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

Chapter 450 The Fall of the Celestial Venerable

The universe shattered, and from an unknown source, a long river flowed forth, initially slow, gradually becoming turbulent, and then raging.

A river, not a truly long river, but a manifestation of a law, its presence astonishing and overwhelming, imbued with a profound weight simply by its appearance.

The vicissitudes of life, the drying up of the sea and the crumbling of the rocks, the birth and destruction of the universe—all are perfectly embodied in this long river of history.

The universe trembled, and all paths roared!
Time flows!

This is one of the most fundamental laws governing the universe. If it is disrupted, at best, the past and present will collide, with the moon of today shining on people of the past; at worst, the river of time will break and the entire world will collapse.

Time, a powerful yet unpredictable force.

Time is like a knife that cuts down even the most arrogant and proud. No one is unafraid of this divine power, not even immortals who have stepped into the realm of immortality.

Logically speaking, a true immortal should be free from the worry of lifespan, live forever, and be as old as heaven and earth.

But that has a premise, like a reservoir, where water flows slowly on one side and is constantly flowing in on the other.

Normally, the inflow of water is higher than the outflow of water, so there is always water in the reservoir.

The state of true immortals is roughly like this; they are not afraid of the normal flow of time.

However, if someone were to use the laws of time to attack, even a True Immortal could not ignore it, because if they exceeded the limit, they would also age and even perish.

Simply put, true immortality is merely longevity under normal conditions, not absolute longevity in any sense.

Therefore, the law of time, even in the realm of immortals, remains an unparalleled killing move.

The Great Emperor Wushi is the leader of this path. The great bell resonates, and the waves it emits are the most profound and mysterious laws of time.

The universe trembled, and all living beings were gripped by a great fear.

Time, who isn't afraid of it?

A spirited young man, galloping on horseback, will gradually grow white hair under the ravages of time, his stagnant back will become hunched, and his handsome appearance will eventually become wrinkled and aged like goosebumps.

Even the most precious spirit of youth will slowly decay, like a withered branch rotting in the mud, stinking to high heaven.

Just like the supreme beings in the penalty area, they have too much to say on this matter.

In their prime, they were ambitious, reigning supreme, confident that wherever their imperial fists went, everything would shatter.

But in their second life, in their later years, they will kill their younger selves, becoming so unfamiliar that they seem like completely different people.

They came to the restricted area, faced their former enemies, shook hands with them, made peace, and became neighbors.

All of this is because of time; it is beautiful, yet it involuntarily inspires fear.

In the dim starry sky, Li Yao's eyes shone brightly as he stared directly at the long river rushing towards him, without flinching.

His face was calm, and he seemed fearless, just like a god in people's imagination, unafraid of anything.

But in fact, when facing this river, Li Yao's heart was stirred, though only for a moment, but undeniably so.

He wasn't afraid of the carefree Celestial Venerable; what he feared was the power of time, time itself.

Even someone as powerful as him, who wasn't afraid of even a true immortal and was confident he could fight one, couldn't remain unmoved when faced with the passage of time.

“Since you are afraid, then take control of it and turn it into your own power.” Li Yao’s eyes hardened. He did not dodge, but instead took the initiative to meet the attack and charge into the long river.

This scene is crazy. Under normal circumstances, one would definitely avoid it and stay as far away as possible. Who would choose to face the challenge head-on? That would be asking for trouble.

"Hahaha..." The carefree Celestial Venerable laughed, his laughter was cold, but he couldn't help but feel envious as he looked at Li Yao, who was charging into the long river.

He once had that fearless spirit, but he lost it later.

The young man travels, making friends with a few close friends, sharing life and death, and even occasionally... visiting brothels and spending lavishly.

Yes, all of these exist. Who hasn't been young? The carefree Celestial Venerable is known as the Carefree One. In his youth, he wasn't as cold as he is now. He was also a carefree young man who wandered among flowers.

Nothing is more merciless than time!

The carefree Celestial Venerable gave it his all; he had walked the path of his entire life, determined to deliver the most dazzling blow.

This is his weakest moment, but also his strongest.

The brilliance engulfed the universe, and no one could see clearly that the long river of time not only slayed enemies but also cut itself in the process.

This heaven-defying strike—the carefree Celestial Venerable of this life no longer intended to use it to break through this realm and storm into the Immortal Realm.

He knew his demise was inevitable, so he held nothing back.

"Boom!"

An unparalleled collision turned this place into a land of destruction. The divine power unleashed by the long river brought everything to an end. Chaotic energy surged, and the energy of creation surged forth.

No one can see what's happening here, not even the Supreme Beings, who can't see through the fog formed by the storm of laws.

Those radiant beams of light were dazzling and beautiful, but behind their beauty often lay the most terrifying killing intent. The divine power contained within the beams could easily destroy swarms of quasi-emperors, and even supreme beings dared not touch them lightly.

After an unknown amount of time, when everything returned to calm, the carefree Celestial Venerable staggered, his body torn and covered in blood.

The treasure bottle, forged from immortal tears and green gold, shattered, its fragments scattered everywhere. The imperial aura weakened, and all the myriad paths of heaven and earth wailed.

He ultimately failed. The Celestial Venerable who pioneered the Secret of the Word "Xing" and entered the realm of time was ultimately defeated by time itself.

If he had delivered that blow when he was at his peak, he would never have met this end.

Looking at the Heavenly Emperor before him, whose aura remained as powerful as a supreme god, the Carefree Heavenly Venerable smiled sadly.

"You have won. The claim of being the first emperor of all time is absolutely true. You will create a new chapter in ancient history."

He finally saw it; at the very last moment, his understanding of the laws of time was elevated to a new level, and he saw a glimpse of the future.

The person before me will not be confined to this; he will transcend this world.

Even if the starry sky shatters and the universe is overturned, he will stand tall in the river of time, overlooking eternity, alone on the path of the gods, with no one by his side.

"Boom!"

The universe was still trembling, and the river of time had not dissipated. It surged back and headed towards the carefree Celestial Venerable, about to crash down on him.

Li Yao reached out and struck in mid-air, unleashing a surge of chaotic immortal power that resisted the river of time.

A blinding light exploded, like a canopy, and he was like an unbreakable dam, holding back the raging river.

He looked down at the carefree Celestial Venerable lying in a pool of blood, reached out and moved him aside, then let go, allowing the river of time to disappear from that place.

The carefree Celestial Venerable's expression was complex, his thoughts unreadable. His brow was split open, his celestial platform was already shattered, and blood flowed out along with brilliant divine light.

"I'll do it myself." He said inexplicably, knowing what the Heavenly Emperor wanted. He reached out and touched his brow, drawing out a ball of primordial spirit fire. "This is my complete understanding of the laws of time. Here you go."

Li Yao's intentions are obvious to everyone. From the very beginning of the battle, he had been secretly learning his methods. Now, by protecting him, his purpose is self-evident.

A dying man's words are good, and he no longer cares about these things; what happens after his death is no longer important.

"Thank you." Li Yao accepted the wisp of primordial spirit without any hesitation. He had indeed long coveted the Great Dao of Time.

Although he has the Heavenly Book, he will eventually be able to cultivate the Great Dao of Time to its peak, but with the assistance of the Free and Unfettered Celestial Venerable's experience, the process will be much faster.

The starry sky was dim, and a terrifying killing intent raged. This place would be a forbidden zone for life for a long time to come. If an ordinary cultivator dared to set foot here, he would die and his cultivation would be destroyed if he was not careful.

Li Yao turned and left, leaving only the carefree Celestial Venerable sitting cross-legged. He did not make a move, giving the other party some time to linger.

In his final moments, the Carefree Celestial Venerable let go of everything—immortality, power, and obsessions—leaving only the most beautiful memories of the past as he gazed upon this universe.

No one knows how much time passed, but with a gentle breeze, the aged figure vanished, turning into dust that filled the sky, leaving no trace.

……

In the Big Dipper Starfield, Li Yao's figure reappeared, arriving at the Primordial Ancient Mine.

Chuan Ying and Wan Longhuang appeared, walked to Li Yao's side, and unleashed their imperial divine power, reigning supreme over the nine heavens and ten earths.

"Fellow Daoist, we both came from the ancient mine, yet now you want to return and attack?" A supreme voice rang out from within the ancient mine, extremely solemn.

The Heavenly Emperor's power left them with no hope, or rather, none of them were certain they could survive against him.

If I were to die, would it matter whether I won or lost the battle against the Heavenly Emperor?

Obviously, if they die, then the outcome of the final battle will be meaningless to them.

Therefore, the supreme beings have no desire to take action. If they can stop fighting and make peace, they don't mind spending money to avoid disaster.

The Heavenly Emperor can empty the ancient mine; as long as there's no fighting, everything is negotiable.

But this was just wishful thinking; Li Yao had never given up on the idea of ​​pacifying all restricted areas.

I didn't do it before because I wasn't strong enough, but now that I am, things will change.

The universe was in an uproar, with everyone keeping a close eye on the Heavenly Emperor's movements, and they were fully aware of the signals from above.

As expected, since the Heavenly Emperor had already taken action, he did not intend to destroy only the Sea of ​​Reincarnation.

“Fellow Daoist Heavenly Emperor, why do this? If a great war breaks out, no one will benefit.” Another Supreme Being spoke up, offering kind advice.

"Heh, you're really confident. Since I've made my move, I'm naturally certain I can wipe you out." Li Yao's eyes flashed like lightning, and his words were icy cold.

"You are indeed very strong. The title of the first emperor of all time is not an exaggeration. But everyone is in the realm of the imperial path. How many ancient emperors can you fight alone?" The immortal mausoleum trembled, and a grand voice spread throughout the world.

“Indeed, if the Heavenly Emperor makes another move, even if we don’t want to be born again, we will still choose to fight.” A divine thought came from within the Divine Ruins.

"When that time comes, can the Heavenly Emperor really face all of us alone?" Burial Sky Island has appeared in the world, no longer hidden in the chaos, but floating boldly in the sky above the Eastern Wilderness, so that the world can see it.

The enormous island, resembling a continent, stretches endlessly, shrouded in celestial mist, like a divine land fallen from a celestial realm.

Burial Sky Island has been shrouded in chaos since ancient times. People know that it exists in the skies above the Eastern Wilderness, but no one can see it. Now, it has taken the initiative to appear in the world, which clearly represents an attitude.

In order to continue to survive, the major restricted areas maintained an equal front, demonstrating unprecedented unity.

Everyone knows that if they don't unite now, it's tantamount to giving the Heavenly Emperor the opportunity to defeat them one by one.

With the Heavenly Emperor's power, given such an opportunity, he could truly pacify all forbidden zones.

With lives at stake, past grievances must be temporarily set aside.

"Interesting, this is a sight I've never seen before." Chuan Ying's eyes narrowed, and a divine light shone forth, like the clanging of a celestial sword.

He has roamed the world since the mythical era, through the ancient and primitive times, and now to the post-primordial era. This is indeed the first time he has seen such a scene.

A united front in forbidden areas—this would have been an absolutely impossible scenario in the past.

First of all, most Supreme beings are enemies, not on good terms. It's just that the timing isn't right for them to attack each other.

In the past, no one was powerful enough to pacify all the forbidden areas, so it was impossible to persuade the forbidden areas to put aside their hatred and unite against a common enemy.

"We have laid down everything and sealed ourselves off from the forbidden zone, all for the sake of survival, hoping to one day enter the Immortal Realm. Now that our lives are threatened, we have no other choice." From the Primordial Ancient Mine, a dazzling source of immortal energy flew out of the ancient cave and spoke with Li Yao.

"Whatever the Heavenly Emperor desires, as long as he withdraws, whatever we ask for, we can grant it."

This supreme being is very sincere and humble enough that he will obviously agree to any request that is not too outrageous.

Li Yao raised his eyes and surveyed the four forbidden zones. His gaze pierced through everything in sight, and even the Emperor's Dao array patterns could not stop him.

He looked at the dazzling lights, as brilliant as the sun, all of which were immortal sources, and a figure sat cross-legged within them.

The Supreme Beings did not stop him; in fact, they deliberately released their auras so that Li Yao could see them.

Clearly, this is a show of force; we're not afraid to let you see how many people we have, but rather we're actively making you see them.

Ignorance is bliss. Sometimes, people are brave not because they are truly brave, but because they cannot see clearly.

Once the full extent of the damage is revealed, allowing you to see the whole picture and realize the other party's strength, you will naturally become wary.

This is a consensus among all the supreme beings; they have reached a rare tacit understanding with each other, no longer hiding things from each other as before.

This situation has both advantages and disadvantages for the Supreme Beings. In the past, they concealed their identities not only to save face and avoid being known by the world, but also because they were once wise and powerful ancient emperors who had transformed into Supreme Beings.

They've already cut themselves off. Although they wanted to save face, the main reason was that they didn't want to be targeted by people of the same level.

At their level, deducing the secrets of heaven is a piece of cake.

However, the divination is not something that comes out of thin air, but is based on that person's deeds, past, and aura.

Concealing one's origins is actually a way of protecting one's whereabouts.

While exposing themselves at this time might make the Heavenly Emperor wary, it also has a drawback: they are now exposed.

From the ancient emperors of the past to the present with their exact titles, a review of ancient history allows us to pinpoint their identities.

Knowing their origins allows us to search for beings related to them and thus deduce their whereabouts.

This is why many ancient emperors committed suicide, but they would not do so openly unless there was a major war, in which case they would not be able to hide it.

"Fellow Daoist Heavenly Emperor, let's stop." After flexing his muscles, the Supreme Being from the Primordial Ancient Mine spoke confidently.

The four forbidden zones trembled, emanating a vast imperial aura, and the dazzling immortal energy was blinding, with more than a dozen beings present!

Each Immortal Source is the legacy of a once invincible emperor!
(End of this chapter)