On the embankment, a faint line of footprints stood out starkly. Though the imprints were barely discernible, they were undeniably real, etched into the surface where few other traces could be found.
“This…”
The group stood frozen in shock.
“So this is it—only a Quasi-Immortal Emperor can leave a mark here!”
After a long silence, someone murmured in realization.
Not far away, on the other side of the embankment, another faint line of footprints stretched into the distance, their origins lost to time. These had once been the focal point of discussions among the mighty across the heavens.
They had also become the driving force for generations of cultivators, urging them to venture deep into the Realm Sea, tracing those footprints toward its distant end.
To the cultivators of countless epochs, the one who left those marks might have been an Emperor. Though there was no concrete proof, all accorded him the utmost reverence.
“So it was a Quasi-Immortal Emperor!”
Only now did people finally grasp the true strength of the one who had left those earliest footprints.
The realization weighed heavily on their hearts. If that being was indeed a Quasi-Immortal Emperor, had he ventured into the depths of the Realm Sea to quell the chaos?
Yet, why had the dark tempests continued to erupt over the ages, never ceasing?
A chill ran through the crowd. Could even a Quasi-Immortal Emperor be powerless?
“Did the one who left those footprints perish at the end of the Realm Sea—in the Land of Darkness?!”
The speculation unsettled many. If even a Quasi-Immortal Emperor could not emerge unscathed, was death inevitable? Their thoughts turned to Shi Hao, who had embarked on his solitary journey. What fate awaited him?
At this moment, their hearts grew heavy. If even a Quasi-Immortal Emperor could not contend with the great terror at the end of the Realm Sea, who in this world could resolve such a calamity?
Looking back across countless eons, through the rise and fall of untold ages, only one figure had emerged—Shi Hao. If even a peerless genius like him were to fail, then all hope would truly be lost.
“Emperor Shi Hao, you must endure!”
An aged Immortal King spoke, gazing toward the Realm Sea, now shrouded in mist and gloom, where Shi Hao’s figure had long since vanished.
Many among them were older than Shi Hao, some having lived through multiple epochs. Yet now, their faces were grave, their tone solemn when they uttered the name “Emperor Shi Hao.”
This was their acknowledgment. Shi Hao stood unrivaled between heaven and earth, his might eclipsing even the weight of his youth.
Time flowed like a river, relentless and unfeeling.
Thousands of years passed in the Immortal Realm, uneventful and tranquil.
In the Realm Sea, the waves remained calm. Though some Kings had returned, none stirred great turmoil, as if all were quietly waiting for something.
For now, the mighty across the heavens had heard the truth—this world had a Quasi-Immortal Emperor, one who had even unlocked and subdued the Origin Ancient Artifact.
Who would dare act recklessly?
In such a short span, Emperor Shi Hao could not have gone far—or perhaps he had never left at all. To provoke conflict now would invite certain doom.
Looking back over hundreds of millennia, Shi Hao had entered the Realm Sea multiple times, only to return each time. Who could say he would not suddenly turn back again?
In this era, who would dare challenge Shi Hao? None possessed the qualifications!
Indeed, not just in this epoch, but throughout all ages since the Era of Fallen Emperors, none had stood at his heights. He was destined to reign supreme, unmatched under the heavens!
“Emperor Shi Hao is truly extraordinary!”
Someone sighed. Even after so many years, the Kings spoke of this latecomer with complex expressions, yet all were compelled to offer praise.
Rising from the twilight of the Lawless Age, he had surged upward against all odds. Even when Immortal Kings barred his path, he had fought through life-and-death struggles to ascend to the pinnacle of cultivation.
“From ancient times to the present, how many have dared to claim the title of Emperor?”
Upon reflection, there had been a few—each a dazzling talent, a supreme overlord of profound achievements, or the founder of a grand system.
Like the Immortal Realm system, or the Burial Kings’ path. Yet, in the end, what had become of them?
“Once one establishes a Heavenly Court and proclaims themselves Emperor, they inevitably meet a tragic end. Not a single one has survived. Pitiable, lamentable, and tragic!”
It seemed an inescapable fate, a curse of sorts. The zenith of glory heralded only doom and calamity, ending in the annihilation of entire bloodlines.
“Woof! Woof! Woof!”
A dog barked—large, spirited, with sharp eyes.
Now the size of a calf, it had a broad head, large ears, and gleaming black fur, its physique robust and powerful.
“The Immortal Realm is more broken than before. It’s not the same. How brutal—the battles have reached such extremes.” The dog muttered.
Beside it stood several others, including a plump Taoist with jet-black hair and a radiant, prosperous countenance, wandering the Immortal Realm and taking in the sights.
Undoubtedly, this was Cao Yuzheng, and the dog was none other than the former pup.
In their twilight years, on the brink of death, they had fought desperately, their white hair wild as they carried Shi Hao into the Burial Grounds, pleading with the Burial Kings to save him.
In the end, unable to hold on, they had chosen the path of the Burial Beings, buried in the Soil of All Things to undergo transformation.
Or perhaps, one could call it… corpse metamorphosis!
A man and a woman followed them—Shen Ming and San Zang, the ones who had awakened Cao Yuzheng and returned the Memory Crystal to him.
The records within the crystal had restored their memories of past lives. How could they not sigh? They had wept and howled, having slept for over a million years. Who remained to greet them?
Fortunately, Tianjiao Ant had sought them out, entering the Burial Grounds to find them and now leading them into the Immortal Realm.
Tianjiao Ant, his golden hair shimmering, had become a Ten Calamities-level expert. Yet he still trained relentlessly, pursuing the limits of strength. If he reached the end, his achievements would be boundless!
“Shi Hao, my brother… We arrived too late. You… set off alone. At least let me see you off!” Cao Yuzheng cried out.
Upon reaching the ruins of the Heavenly Court, his eyes reddened. The towering graves, the overgrown weeds, the broken walls—all spoke of desolation.
He could imagine Shi Hao’s state of mind when he left—a solitary Heavenly Court, a solitary war, a solitary path of no return.
When Shi Hao departed, he must have looked back, gazing one last time before resolutely marching forward.
Then, Cao Yuzheng approached the ancient graves and wept.
He sat before Tuogu Yulong’s tomb, pouring wine as he sobbed. “Brother, we once stood side by side at the Imperial Pass. Though my cultivation was weaker, I dared to face those bastards from the Foreign Lands with you. Yet here I am, still alive, while you’ve gone ahead.”
“Great Xu Tuo, you bald monk… We weren’t close, but I knew you were a good man. And yet, you met no good end.” Cao Yuzheng wiped his tears.
Shen Ming rolled her eyes. Though the fatty was grieving, his words were hardly tactful.
“Lan Xian, so beautiful, yet gone too soon. Truly, fair maidens meet cruel fates.”
…
After a long bout of weeping, Cao Yuzheng reached the graves of the veterans, his eyes red with sorrow. “So many brothers… We drank together. Some from Stone Village, some from across the lower realm. All gone now. I pray Shi Hao can cleanse the darkness, one day returning with the head of the scourge to honor you. Rest well, old comrades.”
His grief moved even Tianjiao Ant. They were survivors of the same era. How many of their generation remained?
“Shi Hao… thank you.”
Shen Ming whispered, gazing toward the endless void—the direction of the Realm Sea.
Shi Hao had slain the master of the Yellow Gourd and killed Qu Chong, repaying a great debt to the Burial Grounds by eliminating their nemesis.
“We strive to become Burial Kings, hoping one day to fight alongside you again,” San Zang said.
He knew the odds were slim. If that day came, how dire would the situation be? Shi Hao was already a Quasi-Immortal Emperor. Would he even need aid?
“Regardless, I will do all I can to help you!” Cao Yuzheng declared.
From that day forth, Cao Yuzheng, the grown pup, and Tianjiao Ant began erecting temples across the Immortal Realm, each enshrining a statue of Shi Hao.
“Brother, I know you’re strong. But… I fear the worst. These methods we’ve gleaned from the Burial Texts are akin to the faith-gathering of the old Heavenly Court. May they aid you!”
Temple after temple rose, venerating only one—Emperor Shi Hao.
In the past, such an act would have invited fatal opposition. But now, none in the Immortal Realm dared obstruct. All knew Shi Hao, all chanted his name.
“This combines Burial Arts with the Great Dharma of Faith, along with the remnants of your blood we preserved. Now, we employ it all.”
“If you fall in battle, we will summon your soul. You will return. You will walk this world again!”
They feared Shi Hao would never return, perishing in the Land of Darkness. Thus, they exhausted every means to one day reclaim even a wisp of his shattered soul.
Deep in the Realm Sea, Shi Hao summoned a spiritual root—the very one that had sealed the “Fake Medicine Seller’s” avatar, hailed as the First Spiritual Root.
“Go. Your six souls must reunite. I hope you grow strong enough to be of use in the days to come,” Shi Hao said.
Time flowed, indifferent and unyielding.
Twenty thousand years passed in the blink of an eye.
Shi Hao journeyed onward in solitude. Even as a Quasi-Immortal Emperor, he could not traverse the sea directly—it was too vast, its currents defying ordinary teleportation arrays.
Only on certain islands could formations be carved to hasten his advance.
In the Immortal Realm, over twenty millennia, temples rose one after another, growing ever more majestic and radiant.
Daily, countless came to worship, chanting the name of Emperor Shi Hao.
Though no news of Shi Hao had reached them in all these years, many still revered him.
The Realm Sea had remained calm, its occasional dark tempests torn asunder by some unseen force. Returning Kings dared not wreak havoc.
All knew this was Shi Hao’s doing. As he advanced through the Realm Sea, his presence alone cowed the mighty of the heavens.
**Boom!**
Waves surged as Shi Hao pressed forward.
Along the way, he encountered legendary Kings—figures immortalized in ancient texts, now opening their eyes upon sensing his presence.
Shi Hao nodded slightly but did not linger, charging ever deeper into the Realm Sea.
The Kings watched in awe. The greatest dark tempest in the sea’s depths was brewing, yet this man marched toward it alone.
**Boom!**
From the abyss of the Realm Sea, dark power erupted, terrifying and boundless, like an inverted ocean surging forth.
**Crack!**
Shi Hao slashed with a palm strike, cleaving the storm and carving a path.
Suddenly, the Kings shuddered as an earth-shattering event unfolded.
From the depths, palaces materialized in the void, descending one after another, linked by radiant bridges like a road.
Beyond these palaces, however, lay only impenetrable darkness, vast and horrifying.
“Guidance Ancient Palaces—manifesting en masse, forming a path!” The Kings trembled.
Shi Hao’s pupils contracted, but he showed no fear. Without hesitation, he stepped onto the road.
**Whoosh!**
A flash of light, and Shi Hao vanished, plunging straight toward the Realm Sea’s end!
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage