After the Great Dao Died

Two presences landed one after the other at the edge of the ice plains.

The woman in front wore a pale blue-and-white robe. Her face was cold and aloof, and a faint azure radiance flowed around her.

The man beside her bore a mark on his forehead, his body surging with spiritual energy.

These two were experts from Zhuran Star, who had projected here alongside Yu Jiangwei.

The woman in particular was none other than Qing Yuechan, ranked twelfth on the Celestial Ranking.

Spiritual qi circulated around them, exuding a faint but extraordinary presence.

Not far behind them stood another person—a young woman.

It was Lin Longyue.

She looked much more haggard than she had at the Baosu Marquis Residence, but her face bore the natural resilience of one who had endured hardship.

She stood at the edge of the ice plains, looking at the lingering blizzard with shock in her eyes.

’These two immortals in the clouds are truly extraordinary,’ Lin Longyue thought. She had not been on the path of cultivation for long.

Qing Yuechan looked up into the void.

Up there, lightning bloomed and the blizzard howled.

The surrounding clouds had converged, and the chaotic spiritual qi within masked any probing from divine sense.

The man also looked toward the realm of lightning and snow, then suddenly turned to Qing Yuechan. ”I wonder who is fighting Ou Ningzi? Judging by this profound Great Divine Ability of rampaging lightning, could it be someone from the Thunder Pool?”

Qing Yuechan raised an eyebrow. She didn’t use any divine abilities or spells to force her way through the thunderclouds to spy on the battle, lest she disturb the two clashing experts.

”To our Zhuran Star, whether it’s the Thunder Pool or the Southern Heaven Region within this Grotto-Heaven, they are all enemies fighting us for the Immortal Slough.

”Since that’s the case, the person’s identity isn’t very important. We just need to wait for them to determine a victor.”

The man with the glowing mark on his forehead slowly nodded.

”When experts of this caliber fight, the victor will inevitably be injured. This is indeed a good opportunity for us.”

The three of them waited in silence on the snowy plains.

Around them, a transparent, concealing qi circulated slowly, masking their traces. It seemed to be the projection of a treasure.

They waited like this until fifteen minutes slipped away.

Suddenly, the blizzard fighting against the lightning weakened considerably.

Sensing this, Qing Yuechan looked up and saw a figure falling from the lightning-shrouded clouds.

It was a giant covered in ice and snow. The wondrous power of a divine ability flowed through the frost, surging continuously like the tide.

”Ou Ningzi’s Cold Mirror Deity Great Divine Ability... is truly powerful,” Qing Yuechan noted.

”But he seems...”

Before Qing Yuechan could finish her thought, the ice crystals on the giant suddenly fractured with countless cracks. They shattered completely, transforming into a heavy snowfall that drifted down.

Within the shattered ice, Ou Ningzi—who appeared as a seven- or eight-year-old child—was heavily injured. His forehead had been pierced straight through, and his breath was incredibly weak.

This avatar body was about to dissipate!

Qing Yuechan’s pupils shrank slightly. She looked up at the lightning, only to see it still shining as intensely as the midday sun, terrifying to the extreme!

”What kind of Great Divine Ability is this? Its power is actually this formidable! Furthermore... spiritual qi is circulating within it. The spiritual qi hasn’t transformed into Dao Origin, which means this person hasn’t stepped into the Dao Foundation Realm!

”To think there’s someone among Qi Circulation cultivators who can defeat Ou Ningzi so easily!”

Qing Yuechan took a deep breath.

What astonished her even more was that the mighty power of the Great Divine Ability erupting from this person showed absolutely no signs of weakening. It was still at its peak!

The man from Zhuran Star beside her also revealed a look of surprise. He turned to Qing Yuechan.

”Within the Land of Nine Palaces of the Great Xuanzhuo Realm, when it comes to the profound sect with the greatest killing power, it is the Thunder Pool,” the man said.

”The Thunder Pool produces generations of capable figures, so it’s not surprising they can defeat Ou Ningzi. But to beat him completely unscathed is truly astonishing.”

Lin Longyue silently repeated those two words in her mind.

Thunder Pool...

’A noble cultivator from a profound sect is truly extraordinary,’ Lin Longyue mused.

At that moment, the figure of Ou Ningzi that had crashed onto the ice plains began to dissipate.

Meanwhile, a brilliant light flashed from within the lightning, shooting straight into the sky.

Sensing something, the three from Zhuran Star looked up at the Celestial Ranking in the sky.

Purple qi lingered around the Celestial Ranking, brimming with Daoist charm!

Profound auras flowed slowly across its surface, and the names upon it shone brilliantly.

Right now, the purple qi surged on the Celestial Ranking, falling directly onto a specific name...

That name was Ou Ningzi!

They watched as Ou Ningzi’s name fractured inch by inch, like fragile glass.

The cultivators from Zhuran Star, as well as many other cultivators currently in the Weiji Grotto-Heaven, unanimously looked up at the Celestial Ranking.

”Just which profound sect does the exalted cultivator who defeated Ou Ningzi belong to?” the male cultivator from Zhuran Star muttered to himself, his gaze burning.

The purple qi grew increasingly dense, settling into the spot where Ou Ningzi’s name had been on the Celestial Ranking.

Rumble!

With a massive boom, the purple qi collided with the Celestial Ranking, carving out a new name!

[Weiji Grotto-Heaven, Chen Lingxi!]

Qing Yuechan sharply inhaled a deep breath.

The male cultivator, however, kept staring at the Celestial Ranking in the void, meticulously gazing at the name ranked eleventh!

A few breaths of time quietly passed.

He suddenly spoke up. ”Chen Lingxi? The same person who killed Daoist Huotuo in Nanche Prefecture that day?”

”He is a local. At that time, he hadn’t even formed a Dao Platform... It’s only been a year. How could he have mastered a Great Divine Ability and even defeated Ou Ningzi?”

Qing Yuechan was equally bewildered!

Ou Ningzi was an avatar from the Southern Heaven Region, ranked eleventh on the Celestial Ranking. He cultivated the Cold Mirror Deity Great Divine Ability, possessing an extreme freezing power capable of encasing all things in ice.

Even looking at all the projected avatars in the Weiji Grotto-Heaven, Ou Ningzi’s combat prowess was absolutely top-tier.

Yet he had actually lost.

Lin Longyue was still somewhat dazed.

”The noble cultivator of the Thunder Pool... is Chen Lingxi?” she murmured.

But then she saw the words ’Weiji Grotto-Heaven’ in front of Chen Lingxi’s name and immediately realized the truth. Her pupils contracted, and she was slightly at a loss.

Meanwhile, the lightning gradually receded.

Qing Yuechan looked up, her gaze piercing through the churning blizzard to land on the lightning-wreathed figure deep in the ice plains.

The lightning around the figure was slowly withdrawing, settling down from its blazing, sun-like intensity into a profound stillness.

At that moment, amid the countless streaks of lightning, the figure was finally completely revealed.

Chen Lingxi stood upon the ruined ice plains, the pale golden lightning around him slowly retracting into his body.

His dark robes were dusted with ice shards and dirt, but his expression was as normal as ever, as though the preceding battle hadn’t been too difficult for him.

The composure and calm in his deep eyes, however, ensured no one would dare underestimate him.

Simply standing there, he resembled a sharp sword yet to be sheathed.

Now, amidst the lingering purple qi on the Celestial Ranking in the sky, Chen Lingxi’s name hung securely like a star.

Eleventh place.

Qing Yuechan took a deep breath, light flickering in her eyes.

Ou Ningzi had been infinitely close to her rank; in terms of combat power, the two of them were on par.

Even Ou Ningzi had died at this person’s hands. If it had been her instead, she feared she wouldn’t escape defeat either.

’This person’s foundation is immense, and his spiritual qi remains extremely dense. He doesn’t seem drained at all! If I attack recklessly, I’m afraid this avatar will also fall to Chen Lingxi,’

Qing Yuechan thought to herself. She then secretly rejoiced, ’Fortunately, we have the Spirit-Concealing Pearl here. Even though this is Chen Lingxi, he shouldn’t have noticed us.’

However...

Just as her thoughts settled, she saw lightning swirl in Chen Lingxi’s eyes as the man turned and glanced at them!

The terrifying lightning power contained within that gaze acted like two corporeal swords, piercing through the blizzard and striking straight into the area around the three from Zhuran Star!

In an instant!

The pressure within those eyes was far too majestic, far too tyrannical, as if countless bolts of lightning were churning and roaring inside them.

Under this gaze, Qing Yuechan felt the spiritual qi within her body abruptly stagnate, its circulation becoming incredibly sluggish.

’Hmm? The Spirit-Concealing Pearl was seen through?’ Qing Yuechan was greatly astonished. ’This person hasn’t ascended to the Dao Foundation, nor has he cultivated an illusion-breaking Great Divine Ability. Could he have cultivated the Wondrous Realm Method of Profound Observation?’

But right now, she didn’t have the luxury of pondering how Chen Lingxi could see through the projected spiritual artifact.

’If this person attacks us, we definitely won’t escape this calamity!’

’If I had known, I wouldn’t have tried to play the opportunist.’

Qing Yuechan thought to herself.

The cultivation site of Zhuran Star was not far from here. She had originally heard the commotion of the great battle and thought to pick up a cheap advantage when both sides were heavily injured, never expecting Chen Lingxi to win so decisively.

The male cultivator had also noticed Chen Lingxi’s gaze and subconsciously took a half-step back.

Spiritual qi circulated over all of them. Their expressions were stern, acting as if facing a formidable foe.

Lin Longyue immediately understood...

These two noble cultivators, who seemed nearly omnipotent in her eyes, appeared to be terrified of the figure in the lightning.

’General...’ Lin Longyue whispered in her heart.

At that moment, Chen Lingxi, standing in the void, looked at Lin Longyue beside the two.

When that glance fell upon Lin Longyue, it was much gentler than the one he had given Qing Yuechan and her companion.

The churning lightning in those eyes retracted slightly, and some of the sternness in his gaze vanished.

Meeting that gaze, Lin Longyue’s heart gave an involuntary tremor.

The general.

The official bondservant of the Baosu Marquis Residence.

And now, the immortal sitting high at eleventh place on the Celestial Ranking.

’I am growing further and further away from the general.’

Her mood sank.

After glancing at her, Chen Lingxi withdrew his gaze. Lightning already flashed beneath his feet.

An azure cloud mixed with pale golden lightning condensed beneath him. It hoisted him into the sky, transforming into a dazzling rainbow of thunder that sped into the distance.

In the end, he didn’t attack them.

Stepping on lightning, he departed through the air!

Watching the fading lightning, Qing Yuechan finally exhaled a long breath of stale air.

Only Lin Longyue’s mood grew even more depressed.

As Chen Lingxi soared through the clouds, he sensed the Celestial Ranking Spiritual Energy hidden within his Dao Platform.

As more experts entered the Grotto-Heaven, they were becoming increasingly powerful.

The Celestial Ranking Spiritual Energy also grew heavier. Chen Lingxi had once possessed the spiritual energy of the fourteenth rank, but he feared that the current fourteenth rank contained far more profound energy.

And today, by defeating Ou Ningzi, Chen Lingxi had seized the eleventh-ranked Celestial Ranking Spiritual Energy!

Moreover, the tenth rank on the Celestial Ranking was a Dao Foundation figure.

This level of spiritual energy was incredibly dense. Just by feeling it throb within his Dao Platform, Chen Lingxi could sense the profound power it contained.

’I need to find a place to refine the spiritual energy and plant the Profound Root into the Dao Platform as soon as possible!’

Chen Lingxi immediately sought out a barren mountain.

The mountain wasn’t tall, but it was extremely remote, with no signs of human life for hundreds of miles around.

He found a natural cave halfway up the mountain and set up several layers of the Hidden Edge Method and concealment restrictions outside. Only then did he sit cross-legged and extract the majestic eleventh-ranked Celestial Ranking Spiritual Energy from his Dao Platform.

The spiritual energy hovered in front of him, radiating an extremely warm and bright light.

”No wonder so many experts are fighting for a rank on the Celestial Ranking,” Chen Lingxi muttered softly to himself, his eyes full of pleasant surprise.

Hesitating no longer, he closed his eyes, focused his mind, and circulated the Dragon-Stripping Dao-Transforming One Qi True Incantation to begin refining the spiritual energy.

The moment the spiritual energy entered his body, the Plundering Dragon Dao Platform began to spin madly, like sweet rain falling after a prolonged drought.

The majestic spiritual qi contained within that spiritual energy flooded into the Dao Platform like a burst dam. Tempered by the lightning Profound Root, it transformed into wisps of extremely pure Dao Origin, converging toward the base of the root.

Planting the Profound Root in the Dao Platform...

This final step was to allow the Profound Root to completely take root within the Dao Platform, merging the two into a single entity to mutually nourish and strengthen each other.

Chen Lingxi sank his entire mind into his Dao Platform. Using the Celestial Ranking Spiritual Energy as fuel, he pressed the Thunder Prison Profound Root inch by inch into the depths of the Dao Platform.

This process was extremely slow, yet extremely smooth!

Under the nourishment of the dense Celestial Ranking Spiritual Energy, the barriers between the Profound Root and the Dao Platform were smoothed out layer by layer. Their convergence happened naturally, falling seamlessly into place.

An unknown amount of time passed before the base of the lightning Profound Root finally embedded itself completely into the deepest part of the Plundering Dragon Dao Platform.

At that exact moment, Chen Lingxi’s body gave a sudden jolt.

He felt his Plundering Dragon Dao Platform and Thunder Prison Profound Root resonate wildly. The lightning on the Profound Root and the azure light of the Dao Platform blended together, transforming into a dazzling, chaotic light that bathed the entire Dao Platform in blinding brilliance.

Under the illumination of this light, the river of spiritual qi within his Qi Sea began to evolve at a visible rate.

Starting from the edges, the originally azure spiritual qi began to emit a pale golden glow. The light grew brighter and more intense, spreading across the entire river like a rising tide.

This was the sign of spiritual qi transforming into Dao Origin.

Chen Lingxi kept his eyes tightly shut, circulating the Dragon-Stripping True Formula with all his might. He refined the last trace of spiritual qi within the Celestial Ranking Spiritual Energy into his Dao Platform.

The Thunder Prison Profound Root acted like a greedy Taotie, swallowing up all the surging spiritual qi, tempering it, and converting it into Dao Origin before feeding it back into the evolving river.

Time slipped away quietly in this silent, steadfast evolution.

Dozens of days passed in silence.

When Chen Lingxi opened his eyes again, the aura surrounding him was entirely different from before his seclusion.

The river in his Qi Sea, originally formed of spiritual qi, had now completely turned into a river of Dao Origin.

The river of Dao Origin was only about a zhang wide, yet it was countless times denser and more profound than his previous river of spiritual qi.

Every drop of Dao Origin gleamed like molten gold, emanating incredibly deep, tyrannical, and profound fluctuations.

Atop the Plundering Dragon Dao Platform, the Thunder Prison Profound Root had completely taken root, its branches and leaves flourishing as lightning flowed over them.

The Dao Platform and the Profound Root were no longer at odds; instead, they complemented each other.

With every breath Chen Lingxi took, a wisp of extremely pure lightning Daoist charm diffused, circulating through his meridians to temper his physical body and Dao Origin.

His spiritual qi had transformed into dense Dao Origin!

He had finally attained his Dao Foundation!

Chen Lingxi slowly stood up, lightning coiling around his body.

From a dying medicine slave to now cultivating his Dao Foundation, he had endured an unknown number of hardships and brushed with death countless times.

But now, he had finally taken this crucial step.

”The Dao Foundation is established,” Chen Lingxi murmured, an irrepressible joy in his voice.

Dao Foundation!

Established!