An Lan also appeared, wielding a golden spear that pierced through the massive hand emerging from the Burial Ground!
This sudden turn of events was astonishing, completely unexpected, and beyond the imagination of those present. Not only were they shocked, but even the being from the Burial Ground was momentarily stunned, failing to evade the strike.
The golden war spear gleamed brilliantly, impaling the massive hand as black blood oozed out, releasing eerie radiance and an enigmatic aura that spread outward.
“Boom!”
The ghastly pale hand trembled violently, forcibly expelling the bloodstained golden spear. No matter how fiercely An Lan thrust, the massive hand managed to break free.
Simultaneously, from the depths of the distant Burial Ground, an earth-shaking roar erupted, thunderous and resounding across the borderlands. A surge of corpse energy and deathly mist filled the air, instantly transforming the area into a frigid, hellish abyss, chilling souls to the bone.
The sacred land of the Burial Ground shimmered with ripples of light, blocking the sinister aura and sealing off the black energy sea. Without this barrier, catastrophe would have ensued.
The pale hand suddenly surged with fury, lashing out toward the golden spear, even abandoning its grip on Yu Tuo’s indistinct hand.
“What is this thing? Could it be a King of the Burial Ground?” The inheritor of the Gu Clan’s legacy narrowed his eyes, his soul trembling uncontrollably. Even with the protection of the sacred land, his spirit nearly shattered under the overwhelming pressure of an unparalleled powerhouse.
He felt a chill of fear. That pale, bloodless hand, wreathed in corpse mist and thick deathly energy—how could it possibly contend with the ancient ancestor Yu Tuo?
Though wounded by An Lan’s spear, it showed no fear, breaking free and preparing to counterattack.
Shi Hao’s heart surged with turmoil. He had once heard from a female Burial Guard that the true pinnacle beings of the ancient Burial Ground might be divine, devoid of deathly energy, while their descendants were the Golden Burial Guards.
Yet, there were also peerless Burial Guards who rejected divinity, forever shrouded in deathly mist, dwelling in lands of extreme malevolence, enveloped in demonic fog.
Clearly, this Burial Guard belonged to the latter—reaching such heights of power, exuding an invincible aura, yet still cloaked in sinister black mist.
“Boom!”
The most intense battle erupted, brief in duration but unfolding at a speed beyond the comprehension of ordinary powerhouses.
Time and space warped as they interfered with the flow of time, revealing glimpses of the River of Ages. Such a phenomenon was unimaginable—a single battle summoning the ancient river of time itself. How utterly heaven-defying!
Yu Tuo ceased fighting, not due to weakness but because his time was up. His hand, clutching the rotten wooden chest, swiftly retreated, preparing to return to the Foreign Realm!
This was merely a fragment of his manifested form—a single hand—yet it was terrifyingly powerful, peerless in might. One could scarcely imagine the devastation his true form might unleash.
“Hum!”
From afar came a clear cry as a colossal creature appeared on the horizon. Without approaching, it exhaled a stream of black energy, depicting scenes of universal annihilation followed by rebirth—utterly astonishing.
A Burial Guard, no less, was manifesting the cycle of cosmic desolation to the birth of all creation.
And this was but a fraction of the profound transformations at play, its supreme Dao principles unparalleled.
“Bang!”
The void was severed as the three-foot-tall, violet-glowing bone altar in the black energy sea shattered into dust.
Yu Tuo’s hand dimmed instantly. His time had run out, and under such an assault, his form could no longer sustain itself, vanishing completely.
“You…” Yu Tuo’s voice carried frustration for the first time, filled with reluctance. He sighed—his true form could not cross over, leaving him powerless to continue the fight.
“Bang!”
The rotten wooden chest plummeted into the black energy sea, not particularly heavy yet sending towering waves splashing high.
“Clang! Clang! Clang!”
Deafening clashes resounded through the void as An Lan’s golden spear collided repeatedly with the pale hand. Sparks flew, Dao principles flickered, and chains of order cascaded like countless waterfalls from the heavens, dense and overwhelming.
The sky darkened as countless celestial bodies were pierced by the myriad beams of order, shattering swiftly in their wake.
In the distance, the colossal creature drew nearer, though none could discern its form through the thickening mist. Even the Heavenly Eye could not penetrate the obscurity.
Though it seemed close, it remained countless miles away—merely appearing near due to its immense size.
It struck with full force from that distance!
“Boom!”
A pair of arms stretched across the sky, splitting the ancient heavens asunder!
What manner of spectacle was this?
Whether it was Shi Hao, the young lord of the Imperial Clan, or the Fearless Lion, all were stunned, their souls trembling in awe at the unimaginable sight.
The River of Ages manifested, flowing past the creature’s side!
Was this a declaration of its invincibility across the eons?
Without a doubt, this was a Burial King—an ancient being who had slumbered for one or perhaps several epochs. Upon awakening, its aura of invincibility swept across the heavens and the earth!
“Do you mock my true form’s inability to cross over?” An Lan spoke coldly, his massive hand still gripping the golden spear, pointing it into the distance while shielding the rotten wooden chest nearby.
“Boom!”
A prehistoric aura surged forth, not resembling a living being but rather a living embodiment of ancient history!
The creature moved, its hands weaving an enigmatic seal before pressing it toward An Lan with full force.
“Clang!”
An Lan’s golden spear trembled but thrust forward unyieldingly, undeterred by the supreme seal.
“Boom!”
At that moment, a massive hand suddenly materialized behind the colossal creature, slamming down with overwhelming power!
Yu Tuo’s hand had clearly dissipated earlier—how had it reappeared to ambush the Burial King?
“Bang!”
The creature staggered from the blow, whirling around to retaliate with a single finger, chasing after the fading presence.
“Heavens!” The Fearless Lion gasped in reverence, realizing the truth—Yu Tuo had indeed departed long ago. What remained was a temporal imprint, a remnant tied to the River of Ages.
Yet, it could only influence reality for a fleeting moment. Yu Tuo was fated to depart after a single strike.
Without his true form, even his transcendent methods could not deliver a decisive blow.
Simultaneously, the Burial King’s supreme seal crashed against the golden spear with a deafening clang, blurring the battlefield into chaos.
“Alas, even An Lan’s time is up. He cannot fight at full strength!” lamented the young lord of the Imperial Clan.
At this moment, the three young powerhouses felt a chill run through them. If An Lan vanished, not only would their mission fail, but they might also perish here.
Their only solace was that as An Lan’s arm and spear dimmed, the colossal creature did not advance, remaining at a distance.
Unnoticed by the Fearless Lion, the Gu Clan inheritor, or the Imperial Clan’s young lord, a faint vortex swirled in the distance.
Shi Hao, positioned far from the battlefield, was the first to notice it.
“The Heavenly Abyss!” He was stunned. The Heavenly Abyss was rotating, as if to deter the Burial King—or perhaps to block An Lan and Yu Tuo from fully manifesting.
“Thud!”
The rotten wooden chest fell once more into the black energy sea.
“Roar!”
The Burial King growled, unleashing another seal. An Lan and his spear vanished completely—their time had expired.
Above, the colossal vortex of the Heavenly Abyss rumbled, pressing down upon the borderlands!
The Burial King did not advance. After standing at the horizon’s edge for a moment, it retreated step by step, shrinking until it vanished back into the ancient Burial Ground, returning to its tomb.
“This…” Shi Hao felt a cold shiver. Clearly, this branch of the Burial Ground lay within the borderlands, not isolated within the Foreign Realm’s mainland.
And within this branch resided a Burial King!
This was no good omen. Should it go berserk and attack the Imperial Pass, the consequences would be dire.
The only consolation was that even in proximity, it was restrained—the Heavenly Abyss was targeting it.
The Heavenly Abyss quieted, its vast power no longer surging.
The Burial King had truly departed, never to return. It had not even retrieved the rotten wooden chest, which puzzled all.
Had it not come for the chest? Had it merely sought to repel Yu Tuo and An Lan, refusing to tolerate beings of their caliber near its domain?
Silence reigned as the three powerhouses gazed at the black energy sea.
Shi Hao also stared intently. None had anticipated this outcome—the Immortal Kings had retreated empty-handed, and the Burial King had withdrawn just as abruptly.
Shi Hao transformed into a streak of light, landing at the edge of the sacred land, adjacent to the black energy sea.
For in that instant, all four of them witnessed the black sea receding at an astonishing speed, vanishing into the depths of the cursed land in the blink of an eye!
Left behind on the barren ground was a single object—the rotten wooden chest.
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