After the Great Dao Died

Chen Lingxi’s divine sense swept over the large banner!

This was the very Demonic Large Banner he had seized from Xuantong Observatory in Marquis Baosu’s Manor!

Back in Xuantong Observatory, this Demonic Large Banner had been nourished with flesh and blood to sustain Marquis Baosu, Lin Zhongming. It had allowed him to defy the heavens and extend his lifespan by decades when he was critically injured and on the verge of death.

Ever since obtaining it, Chen Lingxi had tried to refine the banner countless times, yet he had never found a way in.

But now, it had actually come alive on its own.

The originally lifeless Demonic Large Banner unfurled on its own. It was like a vicious beast, slumbering for untold years, that had finally caught the scent of prey and opened its bloody maw.

’What’s going on? It seems this large banner is thirsting for something.’

He thought for a moment and tentatively opened his Vast Void Pouch!

Right at that moment!

When Chen Lingxi opened the Vast Void Pouch, the thick, bloody scent permeating the void began flowing madly into it!This was the blood qi of the many martial artists who had just died on the battlefield!

Now, drawn by the Demonic Large Banner, it surged into the pouch as if all rivers run into the sea! ’Hm? It’s causing such a strange disturbance?’

Chen Lingxi investigated with his divine sense. The instant the surging blood qi touched the banner’s surface, it was devoured completely, causing the dark red patterns on the canvas to light up.

Brighter and brighter, more and more intense!

The previously lifeless Demonic Large Banner had actually been awakened by this incredibly thick, bloody scent and was now swallowing it in massive gulps!

And this bloody scent emanated from those already dead Silver Bone cultivators.

The moment the two sides clashed, over a thousand Silver Bone cultivators had perished.

The surging, bloody scent given off by over a thousand cultivators was immensely heavy!

’This large banner... is a sinister object, as expected. To think it actually needed such a heavy bloody scent to wake up.’

Chen Lingxi marveled inwardly.

Right then...

He suddenly felt a keen sensation—a tremendously heavy power from within the large banner was calling out to his divine sense.

That power was like an invisible hand reaching out from the depths of the canvas. Wrapped in an undeniable will, it pulled his divine sense, slowly drawing it deep inside the large banner. Chen Lingxi split off a wisp of his divine sense, offering no resistance.

’Let’s see just what secrets lie hidden within this large banner.’

Chen Lingxi’s wisp of divine sense descended inside!

Sitting upright within was a middle-aged man with an air of immortal breeze and Daoist bones.

The man wore a plain white Daoist robe without a speck of dust on it. He looked like an immortal who had just stepped down from the clouds, completely out of place in the eerie space of bloody light and killing intent around him.

He had extremely handsome and refined features—eyebrows like distant mountains, eyes like bright stars, a high-bridged nose, and sharply defined lips.

It was as if an immortal spring flowed within his eyes; they were clear yet profound, like two wellsprings leading to another world!

The middle-aged man’s gaze fell upon Chen Lingxi’s divine sense, as if looking at a guest he had been awaiting for a long time.

His aura was mysterious and unfathomable. It was the complete opposite of the Demonic Large Banner’s eerie, bloody exterior, yet there was a highly bizarre sense of harmony to it—like a white lotus growing in a pool of blood. It was clearly out of place, yet perfectly natural.

’Who is this person?’

Chen Lingxi was astonished!

Just then, the mysterious man finally spoke. He watched Chen Lingxi, his voice seeming to contain a profound, soul-trembling rhythm.

”I have a great fortune here.”

The man paused slightly, his gaze landing on Chen Lingxi. A faint hint of a smile flashed through those eyes that resembled flowing immortal springs. ”Junior! Are you willing to accept it?”

A great fortune...

Chen Lingxi’s suspicions flared.

Just as he was about to speak...

He saw the middle-aged man suddenly flick his finger.

A terrifying aura burst from the man’s fingertip, transforming into an extremely thin and faint stream of golden light. It flew out of the large banner and shot straight into the center of Chen Lingxi’s brow!

Before Chen Lingxi could even react, the golden light had already sunk into his body!

In an instant!

The moment that terrifying aura entered Chen Lingxi’s brow!

Chen Lingxi felt the spiritual qi throughout his entire body surge violently. It was just like moments ago when Lin Suri had been empowered by his Martial Aunt in Red!

Chen Lingxi’s realm had not advanced, but the quality of all the spiritual qi in his body had been temporarily elevated.

It was as if his spiritual qi now contained an indescribable, unimaginable, and terrifying Daoist profundity, rendering it incomparably powerful.

’Just what is this person’s background... With just a flick of his finger, he can make me this strong?’

Chen Lingxi sensed his own fearsome strength.

He could clearly feel this power slowly slipping away, as if it could not last forever.

But even so, the current Chen Lingxi was already powerful enough.

He merely flicked his finger, and a bolt of lightning burst from his fingertip!

The lightning blasted forward with a thunderous crack, piercing straight into the clouds in the sky!

Pierced by the lightning, the clouds were cleaved in half as if by an invisible sharp sword, leaving a bottomless rift in the void!

This casual strike was on par with Chen Lingxi swinging out the Twelve Chimes of the Heavenly Drum with all his might!

At the same time, Chen Lingxi’s mind seemed to become incredibly clear. His comprehension of many divine abilities and wondrous techniques grew even deeper, as if his aptitude had been elevated once again! ”Such powerful strength...” Chen Lingxi lowered his head to look at his finger, where pale golden arcs of electricity were still dancing, his eyes flashing. ”It’s simply unfathomable!”

Meanwhile, inside the large banner, the mysterious man with his immortal breeze and Daoist bones remained seated upright. His gaze rested on Chen Lingxi’s divine sense, and words like a heavenly edict fell into Chen Lingxi’s mind!

”Take my profound mandate and go forth to slaughter!

Slay three thousand people today, and this Venerable One will bestow upon you a slaughtering technique. It will allow you, with your Qi Circulation Ninth Floor cultivation, to strike down those at the Eleventh Floor.”

The voice rang like a great bell, echoing endlessly in Chen Lingxi’s mind.

”Qi Circulation Ninth Floor, striking down the Eleventh Floor?”

A brilliant light suddenly erupted in Chen Lingxi’s eyes.

An intense greed for this so-called slaughtering technique welled up in his heart!

’The brief power imparted by a mere flick of his finger caused my combat strength to surge so drastically. If I can truly obtain that slaughtering technique, what kind of scene would that be?’

Chen Lingxi took a deep breath, preparing to charge back into the slaughter.

But right at that moment...

He suddenly remembered the Divine Chamber! ’I bear the Divine Chamber. I don’t need to fully trust this person to scheme for fortuitous encounters.’

As Chen Lingxi thought of the Divine Chamber, the greed in his mind seemed to diminish somewhat.

He hastily unleashed the Dragon Roar Technique. It detonated with a boom within his own Sea of Consciousness, completely sweeping away the greed and fanaticism born from his surging strength.

Chen Lingxi snapped back to his senses. He lowered his head again to look at the Demonic Large Banner in his hand, which was still devouring blood qi. A trace of deep dread flashed through his eyes. ”This thing is demonic. I’m afraid that killing three thousand people will only spawn another disaster.”

Having made up his mind, he was just about to retreat.

Right then, he suddenly heard a terrifying explosion from afar.

Chen Lingxi looked toward the sound and saw that the white-haired purple-clothed marquis had already made his move.

The Two-Zhang Great Spear at the purple-clothed marquis’s feet had been pulled from the shattered cliff at some unknown point, and he was currently gripping it in his hand.

In his grasp, the spear was like a weightless bamboo pole. He casually spun a spear flourish, and monstrous blood qi erupted from the shaft!

The blood qi tore through the air, knocking down a Qi Circulation Eighth Floor cultivator who was rushing toward them.

Following that, the spear’s momentum didn’t stop. Using that momentum, the marquis launched himself off the ground, crashing like a giant roc spreading its wings toward Lin Suri!

Lin Suri raised his head to meet the spear aura that carried a world-destroying might, but there wasn’t a hint of fear in those eyes burning with golden flames. Chen Lingxi, however, shook his head slightly. ”This purple-clothed marquis is incredibly tyrannical. Fellow Daoist Lin’s array formation isn’t complete, and although his avatar is powerful, I’m afraid it’s no match for him...”

Chen Lingxi narrowed his eyes.

A thought quickly spun through his mind.

’That white-haired purple-clothed marquis is already incredibly strong... If he takes Lin Suri away, I’m afraid Lin Suri will also end up as a mutilated corpse on that sandalwood table...’

’When the Under-Dao Academy projects themselves here, I won’t be able to obtain much intelligence...’

’People from beyond the realm of the Under-Dao Academy can be considered a ray of hope for my survival.’

Soon after, Chen Lingxi suddenly recalled many past events.

’No matter what, many of my past fortuitous encounters came from reaping benefits from Lin Suri... If I look at it closely, this person can be considered to share some fate with me, and moreover...’

An excited gleam flashed in Chen Lingxi’s eyes. His gaze fell back onto the Demonic Large Banner in his hand, which was still devouring blood qi. ”I also want to see just how powerful this temporary strength bestowed by that middle-aged man really is.”

’I just won’t kill three thousand people, that’s all... If I can obtain a Killing Power Cauldron Vessel because of this, that would be best.’

With his thoughts reaching this point, Chen Lingxi immediately turned back, the spiritual qi around his body churning once more.

Beneath his feet, the Longevity Bridge spanned the sky. Stepping onto the bridge, he rose into the air, flying like a streak of pale golden light toward the battlefield where Lin Suri and the purple-clothed marquis were fighting. At the exact moment Chen Lingxi turned back, Yuan Yuan, clad in black within the clouds above, suddenly furrowed his brow.

No expression could be seen on his face, which was shrouded under a black robe, but his eyes, like black jade, flickered slightly from behind his mask.

He had been ordered by Emperor Daye to oversee this place, and he originally thought that Chen Lingxi would just retreat.

He never expected this person to actually double back. ’The Sage let him leave, and only then did he dare to return. Does he have a death wish?’

A hint of confusion flashed in Yuan Yuan’s eyes beneath the mask.

He shifted his gaze back to the Zhuzhao Riverbank. He pondered for a moment but did not attack.

’I still need to guard against Xi Yu’s Bright Jade trump card...’

Meanwhile...

The purple-clothed marquis was engaged in a fierce battle with Lin Suri.

Due to the red-clothed one’s empowerment, Lin Suri’s combat strength was tyrannical beyond compare. Six streams of sword qi surged around him like dragons. Every sword strike he unleashed was accompanied by tri-colored radiance, the sword aura clashing and intertwining in the void like three streaks of silk in different colors.

However, the handsome, eerie purple-clothed marquis appeared to be even stronger.

Wielding his Two-Zhang Great Spear, his blood qi roared like a storm, utterly terrifying. His physical body was absurdly robust!

Every spear thrust carried the weight of ten thousand jun, and when the massive spear tore through the air, it was like a mountain descending from the heavens.

Compared to a Tenth Floor body cultivator like Shi Hong, the purple-clothed marquis’s physical body was stronger by an unknown magnitude.

Thanks to the red-clothed one’s empowerment, Lin Suri should have been invincible here...

But the purple-clothed marquis was simply too strong.

The purple-clothed marquis remained expressionless as he swung his spear, his blood qi roaring with an unreasonable terror.

He swept his spear horizontally, sending a dark golden spear aura slashing toward Lin Suri’s waist like a half-moon bisecting the sky.

The spear aura was too fast—so fast that Lin Suri only had time to raise his Jade Sword in front of him to block. In the exact instant he blocked, the purple-clothed marquis’s other fist was already in his face.

In his haste, Lin Suri condensed a spiritual qi barrier with his left hand. The barrier was several feet thick, tough enough to block a full-force strike from an ordinary Twelfth Floor cultivator.

But when the purple-clothed marquis’s fist slammed into it, the barrier shattered into countless fragments.

Lin Suri let out a muffled groan and flew backward, smashing through an entire cliff face behind him.

Just then, another incredibly powerful surge of blood qi rapidly approached from a short distance away. It was a banner.

Beneath the banner, the blood qi of a thousand Silver Bone martial artists formed a torrent. It swept up a Nine Revolutions martial artist who had been elevated to the Entering Profound level, pouncing toward his back.

The Nine Revolutions martial artist clenched his fists tightly, the blood qi on his knuckles condensed to the absolute limit. He was launching a sneak attack from Lin Suri’s blind spot while Lin Suri was entangled with the purple-clothed marquis.

The net had already been cast!

With the purple-clothed marquis in front and that thousand-man army regiment behind, this pincer attack completely sealed off Lin Suri’s escape routes.

Lin Suri was already being pushed into a steady retreat by the purple-clothed marquis. Now facing an attack from behind, he was stretched too thin.

Right at this critical moment!

A dazzling beam of lightning sword qi slashed down from the distant horizon.

The lightning sword qi’s speed was incomprehensibly fast; it struck down at almost the exact instant the Nine Revolutions Entering Profound martial artist sensed the danger.

The sword aura was pale gold, wreathed in densely packed arcs of lightning.

With a slicing sound, the lightning sword qi cleaved the thousand-man army formation right down the middle.

The interconnected blood qi surrounding those Silver Bone martial artists collapsed with a boom. Caught in the sword qi’s aftershock, the Nine Revolutions Entering Profound martial artist was sent flying backward like a kite with a snapped string. He slammed heavily into a cliff hundreds of zhang away, blood spewing wildly from his mouth. He was severely injured by this single sword strike.

And the lightning sword qi, its momentum unabated, slashed into the mountain, kicking up a cloud of dust and smoke.

Sensing such a terrifying aura, everyone couldn’t help but look up.

Only to see Chen Lingxi arriving with a longsword in hand.

The sword’s scabbard still hung at his waist, while pale golden lightning continued to crackle and hiss on the blade.

His dark robes fluttered, and a touch of wickedness had crept into his eyes and brows.

The spiritual qi on his body was as thick and heavy as a real waterfall. He stood tall and straight, his bearing extraordinary.

Three streams of precious qi lit up around him simultaneously, interweaving into an incomparably magnificent tri-colored radiance that illuminated the Zhuzhao Riverbank as if it were broad daylight.

Standing upon the clouds, he licked his lips and said softly, ”Fellow Daoist Lin, I have come to assist you.”

He added in his mind, ’I sincerely came to assist you.’