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

Chapter 177 The Foundation of the Holy Mountain
The three old monsters' expressions changed drastically. They did not doubt Fairy Caiyun's words. If the Dark Night King were here, he would definitely come out to refute them.

Without any hesitation, the three old monsters turned and ran.

"boom!"

But it was too late. The Hengyu Furnace trembled, and terrifying imperial might spread. A crimson divine light swept across, and the three of them exploded in the sky. Their powerful divine senses seemed insignificant in front of the imperial weapon, like the light of a firefly.

The divine city trembled, and three ancient monsters who had lived for over four thousand years perished.

Some powerful figures in the shadows were terrified and hid themselves even more deeply, not daring to touch the might of the Hengyu Furnace Emperor.

Fearing they might be the next to perish under the Hengyu Furnace, they were all extremely cautious.

The solemn expressions on the faces of the Jiang family members faded considerably, replaced by smiles.

Having dealt with three major enemies, they also deterred the lurking demons and monsters, preventing them from making any further rash moves, and the pressure on them lessened considerably for a time.

"It seems I really need to thank Fellow Daoist Yaoguang properly in the future," the Holy Master of the Jiang family sighed inwardly.

At this moment, he truly felt that giving him those two pieces of Phoenix Blood Crimson Gold was the right thing to do. Fellow Daoist Yao Guang was a very considerate person; he should befriend him in the future.

……

Outside the holy city, all the humanoid lightning bolts disappeared, and Li Yao stood tall in the sky. At this moment, he was full of energy, with deep eyes, crystal clear skin, and a bright, flawless complexion.

A powerful and surging aura was unleashed, vast and undulating like a boundless ocean, with crimson blood energy soaring into the sky and shattering the newly appeared clouds.

In just one month, Li Yao broke through his cultivation level again, reaching an even higher level.

This is incredible. The Sendai Secret Realm contains a whole body of immortal treasures, making cultivation incredibly slow, yet he achieved another breakthrough in just one month.

"This breakthrough was much faster. It seems that the continuous battles have accelerated the pace of growth."

Li Yao understood this clearly, because after each great battle, he felt that his speed of enlightenment would be much faster.

The world of Shrouding the Heavens is full of tough guys because great battles can really make them stronger. Those who survive hundreds of battles will eventually achieve amazing things.

Of course, the "hundred battles" here doesn't mean random attacks, but rather serious battles that require serious commitment.

In a great battle, one can test one's own knowledge, thereby sparking more inspiration and enhancing one's own foundation.

Therefore, a fierce and exhilarating battle is extremely important for the cultivators of the Heaven-Covering Sect.

To put it simply, the Ancient Starry Road is a place for geniuses to constantly fight, verify their own Dao, and strengthen their foundation.

But this only applies to ordinary people; Li Yao doesn't need to go through such trouble.

Entering the realm of creation and contemplation will generate countless insights each time, eliminating the need for major battles to fill in the gaps in one's understanding.

However, because this understanding was gained from a higher-dimensional perspective, once one falls out of that perspective, those insights remain, but one no longer possesses the extraordinary thinking characteristic of that higher-dimensional perspective.

Therefore, he needs to spend time digesting the profound mysteries of the Dao from the perspective of higher dimensions.

However, the two are completely different. The former requires one to work hard to build a pagoda, and the insights gained in the battle are the materials. One builds it layer by layer, and one's own cultivation level rises as the pagoda is built.

For Li Yao, the Tower of Babel already existed; he only needed to climb it layer by layer. The only difference was that his comprehension would be slower, but his battles would be faster.

In just over a year, Li Yao has risen from the first small step in the second stage of the game to the seventh small step.

As his cultivation level increased, cultivation actually felt simpler to him.

Li Yao was also shocked by this. Although he had always known that the stronger one's cultivation, the greater the help the Heavenly Book would bring, even he had never imagined that it would be so exaggerated.

However, it's a good thing that his cultivation is getting faster and faster. No one will complain. In fact, if possible, he would like to go even faster.

"I've reached the seventh small step in the second stage of the game. I wonder how far I am from becoming a fully-fledged king?" Li Yao was very curious.

Unfortunately, the Dark King escaped; otherwise, they could have fought another battle, and this time, he would have been much more composed.

Li Yao shook his head, not wanting to think about it any further. He took out the Holy City Stone Token, poured in his divine power, and traversed the void to leave.

In the blink of an eye, Li Yao returned to the central Heavenly Palace of the Desolate Ancient Dao Platform.

Although the divine city is now sealed, the power of the seal is not very strong and cannot prevent the Holy City Stone Token from opening the void passage of the divine city.

Upon returning to the Holy City, Li Yao immediately noticed a change in the situation; it was no longer as oppressive.

His powerful divine sense spread out, and soon he learned about the Jiang family's use of the Hengyu Furnace to suppress and kill three four-thousand-year-old monsters.

"In this life, because of my intervention, Fairy Caiyun was not seriously injured by the Dark Night King, and even knowing that the Dark Night King was being held back by me, she did not pour her life essence into Jiang Taixu, and is still alive and well."

Li Yao felt somewhat satisfied, as he had managed to resolve one of his regrets.

The ending of Jiang Taixu and Fairy Caiyun in the original novel is truly heartbreaking. The two lovers were separated for four thousand years, and when they met again, they were separated by death, leaving only one tragic person to live on in the world.

When Ye Fan faced the Four Great Tribulations, Jiang Taixu stepped forward so readily, using his divine king's original blood to help Ye Fan break through the severed path. This was probably not only because he genuinely wanted to help Ye Fan, but also because he had few attachments in his heart, which allowed him to be so carefree.

Of course, it cannot be ruled out that Jiang Taixu himself wanted to completely sever the origin of the God King Body, which is why he was so decisive.

Thinking of Jiang Taixu and Fairy Caiyun, Li Yao was moved, and the image of Yao Xi involuntarily appeared in his mind.

That woman, with her radiant beauty, graceful figure, and elegant bearing, like a blooming divine lotus, had already secured a place in his heart.

He usually focused on cultivation and rarely thought of Yao Xi. But this time, thinking about Jiang Taixu and Fairy Caiyun, he suddenly felt that he seemed to owe Yao Xi something.

Just as he was thinking this, Li Yao actually saw that bright figure. It was like searching for her a thousand times in the crowd, and then suddenly turning around, he found her in the dim light.

In a pavilion in Yaoguangfang, a slender woman with a graceful figure and exquisite curves was pacing back and forth, her pretty face filled with worry and anxiety.

She only smiled broadly when a tall, slender figure stepped into the pavilion.

"Junior brother, you're back."

Yao Xi smiled sweetly and quickly walked to Li Yao's side, naturally extending her slender hand to hug his arm.

Feeling the fullness of his arm, Li Yao smiled and asked, "What's wrong with Senior Sister? Why are you wandering around the pavilion so absent-mindedly?"

The girl was clearly preoccupied, deep in thought, and looked extremely anxious. "News has spread from the Jiang family that the one wielding the mysterious imperial weapon against the Hengyu Furnace is the Dark Night King from four thousand years ago, and it's also said that you confronted the Dark Night King outside the Holy City."

Yao Xi still feels a bit scared when she thinks back to this news: a Dao-Slaying King who has lived for four thousand years and is also wielding an Emperor Weapon.

Even ancient sages would likely face a disastrous outcome if they were to face such a combination.

Although Li Yao is powerful, he is only at the second level of immortality. Although he also carries the supreme imperial weapon, the Dragon Pattern Cauldron, the power of the two imperial weapons is different.

When activating an imperial weapon, one can disregard the divine restriction domain and rely entirely on whose divine power is stronger.

However, if we only look at divine power, Li Yao is currently absolutely no match for a Great Perfection Dao-Slaying King.

“The information circulating about the Jiang family is incomplete, which has worried my senior sister. The reason I am not afraid of the Dark Night King is that I can trigger the Heavenly Tribulation at any time. Under such circumstances, no matter how powerful the Dark Night King is, he would not dare to attack me,” Li Yao explained.

"Huh?!" Yao Xi was slightly taken aback, and after a moment she spoke: "That's true. When the Heavenly Tribulation descends, even a Great Completion King must retreat. Is that why you repelled the Dark Night Monarch, Junior Brother?"

Li Yao nodded, then turned to look at the western part of the divine city and asked curiously, "What's the situation there now?"

On his way back, he heard some news, but it was all fragmented and incomplete.

"After the Jiang family used their thunderous power to kill three old monsters, they did not stop there. Instead, they found six more Saint Lord level beings and killed them with the Hengyu Furnace."

Then the Dragon Transformation Pool became completely calm, and no one dared to challenge it anymore.

Yao Xi parted her red lips slightly and began to tell Li Yao about the Dragon Transformation Pool.

Many things happened in the Divine City that day. The roles of offense and defense were reversed. Taking advantage of the absence of the Dark Night King, the Jiang family swiftly eliminated many powerful figures in the shadows, and the Divine City became much calmer as a result.

“I severely injured the Dark Night King, and he won’t recover in less than ten days. He probably won’t dare to attack again,” Li Yao speculated.

Upon hearing this, Yao Xi was startled. Her alluring red lips parted slightly, and her expression became somewhat dazed, making her extremely cute.

"Don't be surprised. He's just using the power of the lightning tribulation to attack. He doesn't dare to make a move, and he doesn't even dare to use his divine power. He's just passively taking the beating." Li Yao gently stroked the beauty's nose and explained the reason.

"That's quite an exaggeration. The Dark Night King is a fully-fledged king, only one step away from the ancient sages." Yao Xi was still somewhat shocked.

Originally, she thought Li Yao was just using the lightning tribulation to force back the Dark Night King, but she never expected that he would not only force him back, but also severely injure him!

Yao Xi seemed to suddenly remember something and said, "By the way, someone from Mount Zhisheng has come. Would you like to see them, Junior Brother?"

“Mount Zhisheng!” Li Yao was somewhat surprised, but then nodded: “Let them come over.”

Although we don't know the purpose of the visit from Mount Zhisheng, since they have already come, we must meet them.

However, he had just made a move against this lineage, and now someone had come to see him. Was it a powerful figure coming to demonstrate his power?

Yao Xi nodded, released Li Yao's arm, and gracefully left the pavilion.

Li Yao paused for a moment, then turned and left.

This is a pavilion built over a pond. The pond water ripples, and lotus blossoms emerge from the water, emitting a hazy glow. The green lotus leaves are fresh and vibrant, and the red flowers are dazzling.

The pond is surrounded by green trees and willows, with lush grass and blooming flowers, exuding the beauty of the mountains and fields, but it is not a suitable place to discuss business.

Fortunately, there was a pavilion just a hundred paces away. Li Yao walked into the pavilion along the cobblestone path.

The attic is elegantly decorated and furnished with chairs, offering a perfect view of the lotus pond.

Li Yao sat on a golden camphor wood chair, gazing at the lush green pond, waiting for the people from the sacred mountain to arrive.

Before long, Yao Xi led a middle-aged man into the attic, but she did not enter; instead, she left the attic.

The middle-aged man was handsome, around thirty years old, dressed in white, with a full head of black hair, and showed no signs of aging.

"Greetings, Holy Lord." The middle-aged man was very humble, and when he saw Li Yao, he even clasped his hands in a salute.

Li Yao's eyes narrowed slightly. "Another Dao-Slaying King. No wonder the Holy Mountain doesn't take the other sects seriously. It turns out that their strength gives them confidence."

“The Holy Lord knows the situation of our lineage. Even if we are not so talented, as long as we absorb a lot, it is unrealistic to reach a very high level of cultivation, but it is still easy to reach the level of a Saint.” The middle-aged man was very frank and did not shy away from the secrets of cultivation.

Li Yao remained silent for a moment, and after careful consideration, he realized that what the middle-aged man said made sense.

The Devouring Demon Art is extremely evil. It doesn't just devour those with special constitutions; it devours everything, as long as it has strong spiritual power, in order to strengthen itself.

In the original novel, Ye Fan relied on the fall of a holy son-level figure and the disappearance of mountain and ley lines to deduce Hua Yunfei's whereabouts.

"Once the Devouring Heaven Demon Art is mastered to a minor degree, it can devour mountains and rivers, and shatter everything in a black hole."

This demonstrates just how enormous this technique's appetite is, and how astonishing its digestive capabilities are, capable of devouring even mountains and earth veins rich in spiritual energy.

Such a domineering technique is not easy to master, but if it is only used to cultivate a group of good experts, then no imperial scripture can compare with the Devouring Heaven Demon Art.

Although the proportion of enlightenment increases after breaking through to the Immortal Platform, it is still possible to accumulate the Saint Realm by spending a massive amount of resources.

This number would be so large that even the Holy Land would feel a pang of heartache, but practitioners of the Devouring Heaven Demon Art are an exception, because they devour everything, and the speed at which they accumulate is naturally terrifying.

Withdrawing his praise for the Devouring Heaven Demon Art, Li Yao looked at the middle-aged man and said, "To make a long story short, what does the Holy Mountain want? To give me a hard time?"

His tone was calm, even though he knew that the Holy Mountain's resources might be more terrifying than he had guessed, he was still not afraid.

"Your Majesty has misunderstood. Mount Zhisheng had no such intention. We have come here only to ease tensions with Your Majesty." The middle-aged man clasped his hands in a fist salute, remaining extremely polite.

"Oh?" Li Yao became interested and casually asked, "What about Qu Fei? You just let me punish him as I please?"

The middle-aged man nodded, "This time it was indeed the fault of the Holy Mountain. If the Holy Lord wants to vent his anger, the Holy Mountain will naturally not stop him."

Li Yao raised an eyebrow and said, "It's a bit unreal that Mount Zhisheng has bowed down so easily. I thought you were going to fight back."

Throughout its history, Mount Zhisheng has never bowed its head to any holy lord. It has long been accustomed to being high above, on equal footing with the holy lord, and even looking down upon him.

Some things, once they become a habit, are not so easy to change.

(End of this chapter)