So that’s how it is. Shi Hao finally understood—this sword embryo had an immense connection to the Ancient Burial Grounds. The Burial Guard had seen it before and feared it deeply!
Even after countless ages had passed, most of the beings related to this sword embryo had long since vanished from the world, yet it had left an indelible impression on this Burial Guard.
At this moment, the Burial Guard was devout, bowing with utmost reverence—not to the sword embryo itself, but to the humanoid figure seated atop the bronze coffin!
Who was that? What kind of existence had it been in the past, to still exude such overwhelming might that even now, it could intimidate a Burial Guard?
“Domakadeo…”
The Burial Guard kowtowed several times, never rising, murmuring prayers in an unknown language. By the end, it even seemed somewhat fearful.
It turned its gaze toward Shi Hao, projecting a wisp of consciousness to convey a message. This time, it was surprisingly calm—no hostility, no violent aura.
Yet, when it looked at Shi Hao, there was no goodwill either. It was as if it were staring at a withered tree or a lifeless stone, not treating him as a living being at all.
Shi Hao grasped its meaning. Since the sword embryo hadn’t destroyed him, the Burial Guard temporarily acknowledged him—but only with the expectation that he tread carefully.
That was it?
Shi Hao was stunned. This ferocious Burial Guard, who could crush foreign realm experts like mosquitoes, had initially seemed intent on fighting him to the death. Yet now, the matter was dismissed so lightly.
After a moment of contemplation, a chill ran down Shi Hao’s spine. The Burial Guard had said little, but its words were terrifying.
According to it, the sword embryo *should* have killed Shi Hao. It considered this temporary calm abnormal. From its tone, this sword embryo was *extremely* ominous—every wielder in history had met a gruesome end!
For a moment, Shi Hao didn’t know what to think. Should he discard it or keep it by his side? This thing was undeniably cursed!
He recalled all the beings who had ever possessed this sword embryo—none had met a good end. Its previous owner, the Five-Crowned King, had died horribly, reduced to a mindless corpse aboard a bloodstained black ancient ship.
With that, the Burial Guard turned and left without hesitation.
“Hey, where are you going?” Shi Hao called out in surprise. Its abrupt departure felt anticlimactic—after all that tension, it just walked away?
“To where I must go.” Its reply was simple. Without pausing, it strode slowly into the distance, shrouded in dense black mist.
Just like that? Shi Hao touched the sword embryo.
By now, the ancient sword had calmed completely. The celestial radiance, the blood-soaked burial grounds, the bronze coffin, and the figure atop it—all had vanished.
“Wait,” Shi Hao suddenly spoke.
“What is it?” The Burial Guard halted, its hesitation likely due to the sword embryo’s presence. It seemed reluctant, as if reminiscing.
Of course, their “conversation” wasn’t spoken aloud but transmitted through divine sense—their eras were too far apart for verbal communication.
Even telepathy was difficult, as their energies clashed and devoured each other, making it perilous. A misstep could injure one of them.
The Burial Guard’s consciousness carried deathly energy, a force of the Netherworld that sent shivers down Shi Hao’s spine.
Shi Hao shielded his divine sense with his own power, wary of corruption.
“You’re leaving just like that? Don’t you want to know how the sword embryo came into my hands?” Shi Hao asked, hoping to extract more secrets from the Burial Guard.
“Speak.” The Burial Guard’s reply was curt.
Shi Hao resisted the urge to roll his eyes. This being, as if crawled straight from the underworld, was as direct as a block of wood—utterly impossible to converse with.
“Let’s exchange information. I’ll tell you how I obtained the sword embryo, and you tell me about its past,” Shi Hao proposed.
He was deeply uneasy about keeping the sword. Knowing its history might reveal whether it was a curse in disguise.
Without haggling, he recounted how he had acquired the sword embryo.
“It drifts through the world, sealed away at times, unearthed from ore at others, passing from one hand to another,” the Burial Guard said, glancing at Shi Hao. “Hold it well. You are merely a temporary stop. When your time ends, it will move on.”
A fleeting stop in the river of eternity.
This explanation dissatisfied Shi Hao. He pressed for more details, but the Burial Guard refused to elaborate, turning to leave once more.
“Hey! You can’t leave like this—you’re disrespecting the sword embryo!” Shi Hao shouted.
“Why?” The Burial Guard, ever rigid, actually stopped and turned back, puzzled.
“After emerging from the Burial Grounds, don’t you want to leave your mark on this world?” Shi Hao goaded, desperate to keep it around. This was a supreme powerhouse—one that could effortlessly crush even high-level cultivators.
Right now, the Divine Medicine Mountain Range teemed with foreign realm experts, many hunting him. While he could handle the younger ones, the ancient monsters among them posed a deadly threat.
If he could drag the Burial Guard into the fray, the results would be *spectacular*.
In his mind’s eye, Shi Hao could already see it—the Burial Guard sweeping through the mountains, annihilating every enemy in his path.
But the Burial Guard’s values were utterly alien. It stared blankly, unable to comprehend his reasoning—like a stone trying to explain the wonders of the rock world.
“How have I disrespected the sword embryo?” it stubbornly asked.
“Can’t you see it’s accepted me? My peril is its peril. If I die, those foreign realm scum will take it, eventually deducing its origins and offering it to figures like Yu Tuo and An Lan!”
Seeing no reaction, Shi Hao adopted a grave tone. “Have you heard of An Lan and Yu Tuo? Supreme beings, eternal and undefeated. They are also… *tomb raiders* who desecrate the Burial Grounds!”
He spun a tale of the two pillaging ancient tombs, stealing burial artifacts, sacrificial offerings, treasures—even abducting slumbering female Burial Guards.
Shi Hao piled on every crime imaginable: grave robbers, lustful fiends, vile and despicable scoundrels.
“Are they truly that powerful?” the Burial Guard asked, still rigid but now intrigued.
“Unmatched! They’ve slaughtered countless Burial Guards, ravaged entire regions of the Burial Grounds, and remain undefeated!” Shi Hao declared.
The Burial Guard’s silver pupils contracted. Though it sensed exaggeration, it couldn’t dismiss the claim entirely—after all, disturbances *had* occurred in the Burial Grounds before.
“If you speak their true names here, their avatars will descend and crush you!” Shi Hao warned, this time not entirely bluffing.
In truth, he’d been careful when mentioning Yu Tuo and An Lan, never uttering their full names consecutively.
“Half-truths. My Burial Guard’s eyes discern lies,” it stated bluntly.
Most would be embarrassed, but Shi Hao, shameless as ever, doubled down, urging it to stay.
Yet the Burial Guard remained unmoved.
“At least do it for the sword embryo! Help me *once*!” Shi Hao yelled at its retreating back.
Out of options, this was his last plea.
“…Fine. For the sword embryo, I’ll aid you once. Then I return to the Burial Grounds.” Against all odds, the Burial Guard agreed.
“Where to now?” it asked.
“To collect heads! Unleash your Burial Guard fury and slaughter every old monster in these mountains—leave none standing!” Shi Hao declared, brimming with battle lust.
Outside the Divine Medicine Mountain Range, foreign realm cultivators gathered in ever-greater numbers.
News had spread—*Huang* was trapped here, soon to be hunted down.
Young elites flocked to witness the fall of the infamous “savage,” who had slain so many of their kind, even defeating the Martial Heavenly King.
But among them were also veteran experts, determined to eliminate this threat once and for all.
The gathering resembled a grand festival, with representatives from numerous clans mingling.
“Who’s that? Nine eyes on his forehead—never heard of such a lineage,” someone murmured, spotting an elder.
“That’s the Nine-Eyed Daoist! A legendary figure from the past, master of the Nine-Eyes Divine Ability, peerless in his era!”
More renowned figures appeared, stirring whispers.
“This feels unusual. Just to kill Huang, so many elders have come… Are they fishing for bigger prey?”
Meanwhile, deep in the mountains, Shi Hao clenched his fists, grinning savagely.
“Kill them. Kill them *all*.”
With the Burial Guard at his side, he would purge every last invader from these lands.
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