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

Chapter 445: Prison Emperor

All the Yin soldiers were retreating. Their auras were not weak, but at this moment they were like ants. In front of that figure in green robes, they were too insignificant to even look directly at him.

Li Yao didn't care about these small fry, and ignored those who escaped.

The same goes for Chuanying, who was traveling with them. The seemingly invincible Yin soldiers and generals in the eyes of outsiders were actually not even ants in their eyes.

As the two continued on their journey, they saw huge stone tablets standing on the black earth, inscribed with many glorious past events and the achievements of the various rulers of the underworld.

The underworld is boundless and limitless, like an ancient universe, with many large stars hanging in the sky, resembling a sea of ​​stars.

As you delve deeper, the horrors of the underworld are gradually revealed.

The ghostly soldiers and generals on the outer perimeter are already very powerful; even the Great Sage has them.

But the further in you go, the more frequently powerful figures appear, even including quasi-emperor level battle slaves.

Quasi-Emperors are powerhouses at the pinnacle of the universe, capable of dominating a star field in any era.

Looking at the current dominant forces, apart from those who are about to achieve enlightenment, the number of quasi-emperors is not large.

Phoenix Nest is an exception because it has the foundation laid by the Immortal Emperor.

Apart from those who are about to attain enlightenment, there are basically only one or two quasi-emperors in Dao Palaces, Divine Courts, and Divine Organizations.

In the underworld, there are so many quasi-emperor level battle slaves that you can't count them on two hands.

While beings of this level are still mere ants to Li Yao and Chuan Ying, they are unattainable to all beings in the vast universe.

If left unattended, it could potentially lead to bloodshed.

Therefore, Li Yao did not intend to let go of the quasi-emperor level battle slaves.

"boom!"

"Pfft!" "Pfft!" "Pfft!"...

The Heavenly Emperor unleashed his oppressive power and murderous intent, causing quasi-emperors to explode, finding no place to hide before the powerful primordial spirits.

Faced with absolute power, even a quasi-emperor is still a lamb to the slaughter. They have no power to resist and cannot even withstand the killing intent emanating from the Heavenly Emperor. They die with their bodies shattered and their souls extinguished.

Li Yao stormed straight into the underworld, and with such an absolute disparity in strength, he moved as if he were in an empty place.

This forbidden place in the eyes of all spirits seemed to be completely unguarded against him.

Finally, the two arrived at the most important place in the underworld. Ahead of them was an ancient city with countless array patterns, surging chaotic energy, and an overwhelming killing intent. The aura of an ancient emperor soared into the sky.

The aura of the Heavenly Emperor pressed forward, causing the once unmoving ancient city to shake violently. Divine light shone brightly there, shooting straight into the sky. Array patterns emerged and intertwined, evolving into a vast and destructive holy domain.

"A perfectly formed Celestial Venerable Formation!" Chuan Ying's eyes narrowed, and two divine rays shot out from his pupils.

The ancient city stands beneath the starry sky, connected to the entire underworld. It is as black as metal, a vast and boundless divine city, with a large star hovering above it.

In the past, Chuanying had also ventured deep into this place, but at that time he was a guest, with the ancient Heavenly Court and the Emperor behind him. The Underworld could not possibly use the Heavenly Venerable Formation to entertain him.

The great formation was incredibly powerful, without a single flaw. It was now fully awakened, with someone presiding over it. The divine might of the ancient emperor permeated the formation, bursting forth with blazing divine light. Thousands of Dao patterns intertwined, each strand containing unparalleled power.

With his spirits rising, Chuan Ying was not going to just stand by and watch.

His purpose in coming here was to seek revenge and kill the Underworld Emperor. However, by following behind the Heavenly Emperor, he felt no sense of participation and didn't experience much of the thrill of revenge.

Li Yao did not stop him, but stood there leisurely. Chuan Ying was not his subordinate. Although his cultivation was far superior to Chuan Ying's, he would not order him around.

If he wants to make a move, then so be it.

However, the ancient city ahead is no simple matter. Even for someone as strong as Chuan Ying, it wouldn't be easy to break into it.

"Even if an ancient celestial being were to stand before me, I would not be afraid. How could mere array patterns possibly stop me?" Chuan Ying stepped forward, and instantly the Netherworld collapsed!
However, the entire ancient city remained unmoved, and the five array patterns lit up together, rapidly expanding outwards to completely block the violent fluctuations of Chuan Ying.

Chuanying returned empty-handed, his face somewhat grim. He hadn't expected that there would be five Heavenly Venerable Formations in the ancient city, and that they had all been resurrected, with peerless experts in charge of the main formations.

Once a Celestial Venerable Array is fully activated, it is equivalent to the ancient Celestial Venerable coming to life and walking in the world. One can imagine how terrifying the power would be if all five great arrays were fully revived.
This is the terror of the underworld; it is both a forbidden area and a powerful force, similar to the ancient Heavenly Court.

Each of the forbidden zones of life is its own master, and the supreme beings within them are outwardly united but inwardly estranged. Their relationship is not close, and sometimes they even watch each other die.

But the underworld is different. In the past, they once grew and became powerful, otherwise there would be no such things as ghost soldiers, ghost generals, and war slaves.

The underworld is more united than the forbidden land; the supreme beings are allies and will devote considerable effort to it.

This is caused by different philosophies. The supreme beings in the forbidden land of life are striving to break through the path to immortality and enter the immortal realm to become immortals.

The underworld, however, has embarked on a completely different path to immortality, following the path pioneered by its founders. After death, they communicate with spirits and bury themselves in each reincarnation, repeating the cycle endlessly.

Therefore, the supreme beings who entered the underworld in the early days all worked together to develop the underworld, which flourished in mythology and the ancient times.

However, it was ultimately proven that this path was very difficult to traverse, and no one except the founder, Hades, ever succeeded in it.

This is also why the Supreme Being of the Underworld kept leaving later. Because he couldn't see a future, he had to change his strategy and place his hopes on the path to immortality.

Among those who clearly left were the Eternal Heavenly Venerable and the Corpse Emperor, as well as others, but these were not recorded in ancient texts.

Chuan Ying became somewhat serious, and did not try to force his way in again, not daring to underestimate the situation.

He stood outside the ancient city for a long time before finally probing again, pointing out a finger.

"Hey!"

A thick beam of divine light shot out, its divine power as vast and surging as the sea, pressing forward.

Such a terrifying blow would reduce a whole group of quasi-emperors to ashes if they tried to block it.

"Buzz!"

But at that moment, the ancient city trembled, array patterns intertwined, and a beam of light shot out, colliding fiercely with the attack unleashed by Chuan Ying.

The terrifying shockwave spread out like an explosion caused by thousands of giant stars exploding simultaneously.

Chuan Ying was unharmed. Although he had only achieved enlightenment through unconventional means, his challenge to the Supreme One was not just empty talk.

However, he was still shaken so much that his body trembled, and he showed an expression of disbelief. He was unable to break through.

After two rounds of probing, Chuan Ying has obtained some information.
First, the great formation is presided over by someone, but their cultivation level is not very high. They are probably someone who is about to attain enlightenment. The opponent's cultivation level is far below theirs, but they can block him for a short time by relying on the power of the great formation.

The ancient city is filled with countless array patterns, all personally laid out by the ancient Heavenly Venerable. These patterns can isolate energy and are similar to the Heaven-Deceiving Array Patterns. There are even more than one or two of them, making it impossible to discern their true nature. However, Chuan Ying has probably already guessed that the master of the array is the Lord of the Yama Palace who guards the Yama Palace.

"I refuse to believe that a mere cultivator about to attain enlightenment can stop me." Chuan Ying was furious, feeling somewhat humiliated.

They stood up with great determination, wanting to participate in the process of destroying the underworld, but before they even got deep into it, they encountered obstacles.

This made him feel ashamed and indignant, and at the same time, somewhat resentful.

Chuan Ying has always claimed that he is no weaker than the ancient Heavenly Venerable. He has not been able to attain the Dao, but he has encountered the era of the Emperor Venerable. If they were to fight, he is confident that he would not lose to an ordinary ancient Venerable.

But his current predicament made him realize that achieving enlightenment through unconventional means is not true enlightenment. Without the Heavenly Emperor, he alone would not be able to destroy the Underworld.

"boom!"

This time, he held nothing back, his entire body radiating a precious glow, the five great secret realms glowing, and the sound of deities chanting scriptures could be heard—that was his Dao and Dharma.

The boy's pupils burned brightly, his divine light dazzling. He took the iron bow from his back, and with a mighty pull, drew it to a full moon.

The iron bow creaked and groaned, and amidst the resounding divine sound, the surrounding void collapsed in pieces. An arrow appeared on the bow, which was formed by Chuan Ying forcibly drawing together a galaxy with his great magical power, containing his essence and spirit capable of splitting the heavens and earth!
This was an incredibly terrifying attack, no weaker than that of the Flawless Emperor, and it was imbued with imperial might.

"boom!"

The collision was still terrifying; the underworld was torn apart, and vast divine energy fluctuations spread throughout the universe, causing a great tremor in all the heavens and myriad realms.

However, this attack still failed to breach the ancient city. With five Heavenly Venerable Formations and a cultivator about to attain enlightenment leading the formation, even if an emperor were to personally arrive, it would be impossible to break through in just one or two moves.

Li Yao was not in a hurry. He stood calmly to the side, watching Chuan Ying make his move, a hint of interest in his eyes.

He was observing the secrets of an alternative path to enlightenment.
An alternative path to enlightenment is completely different from the Great Accomplishment Holy Body. The body does not undergo transformation, but it possesses the laws of the Emperor's Way.

The former, though not yet a Daoist, possessed an Emperor's Body, making him incredibly resilient, while the latter, though lacking an Emperor's Body, possessed the laws of the Emperor's Dao, granting him maximum offensive power.

Of course, this is only relative. The Great Accomplishment Holy Body is also quite powerful, and the body of the Alternative Dao Accomplishment cannot be said to be fragile. It's just that compared to its advantages, it is indeed slightly inferior in another aspect.

"Alright, I'll do it." Seeing that Chuanying still wanted to take action, Li Yao finally spoke up.

It wasn't that he was impatient, but rather that Chuan Ying's condition was no longer sufficient to support him in continuing his relentless assault with maximum combat power.

"I'm sorry to have made the Heavenly Emperor laugh at me." Chuan Ying felt somewhat dejected and unwilling.

Time, like a knife, has slain the proud and arrogant. He is no longer young. Although he still has the strength to fight, he can no longer fight recklessly like he did in his youth.

If he were alone, he could have charged in if he wanted to, but now that he has a powerful figure by his side, there's no need for him to put up a fight.

Chuan Ying stepped aside, ready to witness the Heavenly Emperor unleash his divine power.

Meanwhile, inside the ancient city, the Yama King, shrouded in black mist, underwent a drastic change in expression.

The Heavenly Emperor made a move!

This was undoubtedly a ghost story for him.

As the Lord of the Underworld, Yama, he now seems to have seen a ghost.

With the blessing of the Five Heavenly Venerables Formation, he was confident that he could withstand even the descent of an ancient venerable.

But facing the Heavenly Emperor, he knew very well that this was far from enough; the gap was simply too large, and he couldn't stop him at all.

"My lord!" the Lord of the Underworld cried out for help, but no hope came.

Li Yao and Chuan Ying arrived too quickly; the underworld had not anticipated it at all.

By the time they discovered it, it was too late. The Prison King broke through the Immortal Source immediately, but he still needed some time to condense the Dao Fruit before he could recover to his peak combat power.

Coming out before this would only be suicide; they need to buy them some time.

But while imagination is beautiful, reality is extremely cruel.

The ancient city, which Chuan Ying could not break through despite his best efforts, appeared incredibly fragile in front of the Heavenly Emperor.

"boom!"

A dazzling burst of immortal light erupted, and the laws of the Emperor's Dao astonished the world. A giant hand, condensed from chaotic immortal power, slammed down, and with a snap, the endless array patterns shattered instantly.

This ancient city, which had stood in the underworld for countless millennia, was shattered into pieces by a single blow, collapsing into ruins.

"what……"

The shrill screams lasted only a moment before abruptly ceasing. The Lord of the Underworld's Yama Palace and several quasi-emperor battle slaves didn't even show their faces before turning into a shower of light, leaving no trace of their bodies.

Chuan Ying's pupils constricted as he stared incredulously at the figure in front of him.

He knew the Heavenly Emperor was powerful, and his battle record was verifiable, but he hadn't expected him to be this powerful.

Originally, Chuanying thought that although he was no match for the Heavenly Emperor, he could at least have a go at him.

But now the bloody truth is right in front of him: he couldn't even withstand a single move from the Heavenly Emperor.

The gap was simply too great; they were not even on the same level. In fact, he couldn't even see the Heavenly Emperor's back.

"Let's go, Underworld. After today, it will all vanish like smoke."

Li Yao's expression was completely calm, without any ripples, as if he had swatted a mosquito rather than a person about to attain enlightenment who was in charge of the Five Heavenly Venerable Arrays.

Chuanying gathered his thoughts and followed closely, heading towards the deepest part of the underworld.

Soon, they arrived at the most important place in the underworld. In front of them was a magnificent palace, solemn and majestic. On an ancient plaque, several large characters were written in a flamboyant style: "Hall of Suppressing Prisons!"

The main hall was vast, like a universe. Looking up, there was not a dome, but a starry sky. At the far end, there was a figure sitting cross-legged on the imperial throne.

He wore a black iron battle armor that shimmered with dark light and had an ancient design. In his right hand, he held a halberd, which he rested on the ground, while in his left hand, a black and gold shield sat beside the imperial throne.

"The Underworld Emperor?!" Chuan Ying shouted immediately, his expression ferocious.

“He is not the Underworld Emperor; you have mistaken him for someone else,” Li Yao said softly.

The figure on the imperial throne had a black mist shrouding his face, formed by supreme magical power. Even beings of the same level could not easily see through it.

But Li Yao could. His cultivation far surpassed that of ordinary Great Emperors. With just one glance, he saw through everything and recognized the face in the black mist.

Even if you don't know the original plot, just by looking at that face, you can tell that it is not the Underworld Emperor.

But Chuan Ying was clearly unaware of this and was momentarily stunned, realizing that the person before him was not the Underworld Emperor.

They had fought their way to the deepest part of the underworld, yet the King of the Underworld still hadn't come out to meet them.
"Hehehe!" On the imperial throne, the figure clad in Nether Iron Battle Armor chuckled, his voice tinged with coldness.

"As expected of the Heavenly Emperor, the greatest in history, he saw through my disguise at a glance."

"That's right, I am not the Underworld Emperor, I am the Prison Suppressor Emperor!"

The person above revealed his origins, and at this point, any concealment was meaningless.

Although unwilling, with the Heavenly Emperor before him, the outcome was already predetermined. He did not want to die like this and wanted to reveal some ancient secrets that he had kept in his heart for a long time, not wanting to take them to the underworld.

"The King of Hell?" Chuan Ying was stunned, but quickly recovered and asked sharply, "If you're not the King of Hell, then where is he? Where is he?"

He clearly didn't care about the Prison Emperor; he was only focused on finding the Underworld Emperor's whereabouts.

The reason why the Emperor fell in the battle of that year was largely due to the Underworld Emperor. If it weren't for him, even if the Emperor was astounded as he was, he would most likely have been able to escape danger and survive the siege, instead of dying and causing the Heavenly Court to fall.

(End of this chapter)