Covering the Sky: A Guide to Proving the Dao Without Cheats

Chapter 121 Luo Heng Offers an Opportunity

In order to make the Xuanhuang Essence grow, Luo Heng had tried to "transform" the Xuanhuang Mother Qi, but he found that only by putting in a huge amount of Xuanhuang Mother Qi could the essence grow by a tiny bit.

The conversion ratio was so high that it pained him to even look at it.

Therefore, he is now running out of Xuanhuang Mother Qi and can only think of other ways to use it sparingly.

Fortunately, the deal was finally reached.

Watching Jiang Taixu's figure disappear outside the palace gate, Luo Heng finally couldn't help but let out a barely suppressed smile.

Afterwards, the various forces participating in the Yao Guang Grand Gathering arrived one after another.

The Eastern Wilderness forces, including Yaochi Holy Land, Ji Family, Zifu Holy Land, Taichu Holy Land, and Daoyi Holy Land, arrived first.

Afterwards, forces from Zhongzhou, Nanling, Ximo, and Beiyuan also arrived one after another.

With so many people, some friction is inevitable. The older generation can still restrain themselves, but few of the younger generation are well-behaved.

They came at the invitation of Yao Guang, so how could they miss the opportunity to exchange skills with that newly emerging top physique pioneer?

As a result, people would visit the newly appointed Holy Son from time to time.

However, Luo Heng had no interest in playing with them. He declined them all, citing seclusion as an excuse. Naturally, this didn't leave a good first impression on the younger generation of Beidou.

Luo Heng didn't care much about this until one day he heard that the Holy Son and Holy Daughter of the Purple Mansion Holy Land had also arrived, and that's when he started to have designs on it.

After thinking it over, he finally gritted his teeth and released the Black Emperor, who was trapped in the Devouring Demon Jar.

As expected, the Black Emperor tried to bite him as soon as it appeared.

Luo Heng didn't hold back either, and his fist, as big as a sandbag, rained blows down on the dog's head.

The two sides had a warm exchange, and in the end, Hei Huang realized his mistake and asked Luo Heng for forgiveness. Luo Heng also said that a magnanimous person would not hold a grudge against him.

The two sides reached a mutual understanding in a peaceful atmosphere—or so it seems.

Inside the Holy Son's Hall, Luo Heng rode on Black Emperor's back, pressing down on the dog's head with one hand and punching its back repeatedly with the other, making the entire hall buzz.

"Do you submit? Do you submit? You damned dog!"

"Woof woof! I'm not convinced! You brat, give me back the blood of the Great Emperor Wushi right now, or we're not done with each other!"

The two sides remained deadlocked for a while, and Luo Heng's hands were sore from fighting before he finally let go of Hei Huang.

"Alright, alright, I'm not in the mood to argue with you anymore."

He waved to the Black Emperor, who still wanted to rise higher, and said, "I have some news for you. The current generation of Ancient Sacred Bodies and Innate Dao Embryos have already reached the Yao Guang stage."

Upon hearing this, Black King's eyes widened instantly, and the dog trembled with excitement.

It started spinning in place, jumping and hopping, muttering to itself, "Haha! The Ancient Sacred Body and the Innate Dao Embryo are both complete! Excellent, excellent!"

Luo Heng watched for a while, waiting for the Black Emperor to calm down slightly before speaking: "We can talk about the Blood of the Great Emperor Wushi later. Let's discuss how to get the Sacred Body Embryo out first."

After hesitating for a while, Black Emperor finally nodded.

Seeing that Hei Huang agreed, Luo Heng was also delighted. In fact, he did all this not only for Ye Fan—there was also a little something of his own making hidden.

He wondered if, in case the Holy Maiden of the Purple Mansion really got together with Ye Fan, he could find a way to get her out of the Purple Mansion Holy Land.

Then we can work on it and send her to the Jade Pool Holy Land to be a holy maiden, and she can learn the "Western Emperor Scripture" while we're at it.

Yaochi only stipulates that holy maidens cannot marry, but it doesn't say that married women cannot be holy maidens, right?

If Yaochi doesn't agree, Luo Heng will have to bring out the Western Emperor himself to reason with them.

You must understand, the Western Emperor founded the Yaochi Sacred Land only after she got married and had children. Now you're saying "married women can't be saintesses"—is this discrimination against married women, or against the Western Emperor herself? Are you trying to overturn ancestral laws?

Of course, this is just coercion; there is also bribery.

For example, the possibility of Zixia, the "Holy Maiden of Yaochi," attaining enlightenment in the future—

For example, the possibility of Yi Ye Fan and Zi Xia's future child becoming the second innate holy body Dao embryo to attain Dao—

Another example is the *Wushi Jing* (Scripture of the Beginningless Emperor) left behind by the Beginningless Great Emperor

With such a huge benefit, Luo Heng didn't believe Yaochi could really resist.

If this succeeds, with the innate Dao embryo and the "Western Emperor Scripture," his combat power is estimated to be no weaker than that of an ordinary imperial prince.

In the future, during times of darkness and turmoil, he might become another unique force to achieve enlightenment—after all, the cultivation speed of an innate Dao embryo should theoretically be faster than that of an ancient holy body.

Of course, this is only "for the public good".

As for "for personal gain"—

If Zixia were to transform into the Holy Maiden of Yaochi, wouldn't the current Holy Maiden of Yaochi be "unemployed"?

If she weren't the Holy Maiden of Yaochi, then Luo Heng:

Thinking of this, Luo Heng couldn't help but smile.

"Hehehe—"

"You brat, why are you laughing so lewdly?" Black Emperor leaned closer with a suspicious look on his face.

Luo Heng quickly put away his smug expression, cleared his throat, and solemnly laid out his plan. The more Black Emperor listened, the brighter his eyes became, and finally he nodded heavily, which was considered his agreement to the plan.

A day later, news spread from the Holy Land of Yao Guang.

When the contemporary Holy Son of Yaoguang was cutting stone in the past, he obtained an ancient treasure, which is believed to be a major artifact left over from the Heavenly Court in the mythological era.

This treasure contains countless rare and precious materials. If someone is destined to ascend to it, they will be able to trigger an opportunity and receive a reward.

The Holy Son, having been in seclusion for cultivation, was unable to personally welcome you all, and feels deeply apologetic. Therefore, he has taken out this precious treasure and invites you all to try your luck.

The method of the trial is extremely simple: one person walks across the bridge, and those who are destined will reap the rewards, while those who are not will return empty-handed.

Furthermore, the Holy Son had stated beforehand: all gains obtained from crossing the bridge belong to the test taker, and the Holy Land of Yao Guang will not take a single penny.

The news sparked great interest among the younger generation of talents in the BeiDou system.

Countless people flocked to the square where the treasure was placed to watch.

The treasure was shaped like a huge bronze arch bridge, hundreds of feet high, spanning the square with a magnificent presence.

As everyone watched from afar, they vaguely sensed wisps of imperial power flowing across the bridge. Though the aura was faint, it was profound and ancient, sending a chill down their spines.

"This bronze bridge—it actually bears traces of imperial power? Could it truly be an artifact from the ancient Heavenly Court?"

"Very likely. Although this imperial might is weak, it is so terrifying, even more profound than the aura of an ordinary supreme imperial weapon. It might very well be left behind by that Heavenly Court Lord, the Emperor."

The young prodigies who had originally just come to watch the spectacle now looked serious.

Some elders tried to probe with their divine sense, but were blocked by the faint imperial might and were unable to penetrate the interior of the bronze bridge.

Some people couldn't resist and tried to step onto the bronze bridge.

Upon landing, one immediately discovered that the copper bridge was made of a very special material. One's divine power could circulate freely, but the power of one's soul was suppressed and could not leave the body at all.

After watching for a while, some bolder young disciples stepped forward.

He walked from beginning to end, but nothing unusual happened. Unwilling to give up, the disciple walked back and forth twice more, but still nothing happened, so he left dejectedly.

Next, young disciples and even older figures walked onto the bronze bridge one after another, but they all passed through calmly without gaining anything.

At this point, some people even began to doubt the authenticity of the bronze bridge.

In a corner of the crowd, a group of women with extraordinary poise were chatting.

Ji Ziyue of the Ji family turned to Yao Xi and asked, "Yao Xi, is this bronze bridge your Holy Son made real? I've looked at it for ages and can't see anything. So many people have tried and failed; could it be a scam?"

Yao Xi explained with a smile, "Of course it's not a lie. With so many prodigies and senior figures attending this grand event, the Holy Son wouldn't make such a joke."

Her gaze shifted to a woman in purple robes behind her, exuding an extraordinary aura, and she smiled, "Why don't you give it a try, Holy Maiden of the Purple Mansion?"

Upon hearing this, the Holy Maiden of the Purple Mansion simply shook her head slightly. Yao Xi didn't mind at all, and turned her gaze away with a smile: "There's nothing to be embarrassed about. I'll demonstrate first."

As she spoke, she actually walked onto the bronze bridge, but nothing happened from beginning to end.

Seeing this, Ji Ziyue, who loves to join in the fun, also skipped and jumped onto the bridge, even jumping a few times in the middle of the bridge, but still made no sound.

With these two leading the way, other women in the group went up to try one after another, and all of them passed calmly.

In the end, only the Holy Maiden of the Purple Mansion remained at the scene.

After thinking for a moment, she stepped onto one end of the copper bridge.

Seeing this, an unassuming middle-aged man quietly moved behind Ye Fan and kicked him in the buttocks.

"Holy crap—"

With a startled cry, Ye Fan was lifted into the air.

The middle-aged man seemed to have a controlling power; Ye Fan flipped in the air and landed steadily on the other side of the bronze bridge. Once steadied, Ye Fan quickly turned to look behind him, trying to find out who had kicked him. But there were a bunch of people behind him, and he couldn't tell who had done it.

He thought about it and figured Luo Heng was probably joking with him. But he didn't have any evidence, so he decided to let it go for now.

He looked down at the bronze bridge beneath his feet and then stepped onto it.

And so, Ye Fan and the Holy Maiden of the Purple Mansion slowly walked up the bridge from one end to the other.

Due to the special restrictions on the copper bridge, none of them noticed that there was another person on the other side.

But the onlookers could see it clearly and began to whisper among themselves.

The face of the Purple Mansion Saint in the crowd had turned somewhat dark.

When the two reached the last few steps, they finally saw the figure on the other side.

Both of them were taken aback.

The next moment, they felt a slight throbbing in their blood vessels.

Immediately afterwards, within the copper bridge formation, a drop of golden blood trembled slightly, then suddenly erupted with a terrifying imperial might, forcing the surrounding onlookers to kneel on the ground, unable to look up.

The once calm and still bronze bridge suddenly burst forth with a dazzling golden light, illuminating the entire sky in a golden glow.

On the bridge, countless pink bubbles burst forth, exploding in mid-air and showering down a shower of light.

Countless magpie silhouettes danced around the bridge, layering in the sky to form a magpie bridge spanning the heavens.

Then, a flash of light appeared in the void above the copper bridge, and two beams of light shot towards the Purple Mansion Saintess and Ye Fan respectively.

Everyone stared intently as a palm-sized piece of metal floated in front of Ye Fan, shimmering with a mysterious luster a thousand times more dreamlike than a sapphire, making it impossible to look away.

In front of the Purple Mansion Saintess floated a black dog the size of a calf.

Although it looked no different from an ordinary house dog, no one dared to underestimate it and carefully examined the black dog that was still sleeping.

"It's Eternal Blue Gold! That piece of metal is Eternal Blue Gold!" An older generation member recognized the blue metal in front of Ye Fan and exclaimed in surprise.

"What? That's Eternal Blue Gold, one of the Nine Immortal Golds! The supreme divine material for forging ultimate imperial weapons! Legend has it that even ancient emperors struggled to find just one piece, and he actually obtained it like this?"

The crowd erupted in uproar, countless eager eyes fixed on the blue metal, their burning gazes almost setting Ye Fan ablaze.

Hearing the murmurs of the crowd, Ye Fan immediately put away the metal, glanced at the woman opposite him with a complicated expression, and then quickly walked back.

The Holy Maiden of the Purple Mansion also heard the exclamations of the crowd and knew that Ye Fan had obtained the Eternal Blue Gold.

Then this black dog of mine is probably no ordinary creature either; it might be some kind of ancient, mythical beast.

But she didn't have time to look closely, so she put away the sleeping black dog and returned the way she came.

At this moment, a middle-aged man in the crowd suddenly exclaimed, "So that's how it is! I remember now—this thing is the Bronze Sparrow Bridge, a precious treasure of the 'Suyao Heavenly Palace' from the celestial court in the mythical era! Legend has it that the Suyao Heavenly Palace was in charge of the marriages of all living beings in the mythical era."

"It is said that as long as you give your birth date and time to the Suyao Heavenly Palace, it can find out the person in the world who is most destined to be with you."

"And this Bronze Sparrow Bridge, as long as the destined men and women walk from the two ends of the bridge to the middle, they can receive the great treasure bestowed by it."

Depending on the depth of their connection, the treasures they obtain vary; some are merely ordinary refining materials, while others may be the divine source of the Medicine King.

"But these two, one obtained Eternal Blue Gold, one of the Nine Great Immortal Golds, and the other woman likely obtained a spirit beast cub no less valuable than Eternal Blue Gold—they are truly blessed!"

Upon hearing this explanation, the crowd erupted in another uproar.

Countless envious and jealous gazes were cast upon Ye Fan and the Purple Mansion Saintess. Some stared intently at Ye Fan, while others stared at the Purple Mansion Saintess's bosom, wondering what kind of ancient beast she had obtained.

Of course, not everyone is envious.

For example, the face of the Holy Son of the Purple Mansion had turned extremely pale.

Another one is Ji Ziyue from the Ji family.

She stood in the crowd, looking at the two people on the bridge, her expression indescribably strange.

An elder from an ancient family spoke with puzzlement: "The Bronze Sparrow Bridge, a treasure of the Heavenly Court from the mythological era? Why have I never heard of it?"

He was about to turn around and ask the middle-aged man who had just spoken, but found that the man had already disappeared.

At this moment, some clever people saw Ye Fan and the Purple Mansion Saintess come down and couldn't wait to try it themselves.

Young couples who were attracted to each other, as well as long-married couples who had been together for many years, were all eager to try walking through the Bronze Sparrow Terrace again.

However, the people from the Yao Guang Holy Land intervened and stopped everyone, taking away the Bronze Sparrow Terrace directly.

Although this move displeased many forces present, they couldn't really say anything. After all, it was generous of them to offer such an opportunity, and you can't force them to give things away, can you?

Moreover, the Yao Guang Holy Land had already given away two treasures comparable to the Nine Great Immortal Golds, suffering a heavy loss, so no one could insist on demanding more.

Although they were unwilling, everyone gradually dispersed.

Ye Fan also quickly returned to the Holy Son's Palace.

As soon as he entered, he saw Luo Heng sitting in the hall.

Ye Fan looked him up and down with a strange expression, and asked, "Was it you who kicked me from behind just now?"

Luo Heng looked up, his face showing surprise: "Kicked you? When did I kick you?"

Ye Fan stared at his expression for a long time, but couldn't tell whether he was telling the truth or not, so he had no choice but to keep the matter to himself for the time being.

Then, with a delighted expression, he took out the Eternal Blue Gold and handed it to Luo Heng: "Aren't you currently collecting the Nine Great Immortal Golds to forge your second artifact for proving your Dao? This is for you."

And don't say I'm always taking advantage of you.

Luo Heng's eyes lit up, and he quickly took it, feigning surprise as he asked Ye Fan how he obtained it.

"I was just lucky—"

Listening to Ye Fan recount what happened, Luo Heng appeared surprised, but in his heart he was thinking: "Lucky my ass, this thing was originally mine."

If I hadn't planted it in Tongque Bridge beforehand, where would you have found Eternal Blue Gold?

That's right, the whole scene just now was part of a plan that Luo Heng and the Black Emperor had discussed.

Firstly, it was to create a memorable first meeting for Ye Fan and Zixia, and secondly, to send the Black Emperor to the Purple Mansion Saintess's side, so that the grand plan could be arranged.

Secondly, this Eternal Blue Gold was also obtained by Luo Heng through transactions during this period.

He was certain that Ye Fan would give this item to him, which is why he was willing to put it into the Bronze Sparrow Bridge.

After Ye Fan finished speaking, Luo Heng deliberately feigned regret, saying he should have known better than to bring out the Bronze Sparrow Bridge. He then launched into a performance of envy, jealousy, and hatred towards Ye Fan, acting with such genuine emotion.

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