Roy, Tamamo-no-Mae, and Yu Meiren stood at the edge of the giant pit, watching as a pile of sludge slowly took human form. The sludge gradually developed bones, blood vessels, nerves, muscles, and other human tissues, followed by a layer of fair and delicate skin covering the muscles, transforming into a mature woman with an alluring figure capable of enchanting the masses.
However, the process of Daji's revival was rather nauseating. The fact that even the most beautiful woman's body was composed of such substances made it no wonder that both Taoism and Buddhism had sayings like "fair ladies are but skeletons."
Roy calmly observed the newly restored Daji. She was currently without clothing, her towering pink peaks and slender waist fully visible to Roy, even her hair was surprisingly pink.
There was no denying that this one-tailed fox was truly beautiful, her voluptuous figure enough to fulfill any man's fantasies.
Yet Roy paid no attention to her alluring body, only watching as magical energy transformed into palace robes to clothe her. What truly caught Roy's attention was the malice emanating from this fox's bones, from her very soul.
By now, Roy had confirmed that this malice was directed at humans. She radiated disgust for humanity from her marrow, exuding a sinister desire to toy with them.
No wonder she had earlier said she thought he and Yu Ji were the same. Daji likely assumed Yu Ji also hated humans when she said that. But Daji didn't know—Yu Ji didn't hate humans; what she despised was the civilization humans had constructed.
"Her existence is pure evil for humanity!"
Roy declared decisively, even beginning to wonder if this fox might be the root of humanity's issues. As one of the nine-tailed fox's avatars, she indeed possessed the ability to disrupt human history and steer the course of human order toward ruin.
However, Roy quickly dismissed the thought, as the "Human Order Correction Formula" gifted by Solomon showed no reaction to this fox. In other words, she was temporarily unrelated to the human order of this world.
"Ouch, ouch—it hurts so much! Damn humans, how dare you treat me like this!"
Daji had just revived and immediately let out a voice full of resentment. Then, sensing something amiss, she raised her head and saw Roy and the other two staring at her.
Her hateful gaze swept over Roy, Tamamo-no-Mae, and Yu Ji. Tamamo-no-Mae had claimed to despise her, calling her a "bitch fox," and judging by Daji's reaction, the feeling was mutual. This self-loathing drama was truly amusing.
Yet soon, the resentment in her eyes faded, and her face—as beautiful as a poppy yet as poisonous—once again bloomed with a smile.
For a demon fox like Daji, showing bitter hatred was the behavior of a foolish woman. As a peerless enchantress capable of ruining nations and corrupting the people, she was far more skilled in the arts of charm and graceful deception.
"Giggle~~ You trash fox, obsessed with love, actually crawled out of the Yellow Emperor's mausoleum? Don't you have a tomb to guard? You disgust me—just thinking that we were once the same makes me want to vomit!"
Daji clutched her chest, feigning the urge to retch.
Compared to Roy and Yu Ji, Daji loathed Tamamo-no-Mae—another version of herself—far more. She spat out curses, wishing she could tear Tamamo-no-Mae apart limb by limb.
If she hadn't severed her tails and weakened herself to this state, if she still possessed her nine-tailed form, how could she have been beaten so badly by a mere human?
Daji seethed with fury.
As the embodiment of the nine-tailed fox's malice, when the fox still held her nine-tailed form as the Sun Goddess, and when that malice took control, she had been nearly omnipotent.
Now, reduced to just one of the nine tails, she had gained freedom but lost the power to act as she pleased. Many things had become impossible for her, which was why she despised Tamamo-no-Mae for willingly abandoning her strength and cutting off her own tails.
Especially since this vixen actually wanted to fall in love—Daji found it utterly absurd.
"You damned, stinking fox! You'll fall for some scumbag in the future, get betrayed, and then come crying to me—don't you dare!"
This final remark finally made Tamamo-no-Mae's expression darken. Her desire for "romance" and "love" was her greatest wish, and Daji's mockery of that pursuit enraged her.
As a canine creature, Tamamo-no-Mae's eight tails drooped low, and she bared her teeth with a low growl—the classic sign of an angry fox.
Roy watched the nine-tailed fox argue with herself, finding it endlessly entertaining. Tamamo-no-Mae's anger, in particular, reminded him of the Chow Chow he had once raised.
"Hmph! Little Jade won't be fooled, because human souls never lie. As long as I can see the soul, Little Jade will find the best husband!"
Though furious, Tamamo-no-Mae didn't lose her rationality due to Daji's words. Instead, she spoke proudly.
"Is that so?"
Daji smiled disdainfully.
Souls don't lie? Don't make me laugh. The man beside you possesses an extraordinarily magnificent and transparent soul—the resilient, unyielding hue of a hero, the color of relentless pursuit without regret, the formidable willpower of striving and fighting. Judging solely by human qualities and the colors of the soul, even Daji had to admit he was undoubtedly a rare beauty among men.
But so what? With such strong willpower, unyielding spirit, and pursuit of goals, he should be called a great hero from this perspective alone. Yet based on Daji's experience, this man wasn't as simple as he appeared.
Tamamo-no-Mae, who judged good and evil, beauty and ugliness solely through souls, would ultimately be deceived by them.
The worldly wisdom of a nine-tailed fox belonged to Daji, not the love-craving Tamamo-no-Mae.
Of course, Daji wouldn't remind Tamamo-no-Mae. She'd be delighted if this useless fox were fooled one day and ended up kneeling in tears!
Ha, as a nine-tailed fox, I must admit he's a rare beauty, but a deeply hidden dark-type beauty at that. One careless move, and you'd fall into his trap.
Daji sneered as she watched Tamamo-no-Mae reveling in her pride.
"Little Jade's goal was to guard Emperor Xuanyuan's tomb for two thousand years. In truth, this agreement ended five hundred years ago, but because of you, I left the tomb several times during my watch, so I had to extend it by another five hundred years to make up for it... And also to expel you from my body. Now that you can no longer influence me, Little Jade naturally doesn't need to guard the tomb anymore, meow~"
Tamamo-no-Mae raised her jade-like hand, making a strange gesture resembling a fox's head.
"You foolish fox, you haven't even realized your tomb-guarding has already failed, have you? Not long ago, someone broke into this tomb and stole something right under your nose."
"...Giggle~ Of course, I helped that alchemist a little. Otherwise, how could he have succeeded?"
As Daji finished speaking, Tamamo-no-Mae froze, standing there in utter confusion, as if she couldn't believe someone had stolen from the tomb under her watch.
"Hahaha!! Truly a fox made stupid by love!"
Seeing Tamamo-no-Mae's expression, Daji burst into hearty laughter. She loved watching humans—and other versions of herself—wear such expressions. It brought her deep, visceral pleasure.
At this moment, Roy felt a stirring in his heart, instinctively sensing that this was the very purpose of his visit to the Yellow Emperor's tomb.
He stepped forward and asked Daji, "...Daji, could you tell me what that alchemist stole from the Yellow Emperor's tomb? And who is he?"