Chapter 1466: The Sacred Land of the Burial Domain

“You live, then what am I?” Shi Hao gazed at her intently.

Everything was too bizarre. A Burial Mounter, a creature with rotting wings, had now transformed into a graceful and beautiful maiden, radiant with youth, completely altering her former image.

Meanwhile, he himself was reduced to nothing but bones—though they gleamed white, not particularly eerie, they were still devoid of flesh and blood, making him seem far from alive.

“If I am alive, what do you think you are?” the maiden asked calmly, her smile fading. Behind her stretched a pair of pristine white wings, her slender and elegant figure shrouded in immortal mist, exuding an aura of utmost sanctity.

“This is an illusion!” Shi Hao declared firmly.

The maiden stepped forward without a word, merely tapping lightly on his arm. The bone emitted a crisp *ding*, solid and unyielding.

Shi Hao was stunned. He reached out, running his hands over his body—there was truly no sensation of flesh. If this were an illusion, deceiving his eyes, could his sense of touch also be so thoroughly deceived?

At the same time, he noticed the softness of the maiden’s fingers—proof of a living, flesh-and-blood body.

“Don’t provoke me. Disperse this illusion at once!” Shi Hao demanded.

“Ah, why is it that the truth is so hard to believe, while the lost is always clung to, lingering endlessly?” The beautiful and pure maiden sighed softly.

“Wait—could you be…” Suddenly, the maiden staggered backward, her face twisting in horror.

She had remembered something—a legend of this place.

“The skeleton beneath the sacred ground?!” she gasped, staring at Shi Hao with awe and excitement.

Shi Hao was unnerved by her gaze, utterly baffled.

The maiden trembled slightly before steadying herself, taking a deep breath to regain composure.

She produced a gleaming bronze mirror—a powerful treasure, yet still functioning as a mirror—and handed it to Shi Hao.

He took it and looked inside. A skull stared back at him, its jaw moving soundlessly. Within the cranium flickered a light, pulsing erratically.

It was the flame of his soul—unquenched, still bearing the fluctuations of life.

Shi Hao flung the mirror away, refusing to believe his current state. It was absurd, inconceivable that he had somehow become a skeleton. No matter how it was explained, he wouldn’t accept it.

“Why have you brought me here? What is your purpose?!” he roared.

“Perhaps I should rephrase. What you see may not be real—only an unyielding obsession. But what you perceive might be the truth,” the maiden murmured cryptically.

“Enough riddles! Speak plainly!” Shi Hao bellowed.

He was genuinely unsettled. His divine sense flared, illuminating his body. He could perceive everything clearly—his inner vision confirmed he was nothing but a skeleton.

His flesh was gone, only bones remained. The sole consolation was that his divine sense remained intact.

What kind of cursed place was this? How had this happened?

“Have you heard of the deeds of a certain Burial King?” the maiden asked.

“How would I know? I’ve never even been to the Burial Domain!” Shi Hao snapped.

“That Burial King endured a great calamity, perishing and being buried in a tomb. Yet his obsession lingered, his flesh transforming into a butterfly that soared through the world. The Burial King believed he still lived—until one day, the butterfly fluttered into an ancient grave and saw a withered skeleton. Lost, it asked itself: Who am I? And who is the real me?”

Shi Hao’s hair stood on end. He stumbled back a few steps. “Witch! I always thought you were dull, but now I see your cunning. You seek to make me lose myself? Impossible! My Dao heart is unshakable!”

“Why would I deceive you? When you were the ‘butterfly,’ I was stronger than you. I could have killed you with a flick of my hand. What need would I have for tricks?” The maiden shook her head.

Her eyes sparkled as she surveyed the desolate land. “There is no place more real than this. This was once a sacred ground of the Burial Domain, a place that reflects the truth of one’s essence.”

Shi Hao scoffed. “How absurd. Are you suggesting I am that Burial King, now returned as a butterfly to see my own bones? That we stand within a great tomb?”

“No, you are not him. But you are far more terrifying!” The maiden’s eyes gleamed as she regarded him with awe.

“More terrifying? How?” Shi Hao demanded.

“Because when he died, his obsession lingered, his flesh transforming into nothing but a butterfly, flitting through the realms. But you—your divine sense refused to fade, your obsession unyielding. After countless years, your flesh reformed into a human, identical to your former self, still walking the world!” Her voice rose with excitement.

Her words struck like thunder, shaking Shi Hao to his core. He staggered back involuntarily.

“Enough! Do you take me for a child, so easily fooled?” Shi Hao’s temper flared, ready to turn hostile.

The maiden’s claims were too fantastical. If true, they were horrifying—unthinkable. He couldn’t accept it.

“Ah, why won’t you believe? You were once a supreme being, now departed. What remains is but an obsession, an unfulfilled wish that keeps you walking among the living.” The maiden gazed at him with pity.

Shi Hao was speechless. He wanted to refute, but his skeletal form offered no rebuttal. His bones were smooth as jade, warm and translucent. His divine sense confirmed it—he was nothing but a skeleton.

“Why won’t you believe? This is a sacred land, once the supreme burial ground of the Burial Domain. It reveals the truth of one’s essence. You must awaken—your obsession has returned to its origin.” The maiden trembled with excitement. “The legends are true! I’ve witnessed a miracle!”

“What miracle? Nonsense! I’ll fight you to the death!” Shi Hao raged.

“The obsession of a supreme being is indeed unshakable. Even in death, you refuse to believe you’ve perished,” the maiden sighed.

She continued, “From the moment you arrived, I noticed the change. I watched you collapse, dissolve into light, your flesh vanishing—proving the legend true.”

“What madness are you spouting?!” Shi Hao roared.

“Your obsession refused to fade. Your former flesh took human form and walked the world. Now, the dream has ended. Returning here, seeing your own bones, your flesh dissipated, revealing the truth.”

Shi Hao turned and strode away, unwilling to remain in this place any longer.

Yet with every step, his bones clattered against the ground, driving him to madness. He couldn’t accept this.

What had happened? What kind of cursed place was this? Everything was so sinister. He refused to believe the maiden’s words.

Yet the signs all pointed to one conclusion—her claims might not be false.

“Do you know where this is? This was once one of the three great sacrificial holy lands of the Burial Domain. But after a supreme being was buried here, it became plagued by anomalies and was abandoned. All Burial Mounters fled. Now, I’ve witnessed the miracle—the legend is real!” The maiden grew even more exhilarated.

“Wake up already!” Shi Hao snapped.

“It is you who must awaken! This is where your bones were buried. Many Burial Mounters searched but never found them, encountering only horrors. Now, you’ve returned as the butterfly, and all is revealed. Look—this land is reviving, becoming a holy ground once more!”

Indeed, the desolate land was transforming. Massive stones emerged from the earth, each grander than mountains, inscribed with ancient, indecipherable glyphs.

“It’s you! It must be you! These inscriptions speak of this very event—only your return as the butterfly could revive this place!” the maiden cried out.

Shi Hao was dumbfounded. The burial ground split open, revealing towering stone steles that pierced the clouds, each radiating an overwhelming Dao aura—so potent it could suppress immortals and demons of all realms!

“At first, I thought it might be you, but I didn’t truly believe. Now, it’s confirmed! Heavens, I’ve witnessed the legend!”

The maiden shrieked with excitement.

“This legendary holy land has revived! A cataclysmic change is coming!” she trembled.

Shi Hao stood numb, resembling a true Burial Mounter. His mind reeled, lost in confusion. Then, faintly, he heard someone calling to him.

“Fallen, oh soul, return to this world! Wuwu…”

Someone was weeping, heartbroken.

Shi Hao was certain—this was no illusion. He truly heard it.

“Who dares curse me?!” he bellowed, still refusing to believe he was dead.

“My lord!” The maiden bowed to him, then gasped, staring into the distance.

At the horizon of the burial ground, the gray sky split open. The river of time flowed past, churning with chaotic mist.

“What is this?” Shi Hao questioned.

“Heaven’s upheaval!” The maiden shuddered.

“What upheaval?”

“Because the holy land has revived, triggering a celestial phenomenon. In an instant, the river of time may tear open, revealing those who should not appear.”

According to her, this holy land was unimaginable. Its revival could cause the heavens to shift, perhaps unveiling the gate to the future or glimpses of the past.

Suspicious, Shi Hao strode forward, determined to see who was mourning at the horizon.

The maiden followed nervously, her white wings fluttering lightly, her feet barely touching the ground.

“Fallen, my brother, where are you? An era has passed. Heavenly Emperor, have you truly perished?” The voice wept bitterly.

“Wuwu… How could you die? What befell you? Your name is etched on the path of immortals, your words carved in the cycle of reincarnation—your fist shattered all barriers! Yet why have you vanished? An entire era… Have you truly fallen? Lost without a trace? I’ve buried myself nine times, watching epochs change, generations of geniuses rise and fall. But where are you?!”

The voice was thick with sorrow, the speaker drowning in grief.

Shi Hao’s scalp prickled.