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

Chapter 168 Yin and Yang Manifest Their Power
"Why are you looking at me like that, Fellow Daoist Yaoguang? Do you have a different opinion?" The Holy Master of the Jiang family was majestic and confident in his reasoning, with a sense of urgency to debate.

"It's nothing." After a moment of silence, Li Yao finally managed to squeeze out a few words, but he still felt a slight pain in his teeth.

He didn't even consider arguing. In fact, no one present could truly understand just how powerful the Emperor was.

Their only and limited knowledge came from the records in ancient books, but that knowledge was extremely limited.

Of course, this also includes Li Yao. He thought these engravings were nonsense, not because he had witnessed the power of the Great Emperor, but because he knew the difference between the Great Emperor and those who were about to attain enlightenment, and the difference between Wushi and the Undying Empress.

If she were merely the Undying Empress, she wouldn't be worthy of the Boundless Bell's attack; the sheer might of the Boundless Emperor would be enough to suppress her.

But in the eyes of others, the Undying Queen might only be slightly weaker than Wushi, which is why Wushi chose to suppress her rather than kill her.

After an archaeological expedition, the reputation of the Great Emperor Wushi was damaged. If the Black Emperor and Gu Tianshu knew this, they would definitely be furious.

"I never expected that even the Great Emperor Wushi would have an enemy, and there's a high probability that it's a woman," someone sighed.

The slender jade hand emerging from the divine source in the engraving is clearly a woman's hand. Although she is not recorded in ancient history, since the person who made the Great Emperor Wushi feel troubled must be an extremely powerful figure.

The ancient mine was pitch black and desolate, without a sound. The group stood there, sighing for a long time, before finally deciding to continue.

This time they sped up a bit, because judging from the engravings, all the ancient creatures had clearly been suppressed, which meant that the danger level on the journey ahead was not very high.

Soon, the group had traveled more than thirty miles when the soil on the ground suddenly became soft, and their feet could sink completely into it, turning grayish-white.

"Just how many people died for their ashes to cover the earth?"

The grayish-white substance on the ground was not ordinary soil, but cremated ashes, containing partially dissolved bones, and emanating a faint, eerie aura.

Those present were all cultivators and were not afraid, but they recalled the scene depicted in the engraving earlier.

Even after walking a long way, the grayish-white ashes still seemed endless, piled up in a thick layer inside the ancient mine.

"Crack!"

After walking several hundred meters further, the ashes disappeared, replaced by dry bones, densely packed and scattered all over the ground. They had long since decayed, and a light step would turn them to dust. Under the power of time, nothing can last forever.

Upon arriving at this place, the ancient mine was like an ice cave, with the chilling air scraping against one's skin like a knife.

"No wonder the demonic bats live here. Just as the ancient records say, they like to inhabit the edges of extremely dangerous places," the Supreme Elder of the Wan Chu Holy Land exclaimed.

The group moved forward quickly and silently. After traveling a long distance, the skeletons finally disappeared. The ancient mine was very dry, and there was nothing left.

By this time, they had traveled about thirty miles and were probably not far from Zishan.

After traveling another four or five miles, a light appeared ahead, flickering and very soft.

"We just stepped out of the pile of corpses and suddenly a pure land appeared?" Even the Holy Lord of the Ji family couldn't help but feel astonished. The scene was truly terrifying and felt completely unreal.

The cry of a crane came from ahead; this was not an illusion, for everyone had actually seen it.

After traveling several miles, a world of light appeared before our eyes. The ancient mine was no longer dark; a soft glow flowed, creating an atmosphere of peace and sanctity.

"This is the aura of the source!" Someone's eyes burned brightly as they stared intently ahead.

The view ahead was bright, but not very far; the flowing fog obstructed one's vision.

This fog is very special; it possesses abundant life essence and is formed after the source has been dissolved.

"This is primordial essence; there must be a large amount of primordial essence here." Even the Emperor of the Great Xia Dynasty was somewhat surprised.

Such a phenomenon could not have been formed by the dissolution of a single source; it must have been formed by a vast amount of source, and it must have been a divine source.

A surge of primordial energy stirred, shimmering with iridescent light. A crane spread its wings and flew by, seemingly oblivious to the crowd, soaring through the ancient mine.

"This is..." Emperor Guhua was quite surprised.

"Roar..." Then, another earth dragon appeared, with a lizard body and dragon scales, crawling past not far away. Its huge body looked very heavy.

Then, a flock of bright red birds flew by, flapping their wings so loudly that the air seemed to surge violently.

"These are beings formed after the divine source dissolves. Do you remember those engravings? One of them depicts endless drops of divine source liquid solidifying and sealing all the beings in Purple Mountain." Li Yaotian's eyes burned brightly, and he saw through the essence of these creatures at a glance.

Cranes, earthworms, flocks of fiery red birds, and other creatures circled and ran everywhere.

Li Yaotian scanned the area, carefully examining it before heading towards the place with the densest source energy.

The group traveled for another mile or so before finally arriving at the place with the richest spiritual energy.

Immediately, everyone felt a terrifying killing intent emanating from the place, making their hearts tremble.

Just ahead, there were two bottomless holes. One was filled with spiritual energy, with primordial energy constantly surging upwards, while the other was filled with malevolent energy, more terrifying than the sharpest sword light, making people tremble.

The two were very close together, and all around them was silent.

"The Yin-Yang Eyes!" the old leader of the Yin-Yang Sect exclaimed in surprise.

These two black holes are very similar to the doctrines of Yin-Yang, like Yin and Yang. If you draw a circle around them, it is simply a natural Tai Chi diagram.

In fact, that's how they operate. The hole that spews out source energy is surrounded by fossilized bones, exuding a chilling aura, while the hole that shoots out the source energy is surrounded by smooth, gleaming stones.

Embracing yin and yang, embracing yang and embracing yin, this is a completely natural tai chi diagram, not carved by man, but a natural force of heaven and earth.

Standing before the natural Tai Chi diagram, the group saw many skeletons, more than twenty in total. Judging from the quality of their bones, they were between several thousand and tens of thousands of years old, and all of them had been pierced by sword energy.

Someone picked up a dry bone and threw it towards the natural Tai Chi symbol.

"chi"

The primal energy and the evil energy circulated, forming thousands upon thousands of sword beams, which instantly reduced the withered bone to ashes.

"It's useless. The flow of Yin and Yang will create unparalleled killing power, terrifying beyond compare," the old leader of the Yin-Yang Sect said in a deep voice.

“Indeed, that skeleton was likely at the level of a second-level immortal in life, but it perished here.” The Great Xia Emperor pointed ahead.

There was a skeleton there, shimmering with silver light. The bone was very special, remaining intact for tens of thousands of years and still shining brightly. It must have been an extraordinary figure in life, but it perished here.

Everyone looked over and exclaimed in surprise, "It's a powerful expert from Yaochi!"

Beside the skeletons were many broken weapons and a shimmering jade pendant with the words "Jade Pool" engraved on it.

"Have the people of Yaochi ever been here before?"

"Is Yaochi's withdrawal from this operation related to this? Did they obtain information about this dangerous place, and thus retreated in the face of difficulties?" People discussed among themselves.

Yaochi withdrew from the attack on Zishan, but a fallen Yaochi expert was discovered in a mine outside Zishan.

With a cultivation level of the second level of the Sendai Heaven, this was definitely a powerful figure from the past of Yaochi. Even if she wasn't the Queen Mother of the West, she was not far off.

There must be a strong connection between the two, which easily leads to speculation.

"I've remembered an old story from Yaochi." Just then, the new Holy Lord of the Myriad Beginnings Holy Land spoke up leisurely: "Ten thousand years ago, the current Yaochi Holy Maiden had a close relationship with the fifth generation Source Master. Later, she disappeared for some unknown reason. Could this be the Yaochi Holy Maiden from ten thousand years ago?"

“It is indeed very possible. The Queen Mother of the West in Yaochi ten thousand years ago was not the Holy Maiden of that generation, but a prodigy second only to the Holy Maiden.” Someone nodded, thinking that this reasoning was very likely.

Looking at the crowd discussing this, the Holy Master of the Jiang family quickly stepped forward and said, "Everyone, our most urgent task right now is to find a way to get through this. As for whether this skeleton is the Holy Maiden of Yaochi from ten thousand years ago, that is none of our business. After we get out, we can inform Yaochi of this news and let them determine it for themselves, okay?"

He was in a hurry because, judging from the route, passing through the Yin-Yang Eyes might be the real way to find the entrance to Purple Mountain.

There is a high probability that their own divine ancestor is inside Purple Mountain, which is of paramount importance to the Jiang family.

Four thousand years ago, the God King Jiang Taixu was invincible in the Big Dipper. With the God King Body fully developed, he defeated all the heroes under heaven, and all the king bodies in the Central Plains were his defeated generals.

Such a being is of immeasurable value; even for extreme powers, it represents a significant boost.

"But how do we get in? If even those at the second level of the Immortal Platform can't get in, then unless we use an ultimate imperial weapon, this one hurdle alone might stop us." The Purple Mansion Saint Lord said in a deep voice.

"If we use the ultimate imperial weapon, it will inevitably cause the Boundless Bell to vibrate. When the divine bell unleashes its power, the price we will have to pay will be too high." Emperor Gu Hua shook his head.

An elder stepped forward, and on a sudden inspiration, said, "Why not try to create a passage from the side, without passing through the Yin-Yang Eye?"

This suggestion was met with approval from many people. However, when they used their divine power to try to break through the surrounding mine walls and find another way out, the divine image seemed to be sentient, and its sword energy crisscrossed, directly slashing at them.

"Let me give it a try. I'll use the power of Yin and Yang to see if I can stabilize the Yin-Yang Eyes." The old leader of the Yin-Yang Sect stepped forward, his body surging with magical power, like a long river of Yin and Yang, spreading towards the Yin-Yang Cave.

"Boom!"

As the Yin-Yang magic spread, the Yin-Yang Eyes suddenly changed, operating at a much slower speed.

Someone picked up the withered bones on the ground and threw them over. Although the Yin-Yang Cave still shot out peerless sword energy, its speed was obviously much slower.

However, it was still no use. The speed had slowed down, but the peerless sword energy remained. To pass through the Yin-Yang Cave, one would have to endure at least one round of attacks; the only difference was the speed. The old leader of the Yin-Yang Sect shook his head helplessly: "Indeed, this is a place that seizes the creation of heaven and earth; it cannot be changed by human power."

“I’ll do it.” Li Yao stepped forward. The method of the old leader of the Yin-Yang Sect proved that the Yin-Yang forces could work. However, the Yin-Yang forces of the old leader Wang Yangzhan were not as good as the Yin-Yang Eyes, so he could only slow down the flow of the source energy and the evil energy, instead of separating them directly.

"Fellow Daoist Yaoguang, you have also studied the Dao of Yin and Yang?" Wang Yangzhan was somewhat skeptical, but ultimately made way for him.

If it were an ordinary person, Wang Yangzhan would probably have started to mock them, but Li Yao stood up, and even though he was disdainful in his heart, he didn't say it out loud.

Although he was arrogant, he was selective about who he offended. He dared not easily offend the Lord of the Yao Guang Holy Land.

"I know a little bit, just giving it a try." Li Yao chuckled, but stood confidently before Yin Yang.

"boom!"

Li Yao stretched out his hands, his right hand pointing to the sky, where golden light suddenly shone, illuminating all directions like a great sun; his left hand pointing to the earth, where a black sea surged, freezing everything, its chilling cold almost shattering one's soul.

Within the ancient mine, the two most fundamental sacred forces of the universe surged forth: the sacred power of the sun, capable of burning away all filth in the world, representing the ultimate strength of yang; and the sacred power of the moon, capable of freezing all things, representing the ultimate coldness of yin.

These two primordial powers, each individually possessing boundless and unparalleled power, are now combined in one person, despite being two opposing holy powers.

"The power of the moon, the power of the sun? How is that possible!"

Wang Yangzhan was shocked. As the leader of the Yin-Yang Sect, he was extremely familiar with these two sacred powers, because they were the powers that their lineage craved the most, the highest mystery of the Yin-Yang Dao.

Since its founding, the Yin-Yang Sect has been pursuing these two sacred powers, but after two hundred thousand years, it has still gained nothing.

Today, he actually saw these two kinds of holy power in someone else, how could he not be shocked?

At this moment, Wang Yangzhan even considered capturing Li Yao and interrogating him about the two sacred powers.

But reason ultimately prevented him from making such a crazy move. The other party was no small fry, but the lord of a holy land, and the most powerful lord of the ultimate holy land.

The divine power of the Yin and Yang surged forth and poured into the Yin-Yang Eyes, instantly freezing the eyes that were in operation.

"Open!" Li Yao shouted, pulling hard with both hands and stretching the rope to both sides.

"Boom!"

The ancient mine trembled, and the originally intertwined source energy and evil energy were separated, becoming independent entities.

"The sacred power of the moon and the sun—how could these two powers be combined in one person!"

"Dong Yaoguang has actually cultivated both the Yin and Yang sacred powers at the same time. Does he intend to follow the path of yin and yang in harmony and become emperor of the world?" At this moment, everyone was shocked.

As the two most fundamental sacred powers in the universe, the Taiyin and Taiyang sacred powers hold a very high status, and the Taiyin and Taiyang True Scripture, the highest achievement in this path, is revered as the mother scripture of the human race.

"Everyone, the Yin-Yang Eyes have only been temporarily frozen. In half an hour, the Origin Qi and the Evil Qi will converge again. Are you sure you want to be amazed in this limited time?" Li Yao said calmly.

Everyone realized what was happening and suppressed their shock. Now was not the time to marvel at this; the most important thing was still the treasures in Purple Mountain.

Some people used their divine power to protect themselves and carefully walked forward. Only after discovering that no peerless sword energy was bursting forth did they dare to pass through the Yin-Yang Eye.

The group passed through a light curtain that resembled ripples on water and arrived at the other end.

The ancient mine had come to an end, and a purple stone wall blocked the way ahead.

"Purple Mountain!"

Everyone knew that they had arrived underground in Zishan and had actually come into contact with the mountain itself.

The group carved their way through the Purple Mountain and proceeded smoothly without any obstacles. However, the mountain behind them was rapidly recovering, and when they tried to turn back, there were no obstacles either.

Clearly, this is the right path. Although Zishan possesses the ability to repair itself, it does not have any other powerful forces.

Li Yao moved swiftly through the purple mountain. With each step he took, the purple mountain in front of him would crack open, revealing a passage.

"boom"

With a final, deafening roar, his vision blurred, and before him appeared a magnificent building with steps made of green jade and gates made of white jade.

He finally arrived at his destination and entered the interior of Zishan Mountain.

Soon, everyone rushed out of the purple mountain, overjoyed, their eyes filled with longing for the inheritance of the Beginningless.

No one could resist climbing the steps and heading deeper into Purple Mountain.

This is a cave dwelling carved out of the Purple Mountain. Stepping up the green jade stone steps and entering the white jade moon gate, it is very quiet, as cold and serene as the Moon Palace.

This palace is deserted, with nothing left but ancient jade carvings, and not a single word has been left behind.

"Why is there nothing here? It looks like it's been abandoned for a long time?"

“That’s normal. The one-horned creature on the stone carving in the ancient mine should be the guardian, but it has been suppressed by the Great Emperor Wushi. There can’t be anything left here.”

The group searched the entire place, including palaces and pavilions, but found nothing.

Finally, at the end of the building complex, they saw a dozen or so blood-jade steps leading to a deep, dark cave.

"This magnificent palace is just a gateway; this is the true passage into the depths of Purple Mountain," someone exclaimed.

The group walked forward, and after a short distance, they suddenly saw a line of words on the purple stone wall.

"God King Jiang Taixu accidentally entered the Magic Mountain and decided to find out what happened!"

These dozen or so characters, written with powerful strokes, contain a Daoist realm, making one feel the aura of gods flowing within them, as if a divine king stands before one's eyes.

The Holy Lord of the Jiang family stepped forward excitedly, gazing at the inscriptions on the stone wall with immense emotion.

At this moment, he was truly convinced that the God King Ancestor was indeed trapped here, dispelling all his doubts.

"It seems that Lord Jiang has finally achieved his wish." Li Yao stood beside Lord Jiang and congratulated him.

"I must thank Fellow Daoist Yaoguang. Without you, this journey would not have been so smooth. The Jiang family will remember your kindness today," said Holy Master Jiang excitedly.

“Lord Jiang has already given me what I wanted. Having accepted it, I should do my best.” Li Yao chuckled and turned to look in the other direction.

There, too, was a line of writing that read: "Left by the rogue cultivator Li Mu during his exploration of Demon Mountain."

This inscription must be even older; judging from the dark, worn marks, it's at least tens of thousands of years old.
"Li Mu, it's actually him! A peerless figure from ten thousand years ago, who later disappeared without a trace. It turns out he was also trapped here," the Holy Master of the Ji family exclaimed in shock.

"And here, there's an inscription by the Holy Maiden of Yaochi. It seems the corpse with the Yin-Yang Eyes isn't the Holy Maiden of Yaochi's corpse," someone said, pointing to a line of delicate handwriting.

"Zhang Lin, this name is also quite significant. It is the name of the fifth generation Source Master. He is also in Demon Mountain. The Holy Maiden of Yaochi came to Purple Mountain to investigate in order to find him!"

In just over a hundred steps, there are thirty-seven lines of inscriptions, some of which are very ancient and have been lost in the Eastern Wilderness for tens of thousands of years.

Among them, the oldest inscription even has a date on it, which, upon careful calculation, is more than 70,000 years old.

“Zhang Jiye, the last successor of the Yuan Tian Shu (Book of Source Heaven) after Zhang Lin, the Yuan Tian Shi (Master of Source Heaven), also came to Zishan. Is this the reason why the Yuan Tian Shu was lost?” Tuoba Lie of the Tuoba family guessed as he looked at the stone carving.

"If the descendants of Master Yuan really lost the Book of Yuan in Purple Mountain, then this time, the Book of Yuan may also reappear in the world."

Everyone was shocked. Although the Source Book was not an ancient scripture for cultivation, there was no doubt that its value was absolutely comparable to that of ancient scriptures. Once cultivated to the extreme, it could not only find the source, but also determine the mountains and rivers and dragon veins, and use the source energy to fight.

In the past, the fifth generation Source Master's cultivation was not particularly high, but relying on Source Techniques, he made it impossible for the various Holy Lords to do anything about him, and they could only let him run rampant in the Northern Region.

"Roar!"

Suddenly, a tremendous roar resounded, and a terrifying pressure swept across the land like a tsunami, a surging killing intent as vast as the ocean.

"Pfft!"

Several Supreme Elders exploded. They were at the very front, and when the earth-shattering killing intent erupted, they didn't even have time to resist. They were directly killed by the killing intent, their bodies exploded, and their bodies and souls were destroyed.

Li Yao's eyes narrowed, but he was not surprised at all.

There were simply too many of them; even though they tried their best to remain quiet, they certainly couldn't escape the sight of the ancient creatures.

"boom!"

A humanoid creature, ten feet tall, covered in scales and with wings on its back, appeared and strode out from the depths of Purple Mountain.

This ancient creature was incredibly powerful. Every step it took seemed to tread upon the very essence of the Great Dao. The sound of its footsteps alone made countless hearts pound like war drums, as if they were about to explode.

Even the most powerful saints paled in comparison. The ancient creature's blood and divine power flowed within it as vast as the heavens, making it hard for people to breathe.

(End of this chapter)