After the Great Dao Died

Liu Chengfeng spoke with quiet ease, his aura perfectly composed.

His imposing presence was astonishing—truly worthy of a Dao Foundation avatar!

But right now, Liu Chengfeng’s gaze fell squarely on Chen Lingxi. Waves of Dao Origin flowed out, suffusing the space around Chen Lingxi.

Chen Lingxi’s expression remained perfectly neutral, but the spiritual qi within his Dao Platform surged into abrupt motion. A current of cloud energy instantly gathered beneath his feet.

It was the Wondrous State Cloud Soaring Technique!

Flee!

Lightning crackled within the clouds beneath Chen Lingxi’s feet. He nearly transformed into a streak of light, ready to tear through the surrounding mist and escape.

But right then, Liu Chengfeng simply shook his head.

With a flick of his finger, the longsword at his waist shot out and multiplied into countless sword shadows. These shadows instantly formed a sword array, locking down a thousand zhang of space around Chen Lingxi!

Chen Lingxi was trapped within Liu Chengfeng’s sword array.

The array unfurled silently from the void in all directions, as if thousands of invisible swords had been drawn at once. Silken threads of sword qi wove into a net, completely sealing off every avenue of retreat to his front, back, left, and right.

Liu Chengfeng’s mastery of the sword was extraordinary. This sword array seemed casually deployed, but in truth, every strand of sword qi resonated with the Dao Origin circulating around his body. As it pulsed, an impeccable, unbreakable Dao rhythm flowed through it.

Chen Lingxi unleashed the Longevity Bridge and the Heaven-Seizing Seal in succession, blasting them into the weakest corner of the sword array. Yet the barrage only stirred up a few ripples of sword qi. The array itself remained completely motionless, clamping him down like a cage forged of invisible blades.

’This sword array... is actually this profound!’

’Liu Chengfeng... this man hails from the Dragon-Revering Sect. With such deep attainments in the way of the sword, he would be considered outstanding even among those Noble Sect Immortal Gates of the Great Xuanzhuo Realm,’ Chen Lingxi thought, his eyes flickering.

After testing the array a few more times, he became increasingly certain of one thing.

’If Liu Chengfeng wanted to kill me, he could have made his move the instant he set up this sword array. Why would a Dao Foundation expert like him need to trap me?’ he pondered. ’But Liu Chengfeng hasn’t attacked. He’s only using the sword array to lock me in place...’

’It seems Bai Lingze will be coming in person to kill me himself,’ Chen Lingxi concluded, a sudden gleam flashing through his eyes.

He remembered that moment in Nanche Prefecture City, when Bai Lingze had stepped out of the void and looked down at him from on high.

That gaze had been brimming with murderous intent... as if Bai Lingze was absolutely determined to kill him.

If not for Emperor Daye’s Golden Finger Bone back then, he likely would have died under the sonic waves of the Hymn of the Divine Being.

’Thinking about it carefully, Bai Lingze has already struck at me three or four times, yet he continually falls short, even suffering a setback at the hands of Emperor Daye.’

How arrogant was a figure like that? After suffering such a massive loss against Emperor Daye, the fury and murderous intent in his heart had probably built up to the absolute limit.

Now that he had finally pinned down Chen Lingxi’s tracks, how could he possibly delegate the task? He would certainly arrive in person to meticulously crush this ant that had dared to get in his way.

Upon reaching this realization, the light in Chen Lingxi’s eyes grew even clearer.

’This avatar of Liu Chengfeng is also at the Early Dao Foundation stage, possessing extraordinary combat strength. Although I have now forged the Plundering Dragon Dao Platform and am only lacking The Final Kick to reach the Dao Foundation, I am still not quite capable of clashing head-on with a Dao Foundation figure like him.’

He calculated rapidly in his mind. His gaze lingered for a moment on the sword qi flowing around Liu Chengfeng before he sank his divine sense into his Vast Void Pouch, landing upon the Enemy-Slaughtering Spirit Wall.

Bai Lingze’s name and aura had already been carved into that Enemy-Slaughtering Spirit Wall.

The Spirit Wall had completely locked onto Bai Lingze’s energy signature. With just a single thought, Chen Lingxi could activate the great Cauldron Vessel power contained within.

’Bai Lingze’s cultivation is perhaps even stronger than Liu Chengfeng’s. But because of this Enemy-Slaughtering Spirit Wall, Bai Lingze will actually be easier for me to deal with.’

His thoughts settling, Chen Lingxi cast his gaze back toward Liu Chengfeng, who hovered just outside the sword array.

During the few short breaths of their standoff, he had silently extracted a wisp of Liu Chengfeng’s aura from the void, channeling it into his Vast Void Pouch and onto the Enemy-Slaughtering Spirit Wall.

’Since Bai Lingze is coming in person, I will wait here peacefully. However... this Liu Chengfeng is also a Dao Foundation avatar and must be guarded against. I might as well gather his aura into the Enemy-Slaughtering Spirit Wall early on, just in case.’

Thinking this, he kept his expression perfectly neutral. He merely sat cross-legged in the very center of the sword array, closing his eyes to regulate his breathing, looking exactly like a prisoner who had accepted his fate and was quietly awaiting the butcher’s knife.

Standing outside the sword array with his hands clasped behind his back, Liu Chengfeng swept his gaze back and forth over him, a hint of surprise flashing through his eyes.

He likely hadn’t expected this ant, who hadn’t even fully formed his Dao Platform, to be so composed—neither struggling nor begging for mercy, but just sitting there in total silence.

A moment later, on the distant horizon, the churning sea of clouds was abruptly cloven in two by a ray of jade brilliance.

Within that brilliance, the sound of the Hymn of the Divine Being echoed faintly, every syllable imbued with an indescribable, profound truth.

Bai Lingze descended from the heavens.

His white robes were spotless, his steps unhurried. The sonic waves of the Hymn of the Divine Being rippled slowly around him like layers of water, framing him entirely like an immortal descending to the mortal realm.

A faint smile touched the corners of his mouth. His gaze rested momentarily on Chen Lingxi within the sword array before shifting to Liu Chengfeng at the side.

”Daoist Friend Liu, thank you for your trouble,” he said, cupping his hands slightly toward Liu Chengfeng, his tone mild and polite.

Liu Chengfeng returned the greeting. His eyes circled over Chen Lingxi once more before falling back onto Bai Lingze, a flash of inquiry in his gaze.

”Daoist Friend Bai,” Liu Chengfeng said, ”I am rather curious as to why you would go to such great lengths for a local cultivator. Although this man has some foundation, at the end of the day, his Dao Platform is incomplete, and he is still far from the Dao Foundation. For you to invite me over with a single missive just to trap him for a moment... this seems like making a mountain out of a molehill.”

Hearing this, Bai Lingze’s smile did not falter. His eyes rested on Chen Lingxi as if looking at a plaything.

”There is something you don’t know, Daoist Friend Liu,” Bai Lingze replied. ”This Weiji Grotto-Heaven is actually quite fascinating. It produced an incredibly troublesome figure in Emperor Daye, Ying Xian, whose combat prowess is exceptional; he wouldn’t pale in comparison even to the chosen geniuses of the profound sects and immortal clans in the Great Xuanzhuo Realm. That Ying Xian cultivated to the Dao Foundation Middle Stage from the body of a local mortal. Once he unleashed his Heavenly Decline Law Great Divine Ability, even I suffered a considerable loss.”

He paused, his gaze shifting back to Chen Lingxi. ”And this Chen Lingxi is no pushover either. In just a short period, he has crossed numerous realms in succession. From the struggle over the Ancestral Mountain Maternal Qi to the Battle of Cauldron Seizing, and then to the death of Daoist Huotuo in Nanche Prefecture... everything he has done is far beyond what a local ant of this Qi-Depleted Grotto-Heaven should be capable of.”

His tone shifted, taking on a more serious edge. ”The more someone acts like this, the less they can be ignored. When pulling weeds, one must eradicate the roots. If we allow him to grow, he will only become a nuisance. Furthermore... for me, if I do not kill this person, my Dao heart will be clouded with dust, which is extremely detrimental to my cultivation of the Grand Jade Luminous Completion Dao.”

Hearing this, Liu Chengfeng slightly arched a brow.

He turned his head, his gaze falling upon Chen Lingxi, who was still sitting cross-legged in the sword array with his eyes closed. After watching him for a moment, Liu Chengfeng gave a small nod.

”Among Daoist Friend Bai’s divine abilities is the Immortal Elucidation Dao, which requires one’s thoughts to be perfectly clear and unobstructed above all else... Since that is the case, I will leave this Chen Lingxi to you.” He bowed to Bai Lingze, cupping his hands. ”Then Liu Chengfeng will take his leave.”

With those words, he flicked his sleeve, and the sword array imprisoning Chen Lingxi quietly dissipated.

The thousands of invisible strands of sword qi silently retracted into his body like a receding tide, and the piercing, sharp aura that had filled the surrounding void vanished completely along with it.

Liu Chengfeng said no more. Sword light abruptly flared beneath his feet, carrying his figure into the sky. He transformed into a dazzling sword rainbow, slicing through the sea of clouds and shooting off into the distance. In the blink of an eye, he had vanished over the horizon.

With Liu Chengfeng’s departure, the sword array quietly dissolved.

Bai Lingze stood upon the clouds, staring down at Chen Lingxi.

Only then did Chen Lingxi slowly open his eyes and raise his head to meet Bai Lingze’s ethereal, otherworldly gaze.

He looked Bai Lingze up and down, sensing that the sonic waves of the Hymn of the Divine Being surrounding the man were several fractions deeper and heavier than they had been back in Nanche Prefecture City. The fluctuations of Dao Origin hidden within the sound were also purer and far more overbearing.

’It seems the cultivation of Bai Lingze’s avatar has advanced once again,’ Chen Lingxi noted internally, though his face revealed nothing.

He remained seated cross-legged. Looking up, he said, ”Your true body must have already stepped into the Dao Foundation Late Stage, or perhaps an even higher realm? For the avatar you projected to possess an Early Dao Foundation cultivation... such a profound foundation would be considered breathtakingly brilliant even among the Noble Sect Immortal Gates of the Great Xuanzhuo Realm.”

Bai Lingze remained silent.

Standing with his hands behind his back atop the clouds, he looked down on Chen Lingxi from his lofty height.

No emotion could be read on that handsome, jade-like face; only within his ethereal eyes did a faint, almost imperceptible killing intent shine through.

Chen Lingxi continued, ”Just as Liu Chengfeng said, I am nothing but a lowly Qi Circulation cultivator. My Dao Platform is only newly formed, my Profound Root remains unplanted, and I am still far from the Dao Foundation. Yet I never imagined that a noble cultivator of the Bai Family would be willing to go to such great lengths to kill me. First asking Liu Chengfeng to trap me with his sword array, and then rushing over in person... What virtues or abilities does a man like me possess to warrant two Dao Foundation figures running around for my sake?”

Hearing this, the faint smile at the corners of Bai Lingze’s mouth finally shifted slightly.

He tilted his head back slightly. Standing on the clouds with his hands behind his back, he was silent for a few breaths before he slowly spoke.

”How vast is the Great Xuanzhuo Realm? The upper sects and noble gates are too numerous to count. How mighty is my Yutai Bai Family, to be able to stand tall in the Nine Quarters Great Domain for tens of thousands of years without falling? We did not achieve this by being blindly arrogant and haughty.”

”Chen Lingxi.” His gaze fell back onto Chen Lingxi. The two spheres of jade brilliance slowly cycled in his eyes like twin cold moons embedded in the firmament, radiating clear light yet chilling to the very bone. ”I have already discovered that this Weiji Grotto-Heaven is rather peculiar. Although this realm is depleted of spiritual opportunity, it has continuously produced local figures like you and Ying Xian, and even harbors Cauldron Vessels and an Immortal Slough. It absolutely cannot be compared to ordinary grotto-heavens. For the two of you to cultivate to such realms in such a barren place, you must harbor massive secrets on your persons.”

”Even if this grotto-heaven is a place personally designated by the True Monarch of the Que Star Xi Family, it will ultimately be melted into Realm Essence inside the Realm-Refining Furnace, and all of you will be reduced to firewood for Xi Hengsu’s Dao Foundation.” His tone pivoted abruptly, the killing intent in his eyes thickening considerably. ”Yet I still intend to kill you with my own hands.”

”Cultivation is not easy.” Bai Lingze’s eyes flickered. ”The chance that you escape this grotto-heaven and grasp a sliver of survival is not even one in ten thousand. Even if you do escape, the odds that you can contend with me, Bai Lingze, are equally less than one in ten thousand. Your aptitude is extraordinary, but even if you encounter future fortunes and one day manage to surpass me, it is still virtually impossible for you to challenge my Yutai Bai Family...”

”However...” His tone took a sharp turn. ”In all things, there is always a faint possibility. Since that possibility exists, and since you already planted an obsession in my heart during the Battle of Cauldron Seizing, I won’t hesitate to spend a little extra effort to obliterate your Dao Platform and claim your head.”

Having said this, his gaze roamed back and forth across Chen Lingxi.

”To that end,” he continued, ”I specifically used my true body to manifest our clan’s Great Divine Ability, the Spiritual Tablet, and had it brought here. It can illuminate the unseen threads of karma. Using this Spiritual Tablet, I calculated three paths that you, Chen Lingxi, would inevitably cross. I took one path, and I invited two other Dao Foundation avatars to guard the other two. We simply waited for you to walk right into my trap!”

”A mighty Dao Foundation expert going to such tremendous lengths just to kill a Qi Circulation cultivator like me.” As Chen Lingxi listened to this speech, a trace of shock flashed through his eyes.

He had met many cultivators from the Great Xuanzhuo Realm by now.

There was Lu Baizhong, who treated mortals like ants; Xi Yuan, who took sadistic pleasure in watching a spectacle; and the elders of the Under-Dao Academy like Daoist Shu Rong, who acted with open righteousness.

Yet this Bai Lingze was somewhat different from everyone else he had encountered.

This man was exceptionally arrogant, but it was not the sort of foolish, blind hubris that ignored all else.

He genuinely took every single potential threat seriously, even if that ’threat’ was nothing more than a slightly larger ant in his eyes.

’This man cannot be underestimated.’

Thinking this, he slowly nodded, before asking with some confusion, ”Thinking back carefully, Daoist Friend Bai and I didn’t have much of a dispute during the Battle of Cauldron Seizing. At the time, Xi Yu hunted me with an Undying Willow Puppet, and then personally arrived at the Zhuzhao Riverbank to take my life; I was merely forced to defend myself. Back then, you only used a Bright Jade Avatar to protect her, transforming into a tornado to spirit her away. You and I never forged any sort of deep-seated blood feud in that battle.”

He raised his head, looking straight at Bai Lingze, his tone carrying genuine bewilderment. ”I truly do not understand how I became the knot in your heart. Why would your thoughts fail to be perfectly clear if you don’t kill me?”

Upon hearing this, Bai Lingze blanked for a moment, and then burst into loud laughter.

He laughed for a long time before slowly reining in his amusement, narrowing his eyes as he looked at Chen Lingxi.

”It is solely because you were too weak back then,” he said.

”I have never been chased by an inferior cultivator like you,” he stated leisurely. ”During the Battle of Cauldron Seizing, you stepped across the Longevity Bridge in pursuit of Xi Yu and me. You slashed out at me with the Thunder-Wielding Heavenly King Sword. Though that sword strike only carved a single crack into my Bright Jade protection—which, to me, didn’t even count as a light wound... That was the very first time my, Bai Lingze’s, avatar had ever been injured by an inferior cultivator, a nameless nobody who had sprung up out of nowhere.”

”If a mighty Golden Portal expert had been the one hunting me, my thoughts naturally wouldn’t be obstructed. Superior Cultivators Attack Inferior Cultivators—it is the immutable law of heaven and earth. Noble Cultivators Attack Weak Cultivators—that is equally just and natural.”

Standing atop the clouds with his hands behind his back, his robes flapping wildly in the wind, his tone carried an unquestionable majesty. ”But for someone like you, who has neither background nor a master’s lineage, to have actually harmed my avatar and left me in such a miserable state under the divine abilities of your Dao protector...”

Pausing his speech, his eyes locked onto Chen Lingxi. The twin spheres of jade brilliance slowly spun within them, and a freezing smile lifted the corners of his mouth. ”To me, you naturally became a knot in my heart.”

Chen Lingxi fell silent.

Sitting cross-legged in the void, he finally understood.

So-called superior cultivators...

They were born high above, treating mortals like ants and the disciples of minor sects like worthless weeds.

They could capriciously crush anyone who displeased them to death, yet they couldn’t tolerate those ’ants’ offending them in the slightest.

Even if an avatar was only marred by an insignificant crack, in their eyes, it was an egregious humiliation that could only be washed away with the ’ant’s’ life.

’This Bai Lingze really is different from Lu Baizhong,’ Chen Lingxi thought.

Lu Baizhong’s indifference was pure and almost naive; if he killed, he killed, scorning any need for explanation or scheming.

But this Bai Lingze absolutely had to find a pretext of ’keeping his thoughts clear and unobstructed’ to justify his murderous intent, as if phrasing it that way made what he saw as a clash of ’insubordination’ into something entirely rational.

’He’s the sort of person who wants to act like a whore but still erects a monument to his own chastity,’ Chen Lingxi sneered inwardly.

Seeing him remain silent, Bai Lingze seemed to lose all interest in further idle chatter.

Standing atop the clouds with his hands behind his back, his gaze lingered on him for a moment before he suddenly asked, ”Do you know why I told you all of this?”

Chen Lingxi shook his head.

Bai Lingze abruptly turned his head to look off into the distance.

The jade radiance in his eyes surged rapidly, piercing through the layers of clouds and slicing past all obstacles between heaven and earth to gaze at the absolute furthest edge of the horizon.

Following his gaze, Chen Lingxi also turned his head.

Suddenly, his expression shifted.