After the Great Dao Died

Chu Zhuo stood his ground, his expression as calm as ever, but the aura around him sank almost imperceptibly.

He looked up at the white-robed figure sitting cross-legged amid the sea of clouds.

Shen Xiu’an wasn’t deliberately projecting his aura, but as his sword intent unfurled, the clouds and mist within a radius of dozens of li retreated entirely, not daring to approach within three zhang of him.

Chu Zhuo fell silent.

He didn’t look toward the streams of divine sense sweeping out from the depths of Slumbering Deer Peak, nor did he pay attention to the auras observing from afar in the void.

He simply looked at Shen Xiu’an and asked, ”Brother Shen, what do you think I should do?”

Sitting atop the clouds, Shen Xiu’an looked down at him.

”Brother Chu.”

”You challenged this junior brother of mine to a sword duel, using a third-grade spiritual artifact and the opportunity I had been seeking as wagers.

”From beginning to end, you never personally made a move. You only pushed Xu Sanchi to the front.”

”If Xu Sanchi had won, that Suspended Qi Fruit Projection opportunity would have fallen into the hands of your Illuminating Sword Profound Peak.”

He paused, his gaze falling onto Chu Zhuo’s face.

Chu Zhuo’s expression remained tranquil. He did not speak up to defend himself.

Shen Xiu’an continued, ”My junior brother is still young, his cultivation shallow. You are a figure at Dao Foundation Perfection, yet you brought the second-ranked expert of the First Profound Ranking here and employed such calculating schemes. If word of this were to spread, I’m afraid it wouldn’t reflect well on Illuminating Sword Profound Peak.”

Chu Zhuo finally lowered his eyes and stayed silent for a few breaths.

Then he asked, ”What do you want me to do, Brother Shen?”

Shen Xiu’an did not answer immediately.

He merely raised his right hand, brought his index and middle fingers together, and lightly slashed across the void.

A streak of sword light sprang from his fingers and suddenly surged in size.

It flew from his fingertips and crashed into the churning sea of clouds, cleaving through hundreds of zhang of mist and carving out a perfectly straight path.

That sword did not slash toward Chu Zhuo; it simply hovered there.

Yet that single thread of suspended sword light was enough to make the sword intent around Chu Zhuo tremble.

Chu Zhuo stared silently at the streak of sword light.

He knew exactly what it meant.

Shen Xiu’an was the senior disciple of Slumbering Deer Peak and possessed Fourth Profound cultivation. All four of his profound roots had reached perfection.

His sword dao held a fierce reputation within the Dragon-Revering Sect. He ranked second on the Dragon Transformation Fourth Profound Ranking, second only to the Dragon-Revering Young Master from the main sect.

If he truly intended to strike, Chu Zhuo would be absolutely incapable of stopping him.

”Did you draw this sword just for me to see, Brother Shen?” Chu Zhuo asked, his tone as calm as ever.

Shen Xiu’an didn’t answer; he just looked at Chu Zhuo.

That sword light suspended in the void slowly retracted along with his silence, leaving behind only that cleaved sea of clouds, which didn’t close back up for a long time.

Chu Zhuo took a deep breath.

He slowly drew an item from his sleeve.

It was a thin booklet.

The entire booklet was grayish-blue. There was no title on the cover; only four characters were engraved in extremely small print in the bottom right corner—Sword-Seeking Secret Scripture.

Chu Zhuo held the booklet on his palm and slowly extended it toward the dark-robed figure standing in front of Water Curtain Cave.

”Junior Brother.”

”I was thoughtless regarding today’s matter.”

He tossed the booklet in Chen Lingxi’s direction.

The booklet transformed into a streak of azure light and landed on the stone steps before Water Curtain Cave.

”This scripture now belongs to you, Junior Brother.”

After saying this, Chu Zhuo didn’t spare another glance at Shen Xiu’an, nor did he look at Chen Lingxi again.

With a flick of his sleeve, clouds birthed beneath his feet, lifting his figure as he soared into the sky. In the blink of an eye, he had already disappeared into the depths of the sea of clouds cleaved by the sword light.

In the void, those streams of divine sense sweeping out from the depths of Slumbering Deer Peak fell silent for a moment before dispersing one by one.

Tranquility returned to the front of Water Curtain Cave once more.

The seven or eight spectating disciples also gradually came back to their senses at this moment.

They exchanged glances without saying much. They simply cupped their hands in a distant salute toward the dark-robed figure in front of Water Curtain Cave before treading on the clouds and dispersing.

Before long, all that remained in front of the cave was a churning sea of clouds and a cascading water curtain.

Chen Lingxi picked up the precious scripture.

Shen Xiu’an descended from the clouds.

The sword intent on his body had already fully retracted. By the time he landed before Water Curtain Cave, his aura was no different from that of an ordinary cultivator.

”Junior Brother! I never expected you to have already mastered the Heavenly Statute Edict. To think your progress would be this fast!”

Shen Xiu’an was normally unsmiling and serious, but right now, a clear smile graced his face.

”Senior Brother! I came across some more fortunes and just so happened to succeed in cultivating this Heavenly Statute Edict.”

A faint smile also appeared on Chen Lingxi’s face. ”I only managed to master it a few days ago.”

Shen Xiu’an nodded gently. He looked Chen Lingxi up and down before finally nodding again. ”Good!”

After praising him, he added, ”The sheer killing power of the Jade Tiger Rebellious Sea Sword Light you unleashed just now isn’t far off from my own when I was at the Dao Foundation Middle Stage.

”Combined with your extraordinary Heavenly Statute Edict...

”I initially thought you wouldn’t be able to win today’s match. I didn’t expect to be the one who misjudged.”

Just as Chen Lingxi was about to speak, he suddenly heard Shen Xiu’an cough a few times.

Chen Lingxi slightly narrowed his eyes.

When Shen Xiu’an coughed, his aura was slightly chaotic. Was he injured?

Right at this moment, Shen Xiu’an flipped his palm, taking a jade box out from his sleeve.

The jade box was about the size of a hand and entirely cyan-green. It bore no decorative patterns, only spiritual qi swirling across its surface.

Shen Xiu’an offered the jade box toward Chen Lingxi.

”This treasure is called the Suspended Qi Fruit Projection.

”It can significantly elevate your aptitude, improve your cultivation roots, and even reconstruct your Dao Platform.

”Now that you’ve mastered your second Great Divine Ability, this treasure can perfectly aid you in breaking through to the Dao Foundation Middle Stage!”

Chen Lingxi had long known that Shen Xiu’an had been away for so long precisely to seek out this fortune for him.

Yet, with this fortune right before his eyes today, Chen Lingxi still felt somewhat surprised.

He thought for a moment before taking the jade box. The instant it touched his hands, he clearly sensed an extremely mellow and pure spiritual energy continuously surging from within.

Without needing to think much, this Suspended Qi Fruit Projection was absolutely a great fortune, unimaginably rare.

Chen Lingxi stored the jade box in his Chaos Pouch, then raised his head and looked at Shen Xiu’an.

”Senior Brother.

”Are you injured?”

Shen Xiu’an shook his head. ”It’s nothing. A few days of rest will be enough.”

Chen Lingxi fell silent.

He stood where he was, gazing at this white-robed senior brother before him.

This man was usually prudent and unsmiling, and his fierce reputation on the Dragon Transformation Fourth Profound Ranking was known far and wide.

But in front of Chen Lingxi, he was simply his ”Senior Brother,” showing him great concern and even journeying alone for several years just to seek out this rare treasure for him.

And all of this was fundamentally nothing more than a grand dream woven for the disciples of Slumbering Deer Peak by True Person Xiangshu, using the Cauldron Vessel of the Fate-Deducing Purple Haze.

However...

Their concern and kindness toward Chen Lingxi were so real, so unreserved.

Standing in front of Water Curtain Cave, Chen Lingxi felt an indescribable silence wash over him for a moment.

A few breaths of time passed before he raised his head, looked at Shen Xiu’an, and solemnly bowed.

”Thank you, Senior Brother.”

Shen Xiu’an accepted the bow.

He looked at Chen Lingxi, a faint hint of a smile flitting through the depths of his eyes before he quickly suppressed it.

”There’s no need to thank me,” he said. ”Your path of the dao is long, Junior Brother. It is only right that I protect and support you.”

Shen Xiu’an paused, then suddenly added, ”My return this time was just to check on you in passing. I’m going into secluded cultivation next.”

”Secluded cultivation? How long will you be in seclusion, Senior Brother?”

Shen Xiu’an replied, ”It depends on providence.”

He paused slightly, his calm eyes gazing toward the churning sea of clouds, and spoke slowly, ”I am already not far from the Golden Palace.”

Chen Lingxi’s expression slightly changed!

The Golden Palace!

The realm of a True Person!

Within this vast Great Xuanzhuo Realm, those who could cultivate to the Golden Palace were as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns.

Even across the entire Dragon-Revering Sect with its two hundred-plus peaks and thousands of disciples, those who could step into the Golden Palace were extremely few in number.

And every single one of them was a True Person who presided over a peak and commanded thousands of disciples.

His master, True Person Xiangshu, was at the Golden Palace.

This path was so long that he could barely see the end of it right now.

Yet this Senior Brother Shen was already about to set foot into the Golden Palace Realm.

At this moment, Shen Xiu’an lightly brushed his sleeves. Clouds formed beneath his feet, lifting his figure straight up from where he stood.

”Junior Brother.

”While I am in seclusion, you must be careful within the Dragon-Revering Sect.

”The two hundred peaks here are all independent, and each has its own schemes.

”By defeating Xu Sanchi today, you have effectively embarrassed the two True Persons of Illuminating Sword Profound Peak. You must be on your guard in your future actions.”

”I understand, Senior Brother.” Chen Lingxi bowed to Shen Xiu’an once more. ”Please take the utmost care during your seclusion, Senior Brother.”

Shen Xiu’an nodded gently. His white robes suddenly flared in the void as he transformed into a streak of sword light, plunging straight into the churning sea of clouds.

Absolute stillness returned to the front of Water Curtain Cave.

Chen Lingxi parted the water curtain and returned to the cave.

He sat down cross-legged on the bluestone slab and took the cyan-green jade box out of his Chaos Pouch.

He gently opened the lid.

A fruit lay quietly inside the box.

The fruit was about the size of a chicken egg, completely pale cyan, with a layer of misty light swirling across it.

The Suspended Qi Fruit Projection.

Chen Lingxi took a deep breath and sent this rare exotic treasure into his mouth!

The instant the fruit entered his mouth, it dissolved into a warm, gentle breath that flowed down his throat, through his chest and abdomen, past his qi sea, and ultimately merged into his Plundering Dragon Dao Platform.

The moment the breath merged into the Dao Platform, the recently sprouted jade-colored profound root atop it underwent an immediate change, flickering with brilliant radiance.

Chen Lingxi closed his eyes, channeling the Dragon-Stripping Dao-Transforming One Qi True Incantation to guide that warm qi of creation into the depths of the Dao Platform.

Wherever the breath passed, his skin, flesh, tendons, membranes, bones, and blood essence all underwent a subtle transformation in an extremely slow yet incredibly resolute manner.

The change wasn’t obvious.

Yet Chen Lingxi clearly sensed that his root bones—which had already been opened with two spiritual apertures by the Ancestral Mountain Maternal Qi and cleansed by the Dragon Transformation Celestial Ranking Spiritual Energy—were now developing an indescribable limpidity.

And the Dao Platform deep within him was also becoming increasingly solid at this moment.

Subsequently, saturated by that qi of creation, it continued to grow denser and more substantial. The Dao Origin within it thrived, likewise becoming rich and heavy!

’This treasure is indeed extraordinary. No wonder Senior Brother Shen, who is at Dao Foundation Perfection, returned injured after personally seeking it out. It seems he competed against quite a few people.’

Chen Lingxi marveled inwardly, his breathing growing long and drawn out.

At the same time, the spiritual energy within his Dao Platform grew even more abundant. It dispersed and settled into his bones, flesh, and even his sea of consciousness, making him increasingly clear-headed and far more capable of perceiving the subtle shifts in the surrounding spiritual qi.

’My aptitude and roots are growing stronger and stronger. If I were to get on that First Profound Ranking right now, my roots and Dao Origin definitely wouldn’t be ranked outside the top thirty anymore.’

Thinking this, Chen Lingxi continued to endlessly absorb the profound spiritual energy from the Suspended Qi Fruit Projection, empowering himself, elevating his Dao Origin, and consolidating his Dao Platform!

Three months passed in a flash!

At this moment, Chen Lingxi finally opened his eyes. The Dao Origin surrounding his body was entirely different from before.

Above the Plundering Dragon Dao Platform, two profound roots hovered together.

One was the Thunder Prison, with Weiji Thunder Radiance flowing heavily along its leaf veins.

The other was born from the Heavenly Statute Edict. Its color was warm and gentle, and the layer of pale golden patterns on it was far clearer and brighter than before.

His Dao Platform was as deep and still as an abyss, his Dao Origin as thick and boundlessly vast as an ocean.

Dao Foundation Middle Stage!

Chen Lingxi opened his eyes and took a deep breath.

”I’ve only been in the Great Xuanzhuo Realm for a mere twelve years, yet I have already set foot into the Dao Foundation Middle Stage.

”Although this cultivation speed of mine relies on many unimaginable fortunes, it is still something to be proud of.”

A hint of a smile surfaced on the corners of Chen Lingxi’s mouth. ”Now, I only need to follow prescribed procedures methodically with my cultivation, allowing the second profound root in my Dao Platform to continue growing into a tree and bearing fruit!”

”Moreover...”

Chen Lingxi’s eyes flickered. ”If there are fortunes in sight, I still must do my best to seize them.”

Chen Lingxi thought for a moment before sitting cross-legged on the bluestone slab again. Closing his eyes to focus his mind, he sank a wisp of consciousness into the Divine Chamber.

Vision Roaming onto Chan Zhaofu!

Chan Zhaofu was still undergoing secluded cultivation within the Dragon-Revering Sect, and occasionally, that clone of his could be seen searching for fortunes outside.

Chen Lingxi returned to his routine of daily cultivation and daily Vision Roaming.

Thus, a month passed. On this day, Chen Lingxi performed his Vision Roaming on Chan Zhaofu as usual.

The next moment, that wisp of his consciousness was pulled by an irresistible force. It passed through layers of the void, crossed countless mountains, swept over an unknown number of ten thousand li of land, and finally landed in a resplendent hall.

It was precisely Chan Zhaofu’s residence.

The hall looked the same as always.

The domed ceiling hung high, gleaming with gold and jade, while the brocade curtains along the four walls cascaded to the floor.

The breathtakingly beautiful Crown Prince of the Dragon Palace, with her cold and aloof aura, still sat upright on the side seat of the hall. Her eyelids were lowered as if everything before her had nothing to do with her.

Chan Zhaofu sat upon the Jade Platform. His snow-white brocade robe fluttered without wind, and the faint golden light swirling over it made his entire being look like a jade statue drenched in moonlight.

At this moment, he was slowly raising his right hand.

A stream of Dao Origin flowed out from his right hand, constructing a rune.

It was precisely the Court Audience Heavenly Talisman!

The Court Audience Heavenly Talisman bloomed with radiance, enveloping Chan Zhaofu. In the next instant, Chen Lingxi’s perspective plunged into complete darkness before a scene reappeared.

It was that land of nothingness.

In the distance, specks of starlight twinkled incessantly.

Chen Lingxi naturally knew where this was; this was the Great Encompassing Heaven inside the Great Encompassing Heaven-Observing Mirror.

At this moment, Chan Zhaofu’s incarnation hung suspended in this Great Encompassing void. A slight smile graced his lips, and his eyes carried a fervent heat.

”I already have enough Great Encompassing Profound Qi. Today, I can finally redeem that Cauldron Vessel Opportunity.”

Chan Zhaofu took a deep breath.

Chen Lingxi’s heart stirred.

’A Cauldron Vessel Opportunity?’