Covering the Sky: I Prove the Great Dao Through the Gate of Immortality

A magnificent portal phantom appeared out of nowhere, piercing directly into the void.

The portal's phantom image was so enormous that it seemed to connect to another world.

A chaotic mist swirled around the door frame, and the door was half-open, the aura emanating from the crack causing the entire world to pause.

It appeared so fast that even the four Venerable Realm beasts didn't have time to react. When it reappeared, it was already firmly standing in the very center of the battlefield of the four beasts.

The illusory portal emitted a faint silver light, not dazzling, yet impossible to ignore. It hovered there silently, like an ancient monument, or like a pair of invisible eyes, overlooking this land about to be sacked by blood.

The four ferocious beasts stopped moving at the same time.

The Devouring Sky Sparrow's blood-red eyes were fixed on the portal, its pupils slightly contracting.

A hint of seriousness flashed in Qiongqi's emerald eyes; it sensed an unsettling aura emanating from the portal. Zhu Yan's three heads and six arms turned towards the portal simultaneously, each of its six eyes flashing with a different light, and it gripped the iron rod in its hands even tighter.

The little red bird recognized what it was immediately.

It once stood beside Li Chenzhou and witnessed him use his methods.

It was all too familiar with the aura emanating from that illusory portal; it belonged to that person. That seemingly ordinary young man who always stood at the entrance of Stone Village, holding the little one. That being who even it found unfathomable.

"Is he also here to compete for the mountain treasure?"

A sense of unease welled up in the little red bird's heart.

It had witnessed Li Chenzhou's methods and knew how terrifying that person was. If Li Chenzhou also joined this struggle, the situation would become even more complicated.

It has held out against three opponents for more than two years. With another unfathomable force coming, how long can it hold out?

But then it thought again, and something didn't seem right. If Li Chenzhou really wanted the mountain treasure, why didn't he make a move when it was first born?

Why wait until now?

Why release such a portal phantom instead of descending in person?

The little red bird's gaze passed through the gate and looked into the distance. It seemed to see the figure standing at the entrance of Stone Village, hands behind his back, calmly watching this way.

There was no greed, no eagerness, and not even the slightest interest in the mountain treasure in his eyes.

The little red bird suddenly became uncertain.

What exactly does he want to do?

In Little Red Bird's perception, the man called Li Chenzhou was once a god-like being.

Although he has clearly not recovered his full peak power, even with only his remaining cultivation, he still possesses at least the strength of a Venerable Realm expert. If such a being were to join the competition for the mountain treasures, the pressure they would face would increase exponentially.

Even if former gods fall to the mortal realm, their methods are beyond the comprehension of ordinary venerable beings like themselves.

Those fighting instincts engraved deep in their souls, those experiences and insights spanning countless years, and those divine powers and laws that can only be comprehended by those who have truly stepped into the realm of gods are all beyond their reach.

In battles against beings of the same level, the little red bird was confident of not fearing anyone, but when facing a former god, it had no confidence whatsoever.

It had met Li Chenzhou a few times.

The tiny five-colored bird, no bigger than a palm, had once perched on the willow tree branch and watched from afar as the young man carried the little one past the village entrance. It knew that the man was not a bad person, that he was kind to the child, and that he was protecting a small village.

Friendship is friendship, and treasures are treasures.

Faced with such a treasure that can change one's destiny, the greatest effect of a few encounters is merely to ensure that the two sides fight to the death.

It's impossible to simply hand over the treasure.

Whether it's the little red bird, or Qiongqi, the swallowing sparrow, or Zhu Yan, none of them would give up just because of a little friendship.

Whoever obtains it will have the opportunity to break through the shackles of the Venerable Realm, step into the realm of gods, and even go further.

Faced with such temptation, any friendship seems pale and powerless.

It's impossible to simply hand over the treasure.

"Um?"

The Devouring Sparrow's blood-red eyes suddenly narrowed as it recognized the person behind the portal's illusory image.

Its mouth slowly parted, revealing a sinister smile, a smile devoid of kindness, only cold mockery.

"I spared you back then because we were fighting for the sacred artifact. I never expected you to dare to interfere in the battlefield now."

Its voice was sharp and piercing, like metal scraping against bone, yet the killing intent was so intense it almost solidified. It remembered that person, remembered that young figure standing outside the deserted village.

When it flew over the Great Wilderness, it sensed an unusual aura emanating from that person. However, with Shanbao about to be born, it didn't want to cause any trouble and ignored it.

Now, that person has come to us of their own accord.

"Greed clouded your judgment." The Sky-Devouring Sparrow shook its head, its blood-red eyes filled with contempt. "You made a choice that wasn't so wise."

Now, that person has come to us of their own accord.

"Greed clouded your judgment." The Sky-Devouring Sparrow shook its head, its blood-red eyes filled with contempt. "You made a choice that wasn't so wise."

It paused, then slowly unfolded its wings, obscuring half the sky. Cold runes appeared on those dark, fleshy wings, each exuding a suffocating sense of oppression.

"Since you're here, why not stay?"

Before the words were even finished, the Sky-Swallowing Sparrow let out a sharp, long cry. The sound pierced the sky, shook the mountains, and cracked countless fissures in the earth. It opened its enormous maw, and a black vortex spun wildly deep within its throat, from which a terrifying suction force surged, rushing straight towards the illusory portal.

It intends to devour the portal's phantom and the person behind it.

It discovered that person back then and found this unfathomable being somewhat strange.

Although his aura wasn't particularly strong, he always gave people a feeling that he was unfathomable.

Such a being, if captured, might be excellent material for crafting treasures. It has lived for countless years, devouring countless lives, yet it has never devoured a former deity.

Even a broken body that has fallen from its peak is a rare delicacy.

A greedy glint flashed in the eyes of the Sky-Devouring Sparrow, and black saliva dripped from the corner of its mouth.

"Today, besides the sacred object, it seems I will also acquire a spiritual material."

The Devouring Sparrow's voice was filled with undisguised greed.

Those blood-red eyes were fixed on the magnificent portal phantom, as if they could see the unfathomable treasure itself through the phantom.

In its eyes, it was no longer a former god, but a readily available material for refining treasures.

The demon wings suddenly spread out.

The pair of dark, fleshy wings that blotted out the sky were covered with dense, blood-red runes. Each rune looked as if it were written in blood and exuded a strong, pungent stench.

The runes poured down from the tips of the wings, like a vast, blood-red net, pressing down on the illusory portal.

At the same time, an invisible divine thought flowed upstream along the trajectory of the runes, tracing back to its source, in order to find the location of the main body of that portal treasure.

The Devouring Sky Sparrow not only wanted to destroy the illusory image, but also to uproot it and claim the original treasure for itself.

The overwhelming demonic wings formed a stark, almost absurd, contrast with the illusory portal floating in the void.

One side was like a dark cloud pressing down on a city, threatening to crush it; the other was merely a sliver of light peeking through a gap in the cloud. Blood-red light surged from the demonic wings, while a cold, silvery glow shone on the illusory portal.

The demonic wings descended with an overwhelming, crushing force, while the portal phantom simply hovered silently in place, without making any unnecessary movements.

The latter looked too weak and vulnerable.

At least that's what almost all the living beings present thought.

The ferocious beasts watching from afar thought that the illusory portal would be crushed into dust by the runes of the Sky-Devouring Sparrow in the next second.

Even the little red bird couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat. Although its flames could suppress the Sky-Devouring Sparrow's Nether Mist, the crimson runes that the Sky-Devouring Sparrow was currently using were clearly not ordinary methods.

Only the illusory portal remained motionless, as if it didn't take the Devouring Sparrow's attack seriously at all.

"Strong, truly strong. The waters of this Great Wilderness are indeed deep."

Li Chenzhou sighed deeply, his tone carrying a mixture of mockery and helplessness.

Yet another peerless powerhouse who regards his sect's most precious treasure as mere shrimp soldiers and crab generals.

The Great Wilderness is indeed a land of outstanding people and abundant resources; even a ferocious beast dares to attack an unfathomable being.

"laugh--"

A clear sound came from the center of the battlefield.

The magnificent portal phantom trembled slightly in the void, and a burst of silvery-white light suddenly erupted, surging outwards like a tide.

The light was not dazzling, but it carried an irresistible power, dispelling the blood-red runes of the Sky-Devouring Sparrow, the sky-filling dark mist, and all the darkness within a radius of ten thousand miles.

The portal's illusory form stood horizontally in the air. Facing the overwhelming attack of the Sky-Devouring Sparrow, it neither dodged nor resisted, but merely trembled slightly.

The crimson runes, as if made of paper, shattered inch by inch in the silvery light, dissipating into a shower of light. The Devouring Sparrow's all-out attack was thus easily thwarted.

Then, several silver-white chains of light emerged from the illusory portal.

They were so fine, like spider silk that could break at any moment; they were so fast, that even the Venerable One's divine sense couldn't catch them.

The Devouring Sparrow only felt a flash of silver light before its eyes, and the next instant, those chains of light had already wrapped around its pair of sky-covering demonic wings.

"Rip—"

A dull tearing sound rang out; the sound wasn't loud, but it seemed as if the strongest barrier between heaven and earth had been ripped open.

The Sky-Devouring Sparrow's eyes widened suddenly, and fear appeared in its blood-red pupils for the first time.

It looked down and saw its proud, jet-black wings being torn off its body by those seemingly frail chains of light.

Black blood gushed from the tear, spilling onto the ground and corroding deep pits that emitted bluish smoke.

The Sky-Swallowing Sparrow let out a piercing scream, so sharp it seemed to tear the heavens apart. It struggled desperately, flapping its wings frantically, but the chains of light held its wings firmly in place like iron clamps, and no matter how hard it tried, it couldn't break free.

"Click—"

With a sudden tug, the pair of sky-covering demonic wings detached completely from the back of the Sky-Devouring Sparrow.

Black wings tumbled in the air, scattering a trail of black blood before crashing heavily to the ground, collapsing a mountain forest.

The Sky-Devouring Sparrow lost its balance and plummeted from the sky. It thrashed about wildly, its blood-red eyes filled with horror and disbelief.

It couldn't believe that its wings had been torn off by those chains of light that emerged from the portal's illusory form.

It couldn't believe that the being it had once looked down upon possessed such terrifying power.

The Great Wilderness fell silent at that moment.

All the ferocious beasts stopped in their tracks, staring blankly at the scene.

Those ferocious beasts that had already charged out, those beasts whose eyes had turned red, were now all frozen in place, their limbs weak and their bodies trembling.

They watched as the Sky-Devouring Sparrow fell from the sky, watched those once sky-covering demonic wings lie on the ground, watched the portal's illusory image float silently in the void, its silvery-white light as cold as the moon, and only one thought remained in their minds.

Who exactly is that being?

The little red bird was also stunned.

It looked at the illusory portal, then at the faintly visible figure in the distance, and its worries vanished instantly.

It suddenly realized how ridiculous its previous worries were.

How could such a being possibly be here to compete for the mountain treasure?

If he wanted the mountain treasure, he wouldn't need to fight for it; he could just take it.

"what!"

The Sky-Devouring Sparrow let out an extremely mournful cry, a sound that pierced through the entire wilderness, causing countless creatures to bleed from their eardrums and shatter their minds.

Black blood gushed from the tear in its back, cascading towards the sky like an inverted waterfall, staining the entire sky dark red.

The blood contained the essence accumulated over tens of thousands of years; each drop was as heavy as a mountain, and when it fell to the ground, it created bottomless craters.

Its wings are gone.

Those once sky-covering, jet-black fleshy wings now lay on the ground, soaked in a pool of black blood, their feathers still bearing the torn flesh from its desperate struggle. It twisted its bald back frantically, trying to fly again, but the wingless Sky-Swallowing Sparrow was like a caged beast with its claws and teeth pulled out, only able to roll in the mud, letting out desperate howls.

The murderous glint in his bloodshot eyes had vanished, replaced by endless pain and fear.

It finally realized what kind of being it had provoked. The portal phantom didn't even actually make a move; it merely extended a few chains of light and effortlessly tore off its prized wings.

If the true form of that portal were to descend, what would become of it? It dared not imagine.

The ferocious beasts that had charged out in the wilderness were now all trembling on the ground.

Seeing the Sky-Devouring Sparrow's miserable state, their greed was completely extinguished by fear. Even a Venerable-level Sky-Devouring Sparrow had its wings torn off; for them, minor characters who hadn't even reached the Spirit Transformation Realm, going up there would only be suicide.

The little red bird hovered quietly in the void, watching this scene, its heart filled with indescribable feelings.

It had fought the Sky-Devouring Sparrow for over two years, each wishing the other could be torn to pieces. But seeing the Sky-Devouring Sparrow meet such an end, it felt no pleasure as it had imagined, only a profound shock.

The illusory portal still hovered in the void, its silvery-white light as cold as the moon, as if it had just done something insignificant.