After the Great Dao Died

Eldest Senior Brother arrived on his sword!

At this time, beneath the high dome of the Heaven Nurturing Hall, many disciples had long since taken their places. They stood with their hands at their sides, their gazes uniformly fixed on the center of the hall.

There, a streak of spiritual light was slowly condensing, transforming into a stone stele.

The stele was not very tall, only about three chi square.

But on its stone surface, countless fine specks of radiance were faintly gathering.

This was precisely the Dao Profound Spirit Tablet manifesting!

Chen Lingxi stood at the side of the hall, shoulder to shoulder with Yuan Lingyu and Senior Sister Yan Shu.

His gaze swept over the people in the hall, then quietly lifted to look outside.

Amidst the churning sea of clouds, several figures were faintly visible. They were indistinct, hidden within the clouds. Though their faces couldn’t be seen clearly, a heavy aura of Dao Origin rolled forth to meet him.

Those were the masters of the Six Halls of Slumbering Deer Peak.

During this triennial cauldron manifestation, although the six hall masters wouldn’t show themselves to the disciples, they remained hidden in the clouds to personally oversee the proceedings, guarding against any unexpected variables.

Chen Lingxi withdrew his gaze and let it fall back on the Dao Profound Spirit Tablet.

By now, the radiance on the spirit tablet had finally settled, no longer wandering. Then, rows of text lit up.

As each line of text lit up, a ray of spiritual light rose from the tablet’s surface and hovered in the air, transforming into a clearly visible name and message.

Chen Lingxi looked up and read them carefully, inwardly shocked.

’Are these the opportunities illuminated by the Cauldron Vessel?’

Densely packed on the spirit tablet, over ten opportunities were actually engraved!

Deep in some mountain, a third-grade spiritual herb was about to emerge. Its fragrance soaked through a hundred li, attracting spiritual beasts to occupy the area!

Deep within the ruins of some abandoned ancient battlefield, traces of ownerless spiritual artifacts flickered in and out of sight, like dragons and snakes sneaking about in the shadows!

There was also an ownerless cave dwelling heavily sealed by restrictions. The aura of a profound divine ability faintly flowed from within, like a sleeping beauty revealing her world-shocking visage through heavy layers of gauze!

Elsewhere, in some perilous land, an extremely extraordinary killing force array disk was brewing. Murderous intent bled from it. Even before it fully manifested, it had already forced the worldly spiritual energy within hundreds of li to turn solemn...

...

...

’These opportunities are truly extraordinary.’

Chen Lingxi’s gaze swept across them, amazed by the profundity of the Dao Profound Spirit Tablet.

His gaze didn’t stop until it reached the very top of the spirit tablet, landing on two exceptionally dazzling messages.

’These two opportunities...’

Chen Lingxi looked closely.

He saw the reflection of a broken sword on the spirit tablet. As his gaze landed on that broken sword, layers of information instantly flowed into his mind.

The broken sword was buried deep within the [Frost Sea], mottled with rust like ordinary scrap iron.

Yet beneath that rust, a peerless sword qi could faintly be seen overflowing.

That sword qi was restrained, like an azure dragon sleeping at the bottom of an abyss. Even with its eyes closed and scales concealed, the coercion seeping from its very bones still forced the surrounding world into silence.

With one look, Chen Lingxi felt that the sword intent contained on that broken sword was actually more terrifying than any precious sword he had ever seen.

His gaze rested on the broken sword, not moving away for a long time.

’I cultivate the Jade Tiger Rebellious Sea Sword Light, and my sword light is particularly sensitive to sword Dao treasures... This broken sword is absolutely an extremely extraordinary treasure.’

’It is bound to be much better than my Abyssal Heaven Spiritual Sword. It is even highly likely to be a second-grade spiritual artifact.’

Chen Lingxi’s eyes flickered.

Just how precious was a second-grade spiritual artifact?

Many figures at Dao Foundation perfection didn’t even possess one.

Chen Lingxi’s heart was greatly moved, and he looked at the second opportunity.

The second was a streak of living spiritual qi.

That qi hovered above the spirit tablet. Its color was cyan-green, dense and circulating, like a pool of spring water confined within a square inch.

Within it, the phantom of a fruit tree was faintly visible. Its branches and leaves were well-spaced, heavily laden with fruit. On the fruit, a faint layer of spiritual light circulated, like morning dew condensed on a branch, about to fall but still clinging.

[Suspended Qi Fruit Projection].

Chen Lingxi silently recited this name in his heart, his eyes brightening slightly.

According to the spirit tablet’s description, this Suspended Qi Fruit Projection was an item born of the Dao.

If an early Dao Foundation cultivator was fortunate enough to consume this Suspended Qi Fruit Projection, they could use it to temper their Dao Platform, solidifying their foundation and reinforcing their reserves.

And even rarer was that after consuming this projection, one could also attain a portion of the profound mystery of the [Suspended Qi Constitution].

The Suspended Qi Constitution was a legendary cultivation physique. Once achieved, it was like gaining an extra pair of lungs out of thin air to inhale and exhale the world’s spiritual energy. Who knew how much smoother one’s future path of cultivation would be.

To an early Dao Foundation cultivator, this Suspended Qi Fruit Projection could be considered a true supreme treasure.

And this [Suspended Qi Fruit Projection] opportunity was precisely the most flourishing and precious opportunity on the Dao Profound Spirit Tablet this time.

’According to the Cauldron Vessel’s description, if one obtains this [Suspended Qi Fruit Projection] opportunity, they can easily step into the Dao Foundation middle stage, far surpassing cultivators of the same realm, and accumulate their foundation to a terrifying level.’

Chen Lingxi’s gaze burned brightly.

He was extremely envious in his heart, his gaze lingering on that [Suspended Qi Fruit Projection] opportunity.

But immediately after, more information flowed out on the spirit tablet, landing beneath the Suspended Qi Fruit Projection.

’Hm? This opportunity has already been exposed in the Nine Quarters.’

Chen Lingxi’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Just how vast was the Land of Nine Quarters?

Who knew how many profound sects were within it, or even True Lord immortal clans.

Since the Suspended Qi Fruit Projection was already exposed in the Nine Quarters, it meant that countless experts already knew of its existence and were secretly coveting it.

After all, such an opportunity was truly far too precious. Even among those lofty profound sects and immortal clans, there were still early Dao Foundation figures.

Chen Lingxi lowered his eyelids, silently calculating in his heart.

’Although I have now joined Slumbering Deer Peak and become a disciple of the Fenglong inner peaks, I am ultimately just an early Dao Foundation figure. In this Land of Nine Quarters, I am but a speck of dust in the vast ocean.’

’If I try to rashly fight for that Suspended Qi Fruit Projection on my own, I will definitely not be able to outcompete those profound sects and immortal clans with their deep foundations. Instead, it’s highly likely I would expose myself to the public eye.’

’At that time, not only might I fail to obtain the opportunity, but I might not even be able to hide the secrets on my body.’

As for that broken sword opportunity...

Chen Lingxi thought it over and temporarily set it aside.

The broken sword was terrifying, of course, but it was buried deep at the bottom of the Frost Sea. With his current cultivation, rashly venturing into such a perilous land was no different from courting death.

Furthermore, the sword qi contained on that broken sword was far too peerless. He feared it had long been targeted by more than one faction.

He thought to himself.

’It seems I am ultimately destined to have no share of these two extraordinary opportunities.’

’Right now, the most pressing matter is still to cultivate my second Great Divine Ability, refine that divine ability spiritual item, and step into the Dao Foundation middle stage. That is the proper path.’

’Once my cultivation takes another step forward, I will be much more at ease when considering these worldly possessions.’

Right at this time, Chen Lingxi suddenly felt a gaze fall upon him.

He looked up slightly and saw Eldest Senior Brother Shen Xiu’an standing with his hands behind his back at the front of the hall. Shen Xiu’an turned his head and gave him a deep look.

Chen Lingxi was a bit surprised, not understanding why Eldest Senior Brother was looking at him.

The Dao Profound Spirit Tablet finished its manifestation. Many disciples noted down the opportunities they saw, then dispersed one after another.

Chen Lingxi bid farewell to Yuan Lingyu and Senior Sister Yan Shu, returning alone to the Water Curtain Cave.

The waterfall cascaded down from the thousand-zhang cliff, its rushing water rumbling like thunder.

With a flick of Chen Lingxi’s sleeve, a streak of Dao Origin swept out, transforming into an invisible barrier that parted the water curtain just enough. He turned sideways and stepped into the cave.

He sat cross-legged in the cave and closed his eyes to regulate his breathing for a long time. Once his state of mind completely calmed down, he reached into his robes and took out two items.

One was a Great Divine Ability Spiritual Wall. It was jade-green all over, with numerous runes constantly jumping and flashing with radiance upon it.

The other was a small, palm-sized cauldron.

The cauldron was entirely bronze-colored with no carvings, save for three small ancient seal characters engraved on its belly.

[Square Heaven Cauldron].

The cauldron looked ordinary, but when Chen Lingxi’s gaze fell on its body, he felt an extremely profound aura permeating from it, as if something unspeakable was sealed within the cauldron’s belly.

These two items were precisely the Great Divine Ability Spiritual Wall and the divine ability spiritual item bestowed by True Person Xiangshu.

Chen Lingxi first took the Great Divine Ability Spiritual Wall and slowly transferred a wisp of divine sense into it.

The lines on the spiritual wall suddenly lit up, turning into countless dense golden characters that flooded into Chen Lingxi’s Sea of Consciousness like flowing water.

Chen Lingxi closed his eyes and concentrated, carefully comprehending those characters. Only after a long time did he slowly open his eyes.

Even though he had already probed this Great Divine Ability Spiritual Wall many times, perceiving the information within it once again still left him feeling astonished.

This was because this Great Divine Ability was named [Heavenly Statute Edict] and was a Great Divine Ability of the Zhuluo Imperial Reed Dao.

’Zhuluo is the Heaven of Precepts in the Immortal Capital,’ Chen Lingxi silently recited the explanation from the spiritual wall in his heart.

’The laws of this heaven have extremely deep origins with ”vow power” and ”precepts”.’

’Imperial Reed refers to the emperor’s reed instrument, the sound of a sovereign’s command. Words spoken become the law, completely inviolable.’

Over the past few days, he had appreciated the profundity of this Great Divine Ability several times. The more he appreciated it, the more shocked he became, and the more he felt that this Great Divine Ability possessed an extraordinary atmosphere.

Upon successfully cultivating this Great Divine Ability, the wielder could issue a Heavenly Statute Edict.

They would use the authority of heaven and earth to request a ”Heavenly Statute” from the Great Dao.

Once that heavenly statute descended, words would become the law. Like a restrictive divine ability, its might was unimaginable!

And the might and duration of this heavenly statute were inextricably linked to the user’s own cultivation base.

The deeper the cultivation, the more tyrannical and long-lasting the heavenly statute would be.

Chen Lingxi kept his eyes closed and comprehended the method of this Great Divine Ability in his Sea of Consciousness several times. He couldn’t help but sigh in his heart; the power of this divine ability even surpassed his [Thunder Prison Heaven] Great Divine Ability.

Thunder Prison Heaven was purely the power of slaughter. Absolute power subdued all tricks; a single bolt of lightning broke ten thousand spells.

Heavenly Statute Edict, on the other hand, walked an entirely different path.

It did not excel in slaughter, but rather in confinement, sealing, and law. Once the edict descended, it was like a heavenly statute being set in stone; all laws had to bow their heads.

The more Chen Lingxi comprehended it, the more he felt that these two Great Divine Abilities—one offense and one defense, one killing and one sealing—would perfectly complement each other if cultivated together. Under their mutual reinforcement, his battle power would inevitably rise to another level.

Amidst his sighs, Chen Lingxi took out the Square Heaven Cauldron again and held it in his palm.

The Square Heaven Cauldron felt slightly heavy in his hand, cool to the touch. It showed not the slightest anomaly, looking just like an ordinary small bronze cauldron.

Chen Lingxi tried transferring a wisp of Dao Origin into the cauldron. The cauldron body trembled slightly, and the three small ancient seal characters on its belly quietly lit up, as if responding to his Dao Origin.

’Now that my injuries are healed, I will try to refine this divine ability spiritual item.’

Chen Lingxi immediately attempted to refine this divine ability spiritual item, using it as a guide to comprehend the profundity of the [Heavenly Statute Edict] Great Divine Ability.

But upon trying to refine it, he couldn’t help but frown slightly.

Within his Sea of Consciousness, the method of the Heavenly Statute Edict was like a high mountain shrouded in clouds and mist. He could see the outline of the mountain, but he could never find the path up.

Those barriers and secrets that should have been clear and obvious seemed to be covered by an invisible gauze after falling into his Sea of Consciousness. No matter how he used his divine sense to inquire, he could never grasp the core principles.

Chen Lingxi tried several more times.

He repeated this back and forth for several hours.

Chen Lingxi opened his eyes, a fine layer of cold sweat beading on his forehead.

He looked down at the Square Heaven Cauldron in his palm, his brow furrowing slightly.

’This Great Divine Ability is extremely difficult to cultivate.’

’It is even more obscure than the Thunder Prison Heaven Great Divine Ability.’

’With my current early Dao Foundation cultivation, and my inherently extraordinary foundation from having consumed two streaks of Mother Qi, I still fail to grasp the core principles.’

Chen Lingxi murmured in his heart, temporarily setting aside the method of the Heavenly Statute Edict. Instead, he sank that wisp of divine sense into the Square Heaven Cauldron, carefully comprehending the Dao rhyme of the divine ability spiritual item contained within.

The aura inside the belly of the Square Heaven Cauldron was quite profound. The sound of laws and edicts faintly echoed within, like someone beating a large drum from extremely far away. The drumbeats were deep, low, and drawn-out, possessing their own Daoist marvels.

Chen Lingxi closed his eyes and listened quietly. He felt that within the drumbeats, some extremely deep truth seemed to be contained. Yet that truth was too obscure; with his current cultivation, he couldn’t see through it for the moment.

He slowly exhaled a long breath of foul qi and placed the Square Heaven Cauldron back into his Vast Void Pouch.

’It is not the work of a single day,’ he muttered to himself in his heart. ’It will still require slow, patient effort to comprehend it.’

Thus, several days passed.

During these few days, aside from daily comprehending the Heavenly Statute Edict, Chen Lingxi used the Immortal Reverence Stone to warm and nourish his Dao Platform and Profound Root, or he tempered his physical body and cultivated the True Edict of Approaching the Dao.

The days passed like a pool of still water, without the slightest ripple.

On this day, Chen Lingxi was sitting cross-legged in the Water Curtain Cave, his eyes closed as he regulated his breathing.

Suddenly, a streak of golden brilliance pierced through the thousand-zhang water curtain from outside the cave and landed on him.

That golden brilliance carried an indescribably solemn aura, as if it came from some extremely high, distant, and incredibly sacred place.

Chen Lingxi’s heart stirred slightly. He opened his eyes, stood up, and walked out of the cave dwelling.

He looked up, his pupils slightly shrinking.

High up in the firmament, the phantom of the divine deer suspended ten thousand zhang in the air was radiating brilliant light!

Ever since Chen Lingxi had joined Slumbering Deer Peak, the divine deer phantom above Slumbering Deer Peak had always hung quietly in the void. Its antlers reached the heavens, and radiance flowed around it, but it had never undergone such a drastic change.

But now, the entire body of the divine deer was bursting with dazzlingly bright radiance. The radiance surged in all directions like a tide, shrouding the entirety of Slumbering Deer Peak in a blinding golden glow.

Within the radiance, two figures slowly emerged atop the antlers of the divine deer.

Chen Lingxi looked up.

Of the two figures, one looked to be middle-aged and wore a suit of armor.

The armor was entirely dark silver. The armor scales were carved full of complex runes, glinting with a heavy cold light under the sun.

But what shocked Chen Lingxi the most was the treasure pagoda hovering behind the man.

The treasure pagoda was fully three zhang long, entirely dark gold in color, and its body was covered with countless fine patterns.

The treasure pagoda shone with spiritual light, incomparably terrifying. Even across an unknown distance, Chen Lingxi could feel the astonishing coercion contained within it.

The other figure appeared extremely young, looking to be only in his early twenties.

He wore a dark brocade robe. His features were handsome and clear, and his aura was scorching, yet his eyes carried an undisguised arrogance.

He stood beside the middle-aged man. As his gaze swept over Slumbering Deer Peak below, the arrogance in his eyes grew even thicker.

With the arrival of these two, many gazes on Slumbering Deer Peak had already fallen upon them.

Chen Lingxi stood in front of his cave dwelling, looking at the two figures from afar.

’Are these two also figures from the Dragon-Revering Sect?’

He was curious in his heart.

Right at this time, a streak of sword light shot across the sky!

The sword light came extremely fast. It was so fast that even the cloud qi in the firmament didn’t have time to retreat before being cleaved apart by the sword light, revealing a perfectly straight path.

Atop the sword light, an elegant cultivator arrived with his hands behind his back, his robes fluttering loudly. It was precisely Eldest Senior Brother Shen Xiu’an.

When the middle-aged pagoda cultivator saw Shen Xiu’an, his expression remained unchanged, but he still cupped his fists in greeting. ”Brother Shen.”

Shen Xiu’an nodded slightly and said, ”So it is Brother Cheng Shuangtian of Clumsy Crane Peak... I wonder what brings you to Slumbering Deer Peak?”

The two referred to each other as Dao Brothers, acting quite polite.

When that voice fell into Chen Lingxi’s ears, he finally learned the origins of the middle-aged pagoda cultivator.

’Clumsy Crane Peak, one of the seven great inner peaks of the Dragon-Revering Sect, an inner peak just like Slumbering Deer Peak.’

Chen Lingxi whispered in his heart.

And since that Cheng Shuangtian could address Shen Xiu’an as ”Brother Shen”, his status in Clumsy Crane Peak was likely quite high, at least a figure of the same generation as Shen Xiu’an.

Cheng Shuangtian straightened up and suddenly pointed at the young man behind him.

”Lian Sheng, aren’t you going to greet your Martial Uncle Shen!”

Even with arrogance in his eyes, the young man didn’t dare to act haughty in front of Shen Xiu’an. He respectfully bowed in greeting.

Shen Xiu’an nodded slightly, accepting the bow.

At this time, Cheng Shuangtian nodded slightly. He looked at Shen Xiu’an and said softly, ”I have come today because I heard Brother Shen also intends to seek out that [Suspended Qi Fruit Projection] opportunity, so I specifically came to ask for advice.”

Shen Xiu’an kept his hands behind his back and raised an eyebrow slightly. ”What sort of advice?”

Cheng Shuangtian’s expression remained unchanged as he said, ”My disciple here is named Lian Sheng. His cultivation aptitude is quite extraordinary. He is barely in his early twenties, yet he has already cultivated the Wondrous Fruit and is about to step into the Dao Foundation middle stage.

Furthermore, the divine ability he cultivates is the Void Brightness Hall Yao Dao’s [Void-Illuminating Birth], and he possesses extremely precious opportunities, making his foundation incomparably deep.

Among all the early Dao Foundation figures of my Clumsy Crane Peak, he ranks first.

Because of this, I wanted to seek out the [Suspended Qi Fruit Projection] opportunity for him, and I even found Brother [Chu Zhuo] of [Illuminating Sword Profound Peak] to assist me.

With Brother Chu Zhuo assisting me, even if multiple profound upper sects compete for this [Suspended Qi Fruit Projection] opportunity, I am bound to win it.

I just never expected... that Senior Brother Shen would actually also be interested in this [Suspended Qi Fruit Projection].

”It is precisely because of this that I specifically came to ask for advice... I wonder, for which disciple under your tutelage is Senior Brother Shen seeking the [Suspended Qi Fruit Projection]?”

Hearing this, Shen Xiu’an suddenly lowered his head and looked through the heavy layers of cloud qi, his gaze falling upon Chen Lingxi.