Ji Hao comprehended the Dao while setting aside part of his mind to admire the surrounding scenery and chat with Ye Fan.
When it came to the affairs of the Yellow Emperor's era, Ji Hao could speak at length without pause. Ye Fan himself was highly knowledgeable and enjoyed reading books about strange curiosities. Having just finished the Huangdi Neijing, he was deeply interested in such matters. The two talked for a long time, both feeling as though they had met too late.
"Friends despite the difference in age!"
Of course, there were also some less respectable matters that Ji Hao did not mention. For instance, Shennong had actually been an improper old man who had even taken his own grandson to certain places best left unspoken of, places like the Wonderful Desire Nunnery.
In any case, Ji Hao would definitely never admit that he had been there!
By evening, the group finally reached the summit of Mount Tai—Jade Emperor Summit. Looking down upon the myriad mountains beneath their feet and gazing into the distance at the Yellow River, they finally understood the true meaning of Confucius's words: "Climb Mount Tai, and all under heaven seems small."
"One day I shall reach the very summit and see all mountains shrink beneath my gaze," Ji Hao murmured.
A point of light lit up between his brows, like a blazing sun.
His aura grew ever more majestic, yet the people around him felt not the slightest pressure. It was clear that Ji Hao's control over his Dharma Power had reached an extraordinarily proficient level.
The shadow of Mount Tai reflected in his eyes. Since Ji Hao stood at the very front, no one noticed this strange phenomenon. Only Ye Fan beside him sensed that Ji Hao seemed different at this moment.
At this time, the setting sun hung low in the west, and every cloud-wreathed peak was rimmed in brilliant gold, gleaming like rare treasures.
Suddenly, Ji Hao raised his head, his eyes profound as an unparalleled Secret Technique operated within his Sea of Consciousness.
Nine Secrets: Shu!
The Shu Secret, a Secret Technique created by the Daoist Celestial Worthy, was also one of the Nine Secrets whose specific use had never appeared in the original work.
Ji Hao had gone to great lengths to obtain this Secret Technique. It was also the only one of the Nine Secrets he had acquired.
The Nine Secrets were among the few Secret Techniques in Shrouding the Heavens that could touch upon the Immortal Dao.
Nine Secrets Merged as One, invincible beneath heaven—this was no empty boast, but fact. In a realm that was fundamentally still within the Human Dao, Immortal Dao Secret Techniques were simply overwhelming.
The Shu Secret encompassed all changes under heaven, embracing the universe, seeking Karmic Retribution, observing heavenly secrets—there was nothing it could not do.
It could be called the ancestor of Heavenly Secrets Masters and Divine Fortune Tellers. Though the Divine Fortune Teller's performance in the original work could not compare to that of the Origin Saint Master, one had to consider the gap in the strength of those they divined.
A Powerful Expert or King could divine the fate of a Saint or even a Quasi-Emperor. Of course, after the divination, they would immediately die.
On Earth, practically every Qi Refinement cultivator possessed a decent divination Secret Technique. Its origin lay in the Shu Secret remaining on Earth, passed down as the ancestor of all scriptures.
Both the Flame Emperor and the Yellow Emperor had drawn from it to create their own divination Secret Techniques.
"It has finally arrived. The curtain has risen!" Ji Hao gazed at the sky with a complicated expression.
"From this moment onward, the second part of the Shrouding the Heavens trilogy begins!"
"The struggle on the Emperor Road, the Dark Turmoil, and even the Strange Clan afterward."
The unknown secrets flashing through Ji Hao's mind made him silently resolve, From this moment onward!
"Shrouding the Heavens, I'm here!"
Suddenly, several black dots appeared in the sky, rapidly approaching. Then, they actually began to emit a howl like wind and thunder.
"What is that?!"
Cries of alarm rose from the crowd as people continuously retreated.
Nine enormous objects crashed down, like nine great rivers falling from the heavens. Everyone was startled, their faces turning pale.
Nine enormous dragon corpses, each a hundred meters long, lay across the mountaintop. Most of their bodies rested silently upon the summit, while a smaller portion dangled over the cliff edge. Like a black steel Great Wall, they possessed an overwhelming sense of power that struck directly at the eyes.
Jade Emperor Summit on Mount Tai split apart, revealing the Five-Colored Altar within.
The twenty-meter-long Bronze Coffin was ancient and unadorned. Vague ancient patterns covered its surface, heavy with the weathering of Years, while a mysterious Aura flowed around it.
A fierce wind lifted Ji Hao's long hair, revealing his glasslike golden eyes.
Martial Dao Heavenly Eyes!
The mysterious Primordial Symbols within seemed born from Fortune and Vitality, containing the ultimate secrets of creation and destruction.
Ji Hao's cultivation was not high. Due to his physical condition, the Yellow Emperor had sealed him away at a very early age. Yet his talent was exceptional, and he had cultivated a pair of Martial Dao Heavenly Eyes early on through his extraordinary spiritual power and talent.
After a moment of silence, the crowd erupted. Terrified screams and helpless cries rang out as the tourists scattered in panic.
The nine enormous dragon corpses and the Three Worlds Bronze Coffin lay silently before them. Ji Hao stood quietly at the front without retreating in the slightest. The sight struck their vision at every moment; everything was simply too shocking and mysterious.
Nine Dragons Pulling a Coffin. The years of their existence were unimaginably ancient. If traced back far enough, they could reach the era of the Master of the Three Worlds Bronze Coffin, an age so distant it defied imagination—the beginning of everything.
Beneath the blood-red sunset, the youth, the Ancient Coffin, and the True Dragons formed a breathtaking Scroll.
No one could speak. Their hearts churned, and their faces were filled with shock, panic, fear, and terror. They could not calm themselves.
Only after a long while did Lin Jia softly say, "We should hurry down the mountain."
Everyone nodded, feeling that they should leave this place at once. No one wanted to remain for even another moment.
"Little brother, hurry down the mountain. This is a little Bizarre!" Seeing that Ji Hao had not moved, Ye Fan hurried forward and spoke.
Ji Hao turned around, his pair of glasslike Golden Pupils seizing Ye Fan's soul.
"Are you ready?" Ji Hao asked calmly.
"Ready for what?" An inexplicable panic rose in Ye Fan's heart, as though something incredibly important was about to happen. He did not even have time to ask about Ji Hao's eyes before urgently pressing for an answer.
"A magnificent era is about to begin!" Ji Hao shrugged and continued, "As for everything else, I don't know either. After all, I'm just someone catching a ride."
In truth, he knew very clearly that no one in all of past and present might know more than him about the origin and future of everything. He had read the Shrouding the Heavens trilogy more than once or twice. Yet he could not reveal even a single thing. This was Great Karmic Retribution.
"Y-you, who exactly are you?" Ye Fan asked.
"I already told you, a descendant of Yanhuang!" Ji Hao said with a smile.
"And don't forget to pay the parking fee!"
With that, Ji Hao stopped scanning the Nine Dragons Pulling a Coffin, leaving Ye Fan with a face full of question marks.
With Ji Hao's cultivation in the Dao Palace Realm, he could not make out anything substantial.
He turned to look at the "freshly unearthed" Five-Colored Altar. Every Five-Colored Altar was ancient and simple, covered in the marks of Years and engraved with ancient symbols that were difficult to discern.
Seeing Ji Hao studying it, Ye Fan did not say anything more.
Ji Hao activated his Martial Dao Heavenly Eyes. A wisp of mysterious Aura flickered in his gaze as he carefully stared at the Five-Colored Altar, studying the Runes upon it.
Every Rune was extraordinarily complex, as though it were the reflection of the Great Dao of time and space. Ji Hao's head began to ache from looking at them, but he persisted.
"Jingwei, Jingwei..."
The little bird on Ji Hao's shoulder chirped repeatedly, its clear calls reaching his ears.
"I know, I know. I know it's dangerous, but we have to go. Both you and I must go, understand? Be good, all right?" Ji Hao stroked the little bird's head to soothe her.
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