San Zang’s expression darkened as he said, “I’ve even agreed to trade the Void Immortal Gold Stele. What more do you want?”
Shi Hao remained silent, simply staring at him. By now, he was certain—this thing was absolutely priceless and of immense value to the Burial Clan.
Shen Ming, graceful and poised, shot San Zang a glare. “Serves you right! Who told you to compete with me so eagerly? Now look where that’s gotten you!”
“Just joking. If you really need it, I can give it to you,” Shi Hao said, not wanting to antagonize the two of them.
After all, these two Golden Burial Clan members were no pushovers. Turning hostile now would bring no benefits.
Of course, it also depended on their sincerity—whether they were being truly open with him.
“I didn’t mean to hide anything. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been in such a hurry to trade with you, revealing flaws so easily,” San Zang explained, trying to show his honesty.
“What exactly is this thing?” Shi Hao asked, deeply curious. It was just a rotten wooden sword, yet the two of them coveted it so desperately.
Back in the Immortal Domain, he had personally inspected it—so decayed it was practically crumbling, ready to snap at the slightest touch.
It was then that he noticed San Zang’s unusual behavior—picking up a small broken fragment of the wooden sword from the ground.
At the time, the others had all ganged up to mock Shi Hao, making San Zang’s actions seem like he was just joining in the teasing.
But now, it was clear—he had been carefully collecting the fragments of this incredibly rare wooden sword, unwilling to waste even a scrap!
“This is Three-Life Herb, a peerless medicinal plant that only grows in the Burial Earth!” San Zang confessed openly.
Shen Ming nodded, no longer hiding anything. Her sparkling eyes shone with intense brilliance—this was far too important for them.
Earlier, Shi Hao had heard them mention that Three-Life Herb could help Burial Clan members evolve into Burial Kings. For their race, it was a supreme treasure, surpassing all others.
Though Shi Hao had guessed this thing was extraordinary, he never imagined it would be Three-Life Herb!
This was the Burial Clan’s most sacred and legendary artifact—something so rare it was almost mythical, to the point where people doubted its existence.
For ages, it had only been spoken of, never seen!
However, any Burial Clan member could confirm its authenticity upon close contact.
The herb had an overwhelming effect on them, capable of triggering their evolution. Just a slight touch was enough for their innate senses to recognize it.
For outsiders, Three-Life Herb was generally useless!
Only the most powerful beings could make use of it—refining resurrection elixirs and the like.
It was said that several legendary ancient elixirs required Three-Life Herb as a catalyst.
“To think I dug up a Three-Life Herb!” Shi Hao murmured, examining the rotten wooden sword in his hand. Its appearance was so shabby he had almost thrown it away.
Why would it take this form? It didn’t resemble a medicinal herb at all.
When Shi Hao voiced this question, both Shen Ming and San Zang gritted their teeth. They agreed that some ancient supreme expert must have deliberately crafted it this way.
That person likely wasn’t from the Burial Clan but knew exactly what Three-Life Herb was—mocking future generations, especially the Burial Clan!
The original herb had probably been a small tree, but someone had carved it into a wooden sword!
“What a waste! If I ever find out which old bastard turned it into a sword, I’ll dig up his grave!” Shen Ming growled viciously.
“Hasn’t this thing spoiled?” Shi Hao asked. When he tore open the stone earlier, there had been a faint rotten smell.
Hearing this, the two Golden Burial Clan members’ expressions darkened further, almost turning black.
“I really want to kill that old bastard! A supreme treasure like this, casually carved into a sword—almost ruined!” Shen Ming fumed.
“It’s slightly spoiled, but still usable,” San Zang said. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been so desperate for it.
“How much do you need?” Shi Hao pressed further.
The two were puzzled—did Shi Hao want some too?
Shi Hao nodded frankly. He wanted to keep a portion—it might prove invaluable in the future.
Back in the starry graveyard where time was distorted, he had seen Cao Yusheng and a big black dog digging through ancient tombs, searching for Three-Life Herb.
At the time, Cao Yusheng had been bloodied and in dire straits, seeking the Burial Clan’s supreme herb to refine an elixir—to resurrect someone.
“This broken sword has enough material. The three of us can split it equally,” San Zang agreed. It wasn’t a case of more being better—a certain amount was enough to catalyze their evolution.
If this herb hadn’t been damaged and carved into a sword, its growth would have been astonishing—it might have fully matured into a tree!
“Here!” San Zang handed the Void Immortal Gold Stele to Shi Hao without hesitation, though he suspected the metal tablet wasn’t as simple as it seemed.
But he couldn’t decipher anything from it—to him, it was just an ancient stele without inscriptions.
Shi Hao turned it over repeatedly but found nothing unusual. Finally, he chuckled. “The Great Luo Sword Embryo and other treasures are gone. This… might as well be a weapon.”
He weighed it in his hand—it was just the right size, about the length of a palm. It looked like… a brick!
“Perfect for knocking someone out from behind!” Shi Hao praised.
The two Burial Clan members were speechless.
Shi Hao snapped the wooden sword in half, sending wood fragments scattering.
The two Golden Burial Clan members were both thrilled and horrified—this was Three-Life Herb, and Shi Hao was treating it so carelessly!
“Ancestor, slow down! Don’t waste it!”
They carefully collected every speck of wood dust in jade plates, unwilling to lose even a trace.
The wooden sword was divided into three portions.
“I’ll teach you a Burial Art in exchange,” Shen Ming offered.
“If you ever walk the path of the Burial King, this won’t be enough. Consider it a great karmic debt—we’ll repay you heavily in the future,” San Zang said solemnly.
“Indeed. If you ever face trouble, I’ll come to guide you,” Shen Ming added with equal gravity.
Shi Hao was particularly sensitive to the term “guide.” It made him uneasy, but the two didn’t elaborate.
“If you die, as long as a fragment of your remains exists, I can bring you into the Burial Domain and transform you into one of us,” Shen Ming said.
“Can’t you say something more auspicious?” Shi Hao rolled his eyes.
Besides, if he really died, he’d rather not end up in the Burial Domain. The idea of becoming a corpse spirit was horrifying—he’d prefer true death.
At the same time, Shi Hao was puzzled. Weren’t Burial Clan members born naturally? Could they also evolve from corpses?
Hearing his question, the two smiled.
“You misunderstand the Burial Clan too deeply. We are indeed a race, not reanimated corpses. But as a favor to you, we could perform a heaven-defying feat to help you become one of us.”
“I’ll pass, thanks.”
Once things settled, they turned back. The stone gate still stood—grand and towering—but the city walls had vanished.
“I actually went inside…” Shi Hao sighed. The legendary Immortal Domain—he had set foot in it, if only briefly.
If only the Great Elder had been here! In that brief moment, he might have broken through and ascended to immortality!
The Nine Heavens’ environment was too harsh—immortality was forbidden, trapping generations of prodigies.
“How do we go back?” Shen Ming wondered.
This was troubling. The teleportation arrays they’d used to come here were one-way. Where was the return path?
“Should we ask the Immortal Domain’s inhabitants?” Shi Hao suggested, actually knocking on the massive stone gate.
But it didn’t budge—no reaction, no glow.
The gate suppressed and defended against everything. It was immovable.
Moreover, those inside wouldn’t sense anything—the gate sealed off all communication!
Unless, like the person on the straw mat, one possessed a supreme treasure that could trigger the gate’s response.
“Let’s search these remains. So many came here—surely some tried to return the way they came.”
Following this reasoning, they began scouring the area outside the gate.
There were countless corpses—some reduced to skeletons, others still clad in withered divine skin.
Their efforts bore fruit. Clues from some remains led them to follow a certain direction through the starry expanse.
Along the way, they found more scattered remains.
A colossal teleportation array, larger than any before, lay ahead!
To reach the stone gate, they had ascended nine altars, undergoing nine teleportations.
But here, in the depths of the starry void beyond the gate, they found a tenth altar—gigantic, like a towering mountain.
“Is this the way back?”
“Something feels off. Nine altars led to the stone gate. Now we find a tenth—are you sure this is the return path, and not something even stranger?”
If this wasn’t the return altar, where would it lead?
Could there be a realm even more distant and mysterious than the Immortal Domain? Logically, it seemed impossible.
Yet, doubt lingered.
“Doesn’t matter. There’s no other path—only this altar remains. Let’s ascend!”
In the end, they stepped onto the altar. A brilliant flash of light engulfed them—and they vanished.
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