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

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After leaving Stone Village, the men in black traveled north, traversing the most treacherous swamps and miasma-filled forests deep within the Great Wilderness. Traveling day and night, they finally arrived at the Ancient Divine Mountain on the evening of the fourth day. Without stopping, they went straight to the main peak and entered the black palace.

Inside the palace, the patriarchs of the various races of the Ancient Divine Mountain had been waiting for some time. The patriarch of the Qiongqi race sat on the highest stone chair, his face grim, his gaze sharp as lightning. Beside him sat the patriarchs of the Taotie, Chaos, and other races, as well as leaders of more than a dozen other races, large and small. Their auras were deep and violent; each was at least a Venerable Realm expert, some even having touched the threshold of the Divine Fire Realm. Yet, at this moment, their faces wore complex expressions of anxiety and anticipation. They had waited for three days, growing impatient and restless, almost to the point of wanting to personally visit Stone Village.

The man in white entered the hall, followed by two black-clad attendants, one on each side, their faces cold and their gazes sharp. The man in white remained calm, but a hint of gravity flickered in his deep eyes. He had spent three days on the mountain outside Stone Village, trying various methods to investigate the village, but all were blocked by an invisible barrier. He couldn't see the village in its entirety, only a veil of mist. He couldn't sense the child's presence, only a blurry light. He couldn't determine Li Chenzhou's cultivation level, only that the man was unfathomable.

"My lord, what is the situation?" The chieftain of the Qiongqi tribe stood up and asked anxiously.

The man in white glanced at him, said nothing, and walked to the stone chair above and sat down. His two black-clad attendants stood behind him, like two stone statues, motionless.

"That village is no ordinary place." The man in white finally spoke, his voice not loud, but every word struck the hearts of the beast chieftains like a heavy hammer. "A master has set up a grand formation to conceal the village's aura. I spent three days trying to see through it, but I still couldn't."

The expressions of the beast chieftains changed. They knew the white-robed man's cultivation level: peak of the Divine Fire Realm, only one step away from becoming a True God. Even he couldn't see through what was in that village.

"Where is that child? Did he sense it?" the chieftain of the Taotie tribe asked.

"No." The man in white shook his head. "His aura was concealed by the great formation. I only sensed a blurry light, like a flame burning in the mist."

"And what about Mr. Li?"

"Unfathomable." The white-robed man's voice carried a hint of solemnity. "I cannot ascertain his cultivation level, but I am certain he is very strong. Strong enough to make even me uneasy."

Silence fell over the palace. The beast chieftains exchanged bewildered glances, a nameless fear rising within them. They knew that Mr. Li was powerful, but they hadn't expected that even an official from the upper realm considered him unfathomable. Could they afford to offend such a person?

"My lord, what should we do?" asked the chieftain of the Qiongqi tribe. His voice trembled slightly, but he tried his best to appear calm.

The man in white was silent for a moment, then slowly spoke. "Wait."

"wait?"

"Wait for more people from the upper realm to come down," the man in white said. "I alone am not enough to deal with that Mr. Li. I need help, I need stronger help."

"An even stronger ally?" The Qiongqi clan chief was taken aback. "My lord is already at the peak of the Divine Fire Realm, isn't that enough?"

"Not enough." The man in white shook his head. "That Mr. Li doesn't seem like someone at the Divine Fire Realm. He seems like someone at a higher level, just with his cultivation suppressed. Someone like that is beyond my capabilities."

The faces of the beast chieftains grew even uglier. They had thought that with the Upper Realm as their backer, they could rest easy. But now it seemed that even the Upper Realm might not be able to deal with that Mr. Li. They began to regret getting on this pirate ship. But they had no way out and could only grit their teeth and move forward.

"My lord, when will the upper realm send someone down?" the chieftain of the Taotie clan asked.

"Soon," the man in white said. "I've already sent a message back. In at most half a month, an even stronger being will descend to the lower realm."

"Half a month?" The patriarch of the Chaos Clan frowned. "My lord, we can't wait that long. The Fire Kingdom and the Stone Kingdom have already reinforced their troops at the border, and our room for maneuver is getting smaller and smaller. If we don't act soon, we will be suppressed deep in the Great Wilderness and won't even be able to lift our heads."

The man in white glanced at him, his gaze calm, yet beneath that calm lay a chill. "You can't wait, but you have to. Acting rashly will only alert him, making Mr. Li wary. In that case, not only you, but I might also perish there."

The Chaos Clan chief opened his mouth, as if to say something, but looking into the white-robed man's cold eyes, he swallowed his words. He knew that this lord wasn't bluffing them, but stating a fact. That Mr. Li was indeed not someone they could handle.

"My lord, what should we do now?" asked the chief of the Qiongqi tribe.

"Continue to create chaos," the man in white said. "Attack human villages and towns, plunder human caravans, and burn human crops. I will keep the Fire Kingdom and the Stone Kingdom preoccupied, disperse their forces, and demoralize them. When the powerful beings from the upper realm descend, we can wipe out humanity in one fell swoop and reclaim everything you have lost."

The eyes of those ferocious beast chieftains lit up. They had waited for this day for a long time. They were once the masters of this land, but after the rise of humanity, they were driven to the depths of the Great Wilderness, suppressed, ostracized, and forgotten. They were unwilling to accept this; they wanted to reclaim everything they had lost. Now, their opportunity had arrived. With the Upper Realm as their backer, with the Upper Realm's support, they no longer needed to fear the Fire Emperor, no longer needed to fear the Stone Emperor, and no longer needed to fear those powerful human beings.

"My lord, we'll take care of it immediately." The chieftain of the Qiongqi tribe stood up, bowed deeply to the man in white, and then turned and walked out of the hall. The other chieftains of the ferocious beast tribes also stood up and followed him out. Only the man in white and his two black-clad attendants remained in the hall.

The man in white leaned back in the stone chair, eyes closed, his face calm, yet his heart was churning with turmoil. He recalled the light he had seen on the mountain outside Stone Village, the light burning in the mist. It was no ordinary light, but a power he had never seen before. That power did not belong to the lower realm, nor to the Three Thousand Provinces, nor even to any world he knew. He didn't know what it was, but he instinctively sensed danger.

"My lord, what are you thinking about?" the woman in black behind him asked softly.

"Thinking about that child." The man in white opened his eyes, his gaze deep. "Who exactly is he? Why does Mr. Li value him so highly? What secrets does he hold?"

The woman in black fell silent. She didn't know the answer, because she hadn't seen the child either. She only knew that the child was Li Chenzhou's successor, the number one cultivator in the Blood Refining Realm, and a prodigy who had opened all nine caves of the Cave Heaven Realm. Such a child was extremely rare, even in the Three Thousand Dao Continents. But she knew this information was far from enough. That child must possess an even greater secret, one so great that even the Upper Realm couldn't remain silent.

"Sir, shall we go to Stone Village ourselves and take a look?" the man in black asked.

"No need," the man in white shook his head. "That great formation is beyond our ability to break through. Going there would be pointless; it would only alert the enemy."

"So we're just going to wait like this?"

"Wait," the man in white said. "Wait for someone even stronger to come down from the upper realm. Then, we'll join forces, break that great formation, capture the child, and seize those immortal treasures."

The man in black nodded and said nothing more.

In the following days, many things happened in the Great Wilderness. Human villages and towns were attacked one after another; some were burned down, some were slaughtered, and some were completely looted. Caravans traveling in the Great Wilderness were frequently besieged by ferocious beasts, their goods stolen, and their people suffering heavy casualties. The border garrisons repeatedly sent urgent messages, requesting the Fire Emperor and the Stone Emperor to send reinforcements. Although the Fire Emperor and the Stone Emperor tried their best to cope, their manpower, troops, and resources were limited, and they simply could not attend to the situation.

In the capital of the Fire Kingdom, the Fire Emperor sat in his study, a stack of memorials before him, each one an urgent plea for help. His face was grim, his brow furrowed, and his eyes blazed with fury. He knew that the Ancient Divine Mountain was behind the chaos, that the ferocious beasts were creating disorder. He wanted to send troops to suppress them, but he didn't know where the main force of those beasts was, what their next plan was, or who was behind them. He could only react passively, robbing Peter to pay Paul, and helplessly watch as innocent civilians perished in the wilderness.

"Father, what are you thinking about?" Huo Ling'er asked softly, standing beside him.

The Fire Emperor glanced at her and sighed. "Thinking of those who have died."

Huo Ling'er fell silent. She knew what had happened in the Great Wilderness—the villages and towns that had been attacked, the people that had been slaughtered, and the caravans that had been robbed. She wanted to help, but she knew she wouldn't be able to do anything. She was just a cultivator at the Cave Heaven Realm, not even at the Inscription Realm yet; going there would only be suicide.

"Father, didn't that brat promise to go to the border? Why hasn't he gone yet?" Huo Ling'er asked.

The Fire Emperor shook his head. "He can't go now. His cultivation level isn't high enough; going wouldn't change anything. Besides, Mr. Li won't let him go."

Why?

"Because it's too dangerous," the Fire Emperor said. "There are people behind those ferocious beasts. They're much more powerful than we imagine. Mr. Li doesn't want Little One to get involved in this conflict, he doesn't want him to take any risks."

Huo Ling'er bit her lip, remaining silent. She knew her father was right, but she still felt uneasy. That brat was so strong, why couldn't he help? He could even send a Venerable flying with a single punch; dealing with those ferocious beasts would be a piece of cake, wouldn't it? But what she didn't know was that the people behind those ferocious beasts weren't Venerables, but gods, or perhaps even stronger beings. Although the little one was strong, he was still just a child, just a cultivator at the Cave Heaven Realm. Facing those beings, he wouldn't even have a chance to fight back.

In Stone Village, Li Chenzhou stood by the Spirit Lake, hands clasped behind his back, gazing into the distance. The willow branches swayed gently behind him, scattering dappled green light. His expression was calm, but a hint of solemnity lingered in his deep eyes. He knew what was happening in the Great Wilderness, knew the Ancient Divine Mountain was creating chaos, knew the innocent people were dying. He wanted to help, but he knew he couldn't. Not because he couldn't win, but because he had to protect Stone Village, to protect that child. If he left, those from the Upper Realm would seize the opportunity, would attack Stone Village, and would harm the child.

"Mr. Li, aren't you going to help?" Liu Shen's voice echoed in his mind.

"I can't go." Li Chenzhou shook his head. "Those people from the upper realm are still watching Stone Village. If I leave, they'll make their move."

"So what do you plan to do?"

"Wait," Li Chenzhou said. "Wait for them to come out on their own."

"What if they don't come forward?"

"They will come out." Li Chenzhou's voice was calm, but beneath that calm was unparalleled confidence. "Greed is the original sin. They can't resist."

The willow spirit did not speak again, but gently shook its branches, scattering specks of emerald light.

The little boy stood beside Li Chenzhou, hugging the pottery jar, his face tilted back, looking at Li Chenzhou's profile. He didn't quite understand what Uncle Li and Liu Shen were saying, but he could tell their tone was serious. He knew something bad was about to happen. He was a little scared, but he didn't want Uncle Li to see it. He hugged the pottery jar, puffed out his little chest, and tried his best to appear calm.

"Uncle Li, I'm not afraid," he said.

Li Chenzhou looked down at him, watching the light shimmering in his dark eyes, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.

"I know," he said.

"No matter what happens, I will stand with you."

"I know."

The little boy grinned, revealing a bright smile with a missing front tooth. He hugged the pottery jar, leaned against Li Chenzhou, and gazed at the vast wilderness in the distance. He didn't know when the storm would come, but he believed that as long as Uncle Li was there, he had nothing to fear.