Dao of Time: Awakening of The Timeless Immortal

0011 Ninefold Concealment

For the first time, Yao was seeing the Celestial sword sect very clearly. When he had been atop Zicuen mountain right after fussing the orb into his mind's eye, it was as if he could see everything. His vision had grown sharper, in contrast to his previous one.

At that moment, he had seen three men, very far from the mountain. They stood upon a groove, staring at him with strange eyes.

This so-called groove is the place which housed the entire celestial sword sect. 

Yào carefully observed the place, only to notice that this groove was slanted slightly to one side and a giant sword sticking somewhere at the center.

Ancestor Shang had disappeared into the void while Shang Yi and Shang Fa stuck around Yao just to make sure he was comfortable. This is because they were the only ones he recognized. 

The moment Yao entered this strange space, he realized instantly that he had gathered a lot of attention. Yao hadn't been all that good-looking when he was a child, the only thing that made him stand out is his white hair and ancient eyes. Those eyes were so captivating and could easily pull anyone at all into an ancient trance. 

But then after he started cultivating, his body had been refined, including his looks. It became even more enhanced the moment he stepped into the True Qi Realm. So at this moment, the ladies within the Celestial sword sect were drawn to him.

'They are just a bunch of attention seeking worms.' 

Yao ignored them cømpletely.

Instead, he focused on Shang Yi and Shang Fa and he curiously asked. "What is this place?"

Shang Yi was already irritated with Yao, so it was Shang Fa who responded. 

"This is the Celestial sword sect. We practice different kinds of sword techniques, both legendary and ancient ones. I guess the sect master was impressed by that Soul of sword technique you had used."

Yao stared at Shang Fa intently but then he said so seriously that caused Shang Yi who stood at a distance to stumble.

"I feel like Ancestor Shang wants to mønøpølize the soul of swords since he doesn't know how to use the technique."

Shang Yi appeared before them and snarled at Yao. "That is presumptuous kid. Did you know that the sect master is a God-king, his domain can cover the entire celestial sword sect, so technically, he can hear you." 

Yao, despite the warning acted smug. 

"I'm priceless. So he won't harm me." 

Shang Yi was speechless.

"Are you so sure about that?"

Yao did not respond, but the arrogance in his expression already gave an answer. Shang Yi scoffed. 

"Why are you so confident that the soul of swords is so important? He rescued you from aimlessly drifting through the sky for seven years, maybe we should have let you drift away." 

For a moment, Yao's body was struck by fear. Drifting? 

He remembered drifting in that endless expanse for fifteen long years, struggling to crawl out but could not. 

He sighed.

When Shang Yi saw the desired expression displayed on Yao's face, he smiled. 

Shang Fa placed a hand upon Yao's shoulders, he said: "let me show you where you'd stay for the meantime until ancestor Shang is ready to meet with you." 

Yao nodded and they left Shang Yi alone. 

***

The celestial sword sect was very massive, and that is to say that, the slanted groove is huge to accommodate many buildings atop its enormous frame. Yao was fascinated by the mini-room he saw around him. They looked more like little tents decorated with ribbons and illuminated by paper lantern characters. He smiled when he saw his peers staring at him— probably wondering where they had picked him up from.

Yao rolled his eyes.

'No need to curse me with that look. I didn't bring myself here.' 

He turned towards Shang Fa and smiled warmly. "You seem to have have no aura on you? Are you a cultivator?" 

Shang Fa laughed.

"I am a cultivator, yes, I have merely concealed my aura." 

Yao's eyes sparkled. 

"Concealment?" 

The third eye inside his mind suddenly rotated and Yao drew upon the void. 

"九重隱匿"

Shang Fa's expression changed drastically. 

"This is—" 

Yao stared at Shang Fa with a serious expression. 

"Is that concealment?" 

"How on earth do you know the Ninefold concealment technique???"

Yao did not actually know that the inscription he'd drawn is a Ninefold concealment sign. (九重隱匿)

He slowly pulled the inscription closer to him as he observed tactically, reading the runes on it. 

It says the same.

"Ninefold?"

Shang Fa's own concealment technique now looked like a joke in front of the '九重隱匿' sign.

Shang Fa immediately pulled Yao closer and whispered. "Cancel the technique." 

Yao was stunned. But the 九重隱匿 technique dissipated into nothingness. 

A split second later, ancestor Shang appeared before them— staring deeply at Yao and then looking elsewhere, as if he was searching for something mysterious. 

Shang Fa pulled Yao away and said. 

"You remember what Shang Yi said about ancestor Shang's domain covering the entire Celestial sword sect," 

Yao nodded, turning back to look at the old man who curiously inspected the area where Yao had used the Ninefold concealment technique. 

Shang Fa laughed historically. "That is a lie. His domain is situated just outside the sect, so that he can monitor whoever enters and leaves, but within, he is clueless. He doesn't know that you were the one to use the Ninefold concealment technique. He has only sensed the technique and is in search of it!"

Yao's eyes widened.

"But I could just go and show it to him." 

Shang Fa's eyes grew bored in an instant. 

"Have you gone dumb by being sealed up for fifteen years? It is dangerous to display invincible techniques without power. He is a God-king and you are a True Qi. He could kill you and no one would breathe a word about it."

And at this moment, a powerful sense of survival ability surged through Yao's veins. 

'He's right.' 

He realized. 

Shang Fa smiled seeing the realization in Yao's eyes. "Let's go now, you don't have to show him anything at all."

They hurriedly left their previous location and entered the Sword pavilion. There, Yao noticed numerous swords of light, either suspended on air or materialized there on purpose.

Shang Fa saw the curiosity in Yao's eyes and he said, 

"This is Sword Phantoms. Here, under the sword pavilion, one can comprehend the spirit swords. Do you want to learn the technique?"

Yao did not know if he really wanted to comprehend the spirit sword technique, however he had to give it a try.