Shrouding the Heavens

Chapter 277: Chapter 282 Sacred Lands

Li City, with a history of 15,000 years, now lay in ruins, buried under sand and dust, leaving almost nothing behind.

A large number of cultivators appeared at this site: the Golden-winged Little Peng King, the Jiang Family’s divine body, the Flickering Light’s Saint Heir, and Ji Haoyue. They stood in four directions, filled with battle intent, looking down upon the world like four divine beings descending upon the earth.

In the sky, a massive Divine Ship cut across the horizon, and war chariots raced over, causing the entire Heavenly Universe to tremble repeatedly.

"Dayan Sacred Land, Wanchu Sacred Land!" Yao Xi’s beautiful eyes shone with Divine Light.

Two pairs of exceptionally sharp eyes gazed down from the Divine Ship and ancient war chariots. Their stare felt as if it could pierce one’s bones, exuding a powerful presence that made people shiver. The inheritors from these two Sacred Lands were truly daunting!

Dayan Sacred Land and Wanchu Sacred Land had significant origins. The terms "Dayan" and "Wanchu" carried extraordinary meanings, marking them as some of the oldest Sacred Lands of the Eastern Wastelands.

Suddenly, Purple Qi from the East surged in endlessly, noble beyond words and sacred beyond invasion, enveloping the east.

Purple Qi from the East, ethereal and vast, had always been considered a symbol of good fortune, representing peaceful and harmonious energy since ancient times.

A floating Immortal Palace appeared, riding upon the Purple Qi. It was shrouded in mist, surrounded by purple radiance, infusing the entire world with an aura of immortality.

"The Purple Mansion Sacred Land has sent people!" Daoist Duan De squinted as he spoke.

They did not ride war chariots, nor did they navigate Divine Ships. They directly used a purple Immortal Palace as a vehicle, breaking through the void and filling people with awe.

Purple Mansion was a place rumored to be inhabited by Daoist saints. The sect that dared to use such a name naturally possessed unmatched strength.

Silently, a Daoist Temple manifested, appearing high in the sky. It exuded an inexhaustible Daoist charm, as if it had stood there since ancient times; many hadn’t even noticed when it had appeared.

It wasn’t grand, with no bright pearls or beautiful jade adorning it. It was simply built of unembellished bluestone, giving a boundless sense of the Dao.

"The Dao Yi Saint has sent people too!" Ji Ziyue’s small mouth opened wide in surprise.

The purple Immortal Palace hovered in the sky, while the ancient Daoist Temple stood immovable. Many young disciples from the two Sacred Lands had arrived, all dressed in Daoist robes. Among them were several female Daoists, appearing like fairies descending to the mortal realm.

However, the strongest inheritors among them did not display any powerful divine energy; instead, they all stood quietly in the air without any expression.

Clearly, they had no intention to compete at this moment.

Besides the Jiang Family, Ji Family, Flickering Light, and Jade Lake, other Sacred Lands were also rushing to the ruins of Li City. The Nine Secret Arts had shaken the world, and this masterless divine art had everyone in unrest.

The ferocious beasts roared, shaking heaven and earth from afar. Besides Wu Zhongtian, Li Heishui, and Jiang Huairen, more youths joined them, and soon the descendants of all thirteen great bandits of the Northern Region had arrived.

RUMBLE!

A menacing ancient ship sailed in. It stretched 1,000 feet long, like a fierce beast from the Ancient Desolation with its dragon head held high. The demon clan had dispatched their strong experts.

Following the 1,000-foot ancient ship were dozens of warships guarding it. Yan Ruyu stood atop the ancient ship, observing everything from a distance, with three young experts of the demon clan standing alongside her.

The Nine Secret Arts shocked the world as more people gathered. Not just the Sacred Lands, but all major powers sent people. No one wanted to miss this opportunity; these ownerless Nine Secret Arts would belong to whoever found them.

Daoist Duan De chuckled and spoke, "Future divine king of the Ji Family, aren’t you eager for a big battle? As the major Sacred Lands appear one after another, even though you have a divine body and might be able to take on one person, against so many you surely aren’t a match. Besides, among them, some might not be weaker than you."

"Fat Daoist, you’re too mean! Don’t provoke my brother!" Ji Ziyue gritted her small tiger teeth at Daoist Duan De.

"No one will make a move before the Nine Secret Arts emerge, I suppose," Ji Haoyue stated calmly, his battle intent fully contained, and his divine energy settling like tranquil water.

As someone with a Divine King Body, he keenly sensed the powerful killing intent and true threats. Once the Nine Secret Arts appeared, it would signal the commencement of a great battle, heralding the first battle for the Great Emperor’s qualification.

Soon, everyone restrained their terrifying killing intent, leaving the region remarkably calm for a moment.

"The Eastern Wastelands has indeed entered a flourishing era, with exceptional talents emerging all at once. If none die, it will surely lead to a hundred schools of thought contending, reaching the peak of prosperity," Daoist Duan De sighed softly.

"I’m afraid not everyone shares such thoughts," Yao Xi said, her smile as beautiful as a caress from the spring breeze. "Heaven-sent geniuses, one or two are enough. If there are more than five or six, it might become a disaster and a sorrow. The future confrontations would be unimaginably fierce."

She seemed like an outsider, not wanting to get involved, but Ye Fan knew she was far from simple. If a real battle were to arise, her strength would undoubtedly be terrifying. She possessed an extraordinarily powerful divine scan, not weaker than his own—a daunting trump card unknown to others.

Daoist Duan De cursed, "These bastards are truly cunning. Just now, they intentionally exuded killing intent to suppress everyone, and now they quietly send people to seize the last 9 grand tomb sites."

He had identified 54 grand tomb sites in total, all around the Li City ruins area. Currently, all parties were in action, with 45 sites excavated, leaving only 9 remaining.

"Let’s hurry and act, or others might snatch them first."

All else was irrelevant, thought Ye Fan. He didn’t care about fighting to the death; what mattered now was truly finding the Nine Secret Arts.

In the end, nearly all of the remaining 9 grand tomb sites were occupied. Ye Fan and his group rushed over and, without triggering any major battles, successfully claimed one area, all thanks to Ji Haoyue’s presence.

Now, he was one of the only two Divine King Bodies in the Eastern Wastelands. Hardly anyone dared to stand against him. Even those who could rival him did not wish to engage in a life-or-death battle at the moment, tactfully avoiding it.

Aside from the Sacred Lands and the demon clan, members of other sects naturally cleared out of the way at once. The prestige of a Divine King Body was evident; its invincible Immortal Power was deeply embedded in their minds, and all sought to avoid confrontation.

"Daoist, are you certain about choosing this place?" Yao Xi asked.

Daoist Duan De maintained a calm demeanor and said, "As a humble Daoist who deeply studies Tombology, I have some insights. I believe among the 9 grand tomb sites, this place is most likely to yield the Nine Secret Arts."

"What basis do you have?" Ye Fan asked.

"Look at this, the earth formation here is quite intricate." Daoist Duan De pointed to the endless tomb area.

This place was formed in a tiered manner, gradually ascending as if reaching to the heavens, with a river like a dragon roaring by in the distance. Standing here and gazing afar indeed made one feel a sense of ease and expansiveness.

"The earth formation steps skyward, with a Silver Dragon spiraling by; it is the renowned ’Silver Dragon Rolling through Heaven’ treasure land among yin dwellings."

The others heard this and glanced around, seeing that it indeed aligned with his description, truly seeming as though a silver True Dragon was sweeping high into the heavens.

"In a place like this, ordinary folk definitely couldn’t be buried here. Those who rest in this tomb are mostly people with significant backgrounds. In the past, Li City was most notable for the ancient families with the Nine Secret Arts, hence I think this spot is worth digging."

"Justifying grave digging... Daoist, you sure know a lot. Haven’t you done plenty of tomb raiding practice?" Ji Ziyue asked, biting her little tiger teeth.

RUMBLE, RUMBLE, RUMBLE!

The earth resounded with a mighty noise as the group forcibly forged a passage, tunneling deep underground.

However, after digging more than 100 meters deep, they found only rocks and dead soil, with no sign of an ancient tomb. It fundamentally didn’t look like a place where people had been buried.

"Daoist, you got the wrong place; there’s no ancient tomb here, just vacant ground." The others were disappointed.

"No, there’s definitely something below," insisted Daoist Duan De, determined to dig further. "After over 10,000 years, it’s impossible that no one was buried in this feng shui treasure land."

Another 300 meters down, they finally heard a loud rumbling sound. It was hollow, indicating they had broken through to a space deep underground.

Daoist Duan De was indeed correct. Deep underground lay an ancient tomb of considerable scale, and a surge of yin energy rushed up instantly.

"Quick, retreat!"

They all hurriedly flew back to the surface. Buried foul air, if only a few thousand years old, might be manageable. But if it was over 10,000 years old, it could invisibly claim even a cultivator’s life.

"How about that? Just as I said, everything went as expected." Daoist Duan De’s face glowed with pride.

By now, it was dusk. The last rays of sunset were almost gone, and a few old ravens fearlessly cackled atop withered trees.

"Daoist, can we enter now?" Yao Xi asked.

"Let’s wait a bit longer. Go in when the sun sets," Daoist Duan De replied.

"Why?" Ji Ziyue asked, puzzled.

"I’m worried there’s something below; let’s not go in first. Let it come out," he said, appearing remarkably composed and experienced.

"It seems our Daoist has not lacked for tomb explorations," the others remarked, unsure what else to say.

RUMBLE, RUMBLE, RUMBLE!

From deep underground resounded the sound of thousands of troops charging. The noise was unprecedentedly loud, terrifying like a tsunami, and deafening!

Immediately, an icy aura shot skyward like a chilling winter blast; even cultivators couldn’t help but shiver.

"This is bad. This tomb is no simple matter. There’s something extremely vicious inside, probably terrifying."

BOOM!

Billowing yin energy surged skyward, instantly dyeing the sky black, as if endless dark clouds were rolling in, veiling the Heavenly Universe.

This is even scarier than I imagined, Daoist Duan De thought, his expression shifting uncertainly. There are fierce monsters below, transformed into spirits and demons in large numbers. There’s likely something among them beyond our ability to handle.

The commotion here naturally startled everyone nearby, and cultivators rushed over from all directions.

Even Ji Haoyue, with his Divine King Body, could not deter them. The Golden-winged Little Peng King, the Flickering Light Saint Heir, and other top young powerhouses from the Dayan, Wanchu, Dao Yi, Jiang Family, Purple Mansion, and other Sacred Lands all swarmed in, followed by leading figures of the demon clan.

Various sects, the heirs of the Northern Region Thirteen great bandits, and others surged in, encircling the place so tightly it was impenetrable.

BOOM!

Just as the sun set and night descended, a hair-raising sound echoed from deep underground. It was hard to describe what manner of things might be lurking there. Then, billowing yin energy surged skyward, like endless dark clouds sealing the Heavenly Universe.

RUMBLE, RUMBLE, RUMBLE...

The sound of a charging army, thousands strong, shook the earth violently. In the very next moment, squadron after squadron of soldiers burst out from underground, their killing intent flooding the heavens.

These individuals were all mounted on various ferocious beasts, wielding lances and iron spears, clad in ancient iron armor that glinted coldly.

"So many powerful yin men and beasts! How can there be so many?!" Many exclaimed.

In mere moments, thousands of yin men and beasts had already emerged, shaking the world. The yin energy was so thick it seemed impossible to disperse, and still more men and beasts kept surging from beneath the earth.

"There are too many, and these yin figures are all formidable! How do we handle them?!" Everyone’s expression changed.

"How extensive is the ancient tomb underground? It has suddenly released so many yin men and horses! It’s hard to imagine how many more remain below, or what could be controlling them!"