Liu Wuxie regretted only one thing. The fact that he hadn't been able to form a cursed realm, no matter how much cursed energy he absorbed.
"It looks like I'll have to refine the Cursed Stone itself," Liu Wuxie muttered.
If he could do that, he could break through to the eighth-level Spirit Profound Realm.
The Cursed Stone was deadly to most, but to Liu Wuxie, anything beneath heaven was a potential treasure. With the Sky Devouring Divine Cauldron, he could devour anything, cursed or not.
Their ascent was swift. In just two hours, they reached the summit.
There was a massive crater at the summit, and the Cursed Stone—as large as a small house—was in the middle of the crater.
"What a large Cursed Stone... It's far bigger than I imagined," Liu Wuxie remarked.
He had read of Cursed Stones in ancient texts, but none were ever larger than a washbasin. Yet here stood a monstrous relic, far surpassing all known sizes.
As they approached, cursed energy surged toward them in waves, slamming into them. The sheer density would have killed anyone else instantly. Liu Wuxie finally understood why the people of the Eastern Domain remained confined to the Eighteen Peak Cities. The cursed energy beyond was simply overwhelming.
The crater itself was just over three meters deep, and the Cursed Stone jutted visibly from its center. Its surface had already begun to flake from years of wind and rain.
The two began circling it for inspection.
"Brother Liu, over here!" Tian Wucang called out.
Liu Wuxie hurried over and froze.
A man sat before the Cursed Stone, cross-legged and motionless.
"The Barefooted Elder!" both exclaimed in unison.
But wasn't the Barefooted Elder in the Dark Canyon? Liu Wuxie saw him enter the stone house himself. How could he be here?
"He's not the Barefooted Elder," Liu Wuxie said after studying the figure more closely.
The two looked identical, but something about his aura felt wrong. The old man sat with his back to the stone, eyes closed. He looked lifelike, but no one knew how long he had been sitting there.
"Junior Liu Wuxie and Tian Wucang greet Senior," they said respectfully.
Regardless of the man's identity, or even whether he was alive, he was due reverence.
"Come, have a seat," the old man said, gesturing for them to do so.
But Liu Wuxie and Tian Wucang stepped back cautiously, exchanging wary glances.
"Senior, who are you? Why are you here? What's your connection to the Barefooted Elder?" Liu Wuxie asked, his mind racing.
It was inconceivable that the Barefooted Elder didn't know someone who looked exactly like him was here. Why hadn't he mentioned it?
"You'll understand soon enough," the old man replied as he slowly opened his eyes.
The moment his gaze lifted, the world around them shifted. The mountain, the stone, everything vanished. Liu Wuxie found himself floating in space, with endless darkness down below, brilliant stars up above.
The old man hovered nearby, surrounded by celestial lights. Tian Wucang was gone. Liu Wuxie called out to him, but there was no response. He was in a boundless cosmos, with a blazing sun casting golden light across the heavens.
Just then, the sun set, and a moon rose, illuminating the dark like a lantern.
The silence of the void stretched endlessly. Countless had searched for the edge of the cosmos, only to perish before finding it.
"What do you see?" the old man asked.
"The sun, moon, stars..." Liu Wuxie replied honestly, staring in awe.
This wasn't idle questioning. It was a guided revelation. Not all truths revealed themselves outright; one's point of view often shaped them.
"Light and darkness," Liu Wuxie answered after some thought.
"And what else do you feel?"
"Death and rebirth," he whispered, trembling.
Light stood for rebirth—darkness, for death.
"Well done," the old man said with a smile of approval.
However, Liu Wuxie remained confused. He had indeed gone through both death and rebirth. Was that the link?
"Senior... what does it all mean?" Liu Wuxie asked, steadying the turmoil within.
"Heavenly burial's summit and chosen by the earth," the old man said, locking eyes with him.
Those words hinted at one identity—Heaven's Chosen, or the chosen one.
"Senior, are you saying... that I became the chosen one because I was reborn?" Liu Wuxie asked, trying to piece things together.
However, the old man shook his head.
"No. You were reborn because you are the chosen one."
The answer turned Liu Wuxie's entire understanding of the world on its head. He sat silently, overwhelmed, as the stars wheeled overhead. Time slipped by without measure.
When he finally opened his eyes again, his gaze shone with newfound clarity.
"Thank you for your guidance, Senior," he said, rising and bowing deeply.
"I merely lit the way," the old man said. "It was your insight that found the path. As expected of the chosen one, your wisdom surpasses the ordinary."
Liu Wuxie bowed again, filled with gratitude. Then, the world shifted once more—the summit reappeared, the crater loomed once more, and the cold wind rushed past him.
Tian Wucang stood before him, stunned and visibly older, as though he had lived years in a blink and broken through to the Earth Profound Realm. Something profound had also happened to him.
Perhaps the old man had guided him as well.
The elder's form slowly faded into light and vanished into the world.
"Senior!" The two cried out in unison.
Liu Wuxie instinctively reached out, but the figure was already gone.
Tian Wucang fell to his knees, tears soaking his robe.
Liu Wuxie sat still, lost in thought. Heavenly burial's summit... chosen by the earth...
The answer lay at the heavenly burial's summit. Whether it was a place or a metaphor, he couldn't say for sure, but now, he had a direction.
When he regained focus, a terrifying aura surged from within him. As the Cursed Stone vanished, Liu Wuxie's cultivation surged to the eighth-level Spirit Profound Realm.
Liu Wuxie found a round stone buried in the cursed realm of his Desolate World and drew the Cursed Stone into his inner world.
Neither of them knew how long they had been gone, but they both felt how much stronger they had become.
Tian Wucang refined his cursed laws and absorbed some of the Cursed Stone's power.
The sky above them shifted visibly. All across the Eastern Domain, cultivators looked toward the Ghosthead Mountain.
"Look! The sky... It's returning to normal!"
"The cursed energy... It's vanishing!"
"The Cursed Stone has been removed!"
It was the only explanation. The cursed energy dissipated rapidly.
"Was it Liu Wuxie? He entered Ghosthead Mountain... and succeeded?"
For tens of thousands of years, countless had tried and failed. Even Heaven Profound Realm experts had been helpless before the Cursed Stone.
Only someone with the Cursed Physique and mastery of the Cursed Dao Art could succeed.
Cries of joy echoed throughout the land.
They could finally live without fear, free from the cursed energy that had been eroding their very flesh. Their children could finally live normal lives.
Liu Wuxie rose slowly, gaze sweeping the land. Though he had found answers, the whole truth of his destiny still lay ahead.
"Brother Liu, what now?" Tian Wucang asked.
After breaking through and mastering the Cursed Dao Art, he could return to the Abyssal Race and earn their honor, but he followed Liu Wuxie instead.
"We're going to see the Barefooted Elder," Liu Wuxie said before vanishing. Tian Wucang followed closely behind him.
Their pace was faster, as they had grown even stronger.
Along the way, Tian Wucang shared what he had experienced—a strange realm where he had cultivated for several years, but only moments had passed in the real world.
Liu Wuxie listened quietly, recalling his vision of sun, moon, and stars. It had all been the old man's doing.
After a day's journey, they returned to the Dark Canyon, where the Ghost Emperor still stood outside the stone house, unmoving.
Tian Wucang remained behind, seated on the same boulder.
Liu Wuxie stepped forward and cupped his hands in salute.
"Junior Liu Wuxie has returned to visit the Barefooted Elder," he said, turning to the stone house. He had found clarity on being Heaven's Chosen, but still had no answer about how to enter the Astral Domain.
No reply came from within the stone house.
"Go in," the Ghost Emperor said suddenly.
Liu Wuxie frowned, unease twisting in his chest as he pushed open the stone door.
The moment he stepped inside... he froze.