After the Great Dao Died

Chen Lingxi killed Crown Prince Ying Chi—whose intelligence had clearly been outdated—with a single Heaven-Seizing Seal, then boarded a heavenly boat and sped away.

At this moment, spiritual qi surged around him like a mighty rushing river, carrying an astonishing momentum.

The heavenly boat pierced the clouds, trailing a long lustrous white wake as it crossed a vast distance in the blink of an eye.

He sat cross-legged inside the vessel. The Myriad Marvels Dharmic Robe flowed silently over him, concealing every trace of his leaking aura. He resembled a sheathed sword with its sharp edges entirely hidden, save for the pool of spiritual qi boiling within his sea of qi, slowly replenishing the energy he had expended on that palm strike.

The crowd remaining on the battlefield clearly hadn’t anticipated this sudden turn of events.

Xiao Zhushan forced Zhang Mozhu back with a swing of his saber. Looking up, he saw only a lustrous white streak of light fleeing rapidly toward the horizon, on the verge of vanishing into the sea of clouds.

A rare trace of astonishment surfaced on his cold, hard face.

Even the women in the heavenly boats couldn’t help but exchange bewildered glances across the empty air.

Their three Lustrous White Heavenly Boats still hovered above the clouds, spiritual light swirling across their hulls.

The three women’s robes fluttered in the wind. The spiritual qi undulating around them was deep and heavy—impressively, they were all cultivators at the Qi Circulation 8th Floor Consummation.Yet an identical look of shock appeared on their faces, like three confident chess players whose entire board had just been upended by a chaotic, nonsensical move from their opponent.

”Didn’t the official who went to Ancestral Mountain report that Chen Lingxi and Lin Suri ambushed Xi Yuan together, and that both of them had reached the Qi Circulation 7th Floor?” one woman projected through her divine sense.

She couldn’t suppress her shock and suspicion.

She simply couldn’t fathom it. The battle at Ancestral Mountain had only been a few months ago; how could Chen Lingxi’s cultivation have advanced so drastically?

Slapping Crown Prince Ying Chi, a Qi Circulation 7th Floor cultivator, to death in a single palm strike was absolutely not something an ordinary Seventh Floor—or even Eighth Floor—cultivator could achieve.

”Even if he refined Mother Qi, he should theoretically only be at the early stages of the Eighth Floor. But that terrifying surge of spiritual qi earlier... I’m afraid he has reached the Qi Circulation 8th Floor Consummation, perhaps only a single step away from the Ninth Floor!”

Another woman picked up the conversation. ”Furthermore, this person also cultivates the Heaven-Seizing Seal!”

Even in their hands, the Heaven-Seizing Seal was considered a major slaughtering technique. Yet that casual palm strike from Chen Lingxi surpassed theirs in condensation, the sheer weight of its spiritual qi, and its profound mystery.

It was almost as if... he had spent far more time cultivating the Heaven-Seizing Seal than they had.

The third, aloof woman hadn’t spoken at all. She merely frowned, staring coldly at the battlefield below.

Xiao Zhushan was furiously pressing his attack, raining increasingly heavy saber blows down upon Zhang Mozhu and the six arrayed martial artists.

Zhang Mozhu had been injured at some point. A saber wound on his shoulder continued to seep blood, the droplets trailing down his arm.

Flaws had already appeared in the six martial artists’ battle formation. If this continued, Xiao Zhushan would likely emerge victorious in less time than it took to drink a cup of tea.

”Let’s kill these two first so we can report back to the Sage,” the aloof woman scoffed coldly, her voice sharp and decisive. ”As for Chen Lingxi, the Sage surely has his own plans!”

The moment she finished speaking, all three moved in unison.

The three women joined forces, their erupting spiritual qi incredibly dense.

It was like three long-suppressed spiritual qi volcanoes erupting simultaneously. The clouds within a radius of hundreds of zhang were stirred into a frenzied, churning state by the sudden explosive fluctuations, boiling like hot water.

These three women possessed cultivation bases nearly on par with Rong Chun; all of them were at the Qi Circulation 8th Floor Consummation.

Based purely on the density and depth of their spiritual qi, if any one of them were placed in Ancestral Mountain, they could clash head-on with someone like Xi Yuan without losing ground.

Even more startlingly, their auras linked together, faintly forming a massive array.

Through this array, their spiritual qi circulated among them, providing mutual reinforcement and simultaneously elevating all three of their cultivation bases.

Their spiritual qi fluctuations, already at the Qi Circulation 8th Floor Consummation, spiked yet another notch under the array’s empowerment.

Within the shadows of the pagodas, their auras merged and stimulated one another. It was as if three separate rivers had suddenly emptied into the same ocean, the waters gathering higher and heavier.

Although they hadn’t stepped into the Ninth Floor or comprehended its profound mysteries, their sheer concentration of spiritual qi likely brushed the threshold of an early-stage Ninth Floor cultivator! More importantly, the operation of their spiritual qi array seemed to amplify the might of the spells and divine abilities cast within it.

They casually unleashed a spell, and three blinding runes abruptly lit up within the array.

The three runes flashed simultaneously. Three beams of spiritual light shot out like unsheathed swords, intersecting, merging, and swelling in the void. In an instant, they formed a terrifying pillar of light as thick as a water bucket.

Brimming with indescribably terrifying power, the pillar of light blasted straight down.

However, it wasn’t aimed solely at Xiao Zhushan. Instead, it enveloped the still-brawling Xiao Zhushan, Zhang Mozhu, and all the others within its strike radius!

Xiao Zhushan threw his head back and laughed loudly.

His vitality roared around him like a massive millstone. The qi and blood of his Entering Profound realm surged, fully awakening at this moment like a volcano that had slumbered for eons.

Boiling vitality spewed from the three hundred and sixty-five acupoints across his body, condensing into a blood-colored astral shield several chi thick over his skin.

His aura was incomparably fierce and murderous. Every slash of his saber carried a fearless, invincible spirit, tearing through the air with the force of a collapsing mountain or splitting earth.

He was actually single-handedly suppressing six experts, including Zhang Mozhu.

Zhang Mozhu grew increasingly alarmed as the fight wore on. He was also an Entering Profound cultivator, possessing a cultivation base considered top-tier within the Great Li empire, yet against this Xiao Zhushan, he couldn’t be considered strong at all.

The remaining martial artists fared even worse. However, due to the three women’s interference, their combined spells smashed down one after another, each containing terrifying might capable of toppling mountains and shattering peaks.

Xiao Zhushan was forced to divert his attention to deal with the pillars of magical light falling from the sky. As a result, Zhang Mozhu finally gained a chance to catch his breath.

For a time, above the forest and across the official road, auras surged and deafening booms rang out.

Meanwhile, Chen Lingxi, having reaped the fisherman’s spoils, was already far away from this place of conflict.

He didn’t pause for a moment. Hiding within the high clouds, he piloted the heavenly boat out of Changhe Province.

Propelled by his spiritual qi, the heavenly boat moved as fast as a lustrous white meteor. The mountains and rivers below blurred backward, and in a short span of time, he had flown hundreds of li.

Atop the heavenly boat, Chen Lingxi sat cross-legged.

First, he restored the Myriad Marvels Dharmic Robe back into the form of an ordinary gray-green robe, then fully retracted his leaking spiritual qi fluctuations. Only then did he spare the focus to send a wisp of divine sense into Crown Prince Ying Chi’s Vast Void Pouch.

The Vast Void Pouch was about the size of a palm. Its fabric was dark gold, embroidered with intricate cloud and dragon patterns, boasting incredibly fine craftsmanship.

The mouth of the pouch was tied off with a silver silk string. A faint, nearly imperceptible light of a restrictive spell flowed across the knot.

However, since Crown Prince Ying Chi was dead, this restriction had lost its anchor. A gentle push from Chen Lingxi’s divine sense was enough to shatter it completely.

The space inside was quite expansive, roughly two zhang square, and filled with a dazzling array of items. There were about seventeen or eighteen spirit stones, all roughly the size of a thumb.

There were various medicinal pills and a few magical artifacts, but they were all ordinary goods. With Chen Lingxi’s current standards, he barely spared them a glance.

His divine sense swept over these items and suddenly paused.

With a slight nudge of his divine sense, a small palace model abruptly appeared in his hand.

The model was no larger than a palm, yet it featured carved beams, painted rafters, and upturned eaves. Every detail was meticulously carved to perfection.

The entire model was carved from an unknown wood as dark as ink, with a very faint, subtle spiritual light flowing across its surface.

Without a doubt, this was the Crown Prince’s Beast-Fighting Palace.

A faint smile crept onto Chen Lingxi’s lips.

Crown Prince Ying Chi had poured so much effort into this treasure, traveling all over to host his beast-fighting banquets. At every banquet, he sacrificed the lives of dozens of martial artists to empower this item.

But then, his brow furrowed again.

Crown Prince Ying Chi of the Southern Heaven Region had not been weak. At the Qi Circulation 7th Floor, he had already been an extremely powerful existence within this Qi-Depleted Grotto-Heaven.

Yet inside Great Li’s Imperial Palace, it wasn’t enough. Chen Lingxi didn’t even need to think hard to know that Great Li’s Imperial Palace harbored shocking secrets.

The identical heavenly boats and the sudden appearance of the three women at the Eighth Floor of Qi Circulation were proof enough.

If Chen Lingxi hadn’t been privy to certain secrets, he might have assumed these three women hailed from the same sect as Imperial Consort Chun.

After all, sects were as numerous as trees in the Greater World, and it wouldn’t be rare for a single sect to send multiple disciples to engage in seeking truth and inquiring about the cauldrons.

But Xi Mu had told him long ago that when the numerous sects of the Greater World reincarnated into this grotto-heaven, they were only permitted to send one disciple each.

Only the Que Star Xi Family, existing outside the established rules, could send two extra disciples. Thus, Xi Mu, Xi Yuan, and Xi Yu had all reincarnated here.

The reason the Xi Family enjoyed this privilege was that this Qi-Depleted Grotto-Heaven fundamentally belonged to them.

True Monarch Xi controlled the Realm-Refining Furnace and was the true master of this realm; naturally, he had the authority to send more of his descendants inside to gain experience.

Yet in Great Li’s Imperial Palace, Rong Chun counted as one, the three women in the heavenly boats today made three more, and then there was the unfathomable Yuan Yuan. If all these people belonged to the same sect, how could any other sect hope to seek truth and inquire about the cauldrons?

”Four people using the exact same spells and divine abilities... It’s truly bizarre,” Chen Lingxi murmured to himself. ”Moreover, the palace can casually dispatch Eighth Floor Qi Circulation cultivators, and they also have martial experts like Yuan Yuan.”

As his thoughts reached this point, his doubts deepened. ’Yet in an imperial palace filled with hidden dragons and crouching tigers, Crown Prince Ying Chi—a mere Qi Circulation 7th Floor figure—was somehow able to safely hold onto the Cauldron Vessel Fragment of the Crown Prince’s Beast-Fighting Palace and the extraordinary Purple True Treasure Vase, with no one fighting him for them...’

He traveled around hosting beast-fighting banquets, using the mighty Cauldron Vessel power of the Crown Prince’s Beast-Fighting Palace to nourish the treasure vase.

’This Crown Prince’s Beast-Fighting Palace and the Purple True Treasure Vase are fit for a much stronger expert, yet they ended up in Crown Prince Ying Chi’s hands.’

’Could it truly be Emperor Daye showing extraordinary grace, freely rewarding him with both the Crown Prince’s Beast-Fighting Palace and the Purple True Treasure Vase?’

Chen Lingxi furrowed his brow tightly. He pondered it from every angle but simply couldn’t make sense of it.

After thinking for a while and failing to untangle the threads, he temporarily pushed the thoughts aside.

The heavenly boat headed straight for the Nanju Twelve Mountains and descended into the peaks.

In the sky, the two bright mirrors still cast a radiance that only Chen Lingxi could see.

They hung in the void, scattering brilliant pillars of light across every corner of this small grotto-heaven.

Chen Lingxi returned to his cave, sat cross-legged on a bluestone slab, and took out the Crown Prince’s Beast-Fighting Palace again.

This Cauldron Vessel Fragment exhaled a faint, ancient aura, emanating pulses of primordial spiritual energy.

Chen Lingxi looked at the Crown Prince’s Beast-Fighting Palace, feeling a touch of curiosity. ”The crown prince hosted so many beast-fighting banquets just to make sacrifices to the Cauldron Vessel and nourish the Purple True Treasure Vase,” he muttered to himself, his fingers gently brushing over the upturned eaves of the palace model. ”It’s just... using a Cauldron Vessel like that, why didn’t it ever trigger a cauldron calamity?”

He still remembered the terrifying greed that had flared in his heart when he used the Time Candle.

That greed had come on furiously, nearly swallowing him whole.

Yet Crown Prince Ying Chi had frequently used the beast-fighting fragment without ever suffering any disaster. It was truly bizarre.

Chen Lingxi felt there were still many secrets hidden about the crown prince.

’Regardless, this Crown Prince’s Beast-Fighting Palace has already fallen into my hands.’

Chen Lingxi suppressed his chaotic thoughts, took a deep breath, and settled into his meditative posture.

Following the ancient aura emanating from the Cauldron Venerable, his divine sense silently probed into the miniature world within the palace.

Chen Lingxi’s divine sense swept across the sky of this miniature world and landed on the Jade Bottle suspended high above.

The Purple True Treasure Vase was radiating a brilliant light, warm and bright, like a small purple sun hanging in the highest heavens.

’No wonder Crown Prince Ying Chi didn’t use the Purple True Treasure Vase earlier.’

’It seems Crown Prince Ying Chi hosted many more beast-fighting banquets while on Dragon Hall Mountain.’ Chen Lingxi retracted his divine sense, understanding dawning in his heart.

’He wanted to elevate the power of the Purple True Treasure Vase to the next level. However, using the Cauldron Vessel Fragment of the Crown Prince’s Beast-Fighting Palace to empower such a treasure isn’t something that can be accomplished in a single step. It requires slow, sustained empowerment. And during that empowerment process, the crown prince naturally couldn’t use the beast-fighting palace.’

Chen Lingxi pondered for a moment before returning the Crown Prince’s Beast-Fighting Palace to his Vast Void Pouch.

He then pulled out Crown Prince Ying Chi’s severed head.

It was a rather grisly sight.

Chen Lingxi didn’t want to stare too long at Crown Prince Ying Chi, who had died without closing his eyes.

’I wonder if Crown Prince Ying Chi’s head can actually be used to cast Vision Roaming on Emperor Daye.’

Chen Lingxi silently recited the binding incantation for the Vision Roaming Divine Ability, attempting to use the head as an item of karma to bind Emperor Daye, Ying Xian.

Then, invoking the name of the emperor, Ying Xian, and using the head as the karmic medium, he executed the Vision Roaming technique.

Silence.

The void within the Divine Chamber remained dead and still.

”It failed,” he said, retracting his divine sense. He fell silent for a moment, looking down at the unblinking severed head, a slight frown creasing his brow.

’It seems my deduction was incorrect.’

’A karmic bond of extreme depth probably can’t just be a close relative.’

He had assumed the blood connection between father and son was one of the deepest karmic ties in the world. Yet, as it turned out, under the rules of the Vision Roaming Divine Ability, such blood karma didn’t count.

Or perhaps...

Another possibility suddenly flashed through his mind...

’This Crown Prince Ying Chi, a reincarnator, didn’t represent a profound karmic bond to Emperor Daye at all.’

He took a deep breath, suddenly finding himself completely at a loss.

’Since I can’t use Vision Roaming on Emperor Daye, am I left with no choice but to use it on Liu Changle?’

Distracted for a few moments, his gaze passed through the cave entrance, faintly making out the two bright mirrors in the sky.

’This is the time of Absolute Perception. I might as well give it a try and cast Vision Roaming on Liu Changle... Let’s see if I can truly look into the Greater World!’