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

Chapter 326: Dead Taoist Friend, Immortal Poor Taoist
On this day, the second holy city of the human race was shaken, and the tremors spread like a plague to the holy cities behind it.

"Trial participant slays the Grand Commander!"

"Trial participants slay ancient road enforcers!"

This news was undoubtedly sensational, sweeping across the entire ancient road like a storm.

Even before he arrived, Li Yao had already become a legend on the ancient road.

Never before had any trial participant been so outrageous and lawless, killed so readily by the Grand Commander and the enforcers.

They actually do have that kind of power; the enforcers are almost all the best among the Saint Kings.

Many who had not yet met Li Yao in person were very curious about what kind of person he was, whether he was arrogant and ignorant, or highly capable.
Meanwhile, deep within the ancient road, the higher-ups were shaken, and countless law enforcement officers were furious, feeling that their own rights had been challenged.

These mere trainees dare to offend the law enforcers. If this matter is not dealt with, everyone will surely follow suit.

How can law enforcement officers, who are used to being high and mighty, tolerate such a thing happening?

They don't care whose fault it is; they just seize on the rules of the ancient path. The trial participants killing the enforcers is breaking the rules.

Breaking the rules is tantamount to provoking the entire ancient path of humanity, and it must be suppressed.

However, Li Yao's strength has begun to emerge after this battle. The law enforcers are definitely no match for him. The only option is to call upon the protectors to step in and suppress him.

It can be said that because of Li Yao, the entire ancient road is now in turmoil and filled with a depressing atmosphere.

Everyone knows that this matter is not over yet, and Gu Lu will definitely react. It remains to be seen whether Li Yao can weather the storm.

If they can withstand the subsequent attacks, they will surely soar to new heights, rise completely, and dominate the universe!
But that's all in the future. Li Yao didn't care how Gu Lu would react. He was completely fearless. His own strength gave him confidence that he could face anything. His attention was always focused on the journey ahead.

As he said, law enforcers will kill law enforcers, and righteous protectors will kill righteous protectors; we should remain unchanged in the face of all changes.

Anyway, with his current strength, unless a quasi-emperor monster intervenes, even a supreme saint wouldn't be able to defeat him.

If he wanted to leave, even if he were imprisoned and surrounded by a killing formation, he could leave at his leisure.

This is the absolute confidence brought about by breaking through the limits of the Xingzi Secret and the Jiezi Secret; the strength has long since transcended common sense and surpassed the imagination of the world.

This confidence startled both the fellow trial participants and the guide.

The trial in the second human city came to an end, and the group ascended the Heavenly Road.

The guide was completely obedient and showed no intention of pursuing the matter, as if he had no idea what had happened. On the second day after the Yan clan was wiped out, he opened the teleportation array, allowing the trial participants to continue their journey.

This time, the number of trial participants has increased rather than decreased. Although some trial participants from the stars either died or retreated, local cultivators from the second human city joined in, filling the gaps.

Li Yao's reputation was already widespread, so no messy or unpleasant things happened.

None of the fellow trial participants, or the guides behind them, dared to provoke him; they all kept their distance.

Therefore, the road ahead was very peaceful.

Li Yao came to the ancient path of the human race not for training, but for experience. He used the Daoist principles of the ancient path to cultivate himself. Therefore, the focus was on participation, and his motto was "I will not offend others unless they offend me."

In the blink of an eye, they passed the Third Holy City and the Fourth Holy City, and arrived at the Fifth City of the Ancient Road of the Human Race.

Here, Li Yao made his move once again, shaking the ancient road once more.

This time, the battlefield is in the starry sky, where the God-Slaying Insect swarm has awakened, refined the essence of the Beast King within its body, and begun to undergo tribulation.

The swarms of God-Slaying Insects undergoing tribulations, including some undergoing the tribulation to become saints, naturally attract everyone's attention.

Just then, two enforcers arrived, unleashing a Great Sage Killing Array and a Quasi-Emperor Divine Weapon, intending to suppress and kill Li Yao.

The starry sky trembled as the Great Sage Killing Array and Quasi-Emperor Weapons destroyed the heavens and the earth, stirring up the starry sky with boundless divine power and surging chaotic energy.

This surprised everyone, as it wasn't the protectors who intervened, but the enforcers who arrived.

But no one underestimated it. A complete Great Sage Killing Formation and a Quasi-Emperor Weapon—this configuration was already incredibly powerful. Even an ordinary Great Sage would perish if they weren't careful.

In the Fifth City, people also felt that this must be an earth-shattering battle, and that Li Yao was in danger.

It's possible that this unparalleled genius might perish, becoming a fleeting legend in ancient history.

Even Longma and Qing Shi were shocked; the enforcers' actions were truly astonishing.

"They've lost all sense of shame. To maintain their own position, they've mobilized such power to suppress a peerless genius. If word gets out, they'll be ridiculed by the alien races."

Longma's boastful words reveal his underlying concerns.

Unexpectedly, the final result shocked everyone.

From the very beginning, the battle was one-sided. Li Yao was extremely calm and effortlessly killed the two enforcers.

He charged forward fearlessly, his combat prowess astonishing. With unparalleled divine power, he shattered the Great Sage's killing formation and was the first to kill an enforcer.

Holy blood sprinkled across the sky.

Then, wielding a quasi-emperor weapon, he forcefully killed another enforcer, displaying incredible ferocity.

Such terrifying combat power made the guide of the Fifth City's eyes widen in astonishment.

Of those present, only he clearly knew what an extraordinarily extravagant feat this was.

Li Yao's combat strength far surpasses that of an ordinary Great Sage, so it's no wonder he has the confidence to ignore the threats deep within the ancient road.

The guide felt that after this battle, even the protectors deep within the ancient road would have to seriously consider whether to save face and continue to fight, or to compromise and shake hands in reconciliation.
The fellow trial participants were all devastated, their hearts filled with mixed emotions.

They harbored an invincible belief and wanted to fight their way to the throne, but now, just after leaving the beginner village, they encountered such a monster.

How can this not lead to despair? If one wants to attain enlightenment, one must overcome the insurmountable mountain in front of them; otherwise, one cannot even deceive oneself.

Can he surpass Li Yao?
This makes it even more hopeless; it's not that they're incapable, it's just that the enemy is too monstrous.

The best among the trial participants is currently only at the Saint level. Even if he were to unleash his full potential, he could at most challenge an ordinary Saint King. The difference between him and Li Yao is truly worlds apart.

At this moment, these prodigies only wanted to shout that they wanted to go home and stop dreaming of attaining enlightenment.

Li Yao, in the starry sky, was unaware of the immense damage he had inflicted on those prodigies. At this moment, his attention was entirely focused on the God-Slaying Insect swarm.

After this great calamity, the number of Saint-level God-Slaying Insects has increased to fifteen, and the number of Semi-Saint God-Slaying Insects has reached an astonishing hundred.

Among them were several Saint-level God-Slaying Insects. Although they had not broken through to the next major realm, their auras were condensed, and they had already gone extremely far within the Saint realm.

It has to be said that the God-Slaying Insects are truly heaven-defying. They become stronger by devouring others, which explains why cultivators throughout the universe are trying to exterminate them. They are simply too powerful.

In their early stages, when they are not fully conscious, they will devour anything and turn it into nutrients for their own evolution, without any regard for anything else, making them truly uncontrollable.

Even if it develops sentience later, given the nature of the God-Slaying Insects, it will most likely be bloodthirsty, making it impossible for other creatures to allow such a creature to grow.

Who knows if, in the future, a few god-slaying insects comparable to gods will appear and cause a bloodbath in the starry sky?
It's only because they have Li Yao's protection that these God-Slaying Insects would have been reduced to ashes long ago.

Just now, the God-Slaying Insects, having survived the great calamity, were eager to pounce on the two mangled bodies after sensing them. They were just waiting for Li Yao's order to devour the flesh and blood of the enforcers.

Without hesitation, Li Yao unleashed his power, and the swarm of god-slaying insects went berserk, cracking continuously.

In the Fifth City, everyone felt a chill run down their spines, a sense of shared experience, and a sense of dread rose in their hearts.

After the devouring ended, Li Yao retrieved the God-Slaying Worm and returned to the Fifth City.

Before people could even marvel, they received news that the guide would open the teleportation array the next day to send the trial participants on their way.

The group of cultivators remained silent.

Everyone was perfectly clear about the guide's intentions.

This is not the first case. Since leaving the second city, the guides have been starting the trials as quickly as possible, opening the teleportation arrays to let the trial participants set off.

Their purpose is self-evident: they don't want Li Yao to stay in their jurisdiction for long, fearing some major change might occur.

And so it was. In just two short months, this group of trial participants was heading to the Sixth City. Their speed was unmatched by any previous trial participants.

"Is this insane? At this rate, we'll catch up with the previous batch of trainees very soon," Longma complained.

"In the first and second cities, the guides would give the trial participants a month to recuperate before starting the trial, and after it ended, they would also let us rest for a while before continuing our journey. But now, the trial starts as early as seven or ten days, and after it ends, they can't wait to send us away the very next day." Even Qing Shi was somewhat impressed.

This time, it was already considered late, because the God-Slaying Insect was undergoing its tribulation, preventing Li Yao from setting off and causing a five-day delay, which greatly worried the guide.

Now, two more law enforcers have fallen. Who knows what the attitude of the depths of the ancient road is? Let Li Yao leave as soon as possible, so that even if a great battle occurs later, it won't take place in the Fifth City.

This action perfectly illustrates the saying, "It's better to sacrifice your fellow Daoists than to die yourself."

The guide from the fifth city sent a time bomb to the guide from the sixth city, with the message, "Brother, whether you can get this bomb to the seventh city before it explodes depends on your skills."

Li Yao didn't mind the tight timeframe, but the other trial participants were suffering.

The constant battles have taken a heavy toll on their physical and mental health, and without rest, their fatigue is worsening day by day.

It was quite obvious that the spirits and energy of this group of cultivators were somewhat low.

"I've decided to stay in the Fifth City to recuperate for now, and continue my journey when the next batch of trial participants arrives."

That night, in the city's largest restaurant, a young martial arts master said wearily.

In just two months, he traversed several star regions and experienced numerous battles, leaving him exhausted and with some Dao injuries that had not yet healed.

“I’m not leaving either. I’ll stay in this city and hone my skills. Continuing like this isn’t a process of refinement; it’s a path to purgatory,” another cultivator said bitterly.

"These guides are treating us like dirt, just to get that person out of here as quickly as possible. The guide from the fourth city at least let us rest for seven days before starting the trial, but the guide from the fifth city only let us rest for three days before opening the trial grounds. It's outrageous!" A woman, disregarding all decorum, complained about the guides' actions.

In such a short time, before the previous injuries had even healed, new wounds had been inflicted. Who could endure this if it continued?

Even a powerful figure like the Void Emperor, after the great battle, was unable to recuperate and continued to fight, resulting in a combined lifespan of only ten thousand years across his two lifetimes.

Continuing in this life-or-death battle is extremely dangerous.

To save their own lives, many trainees reached a consensus that night: to repeat a year and travel with the next batch of trainees, thus avoiding the monstrous talent of their current year.

Soon, the trainees continued their journey. Of the original 170-plus cultivators, less than 30 chose to continue; the rest were held back.

Even on the eve of the opening of the formation platform, two more people withdrew and chose to repeat the year, leaving only twenty-five people to continue on the journey.

"Young people these days really can't endure any hardship!" The guide sighed as he watched the scene.

This scene is quite unusual. It's not uncommon for people to pass the trials and then choose to stay for various reasons; it happens every year. But this is the first time on the entire ancient road that more than half of the trial participants have stayed on such a large scale.

In the central square of the Fifth Holy City, everyone breathed a sigh of relief as they watched the teleportation channel in the void disappear.

What happens next is none of their business.

In the dark universe, a holy city hangs in space, radiating holy light and illuminating the surrounding star field.

The guide from the Sixth Holy City appeared at the city gate, a hint of bitterness in his eyes.

He already knew about what had happened in the Fifth Holy City; there was a special way of communication on the ancient road that allowed for rapid information exchange.

Now that such a large Buddha statue has arrived in the Sixth City, every move it makes will cause a huge uproar.

Even the guide didn't know if he, a nobody, could withstand such a storm.

All he could do now was pray that the movements deep within the ancient road would be slower, allowing him to send Li Yao away first.

Looking at the twenty-five trial participants who had arrived, the guide even considered having them make do outside the city for a while and not entering the city yet.

Of course, he only thought about it; he wouldn't dare do something so reckless, for fear that Li Yao might get into a mood and kill a guide to add to the fun.

"You've all had a long journey. Let's hurry into the city. Let's strike while the iron is hot and your bodies are still warm. We'll open the trial grounds tomorrow so you can all have a perfect trial," the guide said as he ushered the group into the city.

Upon hearing this, everyone was stunned, wondering if they had misheard.

Listen to what you're saying, is that even human language?

What does it mean to strike while the iron is hot? Open the trial grounds tomorrow? Can this thing be rushed?
(End of this chapter)