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

Chapter 85 Zhuofeng (7K views, please vote)

Upon hearing of the old madman's whereabouts, Li Yao did not go alone, but instead chose to head towards the edge of the desolate forbidden land with a group of treasure hunters.

One advantage of doing this is that when encountering danger, he doesn't need to run faster than the danger itself; as long as he is faster than others, his survival rate will be much higher.

Of course, Li Yao was also confident in his own abilities, believing that even if he encountered danger, escaping should not be a problem.

Moreover, he has a trump card up his sleeve; if you really piss him off, even the Supreme Elder can be killed.

“Let’s take the same route as last time. That mad old man might still be there. If we encounter danger, we can rely on him,” a cultivator at the Divine Bridge Realm suddenly said.

He was one of the survivors from the last time, and he witnessed firsthand how the old madman's mere presence kept the Golden Lion from approaching.

No one else had any objections. Even those who hadn't been there before had heard about it and naturally wouldn't oppose the suggestion.

Everyone was very careful. They were currently on the edge of the desolate forbidden land, where many powerful savage beasts lived. If they were not careful, a savage beast might suddenly appear out of nowhere.

Soon, the group reached the depths of the mountains, when a scream rang out.

All eyes turned toward the source of the screams, and there stood one of the people in the group whose leg had been torn off.

"There's a savage beast! I've been attacked! Help me! Help me!"

"Watch out, there's a wild beast!"

"Everyone on high alert."

The crowd instantly descended into chaos, and terror appeared on everyone's face.

There are savage beasts in this place, and no one has found out where they are, but now someone is injured.

Li Yao instantly released his divine sense, which was as vast as an ocean, leaving no corner untouched.

The savage beasts follow the path of the ancient demon beasts, choosing not to transform into human form and generally lacking in intelligence. However, because of this, their evolution is about infinitely strengthening a certain aspect, resulting in a wide variety of talents.

Just like the savage beast that attacked the crowd, Li Yao spotted it, which was currently located on a towering tree more than a hundred feet away.

It was a chameleon about three feet long, with thick scales and incredibly sharp claws and teeth that could easily pierce through steel. At this moment, it was clinging to a big tree, and its scales and flesh had changed, as if it had really become the bark of the big tree.

This change was not only visual, but also almost identical to what one could perceive with divine sense. If Li Yao hadn't possessed a powerful divine sense and noticed something amiss, he might not have been able to detect the chameleon.

The injured monk was rescued, but he only had one leg left and it would not recover in a short time.

"Did you see clearly what that savage beast was?" someone asked curiously.

The monk with a missing leg shook his head: "No, I didn't even realize it."

Everyone fell silent instantly. Not knowing anything about the savage beast meant they couldn't take any appropriate defensive measures, and everyone felt uneasy.

“It’s a chameleon, don’t worry.” Li Yao looked at everyone and finally stepped forward to say.

Originally, he wanted to blend into the crowd and not attract any attention, but if he didn't step forward, the group might be terrified, and their travel speed would inevitably be affected.

"Chameleon, how did you know?" A cultivator looked at Li Yao curiously.

“I not only know what it is, but I also know where it is.” Li Yao said, flicking his finger, and a beam of light flew directly from his fingertip, as fast as lightning.

With a "splash," blood gushed into the sky more than a hundred feet away, and the chameleon was torn to pieces.

"Alright, let's keep going. It's just a small creature, and because it's well hidden, it's hard for anyone to notice it." Li Yao withdrew his hand.

The others looked at Li Yao with slightly different expressions, realizing that Li Yao was an extraordinary expert. His attack just now was effortless and calm, without revealing any divine power, yet he easily killed a savage beast comparable to the Divine Bridge Realm.

"Fellow Daoist, your superb abilities are truly remarkable," praised a cultivator at the Other Shore Realm.

"What a silly trick. Let's keep going. We've already wasted too much time," Li Yao said casually.

The group continued forward, and even though some were injured, no one intended to stop there.

After walking for a long time and crossing two mountains, everyone heard a voice.

"Dead, dead, everyone is dead..." A white-haired old madman cried and laughed outside the mountains, repeating the same words over and over again.

The sound carried far, and those who had seen the old madman before rushed forward excitedly.

Li Yao mingled in the crowd and followed quietly.

"Senior, what are you talking about? Who died?" the cultivator who had met the old madman last time asked curiously.

"Dead, dead, everyone is dead. Once you enter the forbidden area, no one can survive..." He cried and laughed, acting crazy, clearly in a state of confusion.

"I have already seen the scene of rivers of blood and mountains of corpses."

Upon hearing this, everyone was horrified, feeling a chill run down their spines. Mentioning the topic of death outside the forbidden zone of life was something that no one could help but feel fear.

Looking at the old madman, Li Yao was certain that this was the person he was looking for.

The white-haired old madman cried and made a scene, running around in the mountains. His clothes were tattered and looked very old, not at all like the clothes of this era.

"Dead... all dead..." the old madman shouted as he walked away.

Seeing this, Li Yao broke away from the group and quickly followed after the old madman's departing figure.

Seeing this, the others also wanted to follow, but unfortunately, they were not fast enough. In just two steps, they lost sight of Li Yao and the old madman.

Li Yao chased after the old madman. The old man's steps were not fast, but his speed was incredibly astonishing. Every step he took seemed to shrink the distance to an inch.

This was just the old madman taking casual steps; he wasn't taking it seriously at all. Otherwise, Li Yao wouldn't have been able to keep up.

After walking for a long time, the old madman stopped at one spot and remained motionless there.

“Dead… all dead… it’s back again…” The old madman’s eyes were lifeless as he looked up at the sky and muttered to himself.

Li Yao knew that the "dead" in the other party's words, "all dead," referred to those who had died in the Tianxuan Holy Land. The reason why the old madman had been lingering outside the Desolate Ancient Forbidden Land was because he couldn't get over that hurdle in his heart.

He didn't disturb the other person, because at this moment the old madman was undoubtedly immersed in his own world, and he wouldn't listen to anything outsiders said.

"Waaah..." The old madman burst into tears, his cloudy eyes filled with tears, and he violently tore at his messy white hair.

At this moment, if Li Yao didn't know the old man's background, he would most likely have regarded him as a crazy old man, just like everyone else.

The old madman looked up to the sky and wept bitterly, pounding his chest and stamping his feet. Then, like a ghost, he began to wander through the forest again. From beginning to end, he never looked at Li Yao once, completely immersed in his own world.

Li Yao followed closely behind, even reaching out to grab the old madman's sleeve, but the man didn't react at all, as if he didn't exist.

In the forest, wherever the old madman went, all the wild beasts kept their distance and dared not approach within a thousand feet of him.

Unlike demons, savage beasts cannot transform into human form and have very low intelligence. However, because of this, they have an amazing innate sense of danger and a natural intuition. The more powerful the savage beast, the stronger this intuition. They felt that the old madman was terrifying, so they dared not provoke him at all.

Li Yao followed the old madman, probing the strength of the savage beasts. They were all very powerful, most of them comparable to the dragon transformation level, and a few were even comparable to the Supreme Elder.

The old madman, distraught, climbed a stone mountain and gazed in the direction of the desolate forbidden land. He stood there blankly for a long time, motionless, like a fossil.

Li Yao remained silent, standing there blankly with the old madman, from the time when the sun was high in the sky to the time when the sun set and the moon rose.

In the end, the old madman stood there all night, his cloudy old eyes never blinking, until the first rays of sunlight came into view at dawn, and he finally came to his senses.

"The music has ended, the people have dispersed, they're gone, they've all left, I'll come back to see you again later..." The old madman cried three times, then walked down the mountain with a silly grin.

When the old madman took a big step, Li Yao was overjoyed and immediately focused all his attention on the old madman's footprints.

Each of the old madman's footprints was extraordinary, interwoven with mysterious patterns, possessing a natural, Taoist charm.

This is a set of steps that was once famous in the Eastern Wilderness thousands of years ago. It was called the Tianxuan Steps and was created by the founder of the Tianxuan Holy Land based on the incomplete chapter of the Xingzi Secret.

Li Yao was practically clinging to the old madman, intently staring down at each footprint. The Dao patterns flashed and disappeared in an instant, disappearing automatically after only a moment.

Fortunately, all the patterns were the same, and each footprint was the same mark, so Li Yao quickly memorized them.

After memorizing the Dao patterns of the Tianxuan Steps, Li Yao voluntarily let go, separating himself from the old madman and not continuing to walk with him.

Of course, it was also because he had already left the area where the savage beasts gathered; otherwise, he wouldn't have dared to let go of the old madman.

The Heavenly Book recorded the Tianxuan Steps, and after more than half a month, the incomplete chapter of the Xingzi Secret was finally obtained.

People say that the Nine Secrets are difficult to collect, but for Li Yao, it was very easy. He had already obtained two of the Nine Secrets in just two years of cultivation.

After obtaining the incomplete copy of the Xingzi Secret Manual, Li Yao left the Yan Kingdom and opened up a cave dwelling in a mountain range 50,000 miles away.

Consuming 300,000 jin of source energy, the light of enlightenment suddenly shone, and Li Yao entered the realm of creating laws.

This time, he stayed in the realm of creation for a long time, for more than a breath.

As his cultivation level increased, he spent more time in the realm of creation, and consequently, his understanding of the scriptures deduced from the Heavenly Book deepened.

When Li Yao regained consciousness, the "Xing" secret, one of the Nine Secrets, appeared along with him.

This forbidden secret technique represents the ultimate speed in the world, without end. Because when cultivated to its peak, one can use this secret method to comprehend the power of time. The further one cultivates, the greater its power and the more limitless its potential.

Li Yao was completely absorbed in comprehending the secret of the character "行" (xing). He had a deep understanding of this secret technique, and his comprehension of it had reached a level of perfection.

"The Secret of the 'Traveling Character' possesses extreme speed, and also unparalleled offensive power."

Speed ​​is not equal to absolute power, but speed can definitely bring a lot of power.

In the battle between Xiaoyao Tianzun and Ye Fan, he didn't initially display any particularly impressive techniques. He simply used the Xingzi Secret Technique to unleash extreme speed and then used Ye Fan as a punching bag.

In other words, Ye Fan has thick blood, the "Zhe" character secret for recovery, the "Jie" character secret for ten times the recovery speed, and the protection of the Myriad Things Mother Qi Cauldron. If it were an ordinary Great Emperor, this alone would be enough to give him a headache.

This is the carefree Celestial Venerable, this is the secret of the word "Xing" (行), the ultimate speed.

For the next two weeks, Li Yao devoted himself to studying this method, and in the process, he discovered a new ability of the Heavenly Book. This was an incredibly powerful ability that left Li Yao speechless with astonishment, followed by ecstatic joy.

"The realm of creation can be entered repeatedly!"

This discovery came when Li Yao, while trying to see if he could continue deducing the secret of the character "行" (xing), became so focused that he received feedback from the Heavenly Book.

Once the secret technique is selected, and that page is continuously charged, one can re-enter the realm of creation.

The cost of recharging was quite high, a full 100,000 jin of energy, but Li Yao didn't mind at all. On the contrary, he was overjoyed.

Only by experiencing the profound laws of creation can one know how strong the blessing in that state truly is. It's like being an observer, or even to some extent, experiencing the insights of the carefree Celestial Venerable when he created the Secret of the Word of Action.

Even if it's only for a moment, it feels like an eternity, bringing all sorts of incredible insights.

What an exaggeration, what a stroke of luck! Even an imperial son could not learn his father's Daoist teachings in such a profound way.

Without the slightest hesitation, Li Yao directly took out 100,000 jin of energy to recharge the page of the Heavenly Book that contained the secret of the character "行".

As the light of enlightenment shone brightly, Li Yao entered the realm of the Secret Creation Method of the Word of Journey for the second time. His understanding of the Secret of the Word of Journey was rapidly increasing, reaching an incredibly astonishing level.

A moment later, Li Yao's thoughts returned, and he took a step forward, instantly moving with lightning speed.

A hundred miles away, Li Yao stopped and said incredulously, "This speed is simply outrageous. If I had this speed outside the Primordial Ancient Mine, I'm afraid that the gray-robed man would have been left far behind in just a few breaths."

He sensed the gap. The Great Sage-level Yao Guang Fu Yao Technique was also very strong, but compared to the Xing Zi Secret Technique, it was not even in the same league.

Of course, it's unfair to compare the Great Sage-level Soaring Technique with the Traveling Secret Technique, but Li Yao felt that even if the Soaring Technique were elevated to the Great Emperor level, it would still be inferior to the Traveling Secret Technique.

The nine secrets of the nine celestial venerables are inherently superior in level to the forbidden secret techniques of ordinary emperors.

Only a few emperors possessed forbidden secret techniques that were comparable to the nine secrets of the nine celestial venerables.

Of course, this refers to later learners, not the Great Emperors themselves. Forbidden secret techniques are the embodiment of the Great Dao of each Great Emperor. When later learners and creators use them, it is a completely different concept.

"The realm of creation can be entered multiple times, so it seems we need to accumulate more sources."

Li Yao felt that the Heavenly Book was attacking his wallet. Originally, he had enough source energy, but now he had discovered that the Heavenly Book could re-enter the realm of creation.

With a million catties of source energy, one can only enter the Creation Domain ten times. And with all the source energy he possesses combined, he can only enter the Creation Domain a dozen times. This consumption is truly enormous.

"We should use this tactic sparingly for now; I can't hold out at this stage."

However, as its strength increases, the Heavenly Book absorbs essence faster and faster. Especially after reaching the fifth level of the Dao Palace, the Heavenly Book absorbs the equivalent of fifty catties of pure source essence every day. In places where essence is abundant, it will only be even more so.

After breaking through the Four Extremes Secret Realm, the income will definitely double. Over time, it will accumulate into a very impressive sum.

Li Yao calmed his mind, turned the Heavenly Book to the page with the "Dou" character secret, and then, with a thought, directed the essence absorbed by the Heavenly Book each day to enter that page of the Heavenly Book.

Once that page of the Heavenly Book has accumulated enough energy, he can enter the creation realm of the Douzi Secret for the second time.

After finishing his study of the Heavenly Book, Li Yao returned to his cave, summoned the Two-Colored Immortal Furnace, and began to carve phoenix patterns on it.

His guess was correct. Now, several months have passed, and as Li Yao inscribes phoenix patterns on the Phoenix Blood Crimson Gold every day, the immortal gold is slowly becoming more active. The two-colored immortal furnace also benefits from this. With the awakening of the Phoenix Blood Crimson Gold, the immortal furnace becomes magnificent and refined.

Time passed slowly, and another half month went by in the blink of an eye. Li Yao practiced secret techniques and carved phoenix patterns during the day, and cultivated at night to improve his skills.

Over the past half month, his cultivation has been steadily increasing, and the potential gate of the Kidney Divine Treasury has been opened in many ways. However, it will take at least three more months to reach perfection, and there is no hope of reaching perfection in the short term.

After cultivating here for more than a month, Li Yao decided to leave. He had already digested the insights gained from the second entry into the creation realm of the Xingzi Secret, and his speed had reached a new level. When he unleashed the Xingzi Secret, he would be close to being unparalleled in the world.

With everything prepared, he should head to the Tai Xuan Sect to seek the secret of the character "皆".

Li Yao was very composed. He clearly had the ability to change the world and the Six Seals of Immortal Forbiddenness to conceal himself, and he was confident that he could hide from the ruthless lineage. However, he did not go to Tai Xuan Sect because of this.

Even though it's better to be safe than sorry, the chances of the ruthless lineage discovering him are slim, but Li Yao still didn't take the gamble.

But now that he possesses the Xingzi Secret Technique, his safety has increased significantly. Even if the worst-case scenario occurs, with his current mastery of the Xingzi Secret Technique, he can easily escape.

Therefore, Li Yao's trip to the Tai Xuan Sect was to ensure that even in the worst-case scenario, he could still face it calmly. Unless the Ruthless Clan could foresee the future and set a trap for him in advance.

But that's simply impossible; if he really had that ability, he would have died long ago.

This place is tens of thousands of miles away from the Tai Xuan Sect. It is surrounded by mountains and is a primitive area where strange birds and beasts often appear.

Li Yao did not fly, but instead chose to walk in a very low-key manner. However, his speed was by no means slow, because while walking, he slightly activated the Lowering Character Secret, which made his speed incredibly exaggerated and invisible to the naked eye.

Ten days later, after traversing countless wildernesses and passing through many countries, he finally arrived at a continuous mountain range.

This place, with its endless mountain ranges, is the location of the Tai Xuan Sect, with its 108 peaks right before your eyes.

The Tai Xuan Sect is extremely powerful. In this region, apart from the Ji family and the Yao Guang Holy Land, no other sect can suppress them. Even the Xiao Yao Sect is only on the same level as them.

Ahead, the mountains are towering, majestic, and very beautiful, which can be called magnificent.

Among them, the 108 main peaks are the most magnificent. Of course, it is impossible to see them all. Only a dozen or so main peaks can be captured by the eye. Cranes fly, temples are ethereal, and clouds and mist swirl around them, creating a very peaceful scene.

Li Yao was lucky; he happened to arrive just in time for the Tai Xuan Sect to open its gates wide and recruit disciples. He blended into the crowd without standing out at all.

Among the endless immortal mountains, there are 108 main peaks, each representing one hundred and eight kinds of inheritance, which is the foundation of the Tai Xuan Sect's enduring prosperity.

Although some traditions have shown signs of decline, others are rising. Through dynastic changes and the passage of time, the Tai Xuan Sect has always stood firm.

Inside the mountain gate, the terrain was open and the flow of people was surging. Tens of thousands of people had gathered here, but it was not crowded at all. They were all waiting to be selected.

These people come from dozens of surrounding countries and all have a certain talent. However, only a small number can stay. They must be exceptionally gifted and outstanding.

This is only the first day, and there is already such a huge crowd. This time, the mountain gates will be opened for a full seven days. If there are this many people every day, you can imagine how many people will rush here.

Of the hundreds of thousands of people, only a few thousand may ultimately remain, a shockingly disproportionate number.

Just then, dozens of figures flew in from among the 108 main peaks in the distance. They were all elderly people with white hair and vigorous spirits, both men and women. Each of them was at the fourth secret realm of the human body - the Dragon Transformation Secret Realm.

They hovered in mid-air, looking down at tens of thousands of people below. One of them spoke, his words concise and clear, reaching every corner so that everyone could hear him.

According to the old man, the initial test only required passing through a celestial gate in front of them; without a karmic connection to the immortals, it was impossible to pass.

Only by passing through this gate can one proceed to the 108 main peaks for testing. If one is suited to the inheritance of a particular peak, one can stay and become a disciple of the Tai Xuan Sect.

Li Yao mingled with the crowd and followed them, soon arriving at the mysterious gate.

It is hundreds of feet high, formed by a natural rock barrier, and is a deep canyon shrouded in mist.

Although many people went in, as many as 90% of them were teleported back by the immortal light and deemed to have no affinity with immortality.

"This natural barrier of the Tai Xuan Sect, which resembles a stone gate, is said to have been forged by the nineteenth generation patriarch. It is unsuitable for cultivation, and those who are not suited for it cannot pass through it at all." Many people were whispering among themselves.

Soon it was Li Yao's turn. He walked in with hundreds of others and, as expected, passed through directly.

The stone gate did not notice him because the Six Seals of the Forbidden Immortal had completely locked his aura. The reason he was not teleported out was that the stone gate did not notice him entering and simply ignored him.

After the selection process ended, only a few thousand remained out of tens of thousands. They set off for the 108 main peaks to seek their own destiny in the immortal realm. Many of them would still be eliminated, and only a small minority would remain.

Deep within the Tai Xuan Sect, there are countless beautiful main peaks, among which the 108 main peaks are the most magnificent.

Some main peaks are filled with celestial music, shrouded in mist, and shimmering with rosy light. Other main peaks are teeming with life, with waterfalls cascading down thousands of feet. Still others are adorned with flying cranes and floating celestial palaces, exuding tranquility like a pure land beyond the world.

However, none of these main peaks were Li Yao's target, nor did he care about their inheritances. Even if some of the main peaks' inheritances reached the king level, he still looked down on them.

Li Yao searched and finally stopped at the foot of a desolate main peak.

The main peak is not very majestic, only about 3,000 meters high. There are dozens of peaks belonging to it, many of which are taller than the main peak.

Clearly, this is a declining legacy. The place is very quiet, with hardly any people in sight. The main peak is covered with ancient trees and old vines, making it very desolate and seemingly untouched by human presence for a long time.

This is Li Yao's target, Zhuofeng, a main peak whose lineage has been broken for a long time. The secret of the Nine Secrets, the All-Character Secret, is hidden within this main peak.

The Secret of All Characters was created by a supreme celestial being revered by all emperors in the mythological era. Once activated, it can occasionally increase a person's combat power several times, or even ten times.

Although the probability of triggering this is very low and it cannot succeed every time, it is still terrifying. If it is successfully triggered when fighting an enemy, it often causes unimaginable damage.

Such a powerful and supreme secret technique, if mastered, can be a key factor in turning the tide of battle when the situation is tense.

Therefore, even though he knew that there was a ruthless lineage within the Tai Xuan Sect, Li Yao still couldn't resist coming, because the allure of the All-Encompassing Secret was simply too great.

At this moment, all that was in front of us was silence and desolation. Weeds grew rampant in front of the mountain gate at the foot of the main peak, making it look nothing like a sacred mountain. Not far away, several crows cawed loudly and flapped their wings to take flight from an ancient tree.

The mountain road was completely overgrown with thorns and overgrown with weeds, and had not been tended to for a long time.

Just then, a hunched, trembling old man emerged from a dilapidated temple on the mountain and began to walk down the mountain.

"Are you here for a test?" His old eyes were cloudy, but they possessed a wisdom that seemed to see through everything.

Li Yao knew that the old man before him was a typical example of someone who appeared foolish but was actually wise, so he dared not underestimate him in the slightest and quickly clasped his hands in greeting:
“Senior, this disciple did indeed come to Zhuofeng for the test.”

Li Ruoyu's eyes were cloudy. He shook his head at Li Yao and kindly advised, "Five hundred years have passed, and the inheritance has not yet appeared. It is almost extinct. I don't know when we will have to wait. You are exceptionally talented. You may waste your time here."

"I have made up my mind, and I hope you will grant my request, senior," Li Yao said sincerely.

"Alright, then I won't try to persuade you any further. There's no need for the test. Zhuofeng has been dormant for too long. If you're willing, you can stay at Zhuofeng. If you want to leave, you can leave at any time." Li Ruoyu sighed repeatedly.

In fact, over the past few hundred years, many people have joined Zhuofeng Peak for the purpose of inheriting that lineage, but all of them only stayed for a few months before choosing to leave and join other main peaks.

Li Ruoyu was already used to it, but every time, he would try to persuade others, not wanting them to waste time on the inheritance of Zhuofeng.

But if others insist, he won't try to persuade them anymore, since he'll only be gone for a few months anyway.

Thank you to OrangeNotSoSweet for the 100 book coins and Geminizmy for the 500 book coins.
PS: This is the first chapter. Please vote with monthly tickets and recommendation tickets!

(End of this chapter)