lingxi felt his body abruptly sink, as if an invisible mountain had been piled onto his shoulders. Suppressed by the might, the pool in his sea of qi circulated slower, and his spiritual qi flowed sluggishly. Every movement took several times the normal effort.

His expression didn’t change. He simply drove the lightning qi within his sea!

The lightning qi exploded! Wherever its brilliant light touched, the sluggishness brought by the divine might was instantly eradicated!

At the same time, Lin Suri also remained unsuppressed.

His two streams of precious qi lit up together. As his purple qi pulsed, a formless sword edge pierced straight into the sky!

He stood within the torn opening, his spiritual qi circulating normally, as if the divine might had never existed at all.

Xi Yuan frowned slightly, though he wasn’t overly surprised.

Taking a step forward, the Longevity Bridge beneath him stretched across the sky like a veritable stone dragon, crashing violently toward Lin Suri.

A cold glint flashed in Lin Suri’s eyes.

He raised his Jade Sword high, unreservedly pouring his internal spiritual qi into the blade. The dull jade lit up once again.

Though it was nowhere near as blindingly intense as before, it carried a fierce, death-defying valor.

Chen Lingxi wasn’t idle either. Driving his Cloud-Soaring Technique, he vaulted into the air like a streak of thunder shooting upstream, charging at Xi Yuan’s flank.

While suspended in midair, he channeled the Heaven-Seizing Seal and clawed at the void with his right hand.

The ambient spiritual mechanics within a hundred zhang rushed toward his palm, drawn in as all rivers run into the sea. They condensed into a massive, three-colored hand seal.

He slammed his hand forward, sending the seal smashing sideways into Xi Yuan’s Longevity Bridge like an inverted mountain of light.

Lin Suri unleashed everything he had to hold off Xi Yuan.

The moment the three forces collided, the heavens and earth changed color.

The Longevity Bridge shuddered violently. Hammered from the front and the side, its flowing runes shattered inch by inch, sending spiritual light spraying like rain.

Standing at the bridgehead, Xi Yuan’s expression shifted. He brought his hands together, and the bridge abruptly split. It formed two slightly smaller spiritual bridges that swept out left and right to intercept the attacks from both men.

At the same time, he scoffed coldly. ”Why haven’t you attacked yet?!”

The two Great Zhou cultivators and the white-haired woman immediately unleashed their techniques, hurtling spells across the sky to block Chen Lingxi!

Completely unafraid, Chen Lingxi stepped right off the heavenly boat and walked on air. The Thunder Radiance Longsword scattered lightning everywhere as he charged directly into the three 7th Floor cultivators!

The lightning on his sword burned even fiercer than before. The lightning precious qi roared through his sea, sending infinitesimally fine streaks of pale-gold thunder rising from the depths of his spiritual pool and into the blade. Relying purely on his formidably strong spiritual qi and his three precious qis, Chen Lingxi waged war against the three 7th Floor cultivators!

All three knew this was a life-or-death moment. If they left Xi Yuan to fight alone, his defeat would mean the death of them all.

But Chen Lingxi’s foundation was far too profound!

Pushing his Cloud-Soaring Technique, his body stretched into a blur. He crossed dozens of zhang and closed in right before the white-haired woman.

Seeing him close the gap, a vicious gleam flashed in her eyes. Her spiritual qi exploded. With a wave of her wooden staff, countless needles of cloud, fine as cow hair, materialized in the void and shot toward him in a dense volley.

Chen Lingxi didn’t even bother looking at the cloud needles. He simply opened his mouth and let out a light shout.

The Dragon Roar Technique.

The moment the sound rang out, countless visible ripples shuddered through the air, expanding wildly in all directions.

When the cloud needles hit the ripples, they hissed and were instantly shattered into nothingness!

The other two Great Zhou cultivators attacked as well, blasting their divine abilities and techniques at him.

Chen Lingxi merely strode forward. He threw his Thunder Radiance Longsword, transforming it into a streak of sword light that blasted out thunder to stall the two men!

With the two cultivators blocked, Chen Lingxi had already reached the white-haired woman!

He threw a heavy punch! His Nine Revolutions blood energy roared, backed by his blade aura, Profound Qi, and Purple True Precious Qi!

The punch landed. Even with her spiritual qi protecting her body, the white-haired woman vomited blood and was blasted backward.

Chen Lingxi’s eyes blazed with killing intent as he chased her down!

He was single-handedly beating three 7th Floor cultivators into an embarrassing mess!

Meanwhile, Lin Suri and Xi Yuan were locked in a dead heat.

Lin Suri had brought out everything he had, just as he had during the Absolute Perception Deduction!

The phantom of the divine general flickered in and out of sight!

The three-colored sword aura flowed across his Jade Sword, every slash carrying a terrifying momentum.

As for Xi Yuan, he had completely abandoned any feelings of contempt.

He pushed his Longevity Bridge divine ability to its absolute limits. Flooded with his spiritual qi, the runes on the bridge beneath his feet burned with a blinding intensity.

Xi Yuan was giving his all, exactly like in the Absolute Perception Deduction. But having to parry Lin Suri’s peerlessly sharp sword strikes while guarding against Chen Lingxi, who was glaring like a hungry tiger eyeing its prey, caused an immense drain on his spiritual qi. The light on the Longevity Bridge was already dimmer than before.

But this time, because of the threat Chen Lingxi posed, Xi Yuan didn’t wait until Lin Suri was heavily injured. He intended to use the Xi Yu Talisman to blast Lin Suri to death right now!

’If I hesitate any longer, once Chen Lingxi finishes off those three...’

His eyes shifted. Reaching into the void with his right hand, a talisman flew out of his Vast Void Pouch and hovered above his palm.

Sensing the incoming threat, Lin Suri’s pupils contracted.

He channeled his spiritual qi without reserve. Both streams of precious qi lit up as he raised his Jade Sword high.

Drawing on all his strength, he sought to resist the blow.

Right at that very moment, before the Xi Yu Talisman could be activated...

A beam of cold light suddenly flashed from Chen Lingxi’s body.

A throwing knife shot from his hand!

Delayed Light flew out silently!

Chen Lingxi hadn’t even used his spiritual qi to control it. He simply threw it with pure blood energy, like an ordinary mortal knife. But the physical power of his Nine Revolutions blood energy was terrifying. Hurled with that force, the knife was unbelievably fast. It carved an amber afterimage through the void that was nearly impossible to track, shooting straight for Xi Yuan!

Xi Yuan’s entire mind was focused on activating the Xi Yu Talisman. By the time he noticed the cold light, the throwing knife was less than three chi away.

With a sweep of his sleeve, Xi Yuan whipped up a surge of spiritual qi and swatted the Delayed Light Flying Dagger away.

Hit by the sweep, the dagger tumbled through the air!

But right at that moment...

Inside the hourglass at the base of the dagger’s hilt, the slowly trickling sand abruptly accelerated.

The grains flooded frantically from the narrow upper chamber to the lower one, dropping in a rapid golden streak.

At the same time, the beam of light sealed within the blade suddenly flared.

The light shot out!

Completely silent!

And that beam washed lightly over Xi Yuan’s body.

Then... everything about Xi Yuan slowed down.

In that instant, his entire existence became impossibly sluggish.

The speed of his spiritual qi, the speed at which he channeled the Xi Yu Talisman...

It was all far too slow!

He wanted to drive his spiritual qi, fully ignite the Xi Yu Talisman, and obliterate Lin Suri before anything else could happen.

But he found his spiritual qi crawling. Moving every single thread took several times the normal effort!

No.

It wasn’t that everything had slowed down.

It was only him!

For the first time, genuine horror flashed through Xi Yuan’s unfathomable eyes.

He saw that Chen Lingxi’s movements hadn’t slowed down at all!

Chen Lingxi broke completely free from the three-man siege! To Xi Yuan’s eyes, the man moved as a normal blur, lunging straight for him.

He watched as the man raised the Thunder Radiance Longsword high, the tri-colored light on the blade burning his retinas.

He saw the man’s blood energy boiling like a caldera, saw the spitting sword light on the edge inching closer and closer.

’What sort of divine ability is this?!’ Xi Yuan roared furiously in his mind.

He poured every last ounce of will into driving his spiritual qi, desperate to break free from this bizarre power.

But Chen Lingxi had already turned into a streak of light, bringing his sword crashing down on Xi Yuan.

Thunder flashed!

At almost the exact same moment, Lin Suri seized the fleeting opportunity.

Though he didn’t know why Xi Yuan’s movements had suddenly become so slow, there was no way he would miss such a once-in-a-lifetime chance.

His spiritual qi exploded, violently shattering the residual palm aura of the Xi Yu Talisman. His Jade Sword thrust toward Xi Yuan’s chest like a stream of three-colored silk.

Xi Yuan’s pupils shrank. Still trapped by the Delayed Light Flying Dagger, his perception of time was entirely distorted. To him, the two men’s attacks felt as fast as racing thunder.

He strained everything to push his spiritual qi, trying to condense the Longevity Bridge to protect his body.

But he was too slow.

Boom!

The devastating strikes of Lin Suri and Chen Lingxi landed.

First was Chen Lingxi’s blade.

The Thunder Radiance Longsword chopped into the Longevity Bridge’s light barrier.

The barrier shattered instantly. Carrying its momentum, the edge hacked deeply into Xi Yuan’s right shoulder.

The lightning precious qi exploded inside the wound, charring the meridians, bones, and flesh of his right shoulder to a crisp. Wreaths of green smoke mingled with the stench of burnt meat.

Right behind it came Lin Suri’s Jade Sword.

The three-colored sword aura pierced diagonally under his ribs and skewered entirely through his chest.

The sharp aura embedded in the blade detonated the moment it entered his body, shredding his internal organs into a bloody mess. His Golden Blood mastery worked frantically to repair the horrifying wounds, but the residual sword intent clung stubbornly to the flesh, obstructing the Golden Blood’s flow.

Xi Yuan let out a muffled groan and vomited blood.

In just one breath, the world in his eyes returned to normal. Nothing was slow anymore!

But he was critically injured!

He forced his head up and pushed out his spiritual qi. His body blurred, transforming into an incredibly dim streak of spiritual light that fled into the distance.

Chen Lingxi, ablaze with killing intent, called out to Lin Suri, ”I will chase him down! I leave these two 7th Floor cultivators to you, Brother Lin!”

Lin Suri turned, his gaze falling on those three.

Behind him, out on the horizon, Chen Lingxi was already tailing Xi Yuan’s incredibly dim light, flying deeper into Ancestral Mountain.

—

Xi Yuan was fleeing.

The light carrying him was so dim it was nearly invisible. It flickered every few hundred zhang like a dying lamp!

The two sword wounds on his body were still oozing blood. But ultimately, Xi Yuan was an 8th Floor cultivator.

The Golden Blood mastery circulated madly inside him. Even if it couldn’t fully heal the hideous gashes, it managed to staunch the bleeding.

Sparing no expense, he burned away the little spiritual qi he had left, desperate to fly faster and escape farther away.

Sweeping his divine consciousness backward, he sensed the aura trailing him at a measured pace.

’Chen Lingxi...’

The man was stepping on soaring clouds, his robes snapping in the wind. The Thunder Radiance Longsword was back in its sheath, yet his sharp aura hadn’t diminished in the slightest.

Standing atop the pale-azure clouds with his hands behind his back, he looked like a famous sword resting quietly in its scabbard.

A genuine chill finally swept through Xi Yuan’s heart.

From the moment he attacked until now, every single method this mysterious 7th Floor figure used far exceeded the scope of an ordinary 7th Floor cultivator.

What terrified Xi Yuan even more was how absolutely ruthless the man was.

He possessed Imperial Consort Chun’s heavenly boat and Lu Baizhong’s famous sword!

He had killed Imperial Consort Chun, killed Lu Baizhong, and clashed head-on with a disciple of the Xi family. And now, he was ruthlessly hunting him down to finish the job. In the Greater World, what petty sect cultivator didn’t tremble when facing a member of the Xi family? Who among them didn’t bow and scrape? Who would dare act this audaciously?

But this man didn’t care at all. It was as if the Xi family simply didn’t exist in his eyes—as if the words ”noble cultivator of the upper sect” meant nothing to him.

’Once I get there... I can survive.’ Xi Yuan gritted his teeth and pushed his spiritual qi even harder. His dim light sped up slightly, flying toward a sea of fog deep in Ancestral Mountain.

But right at that moment—

A fluctuation rippled from behind, and a far more tyrannical aura pierced the sky.

Xi Yuan snapped his head back, just in time to see a streak of sword light tear through the air and blast a patch of clouds near his side to powder.

Immediately after, a green sword beam grazed his scalp, slicing the jade crown binding his hair cleanly in half.

His long hair cascaded down, blocking his vision. But he had no time to worry about it. Throwing himself messily to the side, he managed to dodge the third strike—a beam of Purple True Precious Qi.

Chen Lingxi had caught up to within a hundred zhang.

Stepping on the soaring clouds with his hands resting behind his back, the tri-colored light swirling around him made him look like an immortal god descended to the mortal realm.

”Stop running,” he said softly.

Xi Yuan really did stop running. Halting his light, he turned around to face the young man walking slowly toward him.

He slipped his right hand into his robes and pulled out a talisman. It was his final trump card, a lightning talisman sealing a full-force strike from a Qi Circulation 9th Floor cultivator.

Clutching the talisman tightly, he looked at Chen Lingxi. ”I am a disciple of the Que Star Xi Family... There is still an exalted genius of my family inside this grotto-heaven...”

Before he could finish, Chen Lingxi suddenly spoke, ”Brother, look at that mountain!”

Xi Yuan didn’t budge.

But right then, mist suddenly gathered on a distant mountain, then dispersed, revealing a figure.

Sensing the familiar spiritual qi fluctuations, Xi Yuan couldn’t help but draw a deep breath and look toward the mountain.

There was... actually a person there!

The person had a handsome face and stood perfectly straight. It was just that... his eyes were hollow and lifeless, making him look exactly like a puppet!

”Xi Mu!”

Recognizing the man, Xi Yuan’s mind reeled violently!

”Ha!” The moment his focus slipped, a blast from the Dragon Roar Technique exploded against him.

Xi Yuan blacked out for a split second!

Chen Lingxi loosely squeezed his fingers in the void.

The Heaven-Seizing Seal was already fully activated.

Seconds later, the residual lightning faded, and the seal crashed down upon Xi Yuan’s head.

Xi Yuan snapped awake, but the seal still fell, violently smashing into him.

Knocked flying like a kite with a snapped string, he slammed into a cliffside hundreds of zhang away.

Rocks shattered and dust billowed into the air. The remaining spiritual qi in his body stagnated, leaving him completely powerless to channel it.

Chen Lingxi landed right in front of him.

He stared down at Xi Yuan, who lay collapsed in the rubble. Resting his right hand on the hilt of the Thunder Radiance Longsword, he drew the blade inch by inch.

Xi Yuan coughed up a mouthful of blood and lifted his head with great difficulty to meet Chen Lingxi’s gaze.

Seeing the utter indifference in those eyes, he let out a sudden, miserable laugh. He remembered lying low for over twenty winters and summers. He remembered the earnest expectations of his clan elders before his reincarnation. He remembered all his pride and conceit as a son of the Xi family...

Chen Lingxi had already raised his sword.

Under the starlight, the longsword glinted with a cold, ghastly light. The lightning runes still danced along the steel, crackling loudly...

Xi Yuan closed his eyes and waited peacefully for death. He couldn’t muster a single thread of spiritual qi anymore.

But just then, Chen Lingxi abruptly sheathed his sword.

The blade slid home with a ring, and the lightning on the steel vanished in a flash.

He crouched down and methodically looted Xi Yuan’s body.

Then, grabbing the man by the back of his collar, he leaped into the air.

”I still have things to ask you, so don’t die just yet.”

—

Back in another part of Ancestral Mountain, Lin Suri stood amidst the ruined valley.

Three corpses lay in front of him. The two Great Zhou cultivators and the white-haired woman had ultimately failed to escape his Jade Sword. Lin Suri slowly sheathed the blade.

Just then, a ripple tore through the distant sea of clouds.

Looking up, Lin Suri saw the Lustrous White Heavenly Boat breach the clouds.

The young man standing at the bow wore the Thunder Radiance Longsword at his hip. His robes snapped in the wind, and the three-colored radiance around him had completely retracted.

He was also dangling a person by the collar.

It was the barely-breathing Xi Yuan.

”Brother!” Chen Lingxi called out, his gaze landing on Lin Suri. ”Fortunately, I did not fail.”

Lin Suri drew a deep breath...

’Practicing the Six Qi True Method of my Pool Soul Courtyard... who exactly is this man?’