After the Great Dao Died

Bai Lingze’s avatar transformed into a streak of jade light, fleeing wildly toward the horizon.

Chen Lingxi flicked his finger!

A cyan sword light shot from his fingertip—the Cyan Edge Method.

The sword light moved incredibly fast, catching up to within a hundred zhang of Bai Lingze in an instant. The unmatched sharpness of its pulsing sword intent cleanly shattered Bai Lingze’s remaining protective Dao Origin.

But Bai Lingze was ultimately the avatar of a Dao Foundation Perfection cultivator. Even in such a wretched state, he forced his body into a sideways twist, evading the brunt of the sword light.

The light grazed his left shoulder, shearing his entire left arm clean off.

Before the severed limb could hit the ground, the lightning coiling around the sword light incinerated it into ash.

Bai Lingze let out a muffled groan. Borrowing the repulsive force of the blow, his flight speed abruptly surged. Like a dying shooting star, he vanished beyond the edge of the sky.

Chen Lingxi pulled back his hand. The two clusters of pale gold lightning in his eyes slowly receded a fraction; he showed no intention of giving chase.

He turned around, his gaze falling upon the center of the ruined Mountains and Rivers Great Array deep within Ancestral Mountain.

Xiao Changlv still sat cross-legged amidst the devastated valley.

His dark robes had long been reduced to tatters, exposing the knotted, copper-and-iron-like muscles beneath.

Dozens of shocking wounds crisscrossed his bronze skin. Lingering traces of several completely different Dao Origins still writhed within those cuts, clashing against one another and hindering his healing.

But right at that moment, Xiao Changlv snapped his eyes open.

Two clusters of golden flame slowly danced within his pupils.

The moment he did, his previously withered aura began to recover at a visible rate.

Heavy, majestic blood energy surged from his body like floodwaters bursting a dam.

The blood energy was boundless and dense, not losing out in the slightest to his peak state.

Meanwhile, the spiritual energy lingering in the Mountains and Rivers Great Array converged from all directions, pouring madly into his body to fuel his recovery.

Chen Lingxi drew a deep breath.

’Emperor Daye truly has a backup plan.’

He murmured the thought to himself.

In just a few breaths, Xiao Changlv slowly stood up. His presence swelled like a towering mountain rising from the earth, and the abyssal pressure of his blood energy continuously elevated!

He lifted his head. His golden-flamed eyes pierced through layers of the void to land on Zhao Duanxuan, his aura incredibly oppressive.

Zhao Duanxuan stood beneath the Gold-Suppressing Cauldron. He had been about to crush Emperor Daye, Ying Xian, with the momentum of a blazing sun, but he suddenly halted.

Turning to look at Xiao Changlv rising from the valley, he slightly furrowed his brow.

He could clearly sense the energy around Xiao Changlv regenerating in a highly bizarre manner.

It was as if all the spiritual energy in the void had become his fuel, pouring endlessly into his body and restoring seventy to eighty percent of his peak combat strength in a matter of seconds.

Further away, Chen Lingxi stood in the void. Though the lightning around him had mostly receded, it still flickered ceaselessly.

A pair of lightning-lit eyes stared back at him. The gaze was calm as water, yet held an unconcealed, biting killing intent.

The Dao Foundation Realm, the Thunder Prison Heaven Great Divine Ability—his edge was sharper than ever!

Zhao Duanxuan pondered for a moment.

Even alone, he didn’t fear a joint attack from Chen Lingxi and Xiao Changlv, but Emperor Daye, Ying Xian, stood off to the side, watching covetously.

From beginning to end, Ying Xian had never revealed his true depths...

Weighing his options took only an instant before Zhao Duanxuan made his decision.

He raised a hand and retracted his power. The sky-obscuring Gold-Suppressing Cauldron abruptly shrank, turning into a streak of golden light that fell into his palm.

Standing atop the clouds with his hands behind his back, his gaze swept over Chen Lingxi, Xiao Changlv, and Ying Xian one by one, ultimately settling on Emperor Daye.

”Daoist Friend Ying Xian,” he spoke slowly. His voice was as deep and heavy as ever, resonant and awe-inspiring as it echoed through the world. ”Today’s conflict ends here. The struggle for opportunities is a long road.”

With that, the blazing sun beneath his feet flared brightly, engulfing him completely. He transformed into a crimson-gold rainbow that shot into the sky, tearing through the sea of clouds and vanishing past the horizon in the blink of an eye.

Standing in the void, Chen Lingxi watched the fading crimson-gold rainbow as the lightning in his eyes slowly dimmed.

His battle with Bai Lingze just now seemed like effortlessly sweeping away dead twigs, but in reality, it had consumed more than half of the Dao Origin in his Plundering Dragon Dao Platform.

Although the Immortal Smiting Thunder Pool was the killing move of the Thunder Prison Heaven Great Divine Ability, its drain on his Dao Origin was equally terrifying. Had it not been for the mighty power of the Enemy-Slaughtering Spirit Wall Cauldron Vessel supporting him, it would have been absolutely impossible for him to defeat Bai Lingze right after stepping into the Dao Foundation Realm.

Zhao Duanxuan was stronger than Bai Lingze—much stronger.

In his current state, if he really clashed head-on with Zhao Duanxuan, it was impossible to say who would emerge alive.

He withdrew his gaze, just about to look toward Emperor Daye.

Suddenly!

A drastic change occurred!

An indescribably terrifying pressure descended from the sky.

Chen Lingxi’s expression drastically changed.

”What is this?”

He abruptly threw his head back, circulating the Method of Qi Observation in his eyes as he looked up at the firmament.

Emperor Daye did the same!

Then... Chen Lingxi saw a pair of eyes!

It was a pair of eyes that no words could describe.

They hung in the highest, most distant reaches of the heavens, resembling two ancient stars left behind from a bygone eon—emotionless, devoid of nature, and cold to the absolute extreme.

Just like that, they looked down upon the grotto-heaven, looking down at Chen Lingxi and Ying Xian!

There was no killing intent in that gaze, nor was there anger. There was no emotion at all, only a pure, condescending apathy.

It was like a person looking down at the ants beneath their feet, or gazing at a speck of dust—knowing it was there, but too lazy to distinguish its shape.

Chen Lingxi felt his breathing instantly come to a halt.

The Plundering Dragon Dao Platform trembled madly. Under the scrutiny of that gaze, the Thunder Prison Profound Root involuntarily curled up. The Weiji Thunder Radiance upon the profound root grew dim and lusterless, shivering like a terrified newborn beast.

Within the Inner Divine Palace in his body, the phantom of Great Sage Yaotian abruptly opened its eyes. The Great Sage’s bearing surged out in waves, seeking to resist this terrifying pressure.

But the moment the Great Sage’s phantom appeared, the indescribable power carried in that gaze crushed it inch by inch, reducing it back to nothingness as it dissipated deep inside him.

”Just what exactly is that?”

Chen Lingxi swallowed hard, truly experiencing what it meant to be insignificant.

It was like a drop of water facing a vast ocean, like a speck of dust facing the boundless cosmos.

He had no doubt that if the owner of those eyes so much as flicked a thought, he—along with Ancestral Mountain and the rivers and mountains stretching for a thousand li—would be reduced to fine powder.

And he would have absolutely no room to fight back.

At this exact moment, Emperor Daye, Ying Xian, also raised his head.

Wearing his imperial crown and his Dark Dragon Robe, he stood upon that seven-colored rainbow bridge.

He lifted his face to meet the eyes in the firmament.

Under that descending gaze, the golden flames burning in his own eyes suddenly dimmed a fraction.

The golden nebulas that had been madly spinning in his pupils slowed down, becoming increasingly sluggish.

The pale gray mist formed by his Heavenly Decline Law Great Divine Ability was crushed layer by layer by the oppressive might.

The power contained within those eyes was simply too immense, beyond all description.

As Chen Lingxi stared up at those eyes, a sudden speculation was born in his mind.

”Could this be... the True Monarch of the Que Star Xi clan?”

Hearing his words, Emperor Daye gazed at those eyes for a long time before slowly speaking.

”So this is a True Monarch.”

”This terrifying, this dreadful.”

Chen Lingxi turned his head, exchanging a glance with Emperor Daye.

Both men fell silent.

Within Emperor Daye’s golden-flamed eyes, Chen Lingxi saw a sliver of something he had never seen before.

Unwillingness, yet absolute helplessness.

Chen Lingxi knew why Emperor Daye was unwilling.

He and Emperor Daye had struggled bitterly in this Weiji Grotto-Heaven, exhausting all their schemes to grasp a single sliver of survival.

Emperor Daye had laid his plans for many years, even reaching the Dao Foundation Middle Stage within this Qi-Depleted Grotto-Heaven. His combat prowess crushed the avatars of numerous powerhouses from the Great Xuanzhuo Realm!

He had originally thought himself strong enough—strong enough to contend with anyone in this grotto-heaven.

But before these emotionless, natureless eyes, he finally realized how laughable he actually was.

And at this moment.

Those eyes hung in the void, neither descending nor dissipating.

They just quietly watched Ancestral Mountain, watched Chen Lingxi and Emperor Daye, as if merely confirming something.

There was no telling how much time passed.

Finally, the pair of eyes slowly faded away.

The firmament returned to clarity, the sea of clouds gathered once more, and starlight spilled down again.

That overwhelming, terrifying pressure vanished without a trace, as if it had never existed at all.

Chen Lingxi gasped for breath, cold sweat pouring down his forehead.

He turned his head to look at Emperor Daye beside him.

No emotion could be read on Ying Xian’s face. Only his deep eyes carried a faint, indescribable sense of desolation.

Chen Lingxi was just about to speak when he saw Emperor Daye suddenly turn away, his gaze falling upon the cloud-shrouded Ancestral Mountain.

Emperor Daye stared at the mountain in silence for a long time before suddenly speaking.

”Chen Lingxi, follow me.”

Before his voice even faded, he had already taken a step forward.

The seven-colored rainbow crossing the sky unfurled from beneath his feet, turning into a dazzling bridge of light that paved a straight path into the deepest depths of Ancestral Mountain.

’It seems Emperor Daye has made up his mind.’

Looking at the rainbow bridge, Chen Lingxi pondered briefly before ultimately stepping onto it.

The two walked one after the other, following the bridge deep into Ancestral Mountain.

And just like that, the two entered Ancestral Mountain.

Within Ancestral Mountain, Chen Lingxi could sense the presence of the Xi Mu puppet.

Xi Mu was physically in Ancestral Mountain, yet seemed to exist in a completely different void than he did.

They walked like this for a long time.

Emperor Daye suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Standing at the end of the rainbow bridge with his hands clasped behind his back, he looked up into the thick, churning fog deep within Ancestral Mountain.

Formation runes once again extended from beneath his feet like a sky-covering spiderweb, merging with the residual runes of the Mountains and Rivers Great Array deep inside the mountain.

Once again, he was bringing Ancestral Mountain into the Mountains and Rivers Great Array.

Chen Lingxi stood to the side, quietly circulating the Method of Qi Observation in his eyes.

He watched the array’s runes creep toward the mountain’s depths like living creatures. They passed through the churning fog and jagged rocks, reaching straight into the earth veins at the very core of Ancestral Mountain.

Using the Mountains and Rivers Great Array as a conduit, Emperor Daye connected with that wisp of Ancestral Mountain’s aura!

Chen Lingxi was somewhat surprised.

At that exact moment, Ancestral Mountain underwent a drastic transformation.

The fog grew thicker and denser, blotting out the sun and sky in an instant and shrouding the entire mountain.

Chen Lingxi felt the scenery before his eyes begin to twist and shift. It was as if someone had pulled back a curtain in front of him, revealing a completely different world hidden behind it.

When the fog finally settled, he and Emperor Daye were no longer standing in the original Ancestral Mountain.

Stretching out before them was an incredibly vast world.

Constellations hung high in the firmament, illuminating the realm in bright light.

In the distance, three continuous mountain ranges were arranged in a triangular formation, their majestic peaks towering into the clouds.

Further away, ethereal clouds drifted and churned. Amidst the lingering mist, a Heavenly Pool could be faintly seen suspended in midair. Its waters were clear as jade, rippling and shimmering under the starlight.

Beneath the Heavenly Pool, an endless river snaked across the land. Its waters were aquamarine like jade, winding like a slumbering emerald python coiled upon the earth.

Chen Lingxi’s pupils shrank slightly.

He naturally recognized this place.

This was the very pocket world he had stepped into back when he was fighting for the Ancestral Mountain Mother Qi.

Emperor Daye stood beside him, looking up at this vast, unfamiliar realm.

”There’s a whole other world hidden inside Ancestral Mountain. The methods of Great Sage Luoyuan are indeed beyond my ability to fathom.”

He turned his head to look at Chen Lingxi.

”But I wonder, where exactly is the avatar of Great Sage Luoyuan slumbering?”

”Daoist Friend, please follow me,” Chen Lingxi said. Gathering his focus, he strode deeper into Ancestral Mountain.

Hands behind his back, Emperor Daye followed behind him.

One after the other, the two walked all the way into the depths of Ancestral Mountain’s sea of clouds.

The deeper they went, the thicker the surrounding fog became.

Chen Lingxi and Emperor Daye arrived, treading upon the clouds. The mist within the sea of clouds retreated as if paying homage to kings, parting to reveal an open clearing before them.

And then, Emperor Daye saw that river.

It was an ancient, rushing river.

The water’s surface was immeasurably wide, and the pale blue waters churned violently, kicking up monstrous waves.

Emperor Daye stood by the riverbank, hands clasped behind his back as he gazed out over the ancient, churning currents.

He carefully sensed the aura of the river, but his frown only grew deeper and deeper.

Because he could feel that the river’s aura was in a state of absolute decay.

Like an ancient leviathan that had slept for aeons, it still breathed, but it was incredibly weak.

The Great Sage’s Dao rhythm contained within the water was still ancient and mysterious, but it had grown as dim as a dying candle, threatening to burn out completely at any moment.

It felt as though the river’s true power was still asleep. It had slumbered for countless years, and there was no telling when it might awaken.

Emperor Daye turned his head and looked at Chen Lingxi.

”Chen Lingxi, how does a Great Sage compare to a True Monarch?”

Chen Lingxi naturally did not know the answer to this question.

He had never seen a true Great Sage, nor had he ever seen a True Monarch attack with full force.

Yet his expression remained unchanged as he casually replied, ”A Great Sage is a divine sanctity forged upon the Dao. Never mind a True Monarch, they are far more powerful than even a Nascent Soul Profound Monarch.”

Hearing this, Emperor Daye took a deep breath. He turned away to gaze at the surging river in silence for a long time. Then, suddenly turning back, he studied Chen Lingxi closely.

”What kind of figures are True Monarchs?” Emperor Daye spoke slowly. ”They have cultivated the truth of heaven and earth, attaining a lifespan of twelve thousand eight hundred years.

Plucking stars and moving constellations is no difficult task for them.

Some True Monarchs of Heaven and Earth can even pierce through a century of karma, seeing a hundred years into the past and future.

”Such powerhouses can already be called the masters of heaven and earth.”

He paused, the two clusters of golden light in his eyes burning even brighter. ”And that True Monarch of the Que Star Xi clan wants to refine the Weiji Grotto-Heaven.

”Could it be that he doesn’t know the avatar of a Great Sage slumbers here in Ancestral Mountain?”