After the Great Dao Died

Far in the distance, vast fluctuations of Dao Origin rippled outward, terrifying beyond compare.

More than a single aura rode those waves; several entirely distinct Dao Origins intertwined and clashed, sparking terrifying flashes of light that looked capable of tearing the sky apart.

Where they collided, golden radiance and lightning intertwined. Sword qi and Dao Origin swept back and forth, painting half the heavens in a magnificent, terrifying expanse of chaos.

Chen Lingxi’s pupils contracted slightly. He recognized two of those auras.

One was the Heavenly Decline Law Dao Origin of Emperor Daye, Ying Xian—deep and vast as an ocean abyss, carrying a bizarre power that drove all things toward decay. The other was even more domineering and blazing, like a dazzling sun hung high in the sky, threatening to incinerate and melt everything in existence.

’Is that... the Immortal Slough?’ The thought flashed through Chen Lingxi’s mind.

”Correct,” Bai Lingze said, a smile playing on his lips. ”The Immortal Slough is in Ying Xian’s hands.

”Had Ying Xian not been trapped, this avatar of mine would still have had some reservations about striking at you.

”I do not know why he chose to protect your Dao. While I do not fear him, neither do I wish to be ambushed from the side while tangled in a fight with you.”

He paused, his gaze settling back onto Chen Lingxi, the smile in his eyes growing ever more relaxed. ”Yet now, Ying Xian is pinned down by Zhao Duanxuan. He has no time to look after you.

”Which makes this the best possible moment for me to kill you.”

Chen Lingxi understood at once.

The powerhouses of the Great Xuanzhuo Realm had evidently made their move against Emperor Daye.

The Dao Foundation avatars who descended into this world had originally fought for themselves, attacking one another. But after the battle at Nanche Prefecture City, they must have come to realize that without joining forces, not a single one among them—save for Zhao Duanxuan—could rival Ying Xian in single combat.

And so today’s situation had come about.

The Xi Family faction headed by Zhao Duanxuan had likely allied with several other powerful figures coveting the Immortal Slough to launch a combined assault against Ying Xian.

Even across so vast a distance, Chen Lingxi could still sense the violent tremors of Dao Origin rolling continuously from the distant horizon.

At the same time, a brilliant radiance flared out, blazing like a scorching sun.

Chen Lingxi raised an eyebrow and turned his gaze back to Bai Lingze.

Bai Lingze had already turned around, twin flames of cold killing intent kindling in his eyes.

He spread his arms, his wide sleeves whipping sharply in the wind, and an endless tide of golden sonic waves erupted from his body.

The sound of the Hymn of the Divine Being reached its crescendo, as though thousands of divine beings were simultaneously chanting an ancient war song. The hymn transformed into profound overarching truths that solidified into a tangible suppressive force, bearing down on Chen Lingxi from all directions.

The deep, sweeping fluctuations of Dao Origin enveloping him also uncoiled without reservation.

Dao Origin surged like a tide and the sonic waves roiled like an ocean, churning the sea of clouds for a hundred li around into a boiling frenzy.

He stood at the very center of that golden resonance, robes snapping fiercely in the wind, majestic as an immortal!

Then, without warning, he struck out with a palm.

Instantly, fierce winds whipped up. Amid the surging golden sonic waves and the faint silhouettes of mountains, the phantom of a Jade Platform roughly a hundred zhang tall rose high into the sky, carrying a terrifying might capable of suppressing all creation as it crushed down toward Chen Lingxi.

The pressure was far too vast and tyrannical, bearing down so heavily that the protective lightning coiled around Chen Lingxi flickered violently.

From his very first move, Bai Lingze had invoked a divine ability—the Jade Platform Seal!

The phantom of the Jade Platform was remarkably solid, constructed entirely from the purest jade-colored Dao Origin.

Chen Lingxi looked up at the sun-blotting phantom of the Jade Platform, yet not a trace of fear showed in his eyes.

He drew a deep breath, and the Plundering Dragon Dao Platform within him flared with brilliance.

Upon the Enemy-Slaughtering Spirit Wall, Bai Lingze’s name abruptly blazed with light.

An indescribable ancient aura diffused from the Spirit Wall, piercing through the Vast Void Pouch and his Qi Sea to merge completely with his spiritual qi.

Profound power surged forth in an unbroken stream.

Under the blessing of the Cauldron Vessel’s mighty power, Chen Lingxi felt his spiritual qi suddenly become incomparably heavy and dense.

His spiritual qi swelled by more than threefold!

At the same time, his flesh, bones, and skin exploded with wild power under the Cauldron Vessel’s enhancement, his physical resilience multiplying right alongside it.

Inside the Inner Divine Palace within Chen Lingxi’s body, the phantom of Great Sage Yaotian snapped its eyes open. An imposing Great Sage aura surged outward in all directions, rolling over the heavens and the earth!

”The Enemy-Slaughtering Spirit Wall is extraordinary indeed.”

Chen Lingxi channeled the Cloud Soaring Technique. Piercing, pale golden lightning erupted from the Azure Cloud beneath his feet. Already perfected to the Wondrous State, the Cloud Soaring Technique saw its speed multiply under the Cauldron Vessel’s blessing, tearing across the sky as swiftly as a true bolt of lightning.

His figure blurred and vanished from where he stood, narrowly dodging the full brunt of the Jade Platform Seal.

Grazing past his robes, the Jade Platform Seal slammed down with a deafening boom, shattering the cliff he had just occupied into pieces and throwing up a storm of flying rubble and billowing dust.

Relying on the extreme velocity of the Wondrous State Cloud Soaring Technique, Chen Lingxi wove through the airborne rubble and dust. Rising to his full height, he did not retreat; instead, he surged forward, charging straight at Bai Lingze.

His aura collided with Bai Lingze’s. When those two terrifying presences crashed together in the void, a visible shockwave rippled violently in every direction.

Wherever the shockwave passed, seas of clouds dispersed, mountain peaks shuddered, and even the churning cloud banks high in the sky were blasted apart, leaving a cavernous hole.

In that very instant, a brilliant beam of sword light burst into bloom.

Chen Lingxi pressed his fingers together into a sword. At his fingertips, a blade of light forged purely of lightning flickered furiously.

It was the Thunder-Wielding Heavenly King Sword!

Under the Cauldron Vessel’s empowerment, this killing technique from the Thunder-Concealing Sword Scripture burned with unprecedented brilliance and fury.

The moment the sword light took shape, an incomparably sharp sword intent soared into the sky, shearing the radiating sonic waves of Bai Lingze’s Hymn of the Divine Being to ribbons.

The two strikes collided!

Lightning tangled with jade radiance as sword intent crashed against Dao Origin, detonating a sun-blotting halo of light at the dead center of the impact.

Inside that halo, countless fine bolts of lightning and jade-hued runes clashed and melted into one another, unleashing a rolling series of earth-shaking explosions.

In that brief clash, the light of the Thunder-Wielding Heavenly King Sword abruptly scattered, but Chen Lingxi’s strike had forcibly severed more than half of the residual Dao Origin from Bai Lingze’s Jade Platform Seal.

Seizing the opening, Chen Lingxi unleashed the Heaven-Inviting Momentum. Above his head, the mountain-sized Flower of Golden Essence bloomed to its absolute limit, sending surging vital essence rushing into every bone and limb like floodwaters bursting a levee.

He took a step forward, right fist tightly clenched. Behind him, the phantom of Great Sage Yaotian tightened its fist as well and threw a thunderous blow.

The strike carried the Great Sage’s imposing aura, the Cauldron Vessel’s mighty power, and the entirety of Chen Lingxi’s spiritual qi. Lightning and golden light wound around the knuckles as the punch surged forth like a roaring dragon.

Under that single punch, the already-depleted Dao Origin of Bai Lingze’s Jade Platform Seal was completely shattered, scattering jade-colored specks of light like rain.

Bai Lingze furrowed his brow slightly, clearly surprised that Chen Lingxi had managed to meet his divine ability head-on without defeat.

With a flick of his sleeve, several more sonic ripples of the Hymn of the Divine Being surged toward Chen Lingxi.

Chen Lingxi’s Dao Platform trembled as though he had suffered an injury, but he used the counter-shock to drift several hundred zhang back, landing upon a peak that was still shuddering.

”I can’t beat him,” he muttered.

With that, Chen Lingxi turned and fled.

Pushing the Cloud Soaring Technique to its absolute limit, the Azure Cloud mixed with pale golden lightning tore through the sky like a true thunderbolt, speeding away into the distance.

The direction he flew was straight toward the high heavens above, where the Storm Immortal Pivot lay!

Bai Lingze’s imposing aura remained locked onto Chen Lingxi.

The sound waves of the Hymn of the Divine Being blanketed several hundred li around like a massive, invisible net, locking tightly onto Chen Lingxi’s presence.

Chen Lingxi pushed his speed to the absolute limit.

A look of surprise crossed Bai Lingze’s face.

Watching that streak of pale golden lightning draw further and further away, a flicker of genuine astonishment passed through his eyes.

He had likely never imagined that a low-realm cultivator he viewed as a mere ant could retreat unscathed from his Great Divine Ability, the Jade Platform Seal, let alone still possess the strength to flee.

Yet a moment later, he understood.

”It’s that Killing Power Cauldron Vessel,” he muttered.

He gave a cold snort in his heart. ’If we were in the same realm, with that Cauldron Vessel’s aid, you might truly have been able to contend with me!’

’What a pity that you die today, never to set foot in the Dao Foundation Realm!’

Radiating a murderous aura, Bai Lingze gave chase at blistering speed.

No cloud mist or flight light supported his feet; he simply strode through empty air, crossing hundreds of zhang with every step.

The sonic waves of the Hymn of the Divine Being wrapped around him like an invisible barrier, completely shutting out the heavenly winds and clouds.

Chen Lingxi gritted his teeth as he fled. ’Fortunately, it isn’t much further to the Storm Immortal Pivot.’

’I only need to hold out until I reach the high heavens, less than ten thousand zhang up, and plunge into the Storm Immortal Pivot.’

’If Bai Lingze dares to follow me in, this avatar of his will be ground to dust.’

Such were the thoughts racing through Chen Lingxi’s mind.

Yet Bai Lingze was simply too fast.

Dao Foundation cultivators were formidable to begin with, and Bai Lingze was no ordinary Early Dao Foundation practitioner. He sat high in third place on the Celestial Ranking, ranking even higher than Yu Jiangwei, who possessed the Substitute Dao Body Great Divine Ability.

From that alone, one could see how deep his reserves ran; on ordinary days, he had never once exerted his full strength.

In pursuit now, even with Chen Lingxi enjoying the threefold enhancement of the Enemy-Slaughtering Spirit Wall and the blistering pace of the Wondrous State Cloud Soaring Technique, Bai Lingze was not one bit slower.

In fact, as a faint smile appeared on Bai Lingze’s lips, the resonance of the Hymn of the Divine Being around him abruptly rose to a shrill, frantic pitch.

The divine whispers echoing by his ears instantly became swifter and more urgent!

Bolstered by that sacred chant, Bai Lingze’s speed also sharply increased.

At this rate, he would overtake Chen Lingxi in a dozen breaths at most.

Chen Lingxi’s brow furrowed, his thoughts spinning rapidly.

Though he had successfully forged the Plundering Dragon Dao Platform and carried the blessing of the Enemy-Slaughtering Spirit Wall, his strength still fell short of confronting Bai Lingze’s avatar head-on.

Using the Thunder-Wielding Heavenly King Sword to shatter the Jade Platform Seal and unleashing the Great Sage’s punch to scatter the remaining Dao Origin had appeared awe-inspiring, but in truth, those moves had drained more than half of his spiritual qi.

Inside his Qi Sea right now, the Plundering Dragon Dao Platform still revolved slowly, but the recovery of his spiritual qi could not begin to keep pace with the drain.

’Must I shatter the Plundering Dragon Dao Platform to break free?’

When a cultivator forged a Dao Platform, it naturally held its own profound secrets.

If one was forced to fight for their life, shattering the Dao Platform and detonating all its incompletely condensed power would grant an explosive boost in spiritual qi and extraordinary might.

This was a true life-risking method, a cultivator’s final desperate struggle in a hopeless situation.

’Only... if I shatter my Dao Platform, I will likely lose all hope of ever reaching the Dao Foundation Realm.’

’I have waited so long, secured the Great Divine Ability Spiritual Wall, obtained the Thunder Prison Spirit Branch, and found my chance at the Storm Immortal Pivot... I am missing only the final kick.’

’If this Dao Platform shatters, everything will have been for nothing.’

In that fleeting breath, thoughts flashed in rapid succession through Chen Lingxi’s mind.

He suddenly remembered the Lake Immortal Pivot.

’If I shatter the Dao Platform, escape with my life, and make for the Lake Immortal Pivot, could it heal my wounds?’

This thought lingered in his mind, refusing to fade.

Right at this moment, Bai Lingze’s leisurely voice drifted over from behind.

”If I want to kill you, you cannot escape.”

’Cannot escape?’

Chen Lingxi pressed his lips tight and gritted his teeth.

Sensing the terrifying aura closing in from behind and feeling the sky-covering sonic waves of the Hymn of the Divine Being, an indescribable resolve swelled in his chest.

His Dao Platform spun. With a single thought, the Plundering Dragon Dao Platform would violently shatter.

Just as Chen Lingxi was about to shatter his Dao Platform, a colossal golden human face suddenly broke through the clouds across the void!

Spanning a full hundred zhang, the face possessed features of unmatched majesty. With sword-like brows extending to its temples and eyes like stars, it looked like a towering idol forged of pure gold descending from the sky.

Firelight flowed within the face’s eyes—two burning, wildly spinning clusters of golden nebulae.

Those nebulae seemed to harbor an extraordinarily subtle spiritual essence, while also overflowing with an ineffable, ancient aura.

It was Emperor Daye, Ying Xian!

”Ying Xian?”

Bai Lingze’s expression changed drastically.

He could clearly sense that this enormous face was no physical entity, but a spell projection, much like the power sealed within that Golden Finger Bone from before.

Yet even as a projection, the coercion contained within this power was vastly more terrifying and domineering than what had been sealed in the finger bone.

And in that instant—

Emperor Daye struck downward with a massive palm!

From the right eye of that hundred-zhang face suspended in the void, a blindingly resplendent pillar of golden light suddenly shot out.

As the light pillar appeared, an endless tide of grayish-white mist spewed from within, churning into a giant hand that blotted out the sun and swept straight down at Bai Lingze’s head.

That palm contained the extremely dense power of the Heavenly Decline Law!

Wherever the grayish-white mist passed, clouds withered and the heavenly winds rotted. Even the sunlight falling from high in the sky grew visibly dimmer as it fell upon the mist, eroded by that bizarre power of decay.

Bai Lingze’s figure ground to an abrupt halt.

Forced to break off his pursuit of Chen Lingxi, he drove the resonance of the Hymn of the Divine Being around him to its absolute limit.

The golden sonic waves surged toward the grayish-white hand like a tsunami. Packed with incredibly pure jade-colored Dao Origin, the sonic waves acted like an invisible divine sword, intent on slicing the hand in two!

Yet to his astonishment, he found...

Before the grayish-white mist of the Heavenly Decline Law, the previously invincible resonance of his Hymn of the Divine Being was like a clay ox plunging into the sea!

The instant the grayish-white mist touched the sonic waves, the sound began to age, crumble, and dissipate in a bizarre fashion.

It was as if they had been washed in the river of time for tens of millions of years; no matter how sharp the divine sword, it would still be reduced to scrap iron.

Emperor Daye’s massive palm struck down, instantly dissolving into heavy layers of mist that enveloped Bai Lingze.

The Heavenly Decline Law circulated within the mist!

The mist acted like an invisible cage, trapping Bai Lingze inside. As the fog churned, the power of decay rushed at him from all directions like a tide, determined to rot and obliterate this avatar of his along with the Hymn of the Divine Being sonic waves surrounding him!

Bai Lingze gave a cold snort. ”Hardly able to protect yourself, yet you still dare to save someone else?”

Though trapped inside the mist cage of the Heavenly Decline Law, his divine sense could still perceive the outside world.

He clearly sensed that the true body of Emperor Daye, Ying Xian, was currently tens of thousands of li away, locked in a fierce battle with Zhao Duanxuan and the others.

Fighting so many opponents single-handedly, Ying Xian was already stretched too thin. How could he still dare to split his focus and expend such a massive price to save this ant?

Meanwhile, Chen Lingxi marveled in his heart. ’Emperor Daye truly keeps his word. Even at a time like this, he’s still protecting my Dao.’

He didn’t hesitate, heading straight for the Storm Immortal Pivot!

Pushing the Cloud Soaring Technique beneath his feet to its absolute limit, the pale golden lightning tore through the sky like a genuine thunderbolt, speeding away toward the high heavens.