After the Great Dao died

Chapter 45 The Dragon's Roar Technique

Marry the Heavenly Prince!

Marry the Heavenly Ladder!

Chen Ling silently memorized the two names.

The candlelight flickered in the east hall, and the smoke from the ambergris flowed like a stream across the white jade bricks.

The prince stood with his hands behind his back in front of the landscape painting, his back to the bronze lamp, looking like a jade statue enshrined in a dark room.

Chen Lingxi stood in the hall with his hands at his sides, his expression unchanged.

The Crown Prince suddenly turned around, his gaze falling on Chen Lingxi. Spiritual energy finally flowed in his eyes, and a vortex slowly rotated deep within his pupils.

"Fellow Daoist's spiritual cultivation is not apparent at all." He said, "If Fellow Daoist had not taken the initiative to reveal that trace of spiritual energy, I'm afraid I wouldn't have been able to tell that Fellow Daoist is a Qi cultivation practitioner."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over Chen Lingxi once more.

"Such concealment techniques are probably only visible to cultivators on the third floor."

Chen Lingxi immediately understood: "This prince is probably still somewhat wary of me. Although I revealed a wisp of my third-level spiritual energy, he must think that I am still hiding my cultivation because I concealed my spiritual energy with the Concealing Edge Technique."

"That's just right."

Thinking this to himself, he met the Crown Prince's gaze and replied, "It's just a method of concealing one's aura passed down from the academy; it's nothing profound."

The Crown Prince did not press further, but suddenly changed the subject: "We came here simply to obtain the inheritance of the cauldron artifact, to seek the foundation of the Dao, and even the opportunity to enter the Golden Palace! Fellow Daoist, you are hiding your identity in the Baosu Marquis's mansion, so you must already know that there are also powerful figures in this forbidden land."

"Among these local powerhouses, there are quite a few who can rival those on the third floor."

His tone remained calm, but a faint trace of apprehension flashed in his eyes: "I once encountered a swordsman who, though he did not cultivate Qi, possessed unparalleled swordsmanship, capable of cleaving mountains and shattering peaks."

Chen Lingxi nodded and said quite naturally, "I once met a young man with surging blood and amazing strength. He called himself the 'Spirit-Holding General' and was incomparably powerful even when he only cultivated blood and qi."

"If you encounter such a person, you might be caught off guard and suffer a terrible loss—not to mention your cultivation, foundation, or golden palace, your life might also be in danger."

The crown prince did not reply, but only nodded slightly.

Chen Ling took a step and put his hands behind his back.

"Why don't we exchange what we have?" His gaze fell on the prince's face: "This will help us deal with the calamity here, and perhaps even allow us to seek the true cauldron and gain true freedom."

The crown prince did not answer immediately.

He stood with his hands behind his back before the landscape painting, gazing at the enormous ink painting on the wall for a few moments before slowly speaking, "What can you possibly offer me, fellow Daoist?"

Chen Lingxi's lips curled slightly upward: "Your Highness, are you aware that a great opportunity lies hidden within Yuanjiang Prefecture since you've just arrived?"

"A great opportunity?" The Crown Prince raised an eyebrow slightly.

Chen Lingxi remained silent, only looking at the Crown Prince, waiting for him to speak.

The prince pondered for a few moments: "This place is devoid of spiritual energy, and the spiritual energy is extremely scarce. Coincidentally, my E Hai has found me a good background, and I have no shortage of items full of spiritual energy. I wonder if you would be interested?"

Something brimming with spiritual energy?

To the Crown Prince's surprise, Chen Lingxi shook her head.

"The academy has also prepared some opportunities for me, and there is no shortage of spiritual energy." A trace of helplessness flashed across his face: "It's just that my memory is now fuzzy, and I can't remember a few offensive techniques."

"I am willing to exchange this opportunity with the Crown Prince for a great technique of killing."

Upon hearing this, the crown prince was slightly taken aback, then smiled.

"What's so difficult about that?" he said with a hint of nonchalance. "I have a Dragon's Roar technique, which was obtained by an earlier cultivator after hearing a dragon's roar."

"Cultivating the Dragon's Roar produces a sound like a dragon's roar, intimidating enemies. Reaching the pinnacle of this technique, and possessing the cultivation of the third level, a single shout becomes like thunder, enough to kill an ordinary cultivator. It is truly a wondrous method!"

Chen Lingxi looked puzzled: "A wondrous realm?"

If this were reality, he wouldn't ask so many questions; the more he asked, the more flaws he would inevitably reveal.

But now that he was in Chejue, he asked a lot more questions.

The prince glanced at him and replied, "There are four levels of progress in cultivating magic."

"Initial feeling, intermediate subtlety, advanced profundity, mystery! The realm of profundity is the realm of advanced profundity, where one has thoroughly investigated the ultimate principles of techniques and possesses formidable power."

Chen Lingxi suddenly realized and nodded.

The hall was quiet for a moment.

The candlelight flickered, and the smoke from the ambergris swirled slowly between the two.

The crown prince watched him silently, his eyes calm and collected, as if waiting for something.

Chen Lingxi wanted to continue discussing the deal, but suddenly a thought flashed through his mind, as if he had come up with something.

He then casually said, "I've already confided in the Crown Prince..."

"The Crown Prince claims to be a disciple of E Hai, but my memory of E Hai is hazy. However, the method the Crown Prince used to enter his eyes with spiritual energy just now reminded me of another place."

He paused slightly, his eyes serious: "Since we are going to exchange things, both sides must treat each other with sincerity. If the Crown Prince has something to hide, it will make me uneasy."

The Crown Prince's expression changed slightly as he stared intently at Chen Lingxi.

Chen Lingxi looked at the Crown Prince with a calm expression.

A few moments later, a slight smile appeared on the Crown Prince's face.

"Those who come here seeking the truth must be cautious." The prince stepped forward and walked to Chen Lingxi's side. "Since you have seen through my origins, I need not say more."

Chen Lingxi strolled through the East Hall, her steps unhurried, as if she were taking a walk in her own backyard.

He spoke casually, his tone somewhat nonchalant: "Your Highness, please speak frankly and let me see if my judgment is correct."

"Please forgive my ignorance, fellow Daoist, but I am indeed not a disciple of the Calamity Sea," the Crown Prince said with a smile. "Instead, I am a disciple of the Southern Cang Region. Does this answer match your guess?"

Southern Cang Territory...

Chen Lingxi nodded slightly, her face remaining expressionless, but she memorized those three words in her heart.

This attempt seems to have been effective.

The Crown Prince's origins in the Southern Cang Region are highly credible.

Chen Lingxi's tone then seemed more sincere as he said, "Since I have an agreement with the Crown Prince, there must be more than one transaction. If we remain constantly wary of each other and unwilling to open up, how can we exchange goods and services?"

"The opportunity I spoke of lies precisely in the two words 'spiritual aperture'!"

"A spiritual opportunity will appear in Yuanjiang Prefecture," Chen Lingxi said, emphasizing each word. "I wonder if it's worthy of a Dragon's Blessing technique?"

The spiritual aperture!

The moment those two words were uttered, the prince's eyes lit up.

He didn't say much.

He reached into his robe and took out a jade pendant.

The jade pendant was only about an inch square, pure white, with a warm and smooth texture, and gleamed with a faint, cold light in the candlelight.

Spiritual energy flowed from the prince's fingertips, strands of it entering the jade, causing the jade pendant to light up, changing from a bright white to a pale blue, then from pale blue to a deep green, finally settling on a deep, almost ink-like green.

He handed the jade pendant to Chen Lingxi.

"The Dragon Roar Technique of my sect is contained within it." He paused, his gaze falling on Chen Lingxi's face: "I will obtain the secret, and you will obtain this jade pendant."

Chen Lingxi took the jade pendant, and the moment her fingertips touched the jade surface, she felt a cool sensation seep into her meridians along her fingertips.

He was given a wisp of spiritual energy to be transferred into the jade pendant, and a massive amount of information immediately burst forth from it, filling Chen Lingxi's mind!

Chen Lingxi calmly put the jade pendant into his pocket.

"A primordial energy is about to emerge from the ancestral mountain of Yuanjiang Prefecture." He raised his head and looked at the Crown Prince: "There are also cultivators in Yuanjiang Prefecture who are eyeing this place covetously."

"With this primordial energy, one can cultivate a spiritual aperture! But with a spiritual aperture, there is a greater chance of obtaining a cauldron, cultivating to the third level of the Heavenly Tower, and gaining great freedom."

"The ancestral mountain's mother energy?" The crown prince's gaze finally turned to the ancestral mountain.

In that instant, he seemed to have a sudden realization, thinking to himself, "So it seems that there is indeed a secret about this ancestral mountain! I came to Yuanjiang Prefecture twice and saw that the ancestral mountain was shrouded in thick fog, which was quite strange, but I never paid any attention to it."

It was as if... this mountain had never been here! Only after Chen Ling enlightened me did I realize its extraordinary nature.

The Crown Prince turned to look at Chen Lingxi, his gaze different from before.

"It's actually a spiritual opportunity." He murmured these four words, his tone filled with barely suppressed emotion: "Such an opportunity is indeed worth careful planning."

He then paced back and forth in the East Hall with his hands behind his back.

After taking a dozen or so steps, the Crown Prince finally looked up at Chen Lingxi and asked, "Fellow Daoist, why don't you join forces with me?"

Chen Lingxi nodded: "The opportunity to obtain the spiritual aperture is of great importance, and it would be extremely difficult for one person to obtain the mother's energy alone."

"It would be wonderful to join forces with you, fellow Daoist."

The Crown Prince seemed quite pleased with this opportunity, and a smile finally appeared on his handsome face.

"In that case, we shall meet again when the ancestral mountain's mother energy manifests in the world."

If you require anything, please send a message in the name of the Marquis of Baosu's residence.

Chen Lingxi agreed and looked outside the East Hall.

The crown prince understood and summoned a eunuch who was serving outside the palace: "See the guest out."

Chen Lingxi left.

The prince stood motionless before the landscape painting.

A few breaths passed.

He suddenly turned around, walked to the table, picked up the purple brush from the brush holder, and spread out a sheet of gold-flecked paper.

The pen tip, fully dipped in ink, hovered above the paper, pausing for a moment.

Then, he put pen to paper.

The handwriting was not neat, and could even be described as somewhat sloppy. Each stroke carried an urgent and undeniable force, penetrating the paper, and the ink spread across the gold-flecked paper.

"Intercept and kill Chen Lingxi, the beast-fighting expert."

It was finished in just seven characters.

He put the purple brush back on the brush holder, picked up the gold-flecked paper, folded it twice, and called out.

"Someone come here."

The palace door was pushed open a crack, and another eunuch walked in silently, his hands hanging down and his head bowed, not daring to look too closely.

The crown prince handed over the gold-flecked letter.

"Send it to Zhuo Diao Temple."

The young eunuch accepted the gift with both hands, bowed, and left the hall. His steps were as light as the wind, and he disappeared into the depths of the passageway in an instant.

The palace doors were closed again.

The crown prince stood with his hands behind his back in the hall, gazing at the landscape painting on the wall for a long time without moving.

The candlelight cast his shadow on the white jade bricks, making it extremely long and faint.

"This person has no recollection of any martial arts techniques..."

"There is only one source of ancestral mountain energy, not enough for others to share."

"This person's cultivation level is unknown. With Diao Temple here, this is a great opportunity to intercept and kill a Qi cultivator. Even if we can't kill him, we can still find out his strength."

"Those who seek the truth must possess a secret treasure."

His thoughts were in turmoil, and the two vortexes in his eyes spun slowly.

"If I obtain it, my cultivation will surely improve, and I will most likely be able to ascend the tower again!"

"We also need to investigate what this person's purpose is in lurking in the Baosu Marquis's mansion, even going so far as to disguise himself as a servant."