"I..." Sheng Lingyuan began to speak, but Xuan Ji interrupted him with a raised hand.

"Never mind, don't make any promises. You never keep your word," he said.

"But a ruler's words are not to be taken lightly," Sheng Lingyuan protested.

Xuan Ji coldly chuckled without giving face, "You can forget it. Who honestly goes around with 'I don't lie' written on their forehead all day?"

Sheng Lingyuan gritted his teeth, wanting to make the footprints on Xuan Ji's pants symmetrical, but he was so angry that his chest hurt... strangely enough, his headache dissipated quite a bit.

This time, he remained silent for a long while.

Finally, Sheng Lingyuan sighed and showed his "sincerity."

He lightly tapped the paper with the map on it, and with a "swish," the map unfolded into a three-dimensional projection that landed on the ground.

"After Dan Li was imprisoned, his Shadow person, Meng Xia, escaped with him," Sheng Lingyuan said. "Do you remember?"

Xuan Ji sat up straight, "I do."

"In the tenth year of the Qi Dynasty, Meng Xia was caught in Chiyuan," Sheng Lingyuan said.

"You probably haven't heard of this, but it was a secret investigation conducted by my Qingping Division's undercover agents. After Meng Xia died, the file was destroyed, and it was not recorded in official history or by the Qingping Division. The art of tracking shadows was left behind by Dan Li, using his blood as a medium. As long as the shadow moves... to put it in your words, 'if her ability is slightly activated,' we can receive her location on our end.

"I had been tracking her for four years, and during those four years, the tracking technique has reacted multiple times. However, she is too familiar with Dan Li's methods, and my people are always one step behind. Every time she appears, she is not far from the nodes of the earth meins."

"What was she doing?"

Sheng Lingyuan shook his head. "Even the undercover agents couldn't figure it out. Everyone knows that the earth veins changes constantly. So, whenever there is an abnormality in the earth veins, I think of her."

"How did you finally catch her?"

"She fell into our trap. The useless officials from the Qingping Division were no match for her. If she hadn't been so reckless and trespassed into Chiyuan, the secret guards might not have been able to catch her."

Xuan Ji asked, "What was she doing in Chiyuan?"

"I don't know," Sheng Lingyuan said. "The Chiyuan formation was heavily guarded back then. Once she was caught in it, she disappeared without a trace, and we didn't have a chance to interrogate her."

"So, you didn't personally catch her and confirm that she died at that time?"

"We confirmed it. Even if she didn't die, she wouldn't have survived until now," Sheng Lingyuan said. "One clan only produces one heavenly demon, and the heavenly demon of the Shadow people was someone else, as you saw. If it's not a heavenly demon, the lifespan of the Shadow people isn't that long. Especially after the master dies, the remaining shadow slaves often go insane before dying. Although they can still cause trouble, they wouldn't be as scheming as she was."

Xuan Ji stared at the markings on the map. "So, these places with abnormally rates of supernatural births are all places she visited during her travels. Did she use a contraceptive here to prevent the mixed-blood population from growing?"

"No, there is one exception," Sheng Lingyuan pointed to Biquan Mountain on the map. "It's here."

The 'Biquan Mountain City' is the name of a prefecture-level city located at the junction of the vast northern plain and mountainous areas. The place is surrounded by mountains on three sides, giving it a somewhat isolated feel.

Xuan Ji had no impression of this place because there were no famous people or scenic spots.

In ancient times, transportation was inconvenient, and in modern times, the economy was not well developed. The local population was not very mobile, and there were no notable local specialties.

It was a typical "transparent" area that even those unfamiliar with geography might not be able to pinpoint which province it belongs to.

"But Biquan Mountain..." Xuan Ji quickly flipped through a pile of papers to find information about Biquan Mountain. "It's too barren, there isn't even a place to burn incense, it looks plain and unremarkable."

"Plain and unremarkable? What about that ancient tomb of the demon clan noble?"

"What's wrong with that ancient tomb?" Xuan Ji was puzzled. "In the past, it was not like now, when after death, people are cremated and that's it. Ancient people attached great importance to feng shui in their burials, and places near the earth's veins were all excellent feng shui locations at that time. Isn't it normal to bury them there? There are ancient tombs everywhere near the earth's veins."

Sheng Lingyuan sighed helplessly. "..."

"What's wrong?" Xuan Ji asked.

"Are you human or demon?" Sheng Lingyuan asked.

"Human and demon have different cultural beliefs. But the basic knowledge and theories should be the same, right? Feng shui is just that particular..." Xuan Ji explained.

"Excuse me, but you should know better." Sheng Lingyuan rebuked him with a serious tone. "After a human dies, they choose a burial site based on feng shui, believing that this 'auspicious land' can provide a resting place for the deceased and bring blessings to future generations. Humans hold the dead in high regard, and grave robbing has always been a serious crime. The common people also have many taboos against tomb raiders, viewing them as the lowest of the low.

"As for the demon race, it's common for them to eat their own kind. If a demon's corpse falls into the hands of another demon, it will surely be devoured. If there's no one to bury the dead, that's another matter. But for demons who can afford a burial, they will surely choose a hidden location.

"The area near the earth vein's nodes may have good feng shui, but both spiritual energy and demonic energy are active there, and nearby demons are active as well. What's the difference between burying oneself there and inviting others to stew oneself? What's buried in that tomb?"

Xuan Ji paused for a moment, quickly searching for information. "There... doesn't seem to be much. The tomb owner was so decayed that there wasn't much left, and the unearthed objects were just ordinary items from that time period. There were some demonic clan characters on them, but the useless Ancient Studies Department still hasn't deciphered them... From what I can tell, it's mostly about burial and offerings, with no real significance."

Sheng Lingyuan interjected, "If I remember correctly, that blind man who was on trial said that this was a 'great tomb' that took away most of the main force from the Storm forces. With just these 'ordinary items,' why would they make such a big fuss and even transfer your bureau's elites over there?"

Xuan Ji's eyebrows furrowed suddenly. "Wait a minute! Besides Storm, logistics personnel are mainly responsible for opening ancient tombs. At that time, the person in charge of logistics was Gong Chenggong!"

As Silver Shadow and Old Lady Yu plotted under the table, their tone suggested that they had long known about the "Great Tomb" and had been waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike!

After pondering for a moment, Sheng Lingyuan asked, "According to the map, how long would it take to get there and back quickly since it's not far away?"

Biquan Mountain doesn't have an airport, but it's less than two hours by high-speed rail, and driving is the most convenient option. With the newly built highway, a round trip in one day is no problem. If they hurry, they might even make it back in time for dinner.

After hearing the explanation, Sheng Lingyuan once again marveled at the modern transportation network and made a decisive decision.

Since the enemy was retreating with their tails between their legs, and the next step was uncertain, he wanted to see it with his own eyes.

The two borrowed a car from Xiao Zheng, gave some instructions, and immediately set off.

Xuan Ji was an experienced road tripper and quickly planned the optimal route after glancing at the map.

Setting off from the West Mountain, they quickly got onto the highway.

Sheng Lingyuan watched as the guardrails outside flew by, realizing that he had successfully broken the unlucky bond. However, he was bringing Xuan Ji with him to a eerie and unknown place.

Xuan Ji kept his eyes on the road and his ears perked up, saying, "It's too late to regret now."

Sheng Lingyuan snapped out of his thoughts and replied, "Don't cause trouble."

The restless driver took one hand off the steering wheel and grabbed Sheng Lingyuan's hand, saying, "Don't look outside, it's all the same on the highway. Look at me. I..."

Just then, the car's phone started ringing frantically, interrupting the 3,000-year-old driver's coquetry.