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

Chapter 327, Level 10

Even though they were mentally prepared, apart from Li Yao, the other trial participants still felt a numbness in their mouths.

Even Ryoma and Qing Shi were no exception, feeling genuinely exhausted.

If it weren't for the God-Slaying Insect undergoing its tribulation, which allowed everyone five days to recuperate, they probably would have really given up by now.

The guide felt helpless, knowing that this was indeed going too far, but there was nothing he could do. Li Yao was now at the core of the vortex, and wherever he was, trouble would follow.

If it were a mortal enemy, such as an invasion by a foreign race, the guide would do his utmost to hold back Li Yao. But the current situation is clearly a civil war, so the mood is naturally different.

He didn't want to get involved in the civil war; he neither wanted to stand on Gu Lu's side nor go against Gu Lu's will, so he preferred to avoid it.

One day after everyone entered the city, the divine bell tolled, and the trial grounds opened.

This time, very few local monks participated, only five, and they were clearly aware of the situation this year.

Given the unclear situation, everyone is avoiding any contact with Li Yao.

Although Li Yao's style of doing things is "I won't offend others unless they offend me," it doesn't stop others from feeling that he has killed too many people.

Sometimes things are like this: slaughtering a million ordinary cultivators is not as effective as killing a single law enforcer.

Not to mention, Li Yao killed three law enforcement officers, which in the eyes of others was excessive killing and lawlessness.

Aside from those with clear consciences, most people simply echoed others' opinions, fearing that Li Yao's temperament was fickle and that he might kill people indiscriminately.

Therefore, only five local cultivators participated in the trial this time, without any attempt to avoid being in the same cohort as Li Yao.

The trial in the sixth city was quick, taking only seven or eight days. It was over from the moment they arrived in the ancient city, began the trial, and left the dragon.

The guide was afraid that Li Yao would stay in the Sixth City for another day, so after the trial was completed, he hurriedly activated the teleportation array and sent the group away immediately.

This time, even fewer people set out, only ten in total. Two of them perished in the trial grounds, leaving eighteen in the sixth city.

This is the smallest number of trial participants in history, with only ten people.

This situation was unprecedented at the beginning of the ancient road.

Moreover, this was not the limit. In the Seventh City, the remaining seven people all chose to stay.

"So, now there are only three trial participants left in our batch." Even with Qing Shi's personality, she found it strange at this moment.

Two people and one horse became a group of trial participants. In each city they arrived in, the guide would specially start a trial for them!
The Ancient Road Contest is about debating with one's peers. Now there are three trial participants in total. Where can they find someone to debate with?
“Why don’t you stay here too? This kind of trial won’t help you much,” Li Yao said, looking at Qing Shi.

He didn't care. He hadn't come to the ancient road for a trial, so whether there were many or few people, it made no difference to him.

But Qing Shi is different from Long Ma; he needs to fight and debate with others to learn from them and become stronger.

Indeed, Li Yao could preach to a person and a horse, and the effect was even better than debating with someone.

But this is not a long-term solution; both the rider and the horse need to hone their skills.

The path of spiritual practice emphasizes the unity of knowledge and action; simply knowing is not enough, one must experience it for oneself.

Li Yao can help a person and a horse understand, but he cannot replace Qing Shi and Long Ma in experiencing it.

Rather than following him to quickly traverse the ancient road, what the man and his horse need now is to stay and travel with the others, to fight against other prodigies, and to prove their own path.

After thinking it over, Qing Shi and Long Ma agreed to Li Yao's arrangement and stayed in the Seventh City.

Continuing to force their way along will not benefit them. The most important thing about the human race's strongest ancient trial path is the trial itself, not reaching the end.

Following Li Yao, they could quickly pass through the levels and reach the end without much difficulty, but in doing so, they wouldn't get much of the trial experience.

Finally, after handing over an emergency communication array to one person and one horse for use in case of danger, Li Yao set off alone.

This is an unprecedented situation, a trial for one person.

For some reason, there was no movement deep within the ancient road this time.

Li Yao crossed the eighth and ninth cities, and more than a month had passed in between, but still no one came.

This is somewhat illogical. The Divine Light Platform can quickly traverse the starry sky. If the protectors want to take action, they don't need such a long time if they use the Divine Light Platform.

Li Yao was somewhat puzzled, but he didn't dwell on it for long. No matter what the ancient road was preparing, he could overcome it with his strength.

The ancient path of the human race is powerful and has many protectors, but those who are truly worthy of his attention are few and far between.

For example, Li Yao did not dare to underestimate the Azure Phoenix Daoist, who was at the pinnacle of the Great Sage realm.

However, he knew that person's character well and that he would not make a move. Apart from him, none of the other protectors could threaten him.

Since that's the case, Li Yao has no reason to worry; he can just focus on his cultivation.

In the vast starry sky, a divine light pierced through the void, and Li Yao's figure appeared. Ahead lay the tenth city of the human race.

This is a crucial juncture, also known as the tenth level for the human race, and an important place on the ancient road.

Li Yao looked ahead and saw a holy city suspended in the dark universe, radiating holy light and appearing exceptionally vast.

At this moment, the Holy City was not still, but was orbiting an ancient life-bearing star in a special trajectory, like a satellite.

The tenth level stands on an ancient star, which is completely different from the previous nine levels.

Li Yao moved and disappeared from his original spot. When he reappeared, he had already arrived in front of the tenth gate tower.

The ancient city is enormous, far surpassing the previous nine passes. Its towering walls are thousands of feet high, their dark surfaces stretching endlessly, like a black dragon lying there.

"who?!"

Li Yao's arrival attracted the attention of the soldiers guarding the city. A squad leader, holding a halberd, shouted loudly.

Seeing this, the other soldiers also held their bronze halberds and pointed them forward, creating a chilling atmosphere.

It's no wonder these soldiers are nervous; the tenth level, as an important node on the ancient human path, has always been a key target for attacks by alien races.

The black walls and the desolate, ancient city gates are covered with countless traces of swords, spears, and halberds, all remnants of past great enemies.

Li Yao was alone and did not fit the scale of the trial participants, so the soldiers guarding the city were worried about these powerful enemies.

"I am a trial participant."

This was Li Yao's answer, but the soldiers guarding the city didn't believe it. The squad leader asked in a skeptical voice:

"Trial participant, why are you the only one?"

The trial team consisted of only one person. The squad leader had been guarding the city gate for decades and had never seen anything like it before.

In the past, even in the smallest trial, a trial team always had at least twenty people.

Helpless, Li Yao thought for a moment and then changed his method of proving himself by introducing himself. He figured that with his current fame, he was a rising star on the ancient road, and his legend would surely be circulating here at the tenth level as well.

In the previous stages, his reputation had already spread far and wide before others even arrived.

Sure enough, after he introduced himself, the soldiers in front of the city gate all changed their expressions.

Then, with a surge of divine consciousness, these soldiers began to transmit their thoughts through divine sense.

"Li Yao, this is the same Li Yao who killed the Grand Commander and then the three Enforcers!"

"It's that murderous bastard. I heard that he slaughtered many of the other trainees who were with him. Now he's all alone. Did he kill them all in the ninth trial?"

"My God, no way! How could he be so bloodthirsty that he killed all the cultivators who were undergoing the trial with him?"

"Gulong, what if this guy goes on a killing spree and kills us for his own amusement?"

"Don't worry, I don't have a hobby of killing for pleasure. As long as you don't mess with me, I'm very easy to talk to."

"That's good……"

The fluctuations of divine sense ceased, and all the soldiers stared blankly ahead as if they had seen a ghost, their pupils filled with terror.

"Don't use telepathy in front of people who are far stronger than you. That's no different from whispering in my ear," Li Yao said with a warm smile.

These words were not divine thoughts, but rather spoken directly from his mouth.

All the soldiers felt uneasy at this moment. Fear surged in their hearts, their bodies went weak, and the weapons in their hands swayed slightly, feeling as heavy as a thousand pounds, almost impossible to hold.

It died young, yet this murderous creature actually heard their telepathic communication.

This is terrible. Will he make a move and take their lives?

Fear appeared in the eyes of all the soldiers. If it were an ordinary trial participant, they would not be worried at all. Even if the participant was stronger than them, they would not dare to make a move due to the constraints of the ancient road rules.

But the person before us is different; he truly dares to go on a killing spree. The commander of the Second City and the three law enforcers are the best proof of that.

These soldiers were terrified; some were so weak that they were swaying, showing no trace of their former strength.

It should be noted that even the weakest soldiers in the tenth level are saints, capable of dominating a region if placed in the starry sky.

It's clear how terrified one must be to be so utterly devastated.

The squad leader couldn't stand it any longer and quickly ordered, "What are you standing there for? Send a message to the people inside: open the city gates and let the trial participants in."

"What a disgrace! To be so frightened by a mere trial participant," the squad leader thought to himself, looking at the group of soldiers with disdain.

Unlike him, he felt nothing and wasn't afraid at all.

"That's really scary, the sense of oppression is too strong."

"Yes, I heard that this person's strength is already comparable to that of a protector."

"Thankfully, he didn't blame us, otherwise we would have been finished."

After Li Yao entered the city and the city gates closed, the soldiers felt like they had come back to life. They relaxed one by one and spoke up, relieved to have survived the ordeal.

"Captain, you are so brave, you are not afraid at all."

One of the soldiers worshipped.

"Ha!" The captain scoffed and tried to take a step, but found that his legs were completely numb and he couldn't feel anything.

"What's there to be afraid of? Unlike him, he doesn't feel anything at all," the captain thought, a bead of cold sweat dripping from his temple.

After entering the ancient city, Li Yao looked down and saw the ancient star of life below.

His third eye is very powerful; even from a great distance, he can see mountains, rivers, lakes, seas, and countless terrifying creatures, all of which are very powerful and have awe-inspiring power.

Since embarking on the ancient starry road, this was the first time Li Yao had seen an ancient life-bearing star of this scale. Although it could not compare with the Big Dipper, it was not small either, with myriad paths active, making it very suitable for cultivation.

Before long, the guide arrived and personally received Li Yao, explaining the differences of the tenth level to him.

This kind of treatment is something that other trial participants do not receive.

"The tenth level is different from the previous nine levels. It is the first ancient life star on this road. It is full of danger, but also contains infinite opportunities."

The guide recounted the extraordinary nature of the tenth level.

This is not boasting. In the world of cultivation, nine is the ultimate number, a special number that changes after reaching its limit.

"The tenth level is like a dam, accumulating a large number of outstanding individuals. Over the decades, many trial participants who come here are not in a hurry to leave, but stay here to comprehend the great Dao. Even now, there are still some who have not left."

Li Yao did not speak, but listened quietly to the guide's explanation. Soon, he understood the basic situation here.

This realm contains a primordial ancient star, where cultivation leads to rapid advancements in one's spiritual progress—a true myth.

The ancient star below is also known as the Sainthood Star. Many trial participants suppress their cultivation and choose to come to the tenth level to undergo the trials of the myriad paths here, so as to break through to the Saint Realm. There are many benefits to this.

The reason is simple: throughout history, countless outstanding figures have visited this place, including many ancient emperors. When they passed by this ancient star, the heavens etched their paths and some of their trajectories upon them.

Among them were not only the human emperors, but also emperors of other races. When they traveled through the ancient human star, their Dao was also copied.

Historical records indicate that the unparalleled demon emperor honed his skills by training through ancient human clans before finally turning his attention to the ancient demon path.

Unlike the previous guides, the guide at the tenth level was not in a hurry to get Li Yao to leave. Instead, he took the time to show Li Yao around the ancient city.

It is obvious that this ancient city is far more magnificent than the previous nine ancient cities, and its population is several times larger. Over the years, countless trial participants have chosen to stay here.

"Isn't the guide afraid that I will bring disaster to this city?" Li Yao asked with some curiosity.

Since the second city, all the guides had been afraid of staying in the city and being caught in the war. However, the guide for the tenth city did the opposite, which surprised Li Yao.

"Haha!" The guide laughed twice before speaking, "They're making a fuss over nothing."

"What do you mean?" Li Yao was even more curious. Judging from the guide's appearance, he clearly had inside information.

"The tenth level is a crucial juncture. My information network is better than theirs, and I know some things about the depths of the ancient road. What you have done has caused a great uproar, and the people of the ancient road are indignant. However, the enforcers, led by the Azure Phoenix Protector, disagree and believe that this was indeed the ancient road's fault. At present, opinions on this matter are roughly divided into two factions, arguing endlessly, and no punishment has been decided yet. No one will come for the time being."

The guide explained.

Li Yao nodded knowingly, realizing there was a lot he didn't understand, but then he thought of the two law enforcers in the fifth level.

"Oh, you mean them? Those two law enforcement officers acted on their own initiative. They didn't receive any orders; it was a private operation."

Li Yao raised an eyebrow, understanding the meaning behind the guide's words.

What kind of bullshit private action is this? It should be the action of radicals.

(End of this chapter)