After the Great Dao Died

Vision Roaming shattered.

The scenes he had just witnessed through Vision Roaming still lingered in Chen Lingxi’s mind.

That magnificent, vast sea of clouds; those three great suns suspended in the sky; those immortal palaces faintly visible in the clouds; and the desolate silhouette of Liu Changle frantically running across Sun Observation Peak to plead for help, only to return empty-handed.

”Dragon-Revering Sect, Sun Observation Peak, Huang Yuefeng...” he muttered.

’The good news is that by using Vision Roaming on Liu Changle, I can indeed see the Greater World.

’The bad news is that the Liu Changle in the Greater World seems weighed down by his sect. He cannot leave that so-called Dragon-Revering Territory, so naturally, he can’t see much of the wider world.’

With these thoughts in mind, Chen Lingxi stood up.

’It seems I still need to make a trip to the Ancestral Mountain to ask exactly what this deeply entangled karma of Emperor Daye is.’

In Chen Lingxi’s original plan, he had intended to use this entry into Absolute Perception to ask the Credit Peddler about the refinement of the Grotto-Heaven.

But as it stood, he had made no progress in using Vision Roaming on Emperor Daye.Besides, Absolute Perception was not something he could only use once.

Therefore, Chen Lingxi decided to prioritize the matter of using Vision Roaming on Emperor Daye. He would wait until his next use of Absolute Perception to ask the Credit Peddler about that supposed sliver of hope. After resting peacefully for three days, he finally stood up.

The Hidden Edge Method circulated silently within his body, and the Myriad Marvels Dharmic Robe subsequently transformed into a set of dark black robes.

He activated the Cloud-Soaring Technique. A mass of pale cyan cloud qi condensed beneath his feet, lifting him into the air before turning him into a streak of pale cyan light that flew straight toward the Ancestral Mountain.

The Ancestral Mountain remained unchanged.

Thick fog surged like ocean waves, wrapping the entire peak so tightly that nothing could be seen beyond a few steps.

He had walked through this dense fog many times while using Absolute Perception. Navigating it now was a familiar routine, his pace steady and unhurried.

After walking for about the time it takes an incense stick to burn, he spotted that rock again.

It was about half the height of a man and completely dusty gray—an unremarkable, ordinary stone that could be found anywhere in the mountains.

He stopped in front of it and waited quietly.

Moments later, a very faint ripple suddenly surfaced on the stone, like water disturbed by a pebble, spreading outward layer by layer.

Finally, a person stepped out from within.

It was the Credit Peddler. He stepped out of the stone and raised his eyes to look at Chen Lingxi.

Chen Lingxi watched him calmly, waiting for the man to speak first.

A few breaths later, the Credit Peddler lowered his hands, a faint trace of surprise flashing through his clear eyes.

He looked Chen Lingxi up and down and suddenly smiled. ”It seems you’ve heard of my reputation and came specifically to strike a deal?”

At this, the Credit Peddler pinched his fingers to calculate, and the surprise in his eyes deepened.

”There have already been several truth-seekers who came to me seeking Emperor Daye’s secrets,” the Credit Peddler said with a smile. ”But you are the only one who wants to steal Emperor Daye’s karma.

”Is this necessary for a curse technique you cultivate, or did you acquire a Cauldron Vessel Fragment that can be used for curses?”

Chen Lingxi’s heart skipped a beat.

This Credit Peddler’s divination methods were as profound as ever.

”I do not practice any curse techniques, nor have I obtained a Cauldron Vessel for curses,” Chen Lingxi replied.

Pausing for a moment, Chen Lingxi looked up, meeting the Credit Peddler’s clear eyes, his tone frank. ”However, I wonder if I might be able to purchase an item containing Emperor Daye’s karma from you, Senior?”

The smile slowly faded from the Credit Peddler’s face, and he shook his head. ”Not for sale,” he said firmly. ”I only sell information about karma, not the karma itself.”

Chen Lingxi stood silently for a moment before suddenly cupping his fists and bowing to the Credit Peddler.

”In that case, I will buy a piece of information from you, Senior.” He looked up, his gaze burning. ”How can I find Emperor Daye’s karma?”

The Credit Peddler raised his right hand, his thumb tapping quickly across his knuckles, and chuckled. ”This information is a bit expensive.”

”How much are you asking, Senior?” Chen Lingxi asked.

”I do business as I please,” the Credit Peddler said with a smile. ”However, I have my eye on a treasure of yours. It isn’t in your hands yet, but you are fated to have it. One day in the future, you will likely obtain this treasure, and I will come looking for you then.”

”If you die along the way, it will prove you were not fated with the treasure, and I will simply count this deal as a loss.”

Chen Lingxi grinned and gave a slight nod in agreement.

Only then did the Credit Peddler answer, ”Emperor Daye and the Evil-Severing Heavenly King are fighting for control of the world. The soldiers under their command slaughter each other constantly. If we are talking about who in this realm has the deepest karma with Emperor Daye, no one surpasses Xiao Changlv.

”If you want an item bearing Emperor Daye’s karma, obtaining a drop of Xiao Changlv’s Entering Profound essence blood will be more than enough.

”This will be our only transaction. I will come find you when it is time to collect my due.”

With that, the Credit Peddler took a step back and melted into the rock. The stone returned to its original appearance, showing no signs of anything unusual.

The Ancestral Mountain fell silent once again; only the thick fog continued to churn.

Chen Lingxi stood before the stone, a small smile touching the corners of his lips.

”Xiao Changlv,” he murmured. The two clusters of golden lightning in his eyes slowly lit up.

Activating the Cloud-Soaring Technique beneath his feet, he transformed into a streak of pale cyan light, piercing through the dense layers of clouds and fog as he flew straight toward Qinghua Province.

If this had been the real world, Chen Lingxi might have stopped to plan things out thoroughly.

But... the two bright mirrors in the sky proved that this was the divine realm of Absolute Perception. Thus, Chen Lingxi flew straight for Qinghua Province.

Under the full propulsion of his spiritual qi, the sky boat sped forward like a glowing white meteor.

The mountains and rivers below rapidly blurred backward. From the fertile plains of Yuanjiang Prefecture to the rolling hills of Heguan Province, and finally to the vast, sprawling mountain ranges of Qinghua Province, the journey took only a few hours before his destination was in sight.

The Imperial Court’s army was currently locked in a standoff here with the Evil-Suppressing Heavenly Army, a stalemate that had already lasted for years.

After successfully breaking through twelve provinces in a row, Xiao Changlv had apparently encountered an unbreakable stone here in Qinghua Province.

The closer he got to the heart of Qinghua Province, the more obvious the scars of war became. Burned-down villages frequently appeared along the main roads, with a few stray dogs occasionally seen scavenging for food among the ruined walls.

Chen Lingxi stood at the head of the clouds, looking down at the devastated land with calm, unrippled eyes.

About thirty li from Qinghua Prefecture, he descended from the clouds, landing on a nameless hill.

Without a moment’s hesitation, he immediately circulated the Six Qi True Method!

An unimaginably majestic aura erupted from his body.

The spiritual qi of the Qi Circulation 9th Floor surged wildly, and the spiritual pool within his qi sea began to churn.

A towering Longevity Bridge extended from his palm, stretching across the sky. Spiritual light flowed over the bridge’s surface, and runes flashed, bathing half the heavens in a dazzling, pale gold.

The Longevity Bridge hung in the void, looking just like a heavenly ladder cascading down from the highest heavens.

He stepped onto the Longevity Bridge and sat cross-legged at its head, his robes snapping loudly in the night wind.

At the same time, the divine ability of the Heaven-Seizing Seal fiercely activated in his other hand.

The spiritual essence of heaven and earth within a radius of hundreds of zhang was forcefully seized by a tyrannical power, forming a massive hand seal in his palm.

He used the hand seal to snatch the cloud qi, churning the layers of clouds in the sky and condensing them into several massive characters that hung in the night sky... ”I request an audience with the Heavenly King!”

Though it was only a few words, empowered by the Heaven-Seizing Seal and wreathed in the pale golden lightning of his precious qi, they glowed blindingly bright in the night, exuding a terrifying might.

The massive characters hung in midair, exhaling three-colored light and arcs of lightning. They were like miniature stars, illuminating the distant Qinghua Prefecture until it was bright as day.

The distant Qinghua Prefecture remained silent for a moment.

Then, a terrifying aura erupted, shooting straight into the sky.

This aura was so heavy, dense, and domineering that it felt like a true sun bursting forth from deep underground, as though it intended to ignite all the clouds within dozens of li.

Immediately after, Chen Lingxi saw a faint, incredibly soft layer of rosy light bloom at the edge of the horizon.

The rosy light swept across the world, dyeing half the sky in a breathtakingly magnificent shade of crimson-gold.

It was as if someone had cut out the most brilliant sunset from the horizon and draped it over the night.

Beneath that sky full of rosy light, a man walked forward slowly with his hands clasped behind his back.

Every step he took carried him dozens of zhang. The hem of his robes fluttered gently in the wind.

His face was exceptionally striking and heroic. He looked to be around thirty-five, resembling a celestial being who had gathered all the martial valor of heaven and earth. Just one look was enough to inspire awe. ”Xiao Changlv.”

Chen Lingxi drew in a deep breath.

Even though he had already seen Xiao Changlv ambush and kill Imperial Consort Chun in Yuanjiang Prefecture, seeing him again now, Chen Lingxi still felt that this man’s sheer power defied all logic.

The presence Xiao Changlv exuded was far too overwhelming. It was so intense that, even with Chen Lingxi’s current cultivation, standing before him felt like a speck of dust gazing up at a massive sun.

It wasn’t a deliberately released pressure, but rather an innate, natural aura.

It was like a true dragon coiled there dozing—the surrounding beasts wouldn’t dare approach within a half-step!

Xiao Changlv stopped at the head of the Longevity Bridge.

As he stood there, his blazing, overwhelming presence suppressed the flowing spiritual light on the Longevity Bridge, causing it to dim slightly.

He didn’t speak. He simply raised his head and cast a glance at Chen Lingxi.

In an instant!

Chen Lingxi felt as though two physical arrows had shot straight through his forehead, piercing right into his Sea of Consciousness and causing his head to split with pain.

’Just what realm is this man in?’ Chen Lingxi thought, filled with inexplicable shock as he used his divine power to dispel the pressure of that gaze. Then, Xiao Changlv spoke.

”Zhu Shan has already returned, and he mentioned your name to me,” he said. His voice was like a great drum being steadily beaten in the void. ”You must know that we vitality martial artists harbor quite a distaste for out-of-domain figures... Yet, to my surprise, you aren’t afraid.”

Chen Lingxi met his gaze without flinching, a faint smile appearing on his face.

Standing at the head of the Longevity Bridge, he cupped his hands in a distant salute to Xiao Changlv and declared loudly, ”Heavenly King! I came here specifically to request an item from you.”

Xiao Changlv raised an eyebrow, a gleam of amusement flashing through his eyes.

Keeping his hands behind his back, he asked, ”Oh? What item?”

Chen Lingxi took a deep breath, bowed, and slowly uttered the words: ”Entering Profound essence blood.”

The smile on Xiao Changlv’s face widened. ”Entering Profound essence blood is quite precious. If I give you a drop, I lose a drop, and my own vitality will weaken accordingly. For you to ask for a drop of my essence blood with nothing but empty words is truly quite rude.”

Chen Lingxi then noticed that the legendary Evil-Severing Heavenly King was currently wearing neither armor nor martial robes.

Instead, he wore a moon-white long shirt with a white jade belt tied around his waist, his hair bound in a jade crown.

A thumb-sized ink-black pearl was set into the crown, making his heroic face look even more majestic.

Standing there, aside from being much taller than ordinary men, he looked exactly like a well-read, refined scholar. Chen Lingxi’s eyes flickered. He suddenly reached out toward the surface of the Longevity Bridge, making an inviting gesture. ”Please, Heavenly King, step onto the bridge and share some tea with me.”

Without a second thought, Xiao Changlv took a step forward and set foot onto the Longevity Bridge that spanned the sky.

He walked up to Chen Lingxi, swept his robes aside, and sat down on the bridge.

Such courage, such composure—it was as if there was nothing in this world that could make him afraid.

With a flip of his hand, Chen Lingxi retrieved a celadon teapot and two coarse earthen teacups from his Vast Void Pouch.

He held the teapot up to Xiao Changlv and poured him a cup of tea.

The tea shone with a faint amber color in the night. Its fragrance curled into the air, blending with the surrounding clouds that had been dyed pale gold by the rosy light.

”This tea is called Yuanjiang Spring,” Chen Lingxi said. He set the teapot down, picked up his own cup, and raised it in a toast to Xiao Changlv. ”Though it isn’t any rare or precious variety, it is the tea most commonly drunk by the commoners of Yuanjiang Prefecture.”

Xiao Changlv picked up his cup and took a sip.

He tasted it, gave a slight nod, and praised, ”Slightly bitter on the tongue, but the sweet aftertaste comes quickly. It is indeed good tea.”

He took another sip and looked up at Chen Lingxi, a touch of emotion in his voice. ”The commoners near the capital have always been affluent. Being able to afford tea means they are far better off than those in the other provinces.”

Chen Lingxi nodded and placed his cup down on the bridge. He looked up, his gaze landing on Xiao Changlv’s extraordinary, heroic face. After a moment of silence, he finally said, ”If the Heavenly King truly cares for the common people, then you should absolutely give me a drop of Entering Profound essence blood.” At this, Xiao Changlv’s hand paused slightly as he held his teacup; he didn’t say a word, simply watching Chen Lingxi quietly, waiting for him to continue.

Chen Lingxi’s eyes flickered. He took a deep breath and said in a heavy voice, ”There is a very high chance that the current Emperor Daye has been possessed by an out-of-domain figure. He wields out-of-domain cultivation, and he is using the vast rivers and mountains as a formation to plunder spiritual essence... I need a drop of the Heavenly King’s essence blood to divine Emperor Daye’s true identity.” As he spoke, his gaze remained fixed directly on Xiao Changlv.

But to his surprise, after hearing all this, Xiao Changlv’s face showed absolutely no sign of shock.

”These out-of-domain methods of yours are quite strange.” Xiao Changlv set down his teacup and looked up, his bright, star-like eyes staring straight at Chen Lingxi. ”To divine Emperor Daye’s true identity, you need the essence blood of me, Xiao Changlv?”

Chen Lingxi replied frankly, ”The method I cultivate relies entirely on the concept of karma for its divinations!

”The karma between Emperor Daye and the Heavenly King is the deepest; you are the Silver Bone upholding the nation. That is why I need the Heavenly King’s essence blood.”

Hearing this, it was impossible to tell whether Xiao Changlv believed him or not.

He simply tilted his head slightly, his gaze sizing up Chen Lingxi, and then suddenly spoke again. ”This is rather strange.

”You are also an out-of-domain figure. Once you find your fortune, you will leave this place. Whether Emperor Daye is possessed or not, what does it matter to you?”

Chen Lingxi fell silent for a moment before looking up, his gaze locking with Xiao Changlv’s.

”Heavenly King!” he said softly. ”If I told you I was not an out-of-domain figure, would you believe me or not?”

”I wouldn’t,” Xiao Changlv said with a grin. ”How could a person of this world possibly cultivate such rich, profound spiritual qi?” At this point, he suddenly extended a single finger.

Chen Lingxi’s pupils shrank.

On Xiao Changlv’s finger, spiritual qi was actually surging.