A Scroll of Infinite Glory

Chapter 637 Turmoil in the Dan Department, the Mysterious Fire Cliff

Now that Guan Luoyang has suppressed Immortal Venerable Ji Tu, staying here is no longer the best option.

Emperor Yao of the ninth generation invited him to travel together to the sacred land of Xuanyuan.

During their journey together, Guan Luoyang also learned more about the human race.

After the great calamity of ancient times, the human race flourished, but not all the strong people born into the human race stood on the same side.

Leaving aside those who have entered the Buddhist order or taken the demonic path, the eight departments and eight palaces of the Heavenly Court alone constitute eight major factions, and it is unknown how many of them are powerful individuals from the human race.

The attitudes of the eight great heavenly palaces are currently unclear, and the human powerhouses who have pledged allegiance to the eight tribes cannot be trusted for the time being.

The number of holy land lords who are truly able to uphold the human race's traditions is not very large.

The eight ancient holy lands have always advanced and retreated together, and are symbols of the human race's tradition, so they should naturally be included.

Besides these, there are only twenty-eight holy sites, which can be considered the backbone of the human race.

However, of these twenty-eight holy sites, only twenty-two are at their peak.

The other six holy land lords have not been emperors for very long. Although they have opened up the Great Dao Realm and condensed the holy land's features, they are still in the early stages of the realm's development. In terms of combat power, they may not even be able to compare with those underworld emperors with the Five Turbid Bodies.

Guan Luoyang asked, "Besides these lords of holy lands, how many humans have reached the Heavenly Venerable realm?"

"Only one."

The Ninth Emperor, Tang Yao, said, "It is the Heavenly Venerable Mu Feng of the Xuanyuan Holy Land."

In fact, the leaders of the six major factions in the Heavenly Court—Thunder, Fire, Plague, Fighting, Pill, and Star—are all from the human race.

But as I said before, after the great calamity breaks out, they may not be willing to consider the overall interests from the perspective of the human race, and they can no longer be considered the supreme beings of the human race for the time being.

"I have some connections with the King of Hell in the Underworld. I heard from them that the Lord of Thunder, Wenqiu Tianzun, has an excellent reputation. His subordinates, Linghui Xianzun and Yuangong Xianzun, are known for their gentle and compassionate nature, and for their solemn and impartial justice."

Guan Luoyang said, "Back then, after Wenqiu Tianzun took over the Thunder Department, he rectified the atmosphere of the Heavenly Realm and had a deep cooperation with the eight ancient holy lands of the human race, right? Can't we trust them?"

The Ninth Emperor Tang Yao smiled and said, "I personally am willing to believe in the Heavenly Venerable Wenqiu, but the ancient holy lands have always prioritized caution. As for the specifics, we should wait until they make contact with the people of the Thunder Department again and have a detailed discussion before making a decision."

Guan Luoyang nodded and then asked about the specific realms and specialties of the powerful figures from all sides.

Although Emperor Yao of the ninth generation was only an emperor, he was chosen to take charge of Shouyang Mountain, which means he was actually among the top ranks in the human race.

He could explain things that even the King of Hell might not know, drawing on a wide range of sources to provide Guan Luoyang with much more timely information.

When the celestial realm was out of balance, in order to save the beings within the various holy lands, the eight ancient holy lands of the human race also formed an array to slow down the downward momentum of the surrounding holy lands.

Therefore, the eight ancient holy sites are not far apart from each other, and it can be said that they all fell outside the human world and above the southern boundary sea.

However, when Guan Luoyang and his group arrived in this vicinity, they sensed that the Celestial Venerable of the Xuanyuan Holy Land and the eight Holy Lords of the ancient Holy Land did not seem to be within the Holy Land.

Most of the holy lords of the twenty-eight surrounding human holy sites are also absent.

Only ten Holy Lords remained. They used their supernatural powers to set up an array that encompassed all thirty-six Holy Lands.

Hundreds of exceptionally large divine runes, like rainbow bridges, spanned between the various holy lands, serving as the framework of the formation, channeling the surrounding chaotic currents, and using the ripples of chaotic energy to probe the surrounding activity, remaining extremely vigilant.

As Guan Luoyang's figure drew closer, the image of the one located on the northernmost side of the formation among the ten Saint Lord auras was revealed.

A massive amount of chaotic energy was dispersed, and the image of a huge old man with a smooth head, broad forehead, large ears, and a gray beard rose up, cupping his hands and saying, "Fellow Daoist, in these extraordinary times, we are temporarily unable to receive guests. Please forgive us."

"Senior Brother Da Kong, it's me who's back."

A glimmer of red copper light flashed out, and Shouyang Mountain, which had been hiding its traces, revealed its true form, with the figure of Emperor Yao of the Ninth Dynasty emerging in the cave.

"This is a fellow Daoist from the underworld, who has a great karmic connection with the lineage of Fuxi. He just saved my life, so please don't be impolite."

He used telepathy to transmit the whole story.

The fact that Shouyang Mountain secretly transferred the connection between the myriad realms was originally known only to the Lord of the ancient holy land and the Heavenly Venerable Mufeng; this old man was also unaware of it.

However, at this point, even the people of the Heavenly Court Mountain Division already know this secret and have sent people to ambush and kill them. It would be too outrageous to continue to keep it a secret from our own people.

The old man's face twitched slightly; he never expected to suddenly hear such a secret.

However, he and the Ninth Generation Emperor Yao were close friends who had known each other since their humble beginnings. Upon hearing about this, he immediately informed the other nine fellow cultivators to activate the formation and welcome the two of them in, in order to prevent more people from chasing after them.

The Great Void Holy Land appears to be a vast expanse of white jade. The houses, trees, mountains, and streams are all white jade in color, but the radiance is restrained and not dazzling.

The houses here are rustic and simple in style, yet meticulously crafted in terms of roof gaps and wall corners, reminiscent of the ancient people's contemplation of the heavens and their coexistence with nature.

Shouyang Mountain did not linger at the Great Void Holy Land, but headed directly to the Xuanyuan Holy Land.

Although neither Mu Fengtianzun nor the Lord of Xuanyuan Holy Land are present, they can still sense if this place is truly under threat.

Shouyang Mountain is of utmost importance; only by placing the body there can we give people peace of mind.

When the old man Da Kong received Guan Luoyang, he sat down on the ground in front of the mountain, took two bamboo tubes, and handed one over.

Guan Luoyang brought out a sample; its flavor was unique and refreshing, seemingly made from some kind of mountain spring water, with some crushed fruit mixed in.

"I have a particular fondness for the scenery of the mountains and countryside; I hope you will forgive my poor taste, esteemed guest."

The old man waved his hand towards the sky.

A sun leaps from the mountaintop, adding different colors to this white jade land. Rows of white clouds drift by, transforming into many musicians with puffed-out chests, playing their instruments.

In the distance, a deer came running hurriedly from the forest, a fox rode on its back, and birds circled above the fox's head, all offering fruits to Guan Luoyang.

The elephants rose from the water, rumbling and moving, while the humans stood upright, wrestling and grappling with the rhinoceroses. The competition was spectacular, interspersed with a few comical movements that made people burst into laughter.

Suddenly a waterfall changed course and rushed over, submerging both the elephant and the rhinoceros.

The water flowed straight up, a few green bamboos swayed wildly, and several white monkeys, holding wooden swords, leaped and thrust among the bamboos, their swordsmanship exquisite.

The grass on the ground opened its eyes and sang a childlike and melodious song in unison, echoing the rhythm of the musicians in the sky.

"Ha ha!"

Guan Luoyang couldn't help but chuckle. With a flick of his long robe, he pulled the animals to his side and shared the fruits with them.

"It is unexpected that you, fellow Daoist, can maintain such leisure and composure amidst the great calamity, remaining calm and undisturbed by the waves of tribulation. This is truly admirable."

"It was just a quick break from my busy schedule, nothing to mention."

The old man said, "It's only because a few of us are good at defense that we can stay here temporarily to look after the holy land and not have to fight with anyone, so we have time to relax."

Guan Luoyang asked curiously, "Where have the lords of all the holy lands gone?"

Old Man Da Kong had nothing to hide and directly explained the whole story.

Among the eight departments of Heavenly Court—Thunder, Fire, Plague, Battle, Mountain, Water, Cinnabar, and Celestial—the Cinnabar Department was originally the most leisurely and carefree.

This faction consists of those with the highest alchemy skills in all the heavens and myriad realms, who can join to provide all kinds of elixirs for assisting in enlightenment, enhancing magical power, refining magical treasures, repairing physical bodies, and even bringing the dead back to life.

As long as you can think of it and can offer the right conditions, go to the immortals of the Alchemy Department, and they will always be able to refine it for you.

Therefore, over the long years, there have been quite a few holy sites that have attached themselves to the Dan tribe, and each of them has become a person with extremely rich wealth.

Within the Heavenly Palace of the Pill Department, countless elixirs and miraculous medicines are stored, including precious pills that can benefit even emperors and celestial beings.

Now that the great calamity has already broken out, there is absolutely no one who would complain about having too many miraculous elixirs.

Therefore, the Dan tribe became the target of everyone's attacks, and it was unknown how many powerful figures from various factions wanted to take advantage of the situation.

After the Celestial Realm became unbalanced, the Heavenly Palaces and Holy Lands of the Dan Clan faction almost all fell into the Southeast Boundary Sea, which is relatively the closest to the human race.

Those who went to take advantage of the chaos also fought among themselves, directly involving the human race.

Because the chaotic currents were still very strong at the time, in order to prevent them from affecting the interior of the human race's holy land, Celestial Venerable Mufeng took action and lured those people elsewhere.

The eight ancient holy land lords seemed to have some urgent business to attend to and left one after another.

However, there were simply too many powerful figures eyeing the Dan tribe, and their comings and goings, wave after wave, affected the human race.

Some of the holy land lords of the human race felt that it would be too much of a loss to just sit and watch those people seize the resources of the Dan tribe while their own side could only be constantly harassed.

They couldn't directly rob the Dan tribe, but taking advantage of the chaos and robbing those people after they had robbed the Dan tribe was also a viable tactic.

Guan Luoyang seemed to be deep in thought.

Those eight ancient holy land lords were probably on their way to meet the ninth generation of Emperor Yao. They probably didn't expect to be intercepted halfway there, and now they don't know where they are fighting.

It's quite normal that the other holy land lords, unaware of the situation and repeatedly harassed, chose to go to the Dan tribe to stir up trouble.

But the fact that those who are vying for the elixir are so frequently influencing the human race is rather suspicious.

Humans are not pushovers. Since their primary goal is to seize the precious medicines of the Pill Department, why would they all provoke humans?

It's likely that the group behind Immortal Venerable Ji Tu is behind this, deliberately stirring up trouble to restrain the experts on the human side.

After receiving the information revealed by the ninth generation Emperor Yao, the old man Da Kong also thought of these things.

"The eight Holy Masters all possess combat strength comparable to a mid-level Heavenly Venerable, while the Mountain Division is not particularly powerful among the eight divisions of the Heavenly Court. Even if all members of their faction, from the Heavenly Venerable in charge of the division to the Lord of the Holy Land, were to be mobilized to stop the eight Holy Masters, they should still have so much strength left."

"Unless Yamabe had already established an extremely solid alliance with certain forces before the great calamity."

The rulers of the eight ancient holy lands of the human race are all called Holy Masters, which can be said to be the most important part of the human race's foundation, and their combat power is naturally extraordinary.

Moreover, they mobilized all their members to reclaim Shouyang Mountain, and if the eight of them cooperated and used formations, their power would be even greater.

Normally speaking, those eight alone would probably be enough to fight the entire mountain tribe head-on.

The result was that all eight of them were blocked, and the entire human race was restrained. No wonder the ninth Emperor Yao felt that none of the eight departments of Heaven were trustworthy.

After all, the most likely allies with the Mountain Division are the other factions that have been in the Heavenly Court for the past 5.6 billion years.

Guan Luoyang thought for a moment, then stood up and said, "I just love to join in the fun. Since things are so lively at the Pill Department right now, it would be a shame if I didn't go and take a look."

The old man Da Kong hurriedly said, "Fellow Daoist, the situation in the Pill Department must be extremely chaotic right now. People from all sides are traveling in groups. You are going alone, and you are also suppressing a Celestial Venerable by your side. I'm afraid that might be inappropriate."

"Don't worry, I have my own plans."

Guan Luoyang chuckled, "If it's not exciting enough over there, I wouldn't bother going."

He wanted to take this opportunity to really appreciate the style and demeanor of each of the powerful figures in Taiqing Chiming.

As for Immortal Venerable Ji Tu, since the Underworld is already busy enough, it's not convenient to send him over for the time being.

It doesn't matter, he's already shattered into pieces anyway.

While Guan Luoyang was whittling down these fragments, he also sparred with other powerful individuals, which might give him even more ingenious ideas to graft and verify.

The path of the Vacuum Demon is precisely for this kind of pleasure.

………………

The Dan tribe is currently located in the southeast of the Boundary Sea. It has twenty-seven holy sites under its command, but only ten of them are at their peak.

After all the powerful figures have plundered the lands, the lords of these holy lands have basically given up everything they could. What remains of their wealth is so vast that anyone who dares to touch it would have to fight tooth and nail.

The true main body of the Dan Department's treasury, those celestial palaces and divine pavilions that were originally part of the Heavenly Court, were all shattered in the Boundary Sea, like thousands upon thousands of floating islands.

So although these holy sites are somewhat desolate now, they are still relatively peaceful.

Before those celestial palaces and divine halls are completely looted, no one would want to do something that would be counterproductive and force these Dan Department Saint Lords into a deadly battle.

"The Palace of Departing Fire and Mystic Rocks!!"

Several figures shrouded in black mist boarded a floating island.

Everyone understands the principle of not flaunting one's wealth. No one wants others to know what kind of pills they have obtained. When powerful figures from all sides come to compete for them, they usually hide their identities.

The people emanating a thick black aura were actually wearing Sunset Robes.

That was a famous type of disguise magic weapon produced by the Immortal Spirit Clan. The powerful members of the Immortal Spirit Clan used their innate divine abilities to refine a semi-finished product, which was then handed over to the buyer to complete the final few steps.

Because the refining methods in the latter half are related to the buyer's own cultivation characteristics, outsiders naturally have no way of knowing them.

Therefore, those who wear the Sunset Robe are not only difficult for experts of the same realm to see through their true appearance, but even the creators of the Immortal Spirit Clan cannot see their true faces at all.

The only downside is that people from all sides have purchased the Sunset Robe.

Everyone was wearing this, and if you didn't look closely, you wouldn't even be able to tell who your companions were.

In the very beginning of this battle for Dan tribe resources, some people suffered losses because someone impersonated their comrade and mingled with them.

Now they are all much more vigilant, and their companions stay together, exploring together and dividing the spoils on the spot.

"The Li Huo Miao Yan Palace is said to be the most secretive heavenly palace in the Dan Department. Only the Head of the Department can activate it. It must contain truly top-grade treasures."

The leader of the men in black released a burst of magical power, attempting to put the plaque into his sleeve. Unexpectedly, a flash of cold light appeared on the plaque, which actually shattered his magical power.

The group was both surprised and delighted. If even a plaque was so wondrous, one could only imagine the treasures inside.

However, when these celestial palaces and divine structures fell, they were also affected by the aftershocks of the battle between the three Heavenly Emperor-level powerhouses, and thus they found a semi-fixed position on the surface of the Boundary Sea.

Even the Lord of the Holy Land couldn't simply take the entire floating island away; he had no choice but to patiently investigate.

They used secret magic to conceal the floating islands and enter the palace complex to explore.

But soon the magic used to conceal them failed, and a second group of people arrived and entered.

They would generally cast spells to conceal their presence on the floating island, but these spells were becoming less and less effective.

Those holy land lords who entered the Heavenly Palace seemed not to have noticed that the spell they left outside had dissipated so quickly.

The struggle for control of the various celestial palaces and divine residences continues, with people fighting almost every moment.

Only the Li Huo Miao Yan Palace remained quiet, though it was unknown how many groups of people had entered this celestial palace.

Guan Luoyang traveled around Danbu for a while, fighting anyone he saw and running away when he was done, sparring with many powerful figures, which was very enjoyable.

He happened to pass by here and was immediately attracted by this heavenly palace.

(End of this chapter)