“The Land of Origin?” Shi Hao was puzzled. What kind of origin was this?
Yet, he couldn’t openly ask Sanzang and Shen Ming, so he silently communicated with the Everlasting Tree, seeking its explanation.
“It’s related to the origin of the Burial Clans. Legends say their emergence was complex and astonishing!” the Immortal Medicine whispered in response.
This shocked Shi Hao. Did the origin and birth of the Burial Clans have another explanation, different from other races?
“We must enter. If we succeed, we might become Burial Kings in the future, supreme beings!” Shen Ming was exhilarated, her fiery red hair dancing wildly, her watery eyes wide with excitement.
Sanzang was equally fervent, a stark contrast to his usual composure. His golden hair blazed like the sun as he clenched his fists and let out a low roar.
“Let’s join forces and break through!” Sanzang declared.
The ancient hall was majestic, with dozens of thick, pale-white pillars standing tall, exuding solemnity and sanctity, marked by the passage of time.
This palace had stood for at least one or two epochs, yet it had never collapsed—its endurance spoke volumes.
Built from massive stones, each block had lost its luster to time, weathered but still sturdy, bearing the weight of history.
Though the stones were dull, the entire hall emitted a hazy glow, not touching the boulders but enveloping the structure like an aura.
The ancient palace was unadorned, returning to simplicity, while the divine light around it added an air of mystery.
“Can we enter?” Shi Hao asked.
They had reached the hall’s entrance, sensing a mysterious force. The light didn’t harm them but blocked their advance.
Beneath the stone steps lay powders—white, golden, black—each exuding a chilling aura.
This was a sacred place, yet the scene below was eerily unsettling.
“These are the ashes of shattered bones left by fallen powerhouses!” Sanzang concluded immediately.
Before coming, he had studied ancient texts and learned some of this place’s secrets.
Shi Hao was astonished. The entrance to the ancient cave had already been perilous—he had nearly died, and the two golden Burial Clans would have perished without their protective charms.
“So many ancient powerhouses made it this far,” Shi Hao murmured.
“Great sages of the past sought the ultimate truth, unafraid of death,” Shen Ming said.
This place was extraordinary, and entering would be arduous. They began testing their limits.
“Let’s risk it! If we succeed, we might become the three future Burial Kings, ruling the Burial Domain. Are you bold enough?” Though Shen Ming was stunningly beautiful, she now spoke with fierce determination, ready to charge ahead.
“Of course we must try, using every means!” Sanzang nodded.
Shi Hao was reluctant. If there were no dangers, he’d gladly explore for strength. But this place was perilous and tied to the Burial Clans’ origin—hardly relevant to him.
“Let me think it over,” he said. The Immortal Medicine shared his hesitation.
“Then I’ll go first!” Shen Ming smiled, stepping forward clad in sacred armor, a peculiar pendant hanging from her forehead.
Whoosh!
In an instant, the hall’s entrance lit up, steps erupting with radiant light, engulfing her in a terrifying spectacle.
“Ah—!” Shen Ming screamed, enduring unimaginable agony.
Crack!
Her pendant shattered, but its fragments spread into intricate patterns, shielding her true form.
“What?! That’s the aura of a Burial King!” the Everlasting Tree gasped.
The pendant concealed the power of a Burial King, now manifesting to protect her.
Staggering, she stumbled into the ancient hall!
Simultaneously, Shi Hao sensed an anomaly—the entire hall trembled as if awakening.
“My turn,” Sanzang turned, smiling gently yet eerily at Shi Hao.
How could they still smile at such a time?
Sanzang acted decisively, unfurling a terrifying decree. Its aura was incomprehensible, releasing countless symbols that clanged like blades.
“A Burial King’s Decree!” the Immortal Medicine cried, recognizing it as a meticulously inscribed divine edict.
Boom!
The radiant steps split open, and Sanzang surged through, blood seeping from his body, but he succeeded.
“Both are backed by mighty Burial Kings!” the Everlasting Tree observed.
Shi Hao turned to leave—he had no intention of joining. Without Burial King treasures, he’d surely perish.
But fate had other plans.
The hall’s tremors intensified, the steps’ radiance swirling into a golden vortex, devouring everything.
“No!”
Shi Hao cried out, helpless as the vortex swallowed him. Without Burial King artifacts, death was certain.
Now he understood Shen Ming and Sanzang’s eerie smiles—they had known he’d be dragged in.
This place held secrets unknown to him but clear to them.
Clang!
Shi Hao swiftly activated his black immortal metal cauldron, expanding it from fist-sized. He and the Everlasting Tree dove inside, sealing the lid.
He readied the Ten Thousand Spirits Diagram, the Great Luo Sword Embryo, and more, bracing for impact.
Clang!
A crisp sound echoed, followed by deafening booms as countless rays of light bombarded the cauldron. Shi Hao felt the world spin—the vortex threatened to tear the cauldron apart.
The damaged cauldron couldn’t hold. Through its cracks, blinding light flooded in, submerging the interior.
Shi Hao unleashed all his techniques, fighting desperately.
But it was futile. His bones cracked, dozens snapping instantly. His flesh tore, on the verge of exploding!
He swung the Great Luo Sword Embryo, wielding the Ten Thousand Spirits Diagram.
Yet the light was omnipresent—the diagram failed for the first time.
The radiance transformed into liquid waves, drowning everything.
Hum!
At the critical moment, the sword trembled, emitting immortal light that repelled the radiance.
But this provoked an even fiercer assault—the light thickened like torrential waves.
Whoosh!
A gust howled as the sword hovered, manifesting visions beyond immortal light.
Above, a humanoid figure ascended amidst dazzling rain. Below lay endless burial grounds, crimson graves under a bloody sunset.
A lone figure sat on a bronze coffin, untouched by the blood flooding the land.
This was the second time Shi Hao witnessed this scene—even now, it stunned him.
An illusion took hold: the cauldron’s light became blood, the sword the coffin, ferrying him through.
Only by gripping the sword could he survive.
Then, everything vanished—no immortal ascension, no destructive light.
Only a bronze coffin traversing a sea of blood.
Boom!
Time blurred before a violent jolt ended it all. The radiance, visions, graves—all disappeared.
Shi Hao sat in the cauldron, clutching the sword.
He knew they’d breached the barrier, entering the hall.
Quickly stowing his treasures, he opened the cauldron and stepped out, shrinking it back to fist-size.
Sanzang and Shen Ming were astounded—they hadn’t expected Shi Hao to make it.
“Brother Huang, truly remarkable!” Sanzang praised.
Shi Hao ignored him, fixated on the hall’s center, where an artifact radiated origin energy.
Sanzang and Shen Ming refocused on it, desperate to merge with it and ascend as Burial Kings.
“Origin?!” Shi Hao squinted, studying it intently.
Sanzang and Shen Ming were even more eager, yearning to fuse with it and claim their destiny.
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