After the Great Dao Died

On Yellow Luminary Peak, the blood mist had not yet dispersed.

The three-zhang divine figure’s Precious Phase had retracted, and the sky-filling thunder radiance had withdrawn into the sea of clouds. Heaven and earth returned to clarity, as if nothing had happened.

Only the wind poured in through the valley entrance, snapping the tattered banners on the peak and gently fluttering Liu Mian’s white dress.

She remained where she was, somewhat dazed.

Liu Mian was a disciple of Yang Awakening Upper Peak. Under her master’s orders, she roamed the sixteen lower peaks to collect tribute and convey edicts from above. She had seen countless Dao Foundation cultivators.

In her estimation, across these sixteen lower peaks, the cultivators capable of firmly suppressing Zhuo Jiaowu numbered fewer than ten.

Those who could defeat Zhuo Jiaowu here on Yellow Luminary Peak were even fewer. And yet...

Zhuo Jiaowu, having cultivated a Profound Root Wondrous Fruit, had just been smashed into a mist of blood with a single punch by the mysterious figure before her.

When that punch landed, she hadn’t even clearly seen where it came from. She only felt the entirety of Yellow Luminary Peak sink, as if an invisible mountain had crushed down from the highest heavens.

Zhuo Jiaowu’s body had detonated in the void, his Dao Platform and Profound Root completely shattered, leaving only a severed head to plummet onto the peak.

’This person’s killing power is truly tyrannical. He is undoubtedly an outsider; otherwise, how could the two Dao Foundation cultivators of Sun Observation Peak have died?’

Just as Liu Mian marveled inwardly, she sensed the transmission jade slip inside her Vast Void Pouch vibrating slightly. It was a message from her master.

She hastily collected her thoughts and extended her spiritual sense into the jade slip.

The flow of spiritual sense within the jade slip fell into her sea of consciousness.

”Capture him first and escort him to Yang Awakening Upper Peak. The Elder Hall will make its own decision. Do not let Zhuo Jiaowu kill this person.”

’Capture this person?’

’Do not let Zhuo Jiaowu kill this person?’

Liu Mian frowned, her eyes flickering.

She looked up, her gaze piercing the lingering blood mist to land on the youth standing amid the clouds.

The youth was currently using a stream of spiritual qi to lift Zhuo Jiaowu’s head. His movements were unhurried and his expression calm, as if he were picking up a fallen flower.

It was as if the earth-shattering slaughter just now had been nothing more than a common occurrence to him.

After retrieving the head, the youth glanced toward Yellow Luminary Peak’s main hall, looking at who-knew-what.

He promptly turned away. The thunder radiance and cloud energy beneath his feet gathered on their own, and it seemed he was about to leave.

For a moment, Liu Mian did not know whether she should attack him, or even if she should pay her respects.

She sighed inwardly.

Based on the strength this person had displayed, her own cultivation was wholly incapable of defeating him, let alone capturing him.

’If I force an attack, I will probably be suppressed and killed on this Yellow Luminary Peak by this mysterious figure. I still need to consult Master about this matter.’

Liu Mian sent another stream of spiritual sense into the jade slip.

This time, a message quickly returned.

”What? This person easily killed Yellow Luminary Peak’s Zhuo Jiaowu?”

From the transmission jade slip, Liu Mian’s master, Elder [Mo Ge], was inexplicably astonished.

The flow of spiritual sense was as rapid as a torrent, sending another message in quick succession: ”Could it be that he holds some profound, wondrous exotic treasure? Or perhaps a fragment of a lethal Cauldron Vessel?”

Liu Mian looked up at the youth, then at the Heavenly Boat that had been cleaved in two and plunged into the sea of clouds, her mind involuntarily recalling the scene from just now.

The nineteen streaks of azure sword light that spanned the sky, the thunder radiance that shattered the main hall’s profound light with a single finger, or the punch from the three-zhang divine figure’s Precious Phase that crashed down...

They were all purely slaughtering divine abilities, with no trace of an exotic treasure.

She hastily responded to the jade slip with her spiritual sense: ”That isn’t the case. This person did indeed use two spiritual artifacts to kill Zhuo Jiaowu, but from what I could tell, while their grade was extraordinary, they hadn’t yet reached the third-grade realm.

They were largely on par with the [Qi-Weaving Spiritual Net] and [Dipper Light Hall] in Zhuo Jiaowu’s hands.

The vast majority of this person’s combat prowess comes from his own pure cultivation... Furthermore, he seems to be a body cultivator.”

The transmission jade slip fell silent for several breaths of time.

In those few breaths, the mysterious Daoist Zhiling had already flown many li away.

The thunder radiance and cloud energy beneath his feet trailed a very faint wake above the sea of clouds, blending into the surging mist in the blink of an eye and vanishing without a trace.

Liu Mian, however, remained on Yellow Luminary Peak, waiting for a message from Yang Awakening Upper Peak.

The disciples on the peak had long since scattered. The hundreds of Qi Circulation cultivators who had formed the array were now either dead or fled, leaving only an empty main peak behind.

The main hall remained towering and majestic, but more than half of its one hundred and twenty-eight banners had collapsed. It stood alone in the sea of clouds like a giant that had lost its soul, exuding an indescribable sense of desolation.

Liu Mian stood amid the wreckage, her clothes fluttering gently in the wind.

’An Early Dao Foundation figure charged up Yellow Luminary Main Peak all by himself, and right in front of three hundred array-forming disciples, he killed Zhuo Jiaowu—someone who had climbed onto the Dragon Transformation Immortal Roll—with a single punch...’

She was still sorting through everything she had witnessed today.

Only after a dozen or so breaths had passed did the transmission jade slip suddenly flash with light, and a rapid stream of spiritual sense descended.

”Since you are not his match, trace his whereabouts for now. Do not let him escape.

Your Senior Brother Chenchuan has already set out and will meet up with you shortly.”

Liu Mian sighed inwardly, recalling the terrifying slaughtering divine ability Daoist Zhiling had used to kill Zhuo Jiaowu just moments ago...

When those nineteen streaks of sword light spanned the sky, she had felt the entirety of Yellow Luminary Peak trembling beneath their sword intent. With that kind of killing power, even if Senior Brother Chenchuan arrived in person, she feared he would have to treat it seriously.

But with her master’s orders given, she could only bite the bullet, mount her sword light, and give chase in Chen Lingxi’s direction.

Chen Lingxi traveled on the clouds.

He had long noticed Liu Mian following him from afar. Without calling her out, he headed straight for Sun Observation Peak, plotting as he flew.

’I will first deliver Zhuo Jiaowu’s head to Sun Observation Peak, then use the Absolute Perception Deduction to go meet that Elder Liu Zhi and see if this Sun Observation Peak can be kept.’

’If it proves impossible, I will take Changle’s disciples and leave this place as soon as possible.’

The Great Xuanzhuo Realm was vast and expansive; there would always be a place to take shelter.

Chen Lingxi arrived at Sun Observation Peak and offered Zhuo Jiaowu’s head as a sacrifice before Liu Changle’s grave.

The five words ”Sun Observation Liu Changle” on the stone tablet in front of the grave were still fresh, and the soil was still damp.

Zhuo Jiaowu’s head was placed before the tablet by Chen Lingxi. Those hollow eyes stared at the sky, like a fierce beast that had once been unbearably arrogant but ultimately couldn’t escape the fate of dying and having its Dao extinguished.

Chen Lingxi stood there for a moment and bowed to the tombstone before turning around.

Right at this moment, Liu Mian, who was hidden in the clouds, seemed to sense that Chen Lingxi was about to leave. After a moment of thought, she gritted her teeth, waved her sleeve, and dispelled the mist in front of her.

Standing on the clouds, she bowed to Chen Lingxi from afar.

”Fellow Daoist, please wait.” Liu Mian’s spiritual sense circulated, landing by Chen Lingxi’s ear. ”Since Fellow Daoist is a figure of Sun Observation Peak and has now returned to the Dragon-Revering Sect, you ought to go pay your respects at Yang Awakening Upper Peak.”

”My master is already waiting for Fellow Daoist.”

Chen Lingxi slightly raised an eyebrow.

He turned around, his gaze falling on the white-clad female cultivator who had pursued him. His face remained impassive, but his thoughts spun rapidly.

’An Upper Peak elder is inviting me?’

’It seems these three Dao Foundation cultivators of Yellow Luminary Peak aren’t very important to Yang Awakening Upper Peak... Just as Changle’s disciples said... Yang Awakening Upper Peak collects tribute, but they don’t seem to offer protection. Instead, it feels more like a protection racket.’

’Since that’s the case, does this mean I can use this opportunity to make contact with the Dao Foundation Late Stage, or even Dao Foundation Perfection figures at Yang Awakening Upper Peak?’

Chen Lingxi narrowed his eyes, pondering inwardly.

Right at this moment.

The distant sea of clouds suddenly swirled, rolling in surging waves.

Chen Lingxi turned his head and saw a Heavenly Shuttle piercing through the clouds from extremely far away!

A youth stood on that Heavenly Shuttle, his aura flourishing and his Dao Origin formidable.

The Heavenly Shuttle approached incredibly fast, like a silver fish slicing through the sea of clouds. Wherever the shuttle passed, the cloud energy retreated on its own, revealing a perfectly straight thoroughfare.

The youth on the shuttle stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his face serene. However, those eyes were like two deep pools, betraying not a hint of emotion.

’A Second Profound cultivator, Dao Foundation Middle Stage.’

’He has cultivated two Profound Roots, taking root within his Dao Platform...’

With a single glance, Chen Lingxi knew this person was a Dao Foundation Middle Stage figure.

His expression remained unchanged, and he felt little apprehension in his heart.

The Dao Foundation Middle Stage was exceptionally tyrannical, and Chen Lingxi was naturally no match for it.

However, Chen Lingxi possessed quite a lot of foundational trump cards. If he unleashed all of them, simply escaping wouldn’t be difficult.

The newcomer was none other than Wang Chenchuan, who had been mentioned in the transmission jade slip.

At this moment.

Wang Chenchuan stood atop the Heavenly Shuttle, looking down at Chen Lingxi. He didn’t say much; he merely flicked his finger, and a talisman bloomed out of the void, turning into smoke and dust.

When the talisman detonated, there was no sound. It merely scattered into a hazy cloud of golden dust, drifting slowly through the surging sea of clouds.

Yet the Dao Origin fluctuations contained within that dust were exceptionally heavy, causing the surrounding cloud energy to stagnate.

”Yang Awakening issues a decree, ordering Daoist Zhiling to proceed to the Upper Peak and seek an audience with the Peak Master!”

”This is a grace from the Upper Peak. Sun Observation Peak shall not err in this.”

Dao Origin flowing, Wang Chenchuan’s eyes were aloof as he remained standing on the Heavenly Shuttle, looking down at Chen Lingxi.

Chen Lingxi’s expression did not change. He bowed toward Wang Chenchuan and said, ”I must ask Fellow Daoist to lead the way.”

’Fellow Daoist?’

Wang Chenchuan frowned slightly.

’How could an Early Dao Foundation cultivator be a ”Fellow Daoist” to a Middle Stage figure?’

Wang Chenchuan was somewhat displeased, but he didn’t know Chen Lingxi’s background, much less why the Upper Peak had summoned him. Thus, he said nothing more. He gave a slight nod to Liu Mian, then steered the Heavenly Shuttle to pierce through the clouds and depart.

Chen Lingxi and Liu Mian likewise rode the clouds, following Wang Chenchuan toward Yang Awakening Upper Peak.

Naturally, Chen Lingxi wasn’t going to take unnecessary risks.

Within Yang Awakening Upper Peak sat Dao Foundation Perfection cultivators who had cultivated four Profound Roots and wielded four major divine abilities. Their combat prowess was extraordinary. If he entered rashly and someone meant him harm, he would have absolutely no chance to resist.

Therefore, as Chen Lingxi flew out of Sun Observation Peak, his consciousness descended into the Divine Chamber and activated the Absolute Perception divine ability!

Instantly, two bright mirrors hung high in the sky, echoing the three great suns of the Great Xuanzhuo Realm. Aside from that, heaven and earth remained as they were.

Those two bright mirrors could only be seen by Chen Lingxi alone. One was blazing gold like a great sun, the other silvery-white like a bright moon. Their radiance spilled down, shining in interplay with the light of the three great suns above his head, yet without alarming a single person in this world.

Within this Absolute Perception Deduction, Chen Lingxi followed Wang Chenchuan toward Yang Awakening Upper Peak.

Yang Awakening Upper Peak encompassed over a hundred surrounding mountains. It was incomparably vast, ruling over a radius of ten thousand li.

Under its jurisdiction were more than ten cities, each possessing its own extraordinary qualities.

Those mountains rose steeply from the ground, towering into the clouds. Spiritual mist wreathed the peaks, brimming with vibrant spiritual dynamics.

Great rivers surged between the mountains, their surfaces as broad as mirrors, shimmering with a soft, azure light.

In the distant horizon, streaks of escaping light flashed by continuously. The fast ones were like shooting stars chasing the moon, while the slower ones resembled birds diving into a forest.

Upon every mountain, there were cultivators practicing, and Dao Foundation cultivators could frequently be seen soaring past.

Chen Lingxi instantly understood why Yang Awakening Upper Peak hadn’t reacted much to him killing Yellow Luminary Peak’s three Dao Foundation cultivators.

’Perhaps to the Upper Peak, the lower peaks simply aren’t important. The lower peaks conquering one another is nothing more than swapping out the batch of people paying them tribute.’

Sighing inwardly, Chen Lingxi crossed many more mountains, rivers, and several cities along the way before arriving at Yang Awakening Upper Peak’s main peak.

On the main peak, the spiritual energy was even denser, and there seemed to be some sort of spirit-gathering array concentrating it.

The spiritual energy was so dense it was nearly tangible, draping over the entire mountain like an invisible garment of gauze. From afar, it only looked like billowing clouds and mist, but upon closer inspection, one realized that those billowing waves were actually strands and wisps of spiritual energy.

White cranes cried in unison among the mountains, and spiritual deer sprinted through the forests, making the place look like a blessed grotto-heaven secluded from the world’s strife.

The architecture was incredibly profound and exceptionally luxurious, inspiring awe.

The halls and pavilions on the main peak all used spiritual jade for their foundations and spiritual wood for their beams. With upturned eaves and sweeping corners, they blanketed the entire mountain layer upon layer.

The highest main hall hung suspended above the summit, buoyed by the clouds and mist like an immortal palace floating atop the sea of clouds, so resplendent that one dared not look directly at it.

Right at that moment, Chen Lingxi suddenly sensed something and looked up.

He saw an expert with a bare upper body in the distant sky, arriving with a manifested Precious Phase.

This Precious Phase of his was unimaginably more powerful than Chen Lingxi’s Great Sage Precious Phase. The Precious Phase supported the heavens and planted its feet on the earth, standing a full hundred zhang tall.

At this moment, this expert’s Precious Phase grasped a flood dragon in one hand and held a mountain in the other!

The flood dragon was dozens of zhang long, its scales like ink. It struggled desperately in the Precious Phase’s grasp, but it couldn’t pry open those five mountain-pillar-like fingers in the slightest.

As for the mountain, it was dragged along in the Precious Phase’s palm as if it were an ordinary object.

However, a streak of Profound Qi seemed to be gestating upon that mountain. A dense, swirling aura continuously rose from it, incomparably marvelous.

Chen Lingxi’s eyes lit up slightly.

’This streak of Profound Qi is a rare treasure.’

At this moment, this Precious Phase expert seemed to sense Chen Lingxi’s gaze and lowered his head to look at him.

The man gave only a casual glance.

Chen Lingxi instantly felt an unimaginable coercive pressure bloom outward, shrouding the void and suppressing the aura of the surrounding hundred li.

The instant that coercion descended, the bones throughout Chen Lingxi’s body creaked involuntarily. The Thunder Prison Profound Root inside his Qi Sea trembled violently, and the Weiji Thunder Radiance was actually suppressed until it dimmed by a few fractions.

The phantom of the Great Sage Precious Phase within his body instinctively wanted to manifest, but before it could even raise a single thread of aura, it was crushed by the gaze of that hundred-zhang Precious Phase and forced back into silence.

Chen Lingxi took a deep breath.

’Dao Foundation Perfection! A Fourth Profound cultivator!’

Fortunately, this Precious Phase expert merely glanced at Chen Lingxi once before withdrawing his gaze and treading through the void to depart.

The pressure on Chen Lingxi’s body plummeted, and he took another deep breath.

Just as that Precious Phase expert leaped into the clouds and disappeared from sight, the clouds and mist in the sky suddenly split open.

Impressively, another sun hung right where the clouds had parted.

Chen Lingxi’s pupils shrank slightly, his heart pounding like a beaten drum.

It was because this small sun was different from the three great suns hanging high in the sky.

As the sun’s radiance shone down, a desolately ancient aura erupted from it.

A Sublime aura flowed out from it and descended upon Yang Awakening Upper Peak, causing who-knew-what kind of changes to occur on this mountain.

Chen Lingxi marveled inwardly...

’To think that a complete Cauldron Vessel actually hangs high above this Yang Awakening Upper Peak.’

’It must be the Cauldron Vessel refined by that Peak Master.’

His eyes flickered. ’The Lord of the Upper Peak cultivates while holding a vessel... This Dragon-Revering Sect is truly extraordinary.’