“You, a mere human, what are you learning burial arts for? You’ll never master them, especially this technique. Though its power is immense, it’s not meant for you!” the immortal herb mocked Shi Hao.
Yet, this rare bronze stele hung right before his eyes, seemingly fated for him. How could he listen to its nagging? With a light scoff, he demanded it explain.
Moreover, he began committing it all to memory, even if he didn’t recognize the script. He imprinted every word into his heart.
“Let me tell you, this scripture is utterly useless to you. Do you know the conditions required to cultivate it? One must be a Burial Being, buried in the rarest burial soil for over ten thousand years—neither dead nor alive—only then can one sense the power it brings!” the old herb said.
Shi Hao sighed upon hearing this. He had thought too simply. Even if he were a Burial Being, where could he wait for ten thousand years?
For him, even a few decades or centuries felt too long. He needed to break through swiftly, to grow stronger in the shortest time possible!
Around him, the golden Burial Beings were all red-eyed, straining to decipher the stele’s inscriptions.
Not every golden Burial Being could obtain the scripture, as the steles were shrouded in a mysterious force, their words blurred, some illegible.
That Shi Hao could see the bronze stele was thanks to the Nine-Faced Burial Stone!
Yet, to stand before a treasure mountain and gain nothing left Shi Hao unbalanced. This was an entire forest of steles, likely hiding scriptures of Burial King caliber!
Silently memorizing the words on the bronze stele, Shi Hao stood there, his interest waning.
**”Boom!”**
Suddenly, a tremendous force surged from below, devouring chaos and absorbing the essence of heaven and earth. Misty energies were all drawn downward.
It was like a whirlpool forming in an ocean, terrifyingly swallowing everything.
“Ah, no!” A golden Burial Being screamed as he was sucked from the cliff’s edge into the vortex, instantly crushed into bloody pulp!
All the giant steles sank, pulled down by an unseen force.
“Save me!” another golden Burial Being cried.
Several more fell, their bodies glowing as they resisted, but they couldn’t stop their doom. In an instant, the massive vortex shredded them into bloody mist.
The change was too sudden. Moments ago, all had been peaceful, everyone immersed in scripture study. Now, several golden Burial Beings had perished in the blink of an eye.
“Rise!”
San Zang shouted. Even he was in danger, falling downward. But he wielded a mysterious burial artifact of unfathomable power. A beam of light pierced the vortex’s ripples, and he surged back up.
Yet, his face was pale, having narrowly escaped annihilation.
**”Splat!”**
Nearby, a powerful Burial Being—not of the golden lineage but stronger than San Zang and Shen Ming—failed to escape, meeting the same fate.
The vortex came and went swiftly. In moments, the Burial Abyss returned to calm.
Counting the losses, over a dozen promising Burial Beings had died.
“What a pity! I’d just touched a golden stele, and it sank.”
“Be grateful you’re still alive!”
The area buzzed with mixed emotions—some resentful, others relieved.
“That cave opened and stole our fortune,” some grumbled.
Historically, steles and burial artifacts lingered long enough for plunder. This year, however, the window was shockingly brief.
“Hmm, Shen Ming, you can release your immortal herb now. Let it fetch some fortune,” San Zang said.
Some also glanced at Shi Hao.
“Your turn to descend,” Shi Hao said.
Neither immortal herb was willing, including Shen Ming’s.
Descending meant facing a deathly light even Burial Beings couldn’t withstand—a flash could erase life itself.
Immortal herbs, resistant to time’s erosion and bearing the longevity cycles of heaven and earth, could survive that light.
The longevity tree on Shi Hao’s shoulder was utterly unwilling. Even if it wouldn’t die, resisting the light came at a cost.
The other immortal herb descended, wreathed in purple light like a meditating sage, radiating nine sacred halos.
It entered the abyss, its glow faint at first but swallowed entirely as it went deeper.
One could only imagine the abyss’s depth!
“Your turn, or we’ll be exposed!” Shi Hao urged.
Reluctantly, the longevity tree descended into the Burial Abyss.
Suddenly, a scream echoed from below—Shen Ming’s herb was in trouble.
“Ah—” A ball of light shot back up, landing on Shi Hao’s shoulder. The longevity tree had fled in terror.
“What happened?” All golden Burial Beings turned, alarmed.
“I heard that fellow screaming below. It scared me, so…” the longevity tree said.
Everyone was speechless. They’d thought it faced danger, but it was just cowardly!
A purple light streaked upward, its nine halos dimmed. The herb was wounded, its sage-form missing an arm, torn by something.
A fragrant aroma filled the air, making Shi Hao itch to seize it.
“What happened?” Shen Ming pressed, quickly offering precious Burial King soil—silver sand—for the herb to recover.
“A cave below spewed radiant mist and tore me apart,” the herb replied.
“Hmm, something’s amiss. That cave’s fluctuations are too intense—this shouldn’t happen!” San Zang frowned.
“Let’s go. No great fortune this year,” a golden Burial Being sighed.
Others nodded helplessly.
Shi Hao was eager to leave. Lingering among Burial Beings risked exposure.
“Brother Huang, you forgot—we agreed to descend together, to brave that cave. Legends say a secret palace lies within, holding supreme fortune!” Shen Ming said.
“That’s… too dangerous. Few have ever returned alive,” Shi Hao demurred.
“This time, we’re prepared. With burial treasures, we can ward off misfortune and enter that palace,” San Zang insisted.
“There lies the secret to becoming a Burial King!” Shen Ming whispered to Shi Hao.
His heart shook. He craved power, and Burial Kings stood equal to An Lan and Yu Tuo—the pinnacle of worldly might!
Could such secrets lie in that abyssal cave?
Shi Hao believed all cultivation paths converged. Even across races and systems, similarities existed for mutual enlightenment.
Now, he was tempted.
“Relax, we don’t want to die either. We won’t throw our lives away,” San Zang said. They needed Shi Hao’s cooperation.
Shi Hao possessed at least three burial treasures—priceless in the Burial Realm, capable of defying danger and traversing deathly lands.
Shen Ming added, “Our burial treasures are extraordinary. Combined, amplified by the Nine-Faced Burial Stone, they’ll emit a powerful aura to protect us.”
Finally persuaded, Shi Hao joined them.
“You’re courting death! Don’t be rash!”
“It’s too dangerous! None return from such a descent!”
Other golden Burial Beings paled, urging caution.
Past attempts had all ended in tragedy.
“We know our limits,” San Zang said.
They descended—three figures and two immortal herbs—plunging into the black abyss, leaving the golden Burial Beings above in tense anticipation.
Their descent was swift, thousands of feet in moments. The abyss’s depth was unimaginable—they hadn’t reached the bottom!
A powerful suction force threatened to tear them apart.
**”Clang!”**
Shi Hao summoned the black cauldron, enlarging it to shield them—a burial treasure in action.
They fell for at least half an hour at this speed.
Soon, a hazy light appeared below, the source of the strongest suction, devouring all essence and spewing immortal radiance.
On the abyss’s wall was an ancient cave—not the bottom.
“That’s the cave!” San Zang confirmed.
“Let’s enter!” Shen Ming led boldly, clad in radiant armor.
San Zang raised a bell overhead, its ripples neutralizing the suction.
Shi Hao expanded his dark immortal gold cauldron, sheltering himself and the two herbs.
“Charge!” San Zang roared.
**”Whoosh!”**
The trio surged forward.
**”Boom!”**
A terrifying light emerged—the death light. Any living thing it touched would perish, soul and body annihilated.
Countless Burial Beings had fallen here through the ages.
In an instant, San Zang howled, Shen Ming screamed, and Shi Hao’s vision darkened. Even with burial treasures, all three suffered.
Time blurred. When Shi Hao opened his eyes, his body was shattered, riddled with holes.
Yet, vitality mended him.
“Remember, you owe me your life,” the old herb said weakly, its glow dimmed—it too had paid a price.
San Zang and Shen Ming lay unconscious, battered but alive.
The other herb was also comatose.
“Did you give me immortal herb sap?” Shi Hao wondered, tasting the life-giving sweetness.
“Exactly!” the longevity tree said proudly.
“This flavor… doesn’t seem like yours.” Shi Hao eyed the purple-glowing herb.
“Of course not! I’m not foolish enough to deplete myself for you,” the old herb said shamelessly.
Shi Hao was speechless. It boasted after stealing another’s sap?
Still, it had saved him. He suppressed his ire, eyes gleaming. “How about a few more drops?”
“Stop! I risked stealing one drop to save you. Any more, and that herb would notice and fight me!”
Shi Hao side-eyed it. This herb was shameless, stealing others’ sap without spending its own.
“How are they?” Shi Hao asked, glancing at San Zang and Shen Ming.
“They’ll live. Their burial talismans are supreme safeguards—they had better odds than you here,” the old herb said.
Indeed, soon both revived, healing swiftly.
Their talismans held unfathomable power!
“Onward!” San Zang said, exchanging a glance with Shen Ming, both surprised Shi Hao had awakened first.
The burial cave was vast and deep.
They advanced cautiously, covering over a hundred miles—astonishing for a cave. Thankfully, the death light didn’t return.
Later, a soft glow beckoned ahead.
“We’re here! We actually found it!” Shen Ming nearly shrieked, abandoning all restraint.
“It’s real—the ancient palace!” San Zang trembled with excitement.
Shi Hao saw it too—a hazy palace within the gentle light.
Soon, they stood before it, hesitating to enter.
“Do you feel it? The aura of origin!” San Zang quivered.
“Yes! That’s the pulse of origin, the supreme essence!” Shen Ming’s beautiful face was alight with awe and joy.
Shi Hao frowned. The origin place? He was baffled.
“This place is extraordinary. It might truly be the origin,” the longevity tree whispered.
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