After the Great Dao Died

Ying Ju’s face was filled with terror. His striking, heroic features had lost all color; his lips were dry, and cold sweat poured down his forehead.

The Nine Revolutions blood qi in his body was completely suppressed by the Heaven-Seizing Seal’s spiritual qi, keeping him from mustering even the slightest sliver of power. Reduced to a lamb awaiting slaughter, he showed none of his previous insufferable arrogance.

”You...” Ying Ju trembled.

He stared at the figure before him, completely at a loss.

Before Ying Ju could finish, the Spirit-Wielding General spoke.

His voice carried a deep, heavy pressure. ”You wanted to kill me and send my corpse to the Imperial Capital for merit... Let me ask you...”

He leaned forward slightly, his youthful eyes staring straight into Ying Ju’s like two bottomless, frigid pools. ”Inside the Imperial Capital’s Imperial Palace, someone wants the corpses of out-of-domain figures?”

Ying Ju had always been extremely proud. Along his path of cultivation, he rarely met his match.

As the Crown Prince of the King of the East, he had grown up in the military. With repeated military merit and immense innate talent, he had already cultivated to the Nine Revolutions realm.

Even in this vast world, he was considered one of the few young chosen ones.Yet at this moment, gripped by that giant cloud-qi hand, he could not escape its control, no matter how fiercely he circulated his blood qi or pushed his profound arts.

And face to face with the Spirit-Wielding General, he finally saw his true appearance... He was unbelievably young.

Young to the point of filling him with despair.

He had seen countless young prodigies, but for someone this age to possess such terrifying strength was completely unheard of.

’This person is actually so young...’ Violent waves churned in his heart.

With death looming, his past arrogance entirely shattered.

When Chen Lingxi asked his question, the voice struck like a heavenly decree. Every word carried unquestionable majesty, pouring straight into Ying Ju’s ears and making his skull buzz.

He answered in a low voice, stripped of all his earlier haughtiness. ”The Imperial Capital started hunting down out-of-domain figures a long time ago. Dead or alive, as long as they are delivered to the palace, one can receive a reward...

Many have received generous rewards from the Sage because of this... The figures sitting in the high courts of the Great Li Dynasty call it... presenting a treasure.”

Presenting a treasure...

Chen Lingxi narrowed his eyes.

He suddenly remembered something.

Years ago, Xi Yu’s father had been transferred to Lunan to serve as prefect precisely because of his merit in presenting a treasure. Thinking about it now, that ”treasure” most likely referred to out-of-domain figures.

His thoughts flickered rapidly.

He suddenly remembered the coffins resting at the bottom of the Xia River, the cultivators sealed within them, and those massive arrays.

The corpses of cultivators might be serving as components of an array, or as resources for a certain type of cultivation.

’Who exactly is inside the palace?’

Chen Lingxi’s thoughts drifted.

Meanwhile, the once insufferably arrogant crown prince still harbored deep terror in his eyes.

Seeing Chen Lingxi stay silent, he opened his mouth to speak.

He likely intended to mention that his father was the Entering Profound realm King of the East...

But at that moment, the young figure before Ying Ju suddenly shook his head.

Ying Ju’s expression drastically changed!

Rumble! In an instant, the giant cloud-qi hand clenched violently.

Chen Lingxi pushed the Heaven-Seizing Seal to its absolute limit, the giant hand seal carrying an apocalyptic, terrifying might...

And squeezed!

Terrifying power exploded, scattering spiritual qi everywhere!

The Crown Prince of the King of the East didn’t even have the chance to grunt before the giant hand abruptly crushed him into a mist of blood.

The blood mist geysered through the gaps in the Heaven-Seizing Seal’s fingers, diffusing into the night wind and vanishing without a trace in the blink of an eye.

Chen Lingxi had been standing extremely close to the crown prince. When the blood mist burst outward, a barrier of spiritual qi blocked it entirely, ensuring not a single drop stained his robes.

He stood there just beyond the gore, his robes fluttering. The aura around him remained as calm and heavy as water, as if the thing he had just crushed to death were nothing more than an insignificant ant.

Lin Longyue was still on the mountain.

She knelt prostrate against the freezing rocks, drawing deep breaths, completely unable to stop her body from trembling.

This young mistress of the Marquis Manor came from a prestigious lineage, but Baosu Marquis Estate had long since fallen into decline. Although her father had inherited the title, he held no real power in the imperial court and naturally couldn’t claim any significant status.

Therefore, even as the young mistress of the Marquis Manor, when facing a noble of the King of the East like Commandery Princess Yunhe, she could only cautiously serve and flatter her. As for the Crown Prince of the King of the East, whether in terms of birth, official rank, or personal cultivation, he was a top figure in the Great Li Dynasty.

The Crown Prince of the King of the East—the future King of the East, an expert at the Nine Revolutions realm, and a wielder of actual military authority—was a prominent figure even in the imperial court.

Every time someone of his stature returned to the Imperial Capital, countless people would scramble to curry favor with him.

Three years prior, she had prepared a heavy sum of money to request an audience with His Highness the Crown Prince. Finding no avenue to approach him, she had returned in disappointment.

Later, when she befriended Commandery Princess Yunhe, the commandery princess even promised to introduce them once His Highness the Crown Prince returned.

Up until today, His Highness the Crown Prince had been a lofty, unattainable existence!

But today... he had been crushed to pieces.

Crushed effortlessly by the Spirit-Wielding General, who had acted like an immortal manifesting a celestial hand!

Just like crushing an insignificant ant.

The unattainably lofty Crown Prince of the King of the East, the arrogantly invincible Nine Revolutions expert, had been reduced to a mist of blood without time to let out a single scream.

Lin Longyue didn’t know how to express her shock.

She knelt prostrate, her entire body still trembling slightly. That shivering didn’t just stem from terror, but from a much more complex, indescribable emotion.

She raised her head, gazing at the figure standing in the sky and looking at those eyes as calm as water, her emotions surging...

”General...” she murmured softly, her eyes flickering.

Reflected in her eyes were the remaining specks of spiritual light lingering in the night sky, and that figure standing straight as a pine.

Her lips moved slightly, as if she wanted to speak but didn’t know where to begin.

Right then, the Spirit-Wielding General finally turned around.

Except, when he turned around and revealed his face, the residual light from the sky leaked through the gaps in the clouds and fell perfectly upon his features...

That face was young and handsome, exuding a calm that mismatched his age.

But...

In an instant, Lin Longyue felt as though she had been struck by lightning!

She stared blankly at the person before her, her pupils shrinking rapidly and her mouth hanging open. Her already pale face drained of its last trace of color.

”Chen... Chen Lingxi! You’re actually that official...” Before she could finish, she saw the figure standing upon the clouds in the sky, resembling a celestial being, slightly furrow his brows.

Lin Longyue’s heart clenched!

She realized what she had just blurted out and hastily shut her mouth, yet she still felt as though she were in a dream.

The Spirit-Wielding General was actually the official bondservant in their estate who excelled at flower arranging!

The medicine slave struggling bitterly in the reverse-facing room? The servant she ordered around and scolded at will, the lowly person she had never once looked squarely in the eye?

Before she even had time to fully process her shock, she realized her slip of the tongue.

Her thoughts thumped like war drums, and her heart pounded wildly in her chest. Her blood seemed to turn to ice.

She subconsciously tried to scramble up from the ground to prostrate herself and beg for forgiveness, wanting to kowtow and plead for mercy from the general she had offended time and time again.

But she saw that the celestial being riding the clouds wore an indifferent expression...

He stood atop that cluster of pale green cloud-qi, his robes snapping in the wind, his surrounding aura as fathomless as an abyss. He was like a true immortal descending to the mortal realm, high above, looking down upon the masses.

The general did not speak, but a voice echoed in Lin Longyue’s mind.

The voice didn’t enter through her eardrums but exploded directly in the depths of her mind. ”Lin Longyue, from the day you were selected by that Crown Prince Ying Chi, there has been no path to survival for you in the Great Li Dynasty.

I made a transaction with you, extending your life, which is the only reason you have survived until now.

And now, disaster has arrived. If you stay any longer in Yuanjiang Prefecture, you will surely die.”

Chen Lingxi’s words ended there.

Lin Longyue snapped back to her senses, no longer daring to show any disrespect.

She took a deep breath, suppressing the stormy waves surging in her heart, and respectfully kowtowed!

With her forehead touching the ground in reverent posture, she said, ”General! Longyue is willing to serve by your side...”

However, before she could finish, Chen Lingxi slowly shook his head.

”What was between us was merely a transaction. I extracted your Profound Qi and broke the defiling array upon you, allowing you to live.

The fate between us ends right here.”

Lin Longyue looked up, her body trembling, tears swirling in her eyes.

Those tears welled up in her striking eyes but ultimately never fell. She bit her lip, her voice dropping even lower. ”General...”

Chen Lingxi clasped his hands behind his back, standing atop the cloud-qi, looking down at her.

No emotion could be seen in his calm, water-like eyes. It was as if he were looking at a complete stranger.

His voice echoed in Lin Longyue’s Sea of Consciousness once again.

”Flee for your life! Go to Qinghua Province, or head straight to Great Zhou.

I will kill Crown Prince Ying Chi, but the Imperial Court will investigate this matter.

The nobility of the Great Li Dynasty won’t bother asking for reasons. Once the King of the East comes in person, you will definitely die!”

Saying this, Chen Lingxi suddenly tossed out a jade bracelet and two spirit stones.

The jade bracelet was pure white through and through, emitting a warm luster beneath the moonlight. It was precisely Rong Chun’s Vast Expanse Artifact.

The two spirit stones were about the size of fingernails, housing wisps of flowing spiritual qi that gleamed in the night.

”Take this bracelet and go find your elder brother, Lin Suri. Beg him for a true incantation for breathing and channeling qi. When the time comes, you’ll know the wondrous uses of these two spirit stones. Then, leave Yuanjiang Prefecture as quickly as possible.”

Having finished speaking, Chen Lingxi didn’t look at her again. The mass of pale green cloud-qi beneath his feet rose silently, lifting him from the ground. In the blink of an eye, he ascended dozens of zhang into the sky.

Moonlight cascaded upon him, plating his dark robes with a faint silver rim. From afar, he looked like a star traveling upstream, shooting away into the distance.

”General!” Lin Longyue cried out.

She reached out with a bloodstained hand, seemingly wanting to grab something, but her fingertips met only the icy night wind.

That figure had already turned into a tiny speck of light on the horizon, vanishing into the layered sea of clouds in an instant, nowhere to be found.

Tears finally streamed from her eyes.

”General...”

Lin Longyue took a deep breath.

She suddenly thought of the offensive term ”official bondservant” she had just used, and a wave of unparalleled regret washed over her, almost making it hard for her to breathe.

’If I hadn’t offended him just now... would the General have...’

Immediately after, she remembered all the times she had offended and even humiliated Chen Lingxi.

Those memories spun endlessly in her mind, every scene leaving her thoroughly flustered. ’That’s right... what existed between the General and me was merely a transaction. The General allowed me to live, so what more am I hoping for?’

’Given my numerous past offenses, the General’s willingness to spare me instead of treating me like Commandery Princess Yunhe is already a great show of mercy.’

Lin Longyue’s heart turned to ash.

But she still gritted her teeth and straightened up.

Taking a deep breath, she retrieved the jade bracelet from the air.

Clutching the jade bracelet in her palm, a hint of confusion flashed in her eyes.

’The General told me to seek out my elder brother, could it be that...’

She recalled how, over the past two or three years, Lin Suri had spent his days cultivating in seclusion, shedding all his former viciousness and cruelty.

’Does he harbor a secret too?’

’Could he also be like the General, one of the rumored immortals?’

Lin Longyue took a deep breath, realizing she could delay no longer.

She tucked the two spirit stones and the jade bracelet securely against her body. Taking one last look in the direction Chen Lingxi had disappeared, she headed down the mountain. The night had deepened, and the gateway of Baosu Marquis Estate stood imposingly in the darkness.

Lin Longyue entered the estate and went straight to the South Courtyard.

She knocked on the door in the dead of night, and Wang Chu came to open it.

Wang Chu carried a lantern. Its dim, yellow halo shone on her oval face, making the charm of her features stand out even more.

Seeing that it was actually Lin Longyue standing outside the door, she couldn’t help but freeze.

”Young Mistress?” Wang Chu was extremely surprised.

Her young master and the young mistress had never been close, rarely interacting even during festivals and holidays. Why would she visit in the middle of the night?

And looking so haggard, at that.

Wang Chu led Lin Longyue into the East Hall.

Lin Suri seemed to have already sensed Lin Longyue’s arrival and was sitting in the East Hall waiting.

He was still wearing a dark brocade robe with a jade belt clasped around his waist, sitting upright behind the rosewood desk.

A bronze lamp rested on the desk, its flame a vibrant blue-green color that cast a mysterious look over his features. ”B-Brother...” Lin Longyue took a deep breath and looked up at Lin Suri.

She saw Lin Suri’s deep eyes, which were incredibly calm.

He just looked at her plainly—neither warmly nor distantly—as though looking at a stranger.

A chill ran through her heart. She didn’t dare look any longer, lowering her head and pulling the jade bracelet from within her robes.

”The General... the General ordered me to offer up this jade bracelet.”

She held the jade bracelet in both hands, presenting it with deep respect.

”General?” Lin Suri frowned.

He raised his eyes, his gaze sweeping over Lin Longyue.

”It’s... General Chen.” Even now, Lin Longyue didn’t dare refer to Chen Lingxi by his full name.

She kept her head lowered, her voice growing even softer.

Lin Suri slightly raised an eyebrow. ”Is it Chen Lingxi?”

His tone was indifferent, but a faint, highly complex emotion flitted across his eyes. Not daring to cause offense, Lin Longyue respectfully nodded.

Beside them, Wang Chu blanked slightly.

’Chen Lingxi?’

Due to the flower-arranging incident, the several managers in the estate were quite familiar with Chen Lingxi.

That official bondservant was highly skilled in flower arrangement. A vase he created had once been sent to Imperial Consort Chun’s Mirror Palace and had even earned a reward from the noble consort.

However, as Wang Chu suddenly recalled this, she realized that Chen Lingxi seemed to have vanished without a trace a long time ago. It was as if he had evaporated into thin air; no one had mentioned him since.

But today... why had the young mistress brought this jade bracelet to see her young master?

And why did she keep calling him a general?

How could an official bondservant be associated with the title of ”General”?

Lin Suri shot Wang Chu a look.

Wang Chu stepped forward, took the jade bracelet from Lin Longyue’s hands, turned, and presented it to her young master with both hands.

Lin Suri accepted the jade bracelet and inspected it briefly. The body of the bracelet was pure white, and countless fine lines faintly circulated within it. It was exactly Rong Chun’s Vast Expanse Artifact.

He looked up, his gaze falling back onto Lin Longyue. ”What do you want?” he asked calmly.

Lin Longyue drew a deep breath.

”General Chen ordered me to request... to request... that Brother impart a method of breathing and channeling qi!”

Lin Suri stood up, his gaze flickering.

He stayed silent for a few breaths, then walked in front of Lin Longyue. Holding his right index and middle fingers together like a sword, spiritual light lit up at his fingertips.

He made a light swipe through the air with those two fingers, and a strand of spiritual qi as thin as a hair shot from his fingertips, burying itself straight into Lin Longyue’s glabella.

Lin Longyue’s entire body gave a slight jolt. She felt a massive, complex flood of information surge into her mind like a bursting flash flood.

Lin Suri withdrew his fingers, and the strand of spiritual qi silently dispersed.

Looking down at Lin Longyue, he slowly asked, ”What else did General Chen say?”

Lin Longyue came to her senses and hastily shook her head. ”Nothing... The General only told me to seek out my brother to request a method, and then to leave Yuanjiang Prefecture as quickly as possible.”

Lin Suri gave a small nod and asked no more. ”Then... go.”

Lin Longyue opened her mouth, as if wanting to say something.

She wanted to ask who exactly her brother was, what Chen Lingxi’s origins were, and just how many hidden secrets existed between heaven and earth that she didn’t know about.

But seeing Lin Suri standing with his hands clasped behind his back, and sensing his distant, indifferent attitude, she swallowed the words that had surged to her lips.

She lowered her head, gave a deep bow to Lin Suri’s back, and turned around. Dragging her exhausted body, she slowly walked out of the East Hall.

Lin Longyue gathered her belongings, and with that, she departed from Yuanjiang Prefecture.

Standing on the banks of the Yuanjiang River, her eyes still held traces of confusion.

She had grown up in Baosu Marquis Estate. If she left this manor, where was she supposed to go?