The Struggle for the Little Stone Emperor's Tomb

When the Taoist learned that the Heavenly Stele fragment Xiao Chen possessed resembled a stone brick, and that it was not the legendary sacred brick of his lineage, he repeatedly tried to bargain for it, saying he would pay any price. Xiao Chen naturally could not trade with him.

"Any price, young friend, truly any price! Won't you consider it?"

"Very well. Bring me that sacred brick from the Little Stone Emperor's tomb in exchange."

The Taoist could only sigh helplessly. Even if he knew where the tomb was—which he did not—he could not make such an exchange.

Leaving the tavern carved from violet divine jade, the group continued their stroll through the ancient city, with the Taoist following behind.

"Why are you trailing us? We said no trade, and that's final," the Skeleton Kings warned him sharply. "If you're plotting something underhanded, you'd best tread carefully."

"I'm merely regretful and wish to travel with you. Perhaps I can be of help. For instance, I know who first discovered the Little Stone Emperor's tomb."

"Then speak."

"That will cost you."

Xiao Chen laughed coldly. "Following us also has a price—and a very steep one."

The Taoist hesitated briefly, then nodded. "Very well. I can trade information. Legend has it that the Little Stone Emperor's ancestral tomb lies within the territory ruled by the Demon Clan. A mighty expert from the Floating Sacred Island accidentally discovered the tomb. But by the time he reported back to the celestial giant, Ancestor Floating Sacred, and they searched the area again, the tomb had vanished without a trace. It was as if the tomb could move—an ephemeral shadow, impossible to find again."

"Ancestor Floating Sacred personally spent three days scanning with his divine will as a Stone Man King and concluded that the disciple had not lied. That primeval wild land was sealed by incredibly powerful ancient restrictions, hiding the tomb's presence. He intended to slowly dismantle the primordial formations and claim the tomb's treasures for himself. But inevitably, the news leaked. Given that the great powers all have spies among each other, every major faction sent people to investigate the Demon Clan's domain, searching for the Little Stone Emperor's tomb."

"Of course, these rumors are not yet common knowledge; only the superpowers have caught wind of them. Only Floating Sacred Island knows the precise region, and the other superpowers have only vague clues. Now, Floating Sacred Island dares not act rashly—if they begin excavating the tomb, they will draw even more attention. I suspect they will eventually seek partners, for they cannot delay forever with the superpowers watching their every move."

"Is that all? Given time, we could learn as much ourselves."

"I have one more crucial piece of information."

"Oh? Let's hear it."

"The Floating Sacred Island disciple who first discovered the tomb was forcibly apprehended by a celestial giant using an ultimate technique. Ancestor Floating Sacred was too late to stop it. However, the disciple carried a heavy treasure from the Floating Sacred lineage and managed to escape. By chance, I saw his fleeing form."

This was the key lead. To learn the location of the Little Stone Emperor's tomb, they would have to start with that disciple.

Xiao Chen eventually allowed the Taoist to follow, sensing that the Little Stone Emperor's descendants might hold secrets others did not.

Following the tracks left by Ahe, Xiao Chen left the Cold Moon City and headed toward a distant plain. This was no vast grassland but an endless sea of forests, home to many powerful Demon Clan experts—a very dangerous place.

After three hours, Xiao Chen could sense he was closing in on Ahe, for the marks were fresh.

When they entered a dense primeval forest, they no longer needed to search for marks to know Ahe was there. The intoxicating fragrance of fruit drifted from ahead, a pure, refreshing scent that made one's mouth water. For a little creature so fond of spiritual fruits, it had to be there.

The group flew directly toward the source of the aroma. Soon, they sensed an unusual fluctuation of light ahead. A colossal dragon-grass plant stood like a towering tree, its entire body a verdant green wreathed in emerald mist, bearing legendary Dragon-Serpent Fruits.

Each golden fruit was less than half a foot long, but their shape was extraordinarily divine—like tiny Ancestral Dragons draped across the dragon-grass, their bodies crystal clear and covered in dense dragon scales. They seemed less like fruit and more like exquisite works of art, so closely did they resemble true little Ancestral Dragons.

In Ahe's arms lay a large pile of fruits as it slept soundly, a look of utter satisfaction on its face, having clearly just feasted.

"A mutated dragon-grass! Legend says it was born from the essence of an Ancestral Dragon. Such a divine treasure could be traded for priceless artifacts," the Taoist said, his eyes gleaming with a strange light. "Moreover, this mutated divine grass is needed to open the Little Stone Emperor's tomb."

"No trade! No trade!" the little creature mumbled in its sleep, then quickly woke and stared warily at the Taoist before looking to Xiao Chen.

Xiao Chen's heart stirred as he looked at the Taoist, who seemed to realize he had spoken too much and clamped his mouth shut.

With a flash of light, the entire dragon-grass vanished, stored away in the Lost Paradise as its exclusive treasure.

"Ya ya!" Ahe chirped happily, flying over and picking a pile of Dragon-Serpent Fruits to share with everyone.

"What about the nine-heaven Otherworld Ancestral God?" Xiao Chen asked.

"Ahead. I left a mark on him," the little creature said confidently, tapping the void. An image appeared: the nine-heaven Ancestral God searching for something in an ancient forest.

Beside them, the Taoist was astonished. "That's the primeval forest the Floating Sacred Island disciple passed through! Has someone found his trail?"

Xiao Chen knew the Otherworld's vast resources made finding a person far easier than for them. The little creature soon confirmed this: the nine-heaven Ancestral God had mobilized many people to provide him with intelligence, allowing him to pursue the trail here.

"Let's follow behind him. We'll use their resources to find clues to the Little Stone Emperor's tomb."

The Floating Sacred Island disciple was fleeing desperately, but returning to Ancestor Floating Sacred was harder than ascending to heaven. Many were searching for him, cutting off his escape routes and sealing off the vast region. If not for the heavy treasure on him that temporarily hid his aura, he would have been caught by a celestial giant long ago.

After following for several thousand li, the nine-heaven Otherworld Ancestral God deployed many people, gradually narrowing the search area.

Just then, a thunderous rumble came from the horizon. A massive hand covered the sky, pressing down swiftly.

"Not good!" The Little Defiant Dragon's expression changed.

"A Stone Man King!" the three Skeleton Kings exclaimed in shock.

"One of the celestial giants!" The Taoist's eyes shot out two beams of sharp light.

The enormous hand blotted out the sky, growing larger and larger, until it covered a five-hundred-li radius. The group was horrified.

"Go!" Xiao Chen roared, using the Eight Aspect Worlds to sweep everyone away as he fled with incredible speed. His current speed rivaled a Stone Man King's, and no one could catch him. But even so, he barely escaped being caught beneath the giant hand.

Clearly, the opponent had not intended to capture them; the real target was someone else.

Standing in the sky, the group looked back to see the giant hand stretch to over eight hundred li, directly sealing that entire region before closing its grasp and lifting the land itself.

"Such ruthlessness!" the Taoist gasped. "This is the power of a celestial giant. He must have located the Floating Sacred Island disciple there, so he grabbed the entire region to search him out."

Boom!

Another giant hand appeared, shattering the sky as it struck toward the first.

Boom!

A third giant hand tore through the sky, vying for the broken land, each trying to seize it.

This was the terrifying might of Stone Man Kings—fighting over a single man by tearing an eight-hundred-li stretch of land into the sky. The sheer horror of it made one's blood run cold.

The Stone Man Kings clashed over the knowledgeable disciple. Heaven and earth lost their color! A thousand li turned to wasteland!

Many powerful experts fled for their lives through the fingers of the three great hands. The three giants were not interested in them; their only target was the Floating Sacred Island disciple.

The clash of three giants shook the Demon Clan's sacred grounds. An aged voice roared, "Who dares trespass on our territory?!"

Xiao Chen was shocked. Was the Little Stone Emperor's tomb truly so important that it would draw celestial giants into such a fierce struggle?

Boom!

A black gale shattered the heavens, sweeping in like a black flood and drowning everything in its path.

Lu Zhan! It was Lu Zhan making his move!

Xiao Chen knew it by pure instinct. That living fossil from a bygone age had concealed his aura and struck with wild abandon!

Within the black tide, a demonic shadow shook the eight directions, plunging into one of the giant hands. It shattered the eight-hundred-li stretch of land on impact and shot into the sky. It was astonishing—the living fossil from the primordial age was so unfathomably powerful that he seized the Floating Sacred Island disciple in one move.

Boom!

The other two giant hands pressed down. The demonic shadow within the black tide let out a savage roar, ascended a step into the sky, shattered one giant hand, kicked another, tore through the sky, and vanished through the rift.

Both giant hands plunged into the torn space, but could not catch Lu Zhan's figure.

Such was the power of a living fossil from the primordial age—strike once, vanish instantly, his strength immeasurable!

Xiao Chen swept the group into the Eight Aspect Worlds and fled at top speed, using the Pangu Stone Token to conceal their presence. They soon arrived at Lu Zhan's former hiding place. As expected, Lu Zhan was on that ancient demon mountain, searching the memory of the Floating Sacred Island disciple, a torrent of demonic energy drowning the peak.

"Rift Valley Heaven..." After a long time, Lu Zhan spat out those three words. Then, with a casual press of his demonic hand, the Floating Sacred Island disciple exploded into ash.

"If I go to Rift Valley Heaven now, Ancestor Floating Sacred will surely blame everything on me. He may already be waiting on the road." Lu Zhan pondered for a moment.

Xiao Chen did not dare linger. He swiftly headed toward a range of primordial mountains. The old turtle skull and the stone crow had already moved from the Flame Cave to another Demon Clan holy land.

No accidents occurred on the way. They soon found the two old fossils. Xiao Chen recounted everything to them. Since even the celestial giants had made their move, they had to enlist these two living fossils; their chances were slim otherwise.

Unexpectedly, the stone crow took one look at the Taoist in the group and immediately narrowed his eyes, shooting two terrifying beams of light.

"Little Stone Emperor! You... are still alive?!"

The stone crow was both enraged and terrified. "You hunted me for thirteen thousand years, and you still won't let me go?! You... did not fall! Then why did you leave behind the Stone Emperor's tomb?! What are you planning?!"