After the Great Dao Died

Chen Lingxi sat cross-legged, his gaze calmly fixed on the head.

”Who are you?” he asked.

”This seat is named Chu Liaocang.”

”You are not a creature of this grotto-heaven,” Chen Lingxi said.

Chu Liaocang scoffed. ”This is a Qi-Depleted Grotto-Heaven. How could it possibly birth a figure like this seat?”

Chen Lingxi narrowed his eyes. The Cyan Edge Method suddenly manifested, piercing into the cracks on the demon’s head.

Chu Liaocang let out a miserable shriek and hurriedly explained, ”This seat suffered a tribulation and fell into the turbulent flows of the void, eventually landing in this grotto-heaven. I have no idea how long I slumbered, nor how many years have passed.”

”You say you slept for untold years. Then why did you wake up now?” Chen Lingxi asked.

Chu Liaocang said, ”Three days ago, a Seeker of Truth passed by that mountain and discovered the treasure chest where this seat resided.

”He thought it was a serendipitous encounter, so he stepped forward to investigate and likewise injected spiritual qi into it.

”Although this seat was slumbering at the time, that chest was connected to my mind. After that person injected his spiritual qi into it, it awakened a sliver of my dormant consciousness.”

”And then?”

”And then this seat controlled the chest and swallowed him,” Chu Liaocang said. ”That man’s cultivation wasn’t weak. Though inferior to you, he had quite a solid foundation.

”His flesh, blood, and soul melted into the chest, finally allowing my divine sense to recover a trace of clarity so I could barely perceive the outside world.

”But even though my consciousness had awakened, the spiritual qi within my body had long since dried up. I was completely unable to control my spiritual treasure or restore myself.”

That spiritual treasure was presumably the shattered treasure chest.

Chen Lingxi understood clearly. ”So you were waiting for the next person to inject spiritual qi into you?”

”Correct,” Chu Liaocang admitted frankly. ”When you and that woman approached one after another, this seat was overjoyed.

”But you were far too shrewd, junior. You actually noticed something was wrong and quietly retreated without making a move.

”This seat was frantic, but there was nothing I could do.”

Chen Lingxi frowned.

This demon had been trapped here for an untold number of years without ever breaking free.

Yet in the span of just a few short days, several people had consecutively arrived at this nameless mountain.

It was a bit too coincidental.

”Later, that woman arrived,” Chu Liaocang continued. ”This seat swallowed her and finally obtained enough spiritual qi to run a grand circulation cycle, allowing me to wield the spiritual treasure, restore my own spiritual qi, and break free.”

A trace of greed flashed across his single eye. ”But that woman’s spiritual qi was still far, far too meager. It wasn’t nearly enough to restore even a ten-thousandth of my strength.

”After breaking free, this seat sensed you were just over ten li away. Your spiritual qi is over a hundred times richer than hers. If I could have eaten you, I would have at least regained a fraction of my power and wouldn’t be in such a wretched state right now.”

Chen Lingxi ignored his gaze, sinking into deep thought instead.

Three days ago, a Seeker of Truth passed by, discovered the treasure chest, and was devoured.

Today, he and that woman had approached in sequence. He sensed danger and retreated, while the woman fell for the trap and was killed, allowing Chu Liaocang to escape.

It all seemed perfectly logical, just a series of coincidences.

But Chen Lingxi couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.

It was far too coincidental.

The path of cultivation held all sorts of profound mysteries and extraordinary wonders.

Once a cultivator reached a certain realm, they could glimpse the subtle traces of the Heavenly Dao’s workings and perceive the profound secrets of fate and karma.

The higher a cultivator’s realm, the less they believed in the word ”coincidence.”

Everything in this world operated on karma and causality.

Today’s events looked like a coincidence, but somewhere in the unseen world, Chen Lingxi felt an invisible hand manipulating everything from the shadows.

’Who could it be?’

Chen Lingxi sat cross-legged underwater.

He mentally ran through every person he had met, heard of, or fought against over the years.

Until he thought of Xi Yu...

And the Battle of Cauldron Seizing, and the elegant young master who had taken her away, vanishing into a tornado.

’Come to think of it, among everyone I’ve interacted with, the only one I know almost nothing about is that elegant young master.’

But who was that young master?

Chen Lingxi furrowed his brow, pondering for a long time before finally standing up.

’I might as well go ask Daoist Friend Lin.’

He resealed the head with spiritual qi and returned to Cuojin Mountain. After hiding the head inside the King of the East’s Traveling Palace, he set out to find Lin Suri.

Lin Suri was still atop that snowy peak.

A sea of clouds surged around the snow-capped mountain, giving it an air of profound mystery.

Chen Lingxi dispelled the Cloud Soaring Technique beneath his feet and landed on the snowy peak.

Lin Suri sat cross-legged deep within the snowy expanse, his eyes closed in rhythmic breathing.

Sensing Chen Lingxi’s aura, he opened his eyes and cast out a beam of spiritual qi.

Chen Lingxi followed the spiritual qi over. The two exchanged greetings before arriving together at the summit of the snowy mountain.

From here, they could overlook the entire expanse of snow peaks and the sea of clouds. The scenery was exceptionally magnificent.

Lin Suri poured tea for Chen Lingxi and asked, ”Brother Chen, did something happen?”

Chen Lingxi hid nothing, recounting the entire bizarre sequence of events.

Lin Suri frowned, a heavy expression falling over his face.

He fell silent for a moment... as if he were listening to something.

A few breaths later, Lin Suri looked up, the gravity on his face deepening.

”Brother Chen,” Lin Suri spoke slowly. ”You just said that the head’s name is Chu Liaocang, that he refers to himself as ’this seat’, and that he is someone from the demonic sects?”

”Exactly,” Chen Lingxi nodded.

Lin Suri furrowed his brow. ”He claims he fell into this realm to evade a tribulation and slept for countless years.

”Yet the timing of his awakening, the method of his escape, and the reason he targeted you—all of it is simply too coincidental...”

He paused and took a deep breath before continuing, ”Such a coincidence, yet laden with murderous intent... it bears a striking resemblance to a Great Divine Ability—[Blessing Buries the Profound].”

”[Blessing Buries the Profound]?” Chen Lingxi frowned.

Lin Suri explained, ”This Great Divine Ability originates from the Yulong Tengsheng Dao, which is one of the higher Daos above the Twenty-Four Heavenly Great Daos.

”This Dao governs providence and grand momentum. Those who successfully cultivate it can practice using the momentum and destinies of the world. They can even manipulate karma and fate in the unseen realm, borrowing the power of heaven and earth to empower themselves and slay their enemies.”

Listening to this, Chen Lingxi’s mind was shaken.

Such methods were completely beyond the imagination of ordinary cultivators.

”And [Blessing Buries the Profound] is exactly one of the Great Divine Abilities within the Yulong Tengsheng Dao.”

Lin Suri’s voice was low and solemn. ”Once this divine ability is cast, the user can control the blessings, providence, fate, and fortune granted to others by the heavens. It turns these ethereal concepts into a tangible opportunity for slaughter, casting an inescapable trap that plunges the opponent into a fatal dead end without them even realizing it!”

Chen Lingxi inhaled sharply.

Controlling providence? Manipulating fate?

If that was the case, then everything made sense.

Why had he repeatedly failed to refine that precious qi? Why had he felt so agitated? And why had he suddenly felt the urge to wander around?

Why was it that the demonic treasure chest, which had been lost in this realm for ages without anyone noticing, was suddenly discovered by three consecutive people within just a few days?

One person awakened the Chu Liaocang inside.

One person allowed Chu Liaocang to recover a fraction of his cultivation base.

And the ultimate fatal tribulation was orchestrated to fall upon Chen Lingxi!

None of this was a coincidence.

It was highly likely that someone had used the [Blessing Buries the Profound] divine ability to tamper with his providence and alter his fate, twisting his fortune onto a trajectory leading straight to his death.

Having figured this out, Chen Lingxi felt a sudden chill run down his spine.

Throughout his cultivation journey, he had never feared slaughter or battle, but the sensation of having his destiny manipulated so silently and invisibly filled him with an unprecedented dread.

He looked at Lin Suri and asked, ”Brother Lin, according to you, what level of cultivation is required for someone to cast such a divine ability?”

Lin Suri was silent for a moment before replying, ”[Blessing Buries the Profound] is a Great Divine Ability from the Yulong Tengsheng Dao. Forget about casting it—ordinary cultivators have never even heard of it.”

Chen Lingxi listened in silence.

Seeing his grim expression, Lin Suri continued, ”Brother Chen, don’t worry too much just yet. Within the Nine Quarters of the Great Xuanzhuo Realm, the Under-Dao Academy only knows of one person who has mastered the [Blessing Buries the Profound] Great Divine Ability.”

”Who?” Chen Lingxi immediately asked.

Lin Suri answered, ”Bai Qingjiao of the Bai Family! A Golden Palace True Person.”

Bai Qingjiao.

A Golden Palace True Person!

Chen Lingxi couldn’t help but take a deep breath.

A Golden Palace True Person... just how incredibly powerful was that?

Emperor Daye was merely at the Early Dao Foundation realm, yet he could easily suppress the projected avatars of three Under-Dao Academy disciples with the combat power of the Twelfth Floor of Qi Circulation.

A figure like a Golden Palace True Person could likely burn the heavens and boil the seas. Their power was utterly terrifying.

Why would such a figure strike at him?

Chen Lingxi frowned deeply.

Lin Suri then continued, ”Across the Nine Quarters of the Great Xuanzhuo Realm, the Bai Family is an illustrious cultivation clan with profound foundations and a long lineage.

”And Bai Qingjiao is one of the most outstanding figures of the Bai Family’s current generation. With earth-shattering cultivation, this person acts in a highly arrogant and flashy manner, leaving no one in the Nine Quarters unaware of their name.”

As he said this, a few more doubts surfaced in Lin Suri’s mind.

’Daoist Brother Chen says he is merely a Loose Cultivator. If he is just a Loose Cultivator, how could he have offended True Person Bai of the Bai Family?’

’Furthermore, if True Person Bai really took action and had the means to cross the void’s turbulent flows to cast a Great Divine Ability upon Daoist Brother Chen, how could Daoist Brother Chen possibly have a chance of surviving?’

’Could it be that Martial Uncle and I guessed wrong?’

Lin Suri pondered inwardly.

Right at this moment, Chen Lingxi frowned and said, ”I’ve never had any interactions with that True Person Bai. How could I have offended a figure like that?”

Hearing this, Lin Suri couldn’t help but shake his head, a look of bewilderment appearing on his face.

”What you say makes sense, Brother Chen,” he pondered aloud. ”Bai Qingjiao resides high up in the Bai Family’s secret realm and holds an incredibly exalted status. For an ordinary cultivator, just catching a glimpse of this person is harder than ascending to the heavens...”

He paused and looked at Chen Lingxi. ”Could it be that this tribulation of yours didn’t actually come from this True Person Bai, but rather... you were simply destined to suffer this calamity?”

Chen Lingxi lowered his head to think for a moment, then suddenly looked up and asked, ”Daoist Brother Lin, do you know... if this Bai Immortal Clan has any connection to the Que Star Xi Family?”

Lin Suri mused for a moment. A flash of red light flickered behind him, visible to him alone.

Immediately after, Lin Suri raised his head and said softly, ”There is indeed a connection.

”The Bai Family and the Xi Family have been on quite good terms in recent years. It’s said that a cultivator from the Xi Family was betrothed to Bai Lingze, the Dao Foundation genius of the Bai Family!”

Chen Lingxi’s pupils constricted slightly.

”Bai Lingze...”

”Could this person be that elegant young master who was protecting Xi Yu?”

”If so, then the person engaged to Bai Lingze... is Xi Yu?”

A cold smile appeared on Chen Lingxi’s lips.

’As expected... how could there possibly be such a coincidence in this world?’