The Dao Struggle Was Thus

Chen Lingxi fled far away, flying thousands of miles until he was sure there were no more pursuing signs behind him. Only then did he land on the clouds and find a desolate mountain cave.

Without delay, he sat cross-legged in the cave, closed his eyes and concentrated, and began to refine the spiritual energy of the thirty-second- Immortal Ranking!

The spiritual energy flowed slowly through his Qi Sea, nourishing his spiritual qi, and its growth rate was several times faster than before.

The Six-Qi True Method Greater Celestial Circuit throughout his body, refining a portion of the spiritual energy with each cycle and merging it into the increasingly clear Spirit Pool.

During this seclusion, he refined the spiritual energy from the Immortal Ranking, and his spiritual cultivation increased by another 30%.

As his spiritual energy increased, he devoted most of his mind to practicing the profound method of the True Edict of Audience with the Dao, using the pure essence contained in the spiritual energy of the Immortal Ranking, along with the energy he had refined day and night through the Great Sage's Breath-Assimilation Mystique, to temper his physical body.

Under the nourishment of this abundant essence, the petals of the Golden Essence Flower became even more dazzling, and the golden light almost solidified into a tangible form.

Chen Lingxi's physical strength became increasingly formidable.

Two more months passed, Chen Lingxi slowly opened her eyes.

"The secrets of this Immortal Ranking are truly profound."

Chen Lingxi stood up and sensed her physical body, only to find that it had become even stronger, with an indomitable and fearless spirit in every move she made.

"After two months of arduous cultivation, he has refined all the spiritual energy of the Immortal Ranking. Not only has his spiritual energy cultivation made great progress, but he is also close to the barrier of the Twelfth Floor. Even his physical strength has been further enhanced under the dual tempering of the Golden Essence Flower and the True Edict of Audience with the Dao."

A glint of light flashed in his eyes as he took out the Jade Slip.

"We must not slacken our efforts."

His gaze swept over the names on the Jade Slip, finally settling on the two characters "Qiu Yue".

Qiu Yue.

The twenty-third one comes from the Southern Heaven Domain.

Chen Lingxi had read about Qiu Yue's location; it was a small country called Ning Kingdom.

He put away the Jade Slip, stood up, and Concealed Edge Method to cultivate his spiritual energy. Thus, he left the desolate mountain cave and headed north.

Ning Kingdom was a small country, sandwiched between Great Li and several vassal states to the west. Its territory was no more than three prefectures, and its population was no more than ten million.

Such a tiny state could not even match the grain and fodder of a prefecture in Great Li on a daily basis, let alone produce any remarkable figures.

Yet this tiny place exudes an inexplicable strangeness today.

Chen Lingxi had not even entered Ning Kingdom's territory when he sensed something was amiss.

Standing atop the clouds, he looked into the distance and saw that the clouds within a hundred miles of the Ning Kingdom were all converging in the same direction.

The clouds did not flow naturally, but were drawn by some force, wisps of them surging toward the Ning River outside the capital city.

White mist surged above the river, with a faint, shimmering light within it.

"It does bear some resemblance to the mysterious method used by Emperor Daye to connect mountains and lakes to form a spiritual array."

Chen Lingxi thought to herself.

Such methods of seizing the power of heaven and earth are far beyond the capabilities of ordinary Qi Circulation Realm cultivators.

But then he thought about it again...

"Perhaps the grand formation of Emperor Daye originated from the memories of a cultivator from the Southern Heaven Domain; who knows?"

With this in mind, he went straight into the Ning Kingdom and headed straight for the imperial palace.

Compared to the palaces of Great Li, the Ning Kingdom Palace was far less magnificent and luxurious.

At this moment, in the main hall of the imperial palace, the Hall of Supreme Harmony, all the officials stood solemnly and remained completely silent.

In the center of the palace was a high platform, with a jade curtain hanging above it. Behind the curtain, one could vaguely see a figure sitting on a dragon throne.

The figure was tall and imposing. Even through the jade curtain, one could see that he had broad shoulders and a straight back, and his dignified posture exuded an indescribable sense of majesty.

Before the jade curtain, the Emperor of the Ning Kingdom was kneeling on the ground with his officials.

The emperor looked to be only in his thirties, and was fairly handsome, but he was kneeling there with cold sweat dripping down his forehead and his face pale.

Behind him, a dense crowd knelt, including civil officials and military generals, all with their heads bowed and eyes lowered, not daring to utter a sound.

The hall was extremely quiet.

A eunuch emerged from the side of the platform.

The eunuch, pale and beardless, holding a whisk, walked to the jade curtain and stopped. He spoke in a shrill voice that echoed in the empty hall, "The immortals have commanded that Luminous Jade of the realm be collected and thrown into the Ning Kingdom River! Is this matter now complete?"

The Emperor of the Ning Kingdom, dressed in a dragon robe, knelt there, took a deep breath, and was about to answer.

At that very moment, a gentle breeze blew in from outside the hall.

The wind rustled the hems of the robes of the officials in the hall, and brushed past the jade curtain on the high platform, blowing open a corner of the curtain that was originally hanging tightly.

The corner of the curtain was lifted, revealing the face of the middle-aged man behind it.

The man was about forty years old, with a slightly dark complexion, high cheekbones, and a square jaw. His eyes were not particularly sharp, but rather exuded a calm and composed air that suggested he had experienced much in life.

He wore a black Dark Daoist Robe embroidered with intricate cloud patterns in gold thread, a jade belt around his waist, and a Daoist crown inlaid with a green pearl.

He sat upright on the dragon throne, one hand resting on the armrest, the other holding a small jade piece, which he was slowly rubbing between his fingers.

The jade piece turned between his fingers, and with each turn, a faint wisp of spiritual light emanated from the jade piece, disappearing into the Void and vanishing to who knows where.

This person is Qiu Yue from the Southern Heaven Domain.

The curtain was blown open by the wind, Qiu Yue looked up.

He did not look at the trembling emperor and his officials.

His gaze pierced through the palace gates, through the empty plaza outside, and landed in the Void. He asked, "Which fellow Daoist is it?"

The officials in the hall looked at each other, wondering who this immortal was talking to.

The Emperor of the Ning Kingdom subconsciously raised his head and followed Qiu Yue's gaze towards the outside of the hall.

Then, a cloud of mist appeared in the Void outside the palace, seemingly out of nowhere.

The cloud hung about several tens of feet above the palace, and faint golden lightning flickered beneath it.

A person stood atop the clouds.

The man was dressed in a dark black robe, which fluttered in the wind, outlining his tall, slender, yet not thin, figure beneath it.

This man was extremely handsome, and although he was only in his early twenties, he possessed a composure beyond his years, like a famous sword hidden in its sheath, its sharpness not revealed, yet it exuded a fierce aura that made people dare not underestimate him!

Qiu Yue's gaze fell on the cloud of pale golden lightning swirling at the man's feet, and his eyebrows rose slightly.

He recognized the aura contained within the lightning.

"Are you a fellow Daoist from Thunder Pool?" Qiu Yue asked.

Chen Lingxi stood atop the cloud, looking down at Qiu Yue in the hall, her eyes flashing.

"I have no grudge against Qiu Yue."

His mind raced.

Under normal circumstances, he might have sat down with this person for a cup of tea, discussed the Dao, and perhaps even learned some secrets of the Southern Heaven Domain from him.

But that's not possible now.

On the path of great principles, conflict is unavoidable.

In order to make a living, to survive, and to achieve immortality, he must seize the spiritual energy of the Immortal Ranking, must enter the Twelve Levels of Qi Circulation, and must carve out a way to survive amidst the arrival of so many powerful figures from the Great Xuanzhuo Realm.

"The struggle over the Dao is roughly like this."

Without Chen Lingxi immediately took action!

He took a step forward, and the clouds beneath his feet exploded with a roar, spreading out in all directions like an inverted waterfall of light.

The Heaven-Inviting Might erupted suddenly, and the illusory image of the Great Sage behind him stood tall and firm. He suddenly opened his eyes, and an indescribable terrifying aura surged toward the Hall of Supreme Harmony like a flood bursting its banks.

That aura pierced through the glazed tiles of the palace roof, through the beams and pillars inside, and pressed down directly on Qiu Yue.

"Um?"

Qiu Yue sat upright on the dragon throne, completely motionless!

He snorted coldly, and his spiritual energy suddenly erupted. His Dark Daoist Robe fluttered without wind, and the emerald pearl on his Daoist crown suddenly shone with a dazzling light.

He gently clenched his right hand in Void, and the jade piece he had been playing with for so long shattered into dust in his palm.

The jade powder did not dissipate, but instead transformed into a beam of emerald light that entered his brow, outlining an extremely complex rune on his forehead.

As soon as the rune appeared, an extremely heavy and powerful pressure emanated from Qiu Yue and swept into the Void, pressing the kneeling officials in the hall to the ground, unable to move.

Several civil officials couldn't withstand the oppressive aura and fainted on the spot!

Qiu Yue out of the palace, soaring into the sky, and then raised his hand!

Five fingers Heavenward Realm, a loose clench!

With that one grasp, the celestial phenomena above the entire Ning Kingdom suddenly changed.

The once clear sky darkened in a matter of moments, with thick, dark clouds covering the sky and obscuring the sun.

The clouds surged and churned, the sea of clouds was turbulent!

A sudden gust of wind arose, containing an extremely powerful force; wherever it passed, sand and stones flew, and trees were uprooted.

A sudden gust of wind blew through the Void, reaching around Chen Lingxi's body and constantly blowing, causing Chen Lingxi's spiritual energy to become increasingly stagnant!

Qiu Yue's eyes flickered as they landed on Chen Lingxi.

"Let me guess... He attacked me alone, yet I didn't construct Guiding Passage Formation..."

"You did not come here to destroy my Southern Heaven Domain 'Guiding Passage Formation... You are Chen Lingxi, the newly ranked thirty-second on the Immortal Ranking, a native of this land!"

You've come for the divine secrets of the Immortal Ranking!

Qiu Yue's Divine Sense swirled, and he raised his hand again!

At that moment, the Ning River outside the city seemed to come alive.

The river water surged upwards, transforming into countless columns of water that shot skyward.

The water column condensed in mid-air, turning into a torrential downpour that pelted down on Chen Lingxi.

Every drop of rain contains an extremely pure and brilliant inspiration, as fast as a flying arrow and as sharp as a knife!

In a short moment, this cultivator from the Southern Heaven Domain unleashed two Divine Ability.

The first is the [Wind-Calling Technique]!

The second method is the [Rain-Summoning Technique]!

Chen Lingxi stood in the raging wind, feeling as if the spiritual energy around her was about to dissipate.

The raindrops that hit Chen Lingxi produced a crisp, metallic clang.

Although the raindrops could not break through his physical defenses, each drop caused his Qi and Blood to sway slightly. When hundreds or thousands of drops fell at the same time, it was like hundreds of heavy hammers striking him simultaneously, causing his momentum to suddenly come to a halt.

"Impressive tactics," Chen Lingxi thought to herself. "This Qiu Yue, ranked twenty-third on the Immortal Ranking, is indeed no pushover."

"To harness the power of heaven and earth for one's own use, one can transform the clouds, gales, and rivers within a radius of hundreds of feet into one's own with a mere gesture."

Although this was not some earth-shattering supernatural Divine Ability, the way this person used it possessed a mysterious quality that could turn the mundane into the miraculous.

He was like the master of this land, the wind was his arm, the rain was his sword, and the entire Ning Kingdom became his domain.

"If I hadn't refined the spiritual energy of the 32nd Immortal Ranking and come here to find Qiu Yue, I would have undoubtedly been defeated."

Chen Lingxi's mind was in turmoil, and within the simple Inner Divine Palace in his body, the phantom of the Great Heaven-Inviting Great Sage, who sat cross-legged on the high platform, suddenly opened his eyes.

Those eyes were as deep as an abyss, with stars faintly swirling within them.

An even more powerful and pure Great Sage Aura erupted from him at this moment.

"Break!"

Chen Lingxi's aura was at its peak, and the raging wind and spiritual energy within his body were crushed inch by inch and dissipated into nothingness under the impact of this aura.

The torrential rain lashed down on him, but it could no longer shake him in the slightest.

He took a step forward, and the Longevity Bridge that stretched across the sky beneath his feet suddenly materialized. Pale golden lightning swirled wildly across the bridge, completely shutting out the gale and torrential rain.

He stood at the bridgehead, his aura as solid and imposing as a mountain.

"Such a domineering physical Cultivation Method?"

Qiu Yue's pupils contracted slightly!

Chen Lingxi his hand and forcefully activated the Heaven-Seizing Seal technique.

The spiritual energy of heaven and earth within a radius of several hundred feet, including the raging winds, the torrential rain, and even the churning sea of clouds above Qiu Yue's head, were all forcibly seized by this Divine Ability power and frantically condensed and compressed in his palm.

A gigantic handprint, more than ten feet in diameter, suddenly took shape in the Void.

He struck out with his palm.

The handprint descended upon Qiu Yue, pressing down upon him.

Rumble!

Qiu Yue had already ascended to the clouds.

He looked up at the overwhelming handprint, his expression unchanged.

With a flick of his wrists, he formed an extremely profound hand seal. The dark gold cloud patterns on his Dark Daoist Robe lit up at that moment, as if countless golden dragons had broken free from the robe and were frantically swimming around him.

He uttered a single word. "Suppress."

The moment the word was uttered, the golden cloud patterns around him suddenly surged, condensing into a huge talisman with a diameter of tens of feet above his head.

Chen Lingxi slammed his palm down on the talisman, producing an extremely dull thud, as if he had struck a real mountain.

The talisman trembled violently a few times, completely dissipating the power of the Heaven-Seizing Seal.

Chen Lingxi flipped his left hand and Thunder-Wielding Heavenly King Sword. Immediately afterward, the giant handprint of the Heaven-Seizing Seal condensed again. This time, it was only the size of a millstone, but the power it contained was more refined and domineering than the giant handprint that was more than ten feet long before.

With a backhand slap, the millstone-sized handprint hurtled towards Qiu Yue like a meteor.

With a loud bang, the talisman was actually slapped open by this palm strike, leaving a fine crack.

Qiu Yue's expression changed slightly. He floated back several feet and formed hand seals again. The golden cloud patterns around his body surged once more as he tried to repair the cracks on the talisman.

"A great opportunity!"

Chen Lingxi his hands and flipped them over!

The amber-colored throwing knife shot silently toward Qiu Yue.

The flying knife pierced the air silently, making little noise.

And this Delayed Light Flying Dagger has always been invincible.

But...

Just as the flying knife approached Qiu Yue's face, which was three zhang away...

Qiu Yue had already noticed the barely perceptible distortion of time.

He tried to dodge, but Chen Lingxi wouldn't give him that chance.

He pointed his fingers like a sword, Twelve Heavenly Drum Peals roared forth. At the same time, he transformed into a falling star and shot towards the direction Qiu Yue was about to dodge.

Qiu Yue's position in all directions—up, down, left, and right—was completely Chen Lingxi.

With a slight change in his expression, he had no choice but to step straight forward and knock the throwing knife away.

The beam of light from the throwing knife landed on him.

Everything before Qiu Yue's eyes slowed down at that moment.

"What grade of Spirit Artifact is this?!"

Qiu Yue was extremely surprised.

Chen Lingxi had already closed in on Qiu Yue, his right fist clenched tightly, and the Great Sage Aura of Heaven-Inviting Might, along with the rolling essence of the Golden Essence Flower, surged into this punch.

It landed on Qiu Yue's head.

In a fleeting instant, Qiu Yue had already broken free from that distorted sense of time.

Golden light burst from his eyes, transforming him into a Celestial Person phantom.

That Celestial Person kicked Chen Lingxi hard.

Chen Lingxi sensed the terrifying aura emanating from the Celestial Person phantom and couldn't help but show a look of surprise.

He had no choice but to send this terrifying Great Sage's punch soaring into the Void, colliding with the Celestial Person's kick.

Rumble!

A terrifying aura surged forth, sending Chen Lingxi flying backward and spitting out blood.

The Celestial Person figures have also vanished.

In his haste, Qiu Yue was struck by the Twelve Heavenly Drum Peals Chen Lingxi. Amidst the crisscrossing Sword Qi energy, the spiritual energy on Qiu Yue's body flickered and dissipated.

Some of the numerous sword lights pierced through his body, some severed his transformed arms, and some even grazed his neck.

He still had a look of surprise and doubt in his eyes, and gave Chen Lingxi a deep look.

"Chen Lingxi... I hope we can meet again, so that I can avenge the disappearance of this incarnation!"

Qiu Yue's Divine Sense flowed, and then completely vanished into nothingness!

Right now!

Above the heavens, the Immortal Ranking changed once again. A golden beam of light, even more dazzling than before, descended from the sky and pierced straight into Chen Lingxi's body.

This spiritual energy was incredibly dense, seemingly filled with all sorts of mysteries, and even some kind of mysterious supernatural Divine Ability recorded within it.

Chen Lingxi's eyes were clear and bright...

"The Mystery Mechanism surrounding the twenty-third rank on the Immortal Ranking far exceed my expectations."

Chen Lingxi a deep breath. "With this inspiration, I will surely be able to achieve the Twelve Levels of Qi Circulation!"

At that moment, he suddenly frowned.

With a flick of his wrist, the Three-Mystery Mirror fell back into his hand.

Chen Lingxi looked at the surface of the Three-Mystery Mirror.

The bright white light that was originally far away on the horizon on the mirror's surface was now approaching him at an extremely fast speed.

"Bai Lingze."

Chen Lingxi raised an eyebrow. "It seems that Bai Lingze is also using Divine Ability Secret Method to locate me. While I was fighting with Qiu Yue, he somehow found out my location."

"However... he's too far away from me."

A slight smile appeared on Chen Lingxi's lips as she used the Life-Devouring Method to completely consume Qiu Yue's spiritual energy.

Then, by pushing the Concealed Edge Method to its limit, his aura vanished instantly, leaving no trace whatsoever.

He vanished in a flash.

"Find a secluded spot and break through to the Twelve Levels of Qi Circulation!"