After the Great Dao Died

The flying dagger was only the size of a palm and amber throughout. A beam of light was sealed within its blade, and a tiny hourglass was embedded at the end of its hilt.

Chen Lingxi injected a strand of spiritual qi into the flying dagger.

The hourglass at the hilt abruptly accelerated, and the light sealed inside the blade flared to life.

He raised his hand and let it fly. The Delayed Light Flying Dagger transformed into an amber afterimage almost impossible to catch with the naked eye, shooting toward Xi Lingqiao high in the sky.

The flying dagger pierced the air silently, colliding with Xi Lingqiao’s sword qi!

In an instant, the profound power sealed within the blade erupted.

The fine sand in the hourglass flowed frantically, and an invisible Dao rhythm that distorted time permeated outward from the flying dagger.

That Dao rhythm locked onto Xi Lingqiao, and his expression instantly changed.

He felt a profound aura descend over his entire body, causing his movements to become incredibly slow.

Even the profound light of the Sun World-Illuminating Method shone down at a sluggish crawl.

Meanwhile, Chen Lingxi, who had just been caught by the sun’s profound light, had already closed in on him.

He was too fast—fast to the point of being unimaginable.

Beneath Chen Lingxi’s feet, the Longevity Bridge suddenly manifested, carrying him across the sky to arrive in front of Xi Lingqiao in the blink of an eye!

His right fist clenched tight, and the Great Sage aura of the Heaven-Inviting Momentum erupted without reservation. An indistinct, heaven-spanning phantom faintly appeared behind him, surrounded by swirling stars and exuding a terrifying, suffocating pressure.

This punch condensed his lifelong cultivation, the full physical strength of the True Edict of Approaching the Dao, and the Great Sage aura of the Heaven-Inviting Momentum.

Over the surface of his fist, a pale golden light suddenly blazed, boundlessly terrifying!

In his haste, Xi Lingqiao’s longsword erupted with sword qi to block, while the Victorious King Ruyi Precious Phase behind him simultaneously raised its treasured pestle to meet the attack.

Yet, he was still a fraction of a second too slow!

Boom!

A terrifying crash exploded through the air.

Xi Lingqiao only felt a horrific power flood back through his sword. The force was too majestic, like a mountain crashing into him head-on.

The spiritual light covering his body shattered!

His entire body was sent flying backward by the punch, slamming viciously into the cliff face behind him like a falling comet.

The entire mountain trembled violently. His impact blasted a bottomless, human-shaped hole into the cliff, sending crushed rocks tumbling down.

Chen Lingxi moved like lightning. Spreading his hand, the Heaven-Seizing Seal plundered the aura within a hundred zhang, smashing fiercely into the hole in the mountain.

Wave after wave of rumbling echoed from within!

Chen Lingxi was just about to close in on Xi Lingqiao...

Right at that moment.

From beneath the lingering golden light of the Sun World-Illuminating Method, a light chuckle suddenly rang out.

Chen Lingxi furrowed his brows slightly and looked up.

He saw a figure suddenly illuminated within the clouds.

The man wore flowing white robes and possessed a peerless, jade-like beauty. He gazed down at Chen Lingxi from his high vantage point.

Around his body flowed sound waves, spreading outward in all directions like tangible ripples.

Within those sonic waves, it was as if divine beings were chanting an ancient and majestic hymn.

That hymn transformed into profound universal truths, layering endlessly to empower the man.

Just standing there, he exuded an awe-inspiring majesty that made others afraid to look at him directly, like a celestial immortal descending to the mortal realm!

”Bai Lingze...”

”You’re finally here.”

Chen Lingxi’s expression remained unchanged, but his heart was surging.

This person was none other than the Dao Foundation genius of the Yutai Bai Family, Bai Lingze.

Chen Lingxi raised his eyes, his gaze landing on the man. Even though he was mentally prepared, he still felt astonished!

The fluctuations of Dao Origin emanating from the white-robed figure were incomparably deep and heavy, carrying an unfathomable aura.

And the sound waves surrounding his body, which contained the Hymn of the Divine Being, were profound to the extreme.

Chen Lingxi looked over using his Method of Qi Observation, only to see that those sound waves actually contained certain supreme truths of cultivation that even he could not comprehend.

’This hymn is probably the Dao Foundation Great Divine Ability that Bai Lingze cultivates!’

He pondered inwardly.

Right at that moment, a slight smile appeared on Bai Lingze’s lips.

Standing atop the clouds with his hands clasped behind his back, he was unhurried, elegant, and perfectly at ease.

His gaze swept over the ruined battlefield below, glanced at the mountain that had partially collapsed from the impact, and then fell back onto Chen Lingxi.

He smiled. ”For you to fight Xi Lingqiao with the cultivation of the Qi Circulation Eleventh Floor, and even push him to such a state, you do indeed have some skill... Is it because of that Killing Power Cauldron Vessel?”

Chen Lingxi raised his eyebrows slightly, his mind stirring. An ostentatious smile appeared on his face as he shook his head and laughed. ”If I used the Killing Power Cauldron Vessel, never mind him, I’m afraid I would even have the strength to fight you, Daoist Friend Bai.”

His words were frank, his tone carrying undisguised confidence.

Bai Lingze was briefly taken aback before he actually burst into laughter.

He raised his head and glanced at the Celestial Ranking stretching across the sky.

On the Celestial Ranking, his name hung high in second place, while Chen Lingxi’s name was ranked fortieth.

He withdrew his gaze and sighed, shaking his head. ”Native creatures of the Qi-Depleted Grotto-Heaven have never seen much of the world, nor have they beheld the vaster heavens and earth.

”You stumble upon a bit of fortune, pick up a few broken magical artifacts, and suddenly you do not know the immensity of heaven and earth.”

He said softly, ”Go ahead and use your Killing Power Cauldron Vessel... I will let you see exactly what the Dao Foundation is.”

’He fell for it just like that?’ Chen Lingxi was somewhat surprised.

But immediately after, he saw the look in Bai Lingze’s eyes.

Those eyes were filled with undisguised mockery and amusement.

Chen Lingxi instantly realized.

’It’s not that Bai Lingze fell for it, and it’s not that he’s stupid... It’s that he simply doesn’t care whether I’m goading him or not.’

’In his eyes, coming here to capture me is like a cat playing with a mouse. Even if this mouse has a sharp thorn on its body, he couldn’t care less.’

’And right now... he probably just wants to see exactly how much power my Killing Power Cauldron Vessel holds.’

Chen Lingxi took a deep breath, sensing that the area was already saturated with Bai Lingze’s aura.

Those pale golden sound waves containing the Hymn of the Divine Being were like a massive, world-covering net, enveloping the void for dozens of li around them.

In this domain thoroughly locked down by his aura, he was the absolute ruler.

He was not afraid of Chen Lingxi making any waves.

’Fine then. Let’s see just what the gap is between the Dao Foundation Realm and the Qi Circulation Realm,’ Chen Lingxi murmured in his heart.

Saying nothing, he casually plucked a strand of Bai Lingze’s aura that pervaded the surroundings. This strand of aura successively fell into the Enemy-Slaughtering Spirit Wall and the Three Profounds Mirror.

The moment the aura fell into the Three Profounds Mirror, the mirror immediately reacted.

Chen Lingxi didn’t bother checking the Three Profounds Mirror. Instead, he continuously injected spiritual qi into the Enemy-Slaughtering Spirit Wall. The Spirit Wall erupted with a thick, ancient aura, within which waves of killing intent constantly circulated to slowly digest Bai Lingze’s aura.

Bai Lingze truly did just remain hidden in the mist, standing with his hands behind his back, waiting peacefully.

He was like an extremely patient fisherman waiting for the fish to bite the hook.

Several hours passed.

During these hours, the valley remained dead silent, with only the celestial wind occasionally howling past.

Xi Lingqiao remained inside the cliff face, yet to awaken.

It wasn’t until a bright moon hung high in the sky that the strand of Bai Lingze’s aura on the Enemy-Slaughtering Spirit Wall was completely locked on!

Chen Lingxi opened his eyes, his gaze solemn.

Bai Lingze’s aura had been locked by the Spirit Wall.

However, the power amplification fed back by the Spirit Wall made his heart sink.

’When crossing realms, it seems the cauldron vessel power of the Enemy-Slaughtering Spirit Wall is suppressed by some profound Dao principle.’

’At the Qi Circulation Eleventh Floor, dealing with other Qi Circulation figures might give my killing power a tenfold amplification... but against this Bai Lingze, I’m afraid it’s only a five- or sixfold boost.’

Chen Lingxi couldn’t help but take a deep breath.

On the path of cultivation, cultivation realms were truly far too important.

Between major realms, there was a divide as vast as a heavenly chasm.

Crossing realms to defeat a superior was practically impossible!

Even the majesty of a cauldron vessel was suppressed by profound rules.

Or perhaps, only a complete cauldron vessel could bridge this massive realm divide.

A mere Killing Power Cauldron Vessel Fragment was completely incapable of crossing the immense gap between them.

Chen Lingxi looked up at Bai Lingze, who was hidden in the clouds and watching him with keen interest.

He slowly stood up, the spiritual qi around his body surging once more.

’Since the Enemy-Slaughtering Spirit Wall offers a five- or sixfold amplification, that is enough. Let me test just how strong this Dao Foundation cultivator actually is.’

With the blessing of the Enemy-Slaughtering Spirit Wall, Chen Lingxi felt his own aura violently inflate.

The Great Sage phantom of the Heaven-Inviting Momentum faintly flickered behind him, its imposing might becoming incomparably fierce. His combat power seemed to have been elevated to an unprecedented height.

He took a deep breath, and the spiritual qi within his body flooded into his right arm like a tidal wave. He immediately formed sword fingers and channeled the Twelve Chimes of the Heavenly Drum.

In the void, twelve heaven-shaking thunderous booms exploded.

Bai Lingze watched the golden thunder sword light slashing toward him, the smile on his face not changing in the slightest.

He didn’t make any unnecessary movements. He merely flicked his wide white sleeve gently through the void, as if swatting away a pesky fly!

The exact moment he flicked his sleeve, the surrounding Hymn of the Divine Being abruptly flared!

The sound waves that had originally been flowing slowly seemed to come alive.

Countless sound waves abruptly converged, transforming into tangible golden barriers that layered heavily in front of that thunderous sword light.

The sound of the hymn also became high-pitched and impassioned, as if a thousand divine beings were chanting simultaneously. The profound truths contained within that voice turned into a substantial suppressing power, surging fiercely toward Chen Lingxi!

Chen Lingxi’s thunder sword light—amplified by the Enemy-Slaughtering Spirit Wall and saturated with the heavenly drum thunder and Great Sage aura—crashed into that expanse of golden sound waves like a pebble tossed into a vast ocean.

The sword light pushed forward madly through the sound waves, but with every barrier it breached, its light dimmed by a fraction.

After breaking through dozens of sound wave barriers in succession, the sword light completely dissipated. It turned into a sky full of pale golden specks that were blown away without a trace by the sound of the hymn.

Those heavy sound waves swept through like breaking dead branches and rotten wood, effortlessly erasing Chen Lingxi’s sword light!

”This...”

Chen Lingxi’s pupils shrank.

He clearly sensed just how fragile and vulnerable his sword light was in the face of those sound waves.

That power was too magnificent, too terrifying.

His sword light, his Great Sage aura, his heavenly drum thunder—before such a Great Divine Ability, they were actually this weak!

’Even with the blessing of the Enemy-Slaughtering Spirit Wall, I am completely unable to fight Bai Lingze head-on.’

’The gap in realms is no longer something that a mere cauldron vessel fragment and divine abilities can make up for.’

’The Dao Foundation Realm is actually this powerful,’ he murmured in his heart. Yet, there was not the slightest bit of discouragement in his eyes; instead, he grew even more expectant.

Even though he was defeated today, he had truly seen the disparity between a Qi Circulation cultivator and a Dao Foundation cultivator.

’In the Qi Circulation Realm, even seven or eight Twelfth Floor cultivators would not be enough to contend with a Dao Foundation cultivator... unless they had a truly profound formation or a complete cauldron vessel to rely on.’

While Chen Lingxi’s thoughts spun, Bai Lingze slowly walked out from the clouds and mist.

Standing in the void with his hands behind his back, he still wore a faint smile on his face.

He looked at Chen Lingxi as if looking at a moth struggling vainly in his palm.

”Chen Lingxi, have you ever heard the story of the frog at the bottom of a well?” he asked leisurely.

His voice exploded beside Chen Lingxi’s ears.

It seemed to contain a terrifying power that struck directly at the soul.

Every word that fell was like an invisible heavy hammer smashing fiercely into Chen Lingxi’s Sea of Consciousness.

Chen Lingxi felt a splitting headache, and the spiritual qi within his Qi Sea became completely disordered under the reverberations of that voice.

’A casual soul-attacking technique is actually this formidable.’

’Dao Foundation... Dao Foundation... This realm is actually so profound,’ Chen Lingxi sighed in his heart.

And Bai Lingze had clearly lost the patience to continue teasing him.

”Since you clearly understand the gap between Qi Circulation and the Dao Foundation...”

Bai Lingze murmured softly, his large hand swooping down!

Suddenly, the void changed color, and a formidable aura sprang into existence out of nowhere.

The cloud energy within hundreds of zhang was pulled in by his grip, frantically converging, spinning, and compressing in his palm.

A massive tornado made entirely of cloud energy took shape in his hand.

Mixed within the tornado were countless fine, pale golden sound waves—the power of the Hymn of the Divine Being.

The tornado resembled a ferocious cloud dragon. Wrapped in world-destroying, terrifying power, it pressed down toward Chen Lingxi.

Its might was overwhelming!

Before the power even reached him, Chen Lingxi felt his Qi Sea stagnate!

The Longevity Bridge beneath his feet actually shattered inch by inch under this oppressive pressure, and his entire body was forced to plummet toward the ground by the terrifying force.

’I absolutely cannot block this strike.’

’If this strike lands, even with the formidable physique of the True Edict of Approaching the Dao, I’m afraid my body will be smashed to pieces, and my Absolute Perception will shatter along with it.’

Chen Lingxi’s mind raced.

Bai Lingze’s eyes were calm, the smile in them completely gone.

To him, this result was completely expected.

It was nothing more than him following his own inclinations...

However...

In his eyes, Chen Lingxi, who was on the verge of death, suddenly took a deep breath, and a strand of spiritual qi dropped into his palm.

And within that palm lay a Golden Finger Bone!

Crack!

An extremely crisp cracking sound rang out.

That segment of golden finger bone crumbled into powder in his palm.

The exact moment the finger bone shattered, an indescribable, vast, ancient, and majestic aura abruptly erupted from within it!