After the Great Dao Died

Yet the strongest combatants present, the Purple-Robed Marquis and Yuan Yuan, were now entirely unable to match Chen Lingxi head-on.

Yuan Yuan stood atop the clouds. He had just clashed directly with Chen Lingxi, and the sword wound on his right palm still throbbed with dull pain.

He could naturally tell that the aura suddenly surging around Chen Lingxi did not come from his own cultivation. It looked far more like some unfathomable entity had bestowed immense power upon him through a secret method.

But regardless of where this power came from, the current Chen Lingxi was absolutely not someone he could defeat alone.

As he pondered this, Chen Lingxi arrived, treading upon the clouds.

The Thunder Radiance Longsword turned in his grip. The three-colored sword aura on the blade flickered and surged; every strike he unleashed carried the terrifying might to destroy heaven and earth.

Yuan Yuan retreated again and again. His palms flew in a blur as he executed one profound blood-qi martial art after another.

Yet before Chen Lingxi’s sword light, those martial arts could no longer be considered formidable. They were shattered, one after the next!

The Purple-Robed Marquis charged over with his spear, though his blood-qi was already far weaker than before.

Right at that moment, Chen Lingxi abruptly clenched his left hand in the void. The Heaven-Seizing Seal was fiercely activated, and a massive handprint ten zhang wide smashed toward Yuan Yuan from the flank.Yuan Yuan swung his palm to meet the attack. His palm aura clashed with the giant handprint, erupting in a deafening roar.

Meanwhile, lightning flashed across Chen Lingxi’s longsword as he thrust it straight at Yuan Yuan’s forehead. Yuan Yuan’s pupils shrank to pinpricks.

This sword light was simply too fast!

He could clearly sense the overwhelming intensity of its unparalleled, razor-sharp sword intent!

At the same time, heavenly drums boomed in the surroundings, locking down the space in all directions.

There was no way to dodge!

Yuan Yuan felt a surge of helplessness.

’The reason I came here was to guard against that Xi Yu. The Bright Jade she wears swirls with a profound aura; I feared there was some mystery within it.’

He never expected that Chen Lingxi, who had always been fully under their control, would stumble upon some unknown fortune and suddenly become this formidable!

’If that sword light pierces my forehead, I’m afraid...’

Yuan Yuan’s mind trembled.

Right at that moment...

He seemed to sense something, and a flash of joy crossed his eyes. He saw...

A long rainbow suddenly arched across the sky from the extreme distance!

That rainbow was impossibly fast, crossing a thousand mountains and ten thousand rivers to land squarely between Yuan Yuan and Chen Lingxi!

As the rainbow light swirled, a stooped, elderly figure with an obscured face stepped out from within it.

The moment he emerged, this person swept his sleeve and blocked that deadly sword light!

Then, the swirling rainbow light swept up both Yuan Yuan and the Purple-Robed Marquis, wrapping them together within its glow.

When Chen Lingxi’s sword pierced that rainbow light, it felt like plunging into an incredibly thick mire.

The lightning on the blade was worn away layer by layer, and by the time it pierced through the light, the sword’s momentum had faded by more than half.

The old man seized this brief opening to sweep up Yuan Yuan and the Purple-Robed Marquis, transforming back into a long rainbow and flying off into the distance!

’Could it be Emperor Daye?’

Chen Lingxi felt a deep sense of pity.

’The Purple-Robed Marquis and Yuan Yuan! Both of them possess the combat strength of the Qi Circulation Eleventh Floor. If I could have killed those two, it would have greatly weakened Emperor Daye’s forces.’ But as his thoughts shifted, he couldn’t help but frown.

’It seems Emperor Daye is restricted in making a move. He came here personally, yet he didn’t attack me—he merely took those two away.’

He shook his head gently and stopped dwelling on it. Right now, he had much more important things to do.

Chen Lingxi slowly turned around. The Method of Qi Observation circulated as he looked into the distance.

Then, he saw it. At the edge of the battlefield shrouded by the Eight Large Banners, a vibrant green willow leaf was flying silently into the distance.

The willow leaf flew with incredible speed, carrying a slender figure upon its surface. It was none other than Xi Yu.

”Trying to leave?”

Chen Lingxi let out a cold snort.

Cloud qi swirled beneath his feet, wrapped in cracking lightning. He soared through the void like a flying cloud, giving chase to that willow leaf!

Xi Yu naturally sensed Chen Lingxi approaching, and the green mark on her forehead abruptly lit up.

In the exact moment the mark illuminated, the willow leaf’s speed multiplied several times over, becoming as fast as a bolt of lightning.

But Chen Lingxi’s Cloud-Soaring Technique had also evolved. Driven by the Wondrous State, the Cloud-Soaring Technique merged completely with his own spiritual qi and that precious thunder qi. His entire body transformed into a humanoid bolt of lightning tearing through the sky, his speed actually a fraction faster than the willow leaf.

The two streaks of light chased each other through the void, one after the other. In just a few dozen breaths of time, Chen Lingxi had closed the distance to within a hundred zhang of Xi Yu!

His right hand swept across his waist, and the Thunder Radiance Longsword sang as it left its sheath.

At this moment, the lightning on the blade flared to its absolute limit. He slashed out, and the Twelve Chimes of the Heavenly Drum crashed toward Xi Yu, covering the sky and earth.

Xi Yu’s eyes turned grave.

She brought her hands together in the empty space before her. As her ten fingers fluttered, dozens of profound runes shot out from her fingertips.

At the same time, a talisman flashing with spiritual light flew out from her Vast Void Pouch.

That talisman seemed exceedingly precious; the spiritual qi radiating from it was thick enough to be called terrifying.

This was undoubtedly Xi Yu’s life-saving treasure.

The myriad runes landed upon the talisman and then unfolded layer by layer, transforming into a green barrier woven of runes behind her back.

The Twelve Chimes of the Heavenly Drum slashed into that green barrier, detonating in a series of blinding flashes.

The barrier shuddered violently under the assault, yet it barely managed to hold. Xi Yu had actually used a single talisman technique to forcibly block Chen Lingxi’s inevitably fatal sword strike.

Chen Lingxi raised his eyebrows slightly!

’This Xi Yu truly has something extraordinary about her.’

’And precisely because she is extraordinary, I must kill her as quickly as possible.’

He was just about to follow up with another strike.

But at that exact moment, the jade pendant at Xi Yu’s waist suddenly flared with radiant light.

In the blink of an eye, the radiance became blindingly bright!

Right after, Chen Lingxi’s pupils constricted.

He saw a beam of light erupt from the jade pendant.

The light condensed, taking the shape of a human figure!

It was an elegant young master dressed in white.

He looked to be about twenty-three or twenty-four years old. His robes were utterly spotless, and his face was ethereal and transcendent. His eyebrows were as faint as light smoke, and his pale, moist eyes were completely untainted by worldly dust; he did not seem like a mortal of this world at all. The moment this young master appeared, an unconcealed arrogance radiated from his face. He stood beside Xi Yu with his hands clasped behind his back. Turning his head slightly, his gaze landed on Chen Lingxi, and an extremely faint smile curled the corners of his mouth.

That smile carried a condescending apathy, as if he were looking down at an ant overestimating its own strength.

”You think you can kill someone in front of me?” he spoke softly.

Before his voice even faded, he blew out a breath of profound light!

The profound light was pure white. It looked weightless and powerless, but as it drifted toward Chen Lingxi, the void was sliced open down the middle like it had been cut by an invisible blade, leaving behind a bottomless rift.

The terrifying power contained within it caused Chen Lingxi’s pupils to shrink slightly.

’She really did have a trump card.’

The level of this profound light was incredibly high.

’This is the Qi-Depleted Grotto-Heaven! If this figure in white was a Dao Foundation entity, Xi Yu wouldn’t have needed to come here to snatch this Killing Power Cauldron Vessel!’

Yet there wasn’t the slightest trace of fear in Chen Lingxi’s eyes.

He simply gave a cold snort. A flash of sword light swept out, wrapped in world-destroying might, and slashed down fiercely at the elegant young master. It first collided with the profound light, causing the light to scatter, but the sword qi and lightning did not dissipate; they continued straight toward the elegant young master.

The elegant young master’s expression finally changed. He frowned slightly, and another beam of profound light shot out from between his brows!

This profound light was even more condensed than the last. Faintly, countless dense runes could be seen floating and swirling within it.

But Chen Lingxi’s sword strike was truly profound. It collided with the profound light, and both vanished into nothingness.

The elegant young master’s frown deepened by several degrees.

He coldly snorted, and his figure abruptly transformed into a swirling tornado.

The tornado swept up Xi Yu and that willow leaf, flying off into the distance like a vibrant green cyclone at blinding speed.

”Borrowing the power of another... I will spare you for today. Just wait until my true avatar... comes personally to find you!”

Within the tornado, the elegant young master’s face faintly appeared.

His face was filled with incomparable fury, radiating murderous intent. A very real urge to kill surfaced in those once-ethereal eyes.

He likely felt that being forced back by a person of unknown origin was a monumental humiliation.

But he also knew that this incarnation lacked sufficient spiritual qi. If he fought with this man, even if he could wound him, he feared he wouldn’t be able to defeat him completely.

If he didn’t leave and ended up losing the fight, Xi Yu would undoubtedly die by this person’s hands. Rather than take the risk, it was better to activate his escape light and take Xi Yu away.

As for this Chen Lingxi, the borrowed power on his body would eventually dissipate.

And even if he remained this formidable forever...

’Whether I use the Cauldron Vessel in my hands, or have my blood essence avatar come personally, I can kill him either way. Why rush it now?’

But how could Chen Lingxi let him have his way?

The cloud qi beneath his feet flared up again, and he chased after the tornado like a thunderbolt.

The Twelve Chimes of the Heavenly Drum erupted once more. Twelve streaks of sword light swept out, crashing down on the tornado in a heaven-covering barrage.

The tornado was fast, but it was not faster than Chen Lingxi’s sword.

Three or four of the twelve sword lights slashed right into the tornado, severing a section out of the rapidly spinning cyclone.

The tornado suddenly stagnated, and Xi Yu’s figure flickered visibly within it!

She let out a muffled groan, a trickle of fresh blood spilling from the corner of her mouth.

The residual shockwaves of those sword strikes had penetrated the tornado’s barrier and slashed into her body. Though not fatal, they had dealt her no small injury. Within the tornado, the elegant young master’s face grew even more furious, but ultimately, he did not strike back.

The tornado gave a violent lurch and shot into the sky like an azure dragon breaking free of its shackles. In the blink of an eye, it vanished beyond the horizon.

Chen Lingxi coldly snorted and sheathed his sword.

He could have kept chasing, but even though the elegant young master’s incarnation was dimming, it still retained a fraction of its power.

Moreover, the spiritual light blessing his own body was not endless. If he rashly pursued them now, it might backfire.

After all...

’That Killing Power Cauldron Vessel... is about to have an owner!’

Standing above the clouds, his gaze swept over the battlefield enveloped by the Eight Large Banners. The giant Heaven-Seizing Seal handprint smashed out like a streak of golden lightning toward a distant mountain peak!

Atop that mountain peak, the Earl of the Imperial Bow was fleeing for her life.

But the giant Heaven-Seizing handprint had already torn through the air to reach her.

The handprint shattered her protective blood-qi, crushed the great bow in her hands, and then seized the arrow that the Earl of the Imperial Bow had hastily fired in counterattack. With a flick of the wrist, it threw the arrow right back!

The arrow turned into a streak of dark golden lightning, stabbing straight into the Earl of the Imperial Bow’s forehead. The Earl of the Imperial Bow perished as well!

In a flash, out of all the figures who had come to besiege Chen Lingxi, those who weren’t dead had already fled.

Without the Purple-Robed Marquis presiding over them, and having lost the leadership of the several Nine Revolutions generals from the Eight Divisions Military Force, the dark-red banners faltered. The remaining troops and the scattered cultivators who had come to snatch the Cauldron Vessel were fleeing in a mad panic.

In the blink of an eye, the entire battlefield was left in ruins, completely shattered and dispersed.

Chen Lingxi stood alone in the void, sensing the surging power around his body slowly receding.

At this moment, he could clearly feel that the power from the mysterious middle-aged man was being drawn out of his body, thread by thread.

Chen Lingxi fell silent for a moment, his curiosity about this mysterious middle-aged man deepening even further.

’This mysterious power blessing can be considered a meeting gift from that enigmatic man.’

’And all I have to do is kill three thousand martial artists, and I can obtain a true grand divine ability.’

’A divine ability that allows a Ninth Floor to kill an Eleventh Floor...’

Chen Lingxi’s eyes burned with intensity.

Though there were only two layers separating the Qi Circulation 9th Floor and the Eleventh Floor, the gap between those two floors was like an insurmountable heavenly chasm. Let alone striking above their realm to kill an Eleventh Floor, it was as difficult as ascending the heavens for an ordinary Ninth Floor cultivator to even clash head-on with a Tenth Floor.

The only reason he had been able to slay Shi Hong with a Ninth Floor cultivation was because of the Delayed Light Flying Dagger and the Purple True Treasure Vase.

If he relied solely on his own cultivation, he might be able to contend with an ordinary Tenth Floor cultivator, but he certainly wouldn’t have won so effortlessly.

’But if I can truly obtain that great slaughtering technique, then from now on in this grotto-heaven, I’ll have an extra layer of self-preservation even if I run into those unfathomable figures from the Imperial Court.’

After a brief moment of thought, Chen Lingxi reached out, and a golden toad materialized in his hand.

The toad was about the size of a palm. It was carved entirely from some unknown golden jade, and looked remarkably lifelike.

It squatted in Chen Lingxi’s palm with its mouth slightly parted, a very faint and subtle spiritual light swirling within its maw.

It was none other than Wu Mohe’s Cauldron Vessel.

The Gold-Swallowing Toad.

Gripping the Gold-Swallowing Toad in his hand, Chen Lingxi poured spiritual qi into it and sank his consciousness into the Divine Chamber.

[Absolute Perception restoration progress: 82%]

’There’s hope.’ Chen Lingxi’s eyes lit up.

He stored the Gold-Swallowing Toad into his Vast Void Pouch, then cast his gaze toward the nearby void.

Hovering there was a small stone tablet. It was precisely that Killing Power Cauldron Vessel Fragment.

The ancient, desolate aura on the stone tablet was still pulsing erratically, but the layer of void turbulence that had enshrouded its surface had completely dissipated.

Within a hundred-li radius, every cultivator who had intended to fight for the Cauldron Vessel had either been slaughtered by him or had retreated far beyond that boundary.

Chen Lingxi was just about to soar upward and approach this Killing Power Cauldron Vessel.

But the Killing Power Cauldron Vessel seemed to possess a spirit of its own. In an instant, it transformed into a streak of light, crossing the distance and hovering directly in front of Chen Lingxi.

Chen Lingxi’s eyes brightened, and he raised his hand to grasp the stone tablet.

In a split second, inside the Divine Chamber, the restoration progress for Absolute Perception surged wildly, shooting straight to full completion.

At the same time, streams of information poured into his mind.

They contained the true name of this Killing Power Cauldron Vessel Fragment, as well as the profound and terrible power brimming within it!

Chen Lingxi’s expression shifted slightly. He murmured softly...

”Enemy-Slaughtering Spirit Wall.”

As Chen Lingxi silently repeated the name in his heart, he felt an awe-inspiring aura of slaughter seep out from the stone tablet.

In his mind, two messages were still echoing.

[The Great Heavenly General of the Immortal Capital gathered the fierce slaughter qi of Daoist corpses to forge the Cauldron Vessel—Enemy-Slaughtering Spirit Wall!]

[Granted as a reward to Daoist Xuanjian!]

Chen Lingxi took a deep breath.

Had he really obtained the Killing Power Cauldron Vessel just like that?

The mysterious person inside the large Black Banner was entirely unexpected, but they had allowed him to reap tremendous rewards.

Had it not been for that mysterious person, he likely wouldn’t have been the one to lay claim to this Killing Power Cauldron Vessel.

Meanwhile, inside that Black Banner, a smile appeared on the face of the mysterious person with immortal breeze and Daoist bones.

He sat perfectly still within the deep mysteries of the Black Banner. The foul corruption within the banner was completely unable to taint his body. ”Chen Lingxi! You fought me for thirty thousand years, yet I have crossed the long river of time to set a decaying tribulation for the you of thirty thousand years ago! Let us see... how you attain the Dao!”