"You tell them to calm down, but I'm feeling a bit agitated now."

Two figures flew quickly through the Biquan Mountain.

Even the firebird Xuan Ji, who could soak in magma, felt the heat.

It wasn't just because the temperature had reached the level of smelting iron, but because he seemed to have turned into a mortal who sweats and suffers from heatstroke.

He was even feeling a bit dizzy from the heat.

"Now I understand why they say air conditioning is the greatest invention in human history."

Sheng Lingyuan paused in his footsteps. "Is there a formation ahead?"

"Hmm, the Storm team's protection formation. There are often unknown dangers in the supernatural tomb, so to prevent ordinary people from entering by mistake, there is a protective formation around it... tsk, it's much more crude than the hidden formation at the Chiyuan Altar."

Xuan Ji flicked his hand and a flame-colored feather appeared, automatically forming into a feather fan which he held and waved wildly.

"How did they discover this place back then?"

"Earthquake," Xuan Ji said. "The earthquake caused a violent fluctuation of abilities. It was said that the entire ability monitoring network of the Bureau almost overloaded. They dug for months, using all kinds of techniques, but only found a pile of bricks and tiles. After the earthquake, the abnormal reactions quickly calmed down. The report of the Storm forces stated that it may be due to the special geological conditions that shook the earth's veins.

"Gong Chenggong was the logistics manager at the time, but I don't think we need to overinterpret. As a former senior with rich field experience, he usually handled major events. The ancient tomb under the Biquan Mountain was empty, and this conclusion was endorsed by Storm's Dan lin herself. With so many field agents present, even if Gong Chenggong wanted to cover up something, it would be difficult."

In modern times, most formations are just copying ancient techniques. But to Sheng Lingyuan, the ancestor of formations, they are full of loopholes.

With just a few words, Xuan Ji has already broken through the outer formation - the dense forest disappears, and a cleared space appears out of nowhere. The entrance to the excavated tomb is revealed.

Sheng Lingyuan squints his eyes and strides towards the entrance, "Perhaps he didn't conceal anything, but instead 'took away' something - let's go in and take a look."

"You mean possession?" Xuan Ji catches up to him. "Speaking of which, I still can't figure it out. When I was a small child..."

"Shut up," Sheng Lingyuan interrupts him.

"The last body of the Vermilion Bird in the world," Xuan Ji quickly corrected himself, "who took it in the end? This sacrifice was led by Empress Chen and Dan Li. If Empress Chen didn't know the truth, then it could only be Dan Li - but why would he hide the body away? It sounds creepy."

Sheng Lingyuan glanced at him, "I also want to know."

Xuan Ji: "..."

Oh, right, he had done something just as creepy before.

"Without me using Vermilion Bird blood to sustain your body, you would have become a killing machine without a body or memories. Your Majesty, you are standing here looking healthy and fragrant, all thanks to me. Don't try to act cute." Xuan Ji retorted confidently, pushing back the teasing in his eyes.

Then he frowned, "But what does Dan Li want? If my premature original body is still usable, I wouldn't have had to grow up in a sword. Besides, if he really has a way to revive the Vermilion Bird clan, why doesn't he return my body to me?"

Sheng Lingyuan's smile disappeared, and he pondered for a moment before saying, "Actually, there is one more person."

"Who?"

"Meng Xia."

"Dan Li's Shadow person? Isn't that equivalent to Dan Li himself?" Xuan Ji asked, "The only Shadow person with free will in the world is in Jiangzhou, right?"

As they spoke, they had already entered the sealed tomb. The high temperature had steamed up the dampness underground, making it difficult to catch their breath.

Sheng Lingyuan paused for a moment and said, "I've always had a suspicion... Is she really Dan Li's Shadow person? Do you remember what she looked like?"

Xuan Ji furrowed his brow, he realised he really couldn't remember.

Meng Xia was Dan Li's maid. Dan Li was able to take care of himself, but with a maid by his side, she was basically there to take care of the young human heir.

Especially during their escape, they were surrounded by smelly and injured guards, but Meng Xia was always clean and warm, able to "produce" food and clean clothes.

During those years, she played the role of half a mother to the little prince - the reason why it was "half a mother" was because she was like an insulated object, carrying a barrier around her. She could talk to people, and her words were few and logical, yet talking to her gave a strange feeling of lack of "communication".

To this day, besides being very careful and thoughtful, Xuan Ji had no positive or negative emotions when it came to this person. He couldn't even remember what she looked like.

"Why does Dan Li keep someone else's Shadow person with him? Has his madness worsened without my knowledge? Besides, the Shadow people of the deceased are all potential hazards, with mental issues. I have never seen a Shadow person that isn't a bit crazy ten years after their owner's death. If I remember correctly, even when you had a falling out with Dan Li, he was still quite normal."

Xuan Ji pondered for a moment. "It's also possible that this is just Dan Li's unique preference, to like people who lack presence and don't leave an impression on others. Their special ability is to make others forget about them."

Sheng Lingyuan blurted out, "No way."

"Hmm?"

Sheng Lingyuan quickly glanced at Xuan Ji out of the corner of his eye.

From a young age, Dan Li successfully molded him into his own replica. Sheng Lingyuan both revered and hated his teacher, but he also became more and more like him...even in some small habits and preferences.

Sheng Lingyuan always felt that if Dan Li were to experience worldly emotions, he would probably prefer someone more passionate and full of life, rather than a quiet person like himself.

"Do you remember the history of the Shadow people in the long corridor of light in the Heavenly White Jade Palace?" Sheng Lingyuan abruptly changed the subject.

"Hmm? About the Shadow people from the Nanming Valley?"

"Not bad," said Sheng Lingyuan slowly. "The Shadow people were expelled from the Nanming Valley by the Vermilion Bird clan and never had freedom in their lives again, unless they regained the protection of the Vermilion Bird clan. She happened to have a close relationship with the Vermilion Bird tribe, which may be why she can last till even now. Regardless of whose Shadow person Meng Shi is, it must be her who was wandering around the earth's veins after Dan Li's death."

"Wait a minute, you said earlier that Meng Xia was caught in Chiyuan!" Xuan Ji exclaimed suddenly. "I was with you every day as a sword spirit, and I vaguely remember that Dan Li didn't set up the big formation near Chiyuan after the war."

Sheng Lingyuan raised an eyebrow.

The Emperor's teacher Dan Li was a master of formations, and there was no one in the human race who could match him.

The heavy responsibility of setting up the formation near Chiyuan after the war should have been his, but he used the excuse of old age and physical decline to push it away.

"He proposed to gather hundreds of cultivators from all parts of the world and concentrate them in the capital. After personally examining them, 25 experts stood out and worked together to trap him with a formation. After Dan Li admitted defeat, he submitted a request for official titles for these people and handed over the defense of Chiyuan. "

Xuan Ji quickly said, "Even if you're getting older, you should at least supervise the work. Dan Li is a busybody who worries about everything. How could he be so reckless in such a big matter? The root of your conflict is because of Chiyuan, isn't it?"