After the Great Dao Died

Before Guanri Peak, the crowd looked up.

The sky was on the verge of dusk, yet brilliant light flashed within the sea of clouds.

Lightning suddenly burst from within!

At first glance, the edge of the lightning resembled a faint golden thread hidden deep within the clouds, almost inconspicuous.

But in a single breath, the golden thread swelled. It plummeted from the edge of the horizon, dyeing half the sea of clouds in a hazy layer of gold.

Lightning spiritual energy.

Lightning spiritual energy of astonishing might!

The lightning brimmed with spiritual energy. Like a disturbed heavenly river pouring in reverse, the spiritual qi gathered and surged, folding over itself in heaven-blotting waves.

And within that golden light, Dao Origin flowed.

Cheng Shiyan’s pupils contracted.

”A Dao Foundation cultivator?”

Even in the Dragon-Revering Sect, where experts were as common as clouds, Dao Foundation cultivators were by no means ordinary.

The Dragon-Revering Sect’s Two Hundred Peaks were scattered like stars across the inner, upper, and lower peaks. Anyone who reached the Dao Foundation realm was an absolute powerhouse.

The vast majority of the lower peaks had only one or two Dao Foundation cultivators, serving as the entire foundation and destiny of their respective peaks.

A single additional Dao Foundation cultivator could drastically elevate a lower peak’s strength.

And now, the figure in the clouds was exactly that: a Dao Foundation cultivator.

Suspicion and alarm surfaced in everyone’s eyes.

Watching the approaching clouds from afar, Zhao Heju pondered for a moment. Not daring to be careless, he hurriedly channeled a strand of divine sense into the ring on his finger.

The ring was the token of Qingchi Peak’s foreign affairs elder, made of flawless white jade that glowed with a warm luster.

The moment his divine sense entered it, spiritual patterns lit up on the jade. Another strand of divine sense drifted out and landed in his Sea of Consciousness.

”Early Dao Foundation. The exact cultivation level is unknown; he seems to be using a concealment method.”

The voice was as clear and cold as a spring, completely devoid of emotion. It belonged to the grand elder of Qingchi Peak, Min Qin.

Hearing this, Zhao Heju’s heart settled slightly, though he didn’t dare lower his guard.

When he looked up again, the lightning had drawn near—close enough to make out the silhouette of a figure within the light.

At this moment on Qingchi Peak, Sect Master Liu Shu sat on a futon in his hall.

The hall was a quiet room at the summit, with windows on three sides looking out over a vast, formless sea of clouds.

Liu Shu wore a moon-white Daoist robe with immaculate hems. He looked no older than forty and possessed a lean build, yet his eyes carried the tranquil authority of someone who had long held a high position.

Suddenly, Liu Shu opened his eyes.

His gaze held no dazzling light; it was an ordinary look. Yet the instant he opened his eyes, the blue smoke rising from the incense burner before him suddenly trembled and seemed to freeze.

A strand of his divine sense flowed outward.

Min Qin, sitting below him, didn’t open her eyes, only bowed slightly.

The very moment Liu Shu’s divine sense swept out, she stood. Without disturbing a single trace of her aura, she transformed into a clear breeze and drifted away.

Liu Shu watched the grand elder’s departing back as a flash of azure vanished across the sea of clouds.

He frowned slightly and muttered to himself, ”Early Dao Foundation, entirely alone... Let’s see what his intentions are.”

—

Meanwhile.

Cheng Shiyan, Zhu Qingjian, Hua Liuli, and Ning Ya stood in place, looking up as the distant clouds drifted toward them.

The lightning had dissipated. The sky-filling golden light retracted deep into the clouds like a receding tide, leaving only a single stream of cloud qi approaching slowly from the horizon.

Illuminated by the sky, the cloud qi refracted fragmented motes of light. It approached slowly, yet it made the few people at the mountain gate hold their breath.

Zhao Heju’s eyes shifted. Raising an eyebrow slightly, he took a step forward, bowed toward the cloud, and asked, ”May I ask which peak’s senior has arrived?”

His words were respectful, and he bent at the waist in a deep bow.

Cheng Shiyan still harbored doubts, but he led the others in bowing as well.

The four of them might not have bowed in perfect unison, but their gestures were filled with the utmost reverence.

At that moment, the cloud landed and dissipated, revealing the figure within.

The stone steps on the mountainside were dilapidated, crisscrossed with cracks and sprouting nameless weeds, which were now flattened against the ground by the wind’s pressure.

The man stood before the steps, dressed in a black robe. He was extraordinarily handsome and incredibly young.

His features were well-proportioned, his brows and eyes defined but not thin. His sharp gaze felt like a treasured sword.

Under the sky’s light, a piercing gleam seemed to flow across its edge. Yet upon a second glance, it was as though the sword had returned to its sheath, concealing its edge and leaving behind only steady composure.

The newcomer was none other than Chen Lingxi.

He stepped out from the clouds but was in no rush to speak. His gaze swept over the crowd before moving past them to land on the grave behind.

The grave had just been completed. The dirt was still dark, and a stone stele stood upright. The carved characters weren’t too deep or too shallow, simply bearing the words: ”Guanri’s Liu Changle.”

Chen Lingxi’s gaze rested on those characters.

He stared for a long time.

The crowd dared not make a sound, and neither did the mountain wind. Between heaven and earth, only the clear, distant rustling of the pines remained, rolling slowly from the other side of the mountain and fading into the distance.

Chen Lingxi sighed inwardly.

He thought of many things.

The winter nights in the reverse-facing room, the drafty window lattices... Liu Changle wrapped in that thin quilt that was neither warm nor thick, turning his head to smile at him.

He had said, ”Lingxi, I dreamed there’s a river above my head. A really long river.”

Back then, Chen Lingxi’s entire body had ached so much he hadn’t wanted to speak.

Yet Liu Changle had kept chattering on, saying the river looked like a white rainbow piercing the sun, and that a million celestial soldiers were marching in silence through it.

...

Chen Lingxi snapped back to the present. He straightened his robes, raised his hands, and lowered his eyes, bowing respectfully toward the new grave.

It was incredibly solemn.

The previously tense group of four instantly relaxed.

They exchanged glances, catching a glimmer of relief in one another’s eyes.

Zhu Qingjian hesitated for a moment. Seeing that Chen Lingxi had finished his bow, she softly asked, ”May I ask how Senior is related to Martial Uncle Changle...?”

She asked with extreme politeness, afraid of offending this Dao Foundation cultivator.

Before revealing himself, Chen Lingxi had actually hidden in the clouds for quite some time.

The cloud had been three li from Guanri Peak—neither too high nor too low. It had been the perfect vantage point to look down on the mountain and hear the conversations at the gate.

He had heard the exchanges between Guanri Peak’s disciples, as well as the words of the Qingchi Peak arrivals.

Naturally, he had also heard the contents of the letter Liu Changle left behind.

”Changle and I were good friends. I came specifically at his request,” Chen Lingxi said, his divine sense flowing directly into the ears of the four Guanri Peak disciples.

Cheng Shiyan and the others were instantly overjoyed.

Martial Uncle Changle’s good friend!

A Dao Foundation cultivator!

The friend Martial Uncle Changle had mentioned in his letter had actually arrived so quickly.

Hua Liuli was young. She was instantly thrilled, her eyes sparkling.

Zhu Qingjian, Cheng Shiyan, and Ning Ya hurriedly took a half-step back, smoothed their robes, and bowed to Chen Lingxi with the utmost respect.

Chen Lingxi accepted their bow without a word.

He turned around, cast another glance at the tombstone, and shook his head with a sigh. ”After his passing, Changle still used his mortal remains to deter the cultivators of Huangyao Peak for two years. I was busy cultivating... If I had arrived any later, this Guanri Peak would no longer exist.”

Ever since arriving in the Great Xuanzhuo Realm, he had been in constant seclusion.

His thoughts reaching this point, Chen Lingxi turned to look at Zhao Heju.

Zhao Heju was still standing in place. His posture was respectful, but an unnatural smile hung on his face.

Seeing Chen Lingxi look his way, his heart skipped a beat, and he prepared to say something.

But Chen Lingxi spoke first. ”Let’s head to the summit. This is the resting place of an old friend; he shouldn’t be disturbed.”

He flicked his sleeve lightly and stepped onto the clouds, heading straight for the summit.

Cheng Shiyan, Zhu Qingjian, and the other two hurriedly summoned their clouds and followed close behind.

Zhao Heju opened his mouth, entirely at a loss for what to do.

As a mere Qi Circulation cultivator, where would he find the courage to speak up in front of a Dao Foundation cultivator?

Right at that moment, the token in his hand suddenly trembled.

Zhao Heju looked down. Azure light flickered from the token; it was a new order from Elder Min Qin.

”Elder Min is coming. That’s for the best...” Zhao Heju instantly relaxed.

The gap between a Qi Circulation cultivator like him and a Dao Foundation cultivator was massive. Facing one alone, he inevitably felt terrified just speaking, let alone demanding the spiritual fields and spiritual veins.

Now that Elder Min was on her way, it was naturally the best outcome.

Meanwhile, Chen Lingxi and the four Guanri Peak disciples arrived at the summit, finally allowing him to see the true state of the peak.

Back when Chen Lingxi had used Vision Roaming on Liu Changle and witnessed the Great Xuanzhuo Realm with its three blazing suns in the sky, there had still been dozens of disciples on this summit.

Now, the seven or eight buildings atop the peak looked old and dilapidated.

The buildings were arranged in a staggered line. The one at the highest elevation was a three-story stone pavilion, originally used as a place for Guanri Peak’s disciples to cultivate and study.

Further down sat two or three expansive halls.

But today, only Cheng Shiyan, Zhu Qingjian, and their two junior siblings remained.

Three massive suns hung in the sky.

In the distance, the sea of clouds stretched from the mountainside all the way to the horizon, a vast expanse of white that continuously rolled and unfurled.

A gust of wind blew in from afar, churning the cloudy waves as if countless white whales were rolling in the depths.

The spiritual qi on Guanri Peak’s main summit was incredibly rich, far denser than where Chen Lingxi had been cultivating in seclusion.

This was the effect of the Four Profound spiritual vein.

Chen Lingxi fell silent, and the four Guanri Peak disciples waited quietly behind him.

After a few more breaths of silence, Chen Lingxi suddenly said, ”Tell me about Qingchi Peak and Huangyao Peak.”

Zhu Qingjian steadied herself before bowing to Chen Lingxi again and replying, ”Qingchi Peak and Huangyao Peak, just like Guanri Peak in the past, all belong to the Dragon-Revering Sect’s lower peaks.

”However, over the last few years, Huangyao Peak produced a figure who ascended the Dragon Transformation Immortal Roll. His name is Zhuo Jiaowu. He has already cultivated the Profound Root Wondrous Fruit, and with his Great Divine Ability at its peak, his battle prowess surpasses many Dao Foundation cultivators.

”Add to that the fact that Huangyao Peak already had two Dao Foundation cultivators to begin with.

”Now, Huangyao Peak boasts a full three Dao Foundation cultivators and two Fourth-Grade spiritual artifacts. Their strength is immense among the lower peaks; you could say they are at the height of their power.”

She paused briefly here, seemingly searching for the right words.

”Furthermore, Guanri Peak has been withering year by year. Our peak master was heavily injured while out searching for a divine ability spiritual item and eventually perished.

”Martial Uncle Changle held on alone, but a single pillar cannot support a collapsing house forever. He was wounded by Zhuo Jiaowu and Huangyao Peak’s peak master, and he too ultimately fell.”

”As for Qingchi Peak, they are much weaker than Huangyao Peak, but they still have two Dao Foundation cultivators.

”Aside from that, Qingchi Peak seems to have received the word of Elder Liu Zhi from the Yang Awakening Upper Peak and came under his orders.”

”What is this Elder Liu Zhi’s cultivation level?” Chen Lingxi asked, raising an eyebrow.