Spirit Dust Realm.
The farthest reaches of the Eastern Region.
Many villagers knelt devoutly towards the endless mountain range in the distance. After their prayers, they hurriedly pulled their children or spouses away.
They seemed to hold a deep reverence for the mountains, not daring to approach.
Time passed, and night quietly descended. The crescent moon was obscured by dark clouds, making the mountains appear even more ominous.
There was no rustling of leaves, no roars of beasts or chirping of insects. The night grew increasingly silent and eerie.
The dark mountains seemed like a monstrous beast, ready to devour anyone who dared to come near.
Suddenly, a cold wind blew, causing the grass and trees to sway. The dark clouds in the night sky were slowly dispersed…
Moonlight poured over the mountains.
The numerous pale structures in the mountains gradually became clear.
They were clusters of… tombs.
These tombs looked ancient, yet they were very clean and tidy. In front of each tomb were many fresh flowers and fruits.
Suddenly, a strange scene occurred!
One of the tombs began to crack slowly with a “crack, crack, crack” sound, and stones rolled down.
A pale hand suddenly reached out, gripping the crumbling edge of the tomb.
Next, a young man emerged. He was tall, with a calm and otherworldly appearance. He wore simple cyan clothes, which were clean despite his disheveled, waterfall-like black hair.
He stood quietly among the cold tombs, staring unblinkingly at his own grave.
“Hmm? I actually have a tomb. How absurd.”
Ambrose Lu spoke softly, a hint of confusion in his eyes. His mind held no memories related to this place…
Soon, Ambrose noticed that his tomb had no epitaph…
His eyes flickered as he glanced at the numerous tombs around him, finally realizing that none of them had epitaphs.
“No epitaphs?” Ambrose murmured, “Then, besides me, who else is buried in these tombs?”
Just as Ambrose was about to dig up the tombs to take a look, he suddenly frowned.
Two auras were approaching the mountains.
Ambrose’s eyes moved slightly. He gently waved his sleeve, and without any fluctuation of spiritual power, the “tomb” he had just crawled out of and the scattered stones were wiped away.
At this moment, two streaks of light flew over the mountains and transformed into two figures in the vast graveyard.
One was a tall, white-bearded elder with an immortal-like demeanor, and the other was a calm young man in fancy clothes.
“Master, it’s almost midnight. Why did you suddenly think of coming to the Immortal Tomb… huh?” The young man in fancy clothes asked his question while looking around the graveyard, but he was stunned by what he saw!
He saw a figure standing quietly in the graveyard, as silent as a ghost.
The white-bearded elder had already noticed Ambrose, but he was not surprised.
It was not uncommon for cultivators in the Spirit Dust Realm to come and pay their respects at the Immortal Tomb.
“Immortal Tomb…” Upon hearing this, Ambrose frowned slightly, looking distantly at the elder and the young man.
In an instant, Ambrose turned to leave, having no intention of interacting with them.
The young man in fancy clothes found Ambrose’s back somewhat strange, but he couldn’t pinpoint why.
At this moment, the white-bearded elder’s expression changed slightly because he noticed that the spot where Ambrose had been standing seemed to have had a tomb before, if he remembered the layout correctly.
Why was it now empty?
“Daoist friend, please wait!” The elder called out urgently.
Ambrose paused and turned back to look at the elder indifferently, waiting for him to continue.
The young man in fancy clothes was puzzled, not understanding why his master had stopped this cultivator.
Mark Gu cupped his hands politely towards Ambrose and smiled, “Forgive me for taking up your time. I have a question.”
To be cautious, Mark did not probe Ambrose’s aura. Those who came to the Immortal Tomb at midnight were usually cultivators from various parts of the Spirit Dust Cultivation Realm. If the other party was highly skilled, his probing would easily be detected.
It would be very impolite.
Ambrose nodded slightly, indicating for him to continue.
Seeing Ambrose’s brevity, Mark was not surprised. He had encountered many solitary cultivators before. He then asked seriously, “Daoist friend, if I recall correctly, there used to be a tomb where you were standing…”
Ambrose looked at the spot and replied softly, “If you only vaguely remember, then you must be mistaken. There… was never a tomb.”
With that, he left the graveyard under the watchful eyes of Mark and the young man in fancy clothes.
Mark watched the receding figure, his eyes filled with confusion. Had he really remembered wrong?
He looked again, seeing the empty spot, which seemed natural and not like it had ever held a tomb.
Soon, Mark shook his head and stopped thinking about it.
“Master, that cultivator seemed strange,” the young man in fancy clothes frowned as he looked in the direction Ambrose had left.
Mark snapped out of his thoughts and chuckled, “There are many solitary cultivators in the cultivation world. You, having been in the cultivation world for a short time, still lack experience.”
The young man in fancy clothes smiled sheepishly and said, “Master, you haven’t told me why you suddenly came to the Immortal Tomb in the middle of the night.”
Mark’s eyes showed a hint of reverence as he looked at the numerous pale tombs and murmured, “I am not entirely sure. I just had a sudden feeling and wanted to come and take a look…”
The young man in fancy clothes pursed his lips and whispered, “Master, what’s so interesting about the Immortal Tomb? There are always rumors in the cultivation world that anyone who can uncover the secrets of the Immortal Tomb can achieve immortality… But this Immortal Tomb has existed for at least a hundred thousand years, and no cultivator has ever uncovered its secrets.”
The entire vast Spirit Dust Cultivation Realm had such rumors about finding immortality in the Immortal Tomb.
Initially, countless cultivators came here, but as time passed, countless cultivators had to give up the idea of finding immortality in the Immortal Tomb.
They did not doubt the rumors because many powerful cultivators had tried to uncover the secrets of immortality but failed. They had even tried to break open the Immortal Tomb!
But the Immortal Tomb was incredibly hard, each one of them.
They couldn’t shake it in the slightest, not even leaving a mark on it…
Given this, what else could it be but an Immortal Tomb? And since it was an Immortal Tomb, it naturally held the secrets of immortality.
They just thought that immortality was hard to find. If it were easy, it wouldn’t be called immortality.
Hearing the young man’s words, Mark suddenly scolded sternly, “Insolence! Ignorance breeds fearlessness! How dare you speak recklessly in the Immortal Tomb! Kneel and apologize at once!”
Frightened by Mark’s anger, the young man in fancy clothes shivered and quickly knelt down, trembling.
He was mainly afraid of Mark, not the Immortal Tomb. After all, the Immortal Tomb had rarely shown any strange occurrences, seeming no different from other tombs except for its hardness.
Seeing this, Mark’s expression softened slightly. He shook his head and couldn’t help but look once more at the spot where Ambrose had stood.
Had he really remembered wrong?
Meanwhile, Ambrose had already left the mountains. He walked quietly along a small path, his black eyes flickering.
Such a strange occurrence made even him feel a bit uneasy.
Many questions flashed through his mind.
“The Immortal Tomb, who has such great power to bury me in it…”
“What happened?”
（Proofreader: Traditional cultivation realms: Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Golden Elixir, Elemental Infant, Divine Transformation, Tribulation Crossing…）
Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan
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