After the Great Dao Died

That ancient and mysterious verse arrived in this shattered void, just as expected.

”Steal the spiritual perception of heaven and earth, take the spiritual energy of past and present.”

Chen Lingxi’s gaze fell upon that ancient Three Profounds Mirror.

Upon the mirror’s surface, three points of deep, profound light slowly flickered.

A hint of a smile appeared on Chen Lingxi’s face.

”Just as I expected. The qi signatures I refined into this Three Profounds Mirror are still here. Taking this precious mirror with me is equivalent to taking those two extremely precious qi signatures belonging to Bai Lingze and Zhao Duanxuan that were already sealed inside!”

He no longer needed to expend mental energy or risk detection in the real world to harvest their qi signatures again.

Although the precious mirror was merely an auxiliary artifact that couldn’t directly increase his combat strength, its value at this moment far exceeded those two single-use consumables.

”With it, I can pre-emptively avoid the two most fatal threats that I absolutely cannot match right now in this chaotic situation filled with powerful experts.”

Chen Lingxi took a deep breath.

The void of the Divine Chamber slowly dissipated.

The King of the East’s Traveling Palace on Cuojin Mountain.

On that red sandalwood throne, Chen Lingxi slowly opened his eyes.

Everything around him was exactly the same as before he entered the Absolute Perception Divine Chamber.

He gazed at the Three Profounds Mirror hovering just above his palm.

Inside the mirror, two points of profound light—one bright, one dim—slowly drifted along some mysterious trajectory.

One was as blindingly white as snow, the other as deep and black as ink.

Right in the center of the mirror was another speck of starlight, pale gold in color and completely motionless. That was himself.

The blindingly white point was Bai Lingze.

The deep black point was Zhao Duanxuan.

The two points of profound light in the mirror remained quietly suspended there, neither approaching nor moving away.

A hint of a smile tugged at the corners of Chen Lingxi’s mouth. ”This treasure is truly extraordinary. As long as Bai Lingze and Zhao Duanxuan are within ten thousand li of me, I can use this Three Profounds Mirror to know their locations... From now on, even if those two want to strike at me, it won’t be easy for them to find me.”

Even for a Dao Foundation existence, it was absolutely impossible to casually know someone’s location from thousands or even tens of thousands of li away.

Unless he acted as high-profile as he had during the Absolute Perception.

Even if Zhao Duanxuan had managed to find him during the Absolute Perception, it was likely because Chen Lingxi had been carrying Xi Lingqiao with him.

As Chen Lingxi pondered this, the Three Profounds Mirror disappeared from his palm and dropped back into the Vast Void Pouch.

He lifted his head and looked out the palace doors at the sky, which had been completely swallowed by the night.

There were no stars or moon in the sky, only the Celestial Ranking towering majestically.

’Emperor Daye is ranked fifth on this Celestial Ranking... but his true strength is definitely not just fifth.’

’It is only a matter of time before he breaks through to the Dao Foundation Middle Stage,’ he thought.

’In the Absolute Perception Divine Chamber, I used Great Sage Luoyuan as a pretext to ask him for protection, which brought many benefits.’

’At the very least, Emperor Daye shouldn’t make a move against me before I step into the Dao Foundation Realm,’ Chen Lingxi thought, his eyes as calm as water. ’Moreover, that golden finger bone... is indeed a life-saving item that can block a fatal blow from a Dao Foundation cultivator.’

’Since I have already used the Absolute Perception Divine Chamber for trial and error, I must make another trip to the Great Zhou Imperial Palace. Otherwise, with Emperor Daye already coveting me, he might strike against me once he reaches the Dao Foundation Middle Stage.’

Chen Lingxi withdrew his gaze and thought no more of it.

He silently activated the Cloud Soaring Technique beneath his feet, soaring into the sky and flying swiftly in the direction of the Great Zhou Imperial City.

He sat cross-legged upon that cluster of cloud energy, while his mind replayed the scenes he had witnessed in the Absolute Perception Divine Chamber over and over again.

Chen Lingxi recalled those scenes backward and forward many times.

On this trip, his words and actions had to strictly align with the Absolute Perception Divine Chamber to avoid unexpected changes.

The silhouette of the Great Zhou Imperial City was already faintly visible in the night.

Chen Lingxi lowered his cloud, and then, he saw that beam of rainbow light.

Just like during the Absolute Perception, the rainbow light shot into the sky from the entrance of the side hall. It looked like an inverted seven-colored waterfall flowing upstream, with layers of red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple spreading out in the void.

Wherever the rainbow light passed, the cloud energy retreated on its own, revealing a straight path leading directly into the depths of the surging sea of clouds.

An ancient and deep voice slowly drifted out from behind those palace doors.

”Daoist Friend, I welcome you with this rainbow light.”

Chen Lingxi took a deep breath and stepped onto the beam of rainbow light.

Everything proceeded exactly like the Absolute Perception Deduction.

A long time later...

Chen Lingxi finally stood up and bowed to Emperor Daye. ”Since that is the case, Chen Lingxi will take his leave.”

With a sweep of Emperor Daye’s sleeve, that beam of rainbow light flared up once more.

Chen Lingxi stepped onto the rainbow light, and his body was swept up into the sky by it, reaching above the clouds in the blink of an eye.

He glanced down at the Great Zhou Imperial Palace hidden in the night, then looked up at the Celestial Ranking towering in the sky. Silently activating the Cloud Soaring Technique beneath his feet, he transformed into a streak of pale cyan light and flew off into the distance.

And inside the Vast Void Pouch, that golden finger bone was now resting peacefully.

Chen Lingxi traveled all the way until he arrived at a cave in a barren mountain.

He sat cross-legged in the center of the cave, closed his eyes to focus his mind, and began regulating his breath in preparation for the upcoming hunt.

A moment later, Chen Lingxi slowly opened his eyes.

He raised his right hand, bringing his index and middle fingers together like a sword, with spiritual qi flickering unsteadily at the fingertips.

He slowly dragged those two fingers through the air, leaving behind four lines of pale golden text in the void before him.

The first person: [Bai Huzhong], 32nd on the Celestial Ranking.

The second person: [Xi Lingqiao], 26th on the Celestial Ranking.

The third person: [Bai Qingchuan], 19th on the Celestial Ranking.

The fourth person: [Xi Yuan], 10th on the Celestial Ranking.

In the Absolute Perception Divine Chamber, he had taken Xi Lingqiao as an opponent and fought a real, life-and-death battle.

Xi Lingqiao was ranked twenty-sixth on the Celestial Ranking with a cultivation at the Twelfth Floor of Qi Circulation. Falling Sea Profound Qi, Longevity Bridge, Victorious King Ruyi Precious Phase, and Sun World-Illuminating Method—these four divine abilities were exquisitely profound.

He had only barely managed to defeat him by relying on the True Edict of Approaching the Dao, the Heaven-Inviting Momentum, and the time-distorting power of the Delayed Light Flying Dagger.

’Xi Lingqiao is ranked twenty-sixth, and I could barely defeat him using the Delayed Light Flying Dagger... If it were someone ranked a few places higher, I’m afraid I would be no match for them,’ Chen Lingxi calculated silently, his eyes burning brightly. ’However, my current cultivation is only at the Eleventh Floor, yet I can already contend with a figure ranked twenty-sixth on the Celestial Ranking. This goes to show how deep my foundations are, and how overbearing the True Edict of Approaching the Dao is.’

’If I could step into the Twelfth Floor of Qi Circulation, I wonder if I would be able to cross swords with that Xi Yuan.’

Xi Yuan, tenth on the Celestial Ranking.

A plan gradually formed in his mind.

He stood up, wiped away the four lines of spiritual qi text with a wave of his hand, and walked out of the cave. Concealing his qi signature with the Hidden Edge Method, he soared into the air.

Following a familiar path, Chen Lingxi headed to that barren mountain valley and once again killed Wang Zhian, ranked fortieth on the Celestial Ranking!

Up in the sky, the name at the fortieth position on the Celestial Ranking shattered and dissipated, replaced by the pale golden characters: ”Weiji Grotto-Heaven, Chen Lingxi”.

A heavy stream of spiritual energy descended from the heavens, piercing straight into Chen Lingxi’s body and pouring into his Qi Sea.

It was no different from the Absolute Perception.

The only difference was that this time, he didn’t act too ostentatiously.

Keeping the Hidden Edge Method constantly active, he sped far away and returned to the cave in the barren mountain.

Inside the cave, Chen Lingxi sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and focused his mind to refine that brand-new burst of Celestial Ranking Spiritual Energy.

’The Celestial Ranking Spiritual Energy should be accumulated based on rank,’ he thought. ’I don’t need to kill them one by one. I just need to kill Xi Yuan, who is ranked tenth on the Celestial Ranking, and I will be able to obtain all the spiritual energy belonging to the tenth position.’

’And if I were to kill Bai Qingchuan first to seize the nineteenth position, and then kill Xi Yuan, the total spiritual energy I receive would still be the same.’

He lifted his head, his gaze piercing through the stone walls of the cave as if he could see the Celestial Ranking towering majestically in the sky.

’Since that’s the case, why don’t I use the Enemy-Slaughtering Spirit Wall to kill Xi Yuan directly? I can claim tenth on the Celestial Ranking, refine the tenth rank’s spiritual energy, and completely step into the Twelfth Floor of Qi Circulation.’

Chen Lingxi thought about it carefully.

’It’s just that... I don’t know where exactly this Xi Yuan is.’

He pondered for a long time before finally sending a wisp of spiritual sense into his Vast Void Pouch, landing on the jade pendant gifted to him by Lin Suri.

’Since that’s the case, I might as well go find Daoist Friend Lin and ask Daoist Shu Rong to investigate for me and find out exactly where Xi Yuan is.’

With a slight shift of his thoughts, he used Vision Roaming on Lin Suri and found that he was no longer on that snowy peak, but had instead arrived in a bustling market.

Chen Lingxi thought for a moment, took out the communication jade pendant, and deliberately asked for Lin Suri’s location before riding his cloud energy toward Nanche Prefecture.

In front of a luxurious building in Nanche Prefecture City, Lin Suri was already waiting.

The two exchanged greetings, and Chen Lingxi walked into the building, only to find the luxurious structure completely empty inside, with a grand formation still being inscribed in the void.

The two sat down.

Chen Lingxi didn’t want to dwell on the topic of the formation, so he got straight to the point and told Lin Suri what he was entrusting him with.

After hearing him out, Lin Suri pondered for a moment before standing up and heading to the backyard.

Chen Lingxi waited in silence. After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Lin Suri emerged from the backyard.

He carried a faint smile on his face as he said, ”Brother Chen, Martial Aunt Shu Rong said she can help you find Xi Yuan’s location... it’s just...”

He paused, his gaze landing on Chen Lingxi with a flash of seriousness. ”Brother Chen, could it be that you want to use the Enemy-Slaughtering Spirit Wall to kill Xi Yuan and thereby obtain the tenth position’s Celestial Ranking Spiritual Energy?”

Chen Lingxi nodded frankly. ”Exactly.”

Lin Suri shook his head instead and slowly said, ”Daoist Brother Chen, the Celestial Ranking has its own spirit!

A Cauldron Vessel Fragment is ultimately just an external object.

It is different from a magical treasure, which is something you can rely on as your own power.

It is also different from a complete Cauldron Vessel. When a cultivator wields a Cauldron Vessel to cultivate, a complete Cauldron Vessel is equivalent to a part of their own cultivation.

”But a Cauldron Vessel Fragment is different. Using a Cauldron Vessel Fragment either exacts a price, cannot be bound, or has a limited number of uses.

Using a Cauldron Vessel Fragment is, when it comes down to it, exactly like asking a senior of your sect to send down their mighty power to help you kill an enemy...

”Because of this, if you use a Cauldron Vessel Fragment to kill Xi Yuan, I’m afraid it won’t raise your rank on the Celestial Ranking.”

Hearing this, Chen Lingxi frowned slightly.

He had indeed used the Enemy-Slaughtering Spirit Wall in the Absolute Perception Divine Chamber, but at that time he had only used it to probe Bai Lingze. He had never actually used it to kill someone on the Celestial Ranking.

If what Lin Suri said was true, then his idea of using the Enemy-Slaughtering Spirit Wall to kill Xi Yuan directly was unworkable.

This deeply disappointed him.

But on second thought, he pushed that disappointment down.

He looked up, his gaze as resolute as ever. ”Since that is the case, I will simply treat this Enemy-Slaughtering Spirit Wall entirely as my life-saving trump card.

”As for the Celestial Ranking... I will just kill my way up, step by step.”

”Cultivation is like walking in a tornado holding a candle; advancing illuminates a corner, while retreating means sinking into eternal night.

”Now that the opportunity of the Celestial Ranking is right before my eyes, if I’m afraid, how can I ever escape this Grotto-Heaven?”

Chen Lingxi bowed to Lin Suri. ”I still ask Senior Shu Rong to help me locate the other projected experts. I, Chen Lingxi, will definitely repay this favor.”

Lin Suri spoke frankly, ”The cultivators projecting into this Weiji Grotto-Heaven are ultimately the opponents of my Under-Dao Academy.

”If Daoist Brother wishes to take action and slaughter them, it is a hundred benefits and no harm to the Under-Dao Academy. What need is there to speak of repayment?”

Saying this, he took a jade slip from his robes and handed it to Chen Lingxi, continuing, ”Brother Chen, please keep this jade slip safe.

Once Martial Aunt locates the other projected cultivators, she will engrave their whereabouts onto another jade slip.

”When that happens, the tracks will also appear on the jade slip in your hand, Daoist Brother Chen.”

Chen Lingxi accepted the jade slip, glanced down at it, and stored it away in his Vast Void Pouch.

”Many thanks, Daoist Brother.”

Lin Suri shook his head. His gaze lingered on Chen Lingxi for a moment before he suddenly spoke up, ”Brother Chen, do you know why, despite so many experts coming here to fight for the Immortal Slough opportunity, this Weiji Grotto-Heaven is still so calm and peaceful?”

Chen Lingxi frowned and thought about it. That did seem to be the case.

Numerous sects and immortal clans had paid a massive price to project experts here, yet these experts had remained hidden in the void, constructing formations, and had yet to make a move against one another.

Lin Suri said softly, ”Since the Immortal Slough has not yet appeared, the many factions are currently accumulating their strength. Furthermore... the first to strike will inevitably attract the most attention and draw in more enemies.

”Right now, this Grotto-Heaven is like dry grass, just waiting for someone to light a single spark.”

At this point, he stared carefully at Chen Lingxi. ”Daoist Brother, it is better to be careful above all else. Do not draw the pursuit of other Dao Foundation cultivators.”

”Also, regarding the matter of that Great Divine Ability... I imagine there will be a result soon.”

Chen Lingxi thanked Lin Suri and didn’t stay any longer. He rode off on his cloud and casually found another barren mountain.

Within a cave in that barren mountain, Chen Lingxi waited in silence.

Over ten days passed in a flash.

On this day, Chen Lingxi suddenly felt something and took out that jade slip.

He saw lines of text slowly surfacing on the jade slip, densely packed together.

These words described many locations—they were precisely the hiding places of those figures on the Celestial Ranking.

Chen Lingxi took a deep breath, killing intent overflowing in his eyes.

’If I were to cultivate peacefully, I’m afraid it would take another seven or eight years to step into the Twelfth Floor of Qi Circulation.’

’It would be better to commit to slaughter and gather more Celestial Ranking Spiritual Energy to step into the Twelfth Floor of Qi Circulation. By then, if the Under-Dao Academy can find a Great Divine Ability for me, I will be able to achieve the Profound Root, forge a Dao Foundation, and completely step into the Dao Foundation Realm.’

Chen Lingxi’s eyes burned brightly, his fighting spirit soaring high in his heart.

He stood up and stepped out of the cave, his spiritual sense landing directly on the jade slip as he selected a person from it.