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

Three days after Shi Qingfeng's breakthrough, the excitement in Shi Village hadn't subsided. Although the bonfire by the Spirit Lake had gone out, the air still seemed to hold the lingering aroma of roasted spirit fish and the sweet scent of beast milk. Little Shi hadn't gone anywhere these past few days; besides drinking milk, eating, and sleeping, he spent all his time revolving around Shi Qingfeng. He dragged Shi Qingfeng to catch fish in the Spirit Lake, to pick wild fruits in the mountains, and to chase five-colored sparrows at the village entrance. Shi Qingfeng, panting as he was pulled along, always had a smile on his face. He had never run like this before, never played like this before. He felt as if he had made up for all the play he missed during those three years in the Second Ancestral Land in these few days.

The little golden monkey perched on Shi Qingfeng's shoulder, squeaking excitedly. It jumped from the little boy's shoulder to Shi Qingfeng's head, then darted among the branches, never still for a moment. Its speed was astonishing; several times the little boy reached out to catch it, but it nimbly dodged. The little boy, unconvinced, chased it all over the village, but couldn't catch it. Exhausted and panting, he squatted down, looking up at the little golden monkey perched on the tree branch, his eyes filled with admiration.

"Little monkey, you run so fast! Faster than the five-colored bird!"

The little golden monkey squeaked and patted its chest with its tiny paws, looking extremely proud.

The little boy looked at it and suddenly remembered something. This little monkey was a reincarnation of Zhu Yan, an ancient ferocious beast, a legendary being. Although it had become this small and cute creature, its abilities should still be there. He had seen Zhu Yan's true form, with three heads and six arms, wielding an iron rod, and possessing immense fighting power. Back then, he was too young to understand what three heads and six arms meant; he only thought that the white giant ape was very majestic and frightening. Now that he was older, he understood, and he wanted to see if this golden little monkey could still unleash the supernatural powers of the Zhu Yan clan.

"Little monkey, do you have three heads and six arms?" the little one asked.

The little golden monkey tilted its head, looking at him, seemingly pondering why he had asked the question. Then it jumped down from the tree branch, landed on the ground, and stood still. It took a deep breath, its small body suddenly trembled, and a powerful aura burst forth from within it. The aura wasn't strong, but it was pure and ancient, as if it came from the distant primordial era.

The little one's eyes widened.

The golden monkey's body began to change. Two more heads slowly grew from its top. One on the left, one on the right, plus the one in the middle, making a total of three. The three heads were identical, with golden fur, red eyes, and small mouths. They turned together, looking in different directions, agile and coordinated. Four arms slowly grew from its armpits. Two on the left, two on the right, plus the original two, making a total of six. The six arms were in various postures: some clenched into fists, some extended palms, some pointing to the sky, some gesturing to the ground.

Three heads and six arms.

The little boy stared wide-eyed at the golden monkey standing on the ground. It was only three inches tall, smaller than his palm, yet it exuded an aura that commanded respect. Its three heads and six eyes each surveyed a different direction. Each of its six arms could fight independently. This was the innate divine power of the Zhu Yan clan, the legendary Holy Combat Technique.

"Wow—" the little one couldn't help but exclaim in amazement. "Little monkey, you're amazing!"

The golden monkey withdrew its supernatural powers, its three heads shrinking back to one, and its six arms to two, returning to its small and adorable appearance. It jumped onto the little boy's shoulder, patted his face with its tiny paws, and squeaked, as if to say, "It's no big deal."

The little boy stroked its head, his heart filled with awe. He had seen many magical techniques and supernatural powers, but he had never witnessed anything as wondrous as three heads and six arms. He remembered what Uncle Li had said: the Zhu Yan clan were descendants of the Ten Ancient Fiends, possessing immense fighting power and renowned for their sacred fighting techniques. Three heads and six arms were just the basics; even more profound techniques included the Law of Heaven and Earth, the Seventy-Two Transformations, and so on. At the time, he hadn't quite believed it, thinking it was just a legend. Now he believed it, because he had seen it with his own eyes.

He went to find Li Chenzhou, wanting to ask if he could learn how to have three heads and six arms.

Li Chenzhou was boiling animal milk in the kitchen when he heard the little one's shout, but he didn't even look up. "Three heads and six arms are the innate supernatural abilities of the Zhu Yan clan, engraved in their bloodline. You can't learn them."

The little one was a bit disappointed. "Then what can I learn?"

Li Chenzhou poured the beast milk from the pot into a ceramic jar and handed it to the little one. "What you can learn is its fighting style. The essence of the Three Heads and Six Arms isn't about growing three heads and six arms, but rather the ability to handle multiple targets simultaneously. You can use your mind to sense, runes to differentiate, and magical techniques to cover. You don't need to actually grow three heads to achieve the same effect."

The little boy seemed to understand but not quite, but he kept Uncle Li's words in mind.

The little boy seemed to understand but not quite, but he kept Uncle Li's words in mind.

For the next few days, he trained with the golden monkey every day. The monkey displayed its three heads and six arms, and the little boy used his spiritual sense to perceive its fighting style. He saw that the monkey's three heads looked in different directions, but their information was shared. What the left head saw, the middle and right heads could also know. The six arms fought independently, but they coordinated. One arm was blocking, while another was attacking; one arm was above the defense, while another was below the attack. This ability to handle multiple targets simultaneously was far more terrifying than mere brute force.

The little boy tried to imitate it with his mind. He closed his eyes and divided his mind into three streams: one to perceive the front, one to perceive the left, and one to perceive the right. At first, he couldn't do it; the three streams of his mind always got mixed up, and he couldn't tell which was which. He tried again and again, until his mind was exhausted and his head was throbbing.

He didn't give up because he knew that's how learning is. No one can achieve success overnight, and no one can succeed easily.

A little golden monkey perched on his shoulder, squeaking as if cheering him on.

Li Chenzhou stood at the kitchen doorway, watching the small figure sitting cross-legged by the spirit lake, without saying a word. He knew what the little one was doing, and he knew why he was doing it. It wasn't because he needed three heads and six arms, but because he wanted to become stronger. This desire was more precious than any talent.

Half a month later, the little guy finally managed to split his spirit into three streams. Although it was still very difficult and he could only maintain it for a short time, he did it. He opened his eyes, his eyes filled with excitement. He stood up, walked to the edge of the spirit lake, picked up three stones, and threw them in three different directions at the same time. Then he closed his eyes, used his three streams of spirit to lock onto the three stones, sense their trajectories, and predict their landing points.

The three stones landed almost simultaneously, and he opened his eyes.

"I did it!" he shouted, his voice echoing across the spirit lake.

A golden monkey perched on his shoulder, squeaking and patting his face with its tiny paws, as if praising him.

The little guy patted its head, grinned, and revealed a bright smile with a missing front tooth. He knew this was just the beginning. He could sense the three stones with his mind, but he couldn't yet use his mind to simultaneously unleash three different magical techniques. That required a higher realm, deeper cultivation, and stronger spirit. But he believed that one day, he would be able to do it. At that time, he would be like someone with three heads and six arms, able to deal with multiple enemies at the same time, unleash multiple magical techniques simultaneously, and combine offense and defense. Just thinking about that scene was exciting.

He ran to find Li Chenzhou, wanting to tell him the good news.

Li Chenzhou was chopping vegetables in the kitchen when he heard the little one's shout. He put down the knife and turned to look at him.

"I did it! I can now divide my mind into three parts!"

Li Chenzhou nodded. "Not bad. A little faster than I expected."

"Of course!" The little one puffed out his chest, chin held high. "I'm the best in the world! I learn everything so fast!"

Li Chenzhou didn't say anything, but simply reached out and flicked his forehead.

The little boy covered his forehead, which had been flicked red, and grimaced, but didn't cry out in pain. He was used to it; Uncle Li flicking his forehead wasn't punishment, but a reward.

"Uncle Li, I can't imitate the monkey's three heads and six arms. But can I imitate its ability to move heaven and earth?"

"The Law of Heaven and Earth is a more profound supernatural power of the Zhu Yan clan, even more difficult than the Three Heads and Six Arms. You are still too young, your cultivation is insufficient, and your spirit is not strong enough to learn it."

"What can I learn?"

"What you can learn is its combat awareness," Li Chenzhou said. "The Zhu Yan clan is renowned for its fighting prowess, not because of the strength of their supernatural abilities, but because of the depth of their understanding of combat. They know when to attack, when to defend, when to feign an attack, and when to retreat. This combat awareness is more important than any supernatural ability."

The little boy kept Uncle Li's words in mind. He decided that he would fight with the little monkey more often in the future to learn its fighting spirit.

The little golden monkey, unaware of the little one's plans, perched on his shoulder, squeaking and scratching his hair with its tiny paws. It felt it had made a good friend, a friend willing to play with it, train with it, and fight with it. It was very happy; although it couldn't speak, its cries, its movements, and its eyes all expressed the same emotion—happiness.

As evening fell, the sun dipped below the horizon, painting the sky with vibrant sunset hues. Little One, clutching a pottery jar, sat by the Spirit Lake, gazing at its shimmering reflection. A golden monkey perched on his shoulder, also watching the lake, motionless. The two, monkey and human, sat quietly, as if admiring a painting.

"Little monkey, do you think I can become stronger than your ancestors in the future?" the little one asked.

The little golden monkey tilted its head, looked at him, then squeaked twice and patted his face with its little paws, as if to say "yes".

Li Chenzhou stood at the kitchen doorway, watching the small figure run in the twilight, a slight smile playing on his lips. He knew that what the little one had learned from the golden monkey wasn't just the skill of having three heads and six arms, but also a spirit of never giving up. That spirit was more precious than any supernatural power.

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