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

Chapter 264 Divine Mark Purple Gold Pagoda

With each step Longma took, his heart clenched involuntarily.

Wanlong Mountain is too sacred and dangerous for the creatures of Kunlun Mountain; no creature dares to set foot here.

But Longma couldn't control itself; its current state was one of being forcibly controlled, and it had no say in the matter what.

Clearly, this place was too dangerous, and Li Yao dared not let Longma act freely, for fear that he might make a mistake.

Fortunately, only its four hooves were restrained; its head was unharmed.

The land of immortals is too extraordinary; it should not exist in the world if not for the promotion of the ancient Heavenly Court.

There was no soil or dust here; everything shimmered with a chalcedony-like luster.

In the Jade Field, there is not a single weed. Ordinary vines and leaves cannot grow here. This is the ancient Jade Field, where only precious medicinal herbs can draw nourishment.

To counteract his fear, Longma, in a fit of desperation, swallowed hard and began to gnaw on the various old medicines as if they were grass. The rich essence could not be contained and overflowed from every pore of his body, shimmering with light.

Li Yao was not idle either. He had no interest in ordinary old medicines. He would only stop and pick ancient medicines that were more than 10,000 years old.

In Wanlong Mountain, there are countless ancient medicinal herbs like these, and he reaped a fortune.

Soon, they had traveled several hundred feet.

Li Yao walked very carefully, observing each step carefully and making sure it was correct before proceeding.

If you take the wrong path in this place, you will be instantly vanished. Once the Great Emperor's Killing Array is activated, even a Quasi-Emperor would die here.

Besides the Imperial Array, there is also the Origin Technique Divine Array, which is equally exquisite. The two combined form a diagram of slaying immortals, making this place even more dangerous. Only by knowing the way out can one enter.

Li Yao stared intently ahead, but before he could take that step, his expression suddenly changed as he realized that his understanding of the Dao of Arrays had been completely digested.

"So fast! It was only a few hundred feet long, yet it was completely digested!" Li Yao was shocked.

He himself did not realize that after entering the Emperor Formation, his understanding of the Dao of Formation was being rapidly digested. In just a few hundred feet, he had offset more than a month of time in the outside world.

Li Yao stopped riding the dragon horse and entered the Creation Domain to begin comprehending the Hengyu Emperor Array.

This time, there's no need to even summon the Immortal Gold Furnace. This place is already within the Emperor's Formation, and it's impossible for anyone to break in.

Several hours later, they continued on their journey, and one obvious change was that their speed was much faster than at the beginning.

To reach the depths of the Immortal Realm, there is only one narrow, winding path, which is sometimes even circuitous and very complicated.

But Li Yao was enjoying it. His understanding of array formations improved once again, allowing him to spare a bit of his mind to sense the speed at which he was digesting his insights.

You wouldn't know unless you paid attention; it's unbelievable how quickly I grasped and digested this information—it was like a dam releasing a flood.

The Imperial Array of Kunlun Mountain was like a teacher to him, imparting all his knowledge and explaining the principles of array formations to him, helping him to quickly digest the insights gained from the Hengyu Imperial Array.

Suddenly, Li Yao's pupils contracted. In the stone forest ahead, there was a figure sitting quietly on a piece of green jade. He looked solemn and dignified, and his whole body was surrounded by immortal energy.

There was also a terrifying aura emanating from the figure, incredibly intimidating, as heavy as Mount Tai, making it impossible for people to breathe.

The dragon-horse neighed restlessly, flames burning fiercely beneath its four hooves, like four fiery clouds, like scales of phoenix blood and crimson gold, shooting out streaks of crimson light, intertwined with the divine laws of the Great Dao.

"Quiet down, it's already fallen." Li Yao patted the dragon horse and smoothed its bristling mane.

The figure sitting cross-legged on the jade stone, dressed in an old Taoist robe, with a wooden hairpin inserted in his gray hair, remained motionless, surrounded by the misty immortal energy emanating from the immortal land, giving the impression of an immortal breathing in the morning air.

This is a great sage!
Although it had been dead for a long time, the tiger's power remained even after its death. Its aura did not dissipate with the Taoist's demise and continued to linger around the corpse.

Moreover, this Taoist's divine consciousness had been extinguished, but his physical body still possessed vitality. The ethereal immortal energy was still entering his body through his pores, just like he was breathing in and out.

It's no wonder Longma was startled; the Taoist priest seemed to be still alive.

Within this human body, there is a divine lamp that remains burning brightly to this day, full of vitality.

This was clearly a great holy weapon, only a few feet away from him, yet it seemed as distant as heaven and earth, unreachable.

The location where the Great Sage was must have been outside the path to survival, otherwise he would not have perished here.

Li Yao attempted to activate the "Soldier" secret technique, but as soon as he made a move, the "Foreign" secret technique issued a frantic warning, foreseeing a corner of the future. It warned that if he activated the "Soldier" secret technique to move the divine lamp, he would be killed by the Emperor's Formation, which frightened him so much that he stopped immediately.

The secret to controlling soldiers is unparalleled, but ultimately, it is about using divine sense to manipulate objects.

How could such a method deceive the Emperor's Formation? As long as divine sense probes in, the power of Immortal Slayer will not only shatter that divine sense, but will also follow the divine sense to find him and kill him as well.

Fortunately, he had mastered the secrets of the previous character and was extremely proficient in them, so he sensed the danger of this action; otherwise, he would have been in grave danger just now.

It's really not worth risking your life for a single great weapon.

Li Yao glanced at the magic lamp one last time, then shook his head regretfully. It was a priceless treasure, but unfortunately, he was destined to be separated from it.

Just as he turned to leave, a divine thought emanated from the Immortal Golden Furnace between his brows, causing him to stop in his tracks.

The divine sense was very weak. Although the Immortal Gold Furnace had given birth to a deity, it was only at the level of a sacred weapon, and the meaning it could express was like that of a child.

In other words, Li Yao and the Immortal Gold Furnace are one, which can be fully understood.

The divine thought that the Immortal Golden Furnace just now suggested that it might have a way to make the divine lamp come out on its own.

These words piqued Li Yao's curiosity, so he stopped and prepared to watch how the Immortal Gold Furnace operated.

"Buzz!"

The Immortal Golden Furnace flew out from between Li Yao's eyebrows and began to hum, as if it were telling a story.

Li Yao was puzzled. The Immortal Gold Furnace was trembling erratically, and even he did not know what it meant.

But at that moment, he suddenly noticed that the divine lamp inside the Taoist's body also trembled, and the eternally burning lamp flickered slightly.

Then, the magic lamp actually transformed into a stream of light and flew out.

Li Yao: ...

Ryoma: ...

"Buzz!"

Just as Li Yao seemed to be seeing a ghost, the Immortal Golden Furnace transmitted divine thoughts, resolving his confusion.

It turns out that the Immortal Golden Furnace did nothing at all, except to say that it could pass on the Daoist lineage to the master of the Divine Lamp.

The communication between weapons is much faster than the communication between people and weapons. If Li Yao had said that just now, the magic lamp probably wouldn't have woken up.

"Well done," Li Yao praised, then put away his two weapons.

The dragon horse, which was sitting down, turned red with anger upon seeing this scene. A great holy weapon had been taken away just like that. Even though it wasn't its own, it was still heartbreaking.

Having unexpectedly acquired a great holy weapon, Li Yao was in high spirits. Just as he finished digesting his insights, he entered the Creation Realm to celebrate.

After repeatedly studying the Hengyu Emperor Array, his understanding of the Dao of Arrays greatly increased. The most obvious experience was that he became more and more successful in the Immortal Emperor Array.

This time, however, he did not study the Emperor Formation, but instead began to study the Origin Scripture.

He had already noticed that the formations in the Immortal Ascension Land were not limited to the Great Emperor Killing Formation; there was also a forbidden formation of Origin Techniques, which was incredibly powerful, surpassing even the Origin Celestial Masters and reaching an extraordinary level.

After years of training, his Origin Technique is very strong. Among the five generations of Origin Masters, he is probably not the weakest. If he travels in a place with abundant Origin Qi, he can unleash the cultivation of a Saint King.

However, such mastery of source techniques is still insufficient to deal with the forbidden source technique arrays of the Immortal Ascension Land, and further improvement is needed.

Fortunately, having mastered the power of creation, he had already elevated the Origin Scripture to the pinnacle of the human realm over the years. It was in no way inferior to the Origin Techniques and Divine Arrays within the Immortal Ascension Ground. As long as he comprehended it deeply enough, finding a way out would not be a problem.

The example of the Imperial Formation is similar; it's about finding a way out, not breaking the formation. The difficulty of the two is incomparable.

Several hours later, Li Yao opened his eyes and continued on his journey, turning left and right, advancing and retreating, until he soon arrived at a hilly area where the bloodthirsty aura was dense, capable of cutting flesh and chopping bones. During this process, he entered the realm of creation again to comprehend the Origin Scripture.

After advancing a while, he saw a blood-red expanse, like a sea of ​​blood steaming. It was far from the safe path, but it sent chills down his spine.

"Another Great Sage has died here!"

Li Yao opened his Heavenly Eye and saw a corpse lying in front of a hill. Compared to the one whose divine consciousness had been annihilated just now, the corpse's death was much more gruesome. This Great Sage's flesh and blood were burned to a bloody mess by the essence fire, which was the pain of being burned alive!

This method is not an imperial formation, but another defensive system—the Forbidden Source Technique Formation!
Even though he had comprehended the Origin Scripture twice, greatly improving his Origin Techniques, he was still amazed when he saw this Origin Heaven Divine Array, like a mayfly gazing at the blue sky!

Favorable timing, advantageous location, and harmonious relationships!
By harnessing the power of Wanlong Mountain, a Source Technique Divine Array can be set up. Such a combination can annihilate all existence, beyond imagination!

"Such methods are most likely the work of the Emperor," Li Yao guessed to himself. He knew that the Emperor and the creator of the Origin Technique, the Underworld Lord, were both teacher and friend.

The Emperor's Origin Techniques are absolutely extraordinary, so it makes perfect sense for him to set up such an Origin Technique Divine Array.

The Immortal Gold Furnace flew out, emitting a buzzing sound, but unfortunately, it received no response this time. It seems the weapon was probably damaged, and the deity is in serious trouble.

After meditating for a while, Li Yao continued forward. Soon, he saw another Great Sage, who had also died under the Origin Heaven Divine Array, his flesh and blood burned to ashes.

Those who have made it this far are mostly highly accomplished in the arts of array formations and source techniques; otherwise, they would not have been able to get here.

Just like the first Great Sage, he was an example. He wasn't very proficient in the Dao of Formations, so not long after entering the Emperor Formation, he went astray and was killed by the Emperor Formation.

He might not even have known he had gone the wrong way, and before he could even raise his weapon in defense, he was killed.

Unlike the second Great Sage, whose weapon was not inside his body but outside, he clearly realized he had gone astray and was unwilling to be slaughtered, so he took out his weapon to fight to the death.

This is why the weapons were damaged, which caused problems for the gods.

This place is quite a distance from there, and it's impossible to get here by luck.

He had the ability, but not enough. He got to this point and couldn't go any further. In the end, he made a mistake.

Li Yao glanced at the damaged weapon and shook his head with some regret, another great holy weapon wasted.

He couldn't help but sigh, only at this moment did he realize how powerful he had become.

Although he is still some distance from the Great Sage in terms of cultivation level, in other aspects, he may have already surrounded many Great Sages.

For example, their mastery of array formations. Those who dared to venture into the Immortal Ascension Realm were very confident in their array formation skills, but now, three Great Saints have perished.

And he, a mere saint, actually made it here unharmed, and even now, he doesn't feel any strain.

He even knew that a quasi-emperor had fallen ahead of him.

It can be said that without the Immortal Treasure Map, it is almost impossible for anyone who enters the Land of Immortality to leave alive, even for Quasi-Emperors.

He might create an unprecedented legend, reaching the end of the path to immortality without relying on the Immortal Treasure Map.

The Heavenly Book is perfect for this place. It allows one to quickly digest the knowledge gained from studying the Dao of Arrays and the Origin Scriptures. The Imperial Arrays and Origin Heavenly Divine Arrays here can be quickly absorbed, and then one can continue to enter and continue to digest the knowledge rapidly...

This is why he didn't struggle; since entering Kunlun Mountain, his mastery of array formations and source techniques has been continuously improving.

The strength of the Emperor Formation and the Origin Heaven God Formation did not exceed the speed at which he became stronger.

And so he continued on his way, digesting and reflecting on his experiences, then stopping to enter the realm of creation to further his understanding before continuing his journey.

Finally, he approached the Immortal Nurturing Valley surrounded by Wanlong Mountain and arrived at the absolute center of the Immortal Ascension Land.

But at that moment, he felt an incomparably terrifying killing intent that penetrated to his very bones, making his soul feel as if it were about to be frozen.

The dragon-horse that sat on had bulging veins beneath its flesh, stretching its body so much that it looked like it was about to burst. If it hadn't been forcibly controlled by Li Yao, it probably would have already collapsed and convulsed.

Seeing this, Li Yao unleashed his own aura, dispersing it to protect the dragon horse.

Although still a little scared, at least the spasms stopped, allowing Longma to breathe a sigh of relief.

"What is this thing that possesses such a powerful killing intent?!" Longma asked in horror.

Li Yao had already guessed what was going on, but he remained silent and directly steered the dragon horse forward.

Sure enough, after traveling several miles, turning right and left, and sometimes rushing forward and sometimes retreating, he came across a shattered corpse. The terrifying killing intent emanating from the shattered corpse was palpable.

Even though he knew beforehand, Li Yao was still shocked when he actually saw it.

A quasi-emperor! No matter the era, even the golden age, he would be a figure standing at the pinnacle, yet he collapsed here, his body and soul vanished.

If people knew this, it would definitely cause a shockwave across the entire star system, making it impossible for anyone to believe.

Hundreds of white bone fragments and splattered blood radiated light, shining brightly and brimming with vitality.

Even though it has been a long time since it fell, it still feels like yesterday, and nothing has decayed.

Quasi-Emperor, with unparalleled cultivation and awe-inspiring power throughout the universe, no longer confined to a single star field. How many people in a lifetime can achieve the status of Quasi-Emperor? He was a figure unparalleled throughout history, yet he died such a tragic death, leaving people sighing with regret!

They were only a little over a mile apart when a terrifying killing intent emanated from them. If Longma hadn't been protected by Li Yao, he would probably have been torn to pieces by now.

However, a quasi-emperor is still a quasi-emperor, and there is a qualitative difference between him and a great saint. He was clearly trapped in the imperial formation and triggered the killing intent of the imperial formation, but he fought his way out and died outside, rather than inside the imperial formation.

Although he still died, the fact that he managed to fight his way out of the imperial formation shows how powerful he was.

Although it was somewhat unethical, Li Yao was very fortunate that he died outside and brought the Divine Mark Purple Gold Pagoda out. Otherwise, such a treasure would have been trapped in the Imperial Array and would never have had a chance to see the light of day again.

Even just thinking about that possibility made Li Yao heartbroken, but thankfully, none of that happened.

Li Yao turned his gaze away from the corpse and looked to the other side, where he saw something on the road ahead that could drive all living beings mad.

It was a purple pagoda, half a meter tall, lying quietly across the road ahead, radiating a magnificent purple light, an absolute dream.

Longma noticed the change in Li Yao's gaze and looked over as well. Instantly, it trembled all over, its desire for the treasure surpassing even the fear of death.

It struggled desperately, trying to break free from this control, rush over, and claim the pagoda for itself.

But with its strength, how could it possibly do that? It couldn't budge an inch.

"Don't move, or I'll throw you into the Imperial Formation," Li Yao scolded lightly.

This dead horse, once it saw the treasure, couldn't move its legs at all, just like Black Emperor and Duan De.

Don't they realize that such a treasure has no place here? What's the point of getting so excited? They have no sense of self-awareness at all.

Such a piece of divine material, without any impurities, is enough to forge a powerful artifact. Even ancient emperors would not remain indifferent upon seeing it.

This is undoubtedly a peerless treasure, and it is impossible for Li Yao to give it away to others. He himself would not have enough of it.

Li Yao activated the "Soldier" secret technique, causing the pagoda to vibrate and dislodge the quasi-emperor's blood. He then moved the pagoda over.

This is a rough draft, without any Dao traces or laws engraved on it yet. The half-meter-tall Divine Mark Purple Gold Pagoda exudes an aura of ancient vicissitudes, as if a piece of blue sky has sunk here, surrounded by various immortal lights.

Elsewhere, this tower bears no inscriptions, and its divinity may be eroded by time.

But this place is a land of immortals, where the nourishment of immortal energy is abundant. Therefore, this rough stone has not only not lost its divinity, but is gradually becoming spiritual. Although it has only just embarked on the path of spiritualization and is still far from awakening the profound mysteries of immortal gold, this makes this tower different from ordinary divine-marked purple gold.

Li Yao's eyes blazed with divine light as he gazed intently at the pagoda.

The tower was solid and purple, every inch of it crystal clear, radiating a hazy purple light, like a purple diamond, dazzling to the extreme.

On the surface of the tower, there are countless patterns, as if personally carved by a deity. They are a tangible manifestation of the Dao and the origin of the name of this immortal gold, Divine Mark Purple Gold.

"If so much divine trace purple gold were integrated into the Immortal Gold Furnace, it would greatly enhance the furnace's foundation, making it no less than any rough imperial weapon."

(End of this chapter)