After the Great Dao Died

Lian Sheng’s Dao Origin had long since retracted into his body, and the arrogance in his eyes was gone.

Since joining Clumsy Crane Peak, he had never lost so decisively to someone of the same realm.

Cheng Shuangtian’s expression, however, was three points uglier than Lian Sheng’s.

His gaze did not fall upon his dismayed disciple, but rather on the young figure standing atop the clouds.

An unconcealable astonishment now surged in his usually steady eyes.

’Jade Tiger Rebellious Sea Sword Light?’

He murmured the words in his mind.

Although he had never seen the sword light with his own eyes, he had heard of it countless times.

The Thunder-Concealing Sword Scripture of the Thunder Pool’s Jade Tiger Marquis lineage was inherently a supreme killing art. Even if ordinary cultivators exhausted their entire lives, few could cultivate it to the Subtle Realm.

The Jade Tiger Rebellious Sea Sword Light was the most profound sliver of Wondrous State sword intent within that scripture—immeasurably more difficult to grasp than ordinary Wondrous State divine abilities.

Cultivating it not only required exceptional foundational talent in the Dao of the Sword, but also demanded extreme immersion in thunder arts. Only amid the surging of ten thousand bolts of lightning and the blazing majesty of heaven could one glimpse that sliver of Rebellious Sea True Intent.

Even within the main sect of the Thunder Pool, the youths who could successfully cultivate this sword could be counted on one hand.

Yet this unknown junior brother from Slumbering Deer Peak right before his eyes...

Had actually mastered such a sword dao divine ability.

’Daoist Zhiling... but what is his real name?’

’Since when did Slumbering Deer Peak gain such a figure?’

Cheng Shuangtian’s thoughts churned, but he could not dredge up the slightest memory regarding this person.

At this moment, Shen Xiu’an—who was usually unsmiling and known behind his back among Slumbering Deer Peak disciples as the ”Iron-Faced Senior Brother”—actually let an unprecedented smile surface on his cold, unyielding face.

”Dao Brother Cheng,” Shen Xiu’an said, still standing amidst the clouds. ”Just now, you mentioned that our Dragon-Revering Sect has always let strength speak, and that the Suspended Qi Fruit Projection naturally belongs to whoever is stronger.”

He paused slightly, his gaze shifting to land on the figure slowly retracting the lightning around his body.

”Now, this Junior Brother Zhiling of mine is much stronger than your disciple Lian Sheng.

So I wonder, Dao Brother, what say you now?”

Cheng Shuangtian fell silent.

The heavenly winds howled between them, sweeping up a few scattered wisps of cloud qi before drifting off into the distance.

Finally, Cheng Shuangtian took a deep breath. He straightened his robes, slowly raised his hands, and offered Shen Xiu’an a deep bow.

”This Suspended Qi Fruit Projection is truly far too important for my disciple.

Dao Brother... please forgive Cheng Shuangtian for this slight.”

Saying this, he did not wait for Shen Xiu’an to reply. He straightened up and turned toward Lian Sheng, who was still standing on the cloud stone, thoroughly demoralized.

Sending out his Dao Origin, he swept Lian Sheng up and stepped away on the clouds.

The two figures drifted further away, eventually disappearing into the churning sea of clouds on the horizon.

Only when the two completely vanished did the heavy atmosphere that had settled over Slumbering Deer Peak finally seem to relax.

The gazes of the masters of the six halls, hidden behind the sea of clouds, quietly withdrew.

The numerous disciples in front of the Spirit Nurturing Hall, however, had yet to recover their wits.

The battle had come and gone far too quickly.

Many of them hadn’t even managed to clearly see the clash of divine abilities before Clumsy Crane Peak’s Lian Sheng plunged into the sea of clouds.

”So this mysterious Little Martial Uncle... is actually this strong?”

”Lian Sheng even managed to get on the Dragon Transformation Immortal Roll.”

Low murmurs of discussion rose among the disciples, only to be quickly hushed.

The gazes looking toward Chen Lingxi now held much more awe and curiosity.

Chen Lingxi, however, seemed oblivious to them.

’My... Senior Brother is going to fight for that Suspended Qi Fruit Projection for me?’

Standing on the clouds, he was just about to ask Shen Xiu’an about it.

Before the words could leave his lips, Shen Xiu’an turned around and gave him a slight nod.

In the instant he nodded, Shen Xiu’an’s figure transformed into a streak of sword qi and abruptly dissipated.

Only a single, impossibly thin trail of faint sword light remained. It flashed where he had just been standing before being swept away by the heavenly winds without a trace.

’Senior Brother Shen’s temperament is truly too eccentric,’ Chen Lingxi mused in surprise.

Right at this moment, a wisp of cloud qi curled up from the waist of the mountain, arriving in front of him in the blink of an eye.

The cloud dispersed, revealing a delicate figure.

It was Yuan Lingyu.

Today, she wore a goose-yellow gauze skirt. Her brows were curved, and her bright eyes sparkled like two luminous pearls fished out of Morning Dew Lake. She looked at Chen Lingxi with pleasant surprise, her face still bearing a faint, nervous flush from the recent battle.

”Senior Brother!” she called out, her voice carrying irrepressible joy. ”You practice the sword too? How come I’ve never heard you mention it?”

Her eyes were startlingly bright as she leaned in close.

Chen Lingxi was slightly taken aback by her sudden enthusiasm, but his expression remained impassive. ”It’s just an ordinary divine ability. It’s nothing much.”

”You’re teasing me again, Senior Brother,” Yuan Lingyu curled her lips, though she didn’t argue with him. Instead, she beamed, ”And there’s your Thunder Prison Heaven Great Divine Ability. Its killing power is truly extraordinary.”

Unsure of how to respond, Chen Lingxi simply gave a slight nod.

Yuan Lingyu suddenly rolled her eyes in thought and laughed. ”Senior Brother, the weather is perfect today, and I still have some good things saved up in my cave dwelling.

Rosy clouds gathered from Flowing Rosy Cloud Mountain, morning dew from Morning Dew Lake, and half a Mingyang I couldn’t bear to eat. We can stew it to celebrate!”

Looking into her expectant eyes, Chen Lingxi recalled how she had bustled about ever since he joined Slumbering Deer Peak. She had arranged his cave dwelling and tailored his robes, thoughtful in every aspect. Unable to bear refusing her, he nodded.

Seeing him agree, Yuan Lingyu’s eyes crinkled into a radiant smile. Tugging at his sleeve, she led him toward her cave dwelling.

The cave dwelling faced a clear stream. Half a curtain of wisteria hung at the entrance, and the warm, inviting glow of lamplight seeped from deep within the vines.

Yuan Lingyu bustled about inside for a long while, eventually preparing a table full of piping hot food.

The Mingyang meat was stewed until tender. The broth was clear, with a few wisps of rosy clouds gathered from Flowing Rosy Cloud Mountain floating on the surface to radiate a faint golden hue. A single bite filled his mouth with the sweet moisture of dissolving spiritual qi.

The tea, boiled with morning dew, was even more refreshing. As he drank, a cool sensation traveled straight down his throat and into his dantian, invigorating the Dao Origin in his Qi Sea.

Chen Lingxi and Yuan Lingyu sat across from each other, chatting about the events the [Fate-Deducing Purple Haze] had simulated.

As Yuan Lingyu poured him tea, she suddenly said, ”Senior Brother, with such excellent foundational talent in the Dao of the Sword, and having cultivated such a lethal divine ability, it’s a pity for you to just hole up on Slumbering Deer Peak all the time.”

Chen Lingxi set down his teacup. ”What do you mean, Junior Martial Sister?”

”Have you heard of the Dragon Transformation Immortal Roll, Senior Brother?” Yuan Lingyu asked. ”It resides right in the eyes of the mystic dragon statue at the Dragon-Revering Main Sect.

If we disciples of the Dragon-Revering Sect can earn a spot on the ranking, we receive an incredible gift of spiritual opportunity.

That spiritual opportunity tempers the Dao Platform and nourishes the Profound Root. It’s countless times stronger than ordinary breathing exercises.

You’ve now reached the Wondrous Fruit Realm. If you can get on the ranking, I suspect you’ll be able to take another step forward very soon.”

A faint light flickered in Chen Lingxi’s eyes. He was just about to ask for more details.

Right at this moment...

A dragon’s roar suddenly resounded in the sky above.

That dragon’s roar was like muffled thunder rolling across the horizon. It caused the vegetation across Slumbering Deer Peak to rustle and tremble, and even made the phantom of the divine deer, suspended in the void ten thousand zhang above, sway slightly.

The smile on Yuan Lingyu’s face vanished instantly.

Acting almost on instinct, she stood, straightened her robes, faced the direction of the roar, and bowed deeply.

At the same time, a sliver of divine sense shot from her glabella to Chen Lingxi’s ear. ”Senior Brother, hurry up and bow!”

Chen Lingxi’s heart tightened. Not daring to be negligent, he also stood. Following Yuan Lingyu’s example, he faced the void and bowed.

Right at this time, the clouds and mist in the sky churned, rolling like boiling water.

Deep within the mist, the phantom of a true dragon faintly appeared. Its head was raised high, its eyes half-closed, and an indescribably profound radiance flowed over its scales.

The phantom didn’t look down at anyone, but simply by hovering there, its overwhelming dragon might suppressed heaven and earth into utter silence. It pressed down so heavily that the Thunder Prison Profound Root in Chen Lingxi’s heart couldn’t help but tremble.

Meanwhile, out of the corner of his eye, Chen Lingxi noticed an incomparably brilliant celestial carriage slowly approaching from within the surging cloud qi.

The entire carriage was forged from an unknown material. As its brilliance flowed, even the sun and moon would pale by three points in comparison.

Before it, the cloud qi retreated on its own, as if heaven and earth were making way.

Seated upright upon the carriage were two extremely young figures, one male and one female.

Both had a pair of jade-like horns growing from their heads, radiating a gentle luster in the sunlight.

Their faces were fair, possessing a beauty that was almost unreal. They looked like two meticulously carved, flawless divine statues without a single blemish.

With their appearance, an unimaginably terrifying aura of might was revealed.

This aura wasn’t deliberately unleashed; rather, it carried a natural oppression that made it impossible to muster even the slightest thought of resistance.

An unprecedented urge to drop to his knees and prostrate himself swelled in Chen Lingxi’s heart, a compulsion so heavy it almost bent his spine.

’What kind of pressure is this? Even if a Middle Stage or Late Stage Dao Foundation expert were to unleash a sky-domineering aura technique, it would probably only be like this.’

’And this pressure doesn’t seem to be a divine ability. It feels like an innate might born with those figures in the celestial carriage!’

He clenched his jaw, suppressing the urge to prostrate himself.

Until...

The celestial carriage carrying the man and woman flew toward the Dragon-Revering Main Sect. Only then did the churning cloud qi filling the sky slowly recede, and that overwhelming aura of might ebbed like the tide.

Yuan Lingyu let out a long breath and slowly straightened up.

Chen Lingxi straightened as well, realizing a thin layer of cold sweat had already seeped across his back.

He calmed himself for a moment before turning to her. ”Junior Martial Sister Lingyu, those two just now... who exactly were they?”

Yuan Lingyu’s expression turned slightly solemn. She glanced around before lowering her voice to softly say, ”Those two... are said to be immortals from the Great Encompassing Heaven.”

”The Great Encompassing Heaven?” Chen Lingxi raised an eyebrow.

”Yes,” Yuan Lingyu nodded. ”I’ve heard that every time they come, they are personally received by the main sect’s Golden Palace True Person. The courtesy shown to them is extremely grand.

The main sect issued a strict order long ago. Whenever any disciple of the Dragon-Revering Sect sees these two immortals, they must silently bow without a sliver of disrespect.”

”Immortals of the Great Encompassing Heaven...” Chen Lingxi muttered softly, a trace of deep thought flashing through his eyes.

His thoughts couldn’t help but drift back to his time in the Weiji Grotto-Heaven.

During that instance of Absolute Perception, the Great Sage Luoyuan had descended to destroy the world. The heavens collapsed and the earth tore asunder; all of creation was on the verge of overturning.

It was then that he had heard a deity roaring in fury within the void!

That voice hadn’t even used divine sense to transmit its words; instead, it had transformed Dao Origin into a heaven-shaking rumble!

And it was then, amid that furious voice, that he faintly heard mentions of the [Great Encompassing Heaven Heaven-Illuminating Mirror], the [Immortal Capital Remnants], and the [Mystic Monarch]...

Yet back then, he hadn’t been able to hear it clearly, only managing to remember a few ambiguous syllables.

Even today, he still didn’t know what kind of place this Great Encompassing Heaven was, what kind of treasure that Heaven-Illuminating Mirror could be, or what connection those Immortal Capital Remnants and that Mystic Monarch had with these immortals of the Great Encompassing Heaven.

’The Great Encompassing Heaven...’ Chen Lingxi silently recited again, his gaze drifting toward where the celestial carriage had disappeared.

Yuan Lingyu was just about to invite him to sit, but...

Another unforeseen event suddenly occurred!

A strange phenomenon abruptly manifested in the distant sky.

The phantom of a true dragon slowly emerged from above the nine heavens, reflected among the sea of clouds!

The phantom’s gaze swept across the air before slowly descending upon the vast Dragon-Revering Sect, as if patrolling its own territory or scrutinizing the countless living beings below.

Over the Two Hundred Peaks of the Dragon-Revering Sect, streaks of divine light spilled down from the true dragon’s eyes.

The divine light was colorless and formless, yet it possessed an indescribable solemnity. As it fell upon each mountain peak, it seemed to plate them in a faint layer of golden brilliance.

Following that, streaks of profound light split off from the divine light and cascaded down, scattering across the vast Dragon-Revering Territory.

They fell upon mountain peaks, mountain streams, cities, and the wilderness. Like scattered starlight, they dotted and blanketed the world.

Among them, one streak of profound light plunged straight down from the high heavens and landed squarely on Chen Lingxi.

The instant the profound light entered his body, Chen Lingxi felt as though a warm spring had poured down from the crown of his head. It flowed along his meridians to every part of his body, landing on his Dao Platform and settling upon his Thunder Prison Profound Root.

The Profound Root trembled slightly as if sensing something, yet he didn’t know what this profound light actually signified.

At the same time, a thunderous voice rang out from within the void.

That thunderous voice was not particularly loud, but it possessed an unquestionable majesty. Word by word, it landed in their ears like a heavenly decree!

”All illuminated by the profound light shall enter the main sect!”

Yuan Lingyu’s expression changed dramatically. Her bright, crystal-clear eyes filled with irrepressible joy and surprise.

She abruptly turned to Chen Lingxi, her gaze locking onto the streak of profound light that had yet to fully dissipate on his body!

”Senior Brother... this profound light actually landed on you?”