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

Chapter 173 A Warning to the Holy Mountain

As time passed, the atmosphere in the holy city grew increasingly tense, with the powerful figures within the city radiating the aura of dragons that seemed to pierce the heavens.

Even if they conceal their own aura, if too many top experts arrive, a strange sensation will still be created.

It was as if the air pressure had suddenly dropped; even the experts in the holy city could sense that something was different about the city.

As night falls, one can clearly see streams of vigorous blood energy shooting straight into the sky, piercing through the heavens and the earth!

Upon witnessing such a wondrous sight, many cultivators paled, wondering just how high their cultivation level had to be to produce such a terrifying phenomenon of blood and qi surging into the sky.

"The Divine City is a special place. Once an unparalleled expert arrives with murderous intent, the heavens will sense it at night and it will manifest in reality," an old relic said.

There is no doubt that many terrifying figures have appeared in the city and may launch a devastating attack!
Li Yao walked out of Yaoguangfang and strolled down the street, seemingly wandering aimlessly. Dressed in a blue robe, he exuded an indescribable charm, like a banished immortal playing in the mortal world.

He appeared to be taking a walk, but with each step he took, he trod on the veins of the main road, disappearing as if shrinking the earth to an inch.

Soon, Li Yao arrived at a palace.

This property belongs to the Yaoguang Holy Land, but it has been idle and no business has been conducted here.

As night fell like water, streams of blood energy, like great dragons, pierced the heavens and earth and rose into the sky.

One of the traces of blood energy was provided by the people in this palace.

The palace is spacious and magnificent, but not extravagant, and exudes an ancient and simple Taoist charm.

Beside the intricately carved window, a figure stood quietly, gazing intently in the direction of the Dragon Transformation Pool.

This is a middle-aged man with a full head of black hair, only slightly graying at the temples.

"To my surprise, the life force is strong, and the lifespan is still very long." Li Yao was somewhat surprised, not expecting that it would be a Dao-Slaying Realm cultivator with a long lifespan.

"When I proclaimed myself, my lifespan was still quite long, and I was not that old, only about three thousand years ago," the middle-aged man replied.

"You've been sealed away for three thousand years, plus the years of cultivation, so you know Jiang Taixu?" Li Yao asked with some curiosity.

Based on this timeline, the middle-aged man was clearly a contemporary of Jiang Taixu.

“I know him.” The middle-aged man, Qu Fei, looked in the direction of the Dragon Transformation Pool, as if he saw the white-robed god king who was full of vigor and looked down on the world four thousand years ago.

"A grudge?" Li Yao became even more curious, assuming that Qu Fei was also one of Jiang Taixu's enemies.

But in an instant, he felt it was unlikely. Although Qu Fei's cultivation was good, he was only at the third level of the Dao-Slaying Realm. His cultivation was far inferior to Jiang Taixu's. If they had a grudge, Qu Fei would probably have been killed long ago.

"No, I am at least several hundred years older than him, we are not contemporaries."

"That's for the sake of passing on traditions."

Qu Fei nodded, not denying it: "Yes."

"Have you figured out how to give me an explanation?" Li Yao asked calmly.

The empty palace fell silent. After a moment of silence, Qu Fei spoke: "You don't want Jiang Taixu to die?"

He was somewhat puzzled. Eliminating Jiang Taixu and preventing the Jiang family from increasing their strength should have been a good thing for the Yao Guang Holy Land.

"It seems you've become so used to it that you haven't even noticed this?" Li Yao asked calmly, "Who am I?"

Qu Fei seemed to be deep in thought: "The Holy Lord of Yao Guang."

He seemed to realize something, and said, "You're angry that you weren't told this?"

"Shouldn't it be?" Li Yao retorted, his tone calm yet as majestic as a dragon soaring through the heavens.

The actions of the Supreme Sage lineage are similar to a general commanding troops, arbitrarily mobilizing a large army without authorization, which is something that those in power absolutely cannot allow.

Of the hundreds of emperors in ancient China, aside from puppet emperors, which monarch could tolerate such a minister?

"The Holy Land of Yao Guang has always been like this."

During the era when Qu Fei was active, the Holy Lord had no control over the Holy Mountain. Although they were one of the Twelve Lineages, their status was unique to the Holy Lord.

They usually obey the Holy Lord's orders, but when they want to do something, the Holy Lord can't control them.

“I don’t care about what the Holy Land of Yao Guang was like in the past, but here, the Holy Mountain must obey my orders.”

Li Yao naturally knew how the Holy Mountain operated. This lineage was too powerful. When they were happy, they obeyed orders but not summons; when they were unhappy, the Holy Lord's orders were ignored.

This would be infuriating for any ruler, but there's nothing they can do about it; their power is simply too great.

Successive holy rulers had no choice but to accept the special status of the Holy Mountain.

But Li Yao is different; he now has the ability to eliminate the lineage of the Supreme Saint.

Strength brings confidence. If the Holy Mountain obeys, he doesn't mind keeping it around, as it is a considerable force and it would be a pity to kill it. But if it disobeys, he doesn't mind wiping it out completely.

Of course, that's a last resort. If we did that, the Holy Land's strength would be greatly diminished, and the matter of the Ruthless Man's inheritance would definitely become known throughout the world.

A chilling atmosphere rose in the hall, like the arrival of winter, freezing the soul and sending shivers down one's spine.

Even someone as powerful as Qu Fei was horrified at this moment, and a sense of fear rose deep within him.

Even today, everyone knows how powerful Li Yao is. In the battle of the Holy City, killing a king was as easy as taking candy from a baby.

These are real achievements earned through hard work and fighting, not boasting.

Although Qu Fei was at the third level of the Dao-Slaying Realm, he was still quite wary of Li Yao.

“In this matter, it was indeed the Holy Mountain that was wrong, and we hope that the Holy Lord will forgive us.”

After a moment's thought, Qu Fei gave in. He realized that the Holy Lord before him was completely different from the Holy Lords of the past, and a head-on confrontation would not benefit either side.

"If it were enough to just admit your mistake verbally, it would be far too easy."

Qu Fei was surprised. He originally thought that as long as he apologized, the matter would be over, but he did not expect that Li Yao had no intention of turning the page like that.

A slight anger rose within him as he asked, "Then how does the Holy Lord intend to deal with me? Kill me?"

"Do you think I can't do it, or that I don't dare?" Li Yao said calmly.

"boom!"

A powerful aura surged forth, and dazzling golden light emanated from his pores. His blood and energy soared to the heavens, making him resemble a true dragon.

As Li Yao comprehended the Taiyin Taiyang True Scripture, his cultivation improved significantly, making it easier for him to enter the realm of divine restrictions and allowing him to stay there for longer.

In other words, his combat power has increased again compared to when he defeated and killed the Dao King a few days ago.

The Divine Forbidden Realm breaks through the eight forbidden restrictions, reaching the extremes of numbers and even surpassing them, with an unknown upper limit.

Li Yao's Divine Restriction Domain is very powerful; it's definitely not as simple as just crossing nine minor realms.

In fact, even Li Yao himself didn't know how many minor realms he could overcome to fight an enemy, but he felt that taking down Qu Fei was still achievable.

With a whoosh, Li Yao unleashed his power with incredible speed, unleashing a terrifying wave of energy that vanished from the main hall.

Qu Fei's pupils contracted, divine power surged within him, and his body became dreamlike and ethereal as he transformed into a beam of immortal light.

This is an unparalleled immortal technique comparable to the Xingzi Secret Technique, its name unknown. It was created by the Ruthless Great Emperor to counter the Xingzi Secret Technique.

When this technique was used, it was as if time itself had stopped; everything slowed down except for Qu Fei, who was enveloped in celestial light.

Under these circumstances, Qu Fei finally caught a slight fluctuation and sensed Li Yao's movement trajectory.

But that's not enough; it only vaguely captured a small part and couldn't provide any defense.

Even though Qu Fei was currently moving at lightning speed, the gap between him and Li Yao was still far too great.

"boom!"

Qu Fei felt a sharp pain in his knee. A terrifying divine force pierced through the celestial light and struck his joint, causing his knee to buckle and him to kneel on the ground.

"How is this possible?!" Qu Fei was stunned for a moment before he came to his senses.

Li Yao appeared in front of Qu Fei, one palm pressed against the other's head. With a slight release of divine power, he could shatter the other's head.

"You actually cultivated the Xingzi Secret to that level!" Qu Fei was extremely shocked.

In the clash of lightning speeds, Li Yao ultimately emerged victorious with an overwhelming advantage.

This is not to say that the Xingzi Secret is stronger than the divine technique created by the ruthless man. In fact, the two are equally matched, both being secret techniques of extreme speed.

However, Li Yao's mastery of the "Xing" character technique far surpasses Qu Fei's mastery of that particular secret technique.

That's why the results show such a large difference.

"I shouldn't have tried to outrun you." Qu Fei was somewhat annoyed. If he had used the Primordial Holy Light Technique and the Myriad Transformations Holy Art, he would have been invincible.

"No matter what you do, defeat is inevitable; it's just a matter of time," Li Yao said calmly, light flowing between his fingers as he prepared to crush Qu Fei's head.

"Your Majesty, please forgive me and spare me this time." Qu Fei knelt down quickly. When he realized that Li Yao was really going to kill him, he immediately gave in.

"Don't you think it's too late to beg for mercy now?"

"I swear to serve the Holy Lord with my life from now on. I hope the Holy Lord will consider that this is my first offense and give me another chance."

Li Yao pondered for a moment, withdrew his hand, and nodded: "That's right, after all, it's your first offense, so you should indeed be given a chance."

However, while the death penalty may be spared, punishment is inevitable; he will spend ten years in the Prison Tower.

By the way, a word of warning to Mount Zhisheng: this is the first and last time. If something like this happens again, it won't just be a ten-year sentence in the Prison Tower.

Qu Fei's expression changed.

The Prison Tower is where the Yao Guang Holy Land punishes its disciples. It is filled with all kinds of evil energy all year round. Being tainted by even a trace of it is no less than having your tendons pulled out and your skin peeled off.

Such a punishment is already quite severe, but compared to death, this punishment is nothing.

Qu Fei smiled wryly, clasped his hands in a salute, and said, "I will respectfully obey the Holy Lord's decree."

It's such a pity to kill a Dao-Slaying King who was nurtured by the Holy Land with countless efforts.

Of course, Qu Fei was also a pragmatic person; otherwise, he certainly wouldn't have let him off so easily.

The matter of Qu Fei can be considered a warning to the Holy Mountain. If the Holy Mountain changes in the future, all will be well. But if it continues to do as it pleases, then Li Yao will really have to take action to suppress it.

Three days later in the blink of an eye.

During this period, Hualongchi was attacked multiple times, but all of them were more bark than bite, and they never actually managed to penetrate its defenses.

Anyone with a discerning eye could see that this was merely a test, an attempt to gauge the Jiang family's defensive capabilities.

The Jiang family, thoroughly annoyed, sealed off the Dragon Transformation Pool with the Hengyu Divine Furnace and continued to expand it, eventually sealing off the entire divine city.

This is to deter those hiding in the shadows. Anyone who dares to attack again will have to think twice. With the Divine City sealed off, no one can leave. The Jiang family can then unleash their ultimate divine furnace and go on a killing spree.

That's true power!
The ancient aristocratic families possess a unique domineering aura; if anyone dares to offend my God King, they will not hesitate to annihilate all the powerful beings within the God City.

The people in the shadows were helpless; with the supreme imperial weapon, the Hengyu Furnace, guarding it, even if they possessed heaven-reaching power, it was useless.

Only imperial weapons can counter imperial weapons.

However, in the entire Eastern Wilderness, if we only consider those that are intact, there are only a handful of supreme imperial weapons in the hands of the people. Yaochi has one, and the Demon Emperor has one left behind.

In addition, Yao Guang has a dragon-patterned cauldron, the Ji family has an ancient void mirror, and the rest is the Jiang family's Hengyu furnace.

Although Zhongzhou also possesses imperial weapons, this is a matter for the Eastern Wilderness. Whether the God King revives or not has little impact on Zhongzhou. Under such circumstances, Zhongzhou naturally will not get involved.

In such a turbulent environment, even Li Yao's cultivation was not stable.

On this day, someone secretly came to Yaoguang Workshop, wanting to use the Dragon Pattern Cauldron to fight against Hengyu Furnace.

It wasn't a mere loan; rather, they offered an astonishing reward, willing to lend the Dragon Pattern Cauldron for several days in exchange for three divine sources.

The temptation was great, but Li Yao refused without hesitation.

"Isn't the Holy Lord of Yaoguang afraid that Jiang Taixu's awakening will greatly increase the Jiang family's strength?" In the magnificent hall, a figure shrouded in darkness spoke.

Li Yao opened his Martial Dao Heavenly Eye, looked at the old man in the darkness and sneered: "A narrow-minded person sees everyone as narrow-minded. Why do you think I'm afraid of the Jiang family's strength increasing?"

The person in the darkness remained silent for a moment before speaking: "Even if it's not to weaken the Jiang family's strength, what about the three divine sources? Such treasures are something even the Yao Guang Holy Land wouldn't find too many of, right?"

Three divine sources—this is an absolute grand undertaking. If it were a complete piece, it could even seal away the foundation of a being. Even if it's not complete, its value is still staggering.

To be honest, Li Yao was very tempted, but he still didn't agree.

Now that the ancient races are about to emerge, the human race needs more powerful individuals. Jiang Taixu is a respectable person, and there is no reason for him to hinder the other party's revival.

Whether it was later resisting the ancient races or sacrificing himself to the Eternal Furnace during the dark turmoil, this person was full of personal charisma.

This is a true like-minded person. Li Yao will not only not stop the other party from reviving, but he is even prepared to get involved and protect the God King's revival.

Helpless, the person in the darkness had no choice but to retreat and borrow other supreme imperial weapons.

In the following days, peace prevailed in the divine city. Yao Guang Holy Land would not lend the Dragon Pattern Cauldron, Yao Chi would certainly not lend the Western Emperor Tower, and the Ji family would most likely not lend the Void Mirror. As for the demon race, Yan Ruyu remained in her corner and would not be an enemy of the Jiang family.

None of the five imperial weapons were lent out, leaving those who wanted Jiang Taixu dead somewhat helpless.

Without the Imperial Weapon to restrain the Hengyu Furnace, all of them going there would be nothing but sacrifice.

In the western part of the divine city, there is a magnificent building complex, where the Dragon Transformation Pool is located. It is now heavily guarded by the Jiang family.

On that very night, a young man arrived here and entered the Dragon Transformation Pool.

(End of this chapter)