After the Great Dao died

Chapter 42 Stealing the Spiritual Sense of Heaven and Earth, Taking the Inspiration of the Past and

Qiu Chihu's corpse began to melt away.

It transformed into fine, shimmering light, like dandelion seeds scattered by the wind, drifting and scattering in the air before finally returning to nothingness.

The thirty-four rays of light above his head, along with the thirty-fifth ray of light formed from his corpse, were slowly rising and then flying toward Chen Lingxi.

A milky white light tinged with gold fell on his head, like a crown woven from starlight.

Chen Lingxi stood still and looked down.

Qiu Chihu's magnificent robes, now devoid of support, lay limp and scattered on the ground.

The belt came loose, and two small pouches rolled out from the folds of the clothes.

He bent down and picked up the two small pouches, opening them one after the other.

"Pills?"

In the first pouch, there were indeed five pills. The pills were silvery-white in color, perfectly round like pearls, and looked like they were not ordinary objects.

From the second small pouch, only a single jade bead rolled out.

The jade bead was no bigger than a longan, pure white, with a warm and smooth texture. It felt warm to the touch, and there seemed to be wisps of gas flowing inside it.

"What is this?"

Chen Lingxi held it in her palm and examined it closely, but her pupils suddenly contracted.

"The energy within this jade bead is..."

"Spiritual Qi." He murmured the two words, his brows furrowing even more deeply.

"Whose spiritual energy is this?" he wondered, wondering why Qiu Chihu was carrying such a jade bead.

However, he didn't have time to think about it carefully.

"The most urgent task is to consider what to do next."

Chen Ling ignored the pills and jade beads, and let out a long breath.

He originally thought that today's events were nothing more than a beast fight, like the fighting cocks and dogs kept by the noble sons of the capital, to determine a winner and loser, and to save face for Lin Longyue.

Unexpectedly, this Qiu Chihu, a nobleman, actually entered this Beast Fighting Palace...

"Your death has driven me into this desperate situation."

Chen Lingxi sighed.

If he doesn't kill Qiu Chihu, Qiu Chihu will surely kill him after he leaves. Given the Qiu family's power in the capital and Qiu Chihu's vengeful nature, even if he, a mere government slave, were to die a hundred times over, it wouldn't be enough.

But since he killed Qiu Chihu, he will inevitably be questioned by the Crown Prince and those so-called nobles after he leaves.

"Both directions lead to dead ends!"

Chen Lingxi involuntarily closed her eyes.

My thoughts are in turmoil.

A few breaths later, he suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze flickering.

He recalled that day on Mount Cuojin, when the young man in the purple-gold crown stepped out of the canopy-covered carriage, holding a precious bottle in his hand, its mouth facing down, from which the purple true treasure energy poured out like a waterfall.

He raised his head and looked up at the sky.

There was no sun in the sky, only a bright white jade bottle, suspended high above, with purple light pouring out from its mouth, falling between heaven and earth, illuminating the entire Beast Fighting Palace.

The shape of the jade bottle and the color of its purple hue were exactly the same as the one he remembered.

"That treasure bottle is among these fragments of the cauldron," Chen Lingxi murmured to himself, his gaze growing sharper. "Then, the person who was assassinated on Cuojin Mountain that day and tried to use the treasure bottle to kill the assassin must undoubtedly be the current Crown Prince."

His thoughts raced.

"This precious bottle belongs to the Crown Prince, and this Beast Fighting Palace is where the Crown Prince holds banquets and enjoys himself. So, how much control does the Crown Prince actually have over this fragment of the cauldron?"

He thought of Lin Suri, and the man in black whom Lin Suri called "Brother Chaodao".

The two obtained fragments of the Time Candle, but they were far from having complete control over them; they were merely trading their lifespans with the Cauldron Venerable.

Chen Lingxi quickly sorted through the various pieces of information, raised the first finger, and silently calculated in her mind.

"Firstly, the Crown Prince is fond of animal fighting, which is common knowledge among the sons of powerful and wealthy families in his household. It is not surprising that he set up this animal fighting palace and invited the sons of various families to bring their martial artists to fight."

However, this Qiu Chihu's cultivation level is clearly much higher than that of other fighting beasts. He has mastered the Silver Bone technique, and his swordsmanship and treasured sword are top-notch among the younger generation in Yuanjiang Prefecture. Moreover, his status is extremely noble!

Why would the Crown Prince allow such a noble person, whose cultivation level far surpasses that of ordinary "beast fighters," to participate?

He raised his second finger.

"Secondly, does the Crown Prince truly have complete control over this fragment of the cauldron and see everything that happens within it? This matter is of utmost importance."

He paused, then raised his third finger.

"Thirdly, I have killed Qiu Chihu. If I go out like this, I will surely die... How can I possibly survive?"

His mind, however, became increasingly clear and worked rapidly, dismantling and integrating those seemingly unsolvable problems, searching for the smallest crack.

Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind, and those two words popped into his head again...

A bronze vessel!

"This is inside a cauldron... Since that's the case..." he muttered to himself, his eyes gleaming, "Why not examine these fragments of the cauldron and see what wondrous uses they hold?"

With this in mind, Chen Lingxi no longer hesitated.

He sat down cross-legged, his left hand slowly touching the ground. He activated the spiritual energy in his dantian, which flowed out and entered the mud from his palm.

At the same time, he circulated his qi and blood, forcing out a few drops of blood from the tip of his index finger.

Blood, shimmering with a silvery sheen, dripped down onto the yellow mud, quietly merging with the wisp of spiritual energy that had entered the earth!

Suddenly, the void changed!

The clouds and mist swirling among the distant mountains surged and billowed, and the spiritual energy between heaven and earth suddenly became more intense, with an ancient aura rushing towards us!

That aura was so ancient, it seemed to have existed since the beginning of time.

It is neither sharp nor intimidating, but so heavy that it almost makes it hard to breathe.

Chen Lingxi was slightly taken aback at this moment.

He clearly sensed that deep within the divine chamber of his mind, a line of tadpole-like characters was flashing intensely—

[Supernatural Power: Thorough Awakening (Energy Replenishment: 100%)]

Stuck at 99% progress, it suddenly changed under the influence of this ancient aura, completing the final step and finally achieving perfection!

"This power of complete enlightenment has undergone another change!"

Chen Lingxi raised an eyebrow.

The moment he felt his vital energy replenished to its fullest extent, a torrent of complex and intricate information flooded into his mind like a burst dam, each word clear and perfectly organized.

Chen Lingxi focused intently on reading the messages, her eyes growing brighter and brighter.

"Stealing the spiritual essence of heaven and earth, drawing upon the wisdom of the past and present!"

"Stealing a wisp of true spiritual insight and inspiration from the endless river of time—after the transformation of the Thorough Awakening Divine Power, it gained a new ability: to bring back an item from the evolution of Thorough Awakening!"

"Bring back one item." Chen Lingxi murmured these words, her heart suddenly racing.

This means that the power of complete enlightenment is no longer a mere rehearsal, no longer an illusion, but can truly transform the illusory into the real!

How profound is the transformation of the illusory into the real?

"What is the origin of this sacred chamber?"

Chen Lingxi was astonished.

Just then, the surging spiritual energy and ancient aura in the void suddenly transformed into a human face!

The face was suspended in mid-air, about three zhang above the ground. It was woven from countless fine light particles and mist, with clear eyebrows, eyes, mouth, and nose. It was like a real human face magnified several times, hanging in mid-air, looking down at him.

The man's face was heroic, exuding an innate nobility and majesty, and he possessed an air of looking down on the world, as if the mountains, rivers, and all things in the world were nothing more than playthings in his hands.

"Such a clear face?"

Chen Ling thought to herself.

The gaze of the cauldron-shaped human face did not fall on him, but rather looked over his head at the thirty-five suspended beams of light above him.

After a long while, it spoke, its voice booming like thunder across the sky.

"Sacrifice thirty-five lives, nurture the Purple True Treasure Vase!"

"The victor in the beast fight will obtain the cauldron and its treasures! But what will this treasure be?"

This question, like a resounding bell, exploded in Chen Lingxi's ears.

"Sacrificing life, seizing opportunities in ritual vessels..."

Chen Lingxi's eyes brightened slightly, as if she had gained some insight.