After the Great Dao died

Chapter 81 Solo Kill of the Four Golden Bodies

With the arrival of the Imperial Concubine, the east courtyard of the Marquis of Baosu's residence had already been completely refurbished.

Lin Longyue had already taken a shortcut and stood in front of the main hall of the East Courtyard.

The sound of horses' hooves came from afar, first a few very faint and distant sounds, then quickly becoming as dense as a sudden rain.

The cavalry and honor guard leading the way had arrived at the gate of the mansion, and then the magnificent carriage with its canopy slowly drove into the mansion.

The imperial carriage came to a steady stop in front of the main hall steps. Princess Yunhe lifted the curtain from the inside, and Consort Chun stepped out of the carriage.

Today she wore a moon-white gown, her hair was styled in a high bun, and she wore a tassel hairpin with a thumb-sized pearl at the tip. The tassel was made of extremely fine gold thread and hung down by her temples, swaying gently with her steps.

She stood on the steps, tilted her head slightly, glanced at the newly replaced plaque under the eaves of the main hall in the east courtyard, and a very faint smile appeared on her lips.

Lin Longyue was already kneeling on the ground, with a large group of people kneeling behind her.

"Your humble servant, Lin Longyue, respectfully welcomes the Imperial Concubine's arrival."

Consort Chun stepped forward slowly, extended her hand, and offered a slight helping hand.

"Longyue," Consort Chun said gently, "I have come to disturb Your Highness's peaceful cultivation. His Majesty has specially decreed that Your Highness need not leave your seclusion—I will have to trouble you again for this trip."

Lin Longyue lowered her eyes and said, "Your Majesty flatters me. I am unworthy of such praise."

Consort Chun smiled slightly and said no more.

That night, Consort Chun stayed in the warm pavilion behind the main hall of the East Courtyard.

Outside the Marquis's residence, however, a different scene unfolded. Many commoners, eager to see what the favored imperial concubine looked like, gathered on the long street outside the residence. Even though they were blocked by soldiers and yamen runners and could not get close, they still gazed into the distance and waited.

Chen Lingxi stood amidst the commotion.

"The investigation isn't over yet; we can explore it further."

He gazed at the armored soldiers' camp in the distance, and then at the Baosu Marquis's mansion behind the camp, its outline clearly visible in the lamplight, his eyes showing no emotion.

He waited there outside the Marquis's residence.

Until Liu Que from the Marquis's residence came out to make purchases.

Chen Lingxi secretly followed Liu Que until he was far away from the Marquis's residence before revealing herself.

"Chen Lingxi?" Liu Que's eyes showed doubt. "You're back?"

Chen Lingxi had been absent from the Marquis's residence for several days, which Liu Que naturally noticed. His current inquiry must be because Lin Longyue had given some instructions.

Chen Lingxi greeted Liu Que and presented her with a letter: "The person Miss ordered me to serve asked me to deliver this letter. Since I happened to run into the steward, I will not return to the Marquis's residence. I will simply hand the letter over to the steward."

Liu Que took the letter. Since Lin Longyue had given instructions earlier, he had no doubts. He nodded and said, "The Marquis's mansion is heavily guarded now. People have to be checked at every turn to enter and leave. It will be quite troublesome for you to go back."

I will take this letter back to you.

After Liu Que left, Chen Lingxi quietly left the city.

The next day, before dawn, Yuanjiang Prefecture was already bustling with activity again.

Consort Chun's imperial carriage left the city to visit several nearby mountains to see the snow.

Lin Longyue slept very restlessly last night.

That unexpected letter made her uneasy, and she couldn't sleep all night.

"Tomorrow at Shenshi (3-5 PM), on the banks of the Yuanjiang River, at the salt flats."

"To go or not to go?"

Lin Longyue frowned in thought.

A few breaths later, she suddenly coughed, followed by a few gasps.

"His Silver Bone technique has reached its peak, yet he is so weak."

Lin Longyue took a deep breath; "Let's go see the Imperial Concubine while she's out of the city."

He then frowned slightly: "If I leave the manor alone, trouble is bound to arise."

As she pondered, she thought to herself, "I'll take the guest retainers from my household with me. If there's an opportunity, perhaps I can—"

With this in mind, Lin Longyue no longer hesitated. She immediately selected several guest ministers, but did not arrange a carriage. Instead, she rode out of the mansion on horseback.

Along the Yuanjiang River, the water is thinner in winter, revealing large areas of gray-white riverbed, hence the name Salt Flat.

Lin Longyue reined in her horse and dismounted.

The north wind swept down from the river, causing a few strands of her tied-up long hair to fall down and stick to her pale cheeks; even makeup couldn't hide her weariness.

She walked to the old locust tree, looked around, and found the riverbank deserted.

She took a deep breath, about to speak.

Just then, she suddenly sensed something.

That was a gaze.

Looking at her from a great distance behind her, she appeared calm and serene, yet she exuded a powerful aura that made her blood and energy tremble involuntarily.

She turned around abruptly and saw that person.

The tall, masked figure with a long sword at his waist stood on a protruding river rock about ten paces away from her.

His back was straight as a pine tree, and his aura was deep and profound, as if the cold wind blowing across the river, the snow covering the ground, and the omnipresent desolation between heaven and earth were nothing more than his backdrop.

He stood with his hands behind his back, the hem of his robe fluttering slightly in the wind. His dark eyes, spanning more than ten steps, landed on Lin Longyue's face, as calm as two bottomless ancient wells.

Lin Longyue's heart skipped a beat.

"Senior," she bowed and said, "Oborozuki greets Senior."

Chen Lingxi nodded slightly.

Lin Longyue straightened up, remained silent for a few moments as if considering her words, then raised her head and said, "I have already met Consort Chun. The Consort is very kind and has given me several pills."

As she spoke, she reached into her bosom and took out a wooden box.

She opened the wooden box, revealing several pills neatly arranged inside.

As soon as the box was opened, a rich medicinal aroma wafted out.

From an ordinary perspective, it is indeed a rare and precious elixir.

"The Imperial Concubine said that these pills can help me strengthen my foundation and cultivate my vital energy so that I can reach the Silver Bone Perfection stage as soon as possible," Lin Longyue said in a low voice.

Chen Lingxi only glanced at the pills in the wooden box before moving it away.

He raised his head and looked at the forest behind Lin Longyue.

The depths of the pine forest were dark and unclear, with only a few faint and faint spiritual lights flickering within, appearing and disappearing like will-o'-the-wisps.

A slight smile appeared on Chen Lingxi's lips.

The smile was faint, yet it sent a chill down Lin Longyue's spine: "You came here alone; it's only right that you brought a few guards."

Then, he raised his head and looked towards the pine forest, his voice rising a few decibels.

"Since you're here, why not show yourself?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Longyue's expression changed drastically: "Senior—"

Chen Lingxi continued to gaze at the distant woods.

She pondered for a few moments, then nodded slightly. Immediately afterward, a figure slowly emerged from the pine forest.

The man was tall and slender, dressed in a plain white scholar's robe, with an extremely handsome face and exquisitely sculpted features.

A sword hung at his waist, its scabbard entirely silver-white. He moved with ease, and a faint golden light emanated from his body.

It was Zhao Qinglou, a guest advisor at Yin'an Academy.

After Zhao Qinglou, two more figures emerged from the pine forest.

Both men were guest retainers of the Silver Peace Academy; one was a short, stout middle-aged man, and the other was a tall, thin old man.

Three golden statues!

Lin Longyue's face was pale. She clasped her hands and said, "Senior, I left the manor alone. They were merely guarding me—"

Chen Lingxi suddenly smiled and said, "I came here today because I really wanted to invite you to take a stroll up the mountain, and also—"

He suddenly looked up at the sky, where two bright mirrors shone high.

"And I also want to see what I can do."

Lin Longyue's breath hitched.

As Chen Lingxi spoke, he suddenly raised his right hand, his index and middle fingers joined together like a sword, and flicked them lightly in the direction of the Yuan River!

A purple light burst forth from his fingertips.

Immediately afterwards, Yuanjiang exploded!

The explosion was extremely violent.

A water column more than ten feet high was blasted open on the surface of the river. The water column was mixed with silt, water plants, ice fragments, and a very faint trace of blood.

The crimson color diffused within the water column, turning it a pale red.

"Why didn't this one appear in the river?" Chen Ling asked after pointing.

Before the pine forest, the pupils of the three golden-bodied guest elders simultaneously contracted.

Zhao Qinglou reacted the fastest.

His right hand was already on the hilt of the sword at his waist, and golden light suddenly shone brightly around him, with the Purple Grinding Wheel rising from behind him.

But Chen Lingxi's movements were even faster.

With a flick of his sleeve, his robe billowed in the wind, and an arrow flew out from his sleeve.

The magic arrow pierced the sky!

The arrow was so fast that ordinary people could only see a blurry blue afterimage streaking through the air.

Where the arrow passed, a visible white streak was torn through the air.

The short, stout golden-bodied guest elder was the first to be targeted.

His hands were still tucked into his sleeves, and he seemed not to have realized what was happening before the spirit arrow was already in front of him.

His pupils contracted sharply, and a golden aura suddenly flared up around him. The thick golden light enveloped his entire body from head to toe, and his golden blood and qi surged like mercury in his meridians.

But then a flash of blue light appeared at the tip of the spirit arrow.

That golden protective shield, capable of shattering ordinary swords and blades, was like a thin sheet of paper before this azure light, and was silently pierced through.

The arrow pierced his brow, emerging from the back of his head with a fine mist of blood, before his body collapsed with a thud.

In the blink of an eye, a golden statue died!

The other two were both greatly surprised.

The tall, thin guest elder shouted sharply, throwing out both fists simultaneously. Golden light surged from the tips of his fists, and the fist energy pierced the air, emitting a deep, resonant hum.

The old woman slammed her snake-headed wooden staff on the ground, and her body sprang up, heading straight for Chen Lingxi!

At that moment, Zhao Qinglou drew his longsword.

He thrust out his sword with fierce momentum and chilling aura. The air within several feet around him was stirred up wildly by the sword strike, and withered grass and snowflakes were swept up by the sword wind and danced wildly in the air.

He moved with lightning speed, his body following the movement of his sword, and had already approached Chen Lingxi.

Chen Lingxi casually extended a finger.

Right index finger.

On that finger, a faint bluish-green glint first appeared, as thin as a silkworm thread, yet incredibly sharp!

Green Edge Technique!

Immediately afterwards, another purple light shone from his fingertips. The purple light was as fine as a cow's hair, but it was more solid and sharper than the green light.

Purple True Treasure Aura!

The blue and purple light intertwined and coiled at his fingertips, like two slender serpents, one blue and one purple, emitting a cold, eerie light.

Then, he met Zhao Qinglou's longsword with his fingers!

Clang.

A crisp and resonant metallic clang rang out across the riverbank.

Zhao Qinglou felt an overwhelming force pouring down from the tip of his sword, as if an invisible mountain had crashed into him.

He flew backward like a kite with a broken string, his eyes filled with horror.

He was a master of the Golden Body, his Purple Grinding Golden Wheel was indestructible, and the Lingxiao Sword in his hand was forged from meteorite iron from outer space and nurtured with blood and qi for more than ten years. It could cut through iron like mud and was incomparably sharp.

But this person is only a fingertip away —

Who is this person?

Zhao Qinglou didn't have time to think it through.

Because Chen Lingxi had already closed in and drawn his sword!

The moment the Demon Slayer Sword was drawn, the world was suddenly illuminated.

The long sword flashed, radiating lightning and light, as it pierced the air.

At this moment, the tall, thin, golden-bodied old man had already entered within two zhang of him.

The old man reached out to grab Chen Lingxi, his entire hand turning a pale gold color.

Turn gold into energy.

But Chen Ling didn't even glance at him.

Chen Lingxi's blade was already slashing towards Zhao Qinglou, and he had closed in to within three zhang of Zhao Qinglou.

A murderous glint flashed in the old man's eyes. He pushed his golden energy to its limit, and his pale golden hand, like a red-hot iron clamp, struck towards Chen Lingxi's back.

It was at this moment.

The spirit arrow had somehow returned.

The golden-bodied old man was completely focused on Chen Lingxi and did not notice the spirit arrow that was silently approaching from behind.

His Transforming Gold Force had already struck within three feet of Chen Lingxi's heart, and a smug smile involuntarily appeared on his lips.

Then, his smile froze on his face.

The arrow pierced the back of his head.

Fresh blood trickled from the finger-sized hole between his eyebrows, spreading a dark red stain on his gray beard and hair.

Another one has died.

At that moment, Chen Lingxi's longsword was already slashing towards Zhao Qinglou.

On the blade, three colors shone brightly: lightning, cyan light, and purple aura. The three intertwined and twisted, condensing on the blade into a nearly tangible three-colored blade.

With a single stroke, it fell.

Zhao Qinglou's pupils suddenly contracted.

He parried with his sword, the blade gleaming with an intense purple-gold light, the golden wheel spinning wildly, the surrounding air churning and hissing.

He had given it his all and dared not hold back any further.

Swords clashed.

Click.

The longsword broke.

The blade continued its thrust.

The blade continued its advance, cutting through the protective golden broth, the skin, and the ribs, cleaving from his right shoulder all the way to his left rib.

Fresh blood gushed out.

Zhao Qinglou died.

All four golden statues perished at this point.

And all of this happened in the blink of an eye.

The riverbank returned to silence.

Lin Longyue stood still, motionless.

Chen Lingxi sheathed his sword without uttering a word, stepped forward, raised his right hand, and gently pressed it on the back of Lin Longyue's neck.

Lin Longyue felt a numbness at the back of her neck, and then everything suddenly went black.

Chen Lingxi looked at Lin Longyue with a slight smile on his lips: "Let's see what this precious Qi is all about."