Chapter 1485: Enigma

The chest was somewhat heavy, but not excessively so. Shi Hao couldn’t tell what was inside as he shook it gently—no sound came from within.

Nearly rotten and incredibly ancient, it still emitted a faint golden glow, hazy and ethereal.

Finally, he had it in his hands. Shi Hao’s heart raced with excitement—this was the very wooden chest he had pursued, wresting it from the grasp of the Everlasting Tree.

Even Yu Tuo and An Lan had coveted this object, sending countless envoys to retrieve it, yet all had failed. And now, it had fallen into his possession.

“Why can’t I open it?” After studying it for a while, Shi Hao found the chest bizarre—sealed seamlessly, with no lid or lock. It was as if it were a solid block of wood, carved with ancient patterns that exuded an aura of timeworn mystery.

The faint golden radiance emanated from these engravings, carrying an enigmatic presence, as if beings from an unfathomable past were conveying a message to future generations.

Shi Hao extended his divine sense, attempting to peer inside, only to be blocked—utterly unable to glimpse the chest’s secrets.

He exerted a bit more force, reinforcing his right hand with the Indestructible Scripture, testing its resilience with brute strength. Yet the decrepit wooden chest remained unscathed, impossibly sturdy!

Channeling his full vitality, Shi Hao’s palm struck with terrifying force, yet still, the chest showed no damage. It continued to emit its hazy golden glow, not a single mark left upon it.

How could something so rotten be this unyielding?

His pupils sharp as spearpoints, Shi Hao stared at the object. Was this wooden chest truly unopenable? The thought gnawed at him.

“Stop wasting your effort. If it were so easily destroyed, it would have long since rotted away in that grave—why wait for you to open it?” The ancient medicine gloated.

Having gone to great lengths—as a mere medicinal herb—to obtain this chest, its loss now filled it with resentment.

“What secrets do you know? Share them—hoarding knowledge does no good,” Shi Hao said shamelessly.

“I’ve never met a human with a thicker face than yours!” The immortal medicine fumed, refusing to speak another word.

Shi Hao didn’t press further. Since he couldn’t decipher anything now, he decided to stow it away for later study.

Yet, to his astonishment, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t store the rotten wooden chest—neither in a spatial artifact nor within his body.

It was bizarre. All spells and divine abilities proved ineffective against the chest, which simply lay there, unmoved.

“Truly strange!” Shi Hao’s eyes gleamed with anticipation, his desire to unlock the chest growing stronger.

He stopped struggling and simply carried it in his hand, waiting for the right moment to ponder its mysteries.

“Brother Huang, what is this? I’ve noticed you staring at it—is there something special about it?” Shen Ming approached, her fiery red hair swaying, a playful smile on her flawless face.

“Nothing much, just lost in thought,” Shi Hao replied calmly.

Earlier, his silent exchange with the immortal medicine had made him appear distracted, drawing the attention of several Golden Undertakers.

“May I take a look? This chest seems so ancient—those engravings give me the strange illusion of enlightenment,” Shen Ming said.

Shi Hao scoffed internally. He had been holding the chest without any such sensation, yet Shen Ming claimed enlightenment after a single glance? Clearly, she was bluffing.

He knew she was merely curious, wanting to investigate.

Without hesitation, Shi Hao handed it over openly, letting her examine it.

“Mmm, so soothing. Tracing these engravings, I feel as if I might ascend, ready to take flight,” Shen Ming murmured, half-lidded, her delicate fingers caressing the rotten wood in rapture.

Her body shimmered with divine light, wreathed in misty spiritual energy, radiating holiness.

Shi Hao couldn’t tell if she was acting or sincere. Was this performance necessary? Yet, why would Shen Ming adopt such a posture unless she truly felt something?

Other Golden Undertakers watched in surprise as San Zang also approached, nodding in agreement—this chest was extraordinary.

“How odd. I’m fascinated by these engravings, yet upon closer inspection, I feel a strange aversion to the chest itself,” Shen Ming mused.

Shi Hao’s heart skipped a beat. Could this rotten wooden chest be tied to ancient Undertakers?

This object had come from the Land of Misfortune, not the sacred relics of the Undertakers.

Moreover, during Yu Tuo and An Lan’s struggle for it, that mysterious Undertaker King hadn’t been fixated on the chest—only on intercepting the two kings.

“May I see it?” San Zang asked.

Other Golden Undertakers gathered around, including Shen Ming’s immortal medicine, which hovered nearby, wreathed in purple mist, observing the chest.

Shi Hao tensed, fearing the herb might recognize it.

After all, immortal medicines lived for eons, witnessing countless events—they were practically living histories!

If his own herb knew of the chest and prized it so, the other might not overlook it either.

He quickly whispered his concerns to the ancient medicine perched on his shoulder.

“Relax, it doesn’t know what this is,” the Everlasting Tree said dismissively, utterly unconcerned.

“Why?” Shi Hao asked.

“Before the dark-red grave split open, even I didn’t know it contained a rotten wooden chest,” it replied.

“You didn’t even know what it was, yet you fought me for it?!” Shi Hao fumed at the herb’s shamelessness.

“I didn’t know its form, but I knew its importance!” The Everlasting Tree clamped its mouth shut, unwilling to reveal more.

True enough, the other herb showed no reaction upon approaching.

San Zang took the chest, mirroring Shen Ming’s response—enchanted by the engravings, feeling the pull of enlightenment, yet disliking the chest itself.

“It’s tied to the Undertakers!” Shi Hao was certain.

Yet, he couldn’t confirm if it was truly their artifact—only that the engravings were likely carved by beings of the Burial Realm.

“Could it be sealing something?” Shi Hao wondered. An Lan and Yu Tuo had long sought beings of a higher, elusive realm—was this connected?

If it were the Undertakers’ handiwork, sealing something unknown, it might explain why the two Golden Undertakers adored the engravings yet despised the wood.

Perhaps what they loathed was what lay inside!

“Brother, you truly are remarkable to possess such a treasure,” San Zang sighed enviously.

Shi Hao smiled without reply, unsure what to say. If pressed for the chest’s secrets, he had little to offer.

The others didn’t pry—every Undertaker had their mysteries.

Yet, they now regarded Shi Hao with wariness, suspecting he might be the descendant of an Undertaker King.

“Prepare to retrieve the burial artifacts!” someone called as the Burial Abyss stirred.

Indeed, chaotic mist churned, and eerie light pulsed from the depths, accompanied by strange fluctuations.

“The Burial Abyss is opening—be cautious!” a voice boomed, as if this were a grave matter. Many drew their burial artifacts, bracing for defense.

**Boom!**

The vast black abyss seemed to stretch to the world’s end, roaring deafeningly as radiant light surged from its depths.

It was both sacred and boundless, as if an ancient realm had been unsealed—a world beyond comprehension!

This was the Burial Land, a place of eerie mists and darkness—yet now, it blazed with brilliance, defying expectations.

During his journey, Shi Hao had heard whispers of the abyss’s deadly black fog, capable of annihilating even Undertakers.

But what he saw now was entirely different—vibrant vitality and an inscrutable resonance, as if voices sought to cross the river of time itself!

At that moment, everyone was stunned.

“Ah! This time is different—such a spectacle! Rarely does such radiance appear. A supreme prodigy must be descending. Perhaps our Burial Realm will gain a new Undertaker King!” someone exclaimed in excitement.

Shi Hao’s mind reeled. Were the Undertaker Kings not native to the Burial Soil—but born from this place?!