The Eternal Calamity of the Heaven-shading

Chapter 286 Returning home in glory
The carefree Celestial Venerable has attained enlightenment!
This is a new supreme being who, having just reached the pinnacle, couldn't wait to announce his existence to all living beings.

At this moment, His vast divine might filled the heavens and the earth, the six directions and the eight wastelands, overwhelming all realms of humanity.

"May the Heavenly Venerable grant boundless blessings. There is a carefree one, revered by the Dao. He praises: 'Swiftly traversing all laws, a single thought awakens the Heavenly Heart.'"

In every corner of the universe, ancient sages belonging to the Daoist sect trembled and bowed in the direction of the Carefree Celestial Venerable.

"From this day forward, may the Daoist school be immortal, and the path to immortality be eternal!"

Starting more than 400,000 years into the mythological era, a scourge of corpses began to emerge, disrupting the order of life and death.

Although a powerful figure named Lingbao Tianzun suddenly appeared and suppressed the rebellion with force, the lingering shadows still affect the region today.

As a result, over the past 100,000 years, the creation of the universe has been completely taken away, the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth has not been revealed, and the cultivation of all living beings has been suppressed.

Apart from the lofty and unparalleled Lingbao Tianzun, whose brilliant light shines through the ages, there is no other peerless master to be found in the world.

Not to mention being an unconventional figure, even a Quasi-Celestial Venerable is extremely rare. In nearly 100,000 years, only four such individuals have appeared, and the one with the highest cultivation among them is Xu Dong, a descendant of the Spirit Treasure Celestial Venerable.

It must be said that this situation is very depressing and frightening.

Now that the Celestial Venerable of Freedom has defied the heavens and attained enlightenment, the long-suppressed emotions in the cultivation world have been swept away, and everyone knows that a new era is about to begin.

……

Xiaoyaoxing
The old Taoist priest Zhao Yuanxing was overjoyed, waving his hands, which looked like withered tree branches, wildly in the air.

"My good disciple, has he really become a Celestial Venerable?"

Even now, the unscrupulous businessman still can't quite believe it, feeling as if he's living in a dream.

The next instant, a familiar voice inexplicably rang in his mind, "Yes, Master, I succeeded!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yuanxing trembled.

Seemingly realizing something, he immediately looked up, excitedly gazing into the depths of the starry sky.

Rumble!
In the deep and silent space, a magnificent golden road stretches across the universe, adorned with divine rainbows and auspicious omens, displaying a variety of wondrous phenomena.

Along the golden avenue, a hazy, ethereal figure can be vaguely seen standing, exuding a faint aura of time, as if it did not belong to the mortal world.

After attaining enlightenment, this newly ascended Celestial Venerable of Freedom returned to his hometown immediately.

However, given His extreme speed, He could have arrived in one step, but He chose the most ostentatious golden road, without making any attempt to conceal it.

The world understood this and was not too surprised.

There is a proverb in the secular world that says: "To return home in wealth and honor is like wearing fine clothes at night."

If mortals are like this, how much more so the Celestial Venerables who stand at the pinnacle of humanity. For those powerful beings at that level, the entire Nine Heavens and Ten Earths can be regarded as their own backyard, with all spirits bowing down and all living beings paying homage.

Of course, Chu Xiaoyao's actions actually had a deeper meaning, and were not entirely to demonstrate the power of the Heavenly Venerable.

As he walked, three strange sights were simultaneously reflected in his pupils.

One is a mysterious ancient site where tombs rise like mountains, stretching endlessly. It is a celestial mausoleum; though a burial ground, it exudes an aura of immortals, radiating auspicious light.

The second is another primeval and wild land, with undulating dragon veins within, vast and boundless, obscuring the sun, moon, and stars. That is the Kunlun Immortal Mountain, preserved from the chaotic ancient era to the present day, containing unparalleled secrets.

As for the third place, it is a giant island floating in the cosmos, shrouded in a thick layer of immortal mist, obscuring much of what is visible. That is Burial Sky Island, a place deeply longed for by all cultivators.

During the era of Lingbao Tianzun, these three forbidden zones remained completely silent, and even the calamity of corpses that nearly affected the entire universe dared not spread there.

However, Chu Xiaoyao sensed an anomaly while undergoing his tribulation; clearly, the Supreme Being within the forbidden zone had awakened.

"Fellow Daoists, is there anything important we need to discuss?"

Chu Xiaoyao's divine sense was like a knife, traversing endless star systems and heading straight into the Immortal Mausoleum and Kunlun Immortal Mountain.

In an instant, the situation changed dramatically, and an ancient being immediately responded.

After a moment, Chu Xiaoyao shook his head slightly. "Let's discuss the future later. I might as well try to realize the dreams that others couldn't."

This confidence, this arrogance, this domineering attitude—it's truly eye-catching.

……

At this moment, the Tongtian Ancient Starfield was already filled with a tense and exciting atmosphere.

First came Lingbao, then Xiaoyao, two peerless celestial beings emerging in succession. Although they are not from the same life-bearing star, it is foreseeable that the overall strength of the Tongtian Ancient Star Region will reach a new level in the future.

Under the witness of many sages, before long, the golden road stretched out in a mighty manner, and the overwhelming power of the ultimate Dao filled the universe.

"Greetings, Venerable Xiaoyao!" The crowd was so excited that they could hardly contain themselves and bowed in greeting.

Chu Xiaoyao waved his hand gently and said, "No need for formalities, please go back."

Then, he looked at the Tongtian Ancient Star, a look of surprise appearing in his eyes. He had never noticed it before he attained the Dao, but only now did he realize that the Tongtian Ancient Star before him was actually covered with Dao marks carved by the Lingbao Heavenly Venerable, and the Dao aura it emitted was very unique.

"Lingbao Tianzun still has a strong preference for his hometown!" Chu Xiaoyao couldn't help but feel a sense of emotion.

If his deduction is correct, those Dao traces should have served to suppress the corpse calamity. In other words, any corpse spirit that intrudes will suffer severe damage; moreover, the speed at which the corpses of all beings buried on the ancient star of Tongtian will form Yin spirits will be greatly slowed down.

"That's fine!"

Chu Xiaoyao sighed and muttered to himself, "Brother Wu Geng, we've fought for so many years, let me see you off one last time."

As soon as he finished speaking, his figure suddenly disappeared from the spot.

……

In the year 501,700 of the Mythical Era, the newly enlightened Celestial Venerable Xiaoyao visited the Guijian Sect and returned Wu Gen's body.

This move greatly shocked the world; no one expected that His first destination would be there.

The Guijian Sect was extremely grateful for this and told them many stories about Lingbao Tianzun.

After a short stay,
Chu Xiaoyao's departure and return to Xiaoyao Star caused one sensation after another.

"The Celestial Venerable of Freedom, moved by the difficulties of cultivation for all beings, has decided to preach for seven days in Changfeng Ancient City." The news quickly spread throughout the world, causing a great stir in all regions.

Many powerful forces were moved by the news, and the rulers of various major sects set off to pay homage.

In the past few days, countless people have arrived, almost overwhelming the vast ancient city of Changfeng. Later, many cultivators couldn't even squeeze in and could only linger outside the city walls, waiting anxiously.

In the heart of the city, a teahouse that feels both familiar and strange.

Zhao Yuanxing sat on the second floor by the window, his face beaming with joy, surrounded by a circle of sages, making it impossible to move.

"Senior Zhao, please tell us more about your brilliant and powerful past. How did you discover the extraordinary qualities of the Carefree Celestial Venerable and take him as your disciple, guiding him onto the path of cultivation?" The people flattered and fawned, their faces full of obsequiousness.

However, Zhao Yuanxing simply took a sip of tea and smiled without saying a word.

"Senior Zhao, this is a small token of my appreciation, please accept it!" An old sage, on a sudden inspiration, respectfully handed over a piece of divine essence.

Seeing this, everyone suddenly realized what was going on and followed suit.

What do you mean by this?

Zhao Yuanxing looked troubled, but the smug look on his lips was clearly visible to everyone.

"Please accept this, Senior Zhao. It's just a small token of my appreciation."

"Yes, yes, we would be very satisfied if Senior Zhao could tell us about the past of the Celestial Venerable."

The crowd immediately became bustling, and all the cultivators wore sincere expressions.

In the corner, the carefree Celestial Venerable, whose appearance had changed, sighed softly.

Several hundred years ago, in this very teahouse, he, who had only recently begun his cultivation journey, first witnessed the sword energy left behind by the Celestial Venerable Lingbao, and was deeply shocked.

As the years have passed, he has now reached the same level as his master, and can now be regarded as an equal. However, his master seems to be stuck in the past, his greed and stinginess unchanged.

As for the onlookers, many of them were familiar faces. They had suffered considerable losses at the hands of the unscrupulous merchant Zhao Yuanxing when they were young, and had been taken advantage of.

For example, Chu Xiaoyao remembered that he personally prepared fake medicine for the Holy Maiden of the Fire Cloud Sect. When it was discovered, the other party angrily chased the master and disciple for more than 700 miles.

"Ah, time..."

Chu Xiaoyao sighed, looking at the young and beautiful Holy Maiden of the Fire Cloud Sect with a respectful expression, and refused to mention the past.

After much deliberation, he manipulated the void, teleporting everyone elsewhere and then appearing in person to receive them. He would preach for seven days, discussing the methods of cultivation, elucidating the true meaning of the Great Dao, and resolving the doubts of the people.

During this period, cultivators continued to arrive from beyond the realm, mostly from the nearby ancient star Tongtian, with hearts set on pilgrimage.

Chu Xiaoyao saw some old friends. Of course, they were all trembling with fear, addressing him as "Heavenly Venerable" and not daring to utter a sound.

This was clearly not the outcome Chu Xiaoyao wanted, but he couldn't change anything. At his current level, everyone could only look up to him and dared not profane him.

Seven days later, Chu Xiaoyao stopped lecturing and stepped directly into the starry sky, leaving only a group of people mesmerized.

"May I ask, Senior Zhao, where has the Heavenly Venerable gone?" the Holy Maiden of the Fire Cloud Sect asked, mustering her courage.

Zhao Yuanxing glanced at her. "I remember now, little girl, haven't you bought something from me before?"

Upon hearing this, the Holy Maiden of the Fire Cloud Sect immediately denied it.

"Never mind, I might as well tell you. My disciple went to Burial Sky Island."

As the words fell, everyone present looked at each other in bewilderment, and fell silent.

(End of this chapter)