Shrouding the Heavens: The Ultimate Daoist Venerable

Chapter 8 The Supreme Celestial Venerable
The unmanned celestial bell emitted rays of celestial light, its continuous chimes reverberating endlessly. Not to be outdone, the desolate tower, with nine immortals chanting scriptures within its nine layers, almost drowned out the bell's sound. The two celestial artifacts clashed repeatedly, their power earth-shattering.

Liang Yu stepped forward, and with his activation, the power of the Desolate Tower increased even more. The Immortal Bell was suppressed and dimmed considerably, breaking the previous stalemate.

Looking at the incredibly energetic Desolate Tower, Liang Yu seemed to hear its spirit saying, "What level are you in, daring to be called one of the two great immortal artifacts alongside me? From this moment on, only the Desolate Tower reigns supreme in the world! Little Brother Zhong, quickly call me brother!"

Liang Yu was speechless. He had searched for the Desolate Tower for hundreds of years, but its spirit had always ignored him. If he hadn't given it a handful of top-grade divine essence to nourish its body, the Desolate Tower would probably have simply vanished. Of course, even so, the Desolate Tower only agreed to let him comprehend its own laws.

Over the centuries, Huangta witnessed Liang Yu's potential and changed his mind, establishing a long-term cooperative relationship with Liang Yu, but still largely ignored him.

It's a real surprise that the Desolate Tower is putting in so much effort this time.

But that's perfect, he really wanted to keep the Immortal Bell. This bell is extremely mysterious, powerful, and elusive; it might really involve some ancient secret. Even if it doesn't, copying its properties to enhance his Qiankun Creation Tower would be good.

At this moment, in the Kunlun Mountains, countless light-years away, five figures awoke.

"The serpent has been killed."

"The one who has attained enlightenment in this life is so powerful. I have long advised the snake not to look down on others just because he has a celestial artifact, but he just wouldn't listen. Sigh."

"What's the use of saying all this now? The Immortal Bell is the foundation of our clan, and we cannot afford to lose it."

"Since we're already at this point, let's go all the way. The five of us might as well activate the Immortal Bell to suppress and kill him. Maybe we can even obtain the Desolate Tower. If we have two Immortal Artifacts, who in the world can stop us?"

"Do you still want to cause trouble? The path to immortality is only a few hundred thousand years long. We must prioritize the greater good. Moreover, this generation's Heavenly Venerable is very powerful. If we can't defeat him, I think our clan will never have peace again."

"Hmph, the big picture? One of our clan's ancestral supreme beings has been killed. What's the point of talking about the big picture if we don't seek revenge? I don't believe that someone who has just attained the Dao is this strong. Even if he can stop the five of us, can he stop Kunlun Immortal Mountain?"

The four supreme beings known as the Four Fiends—Chaos, Taotie, Taotie, and Qiongqi—were arguing amongst themselves.

"Shut up, everyone."

An ancient being with a human face and a snake's body spoke up to stop them. He was none other than Zhulong, the oldest and most powerful supreme being of the Kunlun clan.

He remained expressionless: "Activate the Kunlun Immortal Array to recall the Immortal Bell. Let this matter rest."

Seeing that Zhulong had spoken, the other four had no choice but to accept. Together, the five of them activated the array patterns engraved in Kunlun Immortal Mountain.

Kunlun Mountain is a fairyland on earth, with extraordinary charm. Ninety-nine dragon veins converge here, and countless traces of the Dao formed by heaven and earth create a mysterious and unpredictable natural fairy array.

Their ancestors lived in the Kunlun Mountains and received blessings from the mountains, thus acquiring the blood of the Kunlun immortals. Relying on this blood, they not only possessed extraordinary talents but could also draw upon the natural power of the Kunlun Mountains.

Since the birth of their first Supreme Being, they have been constantly exploring the mysteries of Kunlun Immortal Mountain and adding Supreme Dao Patterns to it in order to strengthen their control over the mountain.

The Immortal Bell was a supreme celestial artifact they obtained during their exploration of the immortal mountain. Strictly speaking, the Immortal Bell was also a child of the Kunlun Immortal Mountain, similar to their Kunlun clan.

Therefore, relying on their Kunlun Immortal Blood and control over the Kunlun Immortal Mountain, they obtained the Immortal Bell. With six self-severed Supreme Beings presiding over them, wielding immortal artifacts, and possessing the naturally formed immortal array of the Kunlun Immortal Mountain, the Kunlun clan held a transcendent status.

Even a living celestial being could not possibly breach Kunlun Immortal Mountain.

Of course, in the original timeline, the Emperor didn't tolerate them. Instead, he recruited soldiers and directly attacked their doorstep. With the help of the Netherworld Lord's Origin Technique, the Emperor led the Heavenly Court to successfully conquer Kunlun Immortal Mountain.

Liang Yu tried his best to suppress it, but the Immortal Bell's resistance grew stronger and stronger. A phantom image of a supreme immortal mountain formed by the convergence of ninety-nine dragon veins fell from the sky, suppressing the desolate tower. The Immortal Bell took the opportunity to break through the void and escape.

Liang Yu didn't give chase. The Kunlun clan was indeed powerful; even with his current strength, he probably couldn't break through. Of course, the main reason was that he didn't know Origin Techniques and couldn't break through Kunlun Immortal Mountain. If it were just the five Supreme Beings and a single Immortal Artifact, he might have a chance. "Just wait," he thought, "I'll personally pay them a visit once I've recovered."

Liang Yu retrieved the desolate tower, and under the protection of the immortal artifact, quickly repaired all the previous losses and damage. He truly achieved perfection, becoming a flawless Celestial Venerable, and even a Celestial Venerable close to the Heavenly Emperor level. Of course, the concept of the Heavenly Emperor level didn't yet exist.

The Heavenly Heart Mark vibrated, spreading Liang Yu's aura throughout the universe. At the same time, Liang Yu also used the Heavenly Heart Mark to spread his title to the hearts of all living beings.

Wuji Tianzun, that is Liang Yu's honorific title.

At the same time, the Supreme Beings of the Forbidden Zones were both shocked by Liang Yu's astonishing combat prowess and treacherous nature, and impressed by the profound heritage of the Kunlun Clan.

They dared not remain dormant any longer, as they needed to keep an eye on Liang Yu's movements. Perhaps they would even need to discuss matters with Liang Yu and perhaps draw up a contract.

Liang Yu rose and stepped forward, revealing a golden road, flanked by four guardian spirits and the worship of all gods. As he strode forward, countless star systems and universes were left behind.

Now that they've successfully attained enlightenment, the next step is the much-anticipated extortion and protection money collection. Although the forbidden zones are indeed very wealthy, those supreme beings will still control costs and not suffer too much loss.

However, the path to immortality is not far, and even for a normal Dao-proving cultivator, these Supreme Beings would not be willing to break off relations and would make some concessions. But now that it is Liang Yu who is proving the Dao, it is different. It would be a disservice to the Desolate Tower, which has been hidden for so long, if they were not made to bleed profusely.

With a record of killing four Ascended Supremes working together while sustaining minor injuries and swiftly eliminating an Ascended Supreme who had transformed into a snake, coupled with the Immortal Artifact Desolate Tower, Liang Yu's deterrent power is terrifyingly high. There are several forbidden zones with no more than four Supremes, and Liang Yu alone could wipe them out.

However, Liang Yu didn't need to kill them all.

We are currently in the late Mythical Era, and only about half of the Supreme Beings who instigated the Dark Turmoil within the Forbidden Zone are likely still alive. These are primarily Supreme Beings from before and during the early Mythical Era. These individuals would slaughter countless beings to replenish their strength when they were in poor condition.

However, those who attained enlightenment later, such as the Free and Unfettered Celestial Venerable, the Longevity Celestial Venerable, and the Silent Celestial Venerable, are still in relatively good condition and have not yet launched any Dark Turmoil. Of course, as time goes by, most of them will gradually fall and become the main force behind the Dark Turmoil.

Therefore, not all restricted areas need to be dealt with aggressively; some can be left alone for now.

Liang Yu's first stop was the Heavenly River Divine Realm, which was the forbidden zone where the Cangming Supreme and the Yuanchen Supreme resided.

"Hmm, truly extraordinary. Countless stars converge to form a Milky Way, giving birth to an independent little world at the center of the galaxy, which can absorb the essence of the sun, moon and stars, and play a role in prolonging life."

Looking at the Heavenly River Divine Realm, Liang Yu couldn't help but sigh at how well these people knew how to choose a location. This wondrous place, the most exquisite creation of nature in the vast universe, had been turned into a forbidden zone for life because of these self-severing supreme beings—truly a waste of its resources.

At this moment, a figure appeared at the entrance of the Heavenly River Divine Realm. He had white hair and was on his deathbed, with an aura of decay emanating from him.

"This old man from Cangshan greets the Heavenly Venerable."

Liang Yu frowned: "Are you the only one in the Heavenly River Divine Realm?"

"Yes. There are seven of us in total, all from before the mythical era. Two of you passed away tens of thousands of years ago; and two others, one died at the hands of the Moral Celestial Venerable, and the other at the hands of the Boundless Celestial Venerable. Now Cangming and Yuanchen have also died at the hands of the Celestial Venerables, and now I am the only one left in this Divine Realm." The Supreme Cangshan adopted a very humble attitude.

"Do you want me to spare your descendants?" Liang Yu did not make a move. The Supreme Immortal Platform of Cangshan was clear and bright, clearly indicating that it had not instigated any dark turmoil. Perhaps for this reason, he was already on the verge of annihilation, and in just three to five days, his life and soul would dissipate, an irreversible process.

The Supreme Being of Cangshan cupped his hands and said, "I have personally dealt with those who have committed murder. If the Heavenly Venerable is not at ease with the others, he may personally investigate. If there is any concealment, you may kill them. I only ask that a seed be left to continue the lineage."

Liang Yu looked at him and said, "I came here only to demand an explanation. Why must the Supreme Being of Cangshan do this? You may leave, and take your descendants with you. I will not kill you, but I hope your descendants will not cause trouble, otherwise I will surely destroy them."

The Supreme Being of Cangshan swept the remaining people in the secret realm into his sleeve and broke through the void to leave.

(End of this chapter)