In the rear mountain area, a valley rose with wisps of thin smoke as a massive tomb cracked open, emitting eerie sounds that sent chills down everyone’s spine.
Many stepped back in shock, staring at the direction in disbelief.
“Woof!” A dog barked.
Then, people saw an old Taoist and a small dog emerge from the cracked tomb.
Cao Yushen appeared—he and the pup had been buried together in the same burial site, a mystical plot of earth transported from elsewhere, a tomb that defied the natural order.
Years ago, during the Heavenly Court gathering, when Shi Hao decided to attempt the Immortal King realm, he had summoned Cao Yushen and the pup, unearthing their tomb.
But afterward, they returned, sealing themselves in a special tomb using divine source liquid gifted by Shi Hao, remaining in slumber all these years.
“That’s Taoist Master Cao!” someone shouted, recognizing him.
Calculating the years, Cao Yushen had been sealed away at around seven or eight thousand years old, hidden within divine source liquid—otherwise, he wouldn’t have survived until now.
Cao Yushen was stunned. When he learned what had happened, the world seemed to spin, and he nearly collapsed.
“Shi Hao!” he cried out, rushing toward the new grave.
The little dog was equally shocked, darting forward and clawing at the soil, trying to dig up the tomb.
“What are you doing?” Some from the Heavenly Court roared in fury, ready to fight him despite knowing his formidable background.
But soon, they all stopped.
“Wuuu…” Cao Yushen wept bitterly as he unearthed Shi Hao’s body. Kneeling, he cradled the once-majestic figure, now covered in blood and cracks.
The brutality of that battle was evident!
“My brother…” Cao Yushen wailed, his hair now white, his body frail with age, tears streaming down his face in overwhelming grief.
The body in his arms was cold and stiff, yet still dignified, bearing the marks of defiance and unwillingness to yield—fighting until the very last moment before fading from the world.
“Has all his essence-blood drained away?” the pup murmured in a low voice.
Shi Hao had become an immortal—his blood aura was beyond mortal reach. Yet now, his body was drenched in crimson, wounds covering every inch, and Cao Yushen held him without hesitation.
It could only mean the battle had been too devastating—he must have exhausted every last drop of his vitality.
Or perhaps, Ao Sheng, Tai Shi, and Yuan Chu had been too ruthless, obliterating his very foundation, erasing everything.
“How hateful!” the pup growled.
The crowd was moved, especially seeing the white-haired Cao Yushen, now in his twilight years, weeping so bitterly—it weighed heavily on their hearts.
“Let’s go. It’s too unsafe to leave Shi Hao here. Many will covet his body!” the pup whispered.
Cao Yushen wiped away his tears and nodded. They set up formations to obscure fate—this was their greatest expertise.
That day, Shi Hao’s body vanished, taken away, leaving the new grave in the Heavenly Court’s rear mountain empty.
It became a mystery—from that day onward, no one knew where Shi Hao’s body had gone.
“What does it matter? He’s already dead, his soul extinguished. What storm could he possibly stir now? Ridiculous!”
The master of the Immortal Fall Ridge spoke coldly before retreating into seclusion, cutting off all contact with the outside world, indifferent to the matter.
The world was in turmoil. Many lamented Shi Hao’s fate—destined to defy the heavens, to attain the Immortal King realm in this era of declining laws, yet cut down too soon by cruel fate.
In the Burial Ground, whispers spread.
“What a pity. Such a promising talent, struck down like this.”
This was a grand cave abode, far from what outsiders imagined—filled with surging spiritual energy, swirling chaos, and auspicious light. Even the soil glowed—it was the legendary Soil of All Things!
Here, immortal herbs swayed, their fragrance intoxicating.
This was the dwelling of a Burial King—not grim, but surpassing even the most sacred immortal lands, perfect for cultivation.
“My lord, grant me this wish. I wish to bring him back, to settle that great karmic debt!” A young man spoke, his golden hair radiant like a sun god’s.
In truth, he was a Burial Being—San Zang, an old friend of Shi Hao’s.
“My lord, grant us this!” Beside him, a bewitching woman spoke, her flawless beauty exuding natural charm, her fiery red hair cascading down.
She was the Golden Burial Being, Shen Ming.
The two had journeyed with Shi Hao, forming a deep bond, even venturing into the Immortal Domain and the world beyond the embankment—comrades through life and death.
Most importantly, they shared a great karmic tie.
Shi Hao had once obtained a Three-Life Herb—useless to others, but a supreme treasure for Burial Beings, aiding their evolution toward Burial Kings!
Back then, Shi Hao had gifted it to them in exchange for the Void Immortal Gold Stele.
The Three-Life Herb was tied to their destiny of becoming Immortal Kings. Whether out of personal ties or gratitude, they had never forgotten.
Even at their parting, they had solemnly vowed—if Shi Hao ever met misfortune, perishing in the world, they would retrieve him, ensuring he became a Burial Being, so long as even a fragment of his flesh remained.
At the time, Shi Hao had scoffed—he had no intention of dying, determined to live on until he could overlook the cycles of epochs.
Who could have imagined this day would come?
Cao Yushen and the pup carried Shi Hao’s body, fleeing in fear that beings from the forbidden zones would desecrate his remains.
If even the Immortal Fall Ridge dared join Ao Sheng and Tai Shi in killing Shi Hao, what wouldn’t they do?
Another forbidden zone had also struck, wielding the Bell of the Endless Immortal King and stealing the weapon spirit of the Immortal Bell from Ye Qingxian.
The pup gnashed its teeth—if only it were stronger, it would storm those places.
Those two forbidden zones had to be guarded against!
“Is there any way to save him?” Cao Yushen lamented. Once a carefree, jovial man, now he was withered, his spirit broken, desperate to revive Shi Hao.
“My master, hailed as the greatest diviner of the Ancient Immortal Era, foresaw one who would stand alone across eternity. Was it not you? Did I mistake you?!”
Cao Yushen wept. His master, peerless in divination, had only glimpsed a vague figure in prophecy.
“We won’t live much longer after emerging. Our lifespans are nearly spent,” the pup sighed. Small in size, it, like Cao Yushen, was now aged beyond recognition.
“Shi Hao, my brother, I truly wish you could return—to become an Immortal King, to sweep through Ao Sheng, Tai Shi, Yuan Chu, even shattering both the Immortal and Foreign Domains!”
Cao Yushen shed tears, nostalgic in his old age, cherishing past bonds, unwilling to let go.
Yet now, he was hopeless, carrying Shi Hao’s body in flight, unsure how to bring him back.
Cao Yushen’s back was hunched, the pup’s once-black fur now faded and patchy.
Suddenly, Cao Yushen halted, his expression shifting before hardening with resolve. “I know—we must go to the Burial Ground. Only there can he be saved!”
He recalled Shi Hao’s words—his experiences shared with those close to him, telling them that among the Burial Beings were friends, not necessarily future enemies.
The Burial Ground had long since broken its seal, re-emerging into the world, no longer separated from the Borderland Emperor Pass. During the Heavenly Court gathering, the three Ghost Immortals had confirmed this.
Returning to the Borderland, Cao Yushen crossed the Emperor Pass unimpeded, his status now high enough to pass freely.
Beyond the pass, they spotted a man and woman of extraordinary bearing approaching from the Burial Ground—San Zang and Shen Ming.
“Is Shi Hao here?!” San Zang sensed it immediately—as a Golden Burial Being, he was acutely sensitive to corpses, especially Shi Hao’s lingering aura.
“You… San Zang and Shen Ming?” Cao Yushen wept, a far cry from the spirited young man he once was, now broken and despairing.
“It’s us!” San Zang rushed forward.
Cao Yushen revealed Shi Hao’s body, trembling as he pleaded, “Save him!”
“Come with me!” San Zang lifted Shi Hao and sprinted toward the Burial Zone, straight into a Burial King’s abode.
The ground here shimmered with five-colored divine light—the most precious burial soil, where even immortal herbs thrived, rooted in this supreme earth.
Not one, but two immortal herbs swayed here.
“A peerless genius, already at the Ten Ferocious level at such an age. A shame Ao Sheng was so ruthless, extinguishing his soul entirely.”
The Burial King sighed, shrouded in mist, profound and unfathomable as he spoke this truth.
“No… no, I refuse to believe he’s truly gone!” Cao Yushen cried.
“Burial King, please summon his soul. Is there any hope?” Shen Ming begged.
Clearly, the Burial King favored Shen Ming and San Zang—others wouldn’t dare make such requests.
**Boom!**
The Burial King performed a grand ritual, scouring the heavens and earth for even a sliver of Shi Hao’s soul—but found nothing.
“Even if his form and spirit were annihilated, traces should remain. Were Ao Sheng, Tai Shi, and Yuan Chu so thorough?”
The Burial King frowned, skeptical, then sighed.
“Let him become a Burial Being.” These words sealed Shi Hao’s fate—no hope remained.
“No!” Cao Yushen screamed.
Would Shi Hao still be himself as a Burial Being?
Shen Ming caressed Shi Hao’s face. “Rest now. The soul born from your body will surely be extraordinary—avenge your past self.”
Even the pup was stunned—this couldn’t be accepted.
“Do you have a better idea?” San Zang asked.
Cao Yushen and the pup fell silent, agonized by the impossible choice—the true Shi Hao was gone. What else could they do?
“My brother… how long before a new soul emerges?” Cao Yushen asked bitterly.
“With a Ten Ferocious-level body, mere hundreds of thousands of years—far surpassing other Burial Beings,” the Burial King replied.
“Hundreds of thousands of years? By then, the Great Reckoning will be over. When will he avenge himself against Ao Sheng, Tai Shi, and Yuan Chu?!”
“Who says this epoch will be brief? Who claims the Great Reckoning will end? This is the most bizarre and terrifying epoch in history. What you see and hear may not be real—only by living through it will you understand. We call this epoch—the Chaotic Ancient Era!”
The Burial King spoke gravely, his tone solemn.
Shi Hao was buried beneath the Soil of All Things, an immortal herb taking root atop his grave, defying heaven and earth.
Silence fell. Only Cao Yushen and the pup remained. After filling the grave, they prepared to leave—but Cao Yushen suddenly shuddered.
He thought he heard something, his eyes widening. “Did you hear that? I swear Shi Hao spoke—he said he’d return, that he’d rise as an Immortal King and slaughter his way back to the Immortal Domain, crushing all enemies!”
The pup’s fur bristled. “I… I think I heard it too. But now, nothing.”
Cao Yushen strained to listen—the grave was silent. Was it his grief playing tricks, or had he truly heard Shi Hao?
In the end, they departed.
Beneath the grave, Shi Hao’s body bore ten reincarnation marks—now dark, devoid of light, yet suddenly deepening into unfathomable abysses.
**”I… will return.”**
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