After the Great Dao Died

Chan Zhaofu sent those wisps of Great Encompassing Profound Qi into the void!

Through Chan Zhaofu’s perspective, Chen Lingxi clearly saw a massive, bright mirror slowly rotating in the depths of the nothingness where the profound qi had vanished.

The mirror’s surface was pitch-black. Countless fine motes of light drifted and flickered deep within, like a galaxy trapped within a square inch.

As the Great Encompassing Profound Qi poured in, a ripple suddenly bloomed in the mirror’s depths.

The ripple expanded, transforming into overlapping layers of dao characters that unfurled from the mirror’s center, ring by ring.

Every ring of dao characters was distinct, displaying a vast array of information arranged in intricate layers!

Chen Lingxi was still reeling in shock. The sheer amount of Great Encompassing Profound Qi Chan Zhaofu had just fed into the bright mirror was nothing short of terrifying!

’There must be at least 3 million wisps of Great Encompassing Profound Qi,’ Chen Lingxi guessed.

Even with his advantage of accessing the Great Encompassing Heaven-Observing Realm early, it had taken him years of gathering just to scrape together 30,000 wisps of Great Encompassing Profound Qi.

Yet Chan Zhaofu had casually dropped 3 million wisps on a single Cauldron Vessel opportunity. Such lavish spending left him thoroughly envious.

Then again...

’It’s not that surprising. Chan Zhaofu is of noble status. He’s an immortal from the Great Encompassing Heaven and the crown prince of the Entwining Dragon Palace. For him to have such profound cultivation at his age, he probably isn’t far from the Golden Palace Realm.’

’It’s only natural for someone like him to gather so much Great Encompassing Profound Qi.’

’What is surprising, though... is how truly profound the Great Encompassing Heaven-Observing Mirror is. To think it can even track down Cauldron Vessel opportunities.’

Cauldron Vessels were incredibly wondrous and exceedingly rare.

The Great Encompassing Heaven-Observing Mirror was a Cauldron Vessel itself, yet it could illuminate Cauldron Vessel opportunities...

’So there are differences in rank among Cauldron Vessels as well,’ Chen Lingxi thought to himself. Within the Great Encompassing Heaven-Observing Mirror, a golden halo faintly swirled around Chan Zhaofu, bathing him in overlapping layers of brilliance.

Starlight suddenly flared within the void.

A ring of dao characters slowly surfaced from the depths of the mirror and stopped right in front of Chan Zhaofu.

Through Chan Zhaofu’s eyes, Chen Lingxi clearly saw information regarding a Cauldron Vessel slowly materialize from the dao characters.

A Cauldron Vessel!

[Divine Core Furnace.]

Chen Lingxi’s mind stirred, and his expression turned serious.

This Cauldron Vessel could take two divine abilities, feed them into the furnace through profound dao mechanisms, and merge them into a single, far more powerful divine ability.

Once merged, the two divine abilities would interweave flawlessly, reaching an unfathomable level of profundity!

Even more wondrously, this Cauldron Vessel had no upper limit.

If one could master numerous divine abilities and fuse them in pairs, they could very well forge a genuinely terrifying divine ability.

And such a divine ability would be entirely different from a Great Divine Ability.

’So, if I mastered a bunch of divine abilities and eventually created some unimaginably profound divine ability... could it surpass a Great Divine Ability?’

Chen Lingxi was astonished. He already understood a great deal about the might of Cauldron Vessels.

In this Great Xuanzhuo Realm, Cauldron Vessels were far more profound and mysterious than Great Divine Abilities.

’If I could harness the mighty power of this Cauldron Vessel, I could try merging the Jade Tiger Rebellious Sea Sword Light with the Thunder-Wielding Heavenly King Sword Qi. Wouldn’t the lethal power of that sword qi be absolutely overwhelming then?’

Just as Chen Lingxi’s thoughts began to race, the second half of the information cascaded down.

While this Cauldron Vessel was incredibly precious, not just anyone could control it.

Controlling this Cauldron Vessel required meeting numerous conditions.

The Great Encompassing Heaven listed three:

First, the cultivator needed a cultivation level at or above the Dao Foundation Perfection Realm.

Second, the cultivator needed five Cauldron Vessel Fragments as catalysts to ignite the furnace.

Third, smelting the divine abilities would require a massive amount of spirit stones.

Chen Lingxi clicked his tongue in amazement. This Cauldron Vessel was indeed extraordinary; every single condition was exceptionally harsh.

’But to Chan Zhaofu, these conditions are nothing.’

He shook his head slightly, feeling somewhat regretful.

’This Cauldron Vessel is lost in the Savage Wilderness, never seeing the light of day. Obtaining it doesn’t seem too difficult, which makes this a real pity.’

Chen Lingxi shook his head slightly and said, ”But if I can’t control it, I won’t be able to bring this Cauldron Vessel back.”

His current cultivation was only at the Dao Foundation Middle Stage. He was still a long way from perfection. Because of that, the first condition of the Divine Core Furnace alone completely walled him off.

Chen Lingxi slowly exhaled a breath of stale air.

He watched as Chan Zhaofu closed his eyes once more, sitting perfectly straight in the palace hall as he slowly retracted his surrounding dao origin back into his body.

However, Chan Zhaofu did not immediately set off to find that Cauldron Vessel.

He simply sat quietly in the palace.

Seizing the opportunity granted by Vision Roaming, Chen Lingxi waited a moment longer. Only after confirming that Chan Zhaofu showed no signs of leaving the hall immediately after this exchange did he slowly withdraw his consciousness from the Divine Chamber.

Inside the Water Curtain Cave.

Chen Lingxi opened his eyes.

The radiance of the several night spirit stones in the cave quietly swirled by his side, casting a peaceful, warm hue over the stone walls.

He stood up from the bluestone, parted the water curtain, and walked outside.

The sunlight outside was beautiful.

The phantom of a divine deer hung high in the boundless void. Ten thousand rays of rosy light spilled from the horizon, illuminating the many ridges of Slumbering Deer Peak in clear radiance.

Chen Lingxi first approached the cluster of green bamboo in front of the Water Curtain Cave.

The stalks of Sharp-Net Green Bamboo had grown tremendously over the past two years. Their roots had pulled several joints up from the spiritual soil, with each joint sporting fine, jade-green edges.

The edges weren’t particularly sharp, but they gave off a faint layer of cyan qi under the sunlight, vibrating gently in the wind like small, unsheathed swords.

”This treasure is far stronger than I imagined,” he remarked.

Chen Lingxi took out the Sword-Nourishing Cage that Xu Sanchi had lost to him from his Vast Void Pouch.

The cage was only the size of a fist, woven entirely from dark gold wire and engraved with overlapping layers of runic patterns.

He rested the Sword-Nourishing Cage on his palm and slowly activated it with his dao origin.

The runic patterns lit up one after another. An incredibly gentle wisp of spiritual energy bloomed within the cage, silently rippling outward like a spiritual field hidden within a square inch.

Chen Lingxi pushed around the spiritual soil beneath the green bamboos’ roots, then moved the stalks into the cage.

The moment the green bamboo entered the cage, the spiritual energy surged forward, quietly circulating around their roots.

The stalks of bamboo unfurled slightly within the spiritual energy, and their jade-green edges grew a fraction brighter.

Chen Lingxi nodded in satisfaction. He tucked the Sword-Nourishing Cage into his sleeve and turned back to the cave.

For the next few days, he spent his time resting, meditating, and comprehending in the cave.

However, the information regarding the Divine Core Furnace lingered stubbornly in his mind.

On the fifth day, Chen Lingxi activated the Vision Roaming Divine Ability once more.

He descended into Chan Zhaofu’s palace hall, only to see the Dragon Palace crown prince still sitting perfectly straight on the jade platform with his eyes half-closed. He hadn’t moved an inch.

The brocade tapestries on the four walls of the hall still hung exactly as they had before.

The female Dragon Palace crown prince with her cold aura also remained seated to the side, her eyes lowered in silence.

Ever since Chan Zhaofu had exchanged for the Cauldron Vessel opportunity several days ago, he hadn’t stepped foot out of the hall.

Using the opportunity granted by Vision Roaming, Chen Lingxi carefully observed the flow of qi around him and quickly understood the reason.

’Chan Zhaofu is waiting for the Cauldron Vessel Fragments and that massive sum of spirit stones. The Entwining Dragon Palace must already be preparing them for him.’

Chen Lingxi exited Vision Roaming and opened his eyes, struck by a sudden, whimsical idea.

He sank his divine sense into his Vast Void Pouch and landed on a specific treasure.

It was the Cauldron Vessel known as the Dao-Capturing Ancient Tree.

Unlike other complete Cauldron Vessels, this particular one did not require acknowledging a master or refinement to be used.

Chen Lingxi focused his divine sense on the Dao-Capturing Ancient Tree. It was about one chi long and completely green. Its trunk was knotted like a dragon, and its branches were lush, with an incredibly faint aura of ancient times flowing through the veins of its leaves.

’Since Chan Zhaofu hasn’t made a move on this Cauldron Vessel opportunity, I might as well head over and gather the autumn wind.’

He muttered the thought to himself, stood up, parted the water curtain, and walked out of the cave.

Outside, ten thousand rays of sunlight spilled through the gaps in the clouds, shining over the rolling sea of clouds above Slumbering Deer Peak.

Cloud qi spontaneously generated beneath Chen Lingxi’s feet, slowly lifting his body.

Before leaving Slumbering Deer Peak, he went to look for Yuan Lingyu one more time.

A pale cyan mist sealed the outside of Yuan Lingyu’s immortal cave, and waves of spiritual energy pulsed from within.

She was still in secluded cultivation.

Chen Lingxi didn’t disturb her. He simply sent a gentle wisp of divine sense outside her cave, instructing her to cultivate in peace and to send a message to the Water Curtain Cave if she encountered any difficulties, before turning and leaving.

After leaving Slumbering Deer Peak, he traveled west, crossing the territory of the Dragon-Revering Sect Two Hundred Peaks and passing over a hundred subordinate cities and countless mountains.

He moved incredibly fast. With the Cloud Soaring Technique pushed to its limits, the sea of clouds beneath his feet whipped past his sides, turning the mountains and rivers below into a blur of retreating light and shadows.

A long while later, Chen Lingxi lowered his cloud and landed atop a nameless, barren mountain.

This mountain was situated about 300,000 li northwest of the Dragon-Revering Sect, looking like any ordinary peak.

However, this barren mountain didn’t belong to any sect or immortal clan, nor had anyone built a hut to cultivate here. It simply stood quietly amid a vast, endless mountain range.

Chen Lingxi circulated the Method of Qi Observation, scanning the mountain from the waist up.

He carefully recalled the information the Great Encompassing Heaven had provided to Chan Zhaofu.

A long time later, Chen Lingxi soared up on a cloud and arrived at the peak of this barren mountain.

There were no immortal caves or palace halls on the summit.

Right in the center of the peak was a very shallow depression in the stone.

The depression was covered by rocks, looking completely unremarkable.

Chen Lingxi lightly flicked his sleeve, instantly shattering the rocks and revealing a furnace resting quietly within.

The furnace was only about three chi tall and entirely dark silver. It had no runic patterns engraved on it and didn’t look particularly special.

There was no lid over the furnace’s mouth, nor was there any firelight visible in its belly—only a layer of silver-gray smoke pooled at the bottom.

The smoke slowly spilled out from the belly of the furnace before silently dropping back in, cycling endlessly without a sound.

It looked like an ancient vessel that had slumbered for hundreds of millions of years, resting quietly in this spot.

’This is the Divine Core Furnace?’

’Can I bring it back with me?’

Chen Lingxi blinked, channeling a stream of dao origin onto the Cauldron Vessel.

But he found the Cauldron Vessel to be incomparably heavy; there was absolutely no way for him to place it into his Vast Void Pouch.

’As expected. With my cultivation, I can’t move this Cauldron Vessel at all.’

As Chen Lingxi pondered, his expression suddenly shifted.

The moment his dao origin touched the Divine Core Furnace, the progress of Absolute Perception Origin Supplementation began to skyrocket once more!

A complete Cauldron Vessel was truly extraordinary. In just a few breaths, Chen Lingxi’s Absolute Perception Origin Supplementation progress actually reached perfection again, hitting 100%!

’What an unexpected pleasant surprise!’

Chen Lingxi was overjoyed, but he didn’t dare linger here for long.

Even though he had used Vision Roaming to check on Chan Zhaofu every day during his journey, there was no guarantee that the prince hadn’t sent someone to guard this place. It was best to act quickly.

Chen Lingxi flicked his finger, and the Dao-Capturing Ancient Tree instantly flew out. A mysterious aura flowed from it, landing directly on the Divine Core Furnace!

As if sensing the ancient tree’s aura, the Divine Core Furnace actually erupted with an ancient aura of its own, which streamed toward the Dao-Capturing Ancient Tree and slowly sank into it.

The ancient tree trembled slightly.

Its branches and leaves didn’t show any unusual changes.

However, deep within its trunk, a wisp of Cauldron Vessel spiritual energy was silently settling down.

’It’s done.’

Thrilled, Chen Lingxi took another careful look at the Dao-Capturing Ancient Tree.

He noticed that a Dao-Absorbing Fruit still slept at the tips of the branches, not yet fully formed. However, a faint phantom of a furnace seemed to flicker in and out of existence within it.

’Once this fruit ripens, I’ll be able to use the power of the Dao-Absorbing Fruit to activate the Cauldron Vessel spiritual energy from the Divine Core Furnace.’

A hint of a smile tugged at the corners of Chen Lingxi’s mouth, and he abandoned any further attempts to move the complete Cauldron Vessel.

He had obtained the spiritual energy; the goal of his trip had been accomplished.

He didn’t stay any longer. Cloud qi naturally coalesced under his feet, slowly lifting his body as he began the journey east back home.

On the way back, Chen Lingxi arrived above a vast, empty sea of clouds.

The clouds drifted slowly beneath his feet. Sunlight shone down through the gaps in the clouds, falling onto his black brocade robe and bringing out a faint, golden-patterned glow.

As he traveled, he sank a wisp of his consciousness into the Great Encompassing Heaven-Observing Mirror.

The information from the massive bright mirror slowly unfolded deep within his Sea of Consciousness.

Ever since the Great Encompassing Heaven-Observing Mirror had hung high over the Nine Quarters, the more than two hundred profound sects and immortal clans, thousands of cities, and countless loose cultivators within the Nine Quarters had all used the Court Audience Heavenly Talisman to seek audience with it, searching for opportunities and exchanging information through the mirror.

Chen Lingxi entered the mirror once every day.

He would check to see if there were any tasks along his route that he could conveniently complete to earn some Great Encompassing Profound Qi.

Also, sensing that his cultivation was on the verge of a major advancement, he wanted to use the journey back to see if any new opportunities had appeared in the mirror that he could plan for.

Countless dao characters slowly flowed within the bright mirror.

Chen Lingxi searched through numerous tasks as usual. A moment later, he frowned.

He was shocked to see a newly issued task within the Great Encompassing Heaven-Observing Mirror.

[Task: Kill Under-Dao Academy disciple Lin Suri.]

[Reward: 10,000 wisps of Great Encompassing Profound Qi.]

Chen Lingxi instantly withdrew from the Great Encompassing Heaven-Observing Mirror. He stood amidst the sea of clouds, genuinely stunned for a moment.

’—Kill Lin Suri of the Under-Dao Academy?’

Lin Suri was a disciple of the Under-Dao Academy’s Pool Soul Courtyard. They had fought shoulder to shoulder against enemies, exchanged opportunities, and faced life-and-death tribulations together in the Weiji Grotto-Heaven.

Although Chen Lingxi’s ability to escape that Grotto-Heaven before it was refined was thanks to Liu Changle guiding him with his own Dao Platform, Lin Suri’s earlier jade slip messages and his invitation to return to the sect and negotiate had definitely paved the way for him as well.

At this moment, Chen Lingxi’s emotions were in turmoil.

A reward of 10,000 wisps of Great Encompassing Profound Qi was a sum far beyond what any ordinary loose cultivator could offer.

Only an immortal clan would have such extravagance, and only a profound sect would possess such deep foundations.

’Just who did this Senior Brother Lin of mine offend? Who wants to kill him?’ he thought to himself.