Chapter 637: The Immortal Tomb

“Immortal Tomb… Have we arrived?”

Ahead, haze lingered. Holy radiance shone, thunderlight surged, and layers of mist swirled, shrouding the scene in vagueness and mystery.

Just a few miles away stood a colossal mound, dozens of zhang high, where the Milky Way vanished without a trace.

Of course, the sight was blurry, indistinct, due to the interweaving of curse glyphs, holy light, and thunderbolts obstructing the view.

Yet one could be certain—they were nearing their destination.

Beside Shi Hao was a Taotie beast, massive and shimmering with purple scales. Its blood aura was thick; the horn atop its head resembled both a dragon’s horn and a forked ram’s horn.

It stared in disbelief, as if seeing a ghost, unable to accept that the Immortal Tomb had actually been found.

The Taotie felt unease. Along with its kin, it had endured endless hardships carrying the Pixie Divine Bamboo, yet had never reached this place. How could this youngling, who hadn’t even revealed any divine treasures, resist the curses and arrive here?

It suspected Shi Hao must possess a demon-warding divine object; otherwise, how could he resist the curses and use that divine item to gradually dispel the curse over the last two days?

Thinking this, it felt its heart burn, because the reason behind such actions was… to EAT it!

The Taotie grew furious. This was a humiliation indeed. Their race was renowned for devouring all beings. When cultivated to perfection, they could even swallow the laws of heaven and earth.

It was always their kind consuming other races’ The Strong One. Yet now, roles had reversed—the prey had become the predator.

The Taotie belonged to one of the most powerful upperworld races, unmatched in battle. All immortal sects across the realms feared and avoided provoking them.

Moreover, one ancient ancestor of their clan still lived, a being revered across Three Thousand Provinces!

Shi Hao noticed its shift but merely paused to glance at it. He too needed to prepare himself; the curses were intensifying as they neared, and he had to adjust to peak condition.

The Taotie was also regulating its breath. It knew the opponent wouldn’t spare it, yet it refused to concede. Once, it had inscribed its name upon the Divine Stele left behind by the Demon Sovereign, earning a notable ranking.

Perhaps it would have felt differently had it known Shi Hao was ranked first on the Divine Stele.

“Roar—!” The Taotie struck first, sensing Shi Hao had no intention of leading it to the Immortal Tomb, choosing instead to end things here.

Boundless blood qi surged forth like a raging sea. The Taotie was truly mighty. This young, pure-blooded celestial swung its claws and caused the void itself to dim.

Bang!

Shi Hao raised a hand and met its strike with an open palm, resulting in a collision that caused the Taotie to roar in agony, blood trickling from its claw.

So powerful! The Taotie felt a chill. Their race was known for possessing indestructible physical forms unmatched by most others. And yet here was a human, displaying such might.

It opened its gaping maw and unleashed a black hole in midair, attempting to devour Shi Hao’s true form.

“Human, die!” Desperate, the Taotie activated a supreme ancestral art, burning its life essence fiercely. The black hole emitted a profusion of divine Radiance, forming laws intended to crystallize and refine Shi Hao.

“Hmph!”

Shi Hao strode forth, enveloped in lightning, and landed a punch that pierced through the black hole and emerged victorious from its depths.

The Taotie coughed blood, stumbling backward with an expression of disbelief—had its treasure art truly been broken so easily?

“I refuse to be defeated!”

The past couple of days had been torment and humiliation. The opponent had helped dispel its curses yet did not even bother to seal it, clearly unafraid of its escape or rebellion.

Its eyes gleamed with menace. As a descendant of the ancient, heavenly Fierce Beast race, how could it ever accept becoming another’s meal?

“Unleash the sealing powers!”

The Taotie roared, chains forming within its body—glyphs shaped like divine chains binding its bones and flesh.

“Crack!”

In an instant, these chains shattered, and a surge of violent glyphic light pierced the heavens.

Simultaneously, the Taotie spat out a mouthful of essence blood, gravely wounded, yet its strength surged markedly, surpassing its former might.

Their kind possessed secret methods—constructing glyphic energy within during cultivation, accumulating divine power to later unleash at critical moments, allowing them to breakthrough barriers swiftly.

Shi Hao was surprised, “I suppose I underestimated you. Only like this would you be worthy opponents.”

“These restraints were meant to ignite my divine flame, but now I destroy my own Dao foundation. You will pay the price!” The Taotie howled.

Blood qi surged as it charged forward, its body radiating brilliant symbols. Every move it made caused the void to tremble with a resonant hum.

This time, it clashed with Shi Hao for dozens of rounds, growing fiercer with each exchange. Eventually, it broke past a hundred rounds with a full-scale onslaught.

“This strong?” Shi Hao murmured in astonishment, at last convinced this truly was the legendary Taotie.

Yet, to the Taotie, these words were an insult. It growled lowly, “No one dares scorn me, a junior prince of the Taotie race!”

Its pores opened, blood pouring forth, burning itself completely into a frenzied rage, determined to battle Shi Hao to the death.

Shi Hao felt a stir. He had heard of the Taotie race’s young prince—one who claimed to stand unrivaled among a hundred races.

Yet now that he had incurred its wrath, he could not possibly leave a powerful foe like this alive.

“End it now!” Shi Hao said coldly, not wishing to delay further. He needed to regulate himself into perfect condition before nearing the Immortal Tomb.

This Taotie, having shattered its internal chains and released its seals, had indeed become manyfold stronger. It battled Shi Hao fiercely for one hundred and fifty rounds before finally being struck down by a bolt of lightning.

It died defiantly, its expression fierce and full of hatred, finally fading with eyes darkened and body collapsing.

“Pity,” Shi Hao shook his head. The Taotie’s devouring art was lost forever. Such powerful clans often placed prohibitions within their disciples’ consciousness, which would explode if anyone attempted to probe it.

At the moment of its death, even the Taotie’s original bones crumbled.

Shi Hao entered into meditation, calming himself to reach optimal condition. He retrieved a cauldron, temporarily placing his medicinal herbs into his Satchel of Infinite Skies.

He summoned moisture from the air with his divine art, condensing it into liquid to clean the Taotie meat thoroughly. Finally, he placed it within his cauldron, igniting his Dao fire to begin simmering.

“Pity I couldn’t find Grandfather. We could’ve feasted on Taotie together here,” Shi Hao muttered.

He had never tasted Taotie meat before, yet seeing the glistening flesh shimmering with brilliant auras within the cauldron, he knew it had to be a supreme nectar.

This heavenly Fierce Beast race was among the elite of pure-blooded beings—every part of them was a treasure. Their very flesh was known as a legendary medicinal.

“Smells heavenly!”

Several hours later, Shi Hao began to feast voraciously, his mouth aglow with radiant Rosy Glow. The meat was incredibly tender, melting upon contact with his tongue, carrying a unique fragrance.

“Incredible! Truly the finest delicacy of this world!”

Shi Hao was delighted. The tender Taotie meat was indeed an exquisite treat. Pity there was no wine to accompany it; otherwise, he would’ve savored a few cups.

Though small in appearance, the cauldron could contain the massive Taotie beast. Its essence boiled within, its precious life energy seeping fully into the broth.

Shi Hao devoured greedily, his otherwise refined figure now resembling an insatiable glutton. He consumed nearly half a Taotie’s body, radiating holy light all over.

Eventually, he could no longer suppress it—his every pore erupted with divine power—an indication of overconsumption. Yet his appetite showed no signs of waning.

For the path ahead was perilous, cursed to an intense degree, and he needed to ignite his divine might to its fullest, using the Taotie’s essence to bolster his strength.

“Enough!”

He declared after consuming half the Taotie.

“Boom!”

Shi Hao strode forward, his divine might in a torrent, forming a radiant halo around him to counteract the curses.

The next few miles were peculiar. With every step forward, the curse’s intensity doubled. At times, it felt suffocating, challenging even someone as formidable as Shi Hao.

“Almost there.”

Just one last mile to go. Yet the curses surged violently, like torrential rain pelting down, engulfing him completely.

The source of these curses was none other than this ancient tomb!

Thus, the closer he approached, the more difficult it became to bear. The burden was proportional to one’s cultivation power—hence, the higher one’s realm, the greater the pressure endured.

The Divine Stone and the Royal Butterfly were stored within his Satchel inside his inner world’s paradise. Now, he stood alone, resisting the onslaught alone, moving toward the grand tomb.

One step… two steps… three steps…

Shi Hao’s face dripped with sweat, his bones crackling as if ready to shatter. Having devoured half a Taotie, his divine might surged, yet fatigue weighed heavily.

That last mile took him three full days and nights. Throughout, he occasionally sat to meditate, struggling against the curses, alleviating their grip.

“Crack!”

Lightning after lightning bolted downward, striking fear into hearts. Sometimes hitting him directly, splattering blood and wounding his flesh.

The area was filled with spiritual qi, weaving lightning with curses. Amidst the thunder, a faint aura of Immortality flickered.

Just dozens of steps remained, yet Shi Hao nearly collapsed. The pressure was unbearable. The curse was inescapable, his flesh threatening to disintegrate and his spirit heavily drained.

“This is a trial of cultivation…” Shi Hao murmured, attempting to calm himself, choosing to sit and regard this as a life-or-death ordeal.

Changing his mindset, he became serene, treating the challenge as a test of tempering his spirit, and began to grasp the thunder’s essence around him.

Step by step, those final few dozen steps took him another three days before he finally reached the tomb’s edge.

It was a mound of yellow earth, existing for endless ages. Great rivers coursed straight into it, where countless symbols flickered, exuding a terrifying aura of Dao.

“A dead tomb that embodies the Dao!”

This was Shi Hao’s realization as he neared. Perhaps the true blessing here was none other than this tomb.

Here, the entire ancient mound radiated its own principles, occasionally manifesting symbols and erupting with thunderbolts, piercing heavenward.

“Did an Immortal truly perish here, entombed within?” Shi Hao murmured, drenched in sweat, as he sat with great effort before the tomb, enduring immense pressure.

He activated his Divine Eyes, piercing mist and thunderlight, scrutinizing every detail of this Immortal Tomb.

“What is that…?” His eyes widened. Atop the tomb’s summit was a red smear—an expanse of brilliant blood, undying in aura, brimming with vibrant life force, glowing as translucent as jade.

“Is this an Immortal’s blood or the Demon Sovereign’s blood?” Shi Hao’s voice quivered with excitement, clenching his fists. Yet he knew—he could never possess it.

The ancient tomb embodied a Dao, perhaps representing the Immortal Dao, or containing the Supreme Dao Principle of the Demon Sovereign. There was no way for him to ascend atop it.

He tried momentarily, summoning a magical artifact. Yet the moment it approached, it was erased into ashes by the symbols igniting.

“If I cannot ascend the Immortal Tomb, I shall sit here and comprehend the Dao here, cultivating within this Immortal Dao!”

Shi Hao made his decision: battling curses, calming his mind, and experiencing the “Immortal Tomb Dao.”

In the first few days, Shi Hao endured untold torment—a body-breaking ordeal. The curses infiltrated, lightning struck down, leaving him blood-soaked, flesh dimmed.

Eventually, he adapted, showing slight improvement, occasionally capturing Dao traces to contemplate.

Half a month later, Shi Hao was delighted. He finally sensed—it was the thunder power. He could now perceive its trajectories.

“The aura of Immortal Dao…”

Shi Hao opened his mind, sensing the fragmented glyphs. Then he beheld scene after scene—an evolution of lightning, complex and unfathomable.

“Lightning—it lives—transforming into grass and trees, vibrant with life.”

Shi Hao whispered, articulating his insight. Lightning was not only destruction but also life, and he had grasped it.

Then he saw lightning transform into earth—each clod thick and mighty.

Later, he witnessed rivers of lightning, liquid streams flowing across the sky and earth.

“Clang!”

A metallic reverberation sounded as lightning coalesced into various metal weapons—spears, halberds, great axes—exuding boundless might.

Lightning could mimic metal, displaying its sharpness and cutting edge.

On the Immortal Tomb, glyphs constantly shifted, demonstrating profound truths, captivating Shi Hao completely.

It was undeniably lightning, yet Shi Hao perceived the most fundamental elements of heaven and earth—grasses and trees, earth, water, metal, fire.

“Boom!”

Lastly, different qualities of lightning collided, exuding threads of chaotic qi, terrifyingly potent, steeped in the aura of Immortality.

Shi Hao gained abundant insight. His Lightning Dao Art advanced significantly, and unknowingly, a month had already passed.

A mere act of enlightenment, yet it cost him a month. Should the news spread, people would surely be astounded—enlightenment at the Daoist stage was thought to be brief at best.

“I see the path now. I understand how to cultivate my Lightning Dao.”

Whispering softly, Shi Hao realized during his month-long enlightenment he discovered the most fundamental transformations of lightning—an invaluable revelation.

“Boom!”

In the next moment, Shi Hao’s body erupted in a blaze of destruction-infused flames, dazzlingly radiant.

“I have grasped a simple yet profound change of lightning—the fire, symbolizing annihilation, foretelling grandeur, and bringing illumination.”

Indeed, while his exterior appeared aflame, it was actually lightning—bolts dancing like flames, burning fiercely, incredibly powerful.

Undoubtedly, his grasp of the Lightning Dao’s secrets had significantly surpassed before. A kinship with lightning had developed—lightning transforming into fire, enveloping him.

After mastering a simple yet profound variation of the Lightning Dao, Shi Hao now felt connected to the lightning surrounding this Immortal Tomb, and its curses had weakened notably against him.

He moved around the tomb, exploring its other sides.

“Priceless vegetation imbued with thunder glyphs!”

Shi Hao was astonished. On the opposite side of the tomb, he saw plants—mystic grasses, dwarf trees, tender buds—each shimmering with thunderlight and bearing mysterious glyphs.