Shrouding the Heavens: Starting by joining the Holy Land of Yao Guang

Chapter 20 Northern Territory
Two dazzling divine rainbows sped across Rising Sun Island. Everyone on Rising Sun Island recognized Zhang Chong, but many people had little recollection of Li Yao, who was following Zhang Chong.

Since joining the Yao Guang Holy Land, Li Yao has been cultivating in his own residence. Some people saw him when he came to the Rising Sun Divine Island, but after four or five months, many of those people who saw him have no recollection of him.

"Who is that disciple who is following Master Zhang?"

On a scenic hill, several figures stood atop the mountain, dressed in white robes, with a white jade plaque representing elite disciples hanging from their waists.

The speaker at this moment was a tall, handsome young man.

Among this group, he was clearly the most powerful. Upon hearing his question, the other disciples quickly responded.

The result was not very satisfactory, as no one else knew Li Yao's identity.

At this moment, an ordinary disciple with a black jade pendant hanging from his waist frowned and said hesitantly, "Senior Brother Chu, I do have a vague impression, but I'm not sure."

Chu Yunlong tilted his head, looking at the disciple with interest, and raised his hand, saying, "Tell me what you know."

Upon seeing this, the disciple quickly said, "I think I saw a similar person a few months ago. He was a disciple who had just entered the Holy Land and was also following Elder Zhang."

As he spoke, the disciple said somewhat uncertainly, "I saw him from afar at that time, and he looked somewhat similar to that senior brother. However, several months have passed, and he has changed quite a bit. I'm not sure if it's the same person."

Chu Yunlong looked at the figure that had disappeared into the horizon, put his hands behind his back and said, "Then it must be that junior brother. It's normal for him to change a lot. That junior brother looks to be only thirteen or fourteen years old. People that age can change every day."

He paused, then continued, "However, having only been a disciple of the Holy Land for a few months, he has already reached the cultivation level of the Life Spring. It seems he is another junior brother with unparalleled talent."

Seeing Chu Yunlong say this, a disciple next to him quickly said, "When Senior Brother Chu broke through to the Life Spring, it only took him a few months."

Seeing this, the other disciples quickly offered their compliments and flattery to Chu Yunlong.

Chu Yunlong's lips curled up slightly; he was clearly quite pleased with the compliments from his disciples.

As for Li Yao, he didn't take him seriously. He had also achieved the Life Spring Realm in a few months, and now he was already at the fourth level of the Dao Palace. The difference between the two was obvious, so he didn't need to worry about his position being threatened.

But Chu Yunlong never expected that Li Yao would break through to the Life Spring Realm in just one month.

……

Li Yao followed Zhang Chong and soon arrived at a very spacious square.

Here, there are many huge altars, engraved with many Taoist patterns and ancient characters, marking the various regions of the Eastern Wilderness.

Domain Gate!

The Eastern Wilderness is incredibly vast, spanning countless billions of miles. Even if cultivators could travel on rainbows, it would still take them a very long time. Without domain gates, the entire Eastern Wilderness would be completely inaccessible, as the region is simply too large.

The Yao Guang Holy Land is located in the southern part of the Eastern Wilderness, while their destination, the Holy City, is in the northern part of the Eastern Wilderness. The distance between the north and south is too far. Not to mention Li Yao, even Zhang Chong would probably have to wait years to fly there on his own.

The altar was very tall, entirely constructed of black jade, and its surface was very spacious; it was estimated that hundreds of people could stand on it at once without any problem.

Domain gates are invaluable as tools for quickly traversing the Eastern Wilderness, because they are crucial for transporting troops in the event of a major war.

The original text mentions that, apart from the Yao Guang Holy Land and the Ji family, even a power of the Tai Xuan Sect's level cannot directly cross from the Southern Region to the Northern Region; at most, they can only travel from the Southern Region to the central part of the Eastern Wilderness. "Let's go," Zhang Chong said, stepping onto the altar marked as the Northern Region.

Seeing this, Li Yao leaped up, flew onto the altar, and stood in the center alongside Zhang Chong.

This was his first time traveling on an altar, and since it even carried some danger, he dared not stray too far from Zhang Chong.

hum!
At that very moment, the altar began to draw energy, and the "source" buried underground shone brightly, flowing towards the altar like ripples of water.

The jade was translucent and constantly shimmering. The Dao patterns on the altar seemed to come alive, trembling continuously, becoming sentient and bright.

The void twisted and collapsed, and then a dark portal opened, the domain gate was successfully opened, and it was unknown where it led.

Then, a suction force was generated, and Li Yao felt his body being lifted into the air by the suction force, and then appearing in a silent void, where nothing could be perceived, eternal darkness, and boundless silence.

The gate slowly closed, and the entire altar began to draw upon endless source power.

Absolute stillness, no passage of time, no appearance of light or shadow, an extraordinary silence in the pitch-black void.

Like a fleeting moment, yet also like ten lifetimes, this strange journey has finally come to an end, leaving one with a sense of the passage of time.

The void cracked open, and Li Yao stepped out, once again feeling the passage of time.

Is that the power of the void? Or is it just the power of the void itself? It's hard to imagine what kind of power it would be when such a power is controlled by the Ji family's void divine arts.

Li Yao was lost in thought, but he quickly came to his senses because everything in front of him was just too desolate.

Looking around, there were no splendid flowers, no bustling crowds, and no vibrant plants.

The earth is desolate, with red soil, reddish-brown rocks, desolation and silence.

The boundless land is extremely empty, without any sign of life, only a few bare rocky mountains dotting the horizon.

This is a barren land with no life at all, no human habitation in sight, and a lifeless atmosphere.

"So, are you surprised?" Zhang Chong asked Li Yao meaningfully.

There are many rumors in the world that the Northern Region is full of gold and jewels. Many mortals and low-level cultivators believe it to be true. As a result, many people are tricked into going to the Northern Region and becoming mine slaves, spending their entire lives working in the mines.

Zhang Chong still remembers that when he first came to the Northern Region, he thought the domain gate of the Holy Land must be broken, otherwise why would it have sent him to such a godforsaken place.

He thought Li Yao would also be surprised, but Li Yao shook his head and replied, "I have read records about the Northern Regions in ancient books, so I have some general understanding of them."

The northern region is boundless and vast, rich in mineral resources, and is famous throughout the world.

Compared to the vast land, this place is sparsely populated, with no signs of human habitation for miles around, and most areas are desolate.

Success and failure both stem from the source; this mysterious substance, condensing the essence of life, seems to have drained the spiritual energy of the entire northern region.

(End of this chapter)