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

Chapter 263 Wanlong Mountain

After passing through two more Saint-level killing formations, a towering mountain appeared ahead, looking as if it were ablaze from afar.

The reason for this is that there is a peculiar type of vegetation on the mountain, which resembles a pine tree, but its leaves look like burning flames, radiating intense light.

At the base of the volcano, there is a cave that emits thick black smoke and is engulfed in flames.

Outside the volcanic cave, there was a dragon, its body wreathed in flames, its aura extremely powerful, no weaker than that of the golden lion.

Yet this very being was now guarding outside the cave, like a servant beast.

This is somewhat intriguing, as Jiaolong is a sect leader-level figure, and in the Big Dipper Star Region, he is no weaker than the Holy Lords of Wan Chu and Dayan Holy Land.

For it to be so willing, the being inside the cave must at least be a Dao-Slaying King.

"My lord, we've arrived. This is my living area." The golden lion dog was very obsequious.

The arrival of the man and the beast was made without any concealment, and the old dragon in front naturally noticed them immediately.

"Yellow Lion, who is this person?" Old Dragon asked warily.

This place is the Kunlun Mountains, a place no one sets foot in on ordinary days. Those who can get here by passing through layers of killing formations are either those who know the correct route or those who are extremely powerful.

Li Yao did not answer, but released a wisp of aura, which immediately pressed the old dragon to the ground, causing it to tremble.

"Roar……"

A loud roar came from the cave, causing the mountains to tremble and countless rocks to tumble down with a tremendous sound.

The golden lion retreated slightly, remembering its boss's tyranny, and felt a moment of fear.

This is a reaction that has developed over the past few centuries, and it is difficult to change it in a short period of time.

"boom!"

Flames soared into the sky, crimson clouds surged, sweeping across the heavens and earth, covering everything with a magnificent momentum. A long roar like a dragon's cry shook the heavens and earth. Accompanying the crimson clouds was a magnificent and extraordinary beast.

This is a dragon-horse, its four hooves treading on blazing flames, leaving behind a trail of fiery clouds wherever it goes.

It made no attempt to conceal its aura, revealing its Dao-Slaying King realm. Although it was still somewhat unstable, it did not diminish its domineering presence.

"Roar……"

The dragon-horse neighed loudly, its hooves treading on blazing flames, its speed reaching the pinnacle of its current realm. Unless one is a practitioner of the Xingzi Secret Technique, there is almost no one who can rival it.

"boom!"

Without further ado, Longma launched an attack, moving with lightning speed, and kicked Li Yao in the chest with its hoof.

This kick, though seemingly simple, was incredibly powerful. An ordinary Dao-slaying cultivator would likely explode upon being struck by it.

Suddenly, as if it had seen a ghost, the dragon horse retreated frantically, its four hooves kicking wildly, trying to get away from Li Yao.

A pair of eyes burning with intense heat revealed terror, more exaggerated than a person seeing a ghost.

"Boom!"

The dragon-horse rode on fiery clouds and traveled dozens of miles in an instant. It was so fast that dozens of mountains were crushed under its feet, and only after a while could the sound be heard.

This was a terrifying scene, highlighting the extraordinary nature of the dragon-horse and proving it to be a mythical auspicious creature.

However, despite such a domineering scene, Ryoma was filled with fear, and his strong muscles trembled almost imperceptibly.

Not only it, but the golden lion behind Li Yao was also limp on the ground, trembling as it looked at Li Yao's shoulder.

There, there was a hornless dragon, about a foot long, golden and incredibly ferocious, emanating a terrifying killing intent.

It exudes a chilling aura; any living being would shudder at the sight of this long worm.

"God-Slaying Worm!" In the distance, Longma finally suppressed his inner fear and said in disbelief.

If it hadn't reacted quickly, it would have almost come into close contact with the God-Slaying Insect.

Judging from its aura, this is a demigod worm, whose realm is far stronger than this one. Even if it is naturally auspicious and has outstanding combat power, it is still no match for this god-slaying worm. The gap between the two is huge.

Seeing the three beasts' reactions, Li Yao couldn't help but chuckle and pointed his index finger at the God-Slaying Insect.

Over the years, while traversing the starry sky, he had come to understand the art of beast taming. After all, such a valuable thing as the God-Slaying Insect could not be wasted.

"Who are you, and what do you want?" Longma asked uneasily.

Not to mention Li Yao, that God-Slaying Worm alone was enough to kill all the beasts present and slaughter all the creatures of Kunlun Mountain.

The enemy was too strong, so Longma couldn't muster any will to resist and could only pace the ground restlessly.

Li Yao began to examine the dragon horse. It was fiery red all over, strong and powerful, with a body like a dragon. Flames burned beneath its four hooves, and its body was covered with dragon scales, which shone brightly as if they were made of phoenix blood and crimson gold. Its long mane was incredibly soft, like flowing clouds.

Ancient historical records state that the dragon-horse is the essence of heaven and earth; its form is that of a horse with dragon scales, hence the name dragon-horse. It is eight feet five inches tall and is the mount of a deity.

The Demon Emperor Xue Yueqing's mount was a dragon horse.

As a mount of the Great Emperor, it is at least a Quasi-Emperor of the Ninth Heaven.

"Hmm, not bad, looks good, it would definitely be impressive as a mount," Li Yao thought to himself.

This horse is exceptionally magnificent, and coupled with various legends, it is undoubtedly a top-quality mount, far surpassing the likes of the Golden Hou.

Moreover, he has methods for training this horse.

Once we embark on the ancient starry road and obtain the Demon Emperor's bloodline tempering method, we will use the Heavenly Book to deduce its effects, and then have the dragon horse cultivate it. Perhaps it can transform into a dragon in the future.

The Demon Emperor's bloodline tempering method was already extraordinary. If Longma were to learn it and it were to be deduced to a higher level, his future achievements would be no less than those in the original story.

With this in mind, Li Yao felt it was worth doing; at least in terms of class, this horse wouldn't be inferior to any other mount.

In the distance, Longma suddenly became alert, and its bad premonition reached its peak. If it weren't for the God-Slaying Insect watching it closely, it would have really wanted to run away.

"Little colt, would you like to be my mount?" Li Yao asked calmly, looking at the dragon horse.

The Flaming Mountain was completely silent. All living beings trembled in fear because of the terrible aura released by the God-Slaying Insects. Only the Dragon Horse could withstand it.

These dragon steeds are born of heaven and earth, much like holy spirits, both being children of heaven and earth. Moreover, dragon horses are not subject to the restrictions of holy spirits; they can cultivate and grow on their own.

The dragon horse kept stomping its front hoof on the ground, but it was not angry; it had already guessed this outcome.

They were just a little unwilling. As dragons and horses born of nature, they were exceptionally talented and accomplished great things. Why should they be reduced to being someone else's mount?

But at this moment, it had no conditions to refuse. In the cultivation world, the strong prey on the weak, and refusing the strong is itself a path to death.

It was only at the Dao Severing Realm, still just a cub, and hadn't lived enough; it didn't want to die like this.

Moreover, only by living can one have the opportunity to surpass this person in the future and then take that person as a mount.

Longma was very confident that, if they followed the proper path, all of them could become quasi-emperors, and if they had enough opportunities, they might even reach the Great Emperor realm.

This is not wishful thinking. Before Ye Fan became an emperor, no one could have imagined that the Holy Body could become an emperor. Before the God-Slaying Emperor proved his Dao, no one could have imagined that the God-Slaying Insect could also prove his Dao.

In the end, Longma convinced himself and walked heavily to Li Yao's side.

It didn't say whether it was willing or not, but the answer is obvious from this action.

Li Yao chuckled, put away the God-Slaying Insect, and leaped onto the dragon horse's back. It felt great; it truly lived up to its reputation as the emperor's exclusive mount.

"Let's go to the land of immortals."

Longma was extremely unwilling, but he had no choice but to move his four hooves toward the land of immortality.

Longma's speed is second only to Xingzi Mi, capable of chasing lightning and the sun, possessing the fastest speed in the universe, incredibly fast.

In addition, its familiarity with the Kunlun Mountains made it much faster than Li Yao could find his own way.

The man and the beast did not communicate, but simply traveled in silence. The only time they interacted was when they encountered a killing formation and the dragon horse wanted to take a detour, but Li Yao made it walk straight in.

Longma thought Li Yao was crazy and didn't want to carry out his orders, but Li Yao forced it to obey. It couldn't resist and its body, which it couldn't control, stepped into the killing formation.

Then, Longma was shocked. It couldn't control its body and felt a jolt in its heart with every step it took, fearing the attack of the killing formation.

But unexpectedly, they were safe and sound until they left the killing formation, without even the slightest hint of danger.

"How did you do that?" Ryoma finally couldn't help but ask curiously.

What just happened was like gods surveying the world; they walked through ancient killing formations as if they were on flat ground!

As a native beast of the Kunlun Mountains, it was all too aware of the power of those killing formations. Once triggered, the killing intent alone would be enough to kill it hundreds or thousands of times over.

"They're just Saint-level killing formations. In my eyes, they're full of flaws. What's so strange about them?" Li Yao smiled dismissively at Longma's question.

This posture truly shocked the dragon horse, making it dare not act recklessly again.

Leaving the future aside, at least for now, it is still far from being as powerful as this person. The other party is definitely an unparalleled expert, and it is best to be respectful until its strength surpasses that of this person.

With this thought in mind, Longma dared not disobey Li Yao's orders any longer, and entered the killing formation without hesitation.

In this respect, it was much better than the Golden Lion. Even when entering the killing formation, it remained calm and followed the directions given by Li Yao.

Two days later, the man and his horse arrived at the edge of Wanlong First Peak and witnessed a magnificent scene.

The terrain before them was beyond the comprehension of ordinary people; even Li Yao had never seen anything like it in his life.

Ahead, there are tens of thousands of mountains clustered together, forming a valley. Each mountain resembles a dragon's head, perfectly formed by nature.

Each dragon head exhales its essence, which transforms into ethereal mist that gathers in the valley, creating a pristine paradise.

Li Yao was somewhat stunned. He was a man of considerable experience, but this scene still left him deeply shocked.

Those dragon heads were not carved by humans, but are masterpieces of the forces of nature.

Tens of thousands of mountains, each one was born from the life of an ancient star, and have become spiritual beings, transformed into earthly treasures, and possessing their own divine will!

Now, tens of thousands of mountains have come together and, according to the specific terrain, have formed such an unprecedented and magnificent formation, which is simply unimaginable.

Yes, this is a divine formation, and its materials are tens of thousands of real dragons.

Those dragon heads are not the whole picture. Underground, there is a whole dragon body connected to the dragon vein. Only the dragon heads stand on the surface of the earth, exhaling various essences of heaven and earth to nourish the immortal treasures of the immortal land.

"Incredible!" Li Yao couldn't help but exclaim. Such terrain was simply beyond reason. It couldn't have been formed naturally. It must have been laid out by the universe's overlord with tremendous effort.

Putting everything else aside, those tens of thousands of mountains alone are the result of tens of thousands of ancient stars drying up. Only the current emperor might have the means to gather them all.

Even the greatest emperor of the time would be overwhelmed and it would take a very long time to gather them all.

"No wonder the Emperor wanted to create the Heavenly Court; at least he could easily be an assistant."

The Emperor certainly didn't put much effort into the early preparations for the Immortal Ascension Ground, which alone saved a lot of time.

Li Yao imagined the scenes of the mythical era and was awestruck by the power of the ancient Heavenly Court.

At that time, the heavenly soldiers were probably all at the saint level; it's hard to imagine what terrifying strength they possessed.

Li Yao sat upright on the back of the dragon horse, carefully examining the Wanlongshou Peak before him. He saw giant dragons soaring ahead, with thousands upon thousands of dragons roaring to the sky, all speaking through dragon energy.

In the central Immortal Valley, everything was covered in white, with auspicious energy rising and countless rays of light, numbering in the hundreds of millions, swirling within the valley.

Two thick streams of breath, shaped like dragons, spewed from the dragon's mouth and nostrils. It held this place in awe and dared not act wildly, for fear of encountering a great change.

Upon arriving at this place, even Li Yao lost his composure.

Wanlong First Peak is clearly the absolute center of Kunlun Mountain. It is no exaggeration to say that every step there is a deadly trap. The great formation inside is extremely powerful, far surpassing the killing formations outside.

Although he can still see some way out for now, it's not safe. If he goes in directly and makes a mistake, his fate will be absolutely miserable.

"Alright, wait a bit. I'm almost done digesting the insights from the Hengyu Emperor Formation. I'll study the Emperor Formation one more time before entering again," Li Yao decided in his heart.

Anyway, he wasn't in a hurry, so there was no need to rush in. If something went wrong, it would be a huge loss.

It doesn't matter where you cultivate; Kunlun Mountain is a pristine land, one in a million. Cultivating here will yield twice the results with half the effort.

Li Yaopanxi began to cultivate the Taiyin Taiyang True Scripture.

Seeing this, Longma was very puzzled, but he didn't ask. He also found a place and began to cultivate.

It must surpass Li Yao, so it cannot waste any time and must seize every moment to cultivate diligently.

Even as a creature of heaven and earth, the dragon-horse's cultivation still follows certain rules. If its cultivation is insufficient, sitting in meditation is useless, and its magical power will not be greatly improved.

At this moment, it couldn't help but look to one side. There, Li Yao lay in meditation, his five centers facing the sky, and surging essence, like a long dragon, gathered together and frantically drilled into Li Yao's body.

This scene resembles a sea eye in the ocean, frantically swallowing up the surrounding seawater.

The vast essence of heaven and earth, after entering his body, began to transform into magical power, causing Li Yao's aura to surge wildly.

"Does this guy not have any bottlenecks?" Ryoma was utterly shocked.

For three days, Li Yao had not stopped, frantically absorbing the essence, like a vessel that could not be filled.

But this shouldn't happen. Cultivation is like a vessel, and magical power is like water. Once the water is full, magical power can no longer increase, and absorbing essence is useless.

At this point, only by increasing one's cultivation level and enlarging the vessel can one continue to increase one's magical power.

As for Li Yao, his magical power has been increasing for three days, but it has not kept pace with his cultivation level, as if there is no limit to it.

"He must have just broken through and his mana hasn't been fully accumulated yet," Longma comforted himself.

However, two more days passed in the blink of an eye, and Li Yao still did not stop. The vital energy within a radius of ten thousand miles had dried up and needed some time to recover. And yet, he actually took out the Divine Source again, drawing its vital energy to continue increasing his magical power.

"How is this possible!" Longma was completely unsettled. For several days, Li Yao's aura had been rising wildly without stopping.

Compared to a few days ago, Li Yao's magical power has greatly increased, and his strength must be even more terrifying.

This is contrary to the common sense of cultivation; how can we keep the dragon-horse from being startled?

"Could it be that this person really has no bottlenecks?!"

Just as Longma had this thought, Li Yao finally stopped absorbing essence to increase his magical power.

Just as Longma breathed a sigh of relief, Li Yao summoned the Immortal Golden Furnace and began to comprehend the Dao.

"Buzz!"

A Daoist aura descended, and Li Yao seemed to transform into a Daoist realm, coexisting with the Dao.

Ryoma: ...

Is this because his spiritual practice was going too smoothly, making him deeply aware of its difficulty, and thus he experienced a sudden enlightenment?

Heavens above, open your eyes! I am the one you conceived! Has your favor been misplaced?!
Longma was truly impressed. Was this a case of both cultivation and magical power blossoming simultaneously?

It couldn't help but rub its hooves against the ground, wanting to rush over and knock the other over; it was just too jealous.

Of course, it was just a thought. The Immortal Gold Furnace was floating beside Li Yao, emitting five-colored immortal light. It was difficult to even get close to it, let alone knock it over.

If the dragon horse ever harbors any ill intentions, the Immortal Golden Furnace will immediately shatter it into a bloody pulp, causing its body and soul to perish.

As Li Yao's cultivation level advanced by leaps and bounds, the Immortal Gold Furnace became much more powerful than when it first transformed into a sacred weapon, with significant improvements in all aspects.

Three and a half hours later, Li Yao opened his eyes.

After three hours of creating his own domain, his understanding of the Hengyu Emperor Array became more profound, and his understanding of the Dao of Arrays also rose to a new level.

First, the Hengyu Imperial Array has officially surpassed 40%, reaching a level that no one in the world can match.

The improvement of the Hengyu Emperor Formation naturally led to a deeper understanding of the Dao of Formations.

Looking at the grand formation before me now, I have a completely different feeling, like learning the multiplication table and then looking at multiplication again.

At a glance, a diagram automatically formed in my mind, clearly showing which areas were dangerous.

Li Yao leaped onto the dragon horse, sat upright on its back, and rode the dragon horse closer to Wanlong Mountain.

The moment you step onto the edge of Wanlong Mountain, it feels like you've entered a completely different world.

Tens of thousands of mountains are shaped like dragon heads, each one lifelike and exuding awe-inspiring dragon power.

Over countless years, how many people have been able to reach this place? Nourished by dragon energy and celestial light for countless years, this place has long been spiritually connected and is an unparalleled pure land.

Such places are the best places to cultivate ancient medicines, and naturally, many ancient medicines were born there.

On each of the Dragon Mountains, numerous ancient medicinal herbs grow, each one gleaming and translucent, exuding a rich fragrance.

Those ancient medicines looked like they were carved from coral, making Longma swallow hard.

Li Yao did not venture deeper, but instead rode his dragon horse around Wanlong Mountain, searching for the path that led directly into the depths.

Moreover, thieves never leave empty-handed. Since he had come, Li Yao naturally wouldn't be polite and rode his dragon horse to plunder the spiritual herbs.

Among them are many old herbs that have been around for years, and there are also quite a few small medicinal kings. The source is everywhere.

These things, when brought back to Beidou and transplanted into the Yaoguang medicinal field, will be of great use, whether for training disciples or for occasionally taking one or two plants for auction.

The main body of Wanlong Mountain is also a treasure, capable of being used to forge divine weapons. It's just a pity that it can't be taken away, otherwise it would definitely be a windfall.

It should be noted that these feats were accomplished by the ancient Heavenly Court at its peak, and it is unknown how long it took to prepare for them to complete this magnificent undertaking.

Even other forces, such as the Yao Guang Sect, could not have accomplished such a feat.

In less than half a day, Li Yao had acquired a large number of ancient medicines, including over a hundred minor medicine kings, and even some true medicine kings.

A true Medicine King, without the prefix "minor," is extremely difficult to cultivate. It requires constant nourishment with the earth's spiritual milk and must grow for over 80,000 years before it can be called a Medicine King. It is incomparable to a Minor Medicine King.

Li Yao had just harvested seven medicinal kings, all of which were surrounded by immortal energy, their bodies shimmering with precious light, and the fragrance they emitted was enough to make one feel as if they were about to ascend to immortality, even just smelling it.

Such a thing, let alone eating it, just carrying it with you and constantly smelling its medicinal fragrance is enough to prolong life.

This is not an exaggeration at all. It takes 80,000 years for an ancient medicine to become the king of medicines. The time spent in that process is so long that ordinary people simply cannot afford to wait.

Only the Kunlun Immortal Realm, which absorbs the life essence of the entire ancient star and is supplemented by a supreme array, can give birth to so many Medicine Kings.

There are many other medicinal herbs, but because the places where they grow are too dangerous, even Li Yao at this moment does not dare to approach them and can only look up to the sky and sigh.

Perhaps they were too excited about gathering herbs, because without realizing it, they walked a long way around Wanlong Mountain and came to a place of miracles.

This is an area located on the edge of Wanlong Mountain, where a huge boulder stands, with dozens of fist-sized stars embedded in it, emitting a hazy glow.

This is a real star, refined and shrunk to the size of a fist, but its mass remains unchanged, and it still exudes a terrifying aura.

Li Yao guessed where this place was, so he rode his dragon horse closer. Dozens of stars detached from the rocks and flew up, evolving into a small star field. The rock inside suddenly became distant, as if it stood at the other end of the universe.

"I'm going to die, who... can take care of my sister?"

In an instant, the stars shifted, and a scene appeared, reflecting a past scene that had been captured from the long river of time by someone with extraordinary abilities and preserved here.

In the scene, a blurry figure appears, holding a ghost mask in his hand with great reluctance, muttering to himself:

“The blood of gods, demons, and Buddhas has already been poured on it, and it will soon be my turn. Death is not scary, but who can help me take care of my sister? She is still too young, and I can’t rest easy.”

A faint voice, filled with longing and reluctance, pleaded with those around it, begging them to take care of its younger sister if it could return to the other side of the starry sky.

Li Yao remained silent, a profound sense of witnessing history weighing on his heart.

It's no wonder that Ruthless Man hates the Feathered Dynasty so much; anyone who sees this scene would go mad.

Without lingering, he rode his dragon horse around the area and continued his search for a path to immortality.

Finally, perseverance paid off. After circling Wanlong Mountain, he found a way to survive.

If it were an ordinary person, they certainly couldn't do it, but Li Yao's current mastery of array formations is so great that breaking the array in front of him would be presumptuous, but finding a way out is not an arrogant act.

Because when this great formation was set up, it left a way out. Anyone who comes later can enter the depths of the formation as long as they find that way.

But this is not easy, because the great formation in front of us is an imperial formation. Once you step into the path of life, it means you have entered the imperial formation.

A flawless imperial formation that even gave birth to a deity—what immense power that is! At least for Li Yao now, if he were to fall into it, there would be absolutely no chance of survival.

Therefore, he walked very cautiously, stopping almost every step to observe carefully before daring to take the next one.

Under these circumstances, even Li Yao himself did not notice that his understanding of the Hengyu Emperor Formation was being rapidly digested. With each step he took, he digested a great deal of it. After entering the Emperor Formation for only thirty feet, he had already digested one-tenth of it.

(End of this chapter)