As a Golden Burial Guardian, perpetually entombed beneath the earth, he possessed an unparalleled sensitivity to subterranean minerals. Now, Sanzang closed his eyes, silently attuning his senses.
Shen Ming took a few steps forward, nearly tumbling off the cliff edge of the pit.
In the distance, a thunderous roar erupted as the mountain-sized head exploded, crimson hair swirling before dissolving into a mist of blood, vanishing without a trace.
Nothing remained. The peaks it had devoured earlier, along with molten metal, splattered onto the ground.
“Something’s off,” Sanzang murmured, undisturbed by the spectacle, his calm demeanor startling Huo Fudu, Nuo Lan, and the others.
Even as a Burial Guardian, his sensitivity to earth and stone had dulled, yielding no significant discoveries.
He simply found the place peculiar—everything felt sealed off, as if the stones themselves obscured the workings of heaven, defying true scrutiny.
Sanzang knew ordinary methods were futile; these stones could not be pierced by mere observation.
“Save your efforts. See those black stones? They might have been bathed in some kind of blood. And those pale yellow ones? Possibly the petrified flesh of ancient powerhouses. The relics of the Emperor’s Fall Era aren’t so easily deciphered,” Jin Yang sneered.
Sanzang remained silent. Shen Ming scoffed, dismissing his words. In her view, this place had witnessed fierce battles and was likely sealed for a reason.
*Boom!*
Shen Ming struck first, wrenching a stone the size of a millstone from the cliff. Channeling her magic, she prepared to shatter it.
“Be careful—take it over there!” the White Peacock Fairy advised.
Nearby stood a hexagonal altar, cobbled from ancient stones, exuding an aura of antiquity. Though weathered, the formation remained intact.
“Why tell her?” Nuo Lan snapped, the crimson mark on her forehead glowing with hostility toward Shen Ming.
The Immortal Pit was no ordinary place. Some stones harbored bizarre substances that could morph into beasts or monsters, while others contained fragmented remnants of ancient beings. If unleashed, these could manifest as baleful energy, annihilating all life.
In the worst cases, they could trigger demonic calamities.
Thus, powerful figures had erected purification arrays around the pit to neutralize such threats.
Shen Ming, surprisingly compliant, carried the stone to the formation and shattered it with her magic.
*Crack!*
A claw, stone yet gleaming with earthen light, shot out, lunging at her with startling speed.
*Clang!*
Shen Ming reacted swiftly, her hand seals colliding with the claw. To her surprise, it held firm. A yellow streak burst from the stone, attacking relentlessly.
A living creature!
Though her movements were graceful, each strike unleashed overwhelming force, sending the beast flying.
*Whoosh!*
The creature—resembling a three-foot-long terrier—darted away at blinding speed, vanishing into the earth after a few exchanges.
“Is that a Stone Beast?” Shi Hao asked.
Earlier, the Peacock Fairy had warned of both opportunities and dangers here, mentioning Stone Beasts that could devour the unwary.
“It just ran away?” Shen Ming scowled.
“Count yourself lucky. That was just an earth hound. Had it taken the form of a phoenix or a colossus, you’d be dead,” Jin Yang remarked, his tone laced with grudging advice.
The White Peacock Fairy elaborated, explaining that Stone Beasts were enigmatic entities that emerged briefly before retreating into the pit. Some speculated the pit housed their nest, while others believed them to be mere puppets, vessels for a greater will lurking below.
Once their purpose was served, their bodies became inert, their consciousness seeking new stones to inhabit.
Rumors spoke of an indomitable will beneath the pit—or perhaps a mass grave, given the fragmented remains encased in stone.
“Borrowing vessels to nurture consciousness… Is this metamorphosis or rebirth?” Shen Ming mused.
Jin Yang and the Peacock Fairy offered no further insights.
“Found it!” Sanzang’s eyes snapped open. He leaped into the pit, retrieving a three-foot stone and placing it on the altar. With a decisive strike, he split it open.
Gasps erupted.
No danger emerged—only a radiant aura. A palm-sized metal stele, shimmering with divine light, lay within.
“Void Immortal Metal Scripture!” Huo Fudu blurted, his voice trembling.
This was Void Immortal Metal, forged into a stele. Priceless.
While its material alone was peerless, what drew attention was its form—a stele. In the Emperor’s Fall Era, scriptures were inscribed on such tablets, especially those made of immortal metal.
This could be… a lost sutra!
In that age, scriptures were supreme legacies, treasures beyond measure.
Breaths quickened. Eyes burned with greed.
Even in the Immortal Realm, this would spark bloodshed. Legends told of a peerless figure who rose to dominance after chancing upon such a stele in his youth.
Now, Sanzang had unearthed one. The crowd teetered on the brink of frenzy.
“Planning to steal it?” Sanzang gripped the stele, warily eyeing the crowd.
“Hand it over!” Huo Fudu’s demeanor darkened instantly.
“You won’t leave with that,” Nuo Lan hissed.
“Really? Over a piece of immortal metal? Couldn’t you at least pretend to be civil?” Sanzang waved the stele mockingly.
Huo Fudu stiffened. Nuo Lan’s fervor dimmed, her expression freezing.
“No engravings… It’s a blank!” Jin Yang exclaimed, equal parts disappointed and relieved.
Had it borne scripture, blood would have been spilled.
This was merely a rough cast, devoid of inscriptions.
A chorus of sighs followed.
“This area has yielded blank stone and wooden steles before. Now, even an immortal metal one appears,” someone lamented.
“Young friend, may I examine it?” The middle-aged man from earlier reappeared, no longer disdainful of lower-realm beings.
Sanzang hesitated but complied, avoiding conflict.
The man scrutinized the stele, then sighed and returned it.
Soon, an elder shrouded in immortal energy arrived, his power unfathomable. After a brief inspection, he vanished, leaving only three words:
“What a pity.”
With his verdict, the crowd dispersed. The stele was indeed blank.
“The scriptures of the Emperor’s Fall Era are priceless. Alas, fate denies us,” Sanzang murmured, though he took solace in owning the immortal metal.
“Brother Sanzang, help me pick a stone,” Shi Hao requested.
Sanzang smiled wryly. “I overestimated myself. Even as a Golden Burial Guardian, I can’t discern these stones. Earlier, I relied on instinct.”
The Peacock Fairy nodded. “True. Here, destiny guides all. Sacred relics reveal themselves to the fated.”
Shen Ming’s search proved fruitless, frustrating the proud Burial Guardian.
Shi Hao closed his eyes, testing his own intuition.
A jolt ran through him. Was this… fate?
A peculiar sensation drew him to a stone, reminiscent of the Great Luo Sword Embryo’s aura.
For a moment, he glimpsed the sword’s true might—scenes of blood-soaked graves, a figure seated on a bronze coffin.
The sword’s awakening brought not just ascension but carnage.
This stone radiated a similar energy.
“What lies within?” Shi Hao wondered. Akin to the sword, or perhaps a relic from the same epoch?
The thought chilled him. How ancient was the Great Luo Sword Embryo?
“Open!” Shi Hao roared, hauling the stone to the altar. With a surge of power, he shattered it.
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