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

Chapter 253 Ancestral Temple of Central Plains
Finally, everything disappeared, leaving only Li Yao and the Immortal Gold Furnace appearing in the starry sky, insignificant in size.

Although he has broken through to the level of a saint, he is still just a speck of dust in the grand scheme of the universe.

The five-colored celestial light was hazy, and countless strands of celestial light fell down, flowing over his body, shining brightly, as if he were wearing a holy robe.

Li Yao's tribulation this time lasted a long time. As a fourth-level immortal saint, he broke through the third level of sainthood in one fell swoop and broke through three minor realms in succession.

If anyone were here, they would be utterly astonished. For a descendant of a saint, every step is like crossing an abyss, but he has directly ascended to the third level.

Of course, this time it can't compare to the Dao-slaying in Immortal 3, but that time the situation was different; he was suppressed too much.

This was a normal breakthrough, but even so, it's something most people can't imagine.

If not unprecedented in history, he is at least in the top tier. Only the most amazing emperors in ancient history, such as the Great Emperor Wushi and the Azure Emperor, could compare to him.

Even Ye Fan, who later broke through to the fourth level of the Immortal Saint realm, only reached the third level. However, the prerequisite was that he spent more than ten years in the Half-Saint realm, constantly honing and accumulating experience, before he could break through to the third level of the Saint realm.

On the other hand, Li Yao's total cultivation time in the entire Immortal 3: Slaying the Dao was only about ten years.

If we only consider the half-saint realm, it's only been two or three years. The time difference is too great, and Ye Fan can't compare at all.

The time difference between these two is nothing to other cultivators, just a difference of a dozen years, the time it takes to take a nap. But for a peerless genius like Li Yao, one step ahead means every step ahead.

In just over a decade, things have truly changed dramatically.

Even Li Yao couldn't predict what level his cultivation would reach in a decade or so. At the very least, he might not be far from becoming a Saint King, right? Or... might he have already broken through?!
It's unimaginable how difficult cultivation becomes as one progresses. Although Li Yao doesn't need to worry about his cultivation level, the accumulation of cultivation and primordial spirit alone is not something that can be accomplished overnight.

But just that alone is enough to make countless people yearn for it.

Because in the path of cultivation, advancing one's spiritual level is the most difficult. While cultivation level and primordial spirit can be accumulated, spiritual level requires enlightenment.

The existence of the Creation Realm has solved the problem of cultivation level, allowing Li Yao to focus solely on improving his magical power and primordial spirit.

Several days later, Li Yao had initially stabilized his realm, his immortal light receded, and the place returned to peace.

"Shh!"

Li Yao opened his eyes, couldn't help but let out a long sigh, and felt the divine power within his body, his heart filled with excitement.

"The realm of saints has finally been entered."

This is a hurdle. Below the level of a saint, all are but ants. Only by reaching the fourth level of the Immortal Realm can one be considered a true powerhouse, capable of roaming the universe.

What delighted him most was that he could finally go to Earth; he had long coveted the White Tiger Divine Art.

What changes will occur when the Heavenly Tome advances to a higher level? Will it be able to deduce more Immortal King techniques? Will it be able to extend the Imperial Scriptures of the Human Realm to the Immortal Realm? How will the Creation of Techniques be enhanced as a result? ...

There are so many expectations. Any improvement in any one of the above would be incredibly important to Li Yao, bringing unimaginable changes to his strength.

Just thinking about it made him restless, and he wanted to go to Earth immediately.

Li Yao stood up and looked at the shattered starry sky. He was also shocked because the impact was too wide.

Thankfully, it happened in the starry sky; if it had happened on the ground, it would have been an indescribable disaster.

Thinking this, he was glad that he hadn't intended to severely damage the royal family by placing the heavenly tribulation in the Big Dipper. If he had done that, at least 200,000 miles of territory would have been affected.

Under the calamity, everything will be destroyed, nothing will exist, not even a single weed will remain.

"It seems that in the future, it would be best to choose to undergo tribulations in the starry sky," Li Yao thought to himself.

As his cultivation level increases, the tribulations he faces will only become more terrifying, so he really shouldn't undergo tribulations on the ground anymore.

"Hey!"

Like a flash of lightning, Li Yao transformed into a streak of light and swiftly headed towards the Big Dipper.

After breaking through to the Saint realm, his speed surged once again, becoming incredibly fast and reaching a completely different level.

With a mere thought, he could shrink the distance to an inch, and with the blessing of the Word "Travel" technique, he truly seemed like a ghost walking through time.

Not long after, he returned to the Holy Land of Yao Guang.

Then, his breakthrough to sainthood was like a surging tide, leaving everyone utterly shocked.

Mount Zhisheng.

"A saint! Hahaha, I knew it. With the Saint Lord's talent, he would surely attain enlightenment in this world. Those old fogies would never know that the Saint Lord is a powerful being, and they are just dreaming of becoming a Chaos Body every day."

This was the clamor of the reformists. They had won a complete victory. With Li Yao's breakthrough to sainthood, the outcome of this battle was no longer in doubt.

Even the most profound resources of the Sacred Mountain would not allow it to be an enemy of such a genius.

Without a solid foundation, the current old guard is just a handful of big cats and small cats.

"How could it be so fast? He has only been cultivating for a little over twenty years, yet he has already reached such a level." The old sect couldn't believe it.

This news is so shocking that it's hard to accept. Even if the Chaos Body were alive, it wouldn't be possible to cultivate from the Sea of ​​Wheels Secret Realm to a Saint in just twenty years!
Throughout ancient history, no one has ever accomplished this in such a short time. Li Yao is truly unprecedented and unparalleled.

Xia Mingxiao was immediately deflated, suffering a significant blow. Things were not as he had expected; the distance between him and Li Yao not only did not narrow over time, but the gap actually widened.

No matter how confident he is, he has to accept the fact that he still has a chance to catch up.

It seems that from the moment he was surpassed, he would never have another chance to catch up.

Could it be that I really want to become his number one general?

Xia Mingxiao felt somewhat weary, as if he had truly foreseen his own end.

……

The southern region trembled, the eastern wilderness trembled, the Big Dipper trembled...

Li Yao's breakthrough to the status of a sage caused a great sensation throughout the world.

Although with the resurgence of the ancient races, the existence of this realm is no longer as rare as in mythology, there is no doubt that this level is the pinnacle of existence.

Moreover, although there are many beings at the saint level, these are all powerful figures from the ancient era. Since the revival of heaven and earth, Li Yao is the first to break through to the saint level.

As everyone knows, once someone achieves first place, that title becomes extraordinary.

"How could it be so fast?!"

"Could it really be someone comparable to the Emperor Ancestor?!"

Inside the Golden Cave, the Golden Clan's Heavenly King, Huang Dao Wang, wore a somber expression.

He was the one who made the move among the Green Ghost Clan. With the help of the Green Ghost Clan's Great Saint Weapon and Great Saint Formation, he not only blocked the Emperor Formation's attack but also destroyed one of Li Yao's Dao bodies.

"If a half-saint is already so powerful, how strong will he be now that he has broken through to sainthood?" At this moment, even King Huangdao felt somewhat troubled.

During that battle, he sensed Li Yao's extraordinary nature. Although he possessed a Dao body, his strength was formidable, and even ordinary saints were no match for him.

Now that you've broken through the barrier and become a true saint, there's no doubt that your combat power will increase by leaps and bounds.

He may not yet be at the level of a saint, but he is definitely not far off. Judging from Li Yao's breakthrough speed, he may become an invincible saint in a dozen years.

But to eliminate them? That's unrealistic. They've reached this level; how can they be eliminated? Only the Great Sage could intervene.

Huang Daowang looked into the depths of the Golden Cave, where the energy was surging and growing stronger day by day. He was expected to fully awaken within the next year.

"Once the patriarch awakens, report this matter to him and let him make a decision."

……

Zhongzhou.

Qinling.

Beside a small, shimmering lake, Emperor Zhonghuang gazed at the Eastern Wilderness with a look of awe.

The Holy Lord of Yaoguang has become a saint!

The Qishi Mansion revived him and sealed him away for this lifetime, hoping that he would attain enlightenment.

But now it seems that this idea has failed.

"That's fine too. That way, I can stay with you forever, Qing'er."

Nine thousand years ago, the two heroes of Zhongzhou were renowned throughout the world. Gai Jiuyou and Xiang Yufei shone brightly, unparalleled in the world.

Such a person would naturally attract the attention of women all over the world.

Xiang Yufei had a lover who, after his death, committed suicide by throwing herself into this lake.

……

Inside the Qishi Mansion, Nan Yao Qi Lin was stunned. He was proud of himself as a genius rarely seen throughout the ages.

Having cultivated for over thirty years, he has now reached the peak of Immortal Level Two, and is only one step away from achieving Immortal Level Three and severing his Dao.

However, Li Yao's appearance made him feel suffocated.

The other party was not some old monster. He had been cultivating for ten years less than him, but he was already a saint, separated from him by a Dao-Slaying Realm!

The gap is just too big.

Qi Qi looked at her brother with some worry, fearing that he would be affected by this.

"My brother is clearly unparalleled in the world, not much inferior to the demon emperors of his age. Just how abnormal is Li Yao?" She felt aggrieved for her brother.

It's a tragedy to live in the same era as a guy like that.

……

In a desolate mountain in the southern region, the Black Emperor, who had just escaped a wave of pursuit, drooped his large tongue and shook his enormous head.

"Good heavens, what kind of monster is this? He's even two years ahead of Emperor Wushi!"

After learning about Li Yao, it paid close attention to him and intentionally observed Li Yao's growth process.

The more you observe, the more shocking it becomes.

At first, Li Yao's performance was at best second to Wu Shi, but later, he gradually caught up, and now he has officially overtaken him.

Even someone as stunning as Wu Shi spent about five years in the semi-saint realm before transcending tribulation and becoming a saint.

Li Yao, however, rose from a half-saint to a saint in just about three years!
How could this not shock the Black Emperor? In his heart, the Great Emperor Wushi was a god. Not to mention surpassing him, just being three-tenths like him was enough to make the Black Emperor think highly of him.

……

Shaking Light Holy Land.

Inside the Holy Lord's Hall, Li Yao dismissed another group of elders who wanted to hold a grand banquet for his ascension to sainthood, and breathed a sigh of relief, finally relaxing.

But just then, the Supreme Holy Lord Li Daoqing arrived.

"Did the Supreme Lord also come to persuade me to hold a grand banquet to achieve sainthood?"

All day long, everyone who came to see him hoped that he would hold a grand banquet to consecrate him and thus display the divine power of Yao Guang.

The first sage of this world is absolutely remarkable and unparalleled. Moreover, with the emergence of all races and the upheaval of the world, it is a perfect opportunity to use this to enhance one's prestige. Naturally, Elder Yaoguang and others strongly urged him to do so.

“This matter is indeed beneficial to Yao Guang,” Li Daoqing advised.

As the first sage of his time, and even considering the ancient tribes, Li Yao's feat deserves to be widely publicized.

Don't underestimate the power of momentum; sometimes, the benefits it brings are immeasurable.

Although the Yao Guang Holy Land is the most powerful force in the Eastern Wilderness, it is considered one of the weakest, even among the extreme forces. However, if they seize this opportunity to hold a grand banquet in conjunction with Li Yao's ascension to sainthood, they can certainly elevate the Yao Guang Holy Land's status in everyone's eyes.

With increased power and influence, both the disciples' outings and the businesses operated by the subordinate forces will benefit.

“If we don’t hold a ceremony to make me a saint, will others not know that I have become a saint?” Li Yao chuckled and rejected Li Daoqing’s suggestion.

Seeing that Li Yao was indeed determined, Li Daoqing stopped trying to persuade him and took his leave.

"Fame and fortune!" Li Yao shook his head and sighed.

Even though fame and fortune are unavoidable for cultivators, he really didn't want to go through all that trouble.

The so-called "Sainthood Ceremony" might be meant to enhance one's prestige. If it were an ordinary power, it would be held with great fanfare, making sure the entire Beidou region knew about it.

But Li Yao didn't need to. The Saint Realm was just the starting point, and he believed that it wouldn't be long before he could continue to rise rapidly.

The only thing that truly mattered to him right now was getting to Earth.

However, the starry sky is vast, and to get to Earth, you must know its coordinates. Otherwise, even Li Yao wouldn't have the ability to search the entire universe.

Fortunately, he knew the Earth's coordinates were there, so this wasn't too difficult for him.

The Central Plains Feathered Dynasty once visited Earth and nurtured the Immortal Cauldron on Kunlun Mountain. The ancestral temple of the dynasty contains Earth's coordinates.

This was an extremely prosperous dynasty, which at its peak almost dominated the Central Plains.

But their rise to power was followed by a decline, because they courted disaster by capturing people with special physiques all over the universe in order to create an immortal cauldron and using their blood to nourish the cauldron.

This act truly angered both heaven and man. There were instances of resistance, but the Feathered Dynasty was too powerful and suppressed them all.

But then, an existence appeared that they could not suppress no matter what they did.

The Ruthless Great Emperor's power was unparalleled; with a single palm strike, he annihilated a dynasty that had at least nine levels of Quasi-Emperor.

The once mighty Yuhua Dynasty thus came to an end and disappeared into ancient history.

To this day, the ruins of the Feathered Ancestral Temple remain, and no one lives or establishes any power there.

Two days later, Li Yao traversed the void and arrived in Zhongzhou.

With his current cultivation level, he no longer needs the Five-Colored Altar to travel between the Five Domains. He can tear through the void out of thin air and achieve a level similar to the Five-Colored Altar.

The ruins of the Feathered Dynasty are vast; at one time, almost half of the Central Plains was their territory. At that time, there was no Great Xia or Ancient Hua Dynasty; only the ancient Shenzhou Dynasty existed before the Feathered Dynasty was destroyed.

The Yuhua Ancestral Temple is located at the heart of the central dragon vein, a place truly blessed by the creation of heaven and earth and the mysteries of yin and yang, a place defying the heavens.

But this place was destroyed by human forces hundreds of thousands of years ago, and the dragon energy dissipated. The great ancestral dragon that gathered the dragon veins of the entire Central Plains was transformed into several enormous ancestral dragons, which were scattered throughout the Central Plains.

Since then, the ancestral temple has transformed from a supreme sanctuary into a deadly place, its very essence carrying an ominous aura.

This is why, despite being the central area of ​​Zhongzhou, where every inch of land should be incredibly valuable, no one has established any power here.

The heart of Zhongzhou is now devoid of life. Everywhere you look, not a single weed grows; it is shrouded in darkness, perpetually shrouded in an impenetrable black mist that blocks out the sun.

Ahead, thousands of mountains and valleys, but they were all broken, snapped by the aftershocks of the great magic.

This wasn't even the main battlefield; it was just caught in the crossfire. Otherwise, even the Broken Mountain wouldn't exist.

One of the ancient veins is incredibly large; it's not a mountain range at all, but a plain.

One can only imagine the incredible fortune that such a massive ancestral vein must have possessed when it was intact.

Unfortunately, it's broken now.

It was invisible at normal altitudes, but when Li Yao reached hundreds of millions of feet in the air, he could see a huge handprint on the ancestral vein of the plain, which struck from an unknown distance and severed the ancestral vein.

Furthermore, the area within a million square kilometers sank and became a wasteland.

"The work of the Ruthless Great Emperor," Li Yao thought in amazement.

Destroying the ancestral vein with a single palm strike—such a method demonstrated the Great Emperor's invincibility, leaving him in awe.

Anyway, even with his current strength, he couldn't do such a thing.

The ancestral vein gathers the power of the Central Plains. To destroy it, one would have to contend with the entire Central Plains' earth veins, which is far more complex than simply destroying a mountain range.

Moreover, with the ancestral veins severed, the Central Plains are unstable and even at risk of collapse.

However, the Central Plains remained unaffected; apart from the ancestral veins, other places were not even affected, which is even more frightening than simple destruction.

While destroying the ancestral veins, they preserved the Central Plains; only those who have attained the pinnacle of creation possess such power.

After observing for a while, Li Yao suppressed his amazement and continued forward.

Soon, he ventured deep into the center and arrived at a place devoid of life, shrouded in even denser black mist, as if he had descended into the deepest abyss.

Then, he came across a cluster of ancient buildings.

Just ahead, there was a temple complex, incredibly ancient, its age evident to have been witnessed over countless years.

This place has been abandoned for hundreds of thousands of years, yet it remains intact without decay, demonstrating the extraordinary nature of this temple.

Behind the ancestral temple, a thick black fog enveloped everything, making it impossible to see anything, even one's divine sense was blocked.

Li Yao was fearless and stepped into the black mist.

However, due to the passage of time, many places have been buried, including the temple gate. To enter the ancestral site, these debris must be cleared away.

For ordinary people, this would be a real problem, because the black mist contains a terrifying power that can plunder the essence of a cultivator's flesh and blood.

In other words, this black mist is a monster with an invisible mouth, which is impossible for ordinary cultivators to defend against and can easily take their lives.

Only cultivators at the second level of immortality can barely survive in the black mist, but even that is only a narrow escape; if they are not careful, they will still be caught in its trap.

Therefore, even if others discover this place, they cannot enter the temple; they cannot even pass the first gate, let alone find the temple entrance.

Only those who reach the Dao-Severing Realm can be fearless of the black mist. At Li Yao's level, the influence of the black mist is negligible.

"boom!"

Divine power surged, the black mist rippled, countless stones turned to dust, and a passage suddenly appeared ahead.

Li Yao stepped inside and entered the cluster of temples, witnessing the grandeur of the Feathered Dynasty.

The temple is peculiar. From the outside, it looks like an ancient temple complex, but once you enter, you find yourself in a cluster of small worlds. Each courtyard is a small world in itself, interconnected and vast.

Li Yao couldn't help but marvel. The Feathered Dynasty truly lived up to its reputation as the dominant force in the Central Plains. Its scale was astonishing. Back then, there must have been an unparalleled expert who spared no effort to waste his own power to evolve such a small world cluster and create the ancestral temple that shook ancient history.

Each courtyard is a small world; those in different courtyards cannot possibly know what is happening in the other courtyards.

Even with his divine eye fully activated, he couldn't see through it. Only by going to another courtyard and witnessing it with his own eyes could he understand.

Li Yao attempted to fly to different courtyards, but was blocked by a barrier.

This barrier naturally couldn't stop him; it could be violently torn apart.

But this is the ancestral temple of the Feathered Dynasty. Who knows what might happen if violence is used?

Although I'm not afraid, there's no need to.

Abandoning his brute force approach, Li Yao walked forward step by step.

The courtyard was silent and still, except for the soft sound of footsteps that gradually disappeared into the depths.

Soon, he arrived at the courtyard gate and pushed it open with his divine power, but inside it was still deathly silent.

A crack opened in the small world, which the sage sensed with his divine sense; there were living beings inside.

This is a chilling existence. The Central Plains Ancestral Temple has been in ruins for hundreds of thousands of years, yet there are still living beings there.

If it were an ordinary person, they might have been terrified by this place.

Li Yao's eyes flickered slightly as he stepped into the second courtyard.

Each courtyard is a small world in itself, so even he didn't know what kind of creatures lived in the second courtyard.

But does that matter?

With his strength and the trump cards he possesses, he has the ability to save his life unless a Great Sage suddenly appears.

Skill breeds boldness; when one possesses great strength, one naturally develops unwavering confidence.

This is especially evident among cultivators in the world of Shrouding the Heavens.

Li Yao, having lived and worked in this world for over thirty years, naturally possesses this kind of personality trait.

"what……"

The moment they stepped inside, a piercing scream echoed through the courtyard, shattering the timeless tranquility.

On the wide courtyard wall, under the dark eaves and on the beams, hung densely packed corpses, head to toe, disheveled, with open, dark eyes, exuding an ominous aura that sent chills down one's spine.

Li Yao found it rather offensive; these things were just too ugly.

But these things also caught his attention; they weren't ghosts, but living creatures.

"Buzz!"

A powerful aura spread, Dao traces danced, and a domain descended. Countless creatures, like vengeful ghosts, exploded into blood mist and were annihilated by a powerful force, leaving only one or two for Li Yao to examine.

"So that's how it is. These are the descendants of the Yin God. This is truly a miracle." After observing for a long time, Li Yao sighed softly.

Some people were powerful in life and their bodies became immortal after death. They were buried on the Yin Eye of the Earth Vein, and after countless years, their bodies may "come back to life".

Of course, only the physical body came back to life; in reality, it had no relation to the original person at all, but had transformed into a new life form.

This is a kind of corpse transformation with spiritual power. It is certainly not as powerful as the Yellow Emperor, the Yan Emperor, and others, but it is still considered to be among the top level of corpse transformations and is quite extraordinary.

That's not all. What's truly bizarre is that these mutated corpses, after coming back to life, can still mate and produce offspring.

The group of people in front of us are descendants of the Yin Gods, but their bloodline power is very weak.

Furthermore, because their ancestors' transformation into zombies was imperfect, they are extremely ugly and bizarre in appearance.

But it was indeed a miracle, the birth of a race from nothing.

After suppressing and killing all the descendants of these Yin spirits, Li Yao stepped into the third courtyard.

Unsurprisingly, the descendants of the Yin Gods here are more numerous and more powerful.

As soon as Li Yao stepped into the third courtyard, a series of shrill screams transformed into ocean waves, weaving together a terrifying killing intent that surged toward him.

"boom!"

A terrifying sonic wave swept through, and if it were a cultivator at the Great Power level, they would instantly turn into blood mist, their life and death extinguished.

However, standing before these descendants of Yin Gods was a true ancient saint, whose strength was terrifyingly powerful.

Li Yao didn't even move; he simply spread his aura outwards, causing the natural laws of heaven and earth to be born, forming a terrifying killing domain.

The crimson light spread out, like the clanging of a divine sword. All the descendants of the Yin Gods affected by the light were turned into a banquet and dispersed without even a scream.

The fourth courtyard... the fifth courtyard...

(End of this chapter)