After the Great Dao Died

Chen Lingxi digested the information in his mind, his gaze still resting on the Killing Power Cauldron Vessel—the Enemy-Slaughtering Spirit Wall.

Resembling a small token, the spirit wall emitted a strange radiance, leaking streaks of astonishing slaughtering qi.

An unimaginably ancient aura flowed within it.

Chen Lingxi felt somewhat surprised.

’This Killing Power Cauldron Vessel Fragment is different from the other fragments,’ he thought. ’The information engraved within it seems to contain some of heaven and earth’s secrets.’

’For example, the great celestial general of the Immortal Capital gathered the fierce slaughter energy of Dao corpses to forge the Enemy-Slaughtering Spirit Wall...’

’Cauldron Vessels are actually forged by people?’

Chen Lingxi frowned, still finding it somewhat hard to believe.

Who could possess such immense power to forge a Cauldron Vessel?

’Or perhaps Cauldron Vessels differ from one another? Some are born of heaven and earth, while others are forged by man?’Chen Lingxi pondered, ’And what faction is this Immortal Capital? I wonder if they are stronger or weaker than the Under-Dao Academy, Ehai, and the Southern Heaven Region.’

He shook his head slightly. ’The Immortal Capital should be much stronger than those factions. After all, their great celestial general could forge a Cauldron Vessel.’

’Meanwhile, the Under-Dao Academy, Ehai, and the Southern Heaven Region had to send numerous disciples to reincarnate into this Grotto-Heaven just to fight over a complete one.’

As his thoughts reached this point, the wondrous might of the Enemy-Slaughtering Spirit Wall lingered in his mind, and he couldn’t help but marvel.

Though the Enemy-Slaughtering Spirit Wall was merely a Cauldron Vessel Fragment, it could be used up to five times.

Its wielder could lock onto an enemy within the spirit wall. Once locked, whenever the wielder faced this foe, any divine abilities landing on them would have their power multiplied tenfold.

For instance, if Chen Lingxi used the Enemy-Slaughtering Spirit Wall to lock onto Yuan Yuan of the Imperial Court right now, the next time they fought, any offensive technique he unleashed—like the Cyan Edge Method or the Dragon Roar Technique—would strike Yuan Yuan with ten times its normal destructive force.

And the method to establish this lock was exceedingly simple.

He only needed the target’s true name, a wisp of their spiritual qi, or to stand face-to-face with them.

However, using the vessel to lock on required one or two days. It could not be deployed in the heat of battle.

Sensing the fragment’s extraordinary power, Chen Lingxi marveled inwardly.

’No wonder Lin Suri once said that Killing Power Cauldron Vessels are exceedingly rare, and that once a cultivator of the Upper Three Floors obtains a fragment, they can make even those in the Heaven-Facing Three Floors wary.’

’Furthermore, a mere fragment is already this tyrannical. I can’t imagine how terrifying a complete spirit wall would be.’ Unsuppressed delight surfaced on Chen Lingxi’s face.

’It’s a pity it can’t be used mid-fight, otherwise it would be even more wondrous.’

With these thoughts, he sank his divine sense into the Divine Chamber.

Inside the Divine Chamber, clouds churned overhead. Tadpole-like characters, flashing with motes of light, hung above the mist.

The progress of Absolute Perception had already reached perfection.

Sensing the mysterious power within him—draining slowly but still largely intact—a faint smile touched his lips.

He took a deep breath, channeled the Method of Qi Observation, and peered into the distance!

Two to three hundred li away...

The Eight Divisions Military Force that had previously besieged the many vessel-snatchers was gathering.

Under the bombardment of wondrous spells and divine abilities from numerous experts, their initial force of over eight thousand had been reduced to a mere four or five thousand men.

But to Chen Lingxi, four or five thousand was more than enough.

His divine sense dipped into the Vast Void Pouch, focusing on the Black Banner. An incredibly profound aura seemed to brew within the banner, rising and falling as if telling him...

...that a wondrous great divine ability was well within his reach.

’I don’t know the origins of that mysterious person with his immortal breeze and Daoist bones bearing, but a casual streak of spiritual light from him boosted my cultivation by so much.’

’It shows just how extraordinary he is...’

’However, this world is plagued by evil entities, and cultivators constantly scheme against one another.’

’His cultivation is so profound; I have no choice but to keep my guard up.’

Even as he muttered to himself, Chen Lingxi still remembered the mysterious cultivator’s promise.

’That so-called great serendipity is truly tempting.’

’It would be one thing if I lacked the Absolute Perception divine ability, but since I have it, I must see for myself whether this great serendipity is real or fake.’

Coming to this conclusion, he didn’t hesitate.

With a mere stir of his thoughts!

In an instant, his consciousness sank into the Divine Chamber, settling onto the avatar of himself within. At the same time, heaven and earth abruptly transformed.

Two bright mirrors suddenly illuminated the sky above—one blazing like the sun, the other glowing like the moon.

The high-hanging sun and moon instantly bathed the landscape in a blazing white light.

But whether it was the bright mirrors or the blazing whiteness, only Chen Lingxi could see them.

This was the Absolute Perception Divine Chamber.

Chen Lingxi’s consciousness settled within, and he slowly opened his eyes.

Spiritual qi flowed around him. In a heartbeat, the Cloud Soaring Technique beneath his feet flared with fragmented lightning radiance.

Borrowing the wondrous power of the mysterious middle-aged man, Chen Lingxi had pushed the Cloud Soaring Technique into the Wondrous State as well.

Just how fast was a Wondrous State Cloud Soaring Technique?

Like a falling star, Chen Lingxi practically blurred into an afterimage as he soared through the void.

An unimaginable aura wrapped around him, laced with a surging, terrifying killing intent.

—Far away, Xi Yu was fleeing. The tornado carrying her had seemingly reached its utmost speed; wherever it passed, clouds and mist were blown apart, and the surrounding spiritual qi was seized and dragged into the cyclone to replenish her.

Within the tornado, Xi Yu sat cross-legged in meditation.

Beside her, spiritual light flickered in Bai Lingze’s eyes, his face completely cold.

”Is this Chen Lingxi from the Thunder Pool?” Bai Lingze asked.

Xi Yu slowly opened her eyes and shook her head. ”The Thunder Radiance Longsword in his hand belonged to Lu Baizhong. During the struggle for the Ancestral Mountain Mother Qi, he must have killed Lu Baizhong and seized the Thunder Radiance Treasure Sword and the Thunder-Concealing Sword Scripture from him.

”Judging from that, Chen Lingxi is not from the Thunder Pool.”

”Unknown origins?” Bai Lingze sneered. ”Looking at his foundation, he must come from a prestigious sect, or at the very least, an immortal clan!”

Xi Yu remained silent.

The smile on Bai Lingze’s lips remained as he shook his head. ”I cultivate the Great Brilliance Jade Perfection Dao! This path requires my original heart to remain unobstructed, and demands the eradication of all obsessions.

”Chen Lingxi has formed a grudge with me, so I must kill him.

”Xi Yu... have you sensed the other Bright Jade?”

Xi Yu slowly nodded. Bai Lingze said, ”Go and find the other Bright Jade. Once the two jades unite, my other avatar ferried to this realm will awaken and fuse with me.

”When that happens, I will kill him!”

Xi Yu sat cross-legged, severed her five senses, and closed her eyes to regulate her breathing.

Bai Lingze’s gaze fell upon her, a trace of greed flashing in his eyes.

It was as if the Xi Yu before him was not a cultivator, but an extremely rare, wondrous treasure.

As if obtaining this treasure would complete his divine abilities and allow him to step into the Golden Portal!

Right at that moment, terrifying spiritual qi ripples suddenly pulsed from far away.

The fluctuations jolted Xi Yu awake.

She snapped out of her breathing trance and looked into the distance.

Bai Lingze’s avatar did the same. With a light flick of his sleeve, a curtain of light suddenly projected in the void.

Various scenes manifested on the light screen.

Their expressions immediately shifted. Within the screen, Chen Lingxi, wearing the Thunder Radiance Treasure Sword at his waist, rode a cloud directly into the airspace above the massive army of martial blood energy.

”What is this Chen Lingxi trying to do?”

Bai Lingze frowned, while Xi Yu’s eyes flickered.

A moment later, they clearly saw Chen Lingxi, his expression perfectly calm, slowly draw the Thunder Radiance Treasure Sword from his waist.

Instantly, rolling thunder cascaded from the blade, and an unimaginable presence erupted from Chen Lingxi’s body.

At the same time, it sounded as if a celestial deity was beating a heavenly drum in the void, rumbling with a deafening boom.

Streaks of lightning sword light blasted outward from Chen Lingxi’s sword!

The lightning was far too blinding as it crisscrossed through the void.

Twelve streams of sword qi thrashed wildly, like twelve chains of lightning.

Thus, the slaughter began.

Bai Lingze and Xi Yu fell silent.

They weren’t silent out of shock at Chen Lingxi’s butchery, but because of his profound mastery of the Thunder-Concealing Sword Scripture.

”The struggle for the Ancestral Mountain Mother Qi only lasted a short year or two,” Bai Lingze slowly voiced, his brows knitted.

”If Chen Lingxi truly obtained the Thunder-Concealing Sword Scripture from Lu Baizhong, how could he have cultivated Marquis Yuhu’s wondrous sword manual to the Subtle Realm in such a short time?”

Xi Yu also frowned, but she shook her head. ”No, it’s not just the Subtle Realm.

”Those Twelve Chimes of the Heavenly Drum are exceptionally profound, sent and withdrawn at his whim. Chen Lingxi has likely already touched the Wondrous State of the Thunder-Concealing Sword Scripture. Before long, he might even be able to unleash the Jade Tiger Rebellious Sea Sword Light that is so renowned in the Thunder Pool!”

Bai Lingze’s pupils shrank.

The Jade Tiger Rebellious Sea Sword Light was a supremely profound divine ability. If Chen Lingxi could truly master such a miraculous sword light in such a brief window of time, then...

The sneer on Bai Lingze’s face grew even colder.

”Then he’s actually worth me using a Dao Foundation divine ability or a Cauldron Vessel to kill him.”

Right then, Xi Yu suddenly spoke up, ”It’s just that his background remains unknown. He wields so many different methods. The Heaven-Seizing Seal comes from Ehai, while the Longevity Bridge is a divine ability he took from Xi Yuan of my Que Star Xi Family.

”And the Thunder-Concealing Sword Scripture is a Thunder Pool divine ability.

”Thinking about it carefully, the divine abilities on him are a complete hodgepodge. It makes it utterly impossible to see through his origins.”

”It doesn’t matter... my Bai family is a True Lord immortal clan! Your Que Star Xi Family is the same. Under the Daxuan Realm-Cleansing Dao Struggle, I would dare to kill even the descendant of a Mystic Monarch.”

Hearing Bai Lingze’s bold words, Xi Yu gave him a careful look and asked, ”Dao Brother, how many great divine abilities have you cultivated now?”

Bai Lingze lifted his chin and smiled. ”I have cultivated three great Dao Foundation divine abilities and stepped into the Dao Foundation Late Stage.”

Even as they conversed...

Chen Lingxi transformed into a bolt of lightning, weaving through the hordes of blood-energy martial artists!

His sword light was far too sharp. Often, a single sweep of lightning would sever over a hundred men.

The Longevity Bridge also rampaged across the battlefield, crushing an untold number of targets.

The Eight Divisions Military Force had only four or five thousand men remaining to begin with, and only two Nine Revolutions cultivators were left leading them.

How could two Nine Revolutions cultivators and four or five thousand soldiers with broken formations possibly stop Chen Lingxi?

At this moment, Chen Lingxi was a wolf among sheep. In just a short span of time, he had wiped out more than half of the remaining force.

’Three thousand men...’

Chen Lingxi unleashed a Heaven-Seizing Seal, plundering the spiritual energy within a hundred zhang to form a giant palm print that smashed down, flattening hundreds of people. He faintly sensed that the Black Banner in his Vast Void Pouch had undergone a slight change.

This likely proved that he had killed a full three thousand men.

Chen Lingxi was not a merciful person, but neither was he bloodthirsty.

Having reached his quota of three thousand, he sheathed his sword. Without the slightest hesitation, he stepped onto the Longevity Bridge and shot straight toward the distant mountain ranges.

The clouds and mist in the sky concealed the trail of his Longevity Bridge, and Chen Lingxi vanished from sight.

Back in the valley, it was as if a great calamity had swept through. Severed limbs littered the ground, and wails of agony echoed everywhere.