The Seven Great Tombs and the Imperial Shadow

The black River Styx flowed in deathly stillness. Sudden footsteps from the opposite bank sent a chill down one's spine.

"That is..."

Xiao Chen saw a dark silhouette, like a lost soul, wandering on the other shore. There, all was darkness; even his divine sense could not reach far, only capturing a vague outline—it seemed to be a man.

"Be careful. The other side is extremely dangerous!" the old Daoist warned again.

Xiao Chen hesitated. He had come this far; to turn back now would be a waste of his journey.

"Ya ya..." Keke's large eyes brightened. The little one seemed to sense something. "There's a very fragrant smell over there."

Xiao Chen rubbed its furry head. "You little glutton."

"Ya ya!" Keke grumbled in dissatisfaction.

As he approached the Styx, Xiao Chen felt a strange force flowing through it, causing the stone jar in his bosom to quiver, as if wanting to fly out.

"This Styx is no ordinary river. Even an Ancestral God who falls into it would meet a bitter end," the old Daoist said, crouching down to observe carefully, then leaning in to sniff. "Legend has it that there was a great lake in the Death World where countless ancient powerhouses fell. Their corpse fluids filled it with the power of a curse. This Styx should have been formed using water from that ancient dead lake, refined into what it is now."

Xiao Chen extended a finger and shot a beam of divine light toward the opposite bank. But the light collapsed and vanished above the black Styx, swallowed by the silence.

This deathly, silent river was like an unbreakable wall, blocking the invader's advance.

"To cross over, you'd need a divine object that spans all heavens and myriad worlds—for instance, using your Divine Diagram as a bridge across the Styx."

Xiao Chen said nothing. He took out the restless stone jar and faced it toward the black death river, channeling a sliver of divine power into it.

The jar erupted with brilliant light. The complex, arcane patterns on its surface coiled like writhing flood dragons. The Styx churned, sending up torrents of thick, baleful black mist that rushed madly toward the stone jar.

The old Daoist gasped. "What a powerful jar! Those are the most vicious curses imaginable—enough to kill a Ninth Heaven Ancestral God, and even a Stone Man King would fall gravely ill if struck by them."

Xiao Chen ignored him, focusing on the scene. The stone jar's radiance grew ever brighter, until it had absorbed all the black mist in the vicinity. Seizing the moment, Xiao Chen led Keke and dashed to the opposite shore, the old Daoist close behind.

As Xiao Chen withdrew the jar, the Styx surged once more, and vast clouds of black mist rolled in from afar, sealing the crossing once again.

"Ya ya ya..." Keke tugged at Xiao Chen's robe, a look of alarm on its face as it looked back.

Xiao Chen started and turned around. The sight on the Styx made his expression shift.

Upon the pitch-black river surface sat a stone skeleton—not a single shred of flesh or blood, just a stone frame of bones, motionless with its back turned to them, as if guarding everything beyond.

This was the first time Xiao Chen had seen a fallen Stone Man King transformed into a skeleton. He sensed no powerful spiritual fluctuation from it, yet he could feel the boundless, surging combat power radiating from that stone body.

This was no good omen. A mysterious stone skeleton blocking the return path felt like a trap—a sack left open for them to enter, then cut off behind them. It looked extremely powerful, and getting back would be no small trouble.

Xiao Chen's eyes shot twin beams of light; he considered striking at the skeleton. But at that moment, a thunderous rumble came from the Garden of Rotting Corpses behind them. Heavy footsteps pounded closer, as someone forced a path forward through brute strength. A vast, rolling aura shook the heavens—a powerful Stone Man King had found this place!

Not wanting to encounter a true Stone Man King—with no chance of victory—Xiao Chen swiftly led Keke deeper inward, the old Daoist hurrying after them.

Ahead stood a massive tombstone. Though it could not compare to a Heavenly Stele, it was strikingly similar, as if an imitation.

The black silhouette they had seen earlier had vanished. Thin black mist coiled through the air, lending the scene an increasingly eerie air.

"What is written on this stele?" Xiao Chen asked. Though he had mastered many ancient scripts, the characters carved here were beyond him.

The old Daoist studied it for a moment. "It records some of Little Stone Emperor's glorious achievements. But there's also a strange phrase..."

"What phrase?"

"In life, contend for mastery over all under heaven; in death, claim supremacy within the tomb." The old Daoist frowned. "But the last four characters are especially odd—they don't connect with the rest."

"Which four?"

"Welcome home."

"Ya ya!" Keke wrinkled its nose in displeasure. "What home? Whose home?"

Xiao Chen's heart shook. Did Little Stone Emperor intend to trap all the world's cultivators in one net? In life, he vied for supremacy; in death, he would rule within the tomb. 'Welcome home' to all the mighty ones... if that were the meaning, it was horrifying beyond measure!

"ROAR!" A long howl came from behind. The powerful Stone Man King had arrived at the Styx.

That stone skeleton sitting on the death river launched an attack, trying to stop the Stone Man King.

"BANG!"

But the Stone Man King was far too strong for the fleshless stone skeleton to resist. A single slap sent the skeleton flying, tumbling into the Styx.

"ROAR!" The Stone Man King—none other than the Lishi Beast—roared skyward, shaking heaven and earth. The river boiled; black corpse water surged into the sky, forming a wall of curses that blocked the way.

Confronted with that primal, cursed river, even the Lishi Beast hesitated, unwilling to cross easily. It was briefly halted there.

On this side of the Styx, Xiao Chen's heart tightened. He had no choice but to press forward; otherwise, he would certainly meet the Lishi Beast.

The Styx might delay a Stone Man King, but only briefly. He had to reach a safe zone while the beast was held at the riverbank.

Xiao Chen flew ahead with Keke, rushing toward the depths of the great tomb, hoping that only by obtaining the Three Sovereigns Mirror could he protect himself.

But they encountered powerful resistance, as if wading through a river—their speed was greatly reduced.

This was an immensely vast expanse. They crossed a wide desolate region, and on the horizon ahead, several great mountains suddenly rose, blocking their path.

"Ya ya! What strange little hills!" Keke looked bewildered, for these tall 'hills' were too regular, like enormous tents.

"They're not mountains... they're tombs!" A glimmer of golden light flashed in the old Daoist's eyes.

Xiao Chen's expression had long since turned to shock, for he too had recognized that the seven massive hills arranged side by side were seven colossal tombs.

"Hills are tombs..." Keke's mouth formed an 'O', its large eyes wide as saucers.

They halted before the seven mountains of graves.

There should have been only one imperial tomb for Little Stone Emperor. Why were there seven? Did others lie buried here besides him?

Things grew ever more perplexing and eerie. From the moment he had entered Little Stone Emperor's mausoleum, Xiao Chen felt as though events were slipping from his control—as if someone were guiding his steps.

"WHOOSH!"

Just then, a black shadow streaked across the sky from afar, its speed so great that even Xiao Chen and Keke could not fully trace its path. It vanished behind one of the great tombs.

"What was that?" Keke tilted its head, asking Xiao Chen with an innocent air, but its large eyes were fixed on the old Daoist. The little one had long sensed that the Daoist seemed deeply familiar with this burial ground.

"A very dangerous thing. Stay cautious," the old Daoist said woodenly, but after a brief moment of abstraction, he returned to his impassive state.

By now, Xiao Chen had to guard not only against the dangers of the great tombs but also keep a wary eye on the old Daoist.

"Ya ya! Careful!" Keke cried out, sweeping a beam of divine light toward a black shadow. The beam passed straight through.

It was indeed just a shadow, shaped like a crescent moon, like a stone weapon, but it dissipated in the blink of an eye. No power had coalesced within it.

"That was the projection of a powerful stone weapon. Just a phantom for now, but do not underestimate it," the old Daoist said.

No sooner had he spoken than a foul wind rushed at them—another black shadow came hurtling.

Xiao Chen shot out a beam of divine light, but it shattered instantly. The black shadow suddenly accelerated, arriving before his eyes in a flash.

"BOOM!"

A great shock. The Divine Diagram that had materialized before Xiao Chen shook violently, barely managing to block that crescent-shaped stone weapon's shadow.

"I know what that is! It's the legendary 'Moon Shadow Demon Blade'—a stone weapon once wielded by Little Stone Emperor!" the old Daoist said gravely. "It is infinitely mutable, filling the heavens with shadows, but only one blade is real—a demon blade that can cleave the cosmos!"

Even a projection of the Moon Shadow Demon Blade possessed such power; the true weapon's might was unimaginable.

"Ya ya..." Keke cried out in alarm.

For at that moment, before the seven great tombs, a tall figure appeared, clad in a dragon robe and crowned with an imperial diadem. His bearing was majestic and overbearing. He did not look their way but strode past them as if they did not exist.

He had emerged from nowhere, moving with the stride of a dragon and the step of a tiger, with the force to swallow heaven and earth. He walked behind the seven great tombs, a pressure so immense it made it hard to breathe.

Though his features could not be made out, the formless pressure was real—eerie and terrifying, striking fear into the very soul. It was like a sovereign who acknowledged no equal, looking down upon the world as he walked away, utterly oblivious to all.

"This..." Xiao Chen was stunned. How could this be? The man strolled among the tombs as if in his own garden, paying them no heed at all.

"BANG!"

Just then, the stone jar vibrated. The Stone Man King puppet, without waiting for Xiao Chen's command, stepped out on its own and walked toward the seven great tombs.

Stranger still—the ancient scroll on Xiao Chen's body rustled as it unfurled itself. Within it, the five Stone Man Kings stepped forth and strode toward the seven tombs.

"THUD."

At the same time, Xiao Chen felt a violent tremor in his body. The imprint of the Otherworld Ancestral God's Great Dao, which he had suppressed within his divine sea, broke free and surged outward, forming a misty silhouette that walked forward.

These sudden changes left Xiao Chen unprepared; he had no time to stop them.

"Do not act rashly!" the old Daoist warned.

They followed, and saw that the figure clad in dragon robe and imperial crown was now sitting cross-legged on a green stone behind the seven tombs.

At that moment, the Stone Man King puppet, the five Stone Man Kings of the Chaotic Land, and the imprint of the Otherworld Ancestral God all walked to that spot and sat down around him.

"In life, contend for mastery over all under heaven; in death, claim supremacy within the tomb... This..." Xiao Chen murmured, his heart shaken.

Keke's small mouth had already formed an 'O', its large eyes wide as saucers.