The Ancient Female Emperor glanced at him, but the question did not anger her.
"Nothing more than a walking corpse."
Her tone was calm, as though she were speaking of someone else entirely.
"In that battle, my true spirit suffered grievous damage. To find an answer, and to find someone, I sent what remained of it into the Chaos Sea."
"All that stayed in the Immortal Realm was a ruined body and a wisp of consciousness that had yet to fade from it."
"The Time Gourd held the years still for my body, while the Reincarnation Dao kept that last wisp of consciousness from falling into utter Nirvana. That is why I can still exist as I am now."
Understanding dawned on Li Qingshan.
No wonder the Ancient Female Emperor had endured for countless years yet never left the Ancient Emperor Mausoleum.
Her body looked powerful, but it had long since been ruined beyond repair. If she left the forces of time and reincarnation within the mausoleum, it might collapse at once.
"What about the woman in the black dress just now?"
Li Qingshan asked another question.
"She is an obsession I severed from myself!"
The Ancient Female Emperor said softly, "I waited too long. Longing and unwillingness nearly drowned what remained of my consciousness. If I had not cut them away, I would have lost myself in Time Reincarnation long ago."
"But that obsession is part of me. As long as my wait has not ended, she will never truly disappear."
"Seeing you and those two wooden carvings today quieted her obsession for a time. Only then could I take her back into myself."
Li Qingshan fell silent for a moment.
"Who are you waiting for, Your Majesty?"
"I am waiting for myself, and for the person lost in