After the Great Dao Died

That streak of profound light fell upon Chen Lingxi.

It descended in silence, cascading from the highest heavens like an inverted celestial river. It was pristine and gentle, without a single trace of impurity.

When it struck the crown of Chen Lingxi’s head, it stirred no ripples. It simply bathed him in a quiet glow, like a colorless stream of water trickling down his hair, eyelashes, and shoulders, before finally sinking into the sunset-dyed clouds beneath his feet.

From a distance, the light seemed to emanate from him.

It was as if the profound light had washed through his entire being, coaxing a hazy radiance from his very bones. Even his dark brocade robe seemed plated in pale gold.

Yuan Lingyu remained caught in her joyful surprise.

Chen Lingxi turned his head slightly, giving her a puzzled look.

’This profound light must be connected to the immortals from Great Encompassing Heaven on that immortal carriage,’ Chen Lingxi guessed.

Naturally, he could feel the profound light shining upon him.

The moment the radiance entered him, it felt like a warm spring pouring down from his crown, flowing through his meridians to reach every limb and bone. It settled upon his Dao Platform, right beside the Thunder Prison Profound Root.

Still, Yuan Lingyu’s reaction was... a bit too joyful.

”Junior Martial Sister,” Chen Lingxi asked, ”this profound light?”

Yuan Lingyu acted as though she had not heard him. She continued to stare at him unblinkingly, her eyes fixed on the pale golden halo slowly fading around him.

Only when the halo finally dissipated did she withdraw her gaze and exhale a long breath. The joy in her eyes had not diminished in the slightest; if anything, it shone even brighter.

”Senior Martial Brother, do you know what this profound light is?” She lowered her voice, but could not suppress the excitement leaping in her tone. ”This is a blessing from the immortals of Great Encompassing Heaven!”

”Meaning?” Chen Lingxi raised an eyebrow.

”Exactly that.” Yuan Lingyu nodded repeatedly. ”This profound light was cast down by the Great Encompassing Heaven immortals.

Across the Two Hundred Peaks of the Dragon-Revering Sect, anyone illuminated by this profound light is a person of destiny.

The main sect will summon them for an audience with the immortals.

”If those immortals take a liking to you, you might just... become a Great Encompassing Immortal Attendant!”

Great Encompassing Immortal Attendant.

When those words reached Chen Lingxi’s ears, his expression remained calm, but his heart stirred.

Just moments ago, when that man and woman slowly passed by on their immortal carriage, their natural, flawless authority—an aura that smothered any thought of resistance—had genuinely astonished him.

He had originally thought they were merely immortals passing through, having nothing to do with him.

He had never expected that streak of profound light to fall squarely upon him.

He remained silent for a moment before suddenly speaking. ”When immortals from Great Encompassing Heaven choose attendants, they surely look for those with extraordinary talent and profound cultivation.

”The experts on the Dragon Transformation Immortal Roll are all one-in-a-million figures within the Dragon-Revering Sect. Why did this profound light not fall on them, but instead landed on me—a cultivator at the early Dao Foundation stage?”

Hearing this, Yuan Lingyu shook her head gently.

”There is something you don’t know, Senior Martial Brother,” she said. ”The immortals of Great Encompassing Heaven never consider background, cultivation, or talent when choosing their attendants.

They rely solely on the unseen threads of destiny.

”How could mortal cultivators like us possibly fathom the destiny of immortals?”

She paused here, then lowered her voice. ”I once heard a senior martial brother from the main sect mention it. A long, long time ago, on one of the lower peaks of the Dragon-Revering Sect, there was a servant who swept the spiritual fields. His cultivation was only at the Qi Circulation stage—mediocre, tasked with menial labor, and completely unremarkable.

But when the profound light descended that day, it fell only on him.

”He was taken in by the immortals and became an attendant. From then on, he reached the heavens in a single bound, and no one ever dared to look down on him again.”

”A servant from a lower peak?” Chen Lingxi raised an eyebrow.

”Yes.” Yuan Lingyu nodded, her face full of yearning. ”That’s why I say this profound light chooses people based entirely on destiny.

”Now that you’ve been struck by the profound light, Senior Martial Brother, it means your good fortune has arrived.”

”Senior Martial Brother, do not delay! Everyone bathed in the profound light must head to the Dragon-Revering Main Sect for an audience with the immortals.

”You must hurry. If you make the immortals wait and the main sect assigns blame, it will be a disaster!”

Yuan Lingyu urged him, afraid that Chen Lingxi might delay and lose this rare opportunity.

Chen Lingxi stood his ground, gazing at the distant, gradually closing sea of clouds as his thoughts raced.

’This profound light relies entirely on destiny? How could that be... it is highly likely another Cauldron Vessel.’

Great Encompassing Immortal Attendant.

Reaching the heavens in a single bound.

The tale of that lower peak servant certainly sounded moving.

But Chen Lingxi had never believed that opportunities simply fell from the sky.

Even as he thought this, he revealed nothing on his face.

He merely gave a slight nod and told Yuan Lingyu, ”Since that is the case, I will depart immediately.”

Yuan Lingyu offered a few more parting instructions—nothing more than ”be respectful when you see the immortals” and ”do not forget your manners”—but her words carried deep concern.

Chen Lingxi agreed to it all before turning around.

The lightning-laced clouds beneath his feet silently coalesced, hoisting him into the sky. He pierced through layer upon layer of mist, flying rapidly toward the Dragon-Revering Main Sect.

...

The Dragon-Revering Main Sect dominated a vast expanse of thousands of miles.

That true dragon statue hung high in the sky directly above it.

It spiraled upward, its head held high and its five claws curved like hooks. A single one of its scales was the size of a mountain. Forged entirely of bluish-gold, it cast a heavy, cold gleam under the three great suns.

The closer Chen Lingxi flew, the more suffocating the sheer size of the dragon statue felt.

Standing atop his cloud, he gazed up at the dragon head piercing the heavens. He felt like an ant at the foot of a mountain—so miniscule he could almost be ignored entirely.

Its eyes were half-closed, as if everything in heaven and earth was captured in its sights.

Chen Lingxi withdrew his gaze and looked deep into the sea of clouds beneath the dragon statue. There, endless palaces and halls were arranged in dense, overlapping rows. With golden tiles, crimson walls, and upturned flying eaves, they layered over one another, sprawling all the way to the horizon.

Those halls were built with foundations of spiritual jade and beams of ancient bronze. They shimmered with a warm luster under the sunlight, possessing the absolute pinnacle of magnificence.

’This is the Dragon-Revering Main Sect,’ Chen Lingxi recited silently, a strange glint flashing through his eyes.

He steered his cloud slowly forward. Before he had flown very far, a divine sense silently rolled out from deep within the sea of clouds ahead, landing firmly upon him.

The divine sense was not sharp or aggressive, but it carried an undeniable authority, as if stating clearly: this is no place for you to fly freely.

Chen Lingxi’s heart tightened. Not daring to show any disrespect, he immediately brought his cloud down.

He landed in front of a splendid palace hall.

Constructed entirely of white jade, the hall featured a towering domed roof. Lifelike true dragons were carved in relief around its pillars and beams, looking as though they might launch off the walls at any moment. The main doors were thrown wide open, but the interior was pitch-black, impossible to see through.

Chen Lingxi stood below the stone steps of the hall, his arms resting at his sides as he quietly awaited orders.

Just then, a figure slowly stepped out from the hall.

Chen Lingxi glanced up. When he recognized the person’s face, he paused in surprise.

The newcomer was none other than True Person Xiangshu.

”Master.” Chen Lingxi bowed in greeting.

True Person Xiangshu did not answer.

He stood before the hall, his gaze falling upon Chen Lingxi.

His eyes held neither joy nor anger; they were exceedingly calm.

If one looked closely, they could vaguely trace a barely perceptible gravity beneath that calm facade.

It seemed he was not at all pleased that Chen Lingxi had been bathed in the profound light.

Confused, Chen Lingxi was just about to ask a question.

At that very moment.

”Gong!”

A resonant bell chime boomed from deep within the main sect.

The chime was incredibly deep and boundless, as if someone had struck a colossal bell forged from an entire mountain.

Wherever the sound swept, the sea of clouds churned and birds scattered in a panic. Even the scales on the true dragon statue suspended in the sky seemed to ripple in response.

True Person Xiangshu’s brows suddenly furrowed.

Immediately after, a strand of divine sense slipped silently into Chen Lingxi’s ear.

”Since the profound light has fallen upon you and the main sect has summoned you, you must go.

”When you meet that immortal from Great Encompassing Heaven, you must show respect, but...” True Person Xiangshu’s voice paused briefly, carrying an uncharacteristic solemnity, ”...but do not agree to anything.”

’Do not agree to anything?’

Chen Lingxi was mystified.

He was just about to look up and check True Person Xiangshu’s expression, but the man had already turned away. His luxurious brocade robes fluttered gently in the wind before vanishing into the pitch-black doorway of the hall, leaving no trace behind.

Right at that moment, a middle-aged cultivator hovering on the distant clouds announced, ”All those bathed in the profound light, enter the Yuanfeng Mountain Main Hall!”

There was no need to guess; this man was the guide sent to collect Chen Lingxi.

Chen Lingxi followed the man all the way, eventually stepping into the Dragon-Revering Sect’s Yuanfeng Mountain Main Hall!

Upon entering the main hall, Chen Lingxi was struck with awe.

The hall was incredibly vast.

The domed ceiling arched so high it felt as if it could swallow the entire sky. The pillars were too thick for two men to wrap their arms around, and the far end of the hall could not be seen.

He looked ahead and saw three people already standing in the hall.

Two men and one woman.

When the trio noticed Chen Lingxi walk in, they turned their heads in unison to look at him. Sweeping a glance over them, Chen Lingxi instantly deduced that while their auras varied in depth, none of them were ordinary individuals.

The woman possessed the deepest aura. A faint spiritual light circulated around her body, indicating she was likely at the early Dao Foundation stage.

The two men were slightly weaker, their bodies still giving off heavy auras characteristic of Qi Circulation.

Including himself, that made four people.

These four were the entirety of the group chosen by the profound light.

Chen Lingxi took his place at the end of the line. Hands resting at his sides, he looked past the other three toward the raised platform deep inside the hall.

A single person stood on that platform.

She wore a crimson robe embroidered with patterns of the sun, the moon, and the stars. Exuding absolute elegance, it was none other than True Person Yujun.

She stood at the front of the platform, her robes gently rippling in the hall’s ambient drafts. Her flat gaze swept over the four individuals below without the slightest ripple of emotion.

Below the platform, seated on both sides, were seven powerful experts.

Chen Lingxi had seen these seven figures before during his Absolute Perception deduction.

The faces of all seven were obscured by a hazy layer of qi, making it impossible to make out their features. Only their silhouettes—some tall, some thin—were vaguely visible.

They remained there, not intentionally releasing any pressure, but their seven auras bore down heavily on the room. Like seven invisible mountains, they caused the very air in the hall to grow sluggish.

Chen Lingxi held his breath.

Meanwhile, sitting squarely amidst the clouds above the platform were two other people.

It was the same man and woman from the immortal carriage earlier.

The man sat upright on the clouds. His skin was as flawless as white jade, and his features carried an almost demonic handsomeness.

The woman sat quietly beside him, her eyes lowered, as if everything happening before her had absolutely nothing to do with her.

Neither of them leaked any aura, but simply by sitting there, they exuded an innate majesty.

Immortals of Great Encompassing Heaven...

Chen Lingxi lowered his head, not daring to stare.

Right at that moment, the male Great Encompassing Heaven immortal, who had been sitting with lowered eyes, suddenly opened them.

His gaze swept over the four of them, skimming past the two men and the woman before locking onto Chen Lingxi.

His eyebrows rose slightly.

”This one.” The man suddenly reached out and pointed directly at Chen Lingxi. ”He was chosen by the [Dragon Appraisal Lake].

”Let this one become my Entwining Dragon Servant.

”Once he reaches the late Dao Foundation stage, have him come to my [Entwining Dragon Palace]!”

[Servant].

[Entwining Dragon Palace].

When these two terms reached Chen Lingxi’s ears, his expression remained perfectly neutral, but his heart stirred.

Right then, the immortal suddenly flicked his finger.

An unimaginably profound strand of Dao Origin hovered out of thin air above his fingertip.

The Dao Origin was blue-green. It was not particularly bright, but an indescribable, mysterious aura flowed freely within it.

This aura was entirely different from any Dao Origin Chen Lingxi had ever encountered.

It did not feel like the result of cultivation, but rather something fundamentally bound by blood and breath to the immortal sitting on the clouds. It was as if a living piece of his own body had been forcibly extracted.

Chen Lingxi raised his head. As his gaze landed on that blue-green Dao Origin, an involuntary flash of curiosity crossed his eyes.

Right at that moment...

From among the seven experts with obscured faces below the platform, one person gently shook his head.

”Exalted Cultivator.”

”This [Yuan Zhiling] is my personal disciple, specifically noted by the Sect Master.

”Once he cultivates to the late Dao Foundation stage, he can enter the [Great Constellation Dragon-Revering Palace] and inherit a dragon molt!”

The man paused, his voice growing even heavier. ”And my Slumbering Deer Peak is growing weaker by the day.

”Without this disciple of mine, I fear there will be no one fit to succeed the position of Slumbering Deer Peak Master.”

When this voice reached him, Chen Lingxi blanked in surprise.

He looked toward the source of the sound.

Just a moment ago, all seven individuals had been obscured behind hazy qi, their faces invisible.

But the qi veiling the face of the speaker had faded at some point.

Looking closely, Chen Lingxi saw that this man’s aura was like the midday sun. Dressed in incredibly luxurious brocade robes, his presence faintly overpowered the other experts in the hall.

Staring at the man, Chen Lingxi’s pupils contracted slightly.

’Master?’

He was completely and utterly astonished.

His supposedly plain and austere master, True Person Xiangshu, who always wore a faded blue-grey Daoist robe...

...was currently dressed in extravagant brocade, standing with imposing presence among the seven experts.

Hearing True Person Xiangshu’s words, the Great Encompassing Heaven immortal on the clouds frowned slightly.

The other immortal, the woman, also slowly raised her eyelids to look at True Person Xiangshu among the seven experts.

The hall fell silent.

True Person Yujun, standing on the high platform, looked from the immortal on the clouds to True Person Xiangshu below. Brows knitted in a slight frown, she finally broke the silence. ”Daoist Brother Xiangshu.”

She paused, carefully weighing her words before continuing slowly, ”Being favored by the Entwining Dragon Palace is a good thing.

The Master of the Entwining Dragon Palace has already reached the perfection of the Golden Palace. Perhaps, one day, he will become a True Lord.

”When that time comes, the two Dragon Palace Crown Princes will possess the bloodline of a True Lord...”

”Daoist Brother Yujun,” True Person Xiangshu suddenly interrupted.

He shook his head, his tone flat. ”The Entwining Dragon Palace has a magnificent scope and an incomparably profound foundation in the immortal dao. Naturally, they will not lack a single Dao Foundation cultivator.

”But my Slumbering Deer Peak is different.”

Silence returned to the hall.

The two immortals sitting on the clouds exchanged a glance.

The Dragon Palace Crown Prince who had selected Chen Lingxi kept his brow slightly furrowed.

He remained quiet for a moment, but ultimately... slowly stood up.

He bowed toward True Person Xiangshu below.

Forget the Land of Nine Palaces—even in the entirety of the Great Xuanzhuo Realm, Golden Palace cultivators were exceptionally rare. They possessed extraordinary combat prowess and held supreme status.

Even an immortal from Great Encompassing Heaven or a Dragon Palace Crown Prince would never dare slight a Golden Palace True Person.

Receiving the bow, True Person Xiangshu’s expression did not change. He merely gave a slight nod in return.

The Dragon Palace Crown Prince straightened up, a faint smile suddenly appearing on his lips.

With a flick of his finger, the strand of blue-green Dao Origin suspended in the air began to move once more.

It drifted down slowly, drawing closer to Chen Lingxi. Like a tamed little dragon, it leisurely circled him.

The instant the Dao Origin approached, Chen Lingxi felt an indescribably dense wave of spiritual qi wash over his face.

The spiritual energy was pure to the extreme. He felt that absorbing even a single wisp of it would make his Dao Platform tremble.

Within the Dao Origin, countless profound mysteries faintly circulated. Those individual threads of profundity were unlike anything he had ever sensed from anyone in his entire life of cultivation.

He involuntarily took a deep breath.

An unprecedented thread of greed bloomed in his heart.

The Great Encompassing Heaven immortal sitting on the clouds looked down at Chen Lingxi.

His gaze was calm, yet it seemed capable of seeing through that fleeting flash of greed in Chen Lingxi’s heart.

”You are True Person Xiangshu’s disciple, not just some ordinary Dao Foundation figure,” he said slowly, his voice echoing through the hall. ”Since that is the case, I will give you a chance to choose for yourself.”

’Choose for myself?’

Chen Lingxi’s heart stirred.

Just then, a swirling vortex abruptly manifested within the eyes of the Dragon Palace Crown Prince.

At first, the vortex was incredibly faint, but in the blink of an eye, it surged in intensity, transforming into two bottomless whirlpools embedded within those demonically handsome eyes.

Reflected deep within the whirlpools was the image of a true dragon.

The true dragon was simply far too magnificent.

Its winding body stretched for who knew how many tens of thousands of miles. Its scales were like solid gold, and every single one rippled with a radiance capable of scorching the eyes.

It coiled within an endless void, as if the entirety of heaven and earth were nothing more than its curled-up shell.

This true dragon... was far too terrifying.

Chen Lingxi only took a single glance before an indescribable pressure crashed down upon him.

An urge to submit arose involuntarily in his heart, as if he had been born to kneel before this true dragon and become nothing more than a speck of dust beneath its claws.

At the same time, the voice of the Dragon Palace Crown Prince echoed directly from the depths of those whirlpools.

The voice carried an unimaginable temptation. It drilled straight into Chen Lingxi’s heart and landed in the very deepest reaches of his Sea of Consciousness.

”You have now seen my true form! Become my dragon servant!”

”Wait until I step into the Golden Palace and achieve the True Lord dao!”

”Then I shall bestow upon you a Cauldron Vessel opportunity, bestow upon you a Profound Void Dao Fruit, bestow upon you a Fledgling Dragon bloodline!”

”How about it?”

That voice rose higher and higher with every word!

The desire to submit intertwined with sheer greed, crashing over him like a tidal wave and nearly drowning his mind completely.

Chen Lingxi felt his knees go soft. The word of agreement was right on the tip of his tongue, and his body was just inches from collapsing into a kneel.

Right at that moment...

Within the Inner Divine Palace in his body, the phantom of Great Sage Yaotian—which had always sat in quiet meditation—abruptly opened its eyes!

The moment those eyes opened, an indescribable spirit exploded from the deepest depths of his Sea of Consciousness!

That spirit surged straight up from his heart like a blazing beam of golden light, instantly scattering the overwhelming temptation into utter nothingness!

Chen Lingxi’s body shuddered violently. The momentary confusion in his eyes instantly dissolved back into absolute clarity.

’There is something strange about this true dragon form.’

He took a deep breath, raised his head, and met the Dragon Palace Crown Prince’s gaze.

He did not speak. In total silence, he simply shifted his gaze slightly, letting it fall upon his master hidden in luxurious brocade down below.

True Person Xiangshu was still standing there.

At some unknown point, a hazy layer of qi had once again veiled his face, blurring his features.

Behind that qi, however, his eyes were locked firmly onto Chen Lingxi. A glint flashed through them, carrying an almost imperceptible trace of wariness.

The hall suddenly fell quiet.

Sitting atop the clouds, the Dragon Palace Crown Prince stared unblinkingly at Chen Lingxi.

Chen Lingxi’s gradually clearing gaze was reflected in his demonic pupils. Suddenly... the edges of his lips curled into a faint smile, laced with genuine amusement.

He suddenly flicked his finger.

The blue-green Dao Origin that had been persistently lingering around Chen Lingxi instantly retracted. It transformed into a streak of light and hovered right within his reach.

”There is no need to rush,” the Dragon Palace Crown Prince said lazily. ”There are all sorts of profound mysteries within my [Dragon Essence]. Take it and comprehend them.

”Once you figure out a thing or two, we can make further plans.”

His voice was utterly calm. It was as if that invisible clash of wills just now had been nothing more than idle chatter to him.

Chen Lingxi naturally knew he had no right to refuse.

He reached out into the empty air and plucked that strand of blue-green Dao Origin.

The Dao Origin quietly solidified, turning into a warm, transparent gemstone as it fell into his hand.

”Since that is settled, you may return,” True Person Xiangshu ordered.

Chen Lingxi slipped the Dragon Essence into his sleeve. He bowed to the immortals sitting on the clouds, gave a slight bow to his master hidden behind the qi below, and took his leave.