After the Great Dao Died

As spiritual qi surged around her, a profoundly mystical mark faintly circulated between her brows.

It took the shape of a Willow Leaf. Vibrant azure-green, it resonated with the halo of the willow-leaf jade pendant at her waist, exuding a rhythmic, heart-palpitating vitality and Daoist charm.

Bai Lingze’s gaze lingered on the Willow Leaf mark between Xi Yu’s brows for a moment. A faint gleam flashed in his eyes before he looked away.

He turned sideways, his eyes slowly sweeping across a void now shrouded by numerous Dao Foundation auras.

”The Xi and Bai families are brother clans.”

He spoke slowly. ”The Immortal Slough aura on this person is so dense. Nine times out of ten, the Immortal Slough is on him.”

At this, the two clusters of jade-colored light in his eyes suddenly grew brighter. ”This man is a spent force.

”Once the Wall-Breaking Shuttle is ferried over and breaches his turtle shell, he will be a turtle in a jar, with nowhere to run!”

”Since that’s the case...” He slowly turned around, his gaze once again sweeping through the void.

Around the Ancestral Mountain, no fewer than six or seven Dao Foundation auras were currently lying in ambush!

These figures had only one goal: to seize the Immortal Slough!

Zhao Duanxuan narrowed his eyes, his imposing gaze also sweeping through the void.

”Does Daoist Friend Bai wish to settle this once and for all?” Zhao Duanxuan asked.

Bai Lingze smiled. ”Now is the perfect opportunity... The Immortal Slough’s aura has drawn in numerous experts. Even if we cannot kill them all, we can severely wound them. Once the Immortal Slough is in our hands, there will be far fewer obstacles.”

Zhao Duanxuan thought for a moment before answering, ”If the two of us act rashly, we will inevitably offend everyone else.”

He slowly shook his head. ”Even if the Wall-Breaking Shuttle can breach the Mountains and Rivers Great Array, all these Dao Foundation avatars will swarm forward. How could just the two of us monopolize the Immortal Slough?

”Facing six Dao Foundation figures joining forces... I’m afraid that wouldn’t end well.”

He paused briefly, his gaze suddenly falling upon a specific spot in the clouds as an extremely sharp light flashed in his eyes.

”Although this avatar of mine possesses two Profound Roots and is at the Dao Foundation Middle Stage, I wouldn’t fear them in a true life-and-death struggle.

”But that Yu Jiangwei is a massive threat.

”Her Dao Substitution Body Great Divine Ability is incredibly troublesome.”

His tone grew deeper, and the sharp light in his eyes burned even brighter. ”Furthermore... Emperor Daye Ying Xian’s true body is still lying in wait somewhere unknown.

”This man is incredibly shrewd and has an endless array of methods. In the previous battle, he was clearly heavily injured, yet he forcefully used the Mountains and Rivers Great Array to trap all of us while vanishing without a trace using some unknown secret art.

”If we fight amongst ourselves here and he manages to heal his injuries, giving him an opening would truly be a loss outweighing the gain.”

Bai Lingze listened quietly, that unhurried smile remaining on his face the entire time.

Only after Zhao Duanxuan finished speaking did he slowly shake his head, his smile undiminished.

”Brother Zhao’s concerns are indeed reasonable,” he said leisurely, his tone carrying an air of absolute certainty. ”I have already considered all of this.”

Zhao Duanxuan raised a brow. His gaze fell on Bai Lingze, a hint of inquiry flashing in his eyes.

Bai Lingze didn’t answer immediately.

He turned his head, his gaze piercing through the rolling sea of clouds to look at the distant horizon.

”Daoist Friend Liu Chengfeng of the Dragon-Revering Sect,” he said. ”He has agreed to help me.”

Hearing this, a look of surprise flashed through Zhao Duanxuan’s eyes.

Liu Chengfeng?

This person was from the Dragon-Revering Sect. Although he wasn’t someone from the inner seven peaks, the Dragon-Revering Sect was ultimately a True Monarch-level behemoth. Anyone who could cultivate to the Dao Foundation realm in such a sect was definitely no ordinary figure.

But Liu Chengfeng... why would he agree to help Bai Lingze?

Zhao Duanxuan was still pondering when Bai Lingze spoke again.

”There is also the Golden Crown Demon Lord of the Southern Heaven Domain,” Bai Lingze said leisurely. ”I have negotiated terms with him as well.”

Zhao Duanxuan abruptly frowned.

The Golden Crown Demon Lord, a Dao Foundation Perfection demon lord of the Southern Heaven Region!

This avatar of his ranked fifth on the Celestial Ranking!

He was a golden-crowned rooster that had cultivated into a demon. His divine abilities were unfathomably bizarre. When fighting, he would often open his beak and crow, unleashing tens of thousands of golden rays that poured down like a torrential rain.

Those golden rays were peerlessly sharp; even a body cultivator of the same realm wouldn’t dare meet them head-on.

Such an expert would naturally do his utmost to seize the Immortal Slough. Why would he act as a stepping stone for someone else?

Standing with his hands clasped behind his back, Bai Lingze explained in an unhurried tone, ”The Dragon-Revering Sect is a sect in name, but in reality, aside from the inner seven peaks, it’s incredibly disorganized. The other nearly two hundred peaks fight and conquer one another, completely like a dish of loose sand.

”This Liu Chengfeng hails from Sword Audience Peak and serves as an elder there.

”Sword Audience Peak can’t be considered a major peak within the Dragon-Revering Sect. Their cultivation resources are far from abundant, and the disciples there live rather frugally.

”Dealing with someone like him is quite simple; one only needs to offer him enough cultivation resources.

”While my Bai Family cannot compare to the true behemoths of the Land of Nine Palaces, we can still easily afford a few resources.”

He paused. The two clusters of jade-colored light slowly circulated in his eyes, and a profound, meaningful smile flashed deep in his pupils.

”As for the Golden Crown Demon Lord...”

His tone shifted, turning solemn. ”He is a demon cultivator who entered the Southern Heaven Region to cultivate. While his combat prowess is extraordinary, he ultimately cannot compare to disciples born of orthodox immortal clans.

”He desires that complete Cauldron Vessel to forge his Dao Foundation Perfection and prove his Golden Palace Dao Fruit.

”So, I promised him the complete Cauldron Vessel of this world.”

As soon as these words were spoken, Zhao Duanxuan’s expression drastically changed.

He turned his head, looking utterly serious. ”Daoist Friend Bai, this Weiji Grotto-Heaven belongs to my Que Star Xi Family!

”If the Immortal Slough had never appeared, the Cauldron Vessel would naturally be left for the reincarnators to fight over. This was agreed upon by my clan’s True Monarch, and no one would go back on their word.

”But now that the Immortal Slough has emerged, all previous orders have been shattered. Since my avatar has come here, then...”

His aura flared wildly in his eyes!

”Then everything in this world, be it the Immortal Slough or the Cauldron Vessel, belongs to my Xi Family! I absolutely will not allow outsiders to lay a finger on them!

”How... how could you overstep your bounds and promise this Cauldron Vessel to an outsider?”

Zhao Duanxuan’s tone carried more than a little anger.

But his fury only flared for a moment before suddenly halting.

Because he saw the meaningful smile playing at the corners of Bai Lingze’s mouth.

Zhao Duanxuan was taken aback, but then he quickly understood.

Once the Golden Crown Demon Lord and Liu Chengfeng helped Bai Lingze seize the Immortal Slough and defeat the other experts, he would have thousands of ways to turn hostile and refuse to acknowledge his debt.

After all, a Dao Foundation Jade Precept Book was incredibly rare in this Weiji Grotto-Heaven, and ferrying treasures over required a long time.

Even if Bai Lingze wanted to sign a Jade Precept Book with the Golden Crown Demon Lord, he didn’t necessarily have one on hand.

Without the constraints of a Jade Precept Book, a verbal promise was nothing more than an agreement that could be torn up at any time.

But even so... Zhao Duanxuan’s brow remained tightly furrowed.

He still felt that such methods were a bit... too despicable.

His Que Star Xi Family had always acted by crushing their enemies with absolute strength. When had they ever used such deceitful tricks?

Using empty promises to trick others into risking their lives for him, only to turn his back on them after the deed was done—such conduct completely contradicted the Dao of cultivation he upheld.

Bai Lingze seemed to see through his thoughts.

He stood above the clouds with his hands behind his back.

”The Immortal Slough is no ordinary object; its marvelous uses are endless.

”The turbulent void currents outside this Qi-Depleted Grotto-Heaven are incredibly strong. Since our true bodies cannot come here, we had no choice but to pay a massive price to ferry our avatars down into this grotto-heaven.

”If we leave with nothing, wouldn’t we have wasted all those cultivation resources from our clans?”

He turned around, his ethereal, otherworldly eyes looking straight at Zhao Duanxuan.

”In the struggle of cultivation, how can anything be called despicable?”

Zhao Duanxuan remained silent.

Bai Lingze shook his head again. ”That Golden Crown Demon Lord is a deep schemer. It is entirely possible that he is using our hands to eliminate the other profound sect figures. Besides... it’s still unknown how things will actually unfold.

”However... thinking about it carefully, with just the strength of the two of us, plus Liu Chengfeng, it is actually more than enough.”

Zhao Duanxuan thought for a moment, then turned to glance at Xiao Changlv, who was sitting cross-legged.

After a long while, he gave a slight nod.

”If Ying Xian shows himself, I have also prepared a grand gift for him,” Zhao Duanxuan murmured softly, effectively agreeing.

Xiao Changlv sat cross-legged in the center of the valley, his eyes shut tight.

The terrifying blood vitality within his body, which had originally been as vast as a boundless ocean, was now less than a tenth of what it used to be. The residual blood vitality slowly circulated along the formation runes of the Mountains and Rivers Great Array, maintaining its operation.

Outside the Mountains and Rivers Great Array, in the void, six or seven Dao Foundation auras lay dormant like vipers, gathering power and waiting to strike.

A dozen or so days was but the snap of a finger to a mortal, yet to the void above the Ancestral Mountain at this moment, it was like the final calm before a storm.

Outside the Mountains and Rivers Great Array, the numerous Dao Foundation avatars still occupied their respective positions, patiently waiting for something.

This continued until ten days quietly slipped by.

On this day, high in the heavens above, a blindingly brilliant light suddenly erupted from the Great Ferrying Array laid down by the Bai Family.

The light was a pale crimson hue.

Right in the very center of that light, a radiance brimming with ancient Daoist charm smashed through layers of spatial barriers and crashed down!

Within that radiance, countless dense runes poured down like a torrential rain!

Where the runes landed, the Great Ferrying Array violently trembled.

Immediately after, those runes began to madly gather, interweave, and take shape like living creatures, sketching out a slender outline in the void.

That outline gradually grew solid and clear. Finally, surrounded by a sky full of runes, it transformed into a shuttle-shaped Spiritual Artifact.

It was the Wall-Breaking Shuttle!

The Wall-Breaking Shuttle was about three feet long, pointed at both ends, slightly wider in the middle, and pale crimson all over.

This Wall-Breaking Shuttle was merely a projection, yet it exuded a profound power that left one astounded.

The Second Grade Spiritual Artifact, the Wall-Breaking Shuttle, had descended!

Bai Lingze stood beside the Great Ferrying Array, his hands behind his back as his white robes fluttered endlessly.

When he saw the phantom of the Wall-Breaking Shuttle finally solidify completely, the confident smile on his face grew several degrees wider.

He reached out his hand, and the Wall-Breaking Shuttle, as if possessing a spirit of its own, flew out from the Great Ferrying Array by itself, turning into a streak of light that landed in his palm.

He looked down and studied the Wall-Breaking Shuttle for a moment. Then he raised his head, gazing at Xiao Changlv, who was still regulating his breath and healing inside the Mountains and Rivers Great Array. The smile playing on his lips became even more delighted.

’Today, I shall use this shuttle to break your turtle shell.’

He thought to himself, storing the Wall-Breaking Shuttle into his Vast Void Pouch as he slowly stood up.

In the instant he stood up, the imposing aura around him exploded outwards!

An indescribably terrifying wave of Dao Origin surged out from his body and shot into the sky, violently blowing back the sea of clouds within a radius of several dozen miles!

The faint sound of the Hymn of the Divine Being echoing by his ears suddenly became high-pitched and impassioned at this moment, as if thousands of divine beings were preaching the Dao simultaneously!

The hymns transformed into profound supreme truths, then manifested as physical coercion, pressing down in all directions and blotting out the sky.

He spread his arms wide, his large sleeves snapping violently in the wind.

The jade-colored light that had only been slowly circulating in his eyes suddenly morphed into dense Jade Qi!

That Jade Qi rose from the very depths of his eyes!

Within that Jade Qi, countless intricate incantation seals could be faintly seen circulating, breathing out a profound, heart-stopping Daoist charm.

At this moment, Bai Lingze was like a true Daoist immortal descending into the mortal realm.

Zhao Duanxuan stood to the side with his hands behind his back, taking in all of Bai Lingze’s transformations.

A hint of surprise flashed through his imposing eyes, only to be quickly replaced by a look of understanding.

’He’s getting serious,’ he thought.

Ever since Bai Lingze descended into this world, he had kept his true strength deeply hidden.

But now, with the Immortal Slough right in front of them, he no longer had any need to hold back.

Zhao Duanxuan retracted his gaze and instead looked toward the Mountains and Rivers Great Array.

The two clusters of golden flames in his eyes also suddenly flared to brilliance at this moment, and the already deep, vast fluctuations of Dao Origin around him skyrocketed once more!

The two Profound Roots within his body simultaneously burst forth with radiant splendor. One was a crimson-gold like a blazing sun, while the other was as pitch-black as an abyssal sea. Two completely different Dao Foundation Great Divine Abilities manifested on him at the same time.

The crimson-gold Profound Root transformed into a massive golden sun that hung behind him, emitting terrifyingly high temperatures capable of incinerating all things.

The pitch-black Profound Root transformed into a dark abyss that slowly rotated beneath his feet, exuding a bizarre power that swallowed all light!

With the mighty power of two Dao Foundation Great Divine Abilities empowering him simultaneously, Zhao Duanxuan’s aura climbed higher once again.

He merely stood there, yet the terrifying Dao Origin fluctuations around him pressed out in all directions like something tangible. They transformed into violent hurricanes that completely blew away the clouds within a hundred-mile radius!

With the clouds dispersed, the numerous Dao Foundation avatars originally hidden within the mist could no longer conceal their presence.

Yu Jiangwei of Zhuran Star sat cross-legged on a wisp of cloud, the profound mist formed by her Dao Substitution Body Great Divine Ability slowly swirling around her.

The strong winds blew past, revealing a corner of her mist-shrouded face. One could faintly see an exceptionally aloof and cold countenance, as well as eyes as deep as an abyss.

She looked up, her gaze piercing through the howling gales that had yet to fully fade, and landed on Zhao Duanxuan and Bai Lingze. A faint indifference flashed through her eyes, but she showed not the slightest intent to retreat.

Liu Chengfeng of the Dragon-Revering Sect remained dressed in green robes, a treasured sword resting at his waist.

The Golden Crown Demon Lord of the Southern Heaven Domain stood atop the clouds. Golden light swirled around him, completely isolating him from the hurricane winds Zhao Duanxuan had unleashed.

His crimson eyes were half-open, making him look lethargic, but a cold snort left his beak. The snort was filled to the brim with a wild, untamable demonic aura.

The phantom image of the Big Dipper slowly circulated around Daoist Shu Rong of the Under-Dao Academy.

There were also Daoist Chanting of the Profound Sage Sect and Cheng Qingyun of the Ninghai Profound Sect!

With the various experts revealing themselves, the atmosphere in the void abruptly grew tense.

A great battle was on the verge of breaking out.