After the Great Dao Died

Boom!

The instant the Golden Finger Bone crumbled to dust in Chen Lingxi’s palm, heaven and earth plunged into abrupt, absolute silence.

All of creation fell mute, the winds and clouds froze, and even the terrifying cloud tornado crashing down upon him—wrapped in the Hymn of the Divine Being—seemed seized by a peculiar power, halting dead in its tracks.

In the next breath, that terrifying aura violently erupted!

Its boundless power shook the very void.

Immediately after, a brilliant power brimming with golden radiance awakened. Like parting the clouds to see the sun, a golden qi signature burst forth!

This golden radiance was far too blazing, too resplendent. The power it contained was indescribable, yet mighty enough to blanket a ten-li radius!

Before this golden light, the sonic waves of Bai Lingze’s divine ability rapidly melted and disintegrated.

The tornado, forged from the Hymn of the Divine Being and dense Dao Origin, was utterly suppressed by this golden light, vanishing without a trace.

Bai Lingze’s expression changed.

Meanwhile, the golden light furiously churned and coalesced in the void, transforming in the blink of an eye into a giant human face.

The moment the face appeared, it cast a brilliant golden glow that dyed the surrounding clouds into an ocean of gold!

The face was a full hundred zhang tall. Hovering in midair, it resembled a towering divine wall cast from pure gold.

Its features were heroic and imposing to the extreme. With sword-like eyebrows extending to its temples and eyes like stars, its resolute gaze exuded a majestic spirit that disdained the world and suppressed the ages!

This face belonged to none other than Emperor Daye, Ying Xian!

He was no longer old and withered; instead, he appeared to be in his prime, his imposing aura at an extraordinary peak!

The teasing, languid smile on Bai Lingze’s face vanished without a trace the instant this giant face emerged.

Solemnity and shock flashed through his eyes. He stared dead at the golden visage suspended in the void, the two streams of jade light deep within his pupils flashing frantically as he tried to see through its true nature.

He clearly perceived an extremely terrifying threat from this face—one that even he dared not take lightly.

Emperor Daye’s golden face slowly opened its half-closed eyes.

From afar, Chen Lingxi also gazed at Emperor Daye’s face, looking into those eyes.

He could clearly see there were no pupils, nor even whites in them—only two clusters of burning, wildly spinning golden nebulas.

The nebulas seemed to contain profound spiritual marvels, brimming with a primordial, ancient aura.

It was astonishing!

Chen Lingxi took a deep breath.

Emperor Daye’s cultivation had advanced again; he was likely not far from the Dao Foundation Middle Stage.

At that moment, Emperor Daye’s golden face did not even glance at the cloud tornado that had been halted and was slowly dissipating under the golden light’s suppression.

Instead, he took a deep breath and exhaled!

Like a peerless immortal blowing across the mortal realm!

A stream of pure golden, nearly transparent air flew from his lips!

In a flash, blinding golden light bloomed from that rushing air. Surging with unimaginable might, it transformed into an incredibly profound spell that sheared through everything in the void, possessing the terrifying power to sever mountain peaks.

Wherever this current passed, everything shattered.

Even the heaven-shaking cloud tornado, wrapped in the power of Bai Lingze’s Dao Foundation Great Divine Ability, instantly vanished completely before this golden air current.

The current merely brushed past, yet the tornado—capable of grinding hills to dust—was utterly extinguished in the blink of an eye, like chimney smoke scattered by a gale!

Its momentum did not wane. The air current, containing a trace of Emperor Daye’s mighty power, swept through the surrounding void like a golden storm of destruction, surging straight toward Bai Lingze above the clouds in an overwhelming tide!

”So this is Ying Xian! To think he... is this formidable,” Bai Lingze said, frowning as deep apprehension flashed in his eyes.

Not daring to be the slightest bit negligent, he brought his hands together. With his ten fingers flying, he rapidly formed a profoundly mystical hand seal.

The Hymn of the Divine Being around his body, originally scattered by the golden light, began playing once more—sounding even higher and more impassioned than before!

Countless golden sonic waves emerged from the void, densely converging in front of him to form an extremely thick spiritual qi barrier filled with extraordinary marvels.

Within that spiritual qi barrier lurked an underlying aura of slaughter!

At the same time, Emperor Daye’s golden air current surged forward. Yet, it did not strike Bai Lingze directly; instead, it suddenly dispersed, transforming into fine golden threads that enveloped, bound, and locked down Bai Lingze along with his massive spiritual qi barrier with lightning speed!

In a flash, it formed a grand trapping array constructed entirely from golden light!

The array acted as a golden cage, securely trapping the Dao Foundation cultivator Bai Lingze within.

Countless golden runes circulated ceaselessly across the cage, radiating a terrifying restrictive power!

”Hm? To think you learned such a divine ability!”

Trapped inside the cage, Bai Lingze let out a muffled groan.

Immediately after, heaven-shaking rumblings continuously exploded from within the cage.

The cage trembled madly, its countless golden runes flickering under the terrifying impacts. Clearly, Bai Lingze was executing heaven-defying methods inside to break the array and escape.

’Flee!’

Chen Lingxi had no time to admire this earth-shaking duel, nor did he dare gamble on exactly how long Emperor Daye’s finger bone could trap Bai Lingze.

Almost the exact instant the golden air current extinguished the tornado, he activated the Longevity Bridge.

The spiritual bridge spanning the sky abruptly manifested beneath his feet, supporting his figure as he turned into a streak of pale golden light and shot toward the mountain peak partially collapsed by Xi Lingqiao.

Amidst the ruins of the cliff face, Xi Lingqiao had already been roused by the world-shaking might and was struggling to stand up.

Having been heavily injured by Chen Lingxi’s Fist of the Great Sage, the spiritual qi within his avatar was now in absolute chaos, his injuries exceedingly severe.

But right at this moment...

Chen Lingxi appeared before him like a phantom. Thrusting his right hand forward, the dense spiritual qi in his Qi Sea surged, and a terrifying suction erupted from his palm. It was the Qi Circulation mystery, [Qi Sea Whirlpool]!

Xi Lingqiao was currently at his weakest; how could he have even half a shred of strength left to resist?

He only felt his entire body tighten, as if an invisible giant hand had clamped down on his throat, and he was involuntarily hoisted up by Chen Lingxi.

Chen Lingxi grabbed Xi Lingqiao by the scruff of the neck. The Cyan Edge Method abruptly flared and pierced into Xi Lingqiao’s Qi Sea, hanging there like an inverted sharp sword.

At this moment, with a mere thought from Chen Lingxi, the Cyan Edge Method would fall, and this avatar of Xi Lingqiao would instantly and thoroughly dissipate.

Having captured Xi Lingqiao, Chen Lingxi turned around without hesitation, the Longevity Bridge beneath his feet erupting once more with blazing spiritual light.

His entire person transformed into a brilliant pale golden rainbow, madly fleeing in the opposite direction of Bai Lingze at the fastest speed of his life.

The rainbow tore through the sky, as fast as a shooting star ascending against the heavens.

’Emperor Daye is indeed extremely strong... Furthermore, this Golden Finger Bone really did have a spell sealed within it, just as Emperor Daye said,’ Chen Lingxi thought. ’This time, he didn’t deceive me.’

Speeding through the air, Chen Lingxi gained a completely new understanding of Emperor Daye’s unfathomable strength.

Chen Lingxi fled all the way like this, not daring to rest in the slightest.

The heavenly winds howled madly in his ears, while the mountains, rivers, plains, and cities beneath his feet turned into blurred shadows, rapidly receding behind him.

He flew for a full ten shichen, crossing a vast distance of who knew how many tens of thousands of li.

It was only when the spiritual qi in his Qi Sea was mostly depleted from this continuous limit-pushing exertion, and when he was certain there were no tracking auras behind him, that he finally slowed down.

The land beneath his feet had transitioned from rolling, towering mountains to an endless, vast ocean.

Dusk had arrived.

Above the firmament, there was neither sun nor moon—only a heavy, nearly ink-black sky.

The stars had yet to rise, and only a streak of dark golden sunset glow remained on the horizon, about to be entirely swallowed by the darkness.

Bathing in this last afterglow, the sea rippled with shimmering light, vast and boundless.

Chen Lingxi sought out an unnamed, desolate reef and landed.

He casually tossed the pale, dying Xi Lingqiao onto the rocks.

Xi Lingqiao sat cross-legged on the reef, looking up at Chen Lingxi, his eyes still revealing a measure of killing intent.

Chen Lingxi stood by the sea, watching the rolling waves before his gaze landed on the man again.

”I know you’re unconvinced,” Chen Lingxi said, narrowing his eyes. ”A Dao Foundation cultivator projecting an avatar down to this Qi-Depleted Grotto-Heaven, limited to Qi Circulation cultivation, only to be defeated by a native Qi Circulation cultivator like me—you must be extremely bitter.”

Xi Lingqiao looked straight at Chen Lingxi and shook his head. ”I originally wanted to kill you with my own hands to avenge my disappointing older brother. But to think... you truly possess some extraordinary qualities. It isn’t entirely unjustified for my avatar to lose to you.”

He paused slightly and also turned to look at the sea. ”But speaking precisely, you are nothing more than a drop of water in this vast ocean. Before long, this entire ocean will completely dissipate, so why should I be troubled? It’s just a pity that I couldn’t kill you myself.”

A faint smile appeared on Chen Lingxi’s face as he turned back to Xi Lingqiao. ”You must have array-forming items on you.”

Xi Lingqiao raised an eyebrow at his words.

Chen Lingxi smiled. ”Daoist Friend, perhaps one day, when I walk out of this grotto-heaven and head to the Great Xuanzhuo Realm, we will meet again.”

Xi Lingqiao had yet to answer.

The cyan sword edge Chen Lingxi had planted in his Qi Sea fell.

In an instant, a burst of radiance erupted from within Xi Lingqiao’s body.

Xi Lingqiao’s pupils contracted, and his body began to dissipate right then and there, leaving his clothes and Vast Void Pouch behind in the void.

Chen Lingxi grabbed the Vast Void Pouch, which indeed contained many array-forming items.

He examined the array-forming items in his hand one by one until, a long while later, he plucked out a tiny jade talisman.

A trace of an extremely faint yet highly mystical qi signature still lingered on the jade talisman.

’As expected, just like the Under-Dao Academy, the array-forming items in the hands of the Xi Family disciples have also been reforged by the Dao Foundation cultivators who descended here, allowing them to deploy arrays faster,’ Chen Lingxi deduced.

Squinting, Chen Lingxi sent his divine sense inside, carefully guiding and stripping away that faint but extraordinary wisp of qi signature before finally transferring it into the quaint Three Profounds Mirror.

On the surface of the Three Profounds Mirror, the second of the three profound lights suddenly flashed after absorbing the signature, as if it had locked onto an extremely distant and terrifying target.

Right at that moment, sensing something, he abruptly raised his head and looked into the distance!

In the extreme distance where the sea met the sky, beneath the clouds dyed dark gold by the sunset’s afterglow, a person had stepped out.

The man walked out from within the sun that was about to sink into the sea. His pace was unhurried, as if he were taking a stroll in his own courtyard.

Yet, with every step he took, the entire ocean seemed to tremble slightly.

The previously gently rolling waves transformed into monstrous surges the moment he appeared, crashing forward as if aiming to completely drown this reef.

An indescribable, overwhelmingly terrifying aura surged forward as the figure approached.

That aura was more resplendent, more domineering, and more despair-inducing than anyone Chen Lingxi had ever seen.

It was like a true immortal descending from the celestial court into the mortal realm!

The last light of the setting sun outlined his supremely majestic silhouette, though his facial features remained obscured.

Only his eyes could be seen, glowing in the dim twilight like two burning stars.

That gaze pierced through the vast distance and the layers of evening mist to fall upon this small, desolate reef—and upon Chen Lingxi.

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

Almost the instant the man appeared, he had already guessed who it was.

”Zhao Duanxuan!”

A majestic spirit capable of suppressing an entire realm, a terrifying coercion that crushed even the will to resist—in this Weiji Grotto-Heaven, who else could it be but Zhao Duanxuan of the Que Star Xi Family, sitting high at first place on the Celestial Ranking?

’He knew I took Xi Lingqiao, so he specially tracked me down...’

Chen Lingxi narrowed his eyes at the figure.

Before such absolute power, any schemes or tricks lost all meaning.

He had no doubt that if Zhao Duanxuan closed the distance, he probably wouldn’t even have the chance to commit suicide.

’It seems this Absolute Perception has reached its end,’ he thought. ’That’s fine too.’

Chen Lingxi felt entirely at peace.

He had obtained more than enough intelligence within this Absolute Perception Divine Chamber.

The harvest from this Absolute Perception was bountiful enough.

Chen Lingxi did not hesitate in the slightest.

Almost the exact moment Zhao Duanxuan’s gaze fell on him, Chen Lingxi unleashed the Thunder-Wielding Heavenly King Sword Light!

A dazzling, incomparably sharp pale golden lightning sword light erupted from his body.

However, this sword light did not slash toward Zhao Duanxuan, who was approaching like a god or demon.

Instead, the sword light circled once above his head before abruptly reversing direction and piercing straight into Chen Lingxi’s own forehead.

Shnk!

Just an extremely light, faint sound!

High in the firmament, the two bright mirrors that only he could see—one blazing gold like the sun, one silvery-white like the bright moon—suddenly erupted with incomparably blinding light.

The light pierced through the heavens and the sea of clouds, shining straight down onto his shattering avatar.

A smile tugged at the corners of Chen Lingxi’s mouth.

He raised his head and used his last trace of vision to look at Zhao Duanxuan, who had arrived close by and was frowning, looking down at his crumbling avatar with a hint of surprise.

Then, the entire world shattered before his eyes.

The Absolute Perception Divine Chamber thus came to an end.