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

Chapter 317 Entering the City
Neither side was willing to give in; it wasn't a matter of who came first.

Throughout history, the imperial road has been littered with corpses; I am invincible, and no one will retreat for anyone else on this path.

Who is stronger and who is weaker? They are bound to have a fight.

The struggle for the imperial throne has now truly begun.

Seeded players will stand out, while ordinary players will have to gradually adapt.

Otherwise, they will inevitably suffer the fate of having ambitions that are higher than the sky but lives that are as fragile as paper!
It's cruel. Those who can embark on the ancient path are the best among their peers, who have long cultivated the belief that they are invincible. Once they are defeated, it will be a devastating blow.

But this is the path to becoming an emperor, a way to grow stronger that's like raising a venomous insect.

"boom!"

A minor disturbance broke out in the crowd.

As a woman, Qing Shi was incredibly powerful at this moment, displaying invincible combat strength that suffocated everyone, forcing them to make way for her.

Her stunning beauty, unparalleled grace, and extraordinary cultivation attracted the attention of many.

Such a woman is destined to become the focus of attention on the ancient starry road; wherever she goes, she will be the center of attention.

Her robes fluttered, her demeanor ethereal, as she stood atop a five-colored phoenix, heading irresistibly towards the ancient city.

Only then did Qing Shi have the energy to pay attention to other situations.

"Hmm, where are they?" Qing Shi asked, somewhat puzzled, after scanning the area.

She did not spot Li Yao among the hundreds of people.

what happened?

Qing Shi was puzzled. According to her deduction, Li Yao's combat strength was no weaker than hers, and his appearance would likely be even more domineering.

But what's going on now? Li Yao is nowhere to be seen!
Suddenly, her beautiful eyes narrowed as she looked towards the ancient city, where a young man sitting on a crimson horse appeared without her noticing.

No one knows when he appeared; he seemed to have always been there, like a ghost.

How is this done?
Qing Shi couldn't understand how Li Yao had managed to stand beneath the ancient city without anyone noticing.

In the blink of an eye, Li Yao seemed to be a god walking through time, finding a gap in time and escaping everyone's divine sense.

He looked up at the ancient city and found many traces of knives, spears, swords, and halberds on the vast and ancient city walls.

A scene seemed to appear before my eyes.

In the vast sea of ​​stars, an ancient city stands, shrouded in the scattered starlight.

But one day, an unparalleled powerhouse descended, intending to storm the city, invade the ancient path of the human race, and disrupt this crucial point.

On the human side, peerless powerhouses also launched an attack to meet the invading forces. The two sides fought a great battle, and the gods shook the world, destroying everything in their path with overwhelming force.

However, as the first pass of the ancient road of the human race, and the starting point of the ancient road, this place is of utmost importance. The city walls are covered with Dao patterns to protect this place. Even the aftershocks of battles between peerless powerhouses can only leave traces on it, but cannot destroy this place.

Such battles were not just one, but countless, yet the ancient city always stood firm, though its walls bore countless marks, all the work of unparalleled powerhouses.

Between the towering city gates stood a colossal gate, thousands of feet high, its material unknown. Upon closer inspection, Li Yao drew a terrifying conclusion.

The marks left by various weapons on it were all made by a great sage!
Even the Great Sage's ascent failed to breach this gate!
Although there must have been someone blocking the way, the fact that a mark was left on the city gate means that it must have been touched.

That alone is exaggerated enough to destroy an asteroid.

But the gate was completely undamaged!
Before Qing Shi arrived at the ancient city, she stood beneath the dark city gate and raised her beautiful eyes to gaze upon the city.

But her attention was always focused on Li Yao, and she was incredibly curious about him.

As a peerless genius who dominated a region, no man had ever aroused her curiosity, because they were all her defeated opponents.

Li Yao is the first person she has encountered so far who could potentially be stronger than her.

How could Qing Shi not be curious in this situation?

Li Yao was speechless. With his divine sense, how could he not detect Qing Shi's subtle actions? But since the other party hadn't done anything, he couldn't say anything either.

He turned his gaze away, spurred his dragon horse forward, and headed towards the city gate.

On the city gate tower stood many soldiers, clad in armor and wielding long spears, glaring menacingly at the cultivators below.

Inside the doorway, there were two rows of soldiers, each holding a long spear, exuding a fierce and menacing aura. They wore heavy armor, their metallic battle suits cold and menacing, making it hard to breathe.

"The rules of the ancient city dictate that anyone entering the city must not start a fight; otherwise, they will be killed without mercy!" A squad leader issued a routine warning with icy eyes.

His tone was just too cold, as bleak as a harsh winter, and his attitude was beyond appeasement; it could only be described as extremely hostile.

These soldiers are all losers on the ancient road. They were the group of geniuses from decades or years ago who, due to setbacks, remained on this road and became soldiers.

With a large number of people, there will naturally be good and bad. Some people may fail, but they can never let go of the past and still harbor resentment.

Looking at these spirited and energetic young talents, I felt not a sense of looking back on the past, but rather a feeling of envy, jealousy, and resentment.

The evil in human nature lies in the fact that when one is at rock bottom, rotting in the mud, one cannot bear to see others doing well.

Li Yao, dressed in a blue robe, sat upright on his magnificent dragon horse. Although he did not display any imposing aura, his unwavering determination and dazzling presence, like the blazing sun in the sky, made the soldiers feel like lonely ghosts, and their hatred reached its peak.

Why does he have the right to be so high and mighty? He should be just like them, suffering setbacks, becoming ordinary, and losing that dazzling brilliance.

Li Yao sat on the dragon horse, not turning his head at all, not even glancing at the sergeant.

His attitude was like that of a stray dog ​​barking wildly on the roadside, which he completely ignored.

What's more infuriating than indifference is being ignored.

A true dragon high in the heavens wouldn't care about ants in the mud. Because they occupy different positions, the scenery they see is bound to be different.

"I'm warning you, once you enter the first city of the human race, even a dragon has to coil up before you, and a tiger has to lie down before you. No one can run wild here!"

Li Yao's disregard infuriated the captain, who felt provoked. He coldly said, slamming the iron halberd in his hand onto the ground with a deafening thud, causing the floor to tremble almost imperceptibly.

But the result was useless; he was still ignored. It was as if he was roaring to the sky, saying that he would go against the heavens, but he was just putting on a one-man show and fighting against thin air.

Qing Shi clicked her tongue in amazement, thinking that this person was truly domineering.

She knew very well that this complete disregard, rather than any response, was the ultimate form of contempt.

Because it means that they don't take you seriously at all.

How can a human possibly respond to a dog's barking?
Qing Shi followed closely behind, without saying a word, simply keeping up silently.

This was the first man who piqued her curiosity, and she was eager to find out more about him, to dispel the fog and see what lay beyond the mystery.

The captain's fingers were so clenched that they turned white. He was furious. He wanted to make a move, but he couldn't. The ancient path bound the geniuses, and it also bound them. They were not allowed to attack the trial participants without reason.

The number of people in the starry sky dwindled, forming a long dragon, establishing a default order and thus initially distinguishing these prodigies.

Upon entering the ancient city, a completely different scene unfolds before your eyes.

Unlike the outside world, the city is full of life. There are many streets, and the roadsides are lined with ancient trees with lush foliage. There are also many shops, such as medicine shops, weapon shops, restaurants, inns, casinos and so on.

The crowd was somewhat surprised, not expecting that there would be a habitable place in the ancient city. Although it was located in the starry sky and not on a planet, it was separated from the vacuum of the heavens and had many residents.

Along the street, some children were running around, curious about these outsiders, but not surprised by their origins, clearly knowing why they had come.

On a normal day, the streets must be very lively, judging from these bustling buildings, the flow of people must be considerable.

But today was an exception. Few people were hawking their wares; everyone was watching the people walking on the street. Many of the vendors along the street had temporarily moved into the alley to make way for them.

"I wonder how many of these people will ultimately stay here?"

"At least 80% of them are unable to continue."

The people in the city were almost all cultivators, and they communicated with each other using their divine senses, so they were quite familiar with each other.

This is the second type of person who remained on the ancient road. They were also losers, but they were completely at peace, chose to let go, and settled down to live on the ancient road. Or perhaps, they were descendants of the former prodigies of the ancient road. Just like those children, none of them were locals; their fathers or ancestors came from different star systems.

"Why are there so many people here?" Longma asked with a strange expression.

"What's so strange about that? Some losers chose to return to their hometowns, but others stayed, and over time, they multiplied and thrived," Li Yao said casually, having a deep understanding of the ancient city's situation.

This is a true holy city, many times more terrifying than the one in the Northern Region.

Although there are ordinary people here, they are only a minority. The majority are cultivators, including supreme experts.

In just this short time, Li Yao sensed hundreds of sages.

Everyone in this ancient city is like a dragon; the residents truly deserve this description.

Many of them have ancestors who were ancient sages. If placed in the Big Dipper constellation, they would be sons of kings, possessing the purest royal bloodline.

Once you embark on the path of cultivation, with the prosperity of this place, it's easy to become an unparalleled powerhouse.

These people were relatively peaceful, unlike the soldiers who hated these proud young men.

“This is what it means to be born in Rome. Others struggle through the trials to get here, but they were born here,” Longma sighed.

The cultivators in this city are naturally qualified to continue their journey, as long as they pass the trials.

Given the strength of this city, it's easy to predict that many powerful figures must have emerged from it.

Li Yao did not speak further and silently walked towards the city center.

Behind them, there were nearly five hundred people, all in the same situation.

Upon entering the ancient city, everyone became wary of each other, forming direct competition and becoming enemies on the road to the Emperor, so there was no need for conversation.

Soon, the group arrived at the square in the center of the city.

The ground here is paved with gray-brown stone slabs, the same material as the outer city walls. They are incredibly sturdy and can withstand the damage caused by the ancient war, making them a rare and valuable material.

In the center of the square, there was a tall stone platform, and without a sound, an old man appeared.

Appearing and disappearing unpredictably, displaying his immense power, none of the geniuses present noticed how he appeared.

Of course, aside from Li Yao, he saw it all clearly. It was just a crude way of forcibly shifting space by relying on his powerful cultivation. It was nothing compared to what he did in front of the ancient city.

The old man's figure was blurry, and his true face could not be seen. Only his eyes, like those of a magic lamp, distorted the void and shot out a terrifying golden divine light.

“I am the lord of this city, and also your guide.”

A booming voice echoed across the square. After introducing himself, he continued:

"Next, I will only mention a few points. First, if you want to continue, you need to pass the trial. You can rest and wait for the trial to begin. Second, you are prohibited from using weapons during your stay in the city."

It is concise and to the point, without any unnecessary words.

"Alright, everyone disperse and find lodgings to rest and recuperate." After explaining the rules, the old man began to dismiss the crowd.

This scene was unexpected for many people. They originally thought there would be a detailed explanation, but unexpectedly, with just two vague sentences, many things were still not clear.

"Senior City Lord, I have some questions. Is it forbidden to use force? What should we do if someone attacks us?" Someone asked cautiously, trying to understand the rules as much as possible.

"It can be used for defense." The old man left these words behind and disappeared without giving anyone a chance to speak, as if he was afraid that if he was too late, someone would raise questions, and then the guide would have to spend more time explaining.

Everyone was speechless, wanting to complain, because the guide's actions were extremely irresponsible. He explained the rules vaguely, answered only one question, and then hurriedly left, being incredibly perfunctory.

These people were all geniuses who dominated their respective regions. When had they ever been treated like this before? They immediately felt dissatisfied.

But being in the first city on the ancient road of the human race, they had no choice but to restrain their temper and not want to offend the rules of this place.

Although they were arrogant, the group wasn't stupid; they knew that if they broke the rules, the guide would definitely have the right to take action against them.

No matter how talented someone is, the gap is obvious, how can anyone compete?
Helpless, everyone had to disperse and find places to rest and recharge.

They had all been through at least a decade of bloody battles and were exhausted. Although their fighting spirit was high, their energy was not at its peak, and they did not want to be caught off guard and killed at this time.

The city returned to its bustling state, and the original inhabitants resumed their own rhythm of life. No longer making way for them, they all appeared on the streets.

After the explanation, everyone understood the rules of the ancient road. At this time, anyone who dared to attack these natives would surely be killed by the soldiers of the ancient road.

In fact, Li Yao had already sensed that there were many powerful and extremely cold auras lurking in the shadows, waiting for them to break the rules so that he could rightfully suppress and kill them.

He didn't pay any attention and began to ride the dragon horse around the ancient city.

"Red Moon Fruit Cluster, a thousand-year-old medicinal fruit, sweet and crisp."

"Jiao meat filling buns, thin skin and generous filling, if you don't like them, you don't have to pay."

The ancient city is bustling. Just moments ago it was tranquil, like a dream, but now it's noisy and full of people, with cars and people coming and going, making it feel somewhat unreal.

"If I didn't know I was on the ancient road, I would probably think I was in a city of mortals," Longma muttered to himself.

But soon, this illusion disappeared, because the things being sold were all quite special. They were actually buns made of dragon meat, skewers of thousand-year-old Crimson Moon Fruit, and grilled wings of Lightning Bird, all of which were genuine.

These things are not things that ordinary people can sell.

These people were not ordinary people; they were all powerful cultivators, many of whom had severed their Dao.

However, the prices were all very high, exceeding the price of goods themselves. The inns were also ridiculously expensive, with the waiters daring to ask for a piece of divine source material, which seemed to be taking advantage of the situation.

However, the natives also offered an explanation, saying that it was out of necessity. The first human city was located deep in the universe, which was extremely barren and had scarce resources, so naturally, prices were much higher.

After all, scarcity increases value, and that works everywhere.

"Gentlemen, we're about to head to the trial grounds. I'm sure you'll return with a bountiful harvest; divine resources and ancient medicines will be no problem." The shopkeeper's constant flattery eased the initial annoyance of the prodigies considerably.

In reality, although a piece of divine source is expensive, it's nothing to these geniuses; they just think it's a bit exaggerated.

In addition, the waiters were very charming, so naturally no one caused trouble, and everyone moved in.

Li Yao also spent a divine source to open a room.

For peace and quiet, he went to an inn that was some distance from the street and had very few guests.

"How long are you planning to stay with me?" Li Yao finally couldn't hold back any longer and looked at the woman behind him.

Yes, Fairy Qing Shi had followed him all the way to this slightly secluded inn.

If before, everyone was on the same path, and Qing Shi had a reason to follow him, now that they were separated, the only cultivators staying at this inn were the two of them.

At this point, it's not as simple as it seems; it can be described as following closely behind.

"Brother Dao, please don't be offended. I just like peace and quiet, it wasn't intentional." Qing Shi's red lips parted slightly, her voice as beautiful as heavenly music.

That's certainly a reason...

Li Yao did not argue or kick them out. After checking into the room, he rode his dragon horse out onto the street again, ready to take a good stroll.

This is only because Qing Shi is a woman, and a very beautiful one at that. If it were a man, he would have slapped him across the face long ago.

This is a reality, and Li Yao himself is well aware of it. But as a man, when faced with a woman who is clinging to him but has no ill intentions, he naturally has to be more tolerant.

Of course, this is only the case. If they are enemies, he will destroy them completely in the first instance, regardless of how beautiful they are.

Li Yao was very self-aware; he wouldn't pursue women, but he wouldn't resist those who took the initiative to approach him.

In short, just an ordinary person.

Back in the Big Dipper Starfield, if women like the Holy Maiden of Yaochi and Yan Ruyu pounced on him, he would readily accept them.

But since there was no such thing, he didn't take the initiative to flirt with her.

Reaching the highest level of spiritual practice is the ultimate goal.

(End of this chapter)