Originally Shrouding the Heavens

"Huh! Could it be that this treasure box can finally be opened?"

In the Courtyard House, Yan Kuan was preparing to look inward once more to observe his unusual Battle Qi Cyclone when he suddenly felt a strange movement from the Trigram Treasure Box in his arms. He hurriedly opened his eyes to look.

"What is this?"

Within Yan Kuan's line of sight, the Trigram Treasure Box, which had appeared unremarkable until now, suddenly flew into the air. The trigrams on the surface of the disk spun and swirled frantically, and the Yin-Yang Diagram in the center suddenly expanded, scattering a strange golden light. A cluster of this golden light struck him directly in the face, and in an instant, he felt his mind flooded with countless pieces of information.

"All things have a place of origin. The essence and qi of the human body are rooted in what is called the Life Source Wheel, also known as the Wheel of Life... The initial stage of cultivation is called the Wheel Sea... Cross the Sea of Bitterness, cast the Life Spring, cross the Divine Bridge, and reach the Other Shore..."

In Yan Kuan's mind, it was as if a Daoist chant was constantly imparting cultivation knowledge and profound truths. However, his mind could not calm down at all; his head was filled with nothing but endless expletives.

"Damn it... that pit-digging Flame Emperor clone, couldn't you have picked any other world? I would have accepted being dumped into Swallowing the Starry Sky before the cataclysm, but how could it be Shrouding the Heavens? This is Shrouding the Heavens, a place where people die so easily..."

Yan Kuan's emotions could not be calmed at this moment. Although it was just some knowledge about this world that had been added to his mind, he could basically confirm which world he was in.

The Shrouding the Heavens universe. The top powerhouses of this world were countless times stronger than those in the Great Thousand World of the Grand Overlord. They plucked stars and grasped the moon, shattered galaxies, and many aged Supremes in the Life Forbidden Zones viewed all living beings as mere grass, launching Dark Turmoil whenever they had a need.

At this thought, Yan Kuan couldn't help but shiver. The weak in the Shrouding the Heavens universe were extremely pathetic. In ordinary times, it was fine; one could live a full life. But in the coming decades, as the influence of the Azure Emperor's enlightenment gradually dissipated, a chaotic era would begin.

The Golden Age—a feast for the strong and a chaotic era for the weak. Do not think that staying out of the affairs of the cultivation world meant there was no danger. With the opening of the path of cultivation, the worlds of mortals and cultivators would no longer be as clearly separated as before. Even if you didn't look for trouble, disaster could still strike from the sky.

On the Ancient Starry Road, the Golden Serpent Fourth Lord had slaughtered the entire Long-Armed Divine Ape clan over some grievances, even destroying their ancestral star. Such events were not isolated cases during the Golden Age.

Moreover, with the opening of the Path to Immortality, the Life Forbidden Zones, where no powerhouses had emerged for a long time, would become active, even leading to the greatest Dark Turmoil in history.

When the Forbidden Zone Supremes launched the Dark Turmoil to harvest the living beings of the world, leaving only a few weak seedlings on an entire planet, with billions of wronged souls wailing and sinking within their Immortal Platforms—the mere thought of such a scene was terrifying.

Fortunately, Yan Kuan's hometown was Blue Star. As the Human Ancestral Star, it had the Emperor Formation of the Mythological Era running, so even the Forbidden Zone Supremes could not invade this place.

This was something to be thankful for; looking at the entire universe, there was no place more secure than this. But at the same time, with the arrival of the Golden Age, the path of cultivation on Blue Star would also open, and by then, he would have to worry about being drawn into the disputes of cultivators.

"But fortunately, I still have time. Relying on my foresight, I'll try to make a name for myself first. If that doesn't work, I'll find Ye Hei and cling to his thigh. Although that guy is ruthless to his enemies, he's quite good to his own people. As long as I don't die, I might even be able to make it into the Immortal Realm in the future."

Yan Kuan quickly made a plan in his heart. After condensing his Battle Qi Cyclone, he could be considered to have stepped onto the path of cultivation. Relying on his foresight, as long as he wasn't unlucky enough to die early, entering the Immortal Realm in a few hundred thousand years shouldn't be a problem. He might even be able to bring his whole family along.

However, it seemed there were still enemies in the Immortal Realm, and there was that place Above the Heavens. Why did Chen Hongmao have nothing better to do than open up so many maps?

Yan Kuan complained inwardly. He knew that "Shrouding the Heavens" was the smallest worldview in a trilogy, followed by the Endless Sea of Realms in "Perfect World" and the Above the Heavens in "Sacred Ruins."

The Wheel Sea and the other four secret realms were only for mortal cultivation. There were also True Immortals (Mortal Immortals), Immortal Kings, Half-Step Quasi-Immortal Emperors, Quasi-Immortal Emperors, and Immortal Emperors... Calculating it this way, Yan Kuan suddenly felt his own insignificance.

Others who transmigrated were determined to reach the pinnacle of the world and achieve supreme hegemony, but he knew his own limits. With the cheat he had, he could at most reach the level of mortal cultivation. As for what came after, the True Immortal level and beyond, it seemed even the Grand Overlord of the Great Thousand World wouldn't be enough to look at.

As soon as Yan Kuan thought of the future hell mode, he suddenly felt he was worrying unnecessarily. If the sky fell, there would be taller people to hold it up. That Desolate one who achieved Eternal Dominance was blocking the fountain on the other side; there was no need for his own small arms and legs to worry about such things.

The most urgent task for him was to cultivate. Even if he didn't reach the pinnacle of the current era or Ascend the Heavens Singing to become a Supreme Great Emperor, he at least needed to make a name for himself on Blue Star so he would have the qualifications to protect himself and his family.

With this thought in mind, Yan Kuan's mind cleared. He opened his eyes, and the Trigram Treasure Box had returned to calm, with a Golden Book Jade Scroll appearing above it.

"No wonder I couldn't find any traces of cultivators. With such thin spiritual energy, those guys who have even stricter requirements for their cultivation environment wouldn't dare to run around at all!"

Yan Kuan picked up the Golden Book Jade Scroll. The entire golden page was covered in dense regular script. This was a manual containing a wealth of information, including the Wheel Sea chapter of the cultivation scripture that had just been transmitted to his mind, as well as various miscellaneous knowledge about the cultivation world.

From this, Yan Kuan learned more about the barriers and common knowledge of cultivation, and he basically understood why he hadn't encountered a single person with cultivation in the six years he had been in this world.

Cultivation in the Shrouding the Heavens universe had become increasingly difficult after the Desolate Era. After the Azure Emperor disappeared ten thousand years ago, his imperial might had not dissipated, and the cultivation of the entire universe had entered a low point.

Beidou Burial Emperor Star, Ziwei Ancient Star, and other famous ancient life stars were all significantly affected. Taking Beidou as an example, an expert at the Second Heaven of Immortal Platform was already the pinnacle of the current era.

As for Blue Star, the Human Ancestral Star, it had simply entered the End of Dharma. Cultivators only existed in the depths of uninhabited mountains or within certain spiritual lands; they were basically invisible in the outside world because the spiritual energy was simply too thin.

The large-scale appearance of cultivators in later generations would occur after the Nine Dragons Pulling a Coffin incident more than twenty years later. Before that, the cultivation world and the mortal world were almost two separate worlds, with very little interaction.