The Human Emperor Banner

Black smoke surged in from every direction, spreading endless darkness and a deathly chill. The stench of death rode within it, as though it meant to devour every trace of life.

One glance was enough to tell: this was a thoroughly wicked artifact.

System 10086 said without the slightest embarrassment, "That's Primordial Chaos Purple Qi. The purple is just a little too dark, so it looks black. Time takes its toll. That's what happens when a Human Emperor Banner sees a lot of use."

"It came from the secondhand market. Don't worry about the details."

"You've been slacking off, and I haven't even forced you to complete any tasks. What more do you want?"

Lin Xian's mouth twitched. He took a deep breath and managed to accept the answer, though he gave a cold laugh. "Might I ask which Human Emperor this banner belonged to?"

"Even the pole is stained with blood. It looks like it's been dyed red. That's a little too ominous."

"And there's a skull on it. Don't tell me Emperor Huang made it while sitting on the toilet."

"It has nothing to do with the fifth Chaos God. It belonged to the Northern Dark Emperor!" the system declared. "Black tinged with red, like something hidden deep in darkness."

"In Ancient Antiquity, gods and emperors were one and the same, and the Human Emperor was the high priest. Those are bloodstains left from sacrifices to Empyrean. There's no need to make a fuss, host."

"Wash it someday, and you could even use it as the Investiture of the Gods List. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

"Like hell I believe you! What about this thing says 'Human Emperor' besides its name?" Lin Xian grumbled. "If I took it outside, people would probably attack me as a practitioner of the