"What is time? Even a descendant of a mermaid can control time. If the mermaids had taken over the Milky Way, there would be no room for the later human and demon races to fight like dogs and wolves," Xuan Ji held a few coins in his hand, hiding them between his fingers.

"Old man, you're not being honest."

The atmosphere in the hall suddenly turned cold, and a faint figure appeared in the bronze mirror beside them.

A human head floated above the ancient qin, and the spirits of the many swords, spears, and halberds revealed their true forms.

These spirits seemed to have been trapped in their golden bodies for too long, gradually becoming imbued with a killing intent. Their eyes were like steel, coldly staring at the people in the hall.

The smile on the face of the twelfth generation patriarch was forced: "Of course, not everyone has it, but the scales to pause time do exist. Otherwise, how did you all come in? We, the sinful clan, don't understand the mermaid's secret technique, and some things are uncertain..."

Xuan Ji made a "ding" sound, flicking a coin into the air, the crisp sound of metal collision echoed in the hall, interrupting the twelfth generation patriarch's words: "And what did you just say? The spirits that stay here will naturally dissipate when your descendants are gone and you have nothing else to do. But I see that your descendants' graves have become vacation beaches. Why are you still lingering in this world? Is there some unfulfilled wish?"

Yan Qiushan was always a cold person, living his life only getting hot-headed for Zhi Chun.

But he felt the chill in his head with those words, and he noticed something strange about the spirit vessels. They claimed that they became vessels after death to protect their people.

But if their people were exiled, why were these protectors so calm? They even referred to themselves as the "guilty race".

If they were capable of such introspection, why didn't they act sooner?

The war between the two neighboring tribes had escalated to the point of no return, with casualties on both sides. It couldn't have been caused by a few young people being lured into committing crimes.

It must have been a mutual agreement from the top down.

These old things, who turned themselves into spirit vessels after death, were already the cream of the crop among the Mountain people during their lifetime.

After becoming spirit vessels, they gained almost eternal life. In terms of status and power, they should be the actual rulers of the Mountain people. If they wanted to stop their descendants, who were blinded by greed, from doing something, could they not do it?

"I have to say, your tactics are quite dirty," Xuan Ji flicked a coin that transformed into a blazing chain of fire, distorting the faces of the numerous spirit vessels that appeared in batches under the fiery light. "You let your unruly descendants tear apart their faces with the merfolk, so that there will never be any new 'ancient spirit vessels' vying for power in the future. Your 'eternal prosperity' is secured, while your grandchildren are out there working hard to make money for you. I must say, Your Majesty, your business skills are lacking. Why didn't you come up with such a brilliant policy to fool the people back then?"

He pried open the heart of Sheng Lingyuan, but only took a fleeting glance before Sheng Lingyuan closed the door to his heart.

Unsatisfied, Xuan Ji looked for opportunities to tease out more thoughts from Sheng Lingyuan's mind.

Sheng Lingyuan remained silent, as if he had not heard anything.

"We mean well," said the twelfth generation clan leader, his smile fading as he turned to Yan Qiushan.

"To be honest with you all, the inferior spirit weapon is damaged beyond repair. The only solution is to kill another person and refine it again. The ancient method of refining weapons requires the voluntary sacrifice of mermaid blood. Years ago, the mermaid clan leader was biased and vengeful towards our clan. He came ashore and used forbidden techniques to activate the time restriction of the mermaid clan. Everyone present, including the seven elders, was turned into stone by the law of time.

"Although the remaining mermaids escaped to the human world, their clan's fate was sealed. They would be extinct within five generations, unable to even pass down their bloodline. The mermaid scale you used to enter was the smallest tail scale of the clan leader, which was taken by his young son to the human world. Who knows if it was refined by a skilled craftsman and passed down to future generations. Do you really think that you can still find any trace of the mermaid? Unless time can turn back, I don't believe you can find even a drop of mermaid blood now!"

Yan Qiushan's face turned pale.

"But time can be reversed," said the person in the copper mirror next to him. The figure became clearer and finally stepped out of the mirror.

It was a beautiful woman from the mountains with thick eyebrows and bright eyes.

Her voice was soft and her tone was like a thin veil rubbing against the strings of a qin, almost with a hint of ambiguous charm.

"We do hate the merfolk, but so what? Whether it's the Mountain people or the merfolk, they have long since disappeared. We have been trapped here for four thousand years, and we don't even know who to seek revenge on. We can't even return to dust like our predecessors. Everyone, who doesn't have any lingering resentment? Don't you want to start over and make up for the regrets of the past?"

"The Time Restriction Spell of the mermaid clan chief is contained within that pearl in his hand. We and the Heavenly White Jade Palace have been sealed inside it, unable to touch it. But you are all outsiders," the 12th generation clan leader turned to Sheng Lingyuan, his eyes filled with crazed eagerness.

"Your Majesty, I don't know if you've heard the saying, 'The Pole Star has its orbit, but the smoke and dust have no limit.' You were born under a bad omen, carrying half of the Chiyuan with you. Your life is like the Pole Star, forever unable to escape your fate. Only the power of time can move the stars. Your Majesty, after 4,000 years, we have been waiting for you. Isn't this the heavens giving us a chance?"

He hadn't finished speaking when suddenly, with a loud "buzz," the Copper Mirror Woman let out a piercing scream.

The supposedly indestructible body of the artifact had cracked right down the middle, freezing the expression of the twelfth generation clan leader.

Demon energy seeped out of the cracks, steadily increasing until in the blink of an eye, the great mirror shattered into pieces.

Sheng Lingyuan glanced over at Yan Qiushan, who was still lost in thought, and Xuan Ji felt his unwavering spirit and heart, as unyielding as iron: 'Deceptive words to mislead the masses, deserves death.'

Yan Qiushan dodged a flying piece of metal and looked at him with a hint of panic.

"Mortal," the emperor sighed at his half-baked disciple, speaking with clarity and coldness, "time is eternal, and only the merfolk with eternal hearts dare to set foot in the forbidden land of time. Even the ever-changing sea cannot last forever, so what are you? What am I? What is this room full of junk? There's nothing left to see here, let's go."

As soon as he finished speaking, Yan Qiushan felt a sudden movement of metallic elements. "Be careful!"

Before he could finish his warning, countless thin needles shot out of the white jade-like walls, raining down on them like a storm.

The iron chain in Xuan Ji's hand broke apart, and the flames scattered in all directions, igniting the needles like dust, causing a spectacular display of fireworks.

Then, all the artifact spirits flew towards them like moths to a flame.

A batch was killed off, and the second batch followed closely with a crazy suicide attack.

These artifact spirits, trapped in the time rift for thousands of years, finally tore off their peaceful and polite facade. Seeing their hope shattered, they collectively revealed their ghostly faces.

A pair of double knives was ignited by Xuan Ji's fire, and the burning Vermilion Bird fire instantly engulfed the artifact spirit's body. The artifact spirit broke free from its vessel and transformed into a human form, wrapped in deadly flames, and slammed into the wall of the Heavenly White Jade Palace.

The Heavenly White Jade Palace, which pierced through the sea and broke through the sky, trembled slightly, and Xuan Ji seemed to feel it wailing.

Suddenly, Sheng Lingyuan realized something and didn't care about closing his mind.

He quickly sent a message to Xuan Ji, "Stop!"

But it was too late.

In this space-time crack, things work differently from the outside world. The heavenly laws that govern everything, even bodily functions, have no power here.

There's no need to worry about implicating the Chiyuan, so they can freely release the flames and sweep away the demonic energy.

Even the most exquisite palace in the heavens, the Heavenly White Jade Palace, is no match for these two demolishers.

The crazy spirit weapons, draped in flames, are not trying to save themselves but instead are crashing into the walls and floors of the Heavenly White Jade Palace like they're sacrificing themselves.

They repeatedly hit their former homes and prisons, creating a scene so gruesome that it sends shivers down one's spine.

Suddenly, with a loud "crack," the Heavenly White Jade Palace trembled and shook violently.

Xiao Zheng and his companions were sitting on a makeshift raft made of vines when he suddenly stood up and pulled out a telescope from his pocket, asking, "What's going on?"

Wang Ze looked up and saw the towering Heavenly White Jade Palace top being violently shaken by the wind, as if it was about to be blown off.

A foreboding creaking sound echoed through the air, followed by thick smoke rising from the surrounding sea, creating a mirage around the palace.

In the mirage, the giant mermaid tails were stained with blood, and the ancient Mountain people, some handsome and some beautiful, held up their butcher knives, as if possessed by demons, their faces twisted with greed...

Wang Ze muttered, "This is bad, the palace is going to collapse."

Zhang Zhao exclaimed, "Captain Yan! Captain..."

"Don't worry about Captain Yan, he's much stronger than you, little brat. Take care of yourself first!" Wang Ze grabbed his collar. "Jump into the sea!"

With a loud roar, Zhang Zhao was grabbed by the back of his neck and thrown into the water by his own boss. Meanwhile, Xiao Zheng and Dan Lin also jumped into the sea, with Wang Ze's bubbles following closely behind.

Dan Lin pressed a button on her wristwatch, causing a silver arrow to shoot out and swim around aimlessly until it suddenly tightened, pulling her out of the water.

Dan Lin gestured to her colleagues to follow her and they swam ahead, following the arrow.

Suddenly, there was a loud noise and the Heavenly White Jade Palace broke in half, like the Tower of Babel.

In the mirage surrounding the Heavenly White Jade Palace, a tall and handsome merman suddenly leaped out of the water. His long mermaid tail split in half, transforming into two "legs" that he unsteadily walked on, pointing towards the sky.

The thick clouds in the sky churned like a vortex, causing the ancient Mountain people in the mirage to finally show panic. Countless merman corpses floated to the surface of the sea, tightly surrounding the Heavenly White Jade Palace like iron filings attracted by a magnetic field, spinning along with the vortex-like clouds.

The sea roared in agony, and the Heavenly White Jade Palace let out a mournful cry.

The thunder in the sky shattered the thick clouds, but the sun, moon, and stars all disappeared from the vast sky, rolling around like sand blown up by a strong wind.

A beam of light descended from the sky and landed in the hand of the merman who had grown legs. The sun and moon reversed, and the mermaids came ashore.

It was a bad omen. The Mountain people fled for their lives, boarding the ingeniously crafted ships and frantically escaping into the depths of the sea.

But it was too late. Blinding light flew from the hands of the mermaids on shore, enveloping everything in the mirage.

The Heavenly White Jade Palace disappeared from the world, and from then on, the mermaids and Mountain people stranded in the water could never find their way home again.

The spirits of the Heavenly White Jade Palace were crazily sacrificing themselves to ignite the flames.

Finally, the eerie dome, engraved with mermaids, began to collapse.

A whole mermaid "statue" fell beside Xuan Ji's feet, brushing against his calf.

As he looked closer, he almost vomited from the stench - the so-called "statue" was only covered in dust and had formed a shell-like texture over time. The shell shattered upon impact, revealing a fresh mermaid corpse inside.

The entire dome collapsed along with the Heavenly White Jade Palace, and the pearl in the hands of the mermaid clan leader fell like a star from the sky.

The ground beneath their feet, the surrounding seawater, the Heavenly White Jade Palace, and the raging flames... everything disappeared.

Cause and effect, history, facts - everything that was unchangeable was temporarily thrown into chaos.

Only the "star" that fell from the roof slid by at an extremely slow speed. If one reached out, they could catch it and change its trajectory.

If thousands of years ago, the Mountain people had not bowed down to greed, they would still peacefully coexist with the merfolk. Occasionally, they would engage in moderate and harmless trade with the human world to make a living.

This would continue until countless innate spiritual creatures on land disappeared without a trace, and various ethnic groups took turns in power, constantly changing and never-ending.

In the depths of the ocean, the merfolk's ethereal singing still echoes.

Yan Qiushan saw Mirage Island from that star. If they could catch the mastermind, Silver Shadow and the puppet, first, they could have broken up Mirage Island in time, and then invite the environmental department to clean up the remaining pollution at sea. They could also contact the aftermath department to invite experts to give an educational lecture on marine garbage, and then retire after the success of yet another Wind God mission.

That way, Zhi Chun would still be his Zhi Chun, and they could lead a normal life together with the Wind Gods.

Occasionally, he would take a break to recover from his injuries, and most of the time, he would argue about the correct way to cook eggs and bicker with his subordinates who were not doing well.

There would be no absurd and cruel "full responsibility agreement" in the bureau.

The "star" streaked past him as Yan Qiushan held tightly onto the doll of Zhi Chun.

The metal used to patch up his wounds oozed out from his palm, forming a pair of handcuffs that bound him tightly.

His broken arm, without support, immediately contorted and reopened the healed wound, causing excruciating pain.

But Yan Qiushan didn't care about the pain. It kept him alert and reminded him of what Sheng Lingyuan had said earlier.

Sheng Lingyuan's mind flashed with countless images as he experienced a sudden rebirth through the chaotic flow of time.

He felt as if he had returned to his childhood, but this time, he would no longer have any illusions about the so-called "Empress Dowager" or any blind admiration for his "teacher."

The chief of the witch people did not die, and Dongchuan did not fall. Aluojin simply followed him, chasing after his childhood hero dream without deep-seated hatred or deviating from the path.

The old chief of the witch people also wanted to give his people another way out, so he turned a blind eye to the rebellious young chief's actions. During holidays, the rebellious young chief could still ride his horse back to Dongchuan, get a few lashes with a smile on his face, and then go home to eat.

Years before it happened, establish the Qingping Division, and eliminate the clowns like Wei Yu who could be easily manipulated. He would present the seal and bow down as a vassal. Dan Li would leave in disappointment, but his Sword Spirit would remain unscathed.

He would wander aimlessly for many years, not seeking progress, until he finally cultivated a new body. Little Ji has never been alone, never suffered, and never carried any responsibility. He is a naturally gifted, carefree, and beautiful fool with wings that can take him anywhere and a small mole at the corner of his eye.

He patiently waits for the Sword Spirit to grow up and mature, and even if it doesn't, he can still accompany it for as long as it takes. He is qualified to have this little orphan of the Vermilion Bird clan.

Suddenly, someone in his consciousness speaks up, interrupting Sheng Lingyuan's daydream in the chaotic time and space: "You like useless people and giant babies? Your taste is really weird, Your Majesty."

Sheng Lingyuan snaps back to reality, unable to see where Xuan Ji is in the time stream, but the blood connection they share remains unbroken by chance.

Xuan Ji asks him in his mind, "If we catch it, can we really turn back time and relive the past?"

"Stay still," warned Sheng Lingyuan. "This is not a game. I'll find a way to get you out... Xuan Ji!"

Their connected minds allowed him to instantly understand what Xuan Ji was planning to do.

At the same time, a familiar hand reached out from the void and grabbed the "star."

Sheng Lingyuan's scalp exploded as he instinctively grabbed onto the hand.

The two of them shared a connection, and Sheng Lingyuan could clearly feel Xuan Ji's body stiffening as he was being consumed and assimilated by the rules of time.

"Let go! Do you have any sense of how serious this is?"

But Xuan Ji ignored him and, through their connected minds, spoke in a gentle, almost coquettish voice.

"Lingyuan, do you have me in your heart?"

"I'll say it again, let go," Sheng Lingyuan's voice was laced with ice shards.

He now deeply regrets his previous thoughts.

Being immature, he couldn't just make do with what he had. He had been a troublemaker for three thousand years, always watching others succeed effortlessly while he remained stagnant.

Sheng Lingyuan's anxiety finally surfaced as Xuan Ji successfully pried open the shell.

He had tasted happiness lightly, but it was so delicious that he couldn't bear to stop after just one bite.

Suddenly, the loneliness of him who remained in Chiyuan, the pain of being shattered into pieces time and time again, all dissipated like smoke. He no longer cared about the future, nor did he bother to think about it. His long life was condensed into this fleeting moment, as if he had been forcibly broken out of a chaotic world and brought into this world just for this moment.

He was a creature that flew in the sky, while the mermaids were creatures that swam in the sea. The heart of the mermaid was like a diamond, eternal and unchanging, while he was a winged creature who always chased after the latest trends.

Which is more important, a moment or eternity?

That is perhaps a philosophical question under the rule of time, and fools do not know the answer.

In any case, at that moment, Xuan Ji broke free from the petrifying feeling brought on by the rule of time, and also broke free from Sheng Lingyuan's grasp.

He finally obtained the panic that had exploded in Sheng Lingyuan's heart, and the empathy between the two was broken.

The "star" that contained the rule of time led him upstream, all the way back to before the great battle, before he was even born, and before the rift between the ancient Mountain tribe and the mermaid tribe. The mermaid chieftain cut off the fate of the tribe and decided to die together. The Mountain people scattered in panic, with mermaid corpses everywhere.

The chief of the great tribe with a tail and legs had tears and blood in his eyes.

Suddenly, a white light flashed across the sky, and a huge pair of wings blocked everyone's sight.

Xuan Ji descended from the sky holding the "star".

The mermaid chief widened his eyes in astonishment as he looked at Xuan Ji.

His exquisite features were like a work of art that even the skilled hands of the Mountain people could not carve, even though his face was covered in blood.

"I'm not going down there. You guys are about to cause a tsunami, and my wings are too furry. It won't dry easily if it gets wet," Xuan Ji hung in mid-air, not caring if anyone understood him. "Hey, chief, it's time to return what belongs to its rightful owner. I brought the 'time' back from four thousand years later. Catch it!"

As he spoke, he let go of the "star", allowing it to fall into the hands of the mermaid chief.

Although Your Majesty is not a mortal being, you were right about one thing: "Time" should not fall into the hands of ordinary people. Only mermaids who can love and hate for eternity are worthy of it. The chief of the mermaid tribe extended his hands to Xuan Ji and a small object flew into his arms.

Before Xuan Ji could see it, the chaotic flow of time suddenly returned to its place, forming a closed loop between four thousand years ago and four thousand years later. Those who did not belong to this loop were expelled.

When Li Chen and Gu Yuexi rushed into the temporary command center of the Bureau, they saw only the lifeless body of He Cuiyu lying on the ground.

The scales on her forehead flew far away, and her snake body quickly decayed.

The few people who had "disappeared" out of thin air earlier were now scattered all over the place.

The "Heavenly White Jade Palace Key" that the True Nature Sect had risked their lives to obtain was now dull and lifeless, turning to ash before the eyes of the onlookers.