After the Great Dao Died

”I didn’t announce my name just now, nor did the thought even cross my mind! Yet the Great Encompassing Heaven-Observing Mirror still projected [Loose Cultivator Chen Lingxi].”

Chen Lingxi’s eyes narrowed.

Then, he seemed to understand.

”During my Vision Roaming, Chan Zhaofu mentioned that this Heaven-Observing Talisman had to be passed down alongside a [Sect Secret Register]... Perhaps that Sect Secret Register is the key to identity. Since I am only presenting this Heaven-Observing Talisman to the Great Encompassing Heaven-Observing Mirror right now, I am naturally classified as a loose cultivator.”

’Still... for this Great Encompassing Heaven-Observing Mirror to deduce my true name—it is truly extraordinary,’ Chen Lingxi marveled.

Right at that moment...

Streams of information poured into his mind like flowing water.

Chen Lingxi seemed to realize something. His heart stirred, and he slowly spoke, ”Venerable Cauldron on high.”

”This lesser cultivator practices the great divine ability, the Heavenly Statute Edict, yet constantly encounters bottlenecks. I wonder what kind of treasure might allow this lesser cultivator to quickly master the Heavenly Statute Edict?”

In an instant, the starlight within the void’s sea of stars churned and began to swirl!

Specks of starlight arranged themselves like a constellation, settling into place one by one in a profoundly abstruse sequence.

As the stars fell, they transformed into text.

Chen Lingxi focused his gaze.

He saw numerous lines of text suspended within.

[A First Profound cultivator practicing the Heavenly Statute Edict will face many bottlenecks...]

[Beneath the heavens’ observation, a total of 332 opportunities suitable for an Early Dao Foundation cultivator have been found.]

[Cost to review all opportunities within a million li—[Great Encompassing Profound Qi: 1,800 points].]

Chen Lingxi raised his eyebrows slightly...

Then, an indescribable sense of familiarity welled up in his heart.

”A search engine?”

”But regardless, this Cauldron Vessel is truly extraordinary. To calculate so many opportunities in the blink of an eye... it’s just that this Great Encompassing Profound Qi...”

He thought for a moment and asked another question: ”How can I obtain Great Encompassing Profound Qi?”

In a split second, the text formed by the arranged starlight in the swirling sky changed again.

The starry sky seemed to move.

Countless stars drifted over from the farthest reaches, settling into place one by one, each occupying its own tier.

Once a star fell into position, it stopped swirling and remained perfectly still, as if that was where it had always belonged.

Rows of brand-new text appeared before Chen Lingxi’s eyes.

He looked down and read them line by line, his astonishment growing with every word.

—[Opportunities to obtain Great Encompassing Profound Qi within a radius of thirty thousand li:]

[Inside Chaolian Cave on Yuanmo Mountain, there is one Wondrous Method Spirit Lingzhi, accompanied by a Chu Region Demonic Tree! Fell the demonic tree, harvest the spirit lingzhi, and offer it to the Cauldron Vessel to obtain Great Encompassing Profound Qi: 120 streams!]

He continued reading downwards.

—[Buried deep on Dragon-Revering Zhuwang Mountain are the remains of Daoist Zhuwang. Find these bones to obtain Great Encompassing Profound Qi: 230 streams.]

Dragon-Revering Zhuwang Mountain.

The name was quite familiar.

After Chen Lingxi joined the Dragon-Revering Sect, he had heard Yuan Lingyu mention that a thousand li north of Slumbering Deer Peak stood a rather short mountain called Zhuwang Mountain.

The mountain had no spirit veins, only a scattering of fragmented spiritual energy, and thus it had no owner.

The two hundred peaks of the Dragon-Revering Sect all fought over mountains with spirit veins; a barren, masterless mountain without one had always been ignored.

Who would have thought that buried beneath this forgotten Zhuwang Mountain were the remains of a ”Daoist Zhuwang.”

And in the eyes of the Heaven-Observing Mirror, these remains could be exchanged for 230 streams of Great Encompassing Profound Qi.

Chen Lingxi carefully committed this to memory and continued reading.

[Atop the Chen Clan Ancestral Mountain, there is a wisp of Mother Qi. Obtain this Mother Qi to receive Great Encompassing Profound Qi: 1,200 streams.]

...

Chen Lingxi read through the lines like this for a long time.

Whenever he thought he was about to finish, the numerous stars in the sky would shine once more, falling onto the river of stars to form rows of brand-new text.

It wasn’t until Chen Lingxi had read through over a hundred tasks that they finally stopped refreshing.

Even so, the astonishment in his heart only grew.

”It’s as if the entire Land of Nine Palaces is under the patrol of this Great Encompassing Heaven-Observing Mirror.”

”And these are only the opportunities within a thirty thousand li radius.”

Chen Lingxi grew even more astounded by the extraordinary nature of the Great Encompassing Heaven-Observing Mirror.

He stood before this river of stars for a long time until his thoughts finally settled.

’However... all these tasks to obtain Great Encompassing Profound Qi are simply laid out here in this river of stars. What if I treat this as an opportunity, seek out these wondrous items, but don’t sacrifice them to the Great Encompassing Heaven-Observing Mirror?’ Chen Lingxi suddenly wondered.

But right at that moment, a bolt of lightning flashed across the starry sky!

The thunderclap was incomparably terrifying.

An intense aura turned into a storm, blowing away the text formed by the starlight.

At the same time, the scattered starlight, seemingly chaotic and formless, fell across the sky once more to reveal a brand-new line of text.

[Learning of an opportunity from the exchange column for Great Encompassing Profound Qi, yet failing to perform the sacrifice... shall be struck down by lightning.]

Chen Lingxi instantly broke out in a cold sweat.

”This Great Encompassing Heaven-Observing Mirror can read minds, and... it possesses its own profound Dao mechanisms. If I learned the location of an opportunity in here but didn’t exchange it with the Great Encompassing Heaven-Observing Mirror, that bolt of lightning would likely strike me down.”

Chen Lingxi thought back for a moment.

Although he practiced the Thunder Prison Heaven divine ability, the might of that lightning was practically unimaginable with his current cultivation, let alone something he could endure head-on.

”This Cauldron Vessel is truly breathtaking.”

Chen Lingxi’s eyes flickered, his heart yearning even more for spiritual energy.

”I currently have one complete Cauldron Vessel on me, which is that Dao-Capturing Ancient Tree, but I’ve never been able to refine it. Fortunately, even without refining it, I can still use the Dao-Capturing Ancient Tree just by waiting for it to grow a Dao-Capturing Fruit.”

As his thoughts reached this point, his divine sense avatar stroked its chin.

’If another Dao-Capturing Fruit grows, I wonder if I can use it to absorb the ancient aura of this Great Encompassing Heaven-Observing Mirror, and thereby harness the Cauldron Vessel’s might.’

Chen Lingxi silently committed this to memory. Remembering that the Great Encompassing Heaven-Observing Mirror could read minds, he let out a sigh.

”This Cauldron Vessel is profoundly mysterious. While inside it, it seems I cannot hide many of my secrets. Thankfully, no one else can observe this Cauldron Vessel.”

Thinking this, he shook his head and carefully looked at the numerous tasks again.

After watching for a long time, Chen Lingxi suddenly thought of the Divine Chamber.

’I wonder if this Great Encompassing Heaven-Observing Mirror can calculate the existence of the Divine Chamber, or if it can detect the Divine Chamber from my thoughts.’

All along, the Divine Chamber had seemed to reign above all else...

Because of this, another idea sprouted in Chen Lingxi’s mind.

’If I learn of an extraordinary opportunity during an Absolute Perception Deduction, can I evade the Great Encompassing Heaven-Observing Mirror’s lightning strike?’

His eyes lit up slightly, and he took a deep breath.

’There is a high probability that I can...’

’In that case, I can completely treat this Great Encompassing Heaven-Observing Mirror as my treasure for seeking opportunities!’

’And with Absolute Perception Deduction, my Great Encompassing Profound Qi... might just achieve zero consumption...’

Chen Lingxi’s eyes grew brighter and brighter!