"Miss, let's discuss this calmly..." Old Liu raised both hands. Seeing no significant killing intent from the girl, he slowly turned around. When he saw her face, he actually smiled, "Well, what a beauty!"

"Stop your sweet-talking nonsense!" The girl roared in anger, commanding the General to sweep its sword towards Old Liu's leg, striking him down to his knees. "Speak! Which one of you caused that massive fissure in the ground just now?"

"He... he..." Old Liu was the type who would sell out a friend for anything. He glanced at Ye Xiu, his meaning perfectly clear.

"You!" The girl's eyes fixed on Ye Xiu. She scrutinized him repeatedly, finding nothing unusual about the man dressed in a casual jacket and jeans. "It seems this mortal realm truly harbors hidden masters. Which lineage are you descended from, to be able to stir the earth three feet deep and interrupt my deep slumber?"

Ye Xiu found it quite jarring to hear such words from a girl his own age. However, seeing she wasn't benign, he came clean: "Death God Ye Xiu. My friend here is a cultivator who stumbled here by accident today. Release him."

"You are a Death God!" Upon hearing this, the girl acted as if facing a great enemy, controlling the General to press the heavy sword against Ye Xiu's throat. "How can a Death God still exist in the mortal realm? Wasn't the Gate to the Dead Kingdoms sealed long ago by the ancient clans?"

"There are occasionally a few that slip through the net!" Old Liu grinned, standing up, ready to say something to ease the tension, but unexpectedly, the General delivered a kick that sent him sprawling to the ground again.

The girl glared fiercely at Old Liu and stated sternly, "I haven't told you to get up yet. For a cultivator to associate with a Death God, you truly are one of a kind."

"You know about the Dead Kingdoms?" Ye Xiu was only vaguely aware of being a Death God. Hearing the girl mention something, he forgot the weight of the great sword at his neck. "I don't even know why I am a Death God. If you can, I hope you can tell me."

Hearing this, a faint yellow light suddenly flashed in the girl's eyes. She scanned both men before ordering the General to lower the massive sword. "Seeing as neither of you bears any hostility towards me, you must be fated to arrive here. Perhaps you can even help me obtain the Soul Weapon Talisman."

"Of course, of course! You can tell just by looking that we are good people," Old Liu said, his subservience revealing how susceptible he was to the girl's charms.

"Nonsense. If I, from the Earthly Imperial Clan, didn't possess the Spirit Eyes capable of discerning good and evil, would I trust you so easily?" The girl boasted, raising her head proudly. "On this very Earth, all cultivators, and even the once-mighty Death Gods, are humble beings."

"The Earthly Imperial Clan?" Ye Xiu had never heard of such a thing. He suddenly felt that the human mortal realm was far too unstable, unsure how much ancient, primordial matter had seeped into it. The very existence of these clans was a disaster in itself.

Old Liu found the term vaguely familiar. He looked puzzled. "Could you be descendants of the ancient Queen Mother of the West's lineage? If everyone originates from the Changbai Mountain line, perhaps there is some connection to my Ancient Esoteric Way."

"The Ancient Esoteric Way?" The girl's tone immediately turned contemptuous when she heard the phrase. "Are you talking about those damned Taoists who pilfered the cultivation methods of my Earthly Imperial Clan?"

"..." This was the first time Old Liu had been insulted simply for mentioning the Ancient Esoteric Way. For a moment, he was utterly stunned. "Pilfered? I only remember my Master telling me that the Ancient Esoteric Sutras were established in Changbai Mountain, and the descendants of the Queen Mother of the West initially propagated there."

"Wait, wait a moment." Ye Xiu felt a throbbing headache caused by the interaction between these two. He waved his hands and addressed them one by one. "Right now, I desperately want to know what the Earthly Imperial Clan is, and what this 'Spirit Eye' you speak of is? If you don't mind, I'd like to know the young lady's name."

The blue-haired girl gave Old Liu a disdainful look before slowly speaking, "My name is Huang Le'er. Everyone calls me Princess Le."

"Princess..." Old Liu pouted playfully. "Don't tell me you're a princess of the Earthly Imperial Clan; I won't believe it."

"Hmph!" Le'er responded with another wave of disdain, not bothering to answer Old Liu. "The Earthly Imperial Clan are the guardians of the entire Earth, indeed descendants of the Queen Mother of the West. As for the Spirit Eyes, they are unique to the Imperial Clan, something that can discern the good and evil in people's hearts. You wouldn't understand even if I explained."

"Alright, Princess Le, were these sand-men around us your handiwork?" Ye Xiu gestured towards the surrounding rubble, figuring it was the obvious answer. "Why are you here alone?"

Le'er's tone softened slightly upon hearing this. "I was merely punished for slightly violating some of the Clan's rules and was sent here to guard the Soul Weapon Talisman. These sand constructs are indeed under my control. We of the Earthly Imperial Clan have a natural affinity for earth and wood attributes, so controlling these little toys is nothing special. We usually refer to these things as Earth Puppets."

"This one is indeed made of sand, but the sword in his hand is genuine. Where did that come from?" Old Liu was quite intrigued by the Earth Puppet. "The equipment on this General is real steel and genuine material; is this all your magic?"

"Told you two blockheads knew nothing of history. This place is where Han Xin once mustered his troops. This sword is certainly real, and the Earth Puppet standing before you is the residual spirit of a fierce general from Han Xin's army during the Eastern Han Dynasty," Le'er waved her hand, introducing the giant behind her. The headless General even bent over with marked reverence.

"A Han Dynasty General? Why is he headless? Why are none of these soldiers headed?" Ye Xiu found this incredible. However, Han Xin mustering troops was absolutely famous in history—the saying goes, the more the merrier with Han Xin's army. "Are they ordinary historical figures? How could they appear in a Daoist realm like this? What is the function of the Soul Weapon Talisman in your hand?"

Le'er finally found someone with a bit of understanding. She lifted the pouch in her hand. "I don't quite know the function of the Soul Weapon Talisman in this pouch, but legend says that the reason General Han Xin was victorious in every battle wasn't just due to his divine military strategy, but also the Divine Weapon he possessed."

"The Soul Weapon Talisman can summon soul soldiers to fight; of course, he could be victorious every time," Old Liu whistled. Even a child could figure out such a simple question.

Le'er ignored Old Liu, continuing her tale. "Legend says that General Han Xin once encountered a mysterious woman named Ji Jiang. Ji Jiang admired Han Xin's broad mind and manly spirit. To help him achieve victory in war, she disregarded everything and stole the forbidden artifact, the Soul Weapon Talisman, from the realm of Gods and Demons. From then on, whenever Han Xin commanded troops, he never knew defeat."