After the Great Dao Died

After defeating Ling Shangyou and Chi Jianshu, Jiangwei turned around. Her gaze pierced through the churning seawater and fell upon the Dao-Capturing Ancient Tree.

The mist formed by her Dao Substitution Body Great Divine Ability surged around her once more. A substitute Dao body stepped slowly out of the fog, about to descend into the depths of the Heavenly Gate Sea.

Chen Lingxi knew that if Yu Jiangwei stepped into the Heavenly Gate Sea first and the Dao-Capturing Ancient Tree fell into her hands, fighting for it would become much more difficult.

More importantly, he still needed the Dao-Capturing Ancient Tree to complete his Absolute Perception progress.

He could wait no longer.

He took a deep breath. The Abyssal Heaven Spiritual Sword let out a faint, reedy hum, remaining suspended above his shoulder.

Along the blade, the residual patterns of a hundred restrictions slowly circulated, exhaling a chilling, terrifying sharpness.

At the same time, the Plundering Dragon Dao Platform inside him spun madly, and his Thunder Prison Profound Root trembled violently. Countless dazzling streaks of Weiji Thunder Radiance erupted from the profound root, churning and condensing wildly around him.

He soared into the air. His eyes, burning with lightning, pierced through the churning sea of clouds, locking straight onto Yu Jiangwei and the substitute Dao body that was just about to step into the sea.

”Daoist Friend Yu,” Chen Lingxi said slowly, his voice as deep and resonant as ever, carrying an undeniable, chilling presence. ”I also want that Cauldron Vessel very much.

”If you wish to pluck that Cauldron Vessel, you must get past me first.”

Yu Jiangwei stopped in her tracks.

She slowly turned around. Her gaze pierced through the churning mist and landed on Chen Lingxi.

After a moment of silence, she gave a slight nod.

”Daoist Friend Chen’s Profound Root Transforming into a Tree carries such a flourishing aura that even the proud talents of the True Monarch Profound Sects are nothing more than this.”

Her voice was as clear and cold as water, yet carried a hint of undisguised approval.

”Since that is the case, I will seek your guidance.”

Chen Lingxi took a deep breath, stepped off the clouds, and struck.

His cultivation was only at the Profound Root Transforming into a Tree stage, much weaker than Yu Jiangwei’s Dao Foundation avatar, which had already reached Profound Root Forming Wondrous Fruit.

However, Chen Lingxi’s killing power was currently at its absolute peak.

Thunder Prison Heaven shrouded the void. Streaks of Weiji thunder bloomed as an Immortal Smiting Thunder Pool stretched across the air.

Yu Jiangwei also leaped up, two figures flickering in and out of sight within the mist!

It was the Dao Substitution Body Great Divine Ability!

Both bodies were equally real and equally fake. One had to kill both avatars simultaneously to truly harm her. Meanwhile, the two substitute Dao bodies executed different divine abilities, one attacking and one defending in flawless coordination.

The figure on the left wielded a longsword of mist. Its sword momentum was fierce and unparalleled; every slash unleashed sword qi that spanned dozens of zhang across the sky.

The figure on the right used the mist as a shield!

The moment Chen Lingxi struck, the Abyssal Heaven Spiritual Sword bloomed in the void, wreathed in the terrifying Weiji thunder of the Thunder Prison Heaven. The Twelve Chimes of the Heavenly Drum erupted, and empowered by the Abyssal Heaven Spiritual Sword, the twelve sword lights split into over a hundred streaks of light that slashed straight toward the two Yu Jiangweis.

Yu Jiangwei’s mist longsword swept across the sky, blocking the hundreds of sword lights.

Chen Lingxi’s expression remained unchanged. The Spirit-Calming Shuttle transformed into an invisible, soul-suppressing light that silently pierced through the void and stabbed straight into the glabella of the left substitute Dao body.

Yu Jiangwei’s substitute Dao body stalled slightly, and the momentum of its mist longsword froze for a split second.

This split second was exactly what Chen Lingxi had been waiting for!

The Longevity Bridge beneath his feet crashed forward. Spanning the sky, the spiritual bridge resembled a roaring lightning dragon as it viciously slammed into the left substitute Dao body’s mist longsword, shattering the sword light inch by inch.

At the same time, the Profound Binding Decree grew against the wind, transforming into golden chains that coiled toward the right substitute Dao body. The void stagnated wherever the chains passed. As they tightened around the protective mist of the right substitute Dao body, they forcefully squeezed cracks into it.

Yu Jiangwei coldly snorted.

She brought her hands lightly together in front of her. At that moment, both substitute Dao bodies opened their mouths simultaneously and spat out an extremely eerie profound light. The light formed a giant net that plummeted down to cover Chen Lingxi!

It was the secret divine art of Zhuran Star.

[Burning Ash Sea Seal]!

This seal was no ordinary spell; it refined a wisp of the Burned Ash Sea’s true intent into a divine art. Once the giant net covered an enemy, it would ignite formless, immaterial soul fire to scorch the cultivator’s divine sense and soul. Its killing power was immense!

Before the giant net even reached him, Chen Lingxi already felt a faint, burning pain emanating from his sea of consciousness.

Lightning flashed in his eyes. He viciously slashed out with the Abyssal Heaven Spiritual Sword. The Thunder-Wielding Heavenly King Sword Light turned into a pale golden ribbon that swept across the sky, cleaving toward the giant net of the Burning Ash Sea Seal.

Thunder and dark purple profound light collided, detonating into a halo that blotted out the sky. The incoming momentum of the Burning Ash Sea Seal slowed.

Right at that moment, Yu Jiangwei’s second divine art followed on its heels.

Both of her substitute Dao bodies raised their right hands and made a grasping motion with their five fingers pointed at the sky.

With this grasp, the clouds within a radius of hundreds of zhang were violently seized by an invisible giant hand, transforming into the phantoms of two towering mountains in the blink of an eye.

The mountain phantoms were entirely dark gold, radiating a deep, oppressive might capable of suppressing all things!

[Luyue Handprint]!

This handprint was also a secret transmission of Zhuran Star, drawing upon the tyrannical true intent of ”Luyue suppressing myriad spirits”!

”Both of these divine arts are extraordinary, and they have already entered the [Subtle Realm], only one step away from the [Wondrous State]!”

Chen Lingxi’s pupils contracted slightly.

The two Luyue Handprints smashed toward his head from two different directions, completely sealing off any space to dodge.

He took a deep breath. The Heaven-Inviting Momentum surged out, blanketing the sky. The Great Sage’s momentum protected him like an invisible fortress. When the two Luyue Handprints crashed down, they were forcefully halted for a moment by that Great Sage’s momentum.

In that momentary delay, Chen Lingxi flipped his left hand, and the Delayed Light Flying Dagger appeared in his palm.

The amber flying dagger silently pierced the air. The hourglass at the end of its hilt flowed madly, and the beam of light sealed within the blade shone to its absolute limit.

The flying dagger did not shoot toward the two Luyue Handprints, but flew straight toward the glabella of the left substitute Dao body.

Yu Jiangwei’s brows furrowed slightly. The right substitute Dao body opened its mouth and spat out a dense beam of profound light like a silk ribbon. It accurately crashed into the flying dagger.

The collision knocked the flying dagger off course. Before the beam of light inside the blade could shoot out, it was enveloped by the profound light. The dagger tumbled through the air a few times before falling powerlessly.

But at this moment, Chen Lingxi had already closed in!

The Longevity Bridge beneath his feet shifted abruptly, carrying his figure as it turned into a pale golden stream of light, darting through the gap between the two Luyue Handprints.

The light of the Thunder Garment Technique flared brilliantly around him. The Weiji thunder of the Thunder Prison Heaven churned wildly, completely isolating him from the residual might of the handprints.

He slashed out with the Abyssal Heaven Spiritual Sword in his right hand, while his left hand formed a hand seal.

The method of the Heaven-Seizing Seal condensed madly in his palm. The heaven and earth spiritual essence within hundreds of zhang was plundered clean, transforming into a massive handprint over a hundred zhang wide that slapped down toward Yu Jiangwei’s head.

Yu Jiangwei’s pupils contracted slightly.

Her hands fluttered rapidly, sending hand seals flying from her fingertips like torrential rain!

The deep and vast Dao origin fluctuations around her suddenly skyrocketed. The terrifying Dao origin pressure swept wildly in all directions, suppressing the Heaven-Seizing Seal’s momentum and causing it to falter.

She extended a finger and lightly tapped toward the Heaven-Seizing Seal.

A beam of profound light, only as thick as a fingertip, burst forth from her finger.

Divine Art [Vast Heaven Pointing Profound Qi]!

Though the profound light appeared thin, the power contained within it was refined to the absolute limit. It collided squarely with Chen Lingxi’s Heaven-Seizing Seal, detonating a sun-blotting halo. The two terrifying forces deadlocked in the void for several breaths before simultaneously exploding, turning into a sky full of light fragments that scattered into nothingness.

Chen Lingxi and Yu Jiangwei were both blasted back hundreds of zhang by the residual shockwaves of the collision. As they steadied themselves, an even more blazing fighting intent ignited in their eyes.

’His methods are endless; he doesn’t seem like someone from the Qi-Depleted Grotto-Heaven at all.’

Yu Jiangwei marveled internally, yet she did not hesitate in the slightest.

She brought her hands lightly together in front of her. With a flutter of her ten fingers, she formed an extremely complex hand seal.

As the hand seal formed, the mist conjured by her Dao Substitution Body Great Divine Ability surged abruptly.

Amidst the churning mist, countless fine crimson array patterns faintly circulated. These patterns layered over one another and linked together, constructing an extremely terrifying killing array in the void.

This was the [Fire-Igniting Dual Union Great Array].

Yu Jiangwei and her substitute Dao body occupied opposite ends of the great array, one on the left and one on the right, each pouring their Dao origin into the array patterns without reservation.

The array patterns simultaneously lit up with a blinding crimson light. An aura of extreme heat and tyranny surged out from the great array, blanketing the sky.

’She actually practices a combined attack array with her own substitute Dao body?’

Standing in the center of the great array, Chen Lingxi felt a terrifying scorching power surging toward him.

That scorching power was not merely burning his physical body, but also his Dao origin, his divine sense, and even the Plundering Dragon Dao Platform within his body.

He felt his Dao origin begin to melt at a visible rate under the erosion of this bizarre flame, like ice and snow tossed into a furnace, entirely unable to resist.

The lightning in Chen Lingxi’s eyes suddenly blazed brightly.

’If I don’t break this array quickly, I will be refined alive by this Fire-Igniting Dual Union Great Array!’

He took a deep breath. Inside his Inner Divine Palace, the phantom of Great Sage Liantian abruptly opened its eyes.

Those eyes were as deep as an abyss, faintly swirling with stars and exuding a suffocating, terrifying might!

The very instant the Great Sage opened its eyes, an indescribably majestic essence erupted from the Inner Divine Palace. Like a burst dam, it surged madly into his limbs and bones, flooding every inch of his sinews and every piece of his flesh!

The lightning that had originally merely wreathed the surface of his body exploded. It intertwined with the Great Sage’s essence, transforming into a dazzling, resplendent garment of golden lightning that wrapped him entirely from head to toe.

The fourth profound mechanism of the True Edict of Approaching the Dao!

[Great Sage Precious Phase].

This final profound mechanism of the Palace Knocking Realm was pushed to its absolute limit.

The Great Sage’s phantom behind him was no longer a blurry outline. It suddenly solidified, its contours becoming clearly visible. Stars circulated around its body, radiating the aura of a sage capable of suppressing eternity and looking down upon the world.

With the Precious Phase manifested, a terrifying physical power that defied description erupted from Chen Lingxi’s body.

That power was so majestic and tyrannical that it forcefully shattered the flames coiled around him inch by inch.

’To think this fourth Palace Knocking mechanism is this tyrannical.’

Chen Lingxi felt his physical body become unprecedentedly strong; every movement carried the power to topple mountains and uproot peaks.

He raised his head. His gaze pierced through the churning crimson array patterns, landing on the left substitute Dao body, and he suddenly took a step forward.

As this step landed!

The void beneath his feet exploded with a boom. The array patterns of the Fire-Igniting Dual Union Great Array were trampled so hard that they trembled violently and cracked apart!

Wherever the cracks spread, the crimson flames extinguished!

’What kind of divine art is this? Even a body cultivator at the Early Dao Foundation stage could not possess such a tyrannical physical body!’

Yu Jiangwei’s expression shifted slightly. Her hands fluttered rapidly, pouring her Dao origin into the great array without reservation in an attempt to mend those cracks.

But Chen Lingxi did not give her the chance.

Relying on the terrifying physical power granted by the Great Sage Precious Phase, his feet continuously stomped through the great array!

His physical strength explosively surged forth!

Under his barbaric trampling, the once-seamless Fire-Igniting Dual Union Great Array was forcefully stomped into countless fissures!

The array patterns dimmed, and the spiritual light scattered. It looked as though it was on the verge of collapsing completely.

Yu Jiangwei furrowed her brows, a cold glint flashing in her eyes.

She and her substitute Dao body simultaneously opened their mouths, spitting out two streaks of incredibly dense dark red profound light.

The profound light fell into the great array. The crumbling Fire-Igniting Dual Union Great Array actually lit up with blinding light once more, its fissures mending at a visible rate!

Chen Lingxi watched the reignited array patterns without a hint of fear in his eyes; instead, an almost fanatical fighting intent flared up.

’This Yu Jiangwei’s killing power is truly extraordinary, far stronger than Bai Lingze’s.’

’I wonder how many figures like her exist in the Great Xuanzhuo Realm!’

Chen Lingxi’s thoughts flickered.

He no longer stomped on the array patterns. Instead, he abruptly raised his head and locked his gaze onto the substitute Dao body. With a fierce stomp in the center of the array, he shot forward like a cannonball, violently crashing toward the substitute Dao body.

The Great Sage Precious Phase carried world-destroying physical power, the Thunder Garment Technique protected his entire body, and Weiji thunder wildly condensed on his knuckles.

Clenching his right fist, he smashed it toward the substitute Dao body’s head like a pale golden sun of lightning.

The substitute Dao body raised its mist shield to block.

The instant the fist met the shield, an earth-shattering boom exploded within the great array.

Yu Jiangwei’s substitute Dao body shuddered violently. The mist shield in its hands was smashed to pieces by Chen Lingxi’s punch, turning into a sky full of mist fragments that splashed in all directions.

The substitute Dao body was sent flying backward by the blast of the punch!

Yu Jiangwei’s expression drastically changed!

The might of the Great Sage Precious Phase was actually this formidable!

Yu Jiangwei’s eyes grew solemn.

She remained silent for a moment. Her substitute Dao body landed in the distance, hovering amidst the churning mist to face Chen Lingxi from afar.

She suddenly spoke, her voice as clear and cold as water. ”For the Weiji Grotto-Heaven to give birth to a figure like you, Daoist Friend, is truly rare.”

Yu Jiangwei paused slightly, a trace of pity flashing through her deep eyes.

”I, Yu Jiangwei, pride myself on being outstanding among my peers in the Great Xuanzhuo Realm. Even when facing the proud talents of the True Monarch Profound Sects, I have never been at a disadvantage. In fact... I am stronger than they are.

”Yet, for you to possess such combat strength upon just entering the Dao Foundation realm, it is truly admirable.”

At this point, she suddenly changed the subject, killing intent reigniting in her eyes. ”But admiration aside, there is absolutely no mercy in the struggle for fortuitous encounters.

”I still hold one divine art in my hand called [Primary Killing Origin-Severing Art]. It is a great secret killing technique of my Zhuran Star.

”Under this divine art, severing Dao Platforms and Dao origin is as easy as cutting grass.

”Since mastering this art, I have never once used it in a battle against peers.”

”I invite you, Daoist Friend, to witness my divine art!”