Fan Li stared in awe. The colossal skeleton, a hundred feet tall, loomed over them like a small mountain. Judging by its sheer size, Daji must have been a powerful being in life, not the weak, seductive demoness he remembered from his previous world, a creature who could only serve through beauty and charm.
But what good was a hundred-foot-tall body in the end? The Shang Dynasty had fallen, Emperor Xin was dead, and even Daji herself lay here, a headless corpse.
What a tragic end.
Fan Li unconsciously touched his own neck, hoping he wouldn't meet a similar fate.
"Uh, Qing Qiu, you used the Banner of Summoning Demons to guide us to the Tomb of Xuanyuan?" he asked curiously.
"Yes," Qing Qiu replied.
As long as it didn't violate the laws of the Brahma Sound Pure Land, she was willing to answer all his questions honestly. Clearly, the Tomb of Xuanyuan had nothing to do with the Pure Land. He could probably ask her anything and receive a truthful answer.
"The Banner of Summoning Demons… Legend has it that it belonged to the great demoness Nuwa?"
"Yes. Nuwa bestowed it upon my ancestor, and it has been passed down through the generations to me."
Qing Qiu's expression remained detached, as if she were discussing trivial matters, but Fan Li was surprised.
"But my cultivation level is too low. Aside from using it to return home, I haven't discovered any other uses for it."
Fan Li's expression twisted into a grimace. Seventh-rank Great Vehicle and she called herself "low level"?
Perhaps, in the eyes of a Sage, those below the realm of Immortals were indeed considered "lowly." And what was he, Fan Li, but a mere ant in comparison?
"Wait a minute!"
He had caught two key phrases: "ancestor" and "return home."
"Qing Qiu, are you..."
As he began to ask, she anticipated his question.
"My clan originated here. This land, where the Tomb of Xuanyuan is located, was once known as Qing Qiu. I took that name to honor our ancestral home."
"Actually, my surname is Tushan. According to demon tradition, I have a surname but no given name. So, all nine-tailed foxes are known as Tushan. There are only two exceptions: my ancestor, Daji, and I, the so-called Qing Qiu."
She spoke in a flat tone, as if these revelations were insignificant.
However, Fan Li was stunned. Didn't she realize what she had just admitted?
She wasn't human?!
A nine-tailed fox?
He couldn't help but glance at her shapely backside. Where were the tails?
Qing Qiu, noticing his strange reaction, asked, "Did I say something I shouldn't have?"
"No, no!" Fan Li quickly denied. Then he reconsidered, adding, "But perhaps it's best not to share this information with others."
"Yes," Qing Qiu agreed. "I would only tell a friend."
Fan Li was surprised. Did Qing Qiu consider him a friend?
"How many friends do you have?" he blurted out, immediately regretting the foolish question.
Qing Qiu's composed demeanor faltered, a rare expression of embarrassment crossing her face.
"...Only… you."
Fan Li wanted to disappear. What a stupid question!
He quickly changed the subject. "You have the Banner of Summoning Demons. You could return to the Tomb of Xuanyuan on your own. Why did you need me to come along?"
Qing Qiu didn't answer immediately. Instead, she retrieved the banner, showing it to Fan Li.
One side depicted flowers, birds, insects, fish, animals, and all manner of living creatures. The other side was simpler, displaying only a yin-yang symbol.
Qing Qiu pointed to the yin-yang symbol. "Ordinary demons can't even move the Banner of Summoning Demons. I spent years researching it, finally discovering that a pair, one yin and one yang, is needed to activate it. I left the Tomb of Xuanyuan as a child. This is the first time I've returned home."
That explained it. Fan Li recalled that she had taken his hand before activating the banner.
"So, you brought me along because I'm male?" He couldn't help but feel a bit dejected. He had never questioned his worth so much before. Was being male his only qualification?
"Why me? Couldn't you have chosen any man?" he asked wryly.
"I told you," Qing Qiu said seriously, "you are my only friend. And you happen to be male."
So, if Fan Li hadn't come along, she wouldn't have been able to return home?
"Wait here for a moment."
Qing Qiu, as if she had something to take care of, left Fan Li standing alone and walked towards Daji's remains. Before the colossal skeleton, she seemed as insignificant as an ant.
The light within the tomb was dim. Fan Li could barely make out Qing Qiu's movements. She was crouching, digging something out of the earth beside the skeleton.
The image of this beautiful woman, a nine-tailed fox, digging with her bare hands was one Fan Li would never forget.
"She's a nine-tailed fox," he thought to himself. "But her personality isn't quite like the seductive fox spirits of legend."
He thought of Qing Qiu's first disciple, Princess Chang Le. Now she was a true fox spirit. Her charm, her allure, her wantonness, her… But enough of that.
Fan Li sighed. He knew that Princess Chang Le's allure had always been directed solely at him.
"Do you need any help?" he asked, seeing Qing Qiu still digging.
"Catch!" Qing Qiu said, tossing a mud-caked object towards him without turning around.
Fan Li caught it reflexively. It was small, about the size of his hand, but surprisingly heavy.
Wait a minute. The weight felt familiar.
He wiped the mud away, his eyes widening as he recognized the object. Certain characters were inscribed on its surface.
"By the Mandate of Heaven, may your reign be long and prosperous. The Imperial Seal of the Realm?" he exclaimed.
Meanwhile, Qing Qiu had finished her task. Holding a newly unearthed artifact, she approached Fan Li. He recognized it instantly – a sword.
"The Imperial Seal of the Shang Dynasty," Qing Qiu said, answering Fan Li's unspoken question. "And Emperor Xin's Human Sovereign Sword."
"These two were once immortal artifacts, but time and worldly contamination have degraded them. They are now merely Heavenly-grade spirit treasures."
"Degraded?" Fan Li mumbled. So, these coveted Heavenly-grade treasures were born from a decline in rank? It was a bit absurd. But beneath the absurdity, Fan Li felt a chill.
Was this still the mortal world? It had to be.
Then why did immortal artifacts exist here?
He suddenly wondered what rank Qing Qiu's Banner of Summoning Demons was. She had never mentioned its rank degrading.
"These are treasures fit for an Emperor. What do you intend to do with them?" Fan Li asked.
This time, Qing Qiu didn't answer immediately. She pondered for a moment, as if analyzing whether her answer would violate the laws of the Pure Land.
Finally, she said, "For now, these two are still relics of the Shang Dynasty. I can tell you. Emperor Xin's Human Sovereign Sword and the Imperial Seal of the Shang Dynasty are for Emperor Yao Guang."
Fan Li was suddenly enlightened. That explained why she had gone to such lengths to retrieve them. No matter how precious they were, given Qing Qiu's detached nature, she wouldn't have bothered retrieving them for herself. Especially when she already possessed the Banner of Summoning Demons, a Sage-level artifact.
As for Yao Guang…
Fan Li chuckled inwardly. So that was it. The Brahma Sound Pure Land might have a deep well of resources, but as a place that claimed to be above worldly concerns, it was only natural that they lacked an Emperor's Sword and an Imperial Seal.
Yao Guang needed suitable treasures to cement her imperial authority, so she had turned to Qing Qiu.
"…Thank you for accompanying me on this journey," Qing Qiu said softly. Her voice, for the first time, held a hint of sadness and loneliness. Only she knew where this sadness stemmed from.
She had already revealed the location of Emperor Xin's tomb to Yao Guang, who had plundered it for its treasures. But Yao Guang, cunning and meticulous, had noticed that the tomb lacked both an Emperor's Sword and an Imperial Seal.
A gift should be complete.
With this excuse, Qing Qiu found herself owing Emperor Yao Guang both a sword and a seal.
A debt to Emperor Yao Guang was a debt one could not delay…