Han Tao had no idea what he was thinking; he simply told him what he saw: “There are tombstones on the graves ahead.”
The presence of a tombstone indicates that the identity of the deceased is known.
Fu Mingxu's eyes lit up, and he couldn't wait any longer: "Let's go take a look now!"
Han Tao glanced at the little mermaid peeking out of the package on his chest again, nodded, but his suspicions only deepened.
Finally, the search was no longer aimless. When Fu Mingxu saw the first tombstone, he couldn't help but sigh inwardly that it was truly a case of finding a new path after a long and winding road.
However, when he saw the words on the tombstone, he froze on the spot.
Unlike the densely packed graves before, the graves here are spaced two people apart. At a glance, all the tombstones in sight have inscriptions.
Compared to the previous ones, it's like the difference between nameless cannon fodder and a character with a name.
"What's wrong?" Seeing him standing there in a daze, Han Tao followed his gaze and his brows furrowed slightly.
Fu Mingxu squatted down, pursed his lips, and read out the words on the tombstone one by one: "Tianxuan Sect, Yuan Tong".
The cold inscriptions on the tombstone silently confirmed the identity of the person buried inside. Han Tao also squatted down as he did so, and the two of them stared at the seven characters in deep thought.
"It must be fake, right?" Fu Mingxu thought it was utter nonsense. "Yuan Tong Zhenxian has already ascended to heaven."
After saying that, he continued, "Even if he has perished, his remains should remain in the Upper Realm, or at the very least in the important territory of the Tianxuan Sect."
Han Tao collected his thoughts and turned to look at him: "Perhaps you can summon the Heaven and Earth Mystic Mirror to ask."
"Oh yeah, how could I forget about that!" Fu Mingxu was reminded of the existence of the Heaven and Earth Mystic Mirror. He slapped his forehead and summoned it from his dantian.
Unexpectedly, the Heaven and Earth Mystic Mirror, which had already recognized its master, transformed into a stream of light as soon as it appeared and disappeared into the tomb behind the tombstone.
The air went still for a moment, and an inexplicable sense of fear swept over Fu Mingxu, causing him to tremble slightly.
Han Tao noticed that something was wrong with him. Without thinking, she grabbed his fingertips and hurriedly asked, "Mingxu, what's wrong?"
The fingertips held in his palm trembled incessantly. Fu Mingxu finally came to his senses, his pale blue pupils trembling slightly, clearly indicating that he had suffered a tremendous blow.
"I saw the True Immortal Yuan Tong through the Heaven and Earth Mystic Mirror." He was shivering all over, his lips trembling uncontrollably, and it took him a long time to utter a complete sentence, "I saw the corpse of the True Immortal Yuan Tong."
The corpse lay lifeless in the grave, its face and figure exactly the same as the divine consciousness he had once seen in Fengyou Mountain.
But Yuan Tong Zhenxian had already ascended to immortality! His former divine consciousness had even told him that they would meet again by chance, and that they were family!
As if sensing something, the chaotic energy within his dantian began to overflow little by little.
The Heaven and Earth Mystic Mirror, which had been buried in the tomb, had not yet emerged, but Fu Mingxu's azure pupils were already showing signs of dilation.
"Mingxu!" Han Tao was startled by the sudden change and hurriedly called out to him, pulling him into his arms.
The little mermaid clung to the opening of the package, calling out hesitantly, "Mother, Mother!"
Fu Mingxu was finally awakened by the two voices. The chaotic energy immediately condensed in his palm, and he threw it hard, directly onto the grave behind the tombstone.
With a loud "bang," the grave remained completely undamaged!
His cultivation level was still too low, so he had to ask Han Tao for help: "The Heaven and Earth Mystic Mirror is trapped inside."
After speaking, Han Tao held him in the same position, but freed one hand and suddenly flicked his sleeve behind the tombstone. A golden light flashed and enveloped the tomb.
The expected explosion did not occur. When Fu Mingxu looked up, the Heaven and Earth Mystic Mirror had already returned to his hand.
The tomb containing the body of the True Immortal Yuan Tong remained intact, without any damage.
The binding force on the chaotic energy vanished instantly, and the feeling of being devoured disappeared without a trace. If it weren't for seeing it through a connection of minds, who could believe that the True Immortal Yuan Tong, who should have ascended to the upper realm, was lying silently in this deep sea, oblivious to the passage of time?
The Heavenly Ladder has long been broken, and the idea that sects could communicate with their ascended ancestors is now just a thing of the past.
Yuan Tong Zhenxian was the founding ancestor of Tianxuan Sect. He ascended to heaven long before the Heavenly Ladder was destroyed. At that time, spiritual energy was abundant and the Dao was flourishing. Almost every hundred years, cultivators ascended to heaven.
As if struck by a thought, Fu Mingxu staggered up from Han Tao's arms and ran to the nearest tombstone, gritting his teeth as he read the words on it.
"Tianyan Sect, Tianjizi."
"Sword Sect, Qi Sihe."
He only glanced at the two tombstones briefly before continuing on.
He uttered the names of many sect elders who had long since ascended to immortality: "Tianxuan Sect, Bian Lehe."
"Sword Sect, Tan Qiao,"
...
As the names of those ancestors, passed down through countless cultivators, appeared one by one on the tombstones, Fu Mingxu felt his soul tremble and continued running.
He saw the Phoenix Clan's tombstone.
He saw the names of many great demons from the past.
He ran very fast, and by the time Han Tao grabbed his hand, he was already panting heavily.
Han Tao's divine sense landed on the name of the Phoenix Clan Chief. While supporting Fu Mingxu, a drop of dragon blood spilled from his fingertip and flew to the grave behind the Phoenix Clan Chief's name.
But the instant the dragon blood entered, a heart-wrenching cry of a phoenix rang out.
The fall of the dragon and phoenix is a tragedy that grieves heaven and earth.
As a race favored by the Heavenly Dao, the Heavenly Dao never wanted them to disappear or perish.
Even without opening the tomb, Han Tao could sense that the Phoenix Clan Chief was lying in this cold grave.
The phoenix clan, who were inexplicably sacrificed, now lies amidst this vast expanse of graves.
The void of the Dragon and Phoenix Realm trembled slightly, as if it wanted to summon the corpses of the Phoenix Clan. Han Tao noticed this but did not stop it. With the intrusion of a trace of Heavenly Dao power, the tomb belonging to the Phoenix Clan was slowly opened.
The bodies of the phoenixes were not decayed, and Fu Mingxu could even see the bright and beautiful tail feathers on each phoenix that had returned to its original form.
"No matter what, this is not their final resting place." The Dragon-Phoenix Realm was Han Tao's mustard seed space. He summoned it from the void, and in no time, the dead phoenixes disappeared, and the graves became empty.
Looking at the endless graves before him, Fu Mingxu gasped and couldn't help but ask, "The graves at the very front have been opened from the inside, but none of them have been along the way."
"It seems that the characters were stronger in life as they progressed through the series."
If it is an inevitable fact that the dark humanoid figure crawled out of the grave, does that mean that these powerful beings lying here will also crawl out of the grave sooner or later?
It's just that the right opportunity hasn't arrived yet.
The development of events had exceeded his expectations, and the truths he thought he could see seemed to be shrouded in mist once again, making them incredibly bizarre.
Fu Mingxu was terrified by his own guess, and then an even more terrifying thought flashed through his mind.
Yuan Tong Zhenxian once said that he still had clansmen with whom he shared a bloodline, but now Yuan Tong himself is lying here. Does this mean that the other clansmen, like the Phoenix Clan, have all been buried in this dark and sunless graveyard?
He looked up and saw an endless expanse of graves, beyond the reach of the moonlight. Being in it felt as if countless eyes were staring at him, sending chills down his spine.
Fu Mingxu shivered. His gaze swept over the names on the tombstones he could see, and finally he looked up and stared into the void: "Let's find the tomb of the earliest Merman King first."
"Good." The Dragon-Phoenix Realm has been closed by him, and the bodies of the once elusive Phoenix Clan have been safely placed there, finding the most suitable burial place.
The two stood together, temporarily suppressing this earth-shattering secret. Han Tao paused for a moment, then pointed to a spot in the southeast: "There is the tomb of a mermaid king there."
They were unable to open the tomb of Yuan Tong Zhenxian, which may be related to Yuan Tong's ascension after undergoing tribulation. Otherwise, the Dragon-Phoenix Realm would not have been able to summon the tomb of the Phoenix Clan.
Han Tao glanced down at Fu Mingxu's robes hanging on the ground, and thinking of his current mermaid tail, he felt that it wasn't a big problem.
“Over there!” a soft voice said.
As the two were talking, the little mermaid crawled out of the opening of the package and actually stuck to Fu Mingxu's shoulder.
His gloomy mood improved considerably because of that peculiar voice. He pulled the little mermaid down, held it up to his face, and asked, "What are you saying?"
The little mermaid glanced furtively at Han Tao, puffed out her chest, and confidently said, "I know where the records about the Witch Clan are."
Han Tao chuckled, assuming he was trying to attract Fu Mingxu's attention again, and said calmly, "How did you know?"
"Daddy, I knew it!" The little mermaid touched Fu Mingxu's finger, her deep blue eyes pure. "Daddy and Mommy are so silly, they've forgotten what they said."
Fu Mingxu was completely baffled. "When did I say that?"
The little mermaid pouted and muttered, "Mother is just as bad as Father." She pretended to cry again.
Fu Mingxu quickly pinched his mouth and chuckled, "I'm not your mother. Even a dragon couldn't give birth to a little mermaid like you."
"You're lying! I am Father and Mother's biological son!" the little mermaid shouted, opening his mouth. He didn't cry, but tears fell one by one without warning, forming larger pearls in his palm.
Fu Mingxu was at a loss. This little thing was really something he couldn't hit or scold.
The little mermaid cried so much that Han Tao's eyesight was failing. In the end, he had no choice but to coax him, "Since that's the case, then take me to find records about the Witch Clan."
As he said this, he winked at Han Tao, signaling the other to follow him and head southeast.
Just then, the little mermaid suddenly glowed with white light and floated into the air from her palm.
"Mother, come with me quickly!" He excitedly flew forward, heading in the southeast direction where the two were going.
Fu Mingxu still had a smile on his face, his blue robe fluttering in the wind, and he called out, "Hey, watch out."
Han Tao lagged behind, while Long Yan, following his instructions, stayed close to Fu Mingxu. He squinted at the white light and unexpectedly saw a hint of gold within it.
The pale blue fish tail was faintly visible under the hem of Fu Mingxu's clothes as he jogged. He remembered the scene of the little mermaid sticking to the tip of the other's tail.
If this little mermaid wasn't born to Fu Mingxu, then where did she come from?
He clearly had an inexplicable bond with the two of them. Even Fu Mingxu didn't realize that his attitude had changed from initial fear and disbelief to instinctive and heartfelt concern.
However, he is not a true merman. Even if he could give birth, it shouldn't be to a mermaid, but rather a human or a dragon.
Within the fog, unexpected seeds are quietly being sown.
...
The southeastern part of the cemetery soon came into view. Fu Mingxu looked at the little mermaid that had stopped in front of him and his lips twitched: "This is it?"
The little mermaid leaped into the bundle on his chest, her light dimming considerably. "Yes, Mother, I'm so tired, I want to sleep."
After saying that, he rolled into the package as if he had completed a task, and fell asleep clutching a piece of his blue shirt in his arms.
Fu Mingxu looked down into the opening and saw that the little mermaid's face was normal, and she was sleeping peacefully with her eyes closed. He breathed a sigh of relief for some reason.
Unaware of the shift in his emotions, he even tugged at the fabric of the package to cover the open opening before carefully examining the spot where he had stopped.
Han Tao took in all of Fu Mingxu's stealthy movements. He pursed his lips and followed Fu Mingxu's gaze.
There was also a grave in front of them, but without a tombstone.
The grave stands alone in the southeast corner, out of place among the other graves with tombstones around it.
This appears to be a special tomb, but that doesn't necessarily mean it contains the records about the witch clan that he was looking for.