From afar, the passage looked like it could only fit one person at a time, but up close, the "entrance" towered high as if it were connected to the heavens, suspended in mid-air, seemingly endless like a headless path.

The pale blue passage twisted and turned, sometimes even changing shape, leading into the infinite unknown.

The lifeless body of He Cuiyu lay peacefully at the entrance, her face serene, with a mermaid scale the size of Zhang Zhao's fingernail embedded in her forehead.

Despite her wicked ways in life, she now lay trapped in the crevices of time, her face bearing a mysterious and divine expression, both sacred and eerie.

Here, there was no sight of the sky, stars, or sun. Looking around, there was no source of light, and both people and objects had lost their shadows. Standing in this place, the past seemed faded, and the future was as uncertain as a flower seen through mist.

It felt like only this moment was real, with no knowledge of its origins or destination.

Even Sheng Lingyuan forgot about the mortals who dared to disobey his orders, and was now trapped in the eternal present, lost in thought.

Suddenly, the sound of waves and the singing of mermaids broke the silence.

The sound was distant and ethereal, and Sheng Lingyuan snapped out of his trance, drenched in cold sweat... except for his right hand, which was hot - Xuan Ji had grabbed onto it at some point, holding on so tightly that it felt like he was scared that even a gust of wind could cause them to lose each other again.

With a sudden jerk, Sheng Lingyuan woke Xuan Ji up from his daydream. Xuan Ji looked at him with a bewildered expression, as if he had just been woken up by a teacher's chalkboard eraser in the middle of a dream. He looked innocent and a little bit aggrieved.

His expression was more powerful than the Vermilion Bird's flame, capable of "vanquishing demons".

The demon king took one look at him and immediately retreated three feet away, not daring to fight.

Sheng Lingyuan avoided him and pulled out the almost mute xun from his pocket. He took a deep breath and blew into it, causing the clay xun to cry out, bringing back the wailing souls of the field agents who had followed them.

Sheng Lingyuan didn't bother with them and waved his hand, saying, "Follow me."

Those who couldn't keep up were on their own, and if they dared to disobey, they couldn't expect the emperor to come to their rescue.

As they followed behind, all the other field agents were seasoned veterans who knew what to do as soon as they heard the signal, and they immediately went on high alert, not daring to let their guard down as they followed closely behind Sheng Lingyuan.

"How long is this road exactly?" Zhang Zhao carefully put away his mermaid scale and muttered, "No wonder Lady Yu doesn't dare to come in if it's only stopped for 30 seconds."

"It's hard to say," Xuan Ji's gaze remained fixed on the Emperor as he casually replied, "This entrance is a time rift, and we're not sure what's inside. You might just enter from one end and come out the other in no time, or you might walk for hundreds of thousands of years and never find your way out. And who knows, you might even be walking backwards and end up shaking hands with a prehistoric tyrannosaurus rex as soon as you step out of the passage."

Zhang Zhao quickly hid his hand in his coat pocket and clenched the mithril tightly. "There's no need to be so hospitable."

"If this is a time rift," Xuan Ji stared at the back of Sheng Lingyuan and wondered, "what time is it stuck in? The day the Mountain people were expelled? What about the mermaids? Are there still living mermaids here?"

Legend has it that the deep sea king, who was born from the love and hate between heaven and sea, shed tears that turned into pearls and died of lovesickness.

When Xuan Ji was young, he always longed to see those big fish and their stories, and often regretted being born too late to witness the sight of their blue tails cutting through the waves.

Although he spoke the mermaid language with a strange accent, he often fantasized about someone treating him like a mermaid.

He still remembered how he had hesitated to share his secret fantasy with Sheng Lingyuan. But the guy didn't understand a thing and even suspected that he might have impure blood, like being mixed with pelican or something.

Why else would a winged creature be so interested in fish?

Sheng Lingyuan thought he was being considerate by getting him a fat and dull grass carp as a pet, but it didn't receive any love and ended up being a side dish when it grew up.

Xuan Ji gradually realized that there were no more merfolk in the world, and all the news and rumors were just lonely words.

So he wanted to become a human merman, devoting his life to this single-minded obsession and willing to die when heartbroken.

However, he never had the chance to be infatuated or heartbroken, never died, and never had anything to do with the deep sea merfolk. He could only doggy paddle in the water.

Lost in thought, Sheng Lingyuan suddenly stopped in his tracks.

The endless tunnel that could not be seen from the outside had inexplicably disappeared, replaced by a blinding white light.

When he turned around, the tunnel behind him was also gone, and everyone was floating in mid-air like ghosts.

In the next moment, the kaleidoscope-like light screen suddenly exploded into countless images.

The crowd instinctively huddled together in a circle, staring in horror at the towering mountains and the vast ocean that appeared on the screen.

Suddenly, a distant roar echoed through the air as the mythical creature, Kunpeng, soared into the sky and the giant beast landed on all fours. The azure dragon danced in the clouds, the divine turtle submerged into the sea, and the vermilion bird spread its wings and emerged from the flames, bringing forth the proliferation of all living things.

In the next scene, the sky seemed to have opened up, and fireballs and hailstones rained down, setting entire forests ablaze and causing the spirits to cry out and flee in all directions. Even the sea seemed to be on fire.

"Is this... time?" Xuan Ji instinctively held his breath.

Sheng Lingyuan "shushed" him and stared intently at the screen.

The screen recorded the vivid rise and fall of everything that happened after the creation of the world. The catastrophic fire burned for an unknown length of time, leaving nothing but desolation and barrenness in its wake. Then, like a snowstorm, heavy snow fell and covered the scorched earth.

For ten, a hundred, a thousand years, the land lay dormant as glaciers slowly crept northward. Finally, the weather began to warm, and the snow on the altered landscape gradually melted away. One day, seeds hidden underground sprouted new shoots.

The world was changing, and the once formidable land was reduced to fine sand.

From a single fish, a tiny insect, life began to emerge one after another. Only in the Nanming Valley did the demonic fire from beyond still linger, like a ghastly wound.

It was in the deepest part of the canyon that a giant bronze cauldron stirred, and the delicate chirping of a bird could be heard from within. The first member of the Vermilion Bird clan was born from the cauldron, and from that moment on, it was bound to the fiery Chiyuan.

In the deep mountain streams, the demon clan thrived; on the vast and wild land, the human race wandered around naked, curious yet uneasy, gazing at the vast expanse of the sky and earth. In the depths of the sea, the peacock blue mermaid tail splashed the waves, casting a flirtatious glance back.

The divine mountain of Dongchuan selected its beloved people; the sea refugees protected by the mermaids began to imagine the shape of a great ship; the flames of the fire recorded the shadows of the ancestors in the depths of Nanming Valley, and over time, a special shadow race emerged, imitating the appearance of the vermilion bird with its curved neck and wings, capable of transforming into immortals upon landing.

All things are born, multiply, and flourish, and eventually decline - the decline began with the shadow race.

In the valley of Nanming, an earthquake caused a rock wall to collapse, scattering the Shadow people that had been living on the rocks. The Shadow people who unintentionally left Nanming didn't know how to survive and were rescued by a small border tribe of demons, who took them in and raised them as mountain spirits.

One of the Shadow people fell in love with the tribe leader and transformed into the form of his wife. The other Shadow people, in order to obtain a better life, silently agreed and helped her plot against the tribe leader's wife.

However, they were eventually discovered, and the truth was revealed. The Vermilion Bird tribe leader was furious and banished the Shadow people from Nanming Valley.

From then on, the Shadow people could only rely on deceiving other tribes to survive, living and dying with their masters. The Shadow people became the most precious pets of the demon tribe, popular throughout the Nine Provinces, but this led to countless pitiful and despicable resentments and delusions.

They had always wanted to return to Nanming Valley. It was said that only the Shadow people who had the protection of the Vermilion Bird tribe could survive on their own after their masters died. However, their wish was never fulfilled even after the downfall of the tribe.

After that came the great shift of the earth's veins, and the two races of humans and demons began to clash as their populations grew. The depleted spiritual energy of the mountains and rivers ignited the sparks of a great war, and the catastrophe began.

As for what happened next, it was something that Sheng Lingyuan had personally experienced. Lost in thought, he withdrew his gaze and, seemingly lost in thought, furrowed his brow and tentatively reached his hand outside the light curtain.

Everyone held their breath and watched as Sheng Lingyuan hesitated for a moment before touching a warm mist.

Xuan Ji nervously stepped forward and asked, "What is it?"

"I don't know, it's a very strange place, like by the seaside," Sheng Lingyuan pondered for a moment, "Be careful if you're a fire element, watch your step...hmm?"

Xuan Ji grabbed his elbow and pulled his hand outside, "What is it?"

Sheng Lingyuan had a greenish object in his hand.

"What is this? Seaweed? Kelp?" Wang Ze leaned in, completely confused, "Where did it come from?"

"This is..." Xuan Ji took it from him, surprised, and sniffed it. The plant looked like seaweed, but it didn't have a fishy smell.

Instead, it had a dark and mysterious fragrance. "Could this be the 'Moonlight Grass' from the legend of the mermaid's habitat?"

Could there really be mermaids here?

The Emperor has always been fearless, willing to go anywhere, whether it be heaven or earth.

Without hesitation, he stepped into the white light without even saying a word.

Caught off guard, Xuan Ji failed to grab hold of him and hurriedly chased after him.

As soon as he entered the light, Xuan Ji felt as though he was being swallowed whole. The blinding white light flooded his senses, blocking his every feature. He floated aimlessly, unable to feel his own body.

But when he realized that even Sheng Lingyuan's aura had disappeared, Xuan Ji panicked.

Summoning all his strength, he flapped his wings and broke through something, causing a loud splash and the sound of water rushing around him.

Wait, was he falling into water?

In the next moment, Xuan Ji was caught off guard and choked on a mouthful of salty and bitter seawater, tears almost streaming down his face. Gasping for air, he struggled to swim upstream, his wings now a deep shade of red from being washed by the sea.

After a minute, Xuan Ji broke through the surface of the water, drenched and flailing like a wet chicken, coughing and gasping for breath. But then, he was stunned by the sight before him.

In front of him was a massive, snow-white coral reef. Like the beanstalk that reaches the sky in the Western fairytale "Jack and the Beanstalk," this one grew from the depths of the sea, boldly breaking through the surface and continuing to grow upwards with an unstoppable momentum that pierced through the sky.

The coral reefs that were exposed on the surface looked like a massive island that stretched as far as the eye could see. The coral reefs themselves had a texture like white jade and were naturally adorned with intricately designed pavilions, towers, and corridors that were all connected like a huge palace complex.

As Xuan Ji emerged from the water, the tiny droplets of water that splashed around him created a rainbow that arched over the surface of the sea, scattering its colors over the palace complex and beyond.

It was a masterpiece of nature, unparalleled in its beauty and grandeur.

This was none other than the legendary "Heavenly White Jade Palace".

Compared to this, the fortress that King Wei Yu had built on the hillside was nothing more than a shoddy imitation... no, it was like a hamster trying to draw a tiger!

Sheng Lingyuan was carried by a black mist, floating next to the Heavenly White Jade Palace.

Hearing the commotion, he casually turned his head and glanced at him, not at all worried that he would drown.

He even reprimanded him with a few words, "Reckless."

Xuan Ji: "..."

He really wanted to pour a bucket of cold water on him.

At this moment, there was another series of splashing sounds behind them.

Immediately after, several bubbles produced by Wang Ze's ability floated up from the sea surface, lifting the field agents who followed them onto the water.

The mortals who had never seen such sights collectively made a gasping sound as if they were being choked.

Wang Ze quickly took out his phone and pressed the shutter button repeatedly, "This is...not real, right?"

"Can we go in?" Dan Lin twisted the supernatural detector on her wrist. Like her sharp senses, the instrument went dead as soon as they entered. "The detector isn't responding, and I can't sense anything. How do we assess the risk now...if only if we had brought Gu Yuexi with us."

Sheng Lingyuan didn't answer, but simply snapped his fingers and conjured a black mist.

The demonic energy with gnashing teeth and claws howled towards the white jade palace, causing everyone to forget their situation and collectively hold their breaths at the sight of the snow-white coral reef.

"Sir, have some mercy...huh?" Zhang Zhao trailed off.

A terrifying black mist rushed towards the outskirts of the White Jade Palace, but it seemed to hit an invisible protective shield, causing a loud commotion before dissipating into thin air.

Before everyone could even breathe a sigh of relief, the Heavenly White Jade Palace suddenly lit up with a cold light, and the previously calm sea began to violently churn. Countless incomprehensible runes and symbols floated up on the pillars and corridors, followed by ominous dark clouds gathering.

As soon as the dark clouds appeared, Xuan Ji knew it was not good. "Get out of the water right now!"

Dan Lin immediately understood and pulled out a sealed talisman from her pocket, throwing it into the sky.

"Director Xuan, lend me your fire!"

As Xuan Ji ignited the talisman, tender sprouts burst forth from the center and rapidly grew into a thick, sturdy vine that fell into the sea, entangling several field agents together.

With one hand, Xuan Ji lifted them out of the water. But as soon as they emerged, a dense barrage of lightning rained down upon them like a storm. The thunder-fire type, Xiao Zheng, struck the close ones with difficulty and sent them flying.

They crashed into the sea, electrifying the water below and turning it into a massive battery. Amidst the eighty-one thunderbolts, those caught in the midst of it felt as though the angry heavens and earth were about to deafen them, nearly causing them to suffer from brain damage.

Only the instigator, Sheng Lingyuan, experienced enough in being struck by lightning, remained calm and collected, viewing it as a small-scale event.

After the thunderstorm had passed, he gave his evaluation: "Eighty-one strikes may be a great calamity, but it lacks the force of a true calamity. It seems to be a warning. If I were to ignore this warning and still attempt to force my way in, what would happen?"

Xiao Zheng was nearly knocked out, struggling to understand what His Majesty had just said.

His eyes rolled back, and he nearly fainted on the spot.

Xuan Ji quickly grabbed him with a vine, pleading, "Ancestor, please be merciful!"

Sheng Lingyuan turned around and scanned several field agents with a look that could size up pork.

He reached out his hand and Yan Qiushan took a deep breath, while Zhang Zhao shouted out loud - a small needle made of black mist had pricked the middle fingers of both of them, drawing blood.

"Your ancestors have deep roots with this place, so I'll borrow some blood to call for an entrance," Sheng Lingyuan said as he took the blood without asking.

He first wrapped Zhang Zhao's blood with black mist and applied it to the invisible shell of the White Jade Palace, but there was no response.

Sheng Lingyuan sighed with regret.

It seemed that Zhang Zhao's mermaid bloodline was indeed too thin, no wonder he couldn't swim.

After hesitating for a moment, he decided to try sending Yan Qiushan's blood out.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Wang Ze exclaimed. "Sir, please slow down. Let's forget about Zhang Zhao for now. According to your theory, the ancestors of Captain Yan have a bit of highland bloodline, right? Although, however... are you sure that after all the trouble caused by their spendthrift ancestors, having that kind of blood will open doors for them instead of provoking others?"

"Provoking isn't necessarily a bad thing," Sheng Lingyuan said as he approached the Heavenly White Jade Palace with the blood he had taken from Yan Qiushan's fingertips.

"Getting angry will help us see where its weaknesses lie, so we don't waste time trying to figure it out while being trapped like a turtle in its shell."

For the first time, Wang Ze felt that this sophisticated gentleman might have a bit of a personality problem.

"Isn't this just asking for trouble? I mean..."

Sheng Lingyuan never listened to anyone. Before Wang Ze could finish his sentence, Yan Qiushan's blood had already splattered on the protective shell outside the White Jade Palace.

Everyone tensed up, ready to take a beating. But to their surprise, the drop of blood slid straight down along something smooth, like a line of tears, and fell into the sea.

The sea roared with huge waves, and a deafening song rose from the depths of the ocean, full of sorrow and lament.

Then, a tsunami-like wave surged towards the Heavenly White Jade Palace, forming the silhouette of a mermaid with a human body and fish tail. It crashed into the palace, and the phantom "person" flashed through the water wall.

Zhang Zhao's mouth hung open in shock: "A mermaid... no, it's that merman!"

In the water, there was a "person" with a bare upper body, only partially covered by long hair. Their skin was snow-white, with exquisite features, and a fish tail nearly two meters long flowed behind them. The tail shimmered in shades of moon white, sky blue, sea blue, and peacock blue, layer upon layer, swaying through the water with a dazzling radiance that left onlookers dizzy and overwhelmed.

The beauty was so intense that it almost evoked a sense of sadness, making one want to cry under the brilliant scales.

Everyone involuntarily held their breath... except for Sheng Lingyuan.

Sheng Lingyuan had been blind to beauty for half of his life, and any living creature with a nose and eyes, he would compliment as "good-looking".

His "good-looking" was worth its weight in gold, even scrap yards wouldn't bother with it. In a way, he truly saw beauty as worthless as dung. In the presence of rare and exquisite beauty, he would release his demonic energy without batting an eye, freezing the sea water that enveloped the mermaid.

The mermaid's face froze in a look of shock, becoming a frozen fish in the sea water.

In the next moment, the mermaid in the floating ice turned into countless dots of light, disappearing into thin air. A deep sigh echoed from the depths of the sea, reverberating through the white jade-like coral reef holes.

"Playing tricks," Sheng Lingyuan clicked his tongue and switched to the ancient Mountain language, "Why not come out and meet me, sir?"

In the wild history and folklore, it is said that the people of Mountain betrayed the ancestral teachings and were expelled from the Heavenly White Jade Palace.

But it never mentioned where those ancestors who turned themselves into weapon spirits went. If they also fell to the mortal world, they would not have gone unnoticed after so many years.

Except for Xuan Ji, who could understand a few words, everyone else looked puzzled when they heard the ancient language of Mountain.

Suddenly, a voice came from deep within the Heavenly White Jade Palace.

It was ethereal but spoke in contemporary Mandarin with perfect pronunciation, "Your Majesty has come from afar."

Zhang Zhao exclaimed, "Their accent...is it so trendy?"

Before he could finish, another voice echoed from the palace, "The Heavenly White Jade Palace has been sealed for four thousand years. We have also wandered in the mortal world with the scales for four thousand years, witnessing the rise and fall of the human race. We are fortunate."

Zhang Zhao was shocked, "So you guys can speak English, French, German, Italian, and Japanese? Are you a walking encyclopedia of history?"

If only he could bring them to the exam...

Laughter echoed through the halls of the Heavenly White Jade Palace, as if every building was filled with people. "We are people trapped in a time rift, long gone from the world. Time is an insurmountable barrier, even more so than the River Styx. We cannot be considered living beings," an elderly voice from the palace said.

"We should have invited you all inside for a chat, but... sigh, our family was unfortunate. Our unworthy descendants betrayed us for greed. When the merfolk rebelled, they were slaughtered and their bodies were thrown into the sea. The Heavenly White Jade Palace, mourning the loss of its treasures, gathered the remains and created a tomb on the ocean floor. The merfolk's poison seeped into the jade reef, and the Heavenly White Jade Palace closed itself off, only allowing those it deemed worthy to enter."

Xuan Ji was amazed and asked, "Is this thing alive?"

A roar came from the depths of the sea, and it seemed that the Heavenly White Jade Palace was quite unhappy with his impertinence.

Unable to bear the dampness of the tide any longer, Xuan Ji flew up a bit, and his wings caught fire, slowly drying the wet seawater on his body.

Suddenly, the Heavenly White Jade Palace became quiet, and inexplicably, Xuan Ji felt a sense of sympathy emanating from the huge coral reef.

Someone inside the Heavenly White Jade Palace sighed softly, "So it was...divine bird who emerged from the flames of Chiyuan. Alas, even the king with wings has fallen with the world."

"Sigh," Xuan Ji replied with a carefree attitude, "as long as history is long, who hasn't had their bloodlines destroyed a few times? Your land may have had one destruction per pair, but it was still due to infighting. You're no different from my tribe, so let's not exchange funeral gifts - so in ancient times, did the people of the Mountain tribe never return after leaving?"

"Not exactly," the spirits in the Heavenly White Jade Palace said softly, "the leader of the merfolk tribe took a gamble and sealed the Heavenly White Jade Palace in a timeless void. Our less capable descendants were forced to flee to the human world. Since then, no one has been able to see the entrance to the Heavenly White Jade Palace, unless time stands still. Only the merfolk and the scales of their beloved offspring can pause time, open the passage, and return to their homeland... but it has been four thousand years, and no one has returned."

Perhaps the merfolk, until their extinction, never had the fortune of finding the deep affection they believed in.

Occasionally, there were brief moments of blind turtle-like love, lucky enough to not have time to change before death, leaving behind a few rare scales.

However, this exhausted all their chances. Throughout their lives, they never came across the key to the Heavenly White Jade Palace.

The rare bloodline was diluted over the long years, and what remains is only enough to pause time for a second.

They don't even know their ancestors' names anymore.

Xuan Ji blinked and said with agility, "Can I go in and take a look? Although I'm not exactly a merfolk, I do have some connection with the Mountain people... Oh, and I'm also a seasoned orphan."

Wang Ze gave him a thumbs up in admiration, "To achieve your goal, you even curse yourself. Director Xuan, I respect you as a real man!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a rainbow suddenly spread out from under his feet.

In mid-air, a mermaid's shadow flashed by, like a mirage, and a path to the Heavenly White Jade Palace appeared out of nowhere.

Xuan Ji: "..."

Sheng Lingyuan frowned.

Wang Ze exclaimed in shock, "No way, is this really happening?! Then I'm also an orphan - not physically, but mentally, I might as well be an orphan. Look at me! Heavenly White Jade Palace, look at me!"

But the White Jade Palace didn't even give him a glance, and the second rainbow path landed at the foot of Yan Qiushan.

Xiao Zheng grabbed Wang Ze, who was jumping up and down, "So, is it related to bloodline? Does it mean only those related to the Mountain people can enter?"

"Can mermaids travel through here?" Zhang Zhao raised his hand and exclaimed, "I opened up that time crack outside. My mother may have mermaid bloodline. Look at me, look at me!"

However, the third rainbow road passed over him and landed beside Yan Qiushan... where no one was there.

The group stared at each other for a while, until Yan Qiushan suddenly realized something and slowly reached out his hand, trembling as he groped in the air.

"Zhi Chun, are you there?" Dan Lin asked softly.

The heart-piercing grass puppet in Yan Qiushan's arms gently responded, "Mm."

Yan Qiushan suddenly turned around and faced the majestic Heavenly White Jade Palace, "Can you see him? Can you help him recover?"

The sound of waves echoed around the Heavenly White Jade Palace, as the unseen mermaids sang softly.

With a tinge of red in his eyes, Yan Qiushan turned to Xuan Ji and asked, "Director Xuan, is there any meaning behind the Mermaid Song? What are they singing about?"

Indeed, the Mermaid Song had a story to tell. Xuan Ji's grasp of the mermaid language was not great, but he could still make out the general idea.

However, it was not convenient for him to reveal what they were singing about in front of everyone. The mermaids sang about love, the pain of separation and unrequited love, which happened to mirror the situation between Yan Qiushan and himself.

The mermaid tribe was obsessed with love, even in death, they attached themselves to the coral reefs in the Heavenly White Jade Palace. They even turned the largest coral reef into a love brain, and choose guests not based on bloodline or strength, but on who had the most heart-wrenching story.

It was simply unbelievable.

Xuan Ji shook his head with a slight toothache and declined, "I don't understand. My mermaid language is not good, it's a disadvantage of my race."

As he spoke, he secretly evaluated his colleagues.

Zhang Zhao was still a young pup, fighting over trivial matters like acne, not worth mentioning.

Wang Ze and Xiao Zheng were both single old dogs, nothing special.

He wasn't familiar with Captain Dan, who seemed solely focused on her career and didn't appear to have any drama.

And then there was one more...one who had no heart, but he wouldn't say anything more about that.

He doubted any of these people would be invited to the grand coral event, so it was up to him to take Yan Qiushan in for a closer look.

"Let's go in and take a look. Don't worry, I'll bring Mr. Yan out safe and sound," Xuan Ji waved to his colleagues before turning to Sheng Lingyuan and whispering, "Lingyuan, I'll go scout ahead. You...stay calm!"

In Sheng Lingyuan's hand, the black mist had condensed into the shape of a large machete.

The old demon relied on the fact that this was a special space in the time rift, where the laws of heaven could not restrict him.

He shamelessly revealed his fangs.

"Oh?" Sheng Lingyuan raised an eyebrow with a hint of malice. "Since when do I need an invitation to go wherever I want? Move aside."

With a push, Sheng Lingyuan revealed a cold light in the black mist, intending to tear this so-called "Heavenly White Jade Palace" in half.

"Wait..." Xuan Ji tried to stop him, but before he could, a clearly weakened rainbow hurriedly extended from the White Jade Palace, laying out the fourth path and humbly falling at Sheng Lingyuan's feet.

Xuan Ji: "..."

Was it really so spineless?

With his martial prowess, Sheng Lingyuan successfully coerced the black mist into dispersing with a smirk on his face.

He arrogantly lifted his foot and strode towards the palace.

However, at that moment, a new voice arose in the mermaid's song.

Sheng Lingyuan's footsteps froze in place, and Xuan Ji's eyes widened in surprise as the clan emblem on his forehead glowed.

The mermaid's song contained new lyrics that only the two of them could understand...

It sang of being within reach but unattainable.