After the Great Dao Died

Time slipped away in this grueling daily cultivation. Another two months passed in a flash.

On this day, Chen Lingxi roused from his breathing exercises and opened his eyes.

Beneath his skin, golden light flowed endlessly, heavier and more restrained than ever before.

Deep within his bones, golden fluid surged like a tide. In his very marrow, an incredibly faint jade luster was slowly taking root.

Though extremely faint, that jade color truly existed deep within his marrow.

”Jade Qi Realm.”

His vital blood cultivation had finally crossed the threshold of Golden Body Consummation, stepping into the Jade Qi Realm.

With profound qi nourishing his bones, muscles, and flesh day and night throughout these months of grueling cultivation, his vital blood had progressed much faster than he had anticipated.

In the Jade Qi Realm, vital blood took on a jade-like quality. A cultivator became clear inside and out, their body as light as a swallow.

At this level, the jade-like vital blood flowing through the body could be condensed into various forms—a fist, a palm, a saber, or a sword—each possessing boundless power.While it could not compare to the endless array of profound spells wielded by Qi Circulation cultivators, it was already an extremely high realm on the martial path.

Circulating his vital blood, he felt the majestic power surging through his body. He nodded in satisfaction, stood up, and walked out of the cave.

Outside the cave, early spring had arrived. The snow on the mountain peak had mostly melted, leaving only a few small patches of grayish-white slush in the shadows.

Chen Lingxi crossed two mountain peaks and arrived at a small hill, where he sat down cross-legged.

”Vision Roaming!”

After he reached the Qi Circulation 5th Floor, the range of his Divine Chamber had expanded once again, now covering an area fifty li across.

From this small hill, he only needed to activate the Vision Roaming divine ability to bring more than half of Yuanjiang Prefecture, along with the surrounding mountains, entirely into his field of view.

He calmed his mind and let his consciousness sink into the Divine Chamber, activating Vision Roaming.

Following a wisp of smoke, his perspective drifted away from the hill. It glided over the vast mountain forests, crossed the winding Yuanjiang River, and entered the city he knew so well, finally arriving at the Baosu Marquis Estate where he had lived for so long.

He cultivated every day and used Vision Roaming every day, an unbreakable routine.

For a long time now, Lin Suri had remained in secluded cultivation, hardly taking a single step out of the Baosu Marquis Estate.

Whenever Chen Lingxi used Vision Roaming, he always saw Lin Suri cultivating with the spiritual light from that bright lamp.

Lin Suri’s aura grew heavier and more unfathomable by the day. He was like a pool of still water—placid on the surface, while a crushing force constantly gathered in its depths.

Chen Lingxi did not know when the young marquis would emerge from seclusion, nor what he would do once he did. Thus, he could only use Vision Roaming day after day to watch his every move, hoping to glean some useful information from his seemingly ordinary cultivation routine.

But today was different.

Chen Lingxi’s perspective followed the smoke down into the East Hall of the South Courtyard. The doors, which had been shut tight for months, were now wide open.

Lin Suri had walked out of the hall and was standing with his hands clasped behind his back beneath the parasol tree in the courtyard.

He retained his usual calm and unhurried demeanor. He wore a black brocade robe tied with a jade belt, and his hair crown was perfectly meticulous.

No emotion could be seen on his pale face, but his eyes were completely different from before.

Deep within his pupils, two incredibly faint, fine golden flames danced slowly. They were warm and profound, yet they carried an indescribable pressure.

Chen Lingxi’s heart gave a jolt.

’Qi Circulation 7th Floor, the birth of divine sense.’

He had seen similar descriptions in the records.

One of the hallmarks of the Qi Circulation 7th Floor was the generation of divine sense.

Once divine sense solidified, it could even leave the body to perceive the outside world.

The two golden flames in Lin Suri’s eyes were exactly the sign that his divine sense had solidified.

Just as he thought this, Lin Suri tilted his head up slightly, looking beyond the courtyard walls.

In the center of his brow, an incredibly faint, fine golden light silently ignited.

At first, the light was nothing but a tiny glimmer, but in an instant, it unfurled into extremely fine golden threads.

Like a spider’s web, the threads spread out from his brow, enveloping every inch of space within a radius of dozens of zhang.

Through Vision Roaming, Chen Lingxi saw what Lin Suri saw.

He could clearly see every leaf on the parasol tree in the courtyard, every minute groove on the bluestone paving beneath it, and even every speck of dust floating in the air.

Every last detail was illuminated in perfect clarity.

’Lin Suri has finally crossed the threshold of the Qi Circulation 6th Floor and stepped into the Qi Circulation 7th Floor.’

Chen Lingxi took a deep breath.

’I’ll have to visit the Baosu Marquis Estate as little as possible from now on, and only when Lin Suri is absent. Otherwise, he’ll easily detect me.’

Unlike before, Chen Lingxi’s cultivation had improved and his mastery of the Hidden Edge Method had deepened. When he concealed his presence now, even Qi Circulation 7th or 8th Floor cultivators might fail to notice him.

But if he ever exposed even a trace of spiritual qi, Lin Suri would inevitably catch him.

As Chen Lingxi pondered this, he watched Lin Suri slowly withdraw his divine sense back into the center of his brow.

The golden threads receded silently like an ebbing tide, vanishing without a trace in the blink of an eye.

The faint golden light at his brow dimmed, ultimately returning to normal.

Then, Lin Suri left the Marquis Manor.

Staring straight ahead, he headed south along the long street, passing straight through the city gates toward the Zhuzhao River.

Chen Lingxi’s perspective followed him out of the city and all the way to the banks of the Zhuzhao River.

The Zhuzhao River was much wider than the Yuanjiang River, its waters darker and far more profound.

Standing with his hands clasped behind his back on a jutting rock by the riverbank, Lin Suri released his divine sense again. Like an invisible tentacle, it silently slipped into the dark waters.

His divine sense pierced the surface and reached all the way down to the riverbed, slowly sweeping through the mud and sand.

Through Lin Suri’s perspective, Chen Lingxi could vaguely sense that something was lying dormant deep at the bottom of the river.

The entity’s aura was completely concealed, yet utterly terrifying—a fierce energy radiated from it!

Just then, a cloud of black mist suddenly billowed over the distant river surface. It landed beside Lin Suri, churning and condensing into a thin figure.

The man was dressed in a black robe and wore a face mask, revealing only a pair of pale, pupil-less eyes.

It was the Cultivator Surnamed Chao, the same man who had previously struck a deal with Lin Suri.

The Cultivator Surnamed Chao stepped out of the black mist, moved to Lin Suri’s side, and followed his gaze into the dark waters.

He watched for a moment before suddenly turning his head, a microscopic trace of surprise flashing through his pale eyes.

”Daoist Brother, have you broken through to the Upper Three Floors?”

Lin Suri gave a slight nod. ”I was lucky enough to make some gains.”

The surprise in the Cultivator Surnamed Chao’s eyes deepened.

He fell silent for a moment before letting out a long sigh and shaking his head. ”It seems Daoist Brother Lin’s talent is extraordinary. Even after your reincarnation wiped away most of your spiritual foundation, you were still able to reach the Upper Three Floors this quickly.

”As for me, Chao Feiye, it has been twelve or thirteen years since I awakened my past life’s memories. Even after following Daoist Brother and obtaining that spiritual light opportunity, I have only barely managed to break into the Sixth Floor.”

He slowly shook his head, a bitter expression on his face.

”Opportunities involving a Cauldron Vessel all come down to individual fortune,” Lin Suri said. ”There is no need to belittle yourself.”

Chao Feiye gave a bitter smile and changed the subject. ”This killing-power Cauldron Vessel fragment in the river is truly extraordinary. Who knows if its master died in the Great World, causing the Cauldron Vessel to shatter and scatter across various Grotto-Heavens...

”...Or perhaps its master intentionally scattered their own Cauldron Vessel to seek some grand opportunity.”

Lin Suri’s eyes were calm. ”A killing-power Cauldron Vessel is one in ten thousand. Anyone who possesses one can sweep through their realm unmatched.

”Using a killing-power Cauldron Vessel to seek out an opportunity is far too reckless. I fear the master of this vessel is already dead.”

Chao Feiye nodded, seemingly unsurprised by this conclusion.

He fell silent for a moment before adding, ”It will be at most a year before the turbulent void currents around the killing-power Cauldron Vessel dissipate. Once that happens, it will inevitably draw countless people to fight for it.”

Lin Suri nodded. ”Even as a mere fragment, it can still be used two or three times! With a killing-power Cauldron Vessel in hand, even someone in the Heaven-Facing Three Floors would have to tread carefully.”

Chao Feiye nodded solemnly.

The river wind suddenly picked up, whipping up sand and gravel along the banks. It battered against their robes, emitting a faint rustling sound.

Vision Roaming shattered at that exact moment.

Chen Lingxi’s consciousness was snapped back into the Divine Chamber before withdrawing completely, returning him to his physical body on the small hill.

He sat among the withered grass in silence for a long time. Finally, he softly muttered the words he had just heard through Vision Roaming.

”Killing-power Cauldron Vessel fragment—”

’Imperial Consort Chun also went to the banks of the Zhuzhao River to investigate.’

This Cauldron Vessel was enough to incite greed even in figures from the Heaven-Facing Three Floors.

And right now, it lay somewhere at the bottom of the Zhuzhao River. Obscured by the dark water and layers of silt, it was caught in a still-active vortex of turbulent void currents. Like a radiant pearl buried deep in the muck, it was quietly waiting for the turbulence to fade so it could see the light of day once more.

’One year,’ he silently repeated to himself.

In a year’s time, this fragment of a killing-power Cauldron Vessel would draw countless experts to fight for it.

Lin Suri, Chao Feiye, Lu Baizhong, Ying Chi, and all the hidden disciples of various sects who had yet to reveal themselves—they would all undoubtedly make their move once they caught wind of it.

’One year is enough time for me to cultivate to the Qi Circulation 6th Floor and solidify my foundation.

’If I add the Absolute Perception Divine Ability into the mix... I just might have the strength to seize the vessel!’

Chen Lingxi stood up and returned to Mount Qiaoji.

Back inside his cave, he sat cross-legged on a bluestone slab.

He retrieved the Host Star Stone from his Cosmos Bag and cradled it in his palm, staring down at the pitch-black, lusterless rock.

The three golden characters on its surface had long since vanished, leaving behind only a deep, heavy black.

It looked like a piece of rotting wood that had been buried in an ancient tomb for countless years, bereft of any divine anomalies.

Placing the Host Star Stone on his knee, he took a small teacup from his Cosmos Bag.

The cup appeared to be made of ordinary white porcelain. A ring of incredibly faint, fine interlacing lotus branches was painted along the rim, and dried tea stains lingered on its inner walls.

He had obtained this from Lin Longyue several months ago. It was the very cup Imperial Consort Chun had used during her banquet at the Baosu Marquis Estate; it was an object she had personally handled.

He cupped the porcelain vessel in his hands and stared at it for a long, long time.

Only after a long silence did Chen Lingxi slowly raise his head to look out at the vast mountain forests beyond the cave.

Imperial Consort Chun.

He silently repeated her name in his heart, a profound coldness flashing through his eyes.

’I wonder if that killing-power Cauldron Vessel fragment is enough to kill a Qi Circulation 8th Floor figure like Imperial Consort Chun?’