Shrouding the Heavens: Starting by joining the Holy Land of Yao Guang

Chapter 113 Immortal from the Stone
"Wow!"

On the mountain, the golden-winged roc struggled incessantly, but the golden hand patterns burst forth with boundless divine power, and no matter how the roc struggled, it was useless and could not break free at all.

"Crack!"

The sound of bones breaking echoed continuously, and the golden-winged roc cried out incessantly, showing no trace of its ferocity.

With a "whoosh," as the golden hand closed, the Roc's body, which was as strong as steel, exploded and turned into a pool of blood and mud.

The wild beasts in this primeval forest howled in fear and fled in all directions, not daring to approach this place, as if there were an unparalleled demon lord.

At this moment, the figure in the sky was majestic, with a head of black hair dancing wildly, surrounded by a powerful aura, and with 108 divine rings around him, he was simply like a god.

"Is this a divine intervention?" Pang Bo exclaimed, his mouth agape in disbelief.

Everyone was utterly shocked. That ferocious bird, which seemed to have stepped out of an ancient myth, was now being crushed into mincemeat. This brought an immense shock to everyone.

"Such an existence is probably rare even in this world where cultivation is possible," Ye Fan muttered to himself.

Under the cover of night, the bright, silvery moonlight shone down, hazy and indistinct, as if enveloping the earth.

The 108 blazing divine rings, originally a dazzling gold, turned into a cool silver-white as the moonlight shone down upon them.

As the divine halo changed color, Li Yao's temperament also changed drastically, transforming from a domineering and fiery deity into a banished immortal who descended to the mortal world, extraordinary and otherworldly.

He calmly withdrew his hand, his lips barely moving: "After this matter is settled, wait patiently, and I will have someone pick you up and take you to the Yao Guang Holy Land."

The girl in the rainbow light nodded quickly, her expression showing some surprise. Going to the Holy Land of Yao Guang to cultivate had always been her ideal.

Weiwei was very clear-headed, knowing that only in the Yao Guang Holy Land could she go further and see a wider world, instead of being confined to a corner of the land.

Li Yao left without speaking to Ye Fan and the others. Although all the survivors in this group had achieved considerable success, that was for the future. Right now, none of them were worth befriending.

Even if Ye Tiandi is to come, he is only a mortal now. He has neither the elixir of immortality nor the source of the primordial energy of all things. Talking to him now would be of no use whatsoever.

If Ye Fan had come from the Bronze Immortal Palace at this moment, Li Yao would definitely have fallen down and paid a certain price to exchange the Source Root of All Things Mother Qi from the other party.

"Isn't the Holy Son coming back with us?" an elderly man in the crowd asked curiously.

“The Holy Son is too far away from us and won’t be traveling with us,” Vivi explained, then turned to look at the things in everyone’s hands and asked casually, “How did you obtain these things?”

Before anyone could speak, Ye Fan stepped forward and calmly said, "Our hometown is very far from here. Just by climbing an ancient mountain, we have arrived at the other side of the world, not knowing where we are, and unable to look back."

"These artifacts were all obtained on that ancient mountain."

After a moment of contemplation, Weiwei said, "There must have been an unparalleled expert who laid down Dao patterns on that ancient mountain, capable of instantly extinguishing the sun and moon and shifting the stars. However, such a method is truly terrifying!"

"Then, where did you originally live? Is there a general area?"

Now, almost everyone is following Ye Fan's line of thought and lying together. An old woman said that everyone came from the western region.

"The western region? So you come from the vast western desert..." Weiwei confirmed her guess. These people did indeed come from the western desert, otherwise they wouldn't have obtained such a Buddhist artifact.

After confirming that these people came from the Western Desert, the girl couldn't help but mutter to herself, "The distance from the Western Desert to the Eastern Wilderness is endless. Even if I flew on a rainbow, it would probably take me decades or even centuries. Who could be so talented as to lay down such powerful Dao patterns on that ancient mountain? It's unimaginable!"

"So, we've arrived in the Eastern Wilderness." An elderly man, not missing a beat, asked, "How big is the Eastern Wilderness?"

This was exactly what Ye Fan wanted to ask, but someone spoke first.

Among mortals, these people are all chosen ones, and some of them are comparable to Ye Fan in terms of temperament. The one who is asking the question is Zhou Yi, the future master of the I Ching and the Eight Trigrams, whose strength has already reached the Quasi-Emperor level.

Weiwei has a good personality, and she answered Zhou Yi's question seriously: "The Eastern Wilderness is so vast that even if a mortal could live for dozens of lifetimes, it would be difficult to travel all over it."

"So big?!" Ye Fan and the others all looked incredulous.

"In the mortal world, the country that rules this region of the Desolate Ancient Forbidden Land is called 'Yan'. It is two thousand miles long from north to south and three thousand miles long from east to west. However, such territory is just a drop in the ocean in the Eastern Wilderness. There are countless countries like this."

Upon hearing these words, Pang Bo nearly jumped up. How vast was this territory? The land of 'Yan' was so expansive, but it was nothing compared to the vastness of the Eastern Wilderness. There were countless countries with similar territories.

The Eastern Wilderness is truly vast and boundless; it's hard to imagine just how big it is!
"How could it be so big?!" Pang Bo's pupils contracted. He felt that these facts severely defied common sense and were simply too unbelievable. However, considering that even gods existed in this world, he could only shake his head.

For a long time, everyone was speechless. They had received a lot of useful information and were truly shocked, their hearts filled with immense emotions.

"You just mentioned the Western Desert. How does it compare to the Eastern Wilderness?" Wang Ziwen, being quite observant, couldn't help but ask this question.

"The Western Desert and the Eastern Wilderness are roughly the same size in terms of geographical area, both being vast and boundless."

Upon hearing this answer, everyone's hearts were filled with turmoil; what a vast region that must be!
However, what shocked them even more was yet to come. Weiwei continued, "Eastern Wilderness, Western Desert, Southern Ridge, Northern Plains, and Central Continent, with Central Continent being the most vast and mysterious, so much so that even cultivators find it difficult to traverse..."

Everyone was completely petrified, their mouths dry, unable to utter another word.

"The life of a mortal is ultimately too insignificant, like an ant, unable to even understand what the world they live in is like. Now you all have the opportunity to look down on this vast earth. As long as you are willing to cultivate diligently, you will surely be able to stir up the winds and clouds and stand at the top of the clouds one day."

It took everyone a long time to come to their senses. Some hesitated, saying, "We... we cultivate..."

"Indeed, you have entered the desolate forbidden land. Although you have lost your youth, this world is balanced. What you have lost is what you have gained. Although the cultivation world is full of thorns and difficult to traverse, you have already begun to open up a path."

As the girl rode the divine rainbow, she patiently explained things to everyone.

“Your ‘sea of ​​suffering’ has been activated. It is not impossible that you will one day cross the sea of ​​suffering, open the spring of life, build a divine bridge, and reach the other shore.”

“We don’t know who you are yet…” Zhou Yi said without missing a beat.

"There are six blessed lands within Yan Kingdom, and our place of cultivation is one of them. Of course, it's not here, it's not in the mortal world," the girl said with a bright smile.

"The Yan Kingdom is but a drop in the ocean in the Eastern Wilderness, yet this corner of the land has six blessed lands. Just how many immortal sects are there in this world..." Pang Bo muttered to himself.

"Don't aim too high; a solid foundation is the most important thing. Our blessed land is inherited from the sacred land of Yao Guang, and our fundamental techniques are absolutely top-notch. Moreover, if you can soar to great heights in the future, we will provide you with even broader opportunities for development."

"The Holy Land of Yao Guang, and that person from earlier?" Ye Fan caught the key words and quickly asked.

"The Eastern Wilderness is vast and boundless. On this land, there are countless blessed lands and great sects, but the most prestigious are the Holy Lands. They are incredibly ancient, overlooking the changing world, and are truly figures standing at the top of the clouds. The one just now was the Holy Son of the Yao Guang Holy Land, the number one among the younger generation in the Eastern Wilderness today, who is already worthy of competing with the older generation."

When the girl mentioned the Holy Son of Yao Guang, her words were filled with excitement and pride. The Lingxu Cave Heaven was inherited from the Holy Land of Yao Guang, and their Holy Son was so extraordinary that it was naturally something to be proud of.

Ye Fan and the others were also shocked. From the girl's words, they had a preliminary understanding of just how vast the Eastern Wilderness was, and how many living beings there were probably in the hundreds of millions. But that god-like youth was the number one among the younger generation, and could even compete with his seniors. This showed how extraordinary his achievement was.

……

Tens of thousands of miles away, Li Yao stood on a mountaintop, reaching out to touch the clouds drifting past him, lost in thought.

After a long while, he sighed inwardly, "There are only two hundred years left before the Dark Turmoil. Time waits for no one, and I must become stronger."

Although he could easily escape the darkness and turmoil, could he remain indifferent to the death of his infant child?
To be honest, Li Yao didn't know either. He wasn't a good person, but he was definitely not a bad person either. No matter how fierce the battles between cultivators were, he could remain unmoved because that was the natural order of things. But those newborn children were not included in this rule.

Two hundred years later, even if he has not attained enlightenment, his cultivation will at least be all-encompassing. He will surely be able to see clearly all the tragedies that happen in the world. If he truly avoids seeing them, then he would not be himself.

In order to prevent myself from being tormented by my inner thoughts at that time, I had to possess greater strength.

Two hundred years later, if he becomes emperor, he will surely be able to suppress all unrest, and naturally there will be no need to make things difficult.

"It's time to go to the Northern Regions."

He doesn't have much source energy left, and if he wants to continuously enter the realm of creation to comprehend the laws, he needs more source energy.

Now that he has reached the eighth transformation of the Dragon Transformation realm, the Heavenly Book is absorbing nearly 600 jin of essence every day. This has greatly reduced his burden, and Li Yao predicts that his need for source energy will inevitably decrease again after he enters the Immortal Platform realm.

Before heading to the Northern Region, he first found a Yao Guang base and sent a message to the Rising Sun Divine Island before crossing the void to leave.

……

The northern region is a barren wasteland, an unchanging scene throughout the ages, devoid of any sign of prosperity.

After arriving on this crimson land, Li Yao took out the Xuan Yu Platform and began to traverse across it, eventually reaching the center of the Northern Region—the Holy City!
Without a doubt, he plunged straight into the gambling stone shop set up by the Holy Land.

At his current status, there's no need for him to hide anything; he can simply gamble on stones as he truly is.

The news that Dong Yaoguang had appeared in the Holy City and started gambling on stones quickly spread throughout the entire city, attracting countless people to come and watch.

"After several years, Dong Yaoguang has come to the Holy City again. His source techniques must have reached a high level, and he may even be comparable to the legendary Source Master."

"I wonder what good things he'll get this time. If it's a treasure that can increase lifespan, I'll beg for it even if it means losing face."

"It's difficult. There are quite a few old monsters in the Yao Guang Holy Land. If a treasure that can prolong life really appears, Dong Yao Guang will definitely not trade it, but will give it to those old monsters!"

At this moment, at Dao Yi Stone Archway, a group of old monsters whispered to each other outside the Tianzi Stone Garden, their eyes fixed on the heroic and peerless young man in the main hall, all feeling a sense of melancholy at how quickly time passes.

Several years later, Dong Yaoguang reappeared. No one knew just how terrifying this young man had become, because even the older generation could feel the pressure emanating from him.

Needless to say, the youth have grown so much in the past two years that the older generation no longer dares to challenge them.

The Tianzihao Stone Garden is square, with openwork walls that do not obstruct the view of the scene inside. Inside, there is an ancient vine, so thick that it is astonishing, with a diameter of ten meters, like a dragon lying horizontally, climbing in all directions.

This is not a big tree, it's just a vine, yet it's so thick. Dao Yi Stone Archway covers a vast area, and its vines can be found in many Taoist temples.

Beside the ancient vine, there is a well built of source stone, with ropes worn into it, indicating its age and how many years it has existed.

People say this ancient vine is tens of thousands of years old.

Legend has it that it was almost transformed into a dragon, but in the past, a wise man turned it into ordinary wood, and all the spiritual energy flowed through the ancient well, nourishing this stone archway.

Another theory is that within the divine city, no matter how ancient a plant is, it is impossible for it to transform into a demon or spirit; the spiritual energy it gathers can only nourish the city itself.

The Tianzihao Stone Garden was usually deserted with few visitors, but now it has suddenly become lively.

There are experts here, and ordinary people cannot enter; they can only observe from the outside. Only those who select stones can enter, as the stones here are extremely precious.

Inside the garden, there was an old Taoist nun sitting cross-legged on a futon, her age hard to tell, and she remained motionless. There were also four or five other elderly people selecting stones.

The old nun, who was originally calm, felt somewhat helpless when she saw the young man in front of her.

When a gambling stone shop opens for business, the least welcome people are those with profound knowledge of source techniques, because their actions are practically no different from robbery, and legal robbery at that. They can't say anything and can only silently endure it.

But Li Yao clearly didn't care whether the old Taoist nun welcomed him or not, and went straight to selecting stones.

Soon, he selected a stone, which was more than a person tall, but the price was not outrageous, at 30,000 jin.

Although it is still extremely expensive, compared to the stones used in this garden, such a large piece is already at rock-bottom price.

The old Taoist nun's heart jumped to her throat. After being examined by several masters, they all felt that the chances of that source stone being outstanding were not high, which was why it was priced so cheaply.

If an ordinary person had chosen this source stone, she might not have felt anything, and might even have thought to herself that she was about to make a free profit of 30,000 catties of source stone.

But if Dong Yaoguang were to select it, even before it was opened, the old Taoist nun already felt that it was all over, that this source stone must contain a rare treasure.

Even though those masters had already seen it, the old Taoist nun would definitely prefer Dong Yaoguang over Dong Yaoguang.

Amidst everyone's expectant gaze, the stone skin slowly peeled away, revealing silver blades that danced wildly like silver dragons.

"Crack!"

Suddenly, Li Yao gently brought down his knife again, and the stone naturally cracked open, shooting out a dazzling light that was extremely eye-catching. Then, a beam of light shot up and flew into the sky.

"My God, what is that? How did it fly up?!" many people exclaimed.

"It looks like a human figure!"

"That's right, a person flew out?!"

Outside the Tianzihao Stone Garden, the onlookers suddenly erupted in excitement.

"Flying Immortal in Stone!"

"It really does look like a human figure!"

"I knew it," the old nun sighed inwardly, having already anticipated this scene.

The figure was not real and there was nothing inside it, so Li Yao paid no attention to it and continued to carefully cut the stone.

The old Taoist nun swept her large hand across the void, and a curtain of light was erected, enveloping the Heavenly Stone Garden and sealing off this space to prevent any divine objects from escaping.

Everyone was stunned. They all knew that they must have cut out an extremely rare treasure, probably worth a fortune.

"What on earth is that? I haven't seen anything like this in years! A fairy flying out of a stone has appeared!"

"It must be an extraordinary treasure, probably worth at least tens of thousands of kilograms!"

"Incredible! Its value must be comparable to divine resources. It's a treasure that makes my heart flutter. I really want to see what it is right now."

"That was a humanoid figure of light and shadow. Could it be that it cut out some ancient creature?"

The crowd was buzzing with excitement, as if they themselves had unearthed a rare treasure, all craning their necks to gaze at the stone garden in the light screen.

A fairy flying from a stone is a strange phenomenon. Since ancient times, it has been considered an auspicious sign for stone cutters, as its appearance foretells the birth of something extraordinary.

"How can a person be so gifted? Their talent in cultivation is heaven-defying, their combat talent is heaven-defying, and even their source techniques are heaven-defying. They really don't lag behind in any aspect."

The onlookers were all amazed. Dong Yaoguang's talent, even if placed in any era, seemed to be no less than that of any young emperor.

"Click"

Soon, as the stone skin cut along the crack all the way to the core, dazzling divine light shot out once again.

It was incredibly cold, yet also incredibly crystalline, allowing many to smell a rich fragrance and an incomparably sacred spiritual energy.

"This is a good thing; it must be a rare treasure!"

“Dong Yaoguang, don’t cut this piece of source material. I’ll take it. 120,000 catties of source material. What do you think?” An old man next to him said.

“I’m willing to pay 130,000 jin of raw materials to buy this stone,” another elderly man excitedly raised the price.

The group of elders had a premonition that this source stone probably contained some kind of spiritual medicine, and they all started to call out their prices.

But Li Yao ignored everyone, too lazy to even acknowledge them, and continued to slowly peel away the stone skin.

Thank you Lou Lan for the 100 points reward.
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(End of this chapter)