After the Great Dao Died

Chen Lingxi shook his head helplessly.

He very much wanted to use Vision Roaming on Liu Changle to see if he could uncover any secrets of the Greater World.

But while he remained inside this grotto-heaven, Vision Roaming Liu Changle would likely be of little help.

He let out a sigh. His gaze passed through the mouth of the cave and settled on the two bright moons hanging in the sky.

’Since Vision Roaming Emperor Daye has yielded no progress, and this is the time of Absolute Perception, I might as well try Vision Roaming Liu Changle.’

At this thought, he raised his hand. A flash of spiritual light flickered, and an incense burner fell from his Vast Void Pouch into his palm.

The burner’s bronze was as dark as night, its body faintly embossed with Ghost Mask patterns. It was exactly like the batch Lin Suri had distributed back in the reverse-facing room of the Baosu Marquis Estate.

It was also the handled item Chen Lingxi had used during his very first Vision Roaming of Lin Suri.

And this incense burner just so happened to be the only thing resembling a decoration in the dark, damp reverse-facing room he had shared with Liu Changle.

On that day, using the excuse of warming his hands, he had taken this incense burner from Liu Changle. Through it, he caught his first glimpse of Lin Suri practicing his breathing exercises, setting foot on this ethereal path to the heavens.Naturally, this incense burner was also an item Liu Changle had handled.

He hesitated no longer. Using his spiritual sense as a guide, he silently recited Liu Changle’s name and birth characters in his mind, forging a connection with the incense burner before him and executing the Vision Roaming art. Inside the Divine Chamber, a wondrous brilliance instantly began to flow. Arcane, tadpole-like runes flickered in the void, clearly carving the three characters of ’Liu Changle’ into the space.

Chen Lingxi was now at the Qi Circulation 9th Floor. His Vision Roaming range had long since surpassed eight hundred li in every direction!

Currently located in the Depths of the Nanju Twelve Mountains, he shifted his intent. The spiritual light crossed hundreds of li, hurtling accurately toward Yuanjiang Prefecture.

And then...

Chen Lingxi’s vision went pitch black, as if he were sinking into deep water.

When the darkness receded like a tide...

An astonishing scene unfolded.

What met Chen Lingxi’s eyes were not the blue bricks and black tiles of Yuanjiang Prefecture’s Xuanhuo Temple from his memory.

Instead, he saw the interior of a room and a woman.

Beyond them, through the open door, stretched a boundless sea of clouds.

The thick, milky-white clouds resembled a world-covering blanket of cotton, layering and churning endlessly all the way to the horizon.

High in the sky hung three massive suns of varying colors, their descending light painting the sea of clouds in a bizarre, magnificent kaleidoscope of hues. ’Just as I thought! Through the Liu Changle in the Qi-Depleted Grotto-Heaven, the Vision Roaming Divine Ability can reach the Liu Changle in the Greater World.’

A voice, laced with unconcealed sorrow, pulled his attention back.

A beautiful young woman in a plain dress stood before him. Her eyes were red, filled with lingering grief and resentment.

”Martial Uncle Changle, Senior Brother Zheng... hasn’t returned. I fear the worst has happened to him. That Huang Yuefeng is simply bullying us too much!” Her voice trembled with suppressed sobs, making her sound even more pitiful. ”Just because of a dispute over a few mu of spiritual fields, they resorted to murder!”

Only then did Chen Lingxi notice that this woman overflowed with spiritual energy and surging vigor. Although her aura was somewhat unstable, she was clearly a cultivator of extraordinary cultivation.

Yet despite this, she was weeping like a helpless mortal girl over the tragic death of her fellow disciple, furious at the overwhelming power of their enemies.

Chen Lingxi shifted his intent, and his perspective instantly changed to a third-person view, leaving him as an invisible spectator.

Liu Changle sat on a cushion with his head bowed. His Daoist robe looked worn, and his breathing was somewhat ragged.

It was obvious he was trying his best to suppress his inner anger and helplessness.

The woman took a deep breath, trying to calm herself, but a trace of despair suddenly surfaced in her eyes.

She shook her head gently, her voice thick with exhaustion and loss. ”The sect master is still in secluded cultivation. Who knows how many years it will be before he comes out.

”I heard that Huang Yuefeng recently gained the allegiance of a Dao Foundation cultivator, vastly boosting their prestige. In this Dragon-Revering Territory, Huang Yuefeng’s faction has completely eclipsed our Sun Observation Peak.” Her tone grew even more desperate. ”Not to mention, Huang Yuefeng has also latched onto a prominent figure on the Dragon Transformation Immortal Roll. Martial Uncle... tell me, with our Sun Observation Peak struggling to hold on like this, when will we ever see the light of day?”

Liu Changle took a deep breath and raised a hand to rub his furrowed brow.

He looked rather pale. Lately, he had been lacking energy, frequently suffering from bouts of unexplained exhaustion. He didn’t look at all like a cultivator who should be brimming with vigor.

”Could I be suffering some tribulation?” he muttered to himself, before shaking his head to toss away those distracting thoughts.

Looking up, he said, ”For now, we can only wait for the sect master to emerge from seclusion... As long as he is here, the legacy of Sun Observation Peak won’t be broken.”

The woman hesitated. Then, lifting her tear-filled eyes, she asked tentatively, ”Or maybe... I could take a trip to Azure Sky Inner Peak and ask to see Senior Sister Shi Xi?

”Senior Sister Shi Xi spent some time cultivating at our Sun Observation Peak back in the day. Perhaps... she still cares a little for our past ties?”

Her voice was incredibly soft, growing weaker with every word. She likely knew herself that this was far from a good idea.

Hearing this, Liu Changle remained silent for a long time.

He gazed out the window at the churning sea of clouds and the three eternally unchanging suns. Finally, taking a deep breath, he stood up, as if coming to a decision.

”Azure Sky Peak is the seventh inner peak of the Dragon-Revering Sect. It is heavily guarded, with countless rules.

”You are merely a junior disciple of our Sun Observation Peak. If you went there recklessly, you wouldn’t even be able to hand in a calling card; you would only invite humiliation for nothing.” He straightened out his worn Daoist robe. ”Since that’s the case, I will make the trip personally.

”Shi Xi... Fellow Daoist Shi Xi holds a prestigious status now. If she truly remembers a shred of our past relationship and is willing to send a letter to Huang Yuefeng, the many disasters plaguing our Sun Observation Peak will vanish.”

The idea to visit Shi Xi at Azure Sky Peak was originally brought up by the woman in a moment of desperation.

Now that she saw Liu Changle actually intending to go himself, she hesitated, her face showing concern. ”Martial Uncle... Senior Shi Xi is said to have become incredibly aloof, entirely devoted to the Great Dao and never bothering with the trivial matters of the outer peaks. What if... what if she refuses to see you at all?”

Liu Changle strode toward the door. ”We have to try... We have no way out. Even if there is only a one-in-ten-thousand chance, we can’t let it slip by.”

Knowing it was useless to persuade him further, the woman quickly wiped the tears from her face and hurried after him to open the door and see him off.

The two stepped out of the room one after the other, and Chen Lingxi’s perspective moved with them.

Endless buildings were constructed along the mountain slopes, ancient trees towered into the sky, and spiritual mist swirled in the air.

This place was exactly the same as the scene he had glimpsed in the phantom projection of the Ancestral Mountain’s river.

The two of them walked slowly, one behind the other, down the stone path leading off the mountain.

Following behind Liu Changle, the woman looked at the desolate peak before them and suddenly spoke. ”Both our Sun Observation Peak and Huang Yuefeng belong to the Dragon-Revering Sect!

”Why does the lofty Dragon-Revering upper sect just stand by and watch its subordinate peaks suppress and pillage each other like raising venomous Gu insects? They don’t care whether disciples live or die, nor do they ask who is right and who is wrong! If only the Dragon-Revering Sect laid down some rules—even just a few—our Sun Observation Peak wouldn’t be bullied to this point!”

Liu Changle walked ahead, the mountain breeze fluttering his thin Daoist robe.

”These peaks of the Dragon-Revering Sect might look like an immortal paradise overseen by a True Lord,” he said slowly, ”but in reality, the cultivators of the hundred peaks despise one another. They pillage each other’s fortunes and Dao Foundations. Calling this place a land of a hundred ghosts walking the path and ten thousand demons warring for supremacy wouldn’t be an exaggeration.”

He stopped and looked back at his martial niece—someone who actually had decent talent but was willing to waste her years away on the ruined Sun Observation Peak. ”Martial Niece Zhu, you have good aptitude and a pure heart. You really don’t need to waste your time away on Sun Observation Peak. While you’re still young, go seek out one of the higher-ranked peaks. You might still be able to fight for a future on the Dao...”

Hearing this, the woman surnamed Zhu paused slightly, but she didn’t say much. She simply gave a stubborn shake of her head.

Watching all of this, Chen Lingxi sighed inwardly.

The Great Xuanzhuo Realm sounded like a wondrous immortal paradise, but the struggles of the people at the bottom, that bitterness of having no control over their own fates, was no different from the mortals in the Qi-Depleted Grotto-Heaven.

Just as Chen Lingxi was lost in thought, the Liu Changle before his eyes stepped onto the clouds and rose into the air.

A mysterious stream of light swirled around him, and he transformed into a soaring rainbow, rocketing away from Sun Observation Peak!

His speed was staggering, piercing through clouds and mist, leaving behind a long, lingering trail in the sky.

Chen Lingxi was secretly surprised. His own cultivation was currently quite profound, and the speed at which he piloted his sky-boat was exceptionally fast, but he estimated that even if he pushed his ship to the limit, it wouldn’t match a tenth of Liu Changle’s current speed.

Along the way, Liu Changle flew over countless li of picturesque rivers and mountains, the scenery breathtakingly beautiful. After an unknown amount of time, he arrived before an immensely tall peak that pierced straight into the clouds like a pillar of heaven.

This peak was surrounded by numerous slightly shorter mountains, layered around it like stars worshipping the moon, creating a majestic atmosphere.

On that main peak, spiritual light cascaded like a waterfall. Palaces and pavilions faded in and out of view amidst the clouds, projecting the sacred grandeur of a great immortal sect.

Not daring to show the slightest disrespect, Liu Changle lowered his cloud from afar and landed at the foot of the mountain.

A towering mountain gate stood there, its lintel carved with the two ancient, simple characters for ’Azure Sky’.

Straightening his clothes, he hurried forward and respectfully presented his calling card to a gatekeeper sitting silently beneath the archway, his aura as deep and still as a stone statue.

The Daoist gatekeeper merely waved a hand. The jade calling card turned into a streak of light and was snatched up by the beak of an incredibly divine crane that had flown in from nowhere.

With a flap of its wings, the crane rocketed into the sky, dragging its long tail feathers behind it as it flew straight toward the cloud-shrouded peak at an astonishing speed.

Liu Changle waited at the foot of the gate.

He stood quietly before the mountain, seemingly calm, but from the way his fists clenched and unclenched, and the small way he paced back and forth before the gate, Chen Lingxi could see that he was actually extremely nervous.

Time ticked by. This immortal land was terrifyingly quiet.

Liu Changle waited for a long, long time. It wasn’t until the three suns were about to set that a small white speck finally reappeared on the horizon. The crane dove through the clouds and landed smoothly beside the gatekeeper. It still held something in its beak, but it was no longer the calling card; it was a thin letter.

The gatekeeper opened the letter and gave it a cursory, expressionless glance.

He looked up, finally sparing Liu Changle a glance, and said indifferently, ”Forgive me, Fellow Daoist. Senior Cultivator Shi Xi is currently in secluded cultivation, comprehending a critical divine ability. She gave orders long ago that she will not see any outside guests.”

He paused, then added, ”Why don’t you leave your background details? When the senior cultivator emerges from seclusion, if she has the time, I will pass along the message.”

Liu Changle stood rooted to the spot. After a few breaths of silence, he finally cupped his fists and stated his origins.

”Sun Observation Peak’s Liu Changle requests an audience with Senior Cultivator Shi Xi.”

”Sun Observation Peak?” The gatekeeper repeated in a low voice, whether he had heard of it or not was unclear. His face retained its stone-like expression as he gave a slight nod, casually tossing the letter aside and ignoring Liu Changle completely.

He had come full of hope, only to return with nothing but disappointment.

And so, like a lonely streak of light, Liu Changle flew back to the steadily declining Sun Observation Peak alone.

Back at Sun Observation Peak, the few remaining disciples had long been craning their necks in anticipation. But when they saw Liu Changle return alone, his expression as dark as still water, they understood everything.

No one asked any questions, but unconcealed disappointment had already spread across all their faces.

Liu Changle didn’t say much. He didn’t even meet the eyes of the disciples. He just walked straight into his room and closed the door. Shutting himself off in that small world, he sat cross-legged and began to practice his breathing exercises.

The spiritual energy on his body surged like a tide. With every inhale and exhale, his mind gradually sank into a profound state of meditation, as if he wanted to forget all the worries and helplessness of the outside world.

Right at that moment.

Like a shift in light and shadow, the scene before Chen Lingxi’s eyes changed once again.

The immortal mist-shrouded Sun Observation Peak vanished. In its place was the familiar, slightly damp and ancient-feeling Daoist temple in Yuanjiang Prefecture.

The Liu Changle within the grotto-heaven had just woken up from a deep dream.

He stretched, looking in quite good spirits. Seeing the fine sun outside, he followed an old man in a gray, worn Daoist robe out the temple gates to buy some daily necessities in the market.

Walking through the bustling mortal market, a lazy smile hung on his face; he seemed to be in a good mood.

Along the way, he teased cats and dogs like a child, even buying a stick of candied haws and eating it with delight.

Looking at these two vastly different scenes, Chen Lingxi didn’t know how to feel for a moment.

He slowly withdrew the Vision Roaming Divine Ability, his perspective returning to his own body. Outside the cave, the mountain wind still howled.

”It seems my brother Changle is living far less carefree in the so-called immortal paradise of the Great Xuanzhuo Realm than he is right here in Xuanhuo Temple,” Chen Lingxi muttered to himself, shaking his head.