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

Chapter 322 Ancient Dojo
Li Yao remained silent, watching the departing figure with a mix of emotions.

The Imperial Road is like a stairway to heaven forged from bones. The fate of most people is to become nourishment for that stairway. This is a cruel reality, and confusion and resentment are of no use.

Leaving early and letting go of the dream of enlightenment is actually a good thing.

It may be hard to accept at first, but time is the best healer, and most of those who have left will be healed by time.

On this very night, more and more people left, their backs turned in desolation, no longer displaying their former vigor, utterly forlorn.

After that night, fewer than a hundred trial participants remained!

Having just embarked on the ancient path, at the very beginning, many people have already lost hope and come to terms with reality. Among these people alone, dozens have surpassed them, not to mention the pioneers, who have no hope of competing for supremacy on the imperial road.

Of the remaining ninety-odd people, some remained steadfast in their beliefs, always believing in their potential. They thought that their current level was simply insufficient, and that there was still a long time ahead to catch up, eventually becoming legends of this era.

Of course, there are also those who, from the very beginning, do not seek to prove the Dao, but simply hone themselves, and will return to their homeland when they become great saints.

People have different aspirations and ambitions.

Some are disappointed, some remain optimistic and will face different futures, and some are very clear-headed and have their own goals.

That night, Li Yao witnessed the myriad aspects of human life, experienced various emotions, and underwent a transformation in his state of mind.

As dawn breaks, golden divine light spills down, illuminating the earth with vibrant energy, reflecting the vast universe in a magnificent and radiant display of life, bringing hope to those who remain.

On this bright morning, everyone felt a powerful force and became incredibly confident.

The gloom of last night has been swept away, and the ancient city is once again filled with fighting spirit. The remaining strong remain strong, and they are determined to move forward.

The guides of the Second Holy City learned from their mistakes and announced the start time of the trial well in advance, just one month later, without any delay, allowing the trial participants to recuperate and embark on their journey.

After setting the trial time, Li Yao went into seclusion. Instead of continuing his comprehension, he focused on perfecting the forbidden secret technique, the Myriad Dao Furnace.

Longma and Qingshi also fell silent, wandering in the Dao Realm beside Li Yao, comprehending the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth.

Although he was nowhere to be seen in the ancient city, his legends were still told, and both the natives and the trial participants talked about him.

With over a dozen sources of Dao and his extraordinary strength, Li Yao is clearly exceptional, making him the one with the greatest hope of attaining Dao in this lifetime.

Many people wanted to see Li Yao's heroic figure, but because he was in seclusion, no one had the chance to see him, which was a great pity for many.

In the blink of an eye, a month has passed.

"when……"

The great bell tolled softly, and the guide appeared, initiating the trial and opening the ancient Daoist temple.

A vast and desolate aura permeated the ancient city, awakening countless geniuses. Everyone looked up at the star gate, their eyes flashing with intense divine light.

The trials of the Second Holy City have begun!

"boom!"

There were twelve stone gates in total. The trial participants, as well as some local geniuses from the Second Holy City, all soared into the sky and rushed into the gates. The guides, the commanders, and the soldiers did not stop them.

"Let's go!"

In the small world of the inn, Li Yao dispersed the furnace that was flowing with countless divine rays, stood up and spoke to Longma and Qingshi.

The man and the horse nodded, and the three of them transformed into divine light and soared into the ancient Daoist temple.

This is a vast and desolate land, majestic and expansive, where many sacred beasts roar. They are all exotic species originating from the ancient times, with powerful bloodlines, long extinct in the outside world, and each one is incredibly powerful.

Golden crows, their divine flames blazing, streak across the sky like the sun; dragons and sparrows, their wings outstretched, shatter the heavens, displaying boundless power that blots out the sun; dragons and serpents rise from the continent, radiating murderous intent that makes all things tremble and shudder…

Upon entering this place, all three felt a vast and powerful atmosphere, with boundless energy surging within them.

Those are the various great principles of heaven and earth, the great principle of power, the great principle of time, the power of space, the power of heaven and earth, the power of all things... Many methods and all kinds of traditions cannot be separated from power, which is contained within them.

Upon arriving at this place, the source of the Dao becomes even more active, and the Daoist essence contained within it emanates, making the Dao tangible.

Li Yao's body radiated a precious glow, and his blood and qi surged, like a vast ocean sweeping across the sky. His terrifying cultivation was connected to this place, and he seemed to have transformed into the Great Dao itself.

Beside him, Longma and Qingshi sensed it even more clearly; the Great Dao within their bodies was being activated, and their cultivation was also increasing, though not as dramatically as Li Yao's.

Even so, it was enough to surprise the man and the horse, because it was several times faster than their own arduous training.

Whether it's Longma or Qingshi, their talents are among the best in the universe, their cultivation levels are incredibly solid, and they have cultivated diligently for many years. They are only missing an opportunity, and now, their cultivation levels have reached a bottleneck. They are only one step away from breaking through.

At this moment, Li Yao was an opportunity for them, a human-shaped external cheat code that saved them countless years.

"Let's measure this place first," Li Yao said, and strode forward, with Longma and Qing Shi following closely behind.

"Boom!"

The ancient ground rumbled and trembled, as if a great mountain was moving, each step causing a shock, which was incredibly astonishing.

Li Yao walked on foot, comprehending the myriad things in heaven and earth, capturing the great Dao within this world. His body became increasingly radiant, and every ray of divine light contained endless Dao veins.

In the end, he seemed to transform into the universe, each drop of his blood like a star, incredibly heavy. Heaven and earth resonated with him, and the laws of nature transformed into divine chains of order, swirling around him like the feathers of a divine phoenix, dazzling and radiant.

"Hey!"

At some point, divine flames began to emanate from Li Yao's body; these were the flames of Nirvana, imbued with an immortal divinity.

He was like a phoenix, reborn from the ashes in the immortal realm, the True Phoenix Immortal Technique operating on its own, tempering his physique.

In this world, many ferocious birds and beasts tremble, and even when sacred beasts appear, they all keep their distance from him.

Qing Shi regained her senses, her beautiful eyes fixed on Li Yao ahead, her heart filled with overwhelming shock.

"What kind of divine magic is this!" She was utterly shocked.

This divine technique possesses an extremely powerful aura, seemingly surpassing the limits of this world and not belonging to this realm. It is even more powerful than the Daoist arts passed down by the Great Emperor.

"Is it a Taoist technique left behind by an immortal?" At this moment, Qing Shi felt as if she had descended below the sea surface and seen more scenes beneath the iceberg.

This experience confirmed Qing Shi's belief that no one in this life could rival Li Yao. He was like a fog, forever unfathomable, yet what he revealed was enough to make him invincible!
How can someone like that compete? You've been blessed with good fortune since childhood, with extraordinary opportunities, and you've obtained scriptures left behind by the Great Emperor. But so what? Can they compare to immortal techniques?
These are creations from completely different realms, and they are inherently inferior. Unless there is a truly extraordinary individual, there is no need to even compare them.

Qing Shi cast aside distracting thoughts and continued to immerse herself in enlightenment. Even if she could not attain enlightenment, she would still be the strongest person below the Great Emperor.

The mountains and rivers are magnificent, and the spiritual energy is so rich that it cannot be dissolved. It is an ancient Daoist site. Even without discussing the origin of the Great Dao in this world, this land alone is a rare pure land.

Besides the sacred beasts that roam this world and the ancient medicines that are everywhere, there are also many rare divine lands that are very suitable for cultivation.

In some places, even at the source of evolution, pure sources, the size of a fist, a millstone, or a small mountain, have formed from nothing, radiating brilliant divine light.

Li Yao naturally wouldn't let such a stroke of luck pass him by.

Perhaps for other cultivators, pure source energy is no longer useful at their level, but for Li Yao, the more the better.

The Heavenly Book requires a massive amount of source energy. Even now, Li Yao still cannot use the Heavenly Book at full power because the consumption is simply too great.

To elevate the Daoist arts of the human realm to the level of immortal techniques, one would need tens of millions of catties of source energy. And this is only the beginning. If one were to continue elevating it, it would probably require hundreds of millions of catties.

Therefore, Li Yao has always been in a state of lacking source energy; otherwise, all the Dao techniques he knows now would be at the level of immortal arts.

They found another place with abundant spiritual energy. This place was even more extraordinary. It was unknown how long it had been accumulating, but there were dozens of pure sources as large as small mountains.

Li Yao showed no mercy, gulping down the essence of the Heavenly Book like a whale swallowing a dreg, devouring all the essence within a radius of hundreds of miles.

"Hmm, not bad, equivalent to hundreds of millions of kilograms of pure source." He was overjoyed.

Adding the previous three places, all in all, he has absorbed more than 300 million catties of pure source essence in the Primordial Daoist Temple. If he continues to use the Heavenly Book at the current rate, it will be enough for him to consume for a long time.

"Do you need the source?" Qing Shi asked curiously. "If you need it, I have quite a few here. Anyway, I don't need them, so I can give them to you."

After speaking, she waved her jade hand, and a pure white jade bottle appeared, surging with energy, and inside it was a source mountain as large as a mountain.

Not a lot, but still tens of millions of kilograms!
"Thanks."

Li Yao accepted the gift without hesitation. Instead of continuing his wanderings, he found a secluded spot, sat down cross-legged, and began his spiritual practice.

This place is a valley called Hulukou, where the sound of the Great Dao resounds, as if a deity is chanting scriptures, which can make people achieve twice the result with half the effort when they are trying to understand the Dao.

This place is perfect for Li Yao's cultivation; it is a treasure land for enlightenment. Combined with the source of the Dao, the combined power will be extraordinary.

Once you enter the realm of creating the Heavenly Book, you can begin to comprehend the secrets of the previous characters, almost every other day.

Li Yao was deeply shaken. This was the shortest interval he had ever had. He only needed one day to digest the information before he could re-enter the realm of creation!
From that day onward, the light of enlightenment soared into the sky, and Li Yao's transformation into the Dao became even more evident. He was no longer human; he was like the Dao itself, and his cultivation had far surpassed his previous realm.

Moreover, this situation became more and more obvious the more times they attained enlightenment, which worried both Qing Shi and Long Ma.

Although their speed of enlightenment is also increasing, if this continues, will Li Yao really not be able to transform into the Dao and become one with the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth?

They were somewhat worried because Li Yao now gave off an unreal feeling; although he was standing there, he seemed not to belong to this world.

This is a feeling of ascending to immortality... no, it's a feeling of transcendence, of about to transcend.

The world is like a prison, and he is a prisoner. What great changes will occur if he really leaves the prison?
No one can predict whether it will transform into the universe and become a part of the Great Dao.

The man and his horse were unable to remain calm and inquired whether Li Yao was in any danger.

The answer was no.

In fact, Li Yao is in very good condition right now. The shackles that were binding his body have been stretched to their limit, as if they were about to break him.

He reached an unbelievable level, with an almost imperceptible imperial aura permeating the air.

It was just a fleeting moment, not lasting even a second, but it was astonishing enough, meaning that Li Yao's cultivation had transcended the ordinary and reached the realm of mythology!
For a sage-king to have reached the realm of a quasi-emperor is absolutely unprecedented and will never be repeated.

It's a pity that the realm is too high and distant; we can only touch upon it occasionally. To truly enter it, it will probably take a long time.

The divine barrier opened spontaneously and continued to open without falling down, each time remaining within it for dozens of breaths.

Furthermore, as one's cultivation level gradually increases, so does the time available, and consequently, the shackles become even tighter.

This state is unknown and is not recorded in any ancient books.

He didn't know what would happen if the shackles were broken, because it seemed that this was truly unprecedented. At least in the era of the Later Desolate Heavenly Emperor, no one should have experienced this state.

But he was certain that when the shackles were broken, there would be a great crisis. He could already feel it, and his heart was filled with unease, as if something was constantly locking him in.

Even with his level of cultivation, he couldn't deduce what was locking onto him.

Until, nearly half a month later, when the secret of the former character had undergone countless contemplations and was about to undergo a transformation.

He saw it; it was a terrifying scene: the sky was collapsing and the earth was being destroyed, an unprecedented calamity. The heavens were utterly enraged and unleashed a calamity powerful enough to destroy the world, leaving no one alive!

It was an indescribable disaster, the most terrible calamity Li Yao had ever seen. Heaven was determined to destroy a person!

This is actually normal. For a Saint King to have reached the Quasi-Emperor realm in cultivation is absolutely extraordinary. It's not surprising that he was targeted by Heaven.

When the Desolate Emperor broke the curse that one could not achieve supreme status at the age of five hundred, the lightning tribulation was quite frightening and almost killed him.

It is clear that the first time is always extremely difficult.

After one enlightenment session, the sense of crisis in his heart became even more apparent. Li Yao stopped his enlightenment and instead began to practice the True Phoenix Immortal Technique to temper himself.

That kind of calamity was too terrible. Although according to his calculations, it was possible to survive, the probability was not high, only about 60%.

That's a bit too risky!

Therefore, he planned to first use the True Phoenix Undying Technique to temper himself and increase his chances of surviving the great tribulation; at least, he should have a 70% chance.

Time passed, and the place remained peaceful. Even when people came, they would choose to stay far away from the people in the valley, not daring to disturb them.

It wasn't just because of Li Yao's fame, but also because of that terrifying aura that instilled fear in people, making them feel like ants facing a true dragon in the heavens.

(End of this chapter)