After the Great Dao Died

Emperor Daye, Ying Xian...

He possessed the most profound and powerful cultivation in the world.

Now, he stood upon that small cloud boat, his figure hunched and still incredibly ancient.

His luxurious, majestic dragon robe hung loosely over his skeletal, emaciated frame, looking entirely hollow.

With his sparse, withered white hair, liver spots, and drooping eyelids, he looked nothing like a powerhouse, let alone a majestic monarch.

Yet here he stood on that small cloud boat. Resting one hand on the gunwale, he gazed at Chen Lingxi from afar, golden light dancing in his eyes.

He looked down from high above.

At this moment, Chen Lingxi sat cross-legged on the small reef, raising his eyes to meet the emperor’s gaze.

The Method of Qi Observation continued to circulate in his eyes. As he looked at Emperor Daye, he felt as if a mass of flowing golden flames was silently burning and pulsing around the man’s body.

With each pulse, the flow of clouds within a radius of several miles slowed.

At the same time, Chen Lingxi clearly sensed that the power radiating from Emperor Daye felt a full tier higher than his own spiritual qi.

Just from the emperor standing there, the spiritual qi running its grand circulation cycle in Chen Lingxi’s Qi Sea almost ground to a halt. A heavy pressure bore down on him, forcing him to take a deep breath.

Through Chen Lingxi’s Method of Qi Observation, this seemingly old, withered emperor of Great Li looked like a god stepping out from ancient times.

Chen Lingxi was greatly astonished.

He naturally knew that the Great Li Imperial Court would make a move after he killed Qi Lian and Marquis Fengshan.

But he never expected Emperor Daye, Ying Xian, to come in person.

Through Vision Roaming, Chen Lingxi had learned that because Emperor Daye lacked a Dao Foundation spiritual item, he had forcibly practiced the Profound Brightness Reverent Splendor Dao divine ability, Age-Dial Reversal. As a result, he suffered certain restrictions, preventing him from easily attacking or leaving the profound formation covering the Imperial Palace.

Yet today, Emperor Daye had personally left the palace, traveling thousands of miles to arrive above the Heavenly Gate Sea!

’It seems that powerhouses like Qi Lian and Marquis Fengshan are rare, even within the Imperial Court.’

’Otherwise, Emperor Daye wouldn’t have come in person.’

Chen Lingxi speculated inwardly, remaining seated cross-legged on the small reef, completely unmoving.

His bearing was deep and composed. There was no fear in his eyes; instead, a trace of curiosity flashed within them.

High above, the two bright mirrors of the Absolute Perception Divine Chamber still shone brightly. This was the source of Chen Lingxi’s confidence.

Cloud Province slowly descended, stopping before the reef where Chen Lingxi sat.

With his hands clasped behind his back, Emperor Daye slowly stepped down from the cloud boat. His steps staggered and his aura was chaotic, as if every movement drained all his strength.

But...

Chen Lingxi acutely sensed that when both of the emperor’s feet touched the small reef, the entire rock seemed to bear an unimaginable weight or terrifying pressure.

The small reef suddenly sank.

It was as if it carried a weight it could not withstand.

Yet Chen Lingxi continued to sit upright on the reef, raising his eyes to meet the gaze of this extraordinary Emperor of Great Li.

He did not speak, merely watching as Emperor Daye took a few steps forward and arrived in front of him.

To Chen Lingxi’s surprise...

Emperor Daye did not attack. Instead, he took another step, shakily climbed onto another protruding rock, and sat down cross-legged.

”Chen Lingxi...”

Emperor Daye spoke slowly. His voice was ancient and somewhat hoarse, yet it seemed filled with a unique, profound power.

Chen Lingxi subconsciously wanted to stand up and pay his respects, but he immediately snapped out of it, inwardly surprised.

’This is the Absolute Perception Divine Chamber. I face no life-or-death threat here, my mind is completely relaxed, and I absolutely do not fear this Emperor Daye.’

’But even so, when this Emperor Daye calls my name, without using any spells or divine abilities, I still feel the urge to stand and bow to him.’

’No wonder the Six Qi True Method states that achieving the Dao Foundation means ascending the Dao Platform to look down upon the living beings of heaven and earth. They are no longer on the same level as those beneath the Dao Foundation.’

Chen Lingxi pondered, his gaze still resting on Emperor Daye.

He smiled. ”Killing Qi Lian and Marquis Fengshan was like severing two of the Imperial Court’s arms.

”It is not entirely surprising that the Sage has come in person.”

A hint of surprise flashed through Emperor Daye’s eyes.

”Seeing me in this state, did you not feel suspicious?” he asked.

Chen Lingxi remained silent, still sitting cross-legged.

Emperor Daye’s gaze fell on the Thunder Radiance Longsword at Chen Lingxi’s waist.

”I originally thought you had an extraordinary background, that you were a descendant of some ancient sect or immortal clan from the Great Xuanzhuo Realm...

”However, all the spells and divine abilities you use were plundered, making it impossible for me to see through your origins.”

The sea breeze blew between them, causing Emperor Daye’s already empty dragon robe to flap loudly.

”You hold too many secrets,” Emperor Daye said with emotion. ”When seizing the cauldron in Yuanjiang Prefecture, you erupted with the mighty power of the Twelve Floors of Qi Circulation. And now, you’ve killed two of my powerhouses here in the Heavenly Gate Sea.”

”So, Emperor Daye came in person to kill me for Marquis Fengshan and General Qi Lian?” Chen Lingxi asked with a smile.

He posed the question casually.

Emperor Daye, however, slowly shook his head.

He looked Chen Lingxi up and down, seemingly sensing that his cultivation had yet to reach the Heaven-Facing Realm.

”You have already felt the extraordinary power of the Twelve Floors of Qi Circulation,” he said.

”If you were to wield such mighty power permanently, I wonder if you would care about Qi Lian, or care about Marquis Fengshan?”

Chen Lingxi frowned slightly.

That mysterious person had bestowed spiritual light upon him, elevating his cultivation.

Chen Lingxi’s memory of that terrifying power was still fresh to this day.

Just as Emperor Daye said, if he were a cultivator at the Twelve Floors of Qi Circulation, a mere Qi Lian or Marquis Fengshan would not seem important at all, even as his subordinates.

And Emperor Daye... was a Dao Foundation cultivator whose practice had reached the level of a Dao Foundation great divine ability. Presumably, that Age-Dial Reversal had already transformed into a Profound Root and taken root within his Dao Platform.

Soon, once that flower matured, Emperor Daye would be able to cultivate a second great divine ability, the Heavenly Decline Law, and step into the Dao Foundation Middle Stage.

For a figure like him, two mere cultivators at the Qi Circulation Eleventh Floor were of no real importance.

Thinking of this, Chen Lingxi raised an eyebrow slightly.

”Qi Lian and Marquis Fengshan naturally don’t matter, but the Sage is a Dao Foundation figure who possesses his own majesty,” he said.

”I assume you wouldn’t allow me to offend your dignity.”

Emperor Daye sat on the rock, his eyes as calm as ever. He suddenly looked up at the sky.

”Did you know that this Grotto-Heaven is about to be refined by that True Lord of the Great Xuanzhuo Realm!” he said slowly.

Chen Lingxi remained silent.

”It seems you know,” Emperor Daye said, glancing at him. ”Once the Grotto-Heaven is refined, the one billion living beings inside will all turn to ash.

”The same goes for you and me.”

”In the face of such a catastrophe, what majesty does a mere Dao Foundation have to speak of?”

Chen Lingxi watched Emperor Daye, listening quietly.

Emperor Daye continued, ”From your perspective, you possess extraordinary courage. You killed Rong Chun under my command, killed that so-called Crown Prince, slaughtered thousands of my Silver Bone soldiers, and seized the Enemy-Slaughtering Spirit Wall.

”You even dared to come alone to this Heavenly Gate Sea to kill two of my powerhouses in order to scheme for that Dao Foundation inscription, and even for the complete Cauldron Vessel.

”Therefore, you naturally assume that in the face of someone as audacious as you, who has provoked the Imperial Court’s majesty, I came personally to take your life.

”However... I didn’t come here to kill you this time. I am actually here to reward you!”

Chen Lingxi, who had been silent the whole time, revealed a look of surprise.

”Reward me?”

A faint smile appeared on Emperor Daye’s lips.

He narrowed his eyes, the golden flames in his turbid old eyes pulsing even slower.

With a raise of his hand, this Dao Foundation figure took an object from his dragon robe.

It was a mirror.

Chen Lingxi instantly thought of a certain treasure.

It was the Mirror Listening Cauldron Vessel!

The small mirror seemed cast from ancient bronze, its back carved with many complex and profound runes.

These runes were filled with a primordial aura, linking together to faintly form a mysterious and ancient formation.

Its surface was smooth but obscured by dense fog. The fog churned endlessly, blocking the mirror’s face while seemingly exuding an extremely profound power.

’Just as I expected, this Mirror Listening Cauldron Vessel has been controlled by Emperor Daye all along.’

Chen Lingxi thought.

’If that is the case...’

’The source of the blood feud over my parents still lies with this Emperor Daye.’

At this moment, Chen Lingxi calmly watched Emperor Daye.

Emperor Daye lightly tossed the mirror.

The mirror suddenly hovered in the air, the thick gray fog on its surface growing even denser.

Emperor Daye formed his left hand into a sword gesture, and a streak of brilliant white energy suddenly flashed across his fingers.

That energy was extremely profound, causing the spiritual qi in Chen Lingxi’s Qi Sea to circulate even more sluggishly.

Chen Lingxi took a deep breath.

”Dao Origin...” he murmured.

Upon stepping into the Dao Foundation Realm, forging a Dao Platform, and birthing a Profound Root, the spiritual qi in the Qi Sea would completely transform into Dao Origin.

This was a higher tier of energy, far more tyrannical and extraordinary than spiritual qi.

Dao Origin circulated on Emperor Daye’s two fingers as he lightly tapped the surface of the mirror.

In an instant!

The churning fog on the mirror stopped abruptly, then rippled outward in layers.

As the ripples spread, the thick grayish-white fog dissipated, revealing the surface of this profound cauldron vessel.

Images were currently flowing across the mirror’s surface.

Chen Lingxi looked down, his pupils shrinking.

He saw himself in those images...

He saw the old estate of his Linchuan Chen Family, the residence in Liujie Alley where his father lived after becoming an official, and the small courtyard in the Capital where he had lived for over ten years.

In the images, his father, Chen Yanzhi, sat reading beneath a tree while his mother embroidered nearby. His father bought him a stick of candied hawthorns after finishing work, and his mother measured him to make him new clothes. He saw himself earning his scholarly honors, his father personally pouring him wine, and his mother holding her head high as she showed him off to her close friends...

The images flowed endlessly.

Chen Lingxi fell silent. Finally, he saw his parents’ home raided and the two of them imprisoned due to being implicated by the Zhong Family. He saw them on the execution ground, the executioner’s blade decapitating them with a single strike.

Then the scene shifted, moving to the Department of Penal Law, and then to the Baosu Marquis Estate.

Inside the reverse-facing room of the Baosu Marquis Estate, he saw himself struggling bitterly as the other official bondservants who served as medicine slaves died one after another.

Meanwhile, he curled up on that cold bed, enduring the agonizing pain in his internal organs, holding on desperately.

The images in the mirror came to an abrupt halt at this very moment.

The ripples on the surface slowly calmed down, and the thick fog surged up once more. It churned continuously, thoroughly submerging the face of this cauldron vessel.

Emperor Daye flicked his sleeve slightly, his dragon robe fluttering, and the mirror disappeared.

Chen Lingxi frowned as he looked at Emperor Daye.

”What is the meaning of this?” he asked.

The smile on Emperor Daye’s lips deepened.

”Do you know how the images of you in this mirror differ from those of the reincarnators and the Seekers of Truth?” he asked, shaking his head.

”When I use the Mirror Listening Technique to divine the pasts of those Seekers of Truth, their past memories never include parents from this Grotto-Heaven. There are never those numerous scenes that appear ordinary yet are filled with such warmth.

”Once their memories awaken and they recall their missions, the word ’kinship’ no longer exists for them...”

Emperor Daye paused slightly before continuing, ”Therefore... Chen Lingxi, you are not a Seeker of Truth!”

Chen Lingxi raised his eyebrows slightly.

The two clusters of golden flames in Emperor Daye’s eyes continued to pulse.

”Like me, you obtained an extremely rare opportunity in this Qi-Depleted Grotto-Heaven and set foot on the path of cultivation,” he said.

”That is why you insisted on killing Rong Chun, why you insisted on opposing my Imperial Court, and why you even killed the Crown Prince, Ying Chi!

”You want to... avenge your parents?”