After the Great Dao Died

Chen Lingxi stood within the vast, illusory expanse of the Land of Court Audience, where stars flickered and dao runes hung suspended in the void.

As he gazed at the crisscrossing rows of opportunity listings, a sense of unprecedented anticipation for his next Absolute Perception Deduction welled up beneath his pleasant surprise.

’Because of Vision Roaming, I was able to catch a glimpse of Chan Zhaofu outlining the Court Audience Heavenly Talisman. Then, by borrowing that wisp of spiritual sense, I traced the location of this Great Encompassing Heaven-Observing Mirror.’

His eyes grew brighter as the thoughts turned in his mind.

’This opportunity allows me to access the Great Encompassing Heaven-Observing Mirror earlier than the rest of the Dragon-Revering Sect’s disciples, and even earlier than the many cultivators of the profound sects and immortal clans within the Nine Quarters.’

’Since I have this chance, I should seize it to accumulate Great Encompassing Profound Qi as quickly as possible... I should sweep up all the opportunities that take little time, pose low difficulty, and aren’t likely to attract trouble.’

His mind made up, he wasted no time and lowered his gaze to the river of stars.

Spreading his spiritual sense outward, he carefully examined the numerous Great Encompassing Profound Qi listings displayed within the Heaven-Observing Mirror.

Points of starlight drifted up and down while dao runes constantly shifted. Opportunities anchored to famous mountains, desolate valleys, ancient caves, and sunken ships all entered his view.

Chen Lingxi studied them closely, his mind still turning over the details.

’A Golden Palace True Person possesses extraordinary cultivation. If these Great Encompassing Profound Qi tasks are too close to Slumbering Deer Peak, they will inevitably be noticed by the Golden Palace True Person observing me. For instance... my master, True Person Xiangshu.’

His eyes flickered.

’But if they are too far away, I fear they will consume too much time and delay my cultivation.’

His thoughts turned again.

’As for those listings that casually span across mountain ranges, cross vast oceans, and stretch for hundreds of thousands of li—just the travel alone would waste an untold amount of time.’

His mind raced as his gaze swept back and forth among the starlight, eventually settling on a select few listings.

”Beyond ten thousand li, but within fifteen thousand li...” he muttered to himself.

”That is just right.”

”I’ll try this for now... if there really are no obstacles, I can figure out a way to go further out.”

With this in mind, he immediately selected six of the listings.

These six listings were either located in remote wilderness, hidden away in unclaimed old valleys, or buried in abandoned ruins. Upon closer inspection, most of them fell outside the core territories of the Dragon-Revering Sect’s peaks, meaning no one should notice his movements.

Chen Lingxi then carefully double-checked the locations, time limits, and key details of the six listings. Only after confirming that everything was correct did he let out a long breath and cycle his spiritual sense once more!

In the next instant!

His spiritual sense slowly withdrew from the Great Encompassing Heaven-Observing Mirror’s river of stars. The illusory Land of Court Audience before his eyes crumbled inch by inch, returning him to the depths of the Water Curtain Cave, with its faintly glowing stone walls and lush spirit grass.

Chen Lingxi stood up.

Outside the cave, the thousand-zhang waterfall cascaded downward, its crashing waters roaring like thunder.

He straightened the black brocade robe with gold patterns that Yuan Lingyu had tailored for him, raised a hand to part the water curtain, and took a step out of the cave.

Heavenly light poured down against his face.

Three massive suns hung high overhead—one gold, one silver, and one crimson—illuminating the ten-thousand-zhang phantom of the divine deer above Slumbering Deer Peak until it shone with resplendent brilliance.

Chen Lingxi stood at the edge of the cliff. Cloud vapor gathered beneath his feet, accompanied by the faint crackle of lightning.

Then, he soared into the sky upon the clouds!

—

The Great Xuanzhuo Realm Heaven was incredibly vast, possessing magnificent mountains and rivers, along with three great suns that rotated through day and night.

Riding atop the Azure Cloud laced with pale golden lightning, Chen Lingxi swept past a remote stretch of wilderness!

Below him lay the [Qingtu River]. Its waters were crystal clear, shimmering with a faint cyan-green hue that perfectly reflected the shadows of the bamboo and trees along both banks.

Suddenly, a ripple spread from the depths of the river, quickly escalating into violently churning waves.

Amidst the spray, a crimson silhouette burst forth from the water!

Chen Lingxi took one look and recognized it as the red-scaled flood dragon described in the listing.

The dragon’s body was roughly a dozen zhang long, covered entirely in scales as dark red as blood. It had three hook-like claws and a ferocious head, with eyes that glared menacingly like two burning coals!

As soon as the flood dragon appeared, a foul, bloody wind rushed forth, flattening the reed marshes on both sides of the river.

Chen Lingxi neither dodged nor evaded.

His Abyssal Heaven Spiritual Sword let out a sharp hum. A terrifying wave of sword qi erupted from the blade, splitting into over a hundred streaks that tore through the surging wind and waves to strike the crimson flood dragon directly.

In that fleeting instant!

The flood dragon’s massive body was raked by the hundreds of streaks of sword qi. It plummeted with a heavy crash, smashing into the Qingtu River and sending a massive spray of water into the sky.

Chen Lingxi raised a hand and beckoned, storing the flood dragon’s corpse into his Vast Void Pouch. The cloud vapor beneath his feet never stopped as he continued flying toward his next destination.

He then turned his course and headed for [Angry Lotus Mountain].

The mountain’s terrain was extremely bizarre. Everything above the halfway point was blanketed in a hazy spiritual mist, and as the mist churned, a subtle rhythm seemed to flow within it!

Chen Lingxi navigated through the spiritual mist. Deep within one of the secluded valleys, he found a Qiemo Lotus.

He plucked the Qiemo Lotus. The moment he touched it, its petals folded inward, transforming into a wisp of faint fragrance that settled into his palm.

”These tasks are indeed just as I thought—they pose no difficulty and don’t waste much time,” he murmured.

A faint smile touched Chen Lingxi’s lips as he lifted his gaze toward the distant Fang Mountain.

A gathering of loose cultivators took place on Fang Mountain—one of the Dragon-Revering Sect’s affiliated rogue markets—and one of his listings was located exactly there.

Wasting no time, Chen Lingxi headed straight for the gathering.

The market was bustling with numerous loose cultivators coming and going.

Chen Lingxi used the Hidden Edge Method to conceal his aura, displaying only his Qi Circulation cultivation as he made his way to a set of ruins at the edge of the market.

A battle must have taken place here; the buildings had collapsed, leaving behind piles of rubble.

Stepping into the ruins, Chen Lingxi circulated his Method of Qi Observation and immediately located a Profound Wondrous Array Disk.

The array disk was about the size of a palm and entirely dark in color. It was carved with incredibly dense and complex runic patterns that interconnected with one another. A faint glimmer flowed through them, making the entire array disk look like a half-open eye.

”This is the one.”

He picked up the array disk, gave it a close look, and stored it in his pouch. Only then did he walk out of the ruins and take a stroll around the Fang Mountain gathering.

Unfortunately, most of the cultivators here were loose cultivators below the Qi Circulation 6th Floor with shallow foundations. Having gained nothing else, Chen Lingxi left for another tall mountain.

This place was called Sword Spine Mountain!

It was an extremely treacherous peak. The mountain’s ridge resembled the spine of a sword, piercing straight into the heavens. Both sides of the mountain were sheer cliffs where not a single blade of grass grew.

As Chen Lingxi passed by the foot of the mountain, he immediately spotted a completely unremarkable piece of scrap iron lying next to a green boulder on the rocky shoals. It was pitch-black and covered in rust, emitting absolutely no spiritual qi fluctuations.

Yet, when he swept his gaze over it with the Method of Qi Observation, he could see an incredibly faint and subtle clear light circulating deep within the scrap iron.

”This is going far too smoothly.”

A faint smile appeared on Chen Lingxi’s lips. ”It barely costs me any time or effort. If I had waited until the cultivators of the Nine Quarters gained access to the Great Encompassing Heaven-Observing Mirror, I’m afraid such easy Great Encompassing Profound Qi tasks would never have fallen into my hands.”

”I still need to hurry.”

With this thought in mind, he traveled another three thousand li. Amidst a sea of radiant clouds, he used the Pure Wondrous Qi Pivot Array as a guide to gather the sky full of rosy clouds. Four hundred streaks of sunset radiance transformed into four hundred thin threads that tangled within his palm, looking just like a handful of evening glow collected in a bottle.

By now, half a month had quietly slipped away.

Chen Lingxi then headed to his final destination, Hekong Valley, where he chopped down a Qilian Spirit Tree.

The tree was only about two zhang tall and completely lustrous white, with faint patterns flowing across its trunk. It had very few branches and leaves, leaving only a sparse handful scattered about. A thin layer of spiritual frost coated the surface of each leaf, giving the tree a highly extraordinary appearance.

This was Chen Lingxi’s final opportunity for this trip.

As of now, all six opportunities were fully in his possession.

”It only took half a month to complete these six tasks.”

Chen Lingxi’s eyes flickered. He found a flat green rock deep within Hekong Valley, retrieved all of his gains one by one, and lined them up in a row before him.

The corpse of the red-scaled flood dragon, the Qiemo Lotus, the Profound Wondrous Array Disk, the piece of pitch-black scrap iron, the handful of threads formed from the sunset radiance, and the freshly felled Qilian Spirit Tree.

The six treasures occupied their respective spots, illuminating the secluded valley with a crisscrossing display of spiritual light.

He took a deep breath, slowly closed his eyes, and focused his mind. Recalling the Court Audience Heavenly Talisman he had memorized from Chan Zhaofu, he traced it stroke by stroke into the empty air!

The moment he completed the final stroke...

The Court Audience Heavenly Talisman, condensed entirely from Dao Origin, hung suspended in the void before him!

In the next instant, dao wonders erupted!

The talisman slowly began to glow. A ray of black light flowed from it, swiftly transforming into a small vortex that hovered right in front of Chen Lingxi.

Black mist churned within the depths of the vortex, radiating a profound dao rhythm!

The moment the vortex opened, the various treasures before Chen Lingxi were gently pulled by an invisible force, flying into the black vortex one after another.

The corpse of the red-scaled flood dragon dissolved into a streak of dark red light, submerging into the vortex and vanishing from sight.

The Qiemo Lotus trembled slightly as its petals unfurled layer by layer. It too transformed into a wisp of deep purple smoke and threw itself into the vortex.

The Profound Wondrous Array Disk, the pitch-black scrap iron, the four hundred threads of sunset radiance, and the newly felled Qilian Spirit Tree all submerged into it one by one.

In no time at all, the six treasures that had been lined up completely vanished, leaving only the black vortex hanging quietly in front of Chen Lingxi!

Chen Lingxi’s expression remained unchanged as he simply stared into the depths of the vortex.

Right at that moment!

A flash of light burst from deep within the vortex, followed instantly by a message that trickled into his Sea of Consciousness like a gentle stream.

[Sacrifice complete.]

[Loose cultivator Chen Lingxi, rewarded with 426 streaks of Great Encompassing Profound Qi.]

Four hundred and twenty-six streaks!

A bright light flashed through Chen Lingxi’s eyes as a slight smile touched the corners of his mouth.

He let out a long breath of stale air.

’Among these First Profound Realm tasks for Great Encompassing Profound Qi, very few should be capable of hindering my footsteps.’

He thought to himself, his eyes clear and bright, and then slowly stood up.

’If that’s the case, I need to accumulate even more Great Encompassing Profound Qi as quickly as possible.’

’And then wait for the Absolute Perception Divine Ability to finish restoring its energy.’

With this in mind, Chen Lingxi did not linger any longer. He immediately soared onto the clouds and headed straight south, returning to Slumbering Deer Peak.

The heavenly winds howled, and the sea of clouds churned.

The phantom of the divine deer hanging high in the ten-thousand-zhang void above Slumbering Deer Peak entered his sight from far away.

Its antlers pierced the heavens, showering down radiant light that bathed the surrounding thousands of li in a glorious glow.

Chen Lingxi lowered his cloud. Instead of returning to the Water Curtain Cave, he headed to the main peak first.

Atop the main peak, the sea of clouds tumbled as the Golden Palace Dao Field stood quietly in its depths.

Chen Lingxi landed at the bottom of the dao field’s stone steps, adjusted his robes, and respectfully bowed toward the main gates.

”Disciple Yuan Zhiling requests an audience with Master.”

The doors to the dao field swung open. Inside, a single profound lamp still hung high, and True Person Xiangshu sat beneath it, just as he always did.

”Come in.”

Chen Lingxi crossed the threshold, stopped three steps inside the door, and bowed again.

Only then did True Person Xiangshu slowly turn around.

He looked at Chen Lingxi, the benevolent expression in his eyes noticeably deeper than usual.

”Why have you come?”

Chen Lingxi lowered his eyes and said, ”This disciple has been cultivating the [Heavenly Statute Edict] Great Divine Ability for quite some time now, yet there are always certain bottlenecks that I cannot seem to break through.

”This disciple is dull-witted. I fear that if I continue to stay on the peak working behind closed doors, I will never find the true path.”

He paused slightly, raising his head to meet the True Person’s gaze.

”For this reason, this disciple would like to request a leave of absence to travel outside. I wish to witness the vastness of heaven and earth, and to observe the majestic landscapes of this dragon-revering land.

”If I can gain some enlightenment from this journey, I might be able to master this second Great Divine Ability sooner, and knock on the door of the Dao Foundation Middle Stage at an earlier date.”

True Person Xiangshu’s expression did not change. He gazed at Chen Lingxi with genuine sincerity in his eyes.

He spoke slowly, his voice gentle. ”Cultivation is not something that can be rushed. The fact that you have the desire to seek enlightenment in the outside world can be considered a good thing.

”It is just...” He paused midway through his sentence and lowered his head, as if he were carefully contemplating something.

A few breaths of time quietly slipped by. Only then did True Person Xiangshu slowly raise his head.

He gently flicked his sleeve.

In the very next moment, a brand-new talisman materialized out of thin air, hovering in the void.

The talisman was about three cun wide and two fingers long. It was entirely gold and purple, with spiritual patterns flowing across its surface. A faint, subtle dao rhythm seemed to emanate from it.

On one side of the talisman, several lines of tiny seal script were written in an extremely ancient calligraphic style.

Looking at the talisman, True Person Xiangshu said, ”I am still a bit uneasy about you going out alone... If you encounter a deadly tribulation, you can activate this talisman. It will be enough to save your life once.”

Chen Lingxi was somewhat surprised. His eyes met True Person Xiangshu’s gaze.

True Person Xiangshu’s eyes were clear and gentle. As he quietly watched him, his gaze was filled with deep concern.

Chen Lingxi’s heart stirred slightly.

’True Person Xiangshu’s concern... it does not seem faked.’

Doubt began to creep into his mind.

’He altered my memories and altered the memories of the many disciples on Slumbering Deer Peak just to bring me into his sect. And now he treats me with such profound solemnity...’

’But what exactly is his true purpose?’

Thoughts churned wildly in Chen Lingxi’s mind, but his face remained completely impassive.

If a Golden Palace True Person wanted to scheme against a disciple at the Early Dao Foundation stage like him, a single thought would be enough to cast countless inescapable nets.

Why go to such lengths? Why put on such an act?

Chen Lingxi lowered his eyes, deciding not to dwell on it any further.

He raised his hand and took the hovering talisman from the air.

”Thank you, Master,” he said, bowing once again.

True Person Xiangshu gave a slight nod, the gentle smile remaining on his face.

”Go on.”

Chen Lingxi bowed one last time and walked out of the dao field. Cloud vapor gathered beneath his feet, carrying him down toward the Water Curtain Cave.

Inside the Water Curtain Cave, the thousand-zhang waterfall continued to crash down like thunder.

Chen Lingxi parted the curtain of water and walked inside, sitting cross-legged in front of the flat green rock.

He didn’t set off immediately. Instead, he pulled a thin spiritual slip from his sleeve.

Taking up a brush, he laid down lines of glowing text upon the spiritual slip.

[Junior Martial Sister Lingyu:

Your senior brother has been cultivating in seclusion on the peak recently, but I have failed to make any progress with the Heavenly Statute Edict Great Divine Ability. Finding my mind stagnant, I have decided to go out and travel for a period of time to see the beautiful mountains and rivers. Perhaps I will gain some enlightenment regarding the Heavenly Statute, allowing me to master this second divine ability sooner.

My return date is uncertain. It may be two or three months, or perhaps a year or two—I cannot say.

There is no need for you to worry.

—Your Senior Brother, Zhiling]

After writing the message, he folded the spiritual slip, guided his Dao Origin, and activated a tiny seal art on the paper.

The thin spiritual slip transformed into a streak of fine light. It flew from his fingertips, passed through the curtain of water, and shot straight toward Yuan Lingyu’s cave dwelling on Slumbering Deer Peak.

Chen Lingxi watched the streak of light vanish beyond the waterfall before slowly getting to his feet.

He walked to the front of the cave and cast a glance at the green bamboo.

Nourished by the spiritual soil gifted by the master of the Opportunity Seeking Hall and watered daily with root-protecting water, the green bamboo had already sprouted far more tender shoots than before. A faint cyan-green sharpness seemed to flow around their root joints.

Seeing the growth of the bamboo shoots, Chen Lingxi nodded in satisfaction. He adjusted his robes, parted the water curtain, and took a step out of the cave. Cloud vapor bloomed beneath his feet, laced with the faint crackle of lightning.

”I’m off.”