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

Chapter 197 The Peach Banquet
For Li Yao now, the most urgent task is to accumulate cultivation and enter the Immortal Three-Slaying Realm. Compared to that, going to the Central Plains Strange Scholars' Mansion to fight against the young prodigies is just playing house with them.

If he were to intervene, all the young prodigies would have their Dao hearts shattered.

The old man in the golden feather robe was not surprised by what he heard, as he had obviously expected the answer.

Initially, Li Yao was an important subject of observation for the Qishi Mansion, and one of the most promising people to attain enlightenment in the Golden Age.

But that was before. Back then, Li Yao had only recently broken through to the Sendai realm. Now, Li Yao can already reverse the flow and slay a Dao King. With such combat power, apart from some powerful individuals with deep foundations, no one in the entire Beidou region can rival him.

In this situation, whether or not we come to Qishi Mansion, it really doesn't make much difference.

The old man in the golden feather robe was not disappointed. Instead, he continued to look at Ye Fan. Compared to the Holy Lord of Yao Guang, the Holy Body was his true target.

"I am deeply honored by your invitation, but I need to consider it." After a moment's thought, Ye Fan did not immediately agree.

He has now broken through the Four Extremes Heavenly Barrier, and there are no more obstacles on his path of cultivation. Rather than cultivating in the Qishi Mansion, the quiet years are more suitable for him to improve his cultivation.

"You don't want to go to Zhongzhou to cultivate?" The old man in the golden feather robe was somewhat surprised. Qishi Academy was an academy that all the geniuses of the five regions longed to enter. It was reasonable for Dong Yaoguang to refuse, as he did not need it. However, the Holy Body's hesitation exceeded his expectations.

"Comparing the young kings of the five regions over ten thousand years, it would be a real pity if you didn't go. The Qishi Mansion cannot be judged by appearances alone," the Queen Mother of the West reminded Ye Fan, assuming he was unaware of the truth.

Each holy land only has two slots, as do the Immortal Dynasty and the Ancient Aristocratic Family. It is conceivable that the geniuses in the Qishi Mansion are of high quality, with the lowest being the holy sons and holy daughters of their respective families.

The Qishi Academy opens only once every ten thousand years, allowing young geniuses from the five regions to travel hundreds of millions of miles to enter the academy for cultivation. There must be many fortuitous opportunities involved.

But Ye Fan still shook his head. He was actually a little undecided. He wanted to find a quiet place to cultivate, but he was also tempted to enter the Qishi Mansion.

The old man in the golden feather robe did not try to persuade him further. Entering the Qishi Mansion was not mandatory; whether or not to enter was entirely up to the individual.

After everyone dispersed, Li Yao returned to his residence in Yaoguang and began to cultivate and accumulate his own spiritual power.

His current state is really strange. There is no record of this situation in any ancient books. He has clearly surpassed the second level of immortality, but he has not reached the next level.

However, his cultivation level did not stop growing; instead, it continued to rise.

"Throughout history, the path I've walked must be unprecedented, right?"

Li Yao was certain that no one had ever walked this road before, and even if they had, it would be a dead end for everyone else.

Although his cultivation level was stuck, his progress was still very rapid. However, he could not sense where the bottleneck was.

He was like Jingwei in the myth of filling the sea; no matter how exaggeratedly fast his progress in Taoism was, he never reached the point of proving Tao through force.

But Li Yao wasn't in a hurry, because he could feel that he was constantly improving and his combat strength was continuously rising.

One day, his power will be so great that he can easily surpass the Immortal Three Paths.

Until that day arrives, he only needs to focus on enlightenment and spiritual cultivation.

Five days passed in the blink of an eye, and the Yaochi Grand Gathering officially began. The once peaceful and serene land was gone, and now people came and went, with all sorts of extraordinary people who had been living in seclusion for many years making their appearance.

The Jade Pool Gathering, also known as the Peach Banquet, is held at an irregular time, sometimes every few decades and sometimes every few centuries.

Each time it is held, it will definitely cause a stir in the five regions, and powerful figures from all walks of life will come to Yaochi to participate in the grand event.

This is a magnificent palace suspended in the sky, with lotus ponds everywhere, where red flowers and green leaves stand out.

In the middle of the lotus pond is a wide avenue, shrouded in mist. People walk on the avenue in the middle of the lotus pond, surrounded by a hazy mist, just like the legendary fairyland.

Outside the Pure Land, streaks of divine rainbows pierced the sky and fell into the Jade Pool Pure Land, just like the scene in mythology where various immortals were invited to the Peach Banquet.

If the monkey were to go out at this moment and stop a strangely-looking immortal, asking him where he was going, that would be a scene from a myth.

"The Imperial Uncle of Jiuli from Zhongzhou has arrived."

"The Holy Lord of the Northern Plains Golden Family has arrived."

"The divine monk who saved us from peril in the Western Desert has come to visit."

"The Demon King of the Southern Ridge Demon Emperor Palace has arrived."

……

One by one, prominent figures from the Five Realms appeared, pushing the atmosphere of the Jade Pool Gathering to its peak.

"when!"

With a melodious chime, the grand gathering at Yaochi officially began.

In an instant, celestial music began to play, and with the clouds and mist filling the sky, it truly resembled a scene of a peach banquet being held in the Heavenly Court.

White clouds drift lazily, palaces stand in rows, hundreds of flowers bloom, and ethereal mist rises, yet never reaches above the knees. Cranes and phoenixes take flight, dancing gracefully around the pure land, creating a scene of hundreds of birds paying homage to the phoenix.

As the Holy Lord of Yaoguang, Li Yao held a first-tier position among all those who came to participate in the Yaochi Grand Gathering. Therefore, his seat was at the very center of the Heavenly Palace.

Seated in the seat next to him were the holy lords of the Ji and Jiang families, and opposite them were the four great dynasties of Zhongzhou.

People like the Holy Lord of the Purple Mansion and Yang Zhan, the King of Yin Yang Sect, were all below them, making the hierarchy immediately obvious.

Besides these, there were some powerful and extraordinary individuals, but their seats were noticeably further back. Without exception, this group consisted entirely of elderly men; in this celestial palace, there were only three young people: Li Yao, Ye Fan, and the Monkey.

These two people were seated even further back, at the very end of the table.

The monkey could have sat at the head of the table, but out of loyalty, he chose to sit next to Ye Fan.

But even the lowest seat is quite extravagant. Don't you see, even the leaders of some major religions sit in the palace outside?

Ye Fan was able to sit here because of his status as the successor of the Source Celestial Master. Yaochi invited him as an extraordinary person; otherwise, he might have had to go to the third palace.

Amidst the melodious strains of celestial music, the female disciples of Yaochi, clad in white gauze, danced gracefully in the hall, their robes fluttering, white clouds swirling beneath their feet, resembling Chang'e from the Moon Palace.

Outside the Heavenly Palace, the phoenixes cried out, their voices clear and melodious, accompanied by celestial music, creating an atmosphere that was exceptionally ethereal and distant.

Before the Jade Palace, exotic flowers and rare herbs were everywhere, and celestial blossoms exuded auspiciousness. In the lotus pond, goldfish leaped out of the water, creating a series of splashes that shimmered with seven colors under the celestial light.

The Peach Banquet in this lifetime went incredibly smoothly. No one forced Ye Fan to go to the Myriad Dragon Nest, and no one dared to make things difficult for him. Naturally, there were not many twists and turns.

During the gathering, everyone toasted and discussed the recent state of affairs in the world.

Among them, Li Yao's place was the most visited.

Normally, Dong Yaoguang is like a blazing sun, and because of his domineering behavior, few people would dare to provoke him.

But today's scene is different; it is the Peach Banquet, which was originally built by Yaochi as a platform for cultivators from the five regions to engage in lively discussions among like-minded individuals.

So, one by one, the holy lords and extraordinary people came to offer wine, as if they had temporarily set aside their lofty status and were only interested in enjoying the pleasure before them.

During the gathering, everyone talked about many things, but the most exciting news was that Nangong Zheng revealed his experience in the Bronze Immortal Palace.

This topic has attracted people's attention and has led to the discovery of many ancient secrets, some of which are true and some are false.

Li Yao listened to the crowd's eloquent discussions but did not participate. Instead, he put down his wine cup, calmed his mind, and began to contemplate the Dao.

As the Lord of Yaoguang, he couldn't leave early at the Yaochi Grand Gathering; otherwise, he would have already departed.

Such a grand event held little meaning for him; he was still young, had few friends, and nothing to talk about.

Unlike those old monsters who may not have been seen for hundreds of years, now that they are meeting again in the Pure Land of Yaochi, they naturally want to catch up.

Bored, Li Yao could only silently comprehend the Dao and improve his cultivation, hoping to quickly re-enter the realm of creation to comprehend the Dao.

This skill is unique to him. If it were anyone else, in such a noisy environment, let alone enlightenment, they would find it difficult to even enter a meditative state.

During the gathering, some people naturally noticed Li Yao's unusual behavior and were shocked to see him lost in enlightenment.

Despite the unpleasant environment, he actually began to practice spiritual cultivation.

"Dong Yaoguang, it seems that not only is he exceptionally talented, but his hard work alone surpasses that of most people in the world."

Everyone sighed inwardly.

However, no one paid much attention to it and continued to enjoy themselves. Some people walked around the table and chatted with old friends.

Of course, some people also meditate cross-legged, because the spirit wine and peaches of immortality in Yaochi are extraordinary, containing powerful essence that is helpful for cultivation.

The Jade Pool Gathering proceeded as usual, without any waves or ripples. Everyone enjoyed themselves, and time flew by.

The Peach Banquet lasts for five days, and everyone comes from all over the five major regions, so it's impossible for it to end in just one or two days.

Since everyone involved was a cultivator, there was no such thing as a halftime break. The Peach Banquet had been going on non-stop since it began.

On the fourth day, Li Yao finally opened his eyes and stopped trying to comprehend the Dao.

In the Heavenly Palace, many people are paying attention to Li Yao.

As the Lord of Yao Guang, even if he were sitting there motionless, he would still be the focus of everyone's attention.

Seeing him open his eyes, many people became curious, wondering what the Holy Lord Yaoguang was going to do next.

But in the next moment, more than a dozen disciples of Yaochi flew in from the Pure Land and entered the Heavenly Palace.

"What happened?" asked the Queen Mother of the West, somewhat puzzled.

During the grand event, unless there is something important, the disciples will not come to disturb us.

"Reporting to the Queen Mother, an ancient creature has come to visit." A female disciple stepped forward and threw a large rock onto the water.

"What?!" The Holy Lords and the Emperor were all shocked.

"Judging from its form, it is indeed a creature of the ancient myriad races, and it claims to come from the Primordial Forbidden Zone, wanting to enter the Jade Pool Pure Land." The female disciple's voice was clear and crisp.

Everyone was so excited that they all stood up, somewhat incredulous.

(End of this chapter)