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

Chapter 255 Ancient Coffin of the Gods
At the same time, his cultivation level was also rapidly increasing at an astonishing speed. Even without any reference point, he knew that it must have far surpassed the realm of saints and reached an unimaginable level.

His understanding of the secrets of the character "行" reached an unbelievable level, involving the concept of time.

It is hard to imagine that, apart from the carefree Celestial Venerable, he has the deepest understanding of the secret of the word "Xing".

Even the old madman, who is already a Great Sage, cannot match his understanding of the secret of the word "行".

Li Yao's figure vanished in an instant, moving from one end of the small world to the other.

This speed was beyond imagination. Even if a sage king were here, he would not be able to keep up with Li Yao's speed and could only passively take the beating.

"The Nine Secrets are truly extraordinary divine arts. Just the Secret of the Word '行' alone, if one comprehends it deeply enough, will make one invincible under heaven," Li Yao exclaimed inwardly.

This is not an exaggeration. Let alone him, even if it were an ordinary genius cultivating the Xingzi Secret Technique, if they had his level of skill, it wouldn't be difficult for them to reach the eighth level of the forbidden realm and enter the realm of divine forbidden realm.

Li Yao continued forward and arrived at the thirtieth level of the temple's small world. With the help of two stone statues, he digested much of his understanding of the "Xing" character secret. If he did it again, he could fully digest it.

"The Land of Creation has provided an extra year of cultivation time." Since entering the Ancestral Temple, he has entered the Creation Realm eleven times in a very short period of time.

In the past, it would have taken at least a year to achieve this number of times, but now, all things considered, he has only been in the temple's small world for two months.

Li Yao was overjoyed. He left the stone statue and headed towards the thirty-first-floor courtyard.

The stone door leading to the thirty-first floor was tightly closed, covered with runes, as if sealing away a flood or a ferocious beast, or perhaps connecting to the underworld, exuding a strange aura.

Li Yao was very fast. Even though the space of the temple's small world was vast, it was as close as a stone's throw away to him.

"Squeak!"

The gate, which required a second-level immortal cultivator to exert all their strength, even resorting to the bombardment of a king's divine weapon, was thus easily pushed open by him.

The stone gate opened, as if opening a passage to purgatory, and the eerie atmosphere became even stronger.

In the thirty-one-story temple world, it was pitch black, with the sound of raindrops hitting the ground, like a real world. In the rainy night, there were figures moving around.

The night was deep and dark, with orderly divine chains covering the void, suppressing all divine vision abilities. Even cultivators could not see in the night.

Of course, Li Yao is not included; he can see the situation in the thirty-first level of the temple world.

"Boom!"

Suddenly, a blood-red lightning bolt roared, illuminating the entire world. A torrential downpour began, and on the ground stood several squads of soldiers, armed with long spears and clad in iron armor!

They were patrolling, seemingly still alive, and the long spears and swords in their hands were no ordinary items, exuding a demonic aura.

The soldiers' armor was also very ancient, dating back hundreds of thousands of years.

When the crimson lightning flashed, its light shone on the armor and weapons, making the patterns on them clearly visible.

Such armor was not something anyone could wear; it was only bestowed upon those who had made great contributions and was a symbol of power and status.

This armor also has an impressive name—Heavenly Soldier Armor, which reveals the ambition of the Feathered Divine Dynasty.

Ruling the Central Plains, or even unifying the five major domains, is not what they desire. These are merely worldly pursuits. Their true goal is to ascend to immortality and elevate their entire sect to heaven.

Li Yao opened his Heavenly Eye, gazing at the patrolling celestial soldiers, and probing the secrets of their immortality.

These things are not ghosts, because their bodies are still intact. Of course, they are definitely not living people; they have been dead for a long time.

The Feathered Dynasty dates back hundreds of thousands of years. If they were still alive, they would truly be heavenly soldiers, immortals.

Li Yao stepped forward and walked deeper into the area, wanting to test whether these heavenly soldiers possessed any spirituality. However, they did not; the heavenly soldiers showed no reaction whatsoever.

"It has no intelligence; only by venturing deeper will it trigger the conditions to attack and kill the intruders."

In just a short while, he figured out the trajectory of these heavenly soldiers and then stepped directly into the area where the heavenly soldiers were rioting.

"Sizzle!" "Clang!"...

In an instant, like a flood sweeping across the land, the heavenly soldiers moved. A chilling aura exploded outwards, and iron halberds and longswords pierced the night sky, appearing incredibly eerie under the reflection of blood-red lightning.

The heavenly soldiers showed no expression; they were like programmed puppets, launching a suicidal attack on Li Yao.

Several squads of celestial soldiers, numbering several hundred, clad in iron armor, formed an ancient array with astonishing power. Even ordinary Dao-Slaying Kings could be annihilated by it.

Li Yao's blue robes fluttered in the wind, his face was indifferent, and his eyes were unwavering. He didn't take the approaching heavenly soldiers seriously at all, and just kept walking.

"tread!"

The footsteps were so light that they were almost imperceptible unless you listened carefully, especially in this environment.

However, along with the sound of footsteps, there was also the sound of hundreds of heavenly soldiers exploding.

Hundreds of heavenly soldiers were all blown apart, blood splattering everywhere, flesh and bones flying everywhere, only the armor, spears, swords and other weapons remained intact.

Hundreds of complete sets of powerful weapons are an absolute windfall, of immeasurable value.

You don't know the cost of firewood and rice until you're in charge of the household. The original book is mainly from Ye Fan's perspective. When he becomes powerful and surpasses the Great Power Realm, he feels that the Great Power Realm is trash.

But that's not actually the case. A single high-level weapon weighs about hundreds of thousands of kilograms of source energy, but what is the value of hundreds of sets of long spears, armor, and longswords?
When calculated this way, the amount is simply astronomical. Li Yao has no need for these, but the cultivators of the second and first level of the Yao Guang Holy Land desperately need them, as they greatly enhance their combat power.

If a Supreme Elder wields a powerful weapon, his combat strength can be equivalent to at least three or four forbidden weapons.

Several hundred sets of high-level weapons (long spears, armor, longswords) can arm several hundred Supreme Elders, increasing their combat power several times over.

The difference between a powerful being with weapons and one without them is significant, both in individual combat strength and in organized armies.

Li Yao showed no arrogance whatsoever as a sage, putting away all the weapons without the slightest hint of looking down on the powerful weapons.

He didn't think it was too much; in fact, he thought it was too little.

"boom!"

Suddenly, a powerful aura spread rapidly, and a figure rode on a crimson lightning bolt, wielding a long spear, with a long sword at his waist, and wearing black armor.

Their attire is similar to that of the Heavenly Soldiers, but they are at least much more powerful and clearly a level above them.

The figure exuded an aura stronger than that of a celestial soldier; this was a Dao-slaying king.

Moreover, he was not an ordinary Dao-Slaying King, but a Great Completion King, who would be considered one of the top experts in the Eastern Wilderness today.

"puff!"

Yet, this very thing was instantly shattered by Li Yao's gaze.

That gaze contained the killing intent of a saint, something a Great Completion King could not withstand.

It should be noted that Li Yao is no ordinary saint. Putting aside his combat strength, his cultivation level alone is not that of a cultivator who has just broken through to the saint level.

The third level of the Heavenly Realm is already a significant step forward from the Saint Realm. Many who have broken through to the Saint Realm for hundreds or even thousands of years have only reached this level.

In other words, calling him a veteran sage is not an exaggeration.

After putting away his King's Set (spear, armor, and longsword), Li Yao's figure vanished from the spot.

Then, a frenzied massacre unfolded in the thirty-first level of the temple's miniature world.

If an ordinary cultivator were to break in with a well-organized army of celestial soldiers and generals, even if they outnumbered the enemy, they would not gain any advantage.

Today, Li Yao overwhelmed all others with sheer force, sweeping away these remnants of the fallen dynasty with absolute power.

In less than a quarter of an hour, the place became a living hell, a sea of ​​blood, with severed limbs everywhere.

There are 3,000 powerful weapon sets, 100 king weapon sets, and 12 semi-saint weapon sets!

This was all the harvest from the temple mini-world on the 31st floor; it was a great success, greatly enhancing the strength of the Yao Guang Holy Land.

This equipment is enough to form an invincible army.

"boom!"

The stone door to the thirty-second level of the temple's miniature world was pushed open, and Li Yao slipped inside.

The thirty-two-story temple world was even more dangerous; just as they entered, a celestial general suddenly attacked.

Those eyes, like will-o'-the-wisps, were fixed there, sending chills down the spines of anyone who looked at them.

"Qiang!"

As he swung his spear, crimson light gathered at its tip, dazzling yet restrained, invincible. Wherever it struck, the void split in two, creating a massive rift.

This is a Great Accomplishment King, and he can become a Heavenly General of the Feathered Dynasty. He is extremely strong among Great Accomplishment Kings.

However, such an offensive was no different from a bubble to Li Yao; it could be easily burst with the slightest touch.

The black spear flashed, accompanied by crimson lightning, its ferocity boundless.

But the next moment, the sky exploded. Without any warning, he didn't even know how he died.

"boom!"

The crimson lightning, like a dragon, darted across the sky, illuminating the entire world.

Li Yao put away his King's Set and continued forward.

Along the way, numerous heavenly generals charged forward one after another, and even some half-saints rushed towards Li Yao in a frenzy.

This small world within the temple has no heavenly soldiers, only heavenly generals. Ordinary people who enter will surely die; there is no way to survive.

Three hundred... four hundred... seven hundred!
This is the number of heavenly generals in the thirty-two-story temple's small world.

Such a powerful force surpasses even the Yao Guang Holy Land.

It should be noted that these are over seven hundred Dao-Slaying Kings, and with the thirty-first level, that makes over eight hundred.

Moreover, this is not the end; there may be even stronger opponents ahead.

Such combat power is worthy of the prestigious name of the Feathered Dynasty.

However, Li Yao believes that if things continue to develop as they are now, the Yao Guang Holy Land will surpass the Yu Hua Dynasty in the future.

Over the years, as the Yao Guang Holy Land has waged wars in all directions, resources have flowed into the Yao Guang Treasury like a never-ending stream. As a result, Yao Guang disciples even surpass the disciples of the Ji family, Jiang family, and Yaochi in terms of cultivation resources.

Enjoying more resources naturally gives them an edge over the disciples of the major powers in terms of strength.

This represents an overall improvement in strength. Currently, aside from the fact that its foundation is not as strong as the other major powers, in terms of strength on the surface, Yao Guang is actually the strongest.

All these changes were naturally due to Li Yao.

Just now, he has acquired more than 700 sets of King's Sets. Naturally, he will not use these things himself, but will take them back to arm the powerful warriors of Yao Guang.

"Perhaps, I can also create a group of heavenly soldiers and generals," Li Yao thought to himself.

This time, we acquired thousands of sets of equipment, enough to build a large army.

Such a feat is something that even the other major powers simply do not possess. Once it takes shape, it will be difficult for anyone in the world to rival it.

"boom!"

Sweeping through everything in his path, he pushed open the door to the thirty-three-story temple miniature world.

Upon entering the thirty-third level of the temple's miniature world, Li Yao saw a stone tablet with ancient characters for the thirty-third heaven engraved on it.

According to ancient texts, the Thirty-Three Heavens is the location of the Heavenly Court.

The Feathered Dynasty places its ancestral land above the Thirty-Three Heavens, revealing their ambition to ascend the entire sect to heaven and surpass the Heavenly Court.

Li Yao strolled through the thirty-third heaven, gazing out at the surroundings from time to time.

Ahead, rows of ancient buildings emitted a soft glow, illuminating the area and making it bright and not dark.

As we approached the Temple of Light, a sacred and peaceful aura wafted over us, making the place seem like the abode of the gods.

In front of the grand and majestic palace stands a huge altar, covered with ancient blood grooves.

Even though time has passed, and at least hundreds of thousands of years have passed, there are still traces of dried blood in the blood groove on the altar.

Above the altar, there were some objects that were now radiating brilliant divine light. Most of the sacred light of the hall came from these objects.

"Immortal Tears Green Gold!" A blazing divine light flashed in Li Yao's pupils as he discerned the items on the altar.

One of them was a vibrant green, infinitely beautiful, bursting with the breath of life, as if it were flowing, crystal clear, and countless times more beautiful than the most perfect jade in the world.

This is a piece of celestial material, flowing with an extraordinary aura, as if it belongs to another world, originating from the celestial realm. It is full of vitality, and on its surface, there are teardrops hanging.

The celestial gold was about the size of a fist, flawless and pure, fresh and green, as if it were breathing, absorbing and exhaling the life essence of heaven and earth. The tear stains on its surface were like the tears of a fairy.

Li Yao was no stranger to this kind of immortal gold. His immortal gold furnace contained immortal tear green gold, which was not as big as this piece, but only a little smaller.

The Immortal Tear Green Gold was sealed within the Divine Source, so its divine essence did not dissipate. The Divine Source protected this piece of Immortal Gold very well. If it were exposed to the air, after hundreds of thousands of years, the divine substance would probably have been completely lost, turning it into waste.

Li Yao was overjoyed. A fist-sized piece of immortal gold would be a significant enhancement to the Immortal Gold Furnace.

The power of a weapon depends not only on the laws of nature it embodies, but also on the materials used in its forging.

Naturally, the amount of material is also of paramount importance.

A weapon forged from celestial gold the size of a human head is certainly no match in power for a weapon forged from celestial gold the size of a millstone.

After being recast several times, the Immortal Gold Furnace has long been completed and transformed into a furnace body half the height of a person, a truly heavy weapon.

But Li Yao was not prepared to stop there; he wanted to continuously integrate immortal gold into it to enhance its power.

Therefore, he would never complain about having too much immortal gold; for him, immortal gold was always in short supply.

Besides the immortal gold, he also saw other things: four stone spheres, about the size of a fist, placed not far from the divine source block.

Like the source stone, the outer layer of that stone would be impossible for an ordinary person to see.

However, Li Yaoxiu possessed a divine eye, allowing him to see through the stone's surface and perceive the scene within. He was immediately slightly surprised.

Four fist-sized stone spheres, covered only by a layer of stone skin, contained divine energy within, sealing four coiled worms resembling true dragons, filling the space.

"A god-slaying insect at the demigod level!" Li Yao's lips curled up in surprise.

Within the divine source, four god-slaying insects coiled up, resembling a long snake. If they were to stretch out, they would be about a foot long, looking exactly like a hornless dragon.

Even through the stone skin, a tragic aura could be felt when peering with divine sense.

The God-Slaying Insect race is extremely ferocious. It's just that they are not very intelligent; otherwise, they would be a race that terrifies the entire universe.

The so-called ten royal families on the Big Dipper are nothing more than food in the face of the God-Slaying Insects.

This trip to the ancestral temple was originally just to find the coordinates of Earth, but the Feathered Dynasty, as a former cosmic superpower, had so many good things that he couldn't help but get excited.

Whether it's the Immortal Tears Green Gold or the Four Half-Divine Insects, they are both rare treasures. If placed in the outside world, either one would be enough to shake the world.

After putting away the Immortal Tears Green Gold and the four stone spheres, Li Yao began to examine the altar.

This altar is very strange; it's covered in blood grooves that lead to the interior, so there must be something inside.

"boom!"

After only a moment's hesitation, Li Yao made his move, unleashing a powerful divine force and surging holy laws. Immortal light intertwined to form a giant palm, which slammed heavily onto the altar.

Instantly, the thirty-three heavens trembled violently, as if they were about to turn over. Smoke and dust billowed up at the altar, which could not withstand Li Yao's palm strike and collapsed to the ground.

Sure enough, the blood groove led straight into the interior, and it was filled with fresh blood, still wet to this day, like a flowing river of blood.

The altar's stone wall is covered in a black and red color, as if blood has dried up, then fresh blood has flowed through it, and then dried up again, in a continuous cycle, resulting in its current state, filled with a menacing aura.

Li Yao's prediction was correct. There was a stone palace beneath the altar, only one meter high, with carved beams and painted rafters. If enlarged to scale, it must be a sacred temple.

The Heavenly Eye opened, and a golden light shot out, piercing through the stone palace and looking inside. Then Li Yao's body trembled.

"boom!"

The stone palace was violently ripped open, and a burst of blazing golden light shot out, accompanied by a terrifying aura that made one's flesh feel tight, as if something was gnawing at it.

"A Saint-level Pureblood God-Slaying Insect!" Li Yao exclaimed in surprise as he looked into the stone palace.

Inside the stone palace, which was one meter high, were two hornless dragons, each over one meter long, coiled like meandering snakes, several times larger than the four half-divine insects.

This is a true pure-blooded god-slaying insect, with a cultivation level reaching the Saint level. Coupled with its terrifying characteristics, even Saints would be devoured by it.

"It's a pity, he's already dead," Li Yao sighed.

Two god-slaying insects were coiled up, their bodies radiating golden light, and they were extremely ferocious, like miniature true dragons. Even when they were still, one could feel the immense divine power contained within their bodies.

The God-Slaying Insect was enveloped in divine energy, but upon closer inspection, two small holes could be found on the divine energy block.

This means that they came out before, and then went back in.

However, the divine source was damaged. Although it was still sealed, its effectiveness was greatly reduced. After hundreds of thousands of years, the God-Slaying Insect had long since died.

Li Yao broke open the Divine Source Block and pulled out the two God-Slaying Insects. They were dead but not decayed, their bodies were immortal, and they still exuded the might of a saint.

The God-Slaying Insect race is naturally strong-bodied. The bodies of the demigods are no less powerful than those of saints, which is why they can devour all things.

Although the two Saint-level God-Slaying Insects perished, their bodies are still supreme sacred objects. With a little refinement, they can be transformed into sacred weapons without much effort, which is quite a good gain.

Li Yao tried to find some humor in his misery, consoling himself that compared to a living Saint-level God-Slaying Insect, a Saint-level weapon was naturally far inferior, but it was still better than having nothing at all.

After carefully collecting the corpse of the God-Slaying Insect, he looked into the stone palace and took out a palm-sized stone box carved with dragons and phoenixes.

Upon seeing this object, his dead memories began to attack him, awakening the memories in his mind.

This thing is extraordinary, a rare wonder of all time, possessing unimaginable power.

But what made Li Yao uneasy was not the object itself, but the contents of the stone box.

In the world of Shrouding the Heavens, two divine nine-layered coffins have ever appeared. Legend has it that they were buried only in the nine heavens, in the boundless void, and would never fall to the earth.

Two divine nine-layered coffins, one of which belonged to the Void Emperor, where his broken body was buried, and the second was used by the God Emperor for his transformation.

The nine-layered coffin of the gods in his hand at this moment is the ancient coffin in which the God Emperor sleeps.

The God Emperor is definitely a special existence. With nine transformations, he is invincible in heaven and earth, and with ten transformations, he can look down on the past, present, and future.

His reign was extremely glorious, and his reign was so long that it was unimaginable, leaving all the supreme rulers in despair and unable to even come close to his achievements.

It is impossible to accurately estimate the length of time since the Primordial Era, but it is at least several million years.

Yet, despite the long passage of time, the God Emperor did not die; he remained alive and is now undergoing a rebirth within the ancient coffin.

Most of the current God Emperors have already undergone the eleventh transformation, and are only half a step away from becoming immortals.

Li Yao struggled internally. This was undoubtedly a priceless treasure, but unfortunately, he couldn't keep it with him.

This is a near-immortal being. Although he is asleep, having him by my side at all times still makes me feel uneasy.

If he didn't know, that would be one thing, but if he did know, he would never dare to do it under any circumstances.

Because he has too many secrets, if they were to be discovered, one could only hope that the God Emperor is kind-hearted.

He would never entrust his life to someone else.

"No need to regret it. The ancient coffin of the gods is priceless, but even if such a being sleeps inside, it cannot be used by me. Even if I carry it with me, I can only look at it." Li Yao hypnotized himself.

Finally, after a full quarter of an hour, he put the box back in the ancient palace and restored everything to its original state.

Then, he continued forward, pushed open the door to the thirty-fourth level of the temple's small world, and entered it.

As soon as he entered, Li Yao became alert and was no longer calm.

This place is eerie; ghosts roam the mountains and fields, accompanied by the sounds of wailing and howling. The tranquility of before is gone.

What kind of world is this? It's like a land of death, filled with ghosts and corpses, as if the gates to hell have been opened.

(End of this chapter)