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

Chapter 157 Defeated by the Holy Lord is my glory
Licheng, a place of great upheaval, has now become the center of the Eastern Wilderness, attracting countless people.

Because here, there are rumors of nine secrets, which originated from a tomb raider.

Not long ago, an ancient weapons shop in the northern region purchased a broken bronze bell and discovered the characters "Nine Secrets" on it, which immediately caused a stir.

People carefully restored and repaired the ancient bell, discovering hundreds of ancient characters on it, and deduced that it was a funerary object, unearthed from the tomb of an ancient monk.

The inscription on the broken bronze bell is sparse and vague, but it roughly records some of the tomb owner's deeds. The last sentence simply mentions that their family has one of the nine secrets.

The Nine Secrets, each with incredible power, are supreme divine arts coveted by all, shaking the ages.

Because they were so powerful, they were broken up in the distant past, lost in all corners of the world, and could never be reunited.

The birth of the bronze bell was like a tsunami, impacting people's minds and shaking them. Everyone knows that Dong Yaoguang possesses great fortune and several of the Nine Secrets. Many people believe that his strength is due to the Nine Secrets.

This is not unfounded. The number one attack four thousand years ago was also due to the Battle Saint Technique.

Therefore, many people wishfully believe that as long as they also possess the Nine Secrets, they will inevitably rise to prominence and catch up with Dong Yaoguang's pace.

Perhaps they need a spiritual anchor to weave a dream, and surprisingly, quite a few people have this idea.

They unilaterally attributed Li Yao's strength to the Nine Secrets, without considering that even without the Nine Secrets, Li Yao's combat power was still astonishing.

You can never wake someone who is pretending to be asleep; this saying seems to have become a reality in the Eastern Wilderness today.

In the desolate outskirts of Licheng, many cultivators appeared, all searching for ancient tombs, all for the Nine Secrets.

The emergence of the Nine Secrets shook the Northern Region. No sect could remain indifferent, and even the ancient aristocratic families made it clear that they wanted to seize them.

"Cuck!"

The cawing of crows was mournful and sent chills down one's spine.

This was a desolate, mass grave, with only a few withered trees and old vines; the rest of the area was bare, filled with ruined graves.

"boom"

Suddenly, the sky became brightly lit, and a great battle was taking place.

Two figures, like two small suns, streaked across the night sky, causing the heavens to tremble repeatedly; the battle was incredibly fierce.

"A major battle is taking place!"

"Who are these two? They are incredibly strong fighters, undoubtedly the best of the younger generation."

"It's Li Rui, the former candidate for Holy Son of the Yao Guang Holy Land. Who is the other one?"

"He seems to be the grandson of Tu Tian, ​​one of the thirteen great bandits of the Northern Region!"

Everyone was in awe, watching the two battling it out in the sky.

Neither Li Rui nor Tu Fei were particularly famous before, but unexpectedly, both of them are very strong.

Li Rui, a former candidate for Holy Son of the Yao Guang Holy Land, once clashed with Dong Yao Guang. Although he suffered a crushing defeat, no one considered him weak despite losing to Dong Yao Guang.

Tu Fei, though not well-known, is the grandson of Tu Tian, ​​one of the thirteen great bandits of the Northern Region. He also has an astonishing background and should not be underestimated.

The two fought fiercely, and in the blink of an eye, they had exchanged over a hundred blows.

Li Rui's body shone brilliantly, flowing with precious light. His Primordial Holy Light Technique was flawless and his defense unparalleled. No matter how fiercely Tu Fei attacked, he could not break through it.

He unleashed the Primordial Holy Light Technique, becoming impervious to all magic and offering no defense whatsoever, focusing solely on attacking Tu Fei.

In the blink of an eye, the two had exchanged hundreds of moves again. At this moment, Tu Fei could no longer hold on, his body flew sideways, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Li Rui, what's wrong with you?" Tu Fei roared angrily.

"You scoundrel, you have a foul mouth, spreading rumors about the Yao Guang Holy Land everywhere, and your words even contain the intention to slander the Holy Lord. You deserve to be executed." Li Rui was enveloped in holy light, his divine might awe-inspiring.

"Just because of a few complaints I made, you chased me like a madman, all the way from Qucheng to Licheng?" Tu Fei was stunned. He thought it was something serious, but it turned out to be just because of a few casual words he uttered.

Moreover, what kind of slander are those words? They were just muttering a few words about how the Holy Maidens of Yao Guang in previous generations were all Holy Masters. What kind of secret is that in Bei Dou?

"You were just grumbling a bit, but when you mentioned your senior sister, you had that lecherous look on your face. It was absolutely disgusting." Li Rui was furious.

"What's it to you? If you want to cause trouble, it should be Dong Yaoguang." Tu Fei spat out a mouthful of blood and provoked.

"You're not even qualified to be seen by the Holy Lord. You expect him to take action? Your grandfather would be more suitable," Li Rui sneered.

Although the Holy Lord of Yaoguang is only twenty years old, he is already on a completely different level from the younger generation. Now, he is benchmarking himself against the Holy Lords of various families.

If Li Yao were to take action against Tu Fei, who is merely a nobody, it would only make people think that the powerful are bullying the weak.

Tu Fei's eyes darted around, and he chuckled strangely, "I remember you were defeated by Dong Yaoguang in the Sea of ​​Wheels Secret Realm, and you were trampled underfoot. What, were you beaten into submission?"

"Hmph!" Li Rui snorted coldly and said proudly, "How could a loser like you possibly understand the power of the Holy Lord? Being defeated by the Holy Lord is the proudest thing in my life. Apart from you, no one thinks that my defeat to the Holy Lord is a disgrace."

Tu Fei was dumbfounded. He originally thought that these words would break Li Rui's defenses, but the other party took pride in it, which left him at a loss.

"Bandits, what's going on?" At this moment, several figures flew in from the distance.

These were a group of young people who knew each other very well; they were all descendants of the Thirteen Great Bandits of the Northern Region.

"You've come at the right time! Come with me and take down Li Rui!" Tu Fei shouted happily. He had been itching to get rid of Li Rui after being chased all this time.

"The previous generation's candidate for Holy Son of Yao Guang Holy Land actually has such strength?" Jiang Huai Ren looked at Li Rui with some surprise and doubt.

In the past, Li Rui did have some reputation, but that was because he was Dong Yaoguang's first worthy opponent after his debut. He was only discovered when someone looked back at Dong Yaoguang's past, and that's how he became known to people.

I never expected that someone who was originally just a nobody would have such strength.

As descendants of the Thirteen Great Bandits of the Northern Region, they were well aware of Tu Fei's strength, which was no weaker than that of the leaders of major sects.

"Brother Li, we've already fought enough, can we stop here?" Wu Zhongtian, one of the bandits, stepped forward and asked with clasped hands.

The Yao Guang Holy Land of today is no longer the Yao Guang Holy Land of the past. Now, no one in the entire Beidou region dares to easily provoke this holy land. The thirteen major bandits of the Northern Region no longer take action against the Yao Guang Holy Land area.

All of this is naturally because of Li Yao. Although he has only recently broken through to the second level of the Immortal Realm in the eyes of outsiders, his extraordinary talent makes everyone feel that he has a chance to attain enlightenment.

No one wants to provoke someone who might become a future emperor, fearing that provoking them now might bring misfortune upon their descendants in the future.

The only ones who dare to oppose Li Yao now are probably the ancient clans and those madmen from the human world and hell.

Anyway, the Thirteen Great Bandits of the Northern Region were not included in this list. Wu Zhongtian stepped forward hoping to put the matter to rest, rather than to vent Tu Fei's anger.

Tu Fei was unwilling and wanted to say something, but Liu Kou held him down.

Wu Zhongtian was the most mature and steady among them, and their elders had also said that they should listen to Wu Zhongtian as much as possible when they were out.

If even Wu Zhongtian thinks someone shouldn't be provoked, then they definitely shouldn't be provoked.

Looking at the few bandits in front of him, Li Rui knew that he had no choice but to give up today. Although he had been given an ancient pill some time ago and his cultivation had improved, he was no match for the bandits working together.

"From now on, I'll tell Tu Da Zui Ba to shut up and stop talking about the Holy Lord. Otherwise, even if it means my own death, I'll kill him first."

The Holy Lord of Yaoguang is undoubtedly the faith in the hearts of all the young disciples of the Yaoguang Holy Land. They have witnessed Li Yao's greatness during their growth and have long regarded him as a god-like being, not allowing anyone to slander him in the slightest.

"boom!"

Just then, the sky trembled, and a terrifying pressure swept across the area.

"The Jiang family has arrived!"

The sky roared with savage beasts, and hundreds of strange beasts charged in, each carrying a powerful knight whose iron armor gleamed. The sky itself rumbled under the weight of the beasts' trampling.

In the sky, the hundreds of knights charged past and landed on the distant horizon.

The melodious sounds of silk and bamboo instruments filled the air, mist drifted, and flower petals danced in the air. A group of girls in white, like fairies on water, appeared in this world.

"The people from Yaochi have arrived too..."

Then, the sky trembled continuously as several more holy sites arrived. Finally, dozens of ancient war chariots rolled across the heavens, their thunderous roar causing the very fabric of the sky to tremble.

"The Holy Land of Yao Guang has also arrived!"

The crowd was shaken as several of the most powerful forces in the Eastern Wilderness arrived, joining the scramble for the Nine Secrets.

In the distance, several powerful figures stood on the horizon, looking down at the crowd below. They were high above, incredibly distant, and did not descend.

"Everyone, why don't we let the younger generation compete? They can use this opportunity to hone their skills. If we were to participate, I'm afraid they would have no choice but to retreat far away," said the dignified and elegant Queen Mother of the West. Her long, black hair cascaded down her back and was tied up with a twelve-linked phoenix sash, giving her an air of unparalleled grace and elegance.

“Good. Now it is the era of the younger generation. They should indeed interact more, debate with each other, and grow in this way.” The Holy Lord of the Jiang family was majestic and imposing, looking down on the world with unparalleled majesty.

“Good…” The others, such as the Holy Lord of the Ji Family, the Holy Lord of the Purple Mansion, the Holy Lord of Dao Yi, and the Holy Lord of Dayan, also nodded.

"What do you think, Fellow Daoist Yaoguang?" The Queen Mother of the West looked at the silent one and spoke in a magnetic and elegant voice.

“Our words don’t count. The demon race might not just be watching.” Li Yao gestured to the distance, where many demon race leaders stood.

"Then let's take it one step at a time. If the powerful demons are going to die, we can't just stand by and watch. The Nine Secrets of the Human Race must not fall into the hands of the demons." The Holy Master of the Ji Family spoke calmly, with a Daoist aura that was very ethereal, like a void, making it impossible to grasp.

He gives people a sense of emptiness, which is a manifestation of having cultivated the "Void Sutra" to an extremely profound level.

The Holy Lord of the Ji family is unfathomable. He has cultivated the power of the void to a very high level. If he does not use a holy weapon, it is difficult to say whether Li Yao will win or lose if he faces him.

As the Holy Lord of the ancient Ji family, his cultivation level has long stood at the pinnacle of the second level of the Immortal Realm, and he possesses combat power at the sixth or seventh level, making him no weaker than a living fossil.

In terms of normal combat strength, Li Yao is no match for him. It's only because he has the ability to enter the forbidden realm of gods that he can be compared to such a person.

“Then let it be. If the powerful demons don’t intervene, I won’t do anything either,” Li Yao said, agreeing with the opinions of the holy lands.

The crowd was somewhat surprised, not expecting that Li Yao would actually agree not to participate. This was one of the Nine Secrets, something that a prodigy like Li Yao would fight for.

Not to mention, now everyone in the Eastern Wilderness knows that Li Yao already possesses several of the Nine Secrets and is expected to complete the Nine Secret Techniques. The allure of such a thing is unimaginable.

Legend has it that if all nine secrets are gathered, they can be transformed into a single immortal technique.

The Holy Lord in the arena wondered to himself, if they possessed several of the Nine Secrets, they would definitely try every means to gather the rest.

The allure of immortal arts is simply too great!
Seeing the gazes of the holy lords, Li Yao remained silent, for he knew that there were no Nine Secrets in the underground palace, only a map leading to Purple Mountain and a brocade containing clues to the Nine Secrets.

The nine secret clues recorded in the brocade are the secret of the character "行" in the Holy Cliff. He already had this secret technique, but it was useless to him.

This is also why he is so easy to talk to. If the clues to the Nine Secrets in the underground palace are not the "Xing" Secret, but a kind of Nine Secret that he has not obtained, then Li Yao would do anything to personally compete for it.

It was dusk, and the last rays of the setting sun had disappeared. Several crows, unafraid of people, kept cawing on the dead tree.

At that very instant, the sound of thousands of horses galloping came from the depths of the earth. The sound was so loud and terrifying that it was like a tsunami, deafening!
Immediately afterwards, a chilling aura soared into the sky, like the arrival of a cold winter in the twelfth lunar month, causing even cultivators to tremble.

"They're here!" Above the sky, all the holy lords perked up and stared intently at the ground.

"boom"

A surge of yin energy rose into the sky, instantly turning the sky black, like endless dark clouds rolling in and obscuring the heavens.

The huge commotion attracted everyone's attention. Many young prodigies, top young experts from major holy lands such as Yaoguang, Yaochi, Ji family, Jiang family, Dayan, Wanchu, Daoyi, and Zifu rushed over. Subsequently, the leaders of the demon race also appeared one after another.

Various religious sects and the descendants of the Thirteen Great Bandits flocked to the area, completely surrounding the place where the Yin energy was erupting.

"Rumble..."

Thousands of troops galloped forward, the earth shook violently, and in the next moment, wave after wave of soldiers rushed out, their killing intent soaring to the sky.

These people all rode on various savage beasts, holding spears and iron halberds, and wearing ancient iron armor that gleamed coldly.

"How can there be so many powerful and sinister people?!" many people exclaimed.

In just a short moment, thousands of Yin people and Yin horses rushed out, shaking the heavens and the earth. The Yin energy was so thick that it was impossible to disperse, and the people and horses continued to rush out of the ground.

"There are too many of them, and these cunning people are very powerful. How are we going to deal with them?!" Everyone's expression changed.

"Just how vast is the ancient tomb underground? So many ghostly figures and horses suddenly rushed out. It's hard to imagine how many more are below, and what is controlling them?!"

As night fell, a chilling atmosphere filled the sky, dark clouds pressed down, the darkness was as black as ink, crows cawed mournfully, creating a scene of utter desolation and terror.

Thousands of ghostly soldiers and horses, shouting and neighing, their iron armor flashing, exuding a murderous aura, swept in like a flood, causing the earth to tremble and rumble.

This scene was incredibly awe-inspiring. Thousands of savage beasts galloped across the horizon, forming a massive, dark mass that stretched across the horizon like a torrent of steel, destroying everything in its path. Wherever the iron spears pointed, everything turned to dust.

A cold wind howled, and various towering ancient trees on the ground were uprooted and crumbled into the sky, with wood chips and leaves flying wildly.

This was a powerful killing intent that swept everything. Trees and ancient vines shot up from the ground and into the air. Even large rocks tens of meters long crumbled instantly.

Nothing can stop these ghostly soldiers and horses; wherever their spears strike, anything with a tangible form will be destroyed.

"There are treasures and amazing wonders hidden deep underground!"

Many cultivators could not contain their excitement and rushed forward.

Now, without anyone saying it, everyone knows that there is a great secret beneath this land, and even if it is not one of the Nine Secrets, it is probably extraordinary.

In just a few moments, thousands of ghostly figures and horses rushed out. Such a large-scale event is extremely rare, and it is hard to imagine what might be underground.

Under the cover of night, a dazzling light shone as many people unleashed their magical weapons, striking at the flood of ghostly soldiers and horses.

"Snapped"

"what……"

To everyone's surprise, the dozens of cultivators who were blocking the way had their magical artifacts shattered and their bodies severed; they met with misfortune in a single encounter.

Blood gushed forth, heads fell, and thousands of soldiers charged through, trampling dozens of corpses into a bloody pulp. There was nothing that could stop their advance!

The powerful Yin soldiers and terrifying Yin horses, with their iron spears pointing in all directions, were unstoppable by many cultivators.

"Roar……"

Thousands of ghostly soldiers roared, and black yin energy surged and rolled upwards, turning the earth pitch black, and dark clouds pressed down on the ground.

Everyone retreated. So many soldiers, each one terrifying, gathered together, were awe-inspiring. Fighting alone would surely mean certain death.

"Roar……"

Thousands of ghostly soldiers and horses roared, and the aura of death soared into the sky, causing a few cultivators to fall from the heavens. The result was tragic; they were trampled over by the horses and turned into bloody mud.

"Dong", "Dong", "Dong"...

From the ancient tomb deep in the earth, the sound of drums could be heard, deep and mournful, filling people with fear.

The ghostly soldiers and horses on the ground immediately took to the air, galloping through the void and fighting their way up into the sky.

A chilling aura swept across the sky, and thousands of men and horses, a dark mass, brandished their iron halberds and charged towards the numerous cultivators.

Everyone was shocked. The power of these ghost soldiers was beyond imagination. They could all fly and were a terrifying force.

Moreover, they moved very fast, like a huge black tide surging in.

There were too many cultivators in the sky; it was impossible for everyone to escape. Many people did not have time to flee and were forced to fight.

"clang", "dang", "zheng"...

Black mist surged, iron armor gleamed, various weapons clashed, a life-or-death struggle ensued, the Yin soldiers were powerful, and hundreds of cultivators were trapped in the encirclement, unable to withstand them.

Wherever the iron spears pointed, many weapons were shattered, blood blossomed, and the ghostly soldiers charged through, their blades turning hundreds of people into mincemeat, dying a violent death.

Above the clouds, the great holy lords and demon race giants stood majestically, coldly observing the battle below.

The path of cultivation is forged from countless bones; death is the norm in cultivation.

(End of this chapter)