After the Great Dao Died

Chen Lingxi pushed the thought aside. Without hesitation, he slipped silently beneath Xuanji Island.

With his current cultivation and his Hidden Edge Method touching the Wondrous State, even Qi Lian and Marquis Fengshan would find it impossible to detect his presence.

Rising from the depths of the sea, he slowly approached Xuanji Island. He intended to use the extraction technique of the Six Qi True Method to draw a strand of aura from both Qi Lian and Marquis Fengshan.

But just then—a sudden change!

Up on Xuanji Island, through some unknown divine ability or dharma treasure, Qi Lian sensed someone spying from the depths beneath the island.

A silver flower abruptly bloomed above Qi Lian’s head. Spiritual qi as heavy as floodwaters surged through his sea of qi. In the next instant, a profound surge of energy manifested into a silver finger.

It thrust straight down into the depths of the sea!

”What rat dares to spy on the vital grounds of Great Li!”

A light shout echoed. Ripples shuddered through the seawater, compressing in the blink of an eye into a raging tide!

That mere sentence carried the profound mystery of divine sense manifesting into form. The divine sense morphed into a giant hand driving the tide, slamming straight toward Chen Lingxi’s Sea of Consciousness!Meanwhile, the shimmering silver finger crashed down on Chen Lingxi like a small hill, bearing the crushing weight of massive spiritual qi.

An expert’s strike—divine sense and spiritual qi unleashed in unison! Simultaneously, the heavenly pillar of vital blood on Xuanji Island stirred. Vital blood pervaded the air like signal smoke.

Marquis Fengshan spread his arms wide, mimicking the motion of drawing a bow.

In the next instant, his surging vital blood flowed out, materializing into a great bow of vital blood and a blood arrow!

Standing tall between heaven and earth, Marquis Fengshan drew the bow of vital blood and loosed an arrow directly at Chen Lingxi!

The shot was incredibly fast. The surging vital blood on the arrow was compressed into a tiny space. It hit the sea in absolute silence, slipping into the depths like an impossibly swift fish.

In the blink of an eye, Chen Lingxi could already see the distant arrow flashing with light, plunging straight toward the space between his brows.

The tide!

The one-finger divine ability!

The arrow!

With three terrifying killing arts bearing down on him at once, Chen Lingxi felt his scalp go numb.

’No matter which of these three killing arts lands on me, my Absolute Perception Divine Chamber will likely shatter in an instant.’

Run! Chen Lingxi circulated the Cloud Soaring Technique. A flash of lightning radiated from the technique as he fled frantically beneath hundreds of zhang of seawater.

His speed was as fast as lightning.

The spiritual light within his sea of qi illuminated his spiritual qi, elevating it to mimic the perfection of the Qi Circulation Tenth Floor!

The Wondrous State Cloud Soaring Technique proved immensely useful at this very moment.

With absolute focus, Chen Lingxi pushed almost all of his spiritual qi into the Cloud Soaring Technique...

Even though the Cloud Soaring Technique was not a profound divine ability for flight, his speed still reached an absolute extreme.

Rumble!

A deafening boom echoed!

The silver finger divine ability struck the void where Chen Lingxi had just been. Violent spiritual qi erupted, unleashing a highly oppressive and muffled explosive roar.

That terrifying power was released in the depths of the sea. Unable to break through hundreds of zhang of seawater, it transformed into fiercely violent ripples that swept in all directions.

In an instant, the sea creatures within a radius of several hundred zhang—from massive sea fish several zhang long down to the tiniest shrimp—were pulverized into a thick blood mist that clouded the water.

The tide generated by the manifestation of divine sense slammed into the ripples, producing an even more muffled boom. Meanwhile, the vital blood arrow still stubbornly tracked Chen Lingxi without letting up.

At the same time, Chen Lingxi keenly sensed someone stepping out from Xuanji Island to chase after him.

Piloting the Cloud Soaring Technique, Chen Lingxi traveled through the seawater, darting straight for the surface until he burst through the water and entered the air.

At this moment, he cast a thread of divine sense backward.

Not far behind him was a tall, slender figure in fluttering green robes. His expression was cold and stern, and cold light surged in his eyes.

This man similarly stood atop an auspicious cloud. That auspicious cloud was incredibly fast, tearing through the clouds straight toward Chen Lingxi.

”Since you are here, do not think of leaving!”

His divine sense boomed out the words as he abruptly flicked a finger.

A general’s saber manifested behind him. The saber phantom was perhaps over thirty zhang long. Spanning the void, it raised high into the sky and slashed viciously down at Chen Lingxi!

The slash looked as if it could cleave the very void in two.

’How is this Qi Lian so fierce?’

Chen Lingxi gritted his teeth, pushing his spiritual qi cultivation to the absolute limit as he fled madly. If that blade hit home, it would chop him to pieces!

’This man is no ordinary Qi Circulation Eleventh Floor cultivator. Even if the genius disciples of noble sects and great clans cultivated to Qi Circulation Eleventh Floor Perfection, they would not find an advantage against him.’

Chen Lingxi casually drew two Xi Yu Talismans and activated them. Two phantoms of Xi Yu materialized, violently plundering the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to form palm prints that slammed toward Qi Lian.

But the long saber manifestation divine ability was too terrifying. With a mere ripple of its residual might, the two Xi Yu Talismans vanished in an instant.

Chen Lingxi naturally did not think two mere Xi Yu Talismans could block this long saber divine ability.

If they could exhaust even a fraction of the long saber divine ability’s charm, it was helpful.

And so...

The two chased and fled, soaring over a hundred li.

The ocean surface here had its clouds and fog sheared away by Qi Lian’s ferocious long saber divine ability, cutting open a swath of clear sky.

Wherever the two passed, gale-force winds rose, or the seawater churned into vortexes like tornadoes.

Qi Lian launched several more slashes, none of which managed to fully strike Chen Lingxi.

Yet Chen Lingxi was not faring well either. His spiritual qi was severely depleted, and the overflowing spiritual light from the falling saber had struck him, leaving his clothes in tatters. Expressionless, Qi Lian hung relentlessly on his tail.

Had Chen Lingxi not possessed the Wondrous State Cloud Soaring Technique, even with the mysterious person’s spiritual light empowering him, he would have died a dozen times over by now!

It was not until they were two hundred li away from Xuanji Island.

Still unable to catch Chen Lingxi, and with billowing aura flowing on Xuanji Island far in the distance, Qi Lian finally slowed.

This Qi Circulation Eleventh Floor general of the Imperial Court seemed unwilling to pursue Chen Lingxi any further.

He stopped in place and slowly shook his head.

A strand of divine sense flowed through the void.

It carried surging killing intent, scattering in all directions like a massive net.

It seemed to warn Chen Lingxi... if he stepped within two hundred li of Xuanji Island again, he would surely die.

Soaring through the air, Chen Lingxi sensed that Qi Lian was no longer pursuing and took a deep breath.

’Emperor Daye truly has countless experts under his command. Who knows where he found an expert of the Qi Circulation Eleventh Floor, about to step onto the Twelfth Floor!’

’Is this person a local figure, or did Emperor Daye bestow him with memories?’ Chen Lingxi flew another fifty li, landed on a tiny deserted island, and closed his eyes to regulate his breathing.

His spiritual qi was in chaos. His face was pale, and the Myriad Marvels Dharmic Robe on his body had been swept by the overflowing spiritual light of the saber divine ability, leaving it in tatters.

’The grade of the Myriad Marvels Dharmic Robe is not high. It simply cannot withstand Qi Lian’s saber light divine ability.’

Chen Lingxi took out the Gold-Swallowing Toad. Slipping off the Myriad Marvels Dharmic Robe, he withdrew a pile of fragmented dharma treasures from the Vast Void Pouch.

The moment he channeled his spiritual qi into it, the Gold-Swallowing Toad seemed to come alive. Radiating golden light all over, the dead object animated, hopping over to the scattered dharma treasures.

Bite by bite... it swallowed the dharma treasures Chen Lingxi could not use.

At the same time, a profound message fell into Chen Lingxi’s mind.

That aura was similarly brimming with ancient charm, ancient and miraculous.

Sensing the mechanism, Chen Lingxi replied to the aura: ”I request Venerable Cauldron to reward me with healing pills.”

In the next instant, the Gold-Swallowing Toad, having swallowed the treasures, stuck out its tongue. It let out a few thoroughly unnatural burps and spat out two perfectly round pills.

The two pills were dark yellow throughout, exuding an incredibly rich medicinal fragrance. At the same time, they were filled with heavy spiritual qi. One look showed they were no ordinary items.

Chen Lingxi sensed the surrounding void but could not detect the slightest surge of spiritual energy gathering onto the Gold-Swallowing Toad.

He could not help but sigh.

’The marvels of a Cauldron Vessel are truly difficult to comprehend.’

’Without spiritual energy gathering from the void, it is as if it turned illusion into reality. It swallowed a few low-grade magical artifacts, and in an instant produced such extraordinary pills.’

Chen Lingxi placed the two dark yellow pills in his palm, clasped his hands together, and slowly began to refine them.

These two dark yellow pills contained dense spiritual energy. As Chen Lingxi refined them, pure spiritual energy that required no further refinement surged wildly into his body.

At the same time, the spiritual energy seemed filled with the nutrients of many precious spiritual medicines, repairing his injuries.

By the time the two pills were thoroughly refined, Chen Lingxi’s scattered, minor injuries had mostly healed.

’Having this Gold-Swallowing Toad is equivalent to carrying an alchemy cultivator with me. As long as there is an ample supply of magical artifacts, it can produce pills for me.’

’It’s just... in this Qi-less Realm, even ordinary magical artifacts are not easy to find.’

Shaking his head, Chen Lingxi tucked the Gold-Swallowing Toad into his Vast Void Pouch. Then he raised his hand, and the Enemy-Slaughtering Spirit Wall appeared in his palm.

In his other hand, two strands of aura flowed.

’I was nearly killed by Qi Lian just for these two strands of aura.’

If he had not been within the Absolute Perception Divine Chamber, Chen Lingxi would never have dared take such a risk.

He guided the two strands of aura, letting them slowly surge into the Enemy-Slaughtering Spirit Wall.

Strands of ancient presence flowed out from the Enemy-Slaughtering Spirit Wall. At the same time, a hazy mist seemed to cover the tablet’s surface.

Within the mist, two figures flickered in and out of focus.

Whether in posture or aura, these two figures were virtually identical to Marquis Fengshan and Qi Lian.

’Now I will wait securely for the Enemy-Slaughtering Spirit Wall to fully lock onto Marquis Fengshan and Qi Lian through the profound mystery of this realm.’

Chen Lingxi sank his mind into his sea of qi.

Within the sea of qi, the spiritual light flickered. His spiritual qi was like a pool of water, constantly rippling as if blown by a clear breeze.

And within the rippling pool water lay countless strands of spiritual essence. This spiritual energy came from those Chen Lingxi had killed: Wu Mohe, Earl Digong, the three women of the Heavenly Boat... as well as other vital blood martial artists or Qi Circulation cultivators.

’The Method of Life Devouring from the Taotie Urn, though incomplete, can no longer elevate my cultivation.’

’But the stripped spiritual essence can be used to replenish my own spiritual qi.’

Chen Lingxi immediately began refining Wu Mohe’s spiritual essence.

The spiritual essence of the Qi Circulation Tenth Floor could be considered quite thick. A full night passed.

By the time Wu Mohe’s spiritual essence completely vanished into Chen Lingxi’s sea of qi, his spiritual qi had returned to full abundance.

Chen Lingxi slowly opened his eyes.

Suspended in front of him, the Enemy-Slaughtering Spirit Wall had gained two names.

One was Qi Lian, who had pursued him.

And the other name was: [Fengshan Sui].