After the Great Dao Died

The battle between Xiao Changlv and Yuan Yuan lasted for a full quarter of an hour.

A clash at that level was far beyond what mortal eyes could follow.

The shockwaves from their colliding spiritual qi and vital blood rippled outward in visible rings. Wherever they swept, seas of clouds rolled back, rumbling like thunder.

The waters of the Yuanjiang River were driven upstream. Reed marshes along the banks of the Zhuzhao River were ripped out by the roots, hurled into the void, and ground to dust beneath the crossfire of blade light and palm strikes.

Chen Lingxi stood on an unnamed hill dozens of miles away, barely catching a corner of the battlefield through the ice mirror Xi Mu had condensed from mist.

'Entering Profound.'

He murmured the two words in his heart.

Drawing a deep breath, he suppressed his shock and turbulent thoughts, turned on his heel, and strode away into the distance.

He moved with extreme speed. The Hidden Edge Method circulated silently within him, cloaking his aura completely.

'I cannot stay in Yuanjiang Prefecture for now.'

Chen Lingxi weighed his options.

A massive dragnet across Yuanjiang Prefecture and its surroundings was a foregone conclusion.

He had killed Commandery Princess Yunhe, Chu Linzi, and Yang Zhuri. On top of that, Xiao Changlv's assassination attempt on the imperial consort today was a catastrophic upset. By now, the entire prefecture had surely been turned upside down.

Lingering here was no different from stepping straight into harm's way.

'I need to lie low and avoid the brunt of it,' he thought.

Heading southwest from Yuanjiang Prefecture, roughly three hundred li past the city walls, lay the territory of Lunan Province.

Lunan Province was craggy and had little arable land. It was remote and far less prosperous than Yuanjiang Prefecture had ever been.

In the southern reaches of Lunan Province stood a contiguous chain of massive peaks known as the Nanju Twelve Mountains. The terrain was precipitous, the forests deep, and the undergrowth dense. Tigers and leopards roamed there constantly, and ordinary folk rarely set foot within.

The local authorities did not bother policing such a desolate wilderness, merely setting up checkpoints outside the mountains to inspect passing travelers and merchant caravans without ever venturing into the peaks.

A retreat like that was precisely the refuge he needed most right now.

A journey of more than three hundred li. Pushing his Golden Body Minor Mastery stride to its utmost, even with brief pauses to rest and take in the scenery, he crossed into Lunan Province in less than half a day.

Bypassing the prefectural capital entirely, he headed straight for the Nanju Twelve Mountains.

The Nanju Twelve Mountains lived up to their name: twelve undulating peaks sprawling across the earth like twelve coiled dragons.

Chen Lingxi crossed several mountains and searched along a ridge for about two hours before finally coming upon a suitable cave halfway up an unnamed peak.

The cavern was tucked beneath a sheer cliff, its mouth sealed tight by gnarled old pines and thick vines. Had he not combed the area closely with his spiritual qi, he never would have detected it.

'A fine spot.'

Chen Lingxi nodded in satisfaction.

He stepped into the cave and laid out the Pure Wondrous Qi Pivot Array Formation.

He had long since mastered this formation, and setting it down was like floating clouds and flowing water.

In less than half an hour, the array core was anchored. The green flames inside the bronze lamps flickered to life one by one, while a soft jade-green glow drifted steadily across the pendant.

A surging pull emanated from the array core. Drawn by this force, the thin spiritual qi within several hundred yards converged in gossamer threads, coalescing into a pale green spiritual qi vortex at the heart of the array.

Chen Lingxi sat cross-legged at the core, feeling that rich, almost tangible spiritual qi sweep in from every direction to wrap him in its embrace.

From his robes, he withdrew the Undying Willow Leaf he had obtained in Liujie Alley, placed it on his tongue, and closed his eyes to nurse his wounds.

Much later, he opened his eyes.

'The effects of this willow leaf are thoroughly mediocre. It only tends to minor flesh wounds.'

A flicker of disappointment crossed his mind.

Yet when he recalled that the leaf had come from sacrificing two slaughtered mortals to the Undying Willow, he let the matter rest.

Closing his eyes once more, he returned his focus to cultivation.

'I will remain in secluded cultivation on this mountain until my injuries are fully healed, then head back to Yuanjiang Prefecture,' he planned quietly.

Back in Yuanjiang Prefecture lay the treasure inside Lin Longyue's body, along with that Demonic Banner.

He still had to return to claim those fortunes.

Not to mention Lin Suri.

The Vision Roaming Divine Ability still had to be fixed onto Lin Suri.

Putting those thoughts aside, Chen Lingxi stilled his mind and circulated the Six Truths Method.

Nourished by the spiritual qi of the Pure Wondrous Qi Pivot Array Formation, the stream of spiritual liquid inside his sea of qi surged with vigor. It flowed smoothly through his meridians, gathering, refining, and drawing the pure spiritual qi strand by strand into its current.

Time drifted past in this day-to-day discipline.

In the blink of an eye, more than forty days had slipped away.

A new year had begun.

Fine snow fluttered outside the cave, dusting the entire mountain in pure white.

Seated cross-legged at the array core, Chen Lingxi opened his eyes.

He held a spirit stone in his hand. What had once been a lustrous, jade-white stone was now dull and webbed with fine fractures.

As his final breath cycle settled, the spirit stone gave up its last wisp of spiritual qi and crumbled silently into a handful of fine ash.

A faint resonance of spiritual qi still drifted through the cave.

Chen Lingxi exhaled a long breath of turbid air.

He looked down at his hands.

Beneath his skin, golden light coursed without pause; deep within his bones, his golden fluid vital blood churned like an ocean tide.

Over dozens of days of arduous cultivation and the refining of a spirit stone, his cultivation had advanced yet again. Though he had not yet touched the threshold of the Fifth Circulation Floor, his foundation was far sturdier than when he had first entered the Fourth Floor.

More importantly, aided by the continuous nourishment of muscle, bone, and flesh by spiritual qi, his vital blood cultivation had broken through into Golden Body Great Completion.

Golden Body Great Completion. The Purple Gold Wheel was forged. Every bone throughout his body had taken on the hue of pure gold, and his golden fluid vital blood surged as dense and heavy as mercury.

'My cultivation is progressing faster than I expected.'

'It is time to head back.'

He murmured to himself, stood up, and stretched his limbs.

His bones popped like snapping beans, ringing with startling clarity inside the quiet cave.

He collected the bronze lamps and jade pendant of the array, put them into his Cosmos Bag, swept away every trace of his presence, and parted the hanging vines to step outside.

The snow had stopped.

Leaden clouds hung unbroken across the sky, pressing low over the peaks and lending the wild forests of the Nanju Twelve Mountains an even bleaker, sterner cast.

Standing at the cavern mouth, Chen Lingxi drew a deep draught of the freezing mountain air. His whole body felt invigorated, clearing away the lingering heaviness of his long seclusion in an instant.

He straightened his robes and strode down the mountain toward Yuanjiang Prefecture.

The current Yuanjiang Prefecture was under vastly tighter guard than before.

Long queues stretched outside the city gates. Every commoner coming or going was subjected to thorough searches by yamen runners and armored soldiers.

For Chen Lingxi, with his cultivation and the Hidden Edge Method concealing him, slipping inside was child's play.

The mood within the walls was noticeably more strained than it had been in the twelfth month.

Far more constables and armored guards patrolled the avenues, and murmurs filled the teahouses and wine shops.

Chen Lingxi took a seat at a roadside tea stall, ordered a bowl of coarse tea, and, while sipping slowly, pieced together the gist of the surrounding chatter.

"With that Yuan Yuan stepping in, it seems Imperial Consort Chun survived after all."

So the consort had weathered the crisis, escaped with her life, and returned to the capital.

Rumor held that she had faced several more attempts on her life along the journey.

Those who set out to assassinate the imperial consort had likely planned to strike inside Yuanjiang Prefecture, only for Xiao Changlv's sudden interference to upend everything, forcing them to make their moves along the highway back to the capital instead.

Yet surrounded by heavy escorts and shadowed by the enigmatic Yuan Yuan, those attempts had naturally come to nothing.

Listening to the discussions, Chen Lingxi kept his face still, but an icy sneer rose in his heart.

Imperial Consort Chun possessed a stubborn life indeed. Even an Entering Profound warrior as reckless and mighty as Xiao Changlv had failed to take her head in person; finishing her off in the future would only prove far harder.

'No matter. Leave her for me to kill.'

With that, he returned to the inn, closed his eyes, and reached out to the Divine Chamber.

Lin Suri had indeed returned, right inside the Baosu Marquis Residence.

'Hm? Lin Suri is in secluded cultivation again?'

Inside the East Hall of the South Courtyard, Lin Suri was seated cross-legged on a prayer mat.

Cradled in his hands was a bright lamp—the very object Chen Lingxi had seen during his earlier Vision Roaming.

The lamp burned, shedding flecks of spiritual radiance. Rich, heavy spiritual qi drifted out from the glow, sinking steadily into Lin Suri's frame.

The spiritual light enveloped his figure in a hazy shimmer, making his alabaster face look even more like carved jade.

His aura had grown still more unfathomable. It was far denser and heavier than when Chen Lingxi had observed him months ago—like a deep pool of still water, tranquil on the surface, but concealing dark, bottomless currents beneath.

Chen Lingxi weighed it privately, estimating that Lin Suri's qi dynamics were likely not far from the Qi Circulation 7th Floor.

The Seventh Floor was the gateway to the Upper Three Floors.

Once one stepped across, it was a completely different world.

He drew back his gaze as another memory surfaced.

During that earlier Vision Roaming, when a wisp of Lin Suri's consciousness had reached out to the Great World, the woman in red had noted that his reincarnation through the Pool of Reincarnation had come far too late. With a mere two years under his belt, he had fallen drastically behind other seekers of truth.

Yet seeing him now, however late he had started, Lin Suri had already caught up—and was even poised to pull ahead.

A quiet sigh rose within him.

'Such innate talent truly marks him as a candidate for the Golden Portal. It stirs no small envy.'

'Still, the methods of this Under-Dao Academy differ somewhat from other sects and clans,' he reflected. 'When other cultivators from the Greater World pass through the Pool of Reincarnation, they undergo true rebirth, their past memories sealed until the right moment or some catalyst awakens them.'

'Yet Lin Suri seems to have simply seized a vessel. The original Lin Suri was thoroughly supplanted; his soul and spirit are likely long snuffed out.'

Chen Lingxi shook his head. 'Lin Suri's seclusion this time will probably drag on for quite a while—which suits me fine.'

'It makes it far easier for me to move.'

The Vision Roaming dissolved, and Chen Lingxi waited in silence.

In the dead of night, Chen Lingxi's eyes snapped open. Changing into black robes and donning his mask, he slipped into the Baosu Marquis Residence and reached the main courtyard of the West Courtyard, where Lin Longyue lived.

He pushed the courtyard gate open without a sound and stepped into the yard.

The doors to the main hall were pulled to, faint yellow candlelight flickering against the paper windowpanes.

He moved beneath the eaves and peered through a seam in the lattice.

Lin Longyue was not asleep in her inner chambers. Instead, she lay reclined on the heated rosewood daybed in the main hall, wrapped in a thick brocade quilt that left only her pale, drawn face exposed.

Her eyes were closed, seemingly in sleep, but her brow was knit tight, and a fine sheen of cold sweat glistened at her temples.

In the mere forty-odd days since he had last seen her, she had wasted away far more than before.

Chen Lingxi frowned slightly.

By rights, with Commandery Princess Yunhe dead, the conduit of that filthy qi had been cut, and the draining of Lin Longyue's vital essence ought to have eased.

Even if she could not recover overnight, she should not look this broken.

Without further hesitation, he pushed open the hall door soundlessly and stepped inside.

A brazier of agarwood burned in the chamber, its smoke winding upward in thick, lingering coils.

The incense was meant to quiet the mind and settle the spirit, yet breathing it now, it seemed tainted with an eerie, inexplicable chill.

Chen Lingxi approached the daybed, looking down at Lin Longyue's bloodless face.

In slumber, her innate haughtiness and commanding aura had faded considerably, revealing a vulnerability that finally matched her years.

Circulating the Six Truths Method, he triggered the art of Observation.

Spiritual qi rose from his sea of qi, surged along his meridians, and poured straight into his eyes.

In an instant, the world before Chen Lingxi shifted!

He saw that within Lin Longyue's meridians, that filthy qi was still crawling along.

It had not dispersed with Commandery Princess Yunhe's death; if anything, it had expanded beyond its former bounds.

What struck Chen Lingxi with greater alarm was that the vital essence and spiritual qi within Lin Longyue's body were being drawn out thread by thread by an array formation, pooling steadily within its core.

'Commandery Princess Yunhe is dead. Who is maintaining this array?'

Chen Lingxi narrowed his eyes. The answer required little guessing.

'It is Ying Chi,' he thought.

Commandery Princess Yunhe had merely been taught the Qi-Devouring Method by Ying Chi so she could skim a share of the harvest.

With her dead, Ying Chi had taken direct command of the formation, continuing to siphon the vital essence and spiritual qi from Lin Longyue's body.

Keeping his face impassive, Chen Lingxi shifted his gaze back to Lin Longyue.

Presently, as if sensing a presence, Lin Longyue slowly opened her eyes.

Her gaze met the masked figure of Chen Lingxi.

Her eyes widened in sudden shock.

"General!"

Lin Longyue rose. Clad only in a thin inner garment that hinted at her slender frame, she stepped down from the heated daybed, her bare feet meeting the freezing bluestone floor as she came before Chen Lingxi.

Then—after an instant's hesitation—she sank into a graceful, formal curtsy, offering him a deep bow.

The gesture was steeped in profound deference.

Chen Lingxi stood with his saber at his hip, his frame upright and his presence unfathomable.

Looking down at Lin Longyue, he asked bluntly, "Have you seen the Crown Prince?"

Lin Longyue stared in brief surprise, then nodded respectfully. "Over twenty days ago, the Crown Prince visited Mangyang Mountain and hosted a beast gladiator banquet. I was among those invited to attend."

At this point, a glimmer of suspicion crept into her eyes. "Yunhe was also exceedingly close to the Crown Prince back then. Could it be—"

Chen Lingxi cut straight to the bone: "The consort intends to use you as medicine. The Crown Prince carved an array formation into your body to devour your vital essence and spiritual qi to feed his own cultivation. Has your cultivation fallen back?"

"The Crown Prince too..." Lin Longyue offered a bitter smile. "The General sees all. My vital blood cultivation can no longer hold the stage of Silver Bone Advanced Mastery. In truth, my strength and vital blood are now inferior even to someone in the Bronze-Red realm."

Her head dropped slightly as she spoke, her dark hair tumbling forward to conceal half her face, showing only the pale, sharp line of her chin.

A few breaths passed, and her gaze suddenly hardened with resolve.

Then, dipping down once more, she prostrated herself reverently before Chen Lingxi.

"I beg the General to save me."

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