Chapter 62: Before the Shang, After the Zhou

During the ten‑plus days spent treating Zhao Xingyue's wounds, Wang Wu finally gained a relatively systematic understanding of the common knowledge of this world—more precisely, the human world.

Although still rather rudimentary, it was clearly enough for him to be a different person after three days, worthy of a fresh, admiring look.

Out of gratitude toward Wang Wu, Zhao Xingyue also gave him a detailed account of that great tomb. Although Yuan was the tomb's owner, she had already died long before, so the exact number of burial items in her tomb might not have been known to outsiders.

Yet, since she had lived there, Yuan spent a lot of time wandering the tomb and therefore knew it to some extent.

However, because she only roamed around her own main burial chamber, she hadn't visited every part.

As the most beloved daughter of the former Shang king‑emperor Di Yi, Yuan's tomb was built to an extremely high standard, massive in size, and on par with the Shang king's own residences.

Moreover, Di Yi personally interred a complete army as her burial accompaniment.

Not the figurine troops of Qin Shi Huang's hometown, but a genuine elite force of the dynasty, including chariots, cavalry, and even a "space vessel".

Of course, it wasn't his own royal guard; each vassal state contributed a few, totaling nine thousand nine hundred ninety‑nine people.

The number wasn't great, but according to Zhao Xingyue, a person from later ages, it still sowed a hidden danger that would later contribute to the Shang dynasty's downfall.

The space vessel, however, was indeed produced by the Shang royal family themselves; such items were scarce, and even the Shang king sometimes hesitated to use one for his own burial.

That very space vessel was the reason Zhao Xingyue's group of cultivators set out for the Zi Yuan Great Tomb.

A space vessel is a craft that can fly through the air, not the "spaceship" Wang Wu imagined when he first heard the name—though, to be honest, the difference isn't far.

Space vessels belong to the Shang dynasty's unique technology, most of which has been lost today.

When the Shang dynasty fell, the empire's core territories were eroded and corrupted, becoming the "Forbidden Zones" we see now, places that people today dread to approach.

This ancient empire rose from a distant barbaric age, flourished through demon‑worship, and ultimately perished because of a demonic calamity.

The "Shang Dynasty" of this world is clearly distinct from the "Shang Dynasty" of Wang Wu's hometown; it is a massive ancient empire that combined slavery with a feudal system, highly developed yet primitive, where advancement and cruelty coexisted.

Its unique theocratic‑monarchic social system had become highly refined, and its productive capacity was extremely advanced. Just the destructive power of the "space vessel" described by Zhao Xingyue would be enough to crush the entire Earth of Wang Wu's eighteenth‑century home.

"In the year of Sui‑Xu‑Zi, King Zheng conquered Zhou Yi, mustering seven thousand troops and two space vessels. The vessels heated the sea to a boil, boiled the heavens until they wept blood, and thus subjugated the Zhou Yi vassals."

Great Zhou was once a vassal state of the Shang, but before becoming a Shang vassal, the Zhou were already regarded by the Shang as a kind of "barbarian".

So they sent an army to conquer Zhou, and the light beams from the space vessels boiled the sea and set the heavens ablaze until blood‑filled tears fell.

Wang Wu doesn't know whether this is hyperbole, but considering the extraordinary powers of this world, it does seem plausible.

In fact, such feats would be quite ordinary if one also counted the otherworldly cultivation techniques Wang Wu practices.

Yet there is no space vessel in Yuan's tomb; this was discovered after Zhao Xingyue told Wang Wu the detailed situation of Yuan's tomb and the two demons learned each other's foreign language.

Yuan also knows that her father gave her a space vessel as a burial object, because some burial items were decided while she was alive and the tomb was built beforehand. But in Yuan's tomb, the spot where the vessel should have been is empty.

Yuan's main burial chamber lies directly above the space vessel; stepping down one level leads to the "Yuan" that Emperor Di Yi prepared for her.

But there is nothing—absolutely nothing.

Recalling Yuan's awakening process, according to the memories she shared with Wang Wu, after death her consciousness fell into boundless darkness, yet for some reason never truly sank. She remained in that state, existing eternally within the darkness.

She could not think; her mind was frozen, yet she could still feel clearly. At that time her mental state was close to "nothing", but the "I" had not completely vanished.

It was probably this very condition that prevented her from completely collapsing in the endless darkness, allowing her to persist until now. When a tiny crack appeared in that eternal darkness, her consciousness gradually began to flow again.

When all the darkness shattered, her self‑awareness fully recovered.

She floated out of the coffin, descended the celestial staircase, and arrived at the "Heavenly Realm", but the world that greeted her eyes was still the mortal world.

The familiar burial chamber, the missing space vessel, and the various wall paintings she herself selected and drew on the walls of the tomb.

Seeing that scene filled her with confusion and doubt. Carrying that doubt, she kept walking outward, left the tomb, and arrived at Si Hun Shan.

However, upon reaching the outside world, she realized that this was no longer the place she had ever lived in, nor the world she had ever known.

The Great Shang has already perished.

Yuan was born in the late Great Shang dynasty; she was the third daughter of its penultimate ruler, Emperor Di Yi. By the time she was offered as a sacrifice, the empire's decline was already evident to everyone.

The restless vassal states, the yearly reduction of tributes, and the superficial alliance between the great shamanic sects and the royal family—all of these were well understood by Yuan as a princess.

Even though she was not being groomed by the Shang king as a successor, being born in the Purple Chamber meant she could not be insensitive to her family's waning power and authority.

That grand sacrificial ceremony did indeed work, briefly granting the Great Shang a minor resurgence. Yet it was like a dying person's final flash of light—its last glimmer.

After Di Yi, Di Xin ascended the throne; he was Di Yi's youngest son. Ninety years later, a demonic calamity erupted, major vassal states defected, the Zhou rose amid the chaos, and ultimately the Great Shang fell, replaced by Great Zhou.

Regarding her nation's downfall, Yuan seemed indifferent, showing little emotion. At least when she shared her memories with Wang Wu, he sensed no particular feeling.

Wandering through the mountains, she eventually reached Wang Wu's side, where she was taken care of by him.

To be honest, Wang Wu only learned about Yuan's past in these few days, because this demon girl had previously only shown him death‑replay recordings to disgust him. That was also a major reason why Wang Wu previously thought she was a ghost.

(End of chapter)