Sweeping across the heavens, starting with the first emperor of the ancient times.

More than a thousand years have passed in a short time.

On this day, Lingbao Tianzun, familiar with the place, arrived at Lingxiao Palace, and the two drank tea together.

After a while, Lingbao Tianzun put down his cup and suddenly spoke:

"My life is almost over, and I'm ready to begin the next one."

Jiang Hao paused, holding the teacup, and looked at Lingbao Tianzun.

The aura of the Celestial Venerable Lingbao was harmonious and profound, indicating that he had indeed reached the later years of this life.

"Should we use the same method you mentioned last time?"

During previous discussions, Lingbao Tianzun had vaguely mentioned some ideas about burying oneself and severing one's old self.

It's somewhat similar to the transformation caused by the elixir of immortality.

"Yes, that's the way." Lingbao Tianzun nodded, his eyes calm.

"After repeated deductions and discussions with fellow Daoists over the years, I believe it is feasible. This time, I plan to bury myself and see if I can give birth to something new in absolute silence."

Jiang Hao remained silent for a moment.

This method sounds extreme; it's dancing on the true line between life and death, far more dangerous than ordinary metamorphosis.

But at their level, every step they take is a struggle against fate.

The mortal path to immortality is a perilous road with no safe passages; it is a constant struggle for survival.

"This method is extremely dangerous," Jiang Hao said slowly. "It's like facing death to live; one wrong move and you could truly be doomed forever."

Jiang Hao's tone was filled with concern and worry; he valued his fellow Daoist Lingbao Tianzun highly.

Lingbao Tianzun is impeccable in both talent and character; he is a truly rare and excellent fellow Daoist.

However, Jiang Hao also knew that Lingbao Tianzun was not a reckless person and must have thought this decision through carefully.

"Don't worry." Lingbao Tianzun smiled, a smile that held a calm acceptance of life and death.

Lingbao Tianzun paused, then, as if remembering something, added:

"Oh right, didn't I travel around for a long time recently? In a remote place in the Eastern Wilderness of the Big Dipper, I actually discovered something special. It was a trace left by that old guy, the Underworld Lord, during one of his transformations."

"However, the signs of transformation are old. His transformation was already complete, and I don't know where he went. I studied his method of burying himself in transformation carefully. Although it is not exactly the same as my method, it gave me a lot of inspiration and helped me to refine my ideas in the end."

Lord of the Underworld.

Jiang Hao's eyes flickered slightly.

This most mysterious celestial being of the mythological era possessed a unique method of self-destruction and transformation that was unconventional to the extreme.

Rumor has it that he repeatedly buries himself and then transforms.

He specializes in the cycle of birth and death, and his methods and practices are permeated with a sinister nature.

Legend has it that his transformation is different from everyone else's. Every time he looks like he's completely dead, but after a while, he crawls out of some grave and becomes stronger each time.

At the beginning of the mythological era, many people learned the transformation methods from the Underworld Lord.

Unfortunately, no one could achieve the same success as him, so gradually no one used this transformation method anymore.

Because the transformation method is too unique and too dangerous, it seems to be exclusive to the Underworld Lord.

Moreover, it is said that the Underworld Lord has a mysterious origin and multiple identities.

The fact that Lingbao Tianzun was able to find traces of it and gain something from it is both a matter of chance and a testament to the fact that his path was not a figment of imagination, but rather had its origins and basis.

"This person, the Underworld Lord," Jiang Hao said slowly, his fingers tracing the rim of the teacup.

"According to what you said, he has traces of his last transformation. If that's true, then he's probably lying in some ancient tomb right now, undergoing his umpteenth transformation."

"An being who has been dying and being resurrected in this way since the age of mythology, accumulating his current existence... What would it be like if he were to awaken?"

Jiang Hao was also very curious about this mysterious celestial being.

If you have the chance, you must see it for yourself and see what makes it so special, why its transformation method is so unique, and why it feels like an exclusive transformation method.

Let's see how powerful this mysterious celestial being is, and compare him to myself now.

This question also lingered in the mind of the Celestial Venerable Lingbao.

He suppressed his smile and slowly exhaled:

"I can't see through them, I can't see through them at all. I've lived several lifetimes and have seen quite a lot, but there are really a few people in this world whose depths you can never fathom."

"The Underworld Lord is definitely one of them. Every time he wakes up, he seems to be stronger and more... unpredictable. Moreover, he is a strange person. He doesn't have the ambition of a typical Daoist. It's more like he is conducting some kind of long and terrifying cultivation experiment."

A brief silence fell between the two.

In the age of mythology, a constellation of stars shone brightly, and the Daoist master, like the sun in the sky, illuminated the path ahead.

The Underworld Lord, on the other hand, is like the part that is forever hidden in the deepest shadows, mysterious and eerie, yet equally impossible to ignore.

"Lord of the Underworld..." Jiang Hao looked at Lingbao Tianzun, "Since you have thought it through and even consulted the old traces of the Lord of the Underworld, then I will not say much more. I will just say one thing: you can choose the place yourself and focus on your transformation. With me here, no one can disturb your transformation."

Upon hearing this, Lingbao Tianzun smiled, raised his cup, and said:

"Then I won't stand on ceremony. This departure could last for ten thousand years, or even longer... it depends on fate. Let's take our leave with tea instead of wine. See you in the next life."

"See you in the next life." Jiang Hao clinked glasses with him.

Three days later, Lingbao Tianzun took a stroll in the back garden of the Heavenly Court and finally took a liking to the small hill with auspicious spiritual energy next to the Immortal Golden Holy Spirit.

He dug a shallow pit halfway up the mountain and lay down in it.

Without much fancy ceremony, he formed a hand seal, and his aura began to decline and recede in a strange rhythm.

Streaks of sword energy emerged from his body.

Intertwined, they slowly formed an ancient sword mound, as if it could bury everything and then seal him and the pit together.

Lingbao Tianzun's life force rapidly faded, his blood color disappeared, his body temperature cooled, and finally even the last trace of his divine soul returned to complete annihilation.

From any perspective, beneath that sword mound lies nothing more than a lifeless shell.

The sword mound silently sank into the mountain, the ground soil churned and closed up, and the grass grew back at a speed visible to the naked eye, as if this place had never been disturbed.

Jiang Hao stood not far away, quietly watching everything come to an end.

He could sense that the sword mound was actively absorbing the surrounding earth's spiritual energy and sparse essence, maintaining the delicate balance of life and death within it.

"To live in the face of death, to seek renewal through burial... Lingbao Tianzun's path is more dangerous and thorough than ever before. The traces of the Underworld Lord seem to have given him considerable confidence. But I wonder, where is that one now, and for what number burial?"

He became interested in the existence of the Underworld Lord.

An existence that has been advancing through death and burial since the age of myth... Where will his end be? And what is he doing?

After standing there for a moment, Jiang Hao turned around and slowly walked away.

In the back garden, the fairy pool shimmered, the holy spirit slept, and the blue lotus swayed. Now, there is another quiet sword mound.

What lies buried here is the past, and perhaps it will also give birth to the future.

In the garden, the holy spirit in the celestial pool seemed to sense something; the seven-colored celestial gold glowed slightly for a moment before returning to calm.

The fairy egg next to it wobbled slightly, then continued to sleep.