Shrouding the Heavens: The Ultimate Daoist Venerable

Chapter 23 Immortal Shadow
After the celestial light was condensed, the cocoon cracked open, and a humanoid celestial figure stepped out from it.

This celestial figure, with the immortal energy of Kunlun as its flesh and blood and the traces of the Dao of Heaven and Earth as its skeleton, is as light as a true immortal descending to earth.

Regardless of race or aesthetic preferences, anyone who sees this figure will be irresistibly drawn to it and will regard it as the most perfect being in the world.

However, the features of this celestial being were indistinct. Since the chaotic ancient era, no one has ever seen a true immortal, so people cannot imagine what a true immortal is like, only knowing that they are perfect, immortal, and transcendent.

In a sense, this celestial figure is like a personification of the cultivators' fantasies about immortality in this era.

Then, the celestial array emitted five more beams of celestial light, revealing five exquisite and ingeniously crafted arrays that echoed the five supreme beings.

These immortal formations continued to evolve, eventually forming five major human body secret realms: the Sea of ​​Wheels, the Dao Palace, the Four Extremes, the Dragon Transformation, and the Immortal Platform, which merged with the immortal shadows.

Instantly, the aura of the Kunlun Immortal Shadow surged, becoming more solid, and apart from its still blurry appearance, it almost formed a true immortal body.

Liang Yu did not intervene, letting the five supreme beings do as they pleased. He laughed and said, "This body has form but no spirit. It's fine to scare others, but it can't intimidate me. Show me what other tricks you have up your sleeve."

Zhulong sighed softly and said, "Wuji, you truly deserve the title of Heavenly Venerable for pushing us to this point. Kunlun's last trump card has not been used for millions of years, and it is time for it to reappear."

The five supreme beings rose, their self-sealed immortal sources separating to reveal their true forms. Each activated a secret technique, resonating with one of the five great secret realms of the immortal shadow.

Chaos transformed into a hazy, formless gray mist, which entered the Sea of ​​Wheels secret realm of Kunlun Immortal Shadow and merged with it;

Taotie then transformed into five demon gods, merging with the Dao Palace Secret Realm of Kunlun Immortal Shadow, reversing the five elements, and seizing the essence of heaven and earth to strengthen itself;

Taotie transformed into four beast-shaped totems, attaching themselves to the four limbs of the Kunlun Immortal Shadow and merging with its four extreme secret realms, which actually caused the Immortal Shadow to generate endless blood and energy.

Qiongqi twisted its body and transformed into a blood-red demonic dragon, baring its fangs and claws as it merged with the Dragon Transformation Secret Realm, integrating the three secret realms into one, its dragon head reaching straight for the Immortal Platform.

Zhulong then transformed into an ancient god who treads upon the long river of time, and sat on the altar.

The celestial figure gradually solidified, as if an immortal had been resurrected and was about to return to the mortal world.

Liang Yu was right. This celestial figure was originally just an empty shell with form and power, but no spirit.

Therefore, the Kunlun Supreme created a secret technique that allows the several Supremes to unite with the five secret realms formed by the Immortal Array, each of them taking charge of and maintaining one secret realm. With their minds in sync, the five secret realms complement each other, thus filling the vacancy of "God".

Finally, the strongest among them, Zhulong, would act as the primordial spirit to control the body, while the others would focus on cooperating and completely respect Zhulong.

Of course, Zhulong's dominance wasn't solely due to his strength, but also because he mastered the laws of time. With both the Kunlun Immortal Blood and the laws of time at their disposal, Zhulong possessed the highest affinity for the Immortal Bell.

Therefore, by taking Zhulong as the leader, not only can the power of the Immortal Shadow be maximized, but the Immortal Bell can also be used more effectively.

Originally, the position of Sendai was meant for Huashe, who would transform into a divine palace to merge with Sendai. Zhulong only needed to manipulate the celestial shadow as his own body, and incidentally control the celestial bell. But now, Huashe is dead, and Zhulong can only multitask, taking on Huashe's part as well.

Liang Yu was somewhat surprised, yet also excited. This celestial figure was actually comparable to his full strength. In other words, this Kunlun celestial figure possessed near-Heavenly Emperor-level combat power!
Although each of the enlightened beings claims to be invincible in their time, there are always those whose invincibility is even greater than that of others.

For the vast majority of those who attain enlightenment, their combat strength is actually quite similar. Although there are differences in strength, it is virtually impossible for one to determine life or death. Even if a result is achieved, the victor often pays a heavy price, and in most cases, they will only live a few more years before being buried alive.

We can call this type of person a standard Dao Prover. Of the five Supreme Beings who died at Liang Yu's hands, the Purple Extreme Saint Venerable was the strongest, but he did not exceed the upper limit of this level. Even the first incarnation of the Moral Celestial Venerable actually belonged to this category.

Above them are some who have attained enlightenment, possessing the strength to defeat other enlightened beings, but requiring a fierce battle. After the outcome is decided, they are generally left without any irreparable injuries.

This type can be called a powerful Dao Prover. People like Phoenix Blood Crimson Gold Supreme and Candle Dragon Supreme belong to this category.

Of the nine Heavenly Venerables who have already been born, the latest they reached this level was in their third incarnation. The Moral Heavenly Venerable achieved this advancement in his second incarnation, while the Spiritual Treasure Heavenly Venerable reached this level in his first incarnation.

There is also a very small number of Dao Provers who can be a level above ordinary Dao Provers, achieving a significant advantage in killing or even quickly killing standard Dao Provers.

These people can be called quasi-Heavenly Emperors. For example, Liang Yu is at this level. Among the other eight Heavenly Venerables who have already appeared, only Daode and Lingbao have reached this level. And the Underworld Venerable at his peak was roughly at this level as well.

Finally, there is the Heavenly Emperor level. Reaching this level essentially means completely crushing standard Dao Proving cultivators. Representative figures include Ye Fan and the Emperor Venerable; they can kill a Supreme Being with a single punch, possessing overwhelming and terrifying combat power.

Of course, these four tiers are just a rough classification and do not actually cover all situations. Many cultivators' strength falls somewhere in between, making it difficult to definitively categorize them into any particular tier.

Even now, Liang Yu cannot be certain whether anyone has reached the Heavenly Emperor level of combat power. He has seen the mark left by the third incarnation of the Moral Celestial Venerable, who at that time was considered to be at the same level as him, that is, the Quasi-Heavenly Emperor level.

Theoretically, the fourth incarnation of the Moral Celestial Venerable, who cultivated the Supreme Immortal Body and nearly instantly killed a Supreme Being of the Heavenly River Divine Realm, should possess combat power of this level.

Although Liang Yu didn't know much about Lingbao Tianzun, the third incarnation of Lingbao was already able to suppress the underworld with his sword and confront the Underworld Lord head-on, so the fourth incarnation of him might not be unable to reach that level.

After all, the Immortal Slaughtering Sword Formation alone already clearly sets it apart from most Dao Proving cultivators. This thing only requires four self-severing Supreme beings to preside over it, and even then, it would require Heavenly Emperor-level combat power to break through from the inside.

The fact that this constructed Kunlun Immortal Shadow could reach the combat power of a quasi-Heavenly Emperor was far beyond Liang Yu's expectations. Although this phantom could not stray too far from Kunlun Immortal Mountain and could only be used for defense and counterattack, it was still extremely outrageous.

In the original timeline, the Emperor Venerable, with his Heavenly Emperor-level combat power, attacked Kunlun Immortal Mountain. He was going to face a Celestial Shadow with all six Supreme Beings present, a being even more powerful than the one Liang Yu was facing. Moreover, this Celestial Shadow could also manipulate the Celestial Artifact, the Celestial Bell.

It's important to understand that this is the performance of the several Supreme Beings before their ascension. If these Supreme Beings were to fight to the death and all ascend, then this illusory figure could likely unleash true Heavenly Emperor-level combat power. Although the Supreme Beings controlling it are far inferior to Emperors in terms of realm and Dao techniques, the presence of the Immortal Bell might compensate for this shortcoming.

No wonder the Emperor had to ask the Underworld Lord for help. Under such circumstances, even the Emperor wasn't confident of victory without destroying Kunlun Mountain. After all, the Emperor's primary objective in attacking Kunlun Mountain was the Immortal Bell, and the secondary objective was the mountain itself; damaging it would be a huge loss.

Zhulong stretched his body, and the mere sway of his limbs distorted the void of space. He sneered, "Wuji, what can you do to me now?"

(End of this chapter)