The rotten wooden box emitted a faint golden glow, hazy and enveloped in an aura of profound mystery.
It lay quietly on the dark-red earth, devoid of any unusual fluctuations, yet it irresistibly beckoned one to uncover its secrets.
The cursed land was eerily silent. The terrifying black sea of energy had receded, and the Burial Kings, Yu Tuo, and An Lan had all departed, vanishing without a trace. No one had anticipated such an outcome!
This place had become a tranquil zone, yet the object that had drawn the covetous eyes of the Immortal Kings of the foreign realm since ancient times now lay there, unclaimed.
At this moment, whether it was Shi Hao or the inheritor of the Gu Clan, an undeniable restlessness stirred within them—an urge to rush forward and seize it immediately!
Yet, they hesitated. Even Yu Tuo and An Lan had failed. Could they succeed?
Though the ancient land was silent and the rotten wooden box showed no signs of danger, their hearts still pounded with trepidation, preventing them from acting rashly.
After all, this mysterious artifact had existed for far too long. Since time immemorial, the Immortal Kings of the foreign realm had schemed to obtain it, yet all had failed.
Now, could a mere handful of youths accomplish what even the supreme beings could not?
This was a treasure of the ages, something that had driven beings like Yu Tuo and An Lan to great lengths. The idea that a few young cultivators could claim it so easily seemed illusory.
Thus, despite its proximity, neither the young lord of the Imperial Clan, the fearless Lion-Dragon, nor the inheritor of the ancient ancestors moved. They merely watched, their eyes burning with desire, their hearts surging—yet none took action.
Shi Hao was no exception. Though he stood at the edge of the sacred land, adjacent to the cursed soil, and could see the rotten wooden box clearly, he too refrained from making a move.
He hesitated, wary of its strangeness. Buried within that dark-red tomb for one or two epochs, who knew what eerie forces might cling to it?
What if, upon taking the box, it suddenly erupted with inexplicable fluctuations, reducing him to bloody pulp?
This was an artifact contested by beings of Yu Tuo’s caliber. If it possessed power, it would be unimaginable!
“Which clan do you belong to?” Suddenly, the young lord of the Imperial Clan spoke, eyeing Shi Hao before nodding approvingly. “Not bad. Surviving that earlier calamity was no small feat.”
He referred to their shared escape from the surging black ocean.
The inheritor of the Gu Clan and the Lion-Dragon also nodded, their demeanor toward Shi Hao neither arrogant nor dismissive, but rather amiable.
Then, they extended an olive branch, inviting Shi Hao to assist them in retrieving the rotten wooden box.
Shi Hao feigned reluctance, appearing as though he had no choice but to comply under the pressure of the Imperial Clan’s authority.
Though he now took the form of a skeletal figure, it was not unusual—many powerful beings assumed humanoid shapes, including the young lord of the Imperial Clan.
Moreover, the foreign realm also had humans, with vast territories inhabited by beings no different from those of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths.
Shi Hao pretended to steel himself as he advanced, while secretly deliberating—who should he strike first when he got close?
At his level, if his targets were unprepared, a single decisive strike could end them.
Logically, he should target the young lord of the Imperial Clan, for such figures were undeniably terrifying and immensely powerful. Yet Shi Hao also sensed that the inheritor of the Gu Clan was no less formidable, perhaps even on par with the Imperial Clan.
“Could I kill both?” Shi Hao’s heart stirred with ambition. He prepared to strike.
The distance was now sufficient for a being of his strength to launch an attack.
**Boom!**
Shi Hao struck, aiming to annihilate both the young lord of the Imperial Clan and the inheritor of the Gu Clan simultaneously. His left hand unleashed the Six Paths Reincarnation Heavenly Art, while his right hand channeled the Indestructible Scripture, radiant light flooding the area!
He also activated all his other divine abilities and even employed the bizarre secret technique of mana immunity—all for the sake of a single, fatal blow.
Yet, to his shock, the three opposing experts attacked almost simultaneously, bombarding him with dazzling ancestral techniques and surging mana.
In truth, the three foreign experts were even more astonished than Shi Hao!
Moments earlier, they had grown suspicious, sensing something amiss with this skeletal figure. Their conversation with Shi Hao had been a ruse—to lure him in for an ambush!
Little did they know, Shi Hao harbored the same intent—to eliminate them.
Unsurprisingly, both sides had the same thought: to strike suddenly and eliminate the other. Thus, they clashed head-on.
However, Shi Hao remained unperturbed. He had activated his mana immunity, an ability he had fortuitously acquired after consuming the Golden Bodhi Fruit. In sudden battles, it could yield unexpectedly potent effects.
**Boom!**
Yet, to his dismay, his mana immunity failed this time—it was neutralized.
A black stone pendant worn by the young lord of the Imperial Clan glowed, countering the effect!
“Hmm? This is a supreme art of our realm, belonging to an ancient Imperial Clan. How does someone from the Imperial Pass know it?” The Lion-Dragon was stunned.
The three foreign experts narrowed their eyes, clearly taken aback and wary of this ability.
“You traitorous wretch! Have you forgotten your origins? Do you truly regard the foreign realm as your ancestral land?” Shi Hao rebuked, his disdain for the Lion-Dragon growing. He yearned to crush it with a single slap.
He subtly directed more of his techniques toward the Lion-Dragon.
“Seeking death! So it is you—Huang!” The Lion-Dragon’s voice turned icy, its pupils frigid and merciless. “My clan long ago broke free from the Nine Heavens and entered a vaster world. The entire cosmos is our home—something you, a descendant of failures, will never understand. Your kind is doomed to extinction!”
**Boom!**
Their attacks collided, divine light erupting as Shi Hao’s techniques clashed with their ancestral arts, painting the battlefield in dazzling brilliance.
Facing the combined assault of three supreme experts was an exceedingly dire situation!
“Do not fear his mana immunity—I can nullify it!” The young lord of the Imperial Clan declared, having quickly regained his composure after the initial shock.
Indeed, the inheritor of the Gu Clan and the Lion-Dragon had also steadied themselves. Though wary of this ability, they were not overly intimidated.
In the foreign realm, an ancient Imperial Clan possessed this supreme ability, deemed a forbidden art. Naturally, other clans had studied ways to counter it.
As fellow Imperial Clans, they were particularly attentive to such matters.
The black stone pendant worn by the young lord was proof—a talisman imbued with the power of his clan’s elders, capable of neutralizing such effects.
The Gu Clan and the Lion-Dragon lineage had also researched countermeasures.
No ability was truly flawless or unbreakable. If it were, the Imperial Clan with mana immunity would reign supreme, invincible across all realms.
This ability merely granted them an edge in battle, not absolute dominance.
Other Imperial Clans and great lineages had long sought ways to dismantle it.
**Crack!**
Lightning split the sky, wails of ghosts and deities echoed, and sand and stones flew as the battlefield erupted in chaos. Primordial light flickered, immortal mist swirled—the battle raged fiercely.
The ambush had failed. Shi Hao did not force a direct confrontation, avoiding encirclement by securing the most advantageous position from the outset.
The sheer terror of these three experts was undeniable. Their clash alone threatened to sunder the heavens and sink the ancient land.
**Whoosh!**
Shi Hao flicked his finger, sending a streak of divine light not toward the Lion-Dragon or the Gu Clan inheritor, but deep into the cursed land.
The three opponents paled—they knew what Shi Hao intended.
**Clang!**
The light struck the rotten wooden box, sending it tumbling through the air, its soft golden glow undiminished.
No anomalies occurred in the cursed land. The box did not unleash any sinister force, nor did the black sea of energy surge forth from the depths.
Could it truly be taken? The eyes of the other three sharpened like blades, gleaming with predatory intensity.
Seizing the moment, they too unleashed brilliant beams of light, testing the box’s stability.
Sure enough, the box was sent flying once more, its resonant clang echoing—yet it remained steady, emitting no destructive power.
The cursed land remained desolate. The black energy did not return, and the dark-red ruins that had vanished earlier did not reappear.
No danger. The box could be claimed!
In an instant, four figures shot forward like bolts of lightning, each vying to seize the rotten wooden box and claim it as their own!
Battle? Hunting? None of that mattered now. The only question was—who would lay hands on it first?
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