After the Great Dao Died

Chen Lingxi looked into the void, catching sight of a gaze descending from the heavens!

His expression shifted slightly as he circulated the Method of Qi Observation.

Deep within the churning sea of clouds, the mist drifted sluggishly, parting as if brushed aside by invisible fingertips. From within those clouds, the figure of a woman slowly emerged!

The female cultivator wore a pale cloud-colored robe. Fine spiritual runes flowed across the fabric, locking her entire aura within three feet of her body.

She walked down from the clouds at a leisurely pace. The mist parted on its own, as though invisible stone steps awaited her descent within the sea of clouds.

Her features were aloof and picturesque, but her eyes held absolutely no emotion. She stepped down from the cloudbank and stood in the void, stopping barely a thousand zhang away from Chen Lingxi.

”She’s coming for me.”

This area spanning a thousand li was entirely devoid of human life. Chen Lingxi did not need to think deeply to know this woman’s objective.

Just then, the woman suddenly straightened her robes and bowed to Chen Lingxi from afar, offering a formal greeting.

Chen Lingxi narrowed his eyes slightly. ”May I ask why you are here?”

The woman slowly straightened up. Her voice was cold and clear like a spring flowing over rocks, completely devoid of inflection.

”I am Lord Xiuyun of Sandalwood Cloud Peak, here on orders.”

Chen Lingxi’s expression remained unchanged. ”Here on orders?”

”Here to kill Daoist Friend Yuan Zhiling,” Lord Xiuyun said flatly.

Chen Lingxi raised an eyebrow. He remained where he stood, but the Method of Qi Observation constantly swirled within his gaze. Under this technique, he could clearly sense that the aura of this Lord Xiuyun from Sandalwood Cloud Peak was extremely stable. The Dao Origin circulating around her body was endless and unceasing; she had already stepped into the Dao Foundation Middle Stage.

”I have never met you before, Daoist Friend.” Chen Lingxi’s expression did not waver, and his tone remained calm. ”If you wish to fight, that is fine.

But before we begin, I would like to ask a question...

”I am the disciple of True Person Xiangshu of Slumbering Deer Peak. By coming here today, are you not afraid that even if you kill me, you will eventually die at the hands of my inner peak’s figures?”

Hearing this, Lord Xiuyun’s expression did not change. ”Qi Chuan once saved my life in the Falling Cloud Sea.

”I owe him a debt of gratitude. Now that he has asked me to take action, I am bound by his karma. If I strike today, even if that Golden Palace True Person learns of it and strikes me down within Dragon-Revering, it will be well-deserved.”

Lord Xiuyun was extremely frank, clearly explaining the cause and effect of her actions.

Chen Lingxi slowly nodded, a trace of anger rising in his heart.

Truth be told, he did not actually have any deep grudges with this Qi Chuan.

In their previous conflicts, Qi Chuan had always been the one to provoke him first.

But he never expected Qi Chuan to actually find someone to kill him. This was simply far too arrogant.

”Very well.”

Chen Lingxi asked nothing more.

He cupped his hands toward Lord Xiuyun, returning the greeting.

High in the sky, an ancient star wantonly scattered a fierce, slaughterous aura. It was like a hazy veil of thin gauze, barely noticeable through the fog, blanketing the hundred li surrounding Solitary Mountain.

At that moment, both of their auras condensed slightly.

The next instant.

Lord Xiuyun raised her right hand and gently pressed down in Chen Lingxi’s direction.

Great Divine Ability, [Sea Within Qi]!

This divine ability used the qi of heaven and earth as the sea, and the cultivator’s body as a boat.

Any Dao Origin, spiritual qi, or aura within a hundred zhang of the cultivator would be drawn into that invisible sea, sinking and dissipating within it.

The deeper one’s cultivation of it, the more vast and heavy that Qi Sea would become.

No matter how abundant an opponent’s Dao Origin was, as long as they were trapped within it, they would feel as if they were trudging through a quagmire with a mountain on their back, their Dao Origin tightly bound by that invisible sea.

Pressed down by such a divine ability, the aura surrounding Chen Lingxi abruptly sank.

He clearly sensed that the Dao Origin within his Dao had become incomparably heavy. It was as if a thick layer of earth had suddenly been piled atop his Dao itself from the heavens above, crushing all his Dao Origin beneath it and making it several times harder to circulate than usual.

Chen Lingxi’s eyes narrowed; he knew this was a profound Great Divine Ability.

’No wonder Qi Chuan sent her.’ Chen Lingxi’s thoughts surged, but he did not hesitate. The lightning around his body violently burst forth!

The Thunder Prison Heaven Great Divine Ability abruptly erupted!

This divine ability surged from the Thunder Prison Wondrous Fruit atop his Dao, instantly blanketing the surrounding hundred zhang.

The profound lightning surged violently toward Lord Xiuyun, seeking to shred that ”Sea Within Qi” to pieces.

Yet Lord Xiuyun’s expression did not change. She simply flicked her finger.

With that flick, a very faint ray of skylight appeared in the heavens.

High above, the churning clouds suddenly parted. A silver-white ray of skylight cascaded through the rift in the clouds, shining squarely onto Lord Xiuyun.

The moment that ray of skylight landed around her, her Dao Origin suddenly flared.

Her Dao Origin, already deep and condensed, swelled endlessly under the illumination of the skylight. Like a living spring continuously bubbling up from a deep pool, it expanded the Sea Within Qi, making it even more vast and suffocating.

Great Divine Ability, [Heaven-Illuminating]!

Wherever the skylight illuminated, Dao Origin grew thicker.

Among the Second Profound cultivators of the Dragon-Revering Sect, successfully cultivating this Great Divine Ability was already extremely difficult.

Lord Xiuyun had cultivated both of these Great Divine Abilities simultaneously. One sank while the other rose, one suppressed while the other swelled. As one fell, the other grew, perfectly echoing one another.

Standing there alone, it was as if she had turned this Solitary Mountain and the entire wasteland into a protective domain around her.

Chen Lingxi felt his surrounding Thunder Prison Heaven growing heavier and heavier within the Sea Within Qi!

”An expert at the Dao Foundation Middle Stage is truly extraordinary!”

Chen Lingxi dared not be careless. Flipping his right hand, he unsheathed the Abyssal Heaven Spiritual Sword.

The remnant patterns of the hundred restrictions on the blade lit up simultaneously, and an incomparably violent sword intent shot into the sky from its edge.

In the blink of an eye, the Jade Tiger Rebellious Sea Sword Light erupted from the blade. It transformed into a cyan-gold sword rainbow that stretched across the sky, slashing directly toward Lord Xiuyun.

That sword rainbow tore through layer after layer of the Qi Sea, cleaving a line right through the center of that invisible, heavy ”sea”!

But Lord Xiuyun merely raised her right hand.

A faint ray of spiritual light escaped from her sleeve, slowly unfurling in the void to become a gray silk damask about a zhang long.

The damask appeared soft and boneless, but the moment it unfurled, it silently churned the surrounding void into a chaotic mess.

This was exactly one of Lord Xiuyun’s famed magic treasures, the [Void-Stirring Damask].

Chen Lingxi clearly sensed that when his Jade Tiger Rebellious Sea Sword Light slashed into that churning void, it was like cutting into a pool of paste. The sword’s momentum sharply deviated, actually missing its mark.

’What kind of spiritual artifact is this?’ Chen Lingxi was astonished.

Although that sword light had not deviated by much, its lethal force had been sapped by the churning of the damask.

With a thought, Chen Lingxi summoned a magic treasure from his Vast Void Pouch.

It was a decree that was entirely cyan-gray in color, interwoven with crimson patterns, and streams of profound runic intent flowed across its surface.

It was the Profound Binding Decree.

The Profound Binding Decree flew out, transforming into a cyan-gray streak of light. It crashed into that churning void, forcefully pinning the Void-Stirring Damask in place.

Chen Lingxi’s gaze focused.

Taking advantage of the momentary suppression from the Profound Binding Decree, the Longevity Bridge suddenly materialized beneath his feet, carrying his figure as he charged toward Lord Xiuyun.

Lord Xiuyun’s expression remained unchanged.

Her pale cloud-colored robes fluttered slightly amidst the dense lightning, and she flipped her left hand again.

Another magic treasure floated out from her sleeve.

This great banner was completely plain white, engraved with intricate patterns in extremely faint silver thread.

As the banner unfurled, an incredibly terrifying repulsive force blasted out in all directions. It pushed away the Longevity Bridge, the Thunder Prison Heaven, and even the aura surrounding Chen Lingxi.

Chen Lingxi felt the gap he had forced open in the Qi Sea close up once more under this repulsive force. It became even heavier and more oppressive, pushing him right back to where he started.

[Origin-Repelling Great Banner!]

Chen Lingxi frowned slightly.

Another spiritual artifact, and he feared that both were at the Fourth Grade.

’This Lord Xiuyun is absolutely no ordinary cultivator,’ Chen Lingxi thought in surprise.

’The two Great Divine Abilities she cultivates are no ordinary abilities; one sinks and one rises, perfectly complementing each other.’

’And with Fourth Grade spiritual artifacts in hand, her lethality is astonishing.’

As he pondered, the Thunder Prison Heaven around him was once again suppressed by the Qi Sea.

Chen Lingxi immediately flipped his palm and brought out the Spirit-Calming Shuttle.

The ink-black flying shuttle manifested out of thin air in the void, transforming into an intangible, formless soul-suppressing light. It silently pierced through the Qi Sea and sank directly into the center of Lord Xiuyun’s brow.

Lord Xiuyun’s figure froze slightly, as if pinned in place by the Spirit-Calming Shuttle!

’Now is the moment.’

Seizing the opportunity, Chen Lingxi fiercely urged the Longevity Bridge forward, launching his body in Lord Xiuyun’s direction.

However...

”Whoosh!”

A very faint sound of tearing air came from Lord Xiuyun’s sleeve.

”Hmm? Another spiritual artifact?”

Chen Lingxi focused his gaze and saw a Flowing Light Shuttle fly out from Lord Xiuyun’s sleeve.

The Flowing Light Shuttle was entirely emerald-green and barely three inches long. Once activated, it carried the weight of a thunderbolt as it flew right at Chen Lingxi’s face.

Its speed was incredibly fast, fast beyond belief.

Chen Lingxi only had time to hold the Abyssal Heaven Spiritual Sword horizontally in front of him. At the same time, he circulated the True Edict of Approaching the Dao Great Sage Precious Phase and the Dragon Transformation Mystic Mechanism to reinforce himself!

With a loud ”clang,” the Flowing Light Shuttle smashed viciously into the blade of the Abyssal Heaven Spiritual Sword.

The moment of impact, a surging, tremendous force traveled from the blade into his palm!

Chen Lingxi’s physical fortitude was astonishing. He had already coalesced the Great Sage Precious Phase, and he had the Dragon Transformation Mystic Mechanism protecting his body. When such terrifying power crashed into him, it actually failed to injure him.

But even so, his body was still sent flying backward by the sheer force of the collision. He crashed heavily into a boulder below, smashing the rock into flying debris!

Chen Lingxi flipped back to his feet amidst the rubble, a thin trail of blood leaking from the corner of his mouth.

He looked down at the right hand holding his sword. A fissure tore through the webbing between his thumb and forefinger, snaking from his palm to the base of his fingers. Beads of blood seeped out, soaking the cuff of his robes.

”A Dao Foundation Middle Stage cultivator is truly formidable.”

He took a deep breath. Within his Dao, the Thunder Prison Profound Root trembled violently. The Weiji Thunder Radiance flowed out from the profound root, slowly smoothing out the tear in his hand.

Meanwhile, Lord Xiuyun slowly walked out from the Qi Sea.

The churning lightning was crushed layer by layer around her, and not a single wrinkle appeared on her pale cloud-colored robes.

She looked at Chen Lingxi and spoke slowly, her voice cold. ”Daoist Friend Zhiling, for you to hold your own against me this long while only at the Early Dao Foundation stage is already extraordinary.

”But there is already a massive gap in Dao Origin between the Dao Foundation Middle Stage and the Early Dao Foundation. Add to that my [Heaven-Illuminating] Great Divine Ability... you are far inferior to me.

”You cannot stop me, so... there is no need to struggle.”

Chen Lingxi listened in silence, then raised his sleeve to wipe the blood from his lips.

Lord Xiuyun frowned slightly!

She said no more and brought her hands together.

The Sea Within Qi Great Divine Ability suddenly surged around her, bearing down on Chen Lingxi like the raging waves of a heavenly river and crushing the deepest lightning of his Thunder Prison Heaven to pieces.

The Origin-Repelling Great Banner and the Void-Stirring Damask emerged together. The churning void and the immense repulsive force echoed one another, entirely sealing off the hundred zhang around Chen Lingxi.

Lord Xiuyun took a step forward.

As she planted her foot, the surrounding clouds trembled slightly.

She had assumed that if she simply closed in to within several dozen zhang of Chen Lingxi, he would be powerless to resist.

But right at that moment...

Chen Lingxi suddenly raised his head.

The trace of blood at the corner of his mouth had not been fully wiped away, yet a deeply settled, almost crystal-clear tranquility slowly circulated in his eyes.

Then, Chen Lingxi slowly raised his right hand.

He pointed his index finger at the sky.

At his fingertip, an extremely fine, pale-gold pattern flowed out from the depths of his Dao, transforming into a dark silhouette!

The moment that silhouette appeared, the void grew dark!

It was then that Chen Lingxi spoke!

”I hereby set a Heavenly Statute!”

”Clouds, come! Mist, come! Blot out the sky!”

The moment those words fell, Lord Xiuyun’s expression drastically changed!

She clearly sensed the [Heaven-Illuminating] Great Divine Ability above her head suddenly become incomparably weak.

She looked up abruptly, only to see the blazing golden sunlight in the sky being covered layer by layer by clouds and mist from out of nowhere. The skylight her Heaven-Illuminating divine ability relied on was blocked ten thousand zhang in the air, no longer able to illuminate even an inch of the surrounding void.

”Blotting out the sky with a flick of a finger?”

”The Heavenly Statute Edict divine ability?”

Lord Xiuyun could not help but suck in a breath!

Meanwhile, Chen Lingxi had already looked up.

”Under this Heavenly Statute, no skylight may fall upon this place.”

The Great Divine Ability frantically operated. Of Lord Xiuyun’s two Great Divine Abilities, one was the Sea Within Qi and the other was Heaven-Illuminating.

The former used Dao Origin to suppress, while the latter used skylight to swell.

The former was still under her control, but the latter had been completely cut off by this Heavenly Statute.

At this moment, having lost the enhancement of the skylight, the Dao Origin around her body was decaying at a visible rate.

Right then, Chen Lingxi took a step forward.

His surrounding Thunder Prison Heaven, which had been suppressed by the Qi Sea, finally forced open a gap within the heavy Sea Within Qi!

’Kill!’ Chen Lingxi roared in his heart.

Inside his body, above the Dragon-Stripping Dao, the branches and leaves of the Thunder Prison Profound Root churned as the Great Prison Furnace rose from the deepest depths of the Thunder Prison!

At the same time, with a thought, the Six-Layered Glazed Return to Void Sword Pagoda abruptly materialized out of nothingness from the Vast Void Pouch.

The upturned eaves of the six stories on the pagoda’s body lit up simultaneously. Sword qi poured down like fine silk threads, once again reflecting a cyan-gold hue across the sky above Solitary Mountain.

The cyan-gold sword qi surged out of the pagoda and entirely merged into the Jade Tiger Rebellious Sea Sword Light in front of Chen Lingxi.

Reinforced by the Great Prison Furnace and infused with the Return to Void Sword Qi, the sword light multiplied: one became ten, ten became a hundred, a hundred became a thousand, and a thousand became ten thousand.

In the next instant!

The sword light swept out from in front of Chen Lingxi, crashing down toward the sky above and onto Lord Xiuyun, who stood in the void.

”How could this Yuan Zhiling possess such profound reserves?”

Lord Xiuyun stood where she was, clear shock visible in her eyes.

She clearly sensed that the skylight of her Heaven-Illuminating divine ability above her head had been severed by the Heavenly Statute’s clouds and mist, unable to fall any longer.

The Heaven-Illuminating divine ability had been completely countered.

So, she frantically formed hand seals. The Origin-Repelling Great Banner and the Void-Stirring Damask flew out simultaneously to meet that wave of sword light.

But this Jade Tiger Rebellious Sea Sword Light, bolstered by the Return to Void Sword Pagoda and reinforced by the Great Prison Furnace, was no longer an ordinary Jade Tiger Rebellious Sea Sword Light.

The moment the sword light struck the Origin-Repelling Great Banner, the plain white banner was cleaved right down the middle!

When the sword light then hit the Void-Stirring Damask, the gray silk was sliced cleanly in half.

The sword light bypassed the two magic treasures just like that, continuing its descent toward Lord Xiuyun.

Lord Xiuyun formed another seal. She forcefully riled up the Qi Sea around her to its absolute limit, sending it to meet the Jade Tiger Sword Light head-on like a dam barely holding back a monstrous flood.

The sword light crashed into the Qi Sea!

The two powers violently collided in midair, and for a moment, it was impossible to tell which was superior.

Chen Lingxi stood in place, closed his eyes, and slowly exhaled.

The jade-colored profound root upon his Dao trembled slightly. The clear intent of the Heavenly Statute leaking from the sky descended once more, elevating the Dao Origin around his body inch by inch.

”Edict,” he uttered.

The Heavenly Statute’s clouds and mist hanging from the sky abruptly sank, completely blocking out the very last trace of skylight.

Lord Xiuyun’s Sea Within Qi, having lost all support from the Heaven-Illuminating divine ability, rapidly dried up.

Wherever Chen Lingxi’s sword light passed, the Qi Sea disintegrated, until the cyan-gold sword light finally fell upon Lord Xiuyun’s body.

Her pale cloud-colored robes instantly shattered, and the protective light barrier she had maintained with her Dao Origin crumbled inch by inch under the thousands of rays of sword light!

”How is this possible?”

”How could an Early Dao Foundation cultivator wield such powerful sword qi?”

Lord Xiuyun’s eyes completely lost their calm!

She still tried to circulate her divine abilities to resist, but the sword light arrived too fast, thoroughly swallowing her up in the blink of an eye.

The sword light crisscrossed and devoured everything. This Dao Foundation Middle Stage cultivator was actually chopped into fine dust by the sword light, scattering into the void!

Even unto death, Lord Xiuyun found it hard to believe that the man before her could truly cross a minor realm and kill her here using only his Early Dao Foundation cultivation!