# Chapter 52: The Strongest and the Longing
As soon as Su Xiao entered the Shia Temple, this mausoleum-like sanctuary gave him a rude awakening.
"Humans, greetings."
The Tomb Guardian·Lide smiled at Su Xiao and the others, the metal plates embedded on his face folding together.
Su Xiao kicked Bubu Wang, signaling for Bubu Wang, whose Charm attribute was a full 75 points, to step forward and negotiate. Bubu Wang's dog face twisted in distress, meaning that lowering the other party's IQ was very difficult.
"Stop wasting time, go try. If you don't go, am I supposed to go?"
Su Xiao's Charm attribute was only 9 points. Heaven knows what would happen if he negotiated with a neutral creature. Under the influence of 9 points of Charm, the Tomb Guardian·Lide might not remain neutral. If negotiations broke down, leading to hostility with the Tomb Guardian·Lide, everyone present would die.
Bubu Wang quickly recognized the seriousness of the situation. It walked with measured steps to stand before the Tomb Guardian·Lide, its gaze meeting his directly.
"Woof."
Bubu Wang was greeting the Tomb Guardian·Lide, similar to saying 'hello.'
"Hmm."
The Tomb Guardian·Lide looked Bubu Wang up and down. Although he didn't feel strong fondness, he wasn't repulsed either.
An object appeared in Bubu Wang's paw, and it extended the item toward the Tomb Guardian·Lide. Lide looked at the thing in Bubu Wang's paw with confusion. No matter how knowledgeable he was, he truly had never seen what Bubu Wang held.
After Su Xiao saw what was in Bubu Wang's paw, the corner of his mouth twitched. That was damn well a pack of spicy strips. Facing the Tomb Guardian·Lide, a powerful to the point of exploding Overlord-level creature, Bubu Wang actually offered him spicy strips! What an extraordinarily bizarre train of thought!
Although the Tomb Guardian·Lide didn't know what was in Bubu Wang's paw, he could guess from the smell that it was food.
"Normal food can't satisfy this special body of mine."
The Tomb Guardian·Lide casually picked up a piece of metal from the forging table, tossed it into his mouth like a candy bean, and chewed it up in a few bites.
Bubu Wang nodded. It opened the spicy strips in its paw, ate them in a few bites, and wore an expression of enjoyment. This was one of Bubu Wang's favorite snacks.
Seeing Bubu Wang finish the spicy strips in its paw and its satisfied expression, the Tomb Guardian·Lide's favorability toward Bubu Wang slightly increased. He could tell that this dog was offering him its most beloved thing to eat.
"You want to enter the temple? No, this was once a temple, but now it can only be called a tomb or a prison."
The Tomb Guardian·Lide sat on a short metal pillar nearby; this thing was his chair.
"Woof."
Bubu Wang meant that they did indeed want to enter the temple, i.e., the tomb.
"Have those slaves above permitted it?"
The 'slaves' the Tomb Guardian·Lide mentioned were puzzling. His gaze swept over everyone, and after a moment, he nodded.
"It seems those slaves have allowed you to enter the temple."
The Tomb Guardian·Lide sighed. He looked at Su Xiao, his gaze somewhat complex.
"You... shouldn't have come here. Just how much more do you want to destroy my homeland? There's nothing related to magic here anymore. You... you... madmen."
The Tomb Guardian·Lide's hands clasped together, his aura terrifying, yet he gave Su Xiao a very strange feeling—that he was afraid.
Was the Tomb Guardian·Lide afraid of Su Xiao? No, he was afraid of the Shadow of Law Destruction. Lide was once the strongest in this world, until one day, a man with a long sword at his waist came to him and gave him two choices: one, find a scenic place to live in seclusion, and no matter what happened afterward, he must stay there; two, be beaten until he submitted, and then find a place to live in seclusion.
As the former strongest of the Shia World, Lide sneered on the spot. But two minutes later, his brain was cut into three pieces, and the energy within him was devoured to nothing. The pain nearly drove him to collapse.
What happened afterward, Lide himself wasn't clear. He survived through his tenacious vitality. When his consciousness regained clarity, he was already here. It was still that man with the long sword, who only said two things to him.
'You lost, but you didn't violate the taboo, so I won't kill you.'
'Guard this place until the day you surpass me, then you can leave. From now on, your name is Lide, Tomb Guardian·Lide. Or you can leave now, if you're not afraid of being swallowed by emptiness.'
At first, Lide hated that Law-Destroying Shadow. But not long after, he dutifully guarded this place. The reason was simple: as the strongest of the Shia World, Lide was too lonely. He had gained a long lifespan, but he was too lonely.
Countless undead, human women were willing to share his bed. Wherever he went, people would kneel before him.
This seemed wonderful, but what if it lasted for centuries? The result could only be boredom. Lide had tried everything, enjoyed everything. In the end, he began to feel empty, because he had no goal to pursue. Every day he lived without any purpose, like a powerful walking corpse.
Until that Law-Destroying Shadow appeared, Lide had a goal: to surpass that person, to trample him underfoot. It was difficult, but Lide was no longer a walking corpse. Even though his body was broken, his motivation to live was strong. As for leaving this place, he had no interest at all. His horizons were now different, so he no longer involved himself in the grudges between the undead and humans.
"Where are those powerful Law-Destroying Shadows? They haven't appeared for a thousand years."
The Tomb Guardian·Lide's gaze was very fervent. Although he knew he still wasn't a match for those Law-Destroying Shadows, he wanted to see the targets he was chasing.
Su Xiao's thoughts raced. Although he didn't know the specifics, he could already tell that the Tomb Guardian·Lide was not a mortal enemy of the Law-Destroying Shadows. Or rather, the Tomb Guardian·Lide was a person who distinguished between kindness and enmity. He only had a grudge against a particular Law-Destroying Shadow.
"You're pursuing them?"
"That's right. That person once trampled me into the mud. As repayment, I will also trample him into the mud."
The Tomb Guardian·Lide sneered. In truth, deep down, he didn't hate that Law-Destroying Shadow too much. If that person hadn't appeared, Lide would have soon been consumed by emptiness, either self-destructing or going mad and destroying everything. He was too lonely.
"I have bad news for you."
By now, Su Xiao had figured out the Tomb Guardian·Lide's intentions. This guy was the type who was too powerful and lonely, or rather, this world had imprisoned him.
"Aside from me, you probably won't find any living Law-Destroying Shadows."
"What... did you say?!"
The Tomb Guardian·Lide stared at Su Xiao in shock.
"The era of the Law Destroyers has passed."
Su Xiao wasn't worried about angering the Tomb Guardian·Lide, because he already had a way to deal with this guy. Or rather, he could turn him into an ally. Directly asking him to fight was unlikely, but getting some benefits from him was no problem.
"Era? The era of the Law Destroyers? What does that mean?"
The Tomb Guardian·Lide clearly caught the implication in Su Xiao's words.
"Have you heard of the Void? It's a very exciting place. By the way, that's the origin place of the Law-Destroying Shadows."
"The Void? I have indeed heard of that place. It's an unreachable land."
The Tomb Guardian·Lide seemed somewhat provincial. Although he was strong, he was only invincible within the Shia World. He knew very, very little about the Void.
Su Xiao noticed this and continued, "There, the era of the Law Destroyers was overthrown. Imagine how exciting it would be there. You're strong, no doubt, but if you went there, you'd be at most a slightly stronger small fry."
Su Xiao wasn't belittling the Tomb Guardian·Lide. This guy's strength wasn't even as good as the tough woman Sha's.
If anyone else had said this to the Tomb Guardian·Lide, he might have directly smashed them with his hammer. But Su Xiao was a Law-Destroying Shadow. Even if his strength among Law-Destroying Shadows was mediocre, he was still a Law-Destroying Shadow.
"Can you... help me go there? No, you're too weak. You can't do it."
"What about now?" Su Xiao tossed something to the Tomb Guardian·Lide. Su Xiao had been to the Void before, so he could provide evidence.
What Su Xiao threw to the Tomb Guardian·Lide was a tablet computer, playing a video recording.
Audiences of various races were cheering. In the center of the arena, Su Xiao was fighting a creature covered in feathers.
The scene shifted. The main gate of the Demon Castle shattered, and strong beings from various races rushed out. Some of their casual movements produced fluctuations that even made the Tomb Guardian·Lide's heart palpitate.
Some things couldn't be faked. With the Tomb Guardian·Lide's eyesight, he could certainly judge the authenticity of this video. Although he didn't understand the principle of this recording method, he could tell that what he saw was absolutely real, not fabricated.
"I want... to go here! To the Void!"
The Tomb Guardian·Lide's body trembled. He was like a traveler about to die of thirst in the desert, and at that moment, someone told him they could take him to an oasis, with sweet spring water, juicy fruits, and more. Although it was dangerous there, Lide, who had become the strongest of the Shia World, had that desire for battle and the pursuit of power deep in his bones.
"Of course, but I'm a big fan of fair exchange."
The Tomb Guardian·Lide was a neutral creature, which was why Su Xiao chose to negotiate with him.