Shrouding the Heavens

Chapter 276: Chapter 281: Who is the King of the Eastern Wastelands

In the desolate outskirts of Li City, many cultivators were frequenting the area, all searching for Ancient Tombs, driven by the Nine Secret Arts.

The emergence of the Nine Secret Arts shook the northern region; no sect could remain indifferent, even the Ancient Nobilities were openly vying for them.

CAW!𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

The crow’s caw was mournful, sending shivers down one’s spine.

This was a chaotic burial ground, desolately devoid of life, with only a few dead trees and old vines. Everywhere else was barren, riddled with broken grave mounds.

"These people are too much. They won’t even spare the graves; it’s infuriating." Ji Ziyue puffed out her cheeks in frustration, showing a hint of her innocent nature.

It was unknown how many Ancient Tombs they had seen. All had been thoroughly rummaged through; every ancient crypt was cracked open, some even had skeletons unearthed.

Daoist Duan De said, "It’s all because of a single bronze bell that divulged the celestial secret of the Nine Secret Arts, attracting cultivators from the northern region, all scrambling to get here."

CAW, CAW, CAW...

In the desolate Ancient Mausoleum, a few crows flapped their wings, hovering around skeletons, conveying a sense of ominousness.

"All of them have been excavated. Why are we wasting our efforts?" Ji Ziyue was very dissatisfied.

"Who am I? The one who knows five thousand years of the past and five hundred years of the future! You won’t go wrong listening to me." Daoist Duan De boasted. Despite his plump body, he moved deftly throughout the Ancient Tomb as if measuring something.

"Daoist, are you sure we should dig here again?" Yao Xi’s charming face was filled with confusion.

"I don’t want you to dig on the surface, but deeper into the underground tombyard. Over ten thousand years have passed; the true Ancient Tombs are buried deep underground. What lies above is inconsequential." Daoist Duan De appeared confident and in control.

Ye Fan had long anticipated that the group invited him mostly to use him as labor. His cultivation base wasn’t high; he couldn’t compare with those before him.

Indeed, the task of grave digging fell upon him. He didn’t mind; for the Nine Secret Arts, this was a small price to pay.

Unfortunately, their luck wasn’t great. Although they did excavate ancient tombs below, they had no connection to the ancient families from fifteen thousand years ago and contained no traces of the Nine Secret Arts.

At this moment, night had fallen, and the world was pitch black.

BOOM.

Suddenly, the sky lit up; someone was battling fiercely.

Two figures, like two small suns, tore through the night sky, causing the Heavenly Universe to tremble repeatedly. The battle was intensely fierce.

"It’s the Flickering Light Saint Heir! Who is the other one, to be strong enough to match him?" Ji Ziyue was surprised.

At this moment, Ji Haoyue’s Divine King Body radiated brilliantly, his fighting spirit soaring. He gazed into the night sky, murmuring, "Golden hair, unparalleled combat power... Could it be the demon clan’s Golden-winged Little Roc King?"

Ye Fan’s gaze was deep. He hadn’t expected the Golden-winged Little Roc King to meet the Flickering Light Saint Heir so quickly. The two clashed like gods, their battle shaking the very heavens as they fought, until they vanished over the horizon.

Ji Haoyue was about to rise into the sky but was grabbed by Ji Ziyue, who said, "Don’t go."

She was worried for her brother, knowing the two were exceptionally gifted individuals, capable of contending with Divine King Bodies. She didn’t want him involved.

Daoist Duan De said, "Doesn’t Fairy Yao worry about the Flickering Light Saint Heir?"

Yao Xi smiled gently. "Daoist, are you asking why I didn’t go to assist? If I were to intervene, he would certainly refuse. In a sense, the Emperor Talent struggle has begun; he wouldn’t want my help."

"The Emperor Talent struggle..." Ji Haoyue’s eyes shone even brighter, the Divine Light covering his body burning like a fierce fire.

"Even my blood is boiling a bit, but alas, my aptitude is average. I’m unable to contend," Daoist Duan De said, shaking his head.

"Little Daoist, why are you so silent?" Ji Ziyue asked Ye Fan.

"The Emperor Talent struggle is too far removed from me. It’s useless to think about it now..." Ye Fan shook his head.

In the following days, Daoist Duan De led the group to excavate over a hundred ancient tombs but still found nothing, no trace of the Nine Secret Arts.

By now, the group finally understood why Daoist Duan De had teamed up with them: using the Divine Body and Flickering Light’s Sacred Lady as labor was a truly worthwhile bargain for him.

"Duan De, you’ve been directing us to dig tombs all over these past few days, nearly turning these ancient burial zones upside down. Do you actually have any certainty about this?" Ji Haoyue asked sternly.

The future Divine King, by performing these tasks all day, was growing intolerant. He felt that Daoist Duan De was misleading them.

"Don’t you have vital clues left by Gai Jiuyou?" Yao Xi was also somewhat displeased.

"Rest assured, I can definitely find it. The clues left by Gai Jiuyou are very valuable, and I’m pursuing this line of inquiry. Otherwise, do you really think that after fifteen thousand years, we could still find the ruins of the former Li City?"

「Five days later,」

Daoist Duan De’s face lit up with excitement. "I’ve found it!" he exclaimed.

"Did you find that ancient family’s burial ground?" Ji Ziyue asked anxiously.

"No, I found the Li City ruins from fifteen thousand years ago!" Daoist Duan De answered.

It was a desolate plain, with nothing but rubble, over two hundred li away from the present-day Li City.

"What’s the use of finding the Li City ruins? It’s not that ancient family’s tomb."

Daoist Duan De’s face was radiant. "But we can use this city to determine the location of their burial zones. I reckon it won’t be too far; the search area has suddenly become much more precise."

"The world is vast. You’re not thinking of making us search the entire surrounding region, are you?" The others all glared at him as if ready to kill.

"Rest assured. The ancients were very particular about burials; they wouldn’t just inter someone anywhere. I have some insights into this field of study; I can pinpoint several key locations."

On that very day, Daoist Duan De identified fifty-four auspicious feng shui locations around the Li City ruins. However, on that same day, other people began to arrive in the area.

"We’ve run into experts! Someone else has made the same judgment as I have!" Daoist Duan De cried out, sensing trouble.

The next day, the number of people had multiplied several times. Shadows flickered across the region as more and more cultivators arrived.

"This is bad. The Nine Secret Arts have indeed shocked the world. Many reclusive experts knowledgeable in Tombology have been drawn out; otherwise, it would be impossible for them to find this place," Daoist Duan De frowned.

"So, Daoist, does that make you a reclusive expert as well?" Yao Xi smiled and asked.

"To be blunt, in the field of Tombology, I am indeed an expert. Even the Demon Emperor’s Yin Grave couldn’t trap me. You should all know that."

The few of them knew he spoke the truth.

In those two days, they excavated eighteen of the chosen geomantic treasure sites in one go. The results were either empty sites or the large tombs of other ancient people.

"This is bad. Of the fifty-four sites we selected, twenty-seven have been excavated by others. We’ve definitely run into experts," Daoist Duan De said, his expression shifting indeterminately.

Only nine tomb zones remained, with nine large tombs left to excavate. If there were no surprises, that ancient family’s burial site might soon see the light of day.

"We must hurry and act! We need to get there first, or someone will undoubtedly beat us to it!" Daoist Duan De was anxious; he had deduced that true experts had arrived.

And on this day, more and more people arrived. Almost all cultivators had caught the scent and converged on this former site.

Suddenly, Daoist Duan De wiped some ash on his face and then used the Bone Shrinking Technique to alter his appearance. This change couldn’t alter his fundamental essence, unlike the mysterious arts recorded in the Heavenly Source Book, but it was enough to deceive ordinary people.

Ye Fan then discovered Wu Zhongtian nearby; he had arrived in this area with Li Heishui, Liu Kou, and Jiang Huairen.

Daoist Duan De had once excavated Wu Zhongtian’s ancestral grave, so he was naturally guilty and fearful. If discovered, Wu Zhongtian would undoubtedly try to kill him.

"Golden-winged Little Roc King!" Ji Haoyue’s eyes flashed like lightning as he looked toward the sky. A golden light streaked across, and the Celestial Roc Clan’s Little Roc King descended in the distance.

"Brother, don’t fight him today!" Ji Ziyue hurriedly pulled his arm.

Could the Flickering Light Saint Heir have been defeated? Ye Fan wondered.

"Perhaps they didn’t truly have a life-and-death battle that night." Yao Xi gazed into the distance; she could sense the Flickering Light Saint Heir’s aura, his divine energy still blazing as fiercely as the flames within a Divine Furnace.

"The Jiang Family is here too!"

Ferocious beasts roared across the sky as hundreds of strange and powerful beasts charged forth. Each was mounted by a formidable knight, their Iron Armor glistening, the heavens resonating under the beasts’ hooves.

"The Ji Family’s divine body is here! I sense his presence!" Ji Haoyue’s body radiated brilliance, like a segment of a divine rainbow, with a bright Divine Moon suspended overhead.

In the sky, those hundreds of knights charged past, landing on the distant horizon.

Everyone felt it: a pair of incredibly intense eyes had just swept over them, a gaze that seemed to penetrate to their very bones. It was undoubtedly the Jiang Family’s divine body!

The supreme powerhouses of the younger generation all sensed each other. Once a battle began, it would absolutely be earth-shattering. Several of them possessed the qualifications to tread the path of the Great Emperor.

Melodious string and bamboo music drifted through the air, mist floated ethereally, and flower petals danced. A group of young women in white, like fairies gliding on water, appeared in this land.

"Unexpectedly, people from Jade Lake have arrived too..." A peculiar light glimmered in Yao Xi’s beautiful eyes.

Ji Ziyue was surprised and said, "Jade Lake has always remained aloof from worldly affairs, almost never participating in disputes. This time, for the Nine Secret Arts, they’ve actually sent people. The Yaochi Saintess herself has come."

"This is bad. This old Daoist senses things are taking a terrible turn. I don’t want to stay here any longer," Daoist Duan De said, wanting to back out.

"Daoist, what do you mean by this?" Yao Xi asked.

Daoist Duan De said to Ye Fan, "Let’s the two of us make a run for it. They all have powerful backgrounds; we’re just a couple of paupers. Even if we gain something here, it will only end up benefiting others. We’d just be doing the hard work for them."

"Daoist, you worry too much. We are allies; how could we possibly act against you?" Yao Xi said with a smile.

"Forget it. The younger generation has all appeared, which means those old fogeys have certainly come too. They’re all watching secretly. At the crucial moment, they’re guaranteed to jump out," Daoist Duan De said, his face grim.

"There are only nine large tomb zones left. Daoist, are you really going to give up now?" Ji Haoyue spoke. "Don’t worry. With me here, your life will be safe."

It was almost certain that one of these nine large tomb zones was the burial area of that ancient family. Daoist Duan De hesitated.

BOOM.

It was like ten thousand horses galloping. Dozens of ancient war chariots crushed the sky, rumbling as they approached, causing the Heavenly Universe itself to tremble.

"Another Sacred Land, and all young experts!"

A horn blared its long call, deafeningly loud.

The clouds in the sky were scattered by the sound. A colossal Golden Warship flew over, hundreds of zhang long, its golden light brilliant and dazzling.

Daoist Duan De sighed, "Does this mean all the Sacred Lands will come?"

Ye Fan also spoke, "Why is it all people from the younger generation?"

"This is likely an intentional arrangement by all parties, to let the younger generation truly have a grand showdown, to see who is weak and who is strong," Yao Xi analyzed.

"Exactly! It’s not that the old folks haven’t come; they just haven’t shown themselves. The great battle for the Nine Secret Arts will likely commence among the younger generation first!" Daoist Duan De cursed his bad luck inwardly.

"Brother, is it really like that?" Ji Ziyue asked worriedly.

Ji Haoyue’s fighting spirit was high, divine energy surging throughout his body. A Divine Moon rose slowly, its presence intimidating all directions. He nodded and said, "Yes. It seems today a victor must be decided. We’ll see who will ultimately be invincible in the Eastern Wastelands!"

At the same time, an unparalleled battle intent erupted from among the many powerhouses of the Jiang Family. The divine body of the Jiang Family had finally emerged.

On another side, the Flickering Light Saint Heir stood alone like a Taiyang God, myriad rays of light radiating from him, resembling a true god.

In the distance, the Golden-winged Little Roc King let out a long cry, his golden hair dancing wildly. His towering, imposing figure exuded an unparalleled demonic aura, and terrifying ripples of power emanated from him, an air of absolute supremacy over heaven and earth.