After the Great Dao Died

Xiao Changlv turned to look at Chen Lingxi.

The smile on Chen Lingxi’s face grew even brighter. ”I come from the Linchuan Chen Family,” he said softly. ”It is but a minor household.”

”My father once served as a director in the Bureau of Rites. Though not a high official, he held a solid fifth-rank position, and we lived our days in peace and comfort.”

”That was until Rong Chun’s words of Mirror Listening were spoken. My mother’s clan suffered disaster, and the Chen family was implicated. Both my parents died on the execution grounds.”

”As for me, I was thrown into the Department of Penal Law and made an official bondservant.”

As Chen Lingxi spoke of the past, his tone carried a hint of reminiscence.

Yet his smile only grew wider. ”I wasted two years of my life in a reverse-facing room of the Baosu Marquis Residence in Yuanjiang Prefecture.”

”I only began learning martial arts at nineteen, and through a stroke of luck, I obtained the method of Qi Circulation!”

His aura was calm, yet lightning seemed to flash in his eyes.

Xiao Changlv listened closely.He then heard Chen Lingxi continue, ”And this year, I am only a little over twenty-one, not yet twenty-two.”

”From learning martial arts and Qi Circulation until now, it has only been a mere two years.” Xiao Changlv’s pupils shrank slightly.

Cultivating Nine Revolutions qi and blood in just two years?

Climbing to the Ninth Floor?

At this moment, Chen Lingxi felt his Dao heart completely clear, his gaze growing increasingly confident.

His qi and blood flowed around his body, accompanied by flashing spiritual qi. ”My qi and blood have reached Nine Revolutions, and my spiritual qi has climbed to the Ninth Floor!”

”I also killed Rong Chun in the Ancestral Mountain to avenge my parents!”

”Rong Chun also thought I was an out-of-domain figure and refused to believe I killed her merely to avenge my parents.”

”Because in the eyes of those out-of-domain figures, parents in this world are nothing more than springboards for them to step into this realm. Who among them would care about the lives of mortals?”

He paused slightly. In his eyes, which had been as calm as water, it was as if two scorching flames had ignited.

”But I care!”

”Because I am not an out-of-domain figure!”

Chen Lingxi beamed, his eyes shining with extraordinary brilliance. He stood at the head of the Longevity Bridge, his robes fluttering in the wind. The qi and blood and spiritual qi around him reflected one another, making him look like a rising morning sun. Though he had yet to reach his zenith, that radiance seemed enough to pierce through the vast, long night.

”I have already killed Rong Chun! Now I come to borrow a drop of Entering Profound essence blood from the Heavenly King...”

”If I said it was for the common people of the world, even I wouldn’t believe it.”

”It is just that... whether it involves Rong Chun or Mirror Listening, there must be someone with profound cultivation in the palace secretly manipulating everything.”

”I suspect this person is Emperor Daye, which is why I must perform a divination technique to deduce the secrets within.”

”Only by grasping these secrets can I fully avenge my parents. Once that enmity is gone and my Dao heart is clear, only then can I seek immortality.”

Xiao Changlv listened in silence, furrowing his brows.

Cultivating Nine Revolutions qi and blood in just over two years was truly terrifying.

He prided himself on possessing martial talent unparalleled under heaven. He had begun practicing martial arts at eleven, yet it still took him a full eight years to reach the Realm of Nine Revolutions.

Eight years of bitter effort, tempering his muscles and bones and circulating his qi and blood day and night.

He had shed countless drops of blood and sweat and secured numerous fortuitous encounters before he finally managed to step into the Realm of Nine Revolutions.

Yet this young man before him claimed to have practiced martial arts for just over two years, and his qi and blood had already reached the Realm of Nine Revolutions. Not to mention that the even more profound and difficult Qi Circulation had also reached the Ninth Floor...

This could no longer be explained by mere talent.

But who was Xiao Changlv? He gazed into Chen Lingxi’s smiling eyes, which carried an unparalleled arrogance.

The spiritual light flowing across the Longevity Bridge illuminated his extraordinary, martial face in flickering light and shadow.

He remained silent for a long time, until the sea of clouds beyond the bridge shifted from a fleeting streak of light at the horizon into heavy, dark ink, and the cold moon quietly rose in the sky.

Only then did Xiao Changlv retract his gaze. He dipped a finger into his teacup and flicked it downward.

That single drop of water tore through the air, launched a great distance away.

It contained a barely detectable trace of qi and blood power, acting like a relentless carrier pigeon as it flew toward Qinghua Prefecture.

Not long after, someone arrived on horseback in the distance. It was Xiao Taozhuo.

Xiao Taozhuo rode a miraculous steed, whipping it to go faster. In just the time it took an incense stick to burn, she had arrived at the foot of the hill below the Longevity Bridge.

Looking up at the long bridge suspended in midair, flowing with spiritual light, a strange look flashed through Xiao Taozhuo’s eyes when she saw the young man on the bridge who appeared to be her age.

Every time she saw Chen Lingxi, she was incredibly astonished. The first time she had seen this youthful face, a single soft cough from him had shaken her so badly that her Golden Body Consummation qi and blood nearly stagnated.

Later, her second uncle had gone with him to kill the Crown Prince. Upon returning, her second uncle actually told her that this person had killed the Crown Prince with a flip of his hand, and that his combat power had likely already reached Entering Profound!

Entering Profound...

Even for the daughter of Xiao Changlv, that realm was far too distant.

And today, he had come to Qinghua Province once again, sitting face-to-face with her father...

His face was like jade, exceptionally handsome.

Xiao Taozhuo lowered her head and grumbled inwardly. ’Who knows how old this guy is, yet he’s still running around scamming people with the face of a teenager.’

Thinking this, she respectfully took a jade slip from her robes.

Chen Lingxi raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised.

Spiritual light flowed over the jade slip, faintly emitting a profound aura...

He didn’t need to guess; this jade slip was a Jade Precept Book!

Xiao Changlv reached out. The qi and blood within his body erupted and swept straight down, acting like a formless giant hand that pulled the Jade Precept Book into his grasp. He threw it to Chen Lingxi.

Chen Lingxi caught the Jade Precept Book, glanced at it, and then looked back up, his smile remaining. ”It seems the Heavenly King understands a great deal about cultivators.”

He paused, then added, ”Does the Heavenly King want me to use the Jade Precept Book to prove that I am not an out-of-domain figure?”

”What harm is there in that?” Saying this, he prepared to open the Jade Precept Book and write.

However, Xiao Changlv shook his head slightly. ”In truth, whether or not you are an out-of-domain figure is not all that important.”

He spoke slowly, his tone entirely calm. ”You only need to write on the Jade Precept Book that taking my essence blood is not a plot against me, but to divine Emperor Daye. That will be enough.”

”And my condition is extremely simple. It is... once you obtain the divination result, you must inform me.”

”Regardless of whether Emperor Daye has been possessed by out-of-domain figures, or if he is being threatened or bewitched, you must let me know.”

Having said this, Xiao Changlv stood up.

He walked to the edge of the Longevity Bridge with his hands clasped behind his back, looking at the churning sea of clouds. It was as if he were looking at the land beneath the clouds where he had waged war for many years.

In the extreme distance, the night had already deepened. The scattered lights of villages across the land below looked like pearls strewn over black brocade.

”Nowadays in the Imperial Court, even the assemblies are presided over by Chancellor Cao. The court officials have not seen Emperor Daye in a long time.”

”It is as if... he doesn’t care about this Imperial Court at all.”

Xiao Changlv furrowed his brows slightly and continued, ”If an incoming enemy left traces to follow, it would be fine, but Emperor Daye has become increasingly bizarre and unpredictable...”

”I want to know the exact reason behind this.”

He sighed and looked toward the distant battlegrounds of Qinghua Prefecture.

There, his Evil-Suppressing Heavenly Army was locked in a standoff with the official forces of the Imperial Court. Who knew how many young men were buried on the battlefield, or how many commoners had been displaced.

”Once a great war breaks out, the people suffer horribly... But if there is no war, the commoners suffer under countless labor projects and cannot survive regardless.”

”This world has been in chaos for far too long.”

”If...”

Xiao Changlv shook his head and said, ”If Emperor Daye was merely bewitched or threatened by out-of-domain figures, resulting in all these disasters...”

”I am willing to rescue him from his cage and return clarity to this world.”

”So that the veterans under my command can return home, and the commoners of the world can return to peace.” Hearing Xiao Changlv’s words, Chen Lingxi could tell he wasn’t faking it.

Perhaps in Xiao Changlv’s eyes, he was still an out-of-domain figure.

A figure like him naturally disdained putting on a hypocritical act.

As a result, a great deal of admiration for Xiao Changlv welled up in his heart.

’It seems this man isn’t fighting for the world purely out of ambition! He actually sees the suffering of the commoners.’

He murmured to himself inwardly, his respect for this Evil-Severing Heavenly King growing.

The major figures of the world, whether reincarnators or tyrannical martial cultivators, all held the power of life and death over mortals in their hands.

Only Xiao Changlv—whose qi and blood cultivation was clearly peerless, making him one of the absolute apex figures in the world—was still worrying about commoners he didn’t even know.

There were truly not many people like him left.

Chen Lingxi looked at the Jade Precept Book and thought, ’In the future, if Vision Roaming yields results, I can inform Xiao Changlv according to this agreement made in Absolute Perception.’

However...

Chen Lingxi’s thoughts shifted. ’I actually still lied,’ he smiled bitterly in his heart. ’I didn’t come to seek Xiao Changlv’s Entering Profound essence blood for the sake of divination, but to use Vision Roaming on Emperor Daye...’

’Very well, let me see exactly what kind of effect it will have if I violate the Jade Precept Book.’

Chen Lingxi then followed Xiao Changlv’s various requests and engraved the clauses onto the Jade Precept Book.

As spiritual qi flashed, line after line of text appeared on the Jade Precept Book.

He then signed his own name.

Chen Lingxi.

Xiao Changlv extended his finger once again. That faint wisp of spiritual qi flowed, likewise engraving his name onto the jade slip.

The Jade Precept Book instantly split in two, falling into their hands.

Xiao Changlv casually tossed his half of the Jade Precept Book down to Xiao Taozhuo beneath the Longevity Bridge.

Following that...

He lightly flicked his finger.

In an instant, a drop of essence blood flew from his fingertip. That single drop was brimming with peak might. Suspended in midair, it was only the size of a soybean, yet it looked like a gemstone condensed to the absolute limit. It was crystal clear throughout and radiated an incomparably majestic pressure of qi and blood.

Under the pressure of this essence blood, even the blazing spiritual light of the Longevity Bridge seemed to dim.

The runes continuously flowing over the Longevity Bridge also slowed significantly.

Chen Lingxi circulated a stream of spiritual qi, wrapped it around the drop of Entering Profound essence blood, and stored it in his Vast Void Pouch.

Chen Lingxi thought he would be sanctioned by the Jade Precept Book, but it had no reaction at all.

Soon after, his thoughts flickered...

’Speaking of which, I haven’t consumed this drop of Entering Profound essence blood yet, so naturally it doesn’t count as breaking the contract.’

His clause with Xiao Changlv was to take the essence blood to divine Emperor Daye.

Right now, he had merely collected the essence blood and hadn’t used it yet, so the Jade Precept Book naturally wouldn’t trigger divine retribution.

Chen Lingxi couldn’t help but look up at the two bright mirrors in the sky.

’It’s actually a pity. I wanted to see the exact consequences of violating the Jade Precept Book.’

With this thought, Chen Lingxi’s divine sense fell into his Vast Void Pouch again, sweeping over the Crown Prince’s Beast-Fighting Palace and the Purple True Treasure Vase. The beast-fighting palace lay quietly in a corner of the pouch, and within the palace, that lustrous white Jade Bottle still emitted a warm, bright purple light.

As the light pulsed, it was slowly being augmented by the mighty power of the Cauldron Vessel inside the palace.

’It seems that this time, I won’t be able to take these two treasures out.’

Under the Absolute Perception Divine Ability, he could only bring back one item at a time.

On this trip, he absolutely had to bring back Xiao Changlv’s Entering Profound essence blood, so he naturally couldn’t bring back the beast-fighting palace and the Purple True Treasure Vase as well.

But immediately, his thoughts shifted again...

’The Purple True Treasure Vase is suspended inside the beast-fighting palace, still being augmented by its wondrous power. If I take it out of Absolute Perception, its power won’t be considered complete.’

His thoughts fell upon the beast-fighting palace again.

’The assistance this beast-fighting palace provides me isn’t as great as I imagined, and using it frequently will very likely invite cauldron calamity...’

’Moreover...’

His eyes flashed. ’Moreover, this beast-fighting palace and Purple True Treasure Vase will still fall into my hands in the real world anyway, so what is there to pity?’ When the time came, he would just slap the Crown Prince Ying Chi to death again, and those two treasures would naturally be swept into his pockets. There was no need to rush.

Reaching this thought, he stood tall and cupped his fists toward Xiao Changlv in farewell. ”Rest assured, Heavenly King. Once there is a result, I will definitely inform you!”

These words were not merely an act. He had already made a decision: if there were results, he would inform Xiao Changlv in the real world as well.

Xiao Changlv nodded slightly. With his hands clasped behind his back, he leapt down, landed on the ground, and headed in the direction of Qinghua Prefecture.

Xiao Taozhuo glanced at Chen Lingxi on the Longevity Bridge and suddenly called out, ”Senior, how old are you this year?”

Chen Lingxi raised an eyebrow slightly. ”I am already twenty-one.”

”Liar.” Xiao Taozhuo stuck out her tongue and followed her father away.

This father and daughter, one in front and one behind, were swallowed by the darkness of the night.

Meanwhile, Chen Lingxi turned his head to look at a mountain peak in the distance.

Atop the mountain peak, the Entering Profound King of the East still had his hands clasped behind his back, fixing his gaze upon him.

The night was deep, yet the killing intent in the King of the East’s eyes had not diminished in the slightest. In fact, it was several degrees thicker than before.

He stood at the peak of Flowing Cloud Mountain, his robes fluttering, the qi and blood around him churning. He looked like a celestial deity coldly looking down upon his enemy. A slight smile appeared on the corner of Chen Lingxi’s mouth as he murmured to himself, ’That day, I saw Sect Master Zhang and Xiao Zhushan wage a great battle.’

’Thinking about it carefully, if I were to fight Xiao Zhushan with my current combat power, I’m afraid I would still fall a bit short.’

’But compared to that Sect Master Zhang, the difference is negligible.’

’I wonder, though, how I compare to this Entering Profound King of the East, who can stand as an equal against Xiao Changlv?’

With these words, he suddenly bent his knees and leapt!

The Longevity Bridge beneath his feet moved with a rumble, surging high into the air along with him.

Man and bridge flew straight into the sky, just like the rising sun.

At this moment, Chen Lingxi’s robes filled with the wind, looking incomparably ethereal.

And the Thunder Radiance Treasure Sword at his waist shone with brilliance.

The pale golden lightning patterns on the scabbard suddenly lit up as his spiritual qi poured into it.

They spread all the way from the handguard to the tip, acting like an awakened lightning snake slithering across the scabbard.

Lightning flashed in Chen Lingxi’s eyes. ”Thunder-Concealing Sword Scripture!”

”Method of the Thunder-Wielding Heavenly King!”