Wang Ze risked his life to save his own people and even the suspect, cramming them all into a bubble. 

He almost coughed up his lungs in the process, but was then swept away by the chaotic currents.

In the midst of the giant waves, a small carp struggled as if it were just playing around. It bobbed along, not knowing where it was headed until its bubble bumped into something and gently bounced back, securely fastened in place.

Wang Ze slowly regained consciousness, his vision filled with stars and feeling like he was about to have a stroke. 

His eyes rolled around for a while before finally focusing on a thin layer of ice that had "caught" the bubble. 

The thick clouds dispersed, and the starlight and moonlight fell aimlessly. 

Xuan Ji and Sheng Lingyuan were not far from each other. They stood several steps apart, one surrounded by flames and the other shrouded in mist. 

The fiery light on Xuan Ji's wings dragged on for a long distance in the silent night, like a human-shaped lighthouse. However, it could not penetrate the dense black fog around Sheng Lingyuan, the "Sword Spirit," who was three feet away in the mortal world. 

Only a vague outline of his sharp jaw and a smile that was not quite a smile could be seen. The two of them spoke quickly in ancient language. 

Xuan Ji squeezed out a few words from between his teeth: "Are you satisfied?" 

Sheng Lingyuan said calmly, "Before his death, King Wei Yu practiced dark magic in pursuit of immortality. He drank the blood of live infants by the liter and became a half-demon. He died a thousand deaths, his resentment soaring to the heavens. He cannot be compared to Aluojin. I am limited by the will of heaven, and you are held captive by Chiyuan. If we don't provoke the sacrificial offering to break the ritual, how can we quickly defeat the heavenly demon when it emerges?"

Xuan Ji's temples throbbed with anger. "Your Majesty, do you bigwigs always view things from a god's perspective, treating all living beings as mere fodder? You-"

"I'm not that arrogant," the heartless Emperor interrupted. "But he's just a sword."

Xuan Ji had been to the snowy mountains and witnessed the aurora, but he had never felt so cold as he did at that moment.

"Just a sword..." 

This emperor can create ice in the Pacific near the equator with just a wave of his sleeve, and freeze Xuan Ji, who has fire in his veins, into an ice sculpture with just a word.

Although Wang Ze couldn't understand the ancient phrases, he could vaguely sense that the atmosphere between the two was very wrong, tense as if they were about to fight.

He was now one hundred percent certain that Xuan Ji's so-called "sword spirit" was just a casual lie. 

Besides, he had never heard of any family's "weapon spirit" being able to partially freeze the Pacific, let alone a sword spirit. Even if the refrigerator spirit and the air conditioning spirit worked together, they couldn't do it.

This "sword brother" seemed to be an old acquaintance of the Mountain king from three thousand years ago, and knew a lot of ancient secrets that not even Zhi Chun had heard of. 

He was unfathomable. 

If it weren't for his thunderous physique, Wang Ze would even suspect that the Mountain king was afraid of him. Looking at their auras alone, it was clear that these two were not on the same side. Their energies clashed and contradicted each other. 

But then again... 

Struggling to peel off the bubbles that were wrapped around him, Wang Ze used all four limbs to climb up onto the floating ice. His weight caused a piece of the ice to crack and break, but he didn't care who saw or heard it. 

The most important thing was to survive and make it back to land. 

The sound of the cracking ice finally caught the attention of the two strangers, who turned to look at him. 

Wang Ze, gasping for breath, managed to utter a few words: "I-I mean... internal conflicts between the team... can we wait for the ambulance to arrive before we solve this? The Civil Affairs Bureau doesn't even start work until dawn, so please, please save me first!" 

Yuyang was a peaceful and idle place. The local branch of the Bureau was even called the "Retirement Home". Since its establishment, everyone from field agents to logistics personnel has been living a fairy-like life, working from nine to five, and never hearing of "overtime".

Occasionally, they would catch a small group of people engaged in feudal superstition activities, which would be considered a "major case" that needed special attention during the year-end summary. 

But on this night, they were in for a surprise.

When the abnormal energy alarm went off, Du Ruo, the field manager of the Yuyang branch, was staying up late applying a face mask. She mistook the alarm for a smoke alarm and thought it was her skinny and sneaky husband smoking on the balcony again. 

Manager Du stormed onto the balcony, fuming with anger and ready to make an on-the-spot arrest. But when she looked out, her husband was nowhere to be found. 

She was so startled that her face mask cracked. 

Her home was a "first-class sea view" property, with the back balcony facing the sea. It was supposed to be low tide that day, but the sea level had inexplicably risen, and the violent sea breeze carried a fishy smell as it rushed in, leaving a layer of water droplets on the glass window.

On the water droplets was a distorted and ugly face!

In a fit of stress, Manager Du let out an uncivilized curse and accidentally crushed two bricks on the balcony wall. She quickly regained her composure and became furious. 

"If this ghost keeps haunting my house, it won't be able to reincarnate!" 

She was about to roll up her sleeves and go find out what was going on when a person's face, with no intake of breath, opened its mouth and said to her, "Is this Manager Du from the Yuyang Branch? I am Wind God Wang Ze. I can't hold on any longer. I urgently request support, it's a matter of life and death!"

Manager Du's face mask slipped down to her chin. 

Who hasn't had dreams when they were young? Since joining the Bureau, "Wind God" had been Manager Du's dream. She even participated in two special forces recruitment camps, but unfortunately, the "power system" was overcrowded and the competition was fierce. 

With average qualifications, she was rejected both times and had to accept the organization's assignment as a regular field agent.

Since then, every Captain of the Wind God agents had been her idol, but always out of reach - collecting their photos as computer desktop backgrounds, and not allowing her husband to have any objections to her idol worship. 

Du Ruo's voice suddenly jumped up eight octaves, squeezing out a girlish tone as she asked coquettishly, "Who the heck are you?" 

The idol's strength was depleted, and his face on the glass "melted" as the droplets quickly formed a coordinate, followed by three crooked letters - SOS. 

Fifteen minutes later, ambulances and rescue boats quickly set out. 

Manager Du was pumped with adrenaline, removing her mask and rushing over herself, even putting on some battle makeup on the way. 

Her teenage heart was beating to the rhythm of disco, but was momentarily stopped by the scene, almost causing a heart attack: "Oh my god, what the hell exploded here?" 

When they arrived, the sea was calm and peaceful, like a sparkling cemetery. The gentle waves carried the scent of death and mixed with the moonlight and floating corpses. 

The bodies bobbed up and down with the waves, surrounded by a circle of intricate ice floes that kept them from drifting away.

The corpses varied in appearance. Some still had human features, while others were already decomposing. Some had been corroded to the point where their flesh, bones, and tendons had all disappeared, leaving only a clean skeleton behind.

Suddenly, in the eerie silence of the sea, a clear and melodious flute sound rang out. 

Manager Du was startled and looked in the direction of the sound. Through the misty water, she saw a man sitting on a floating ice floe in the middle of the corpse sea. 

He looked like a water demon, with his wet and disheveled hair and crossed legs, playing a short flute.

He was truly a remarkable sight. 

As Manager Du was looking through her telescope, she suddenly exclaimed, "Wait, don't go over there yet...give me the telescope! Oh my goodness, is that a person?" 

She locked her lens onto the figure and the man with long hair looked up and met her gaze. 

Manager Du was so startled that she almost dropped the telescope. 

However, the man smiled kindly at her and pointed to the west with his short flute. 

She read his lips as he said, "There are living people over there." 

Then, he put the flute to his lips and played a tune. The floating icebergs on the sea immediately swayed to his rhythm, and even the floating corpses within them danced along in a strange yet harmonious way. 

It was truly a remarkable sight, and it made Manager Du realize that music is a great art that can bridge the gap between different species. The man was playing a cheerful tune called "Good Days." 

The rescue fleet carefully navigated around the sea of corpses and headed west, where they found the Wind Gods' speedboat. Xuan Ji retrieved the speedboat and spent half the night rescuing everyone on board.

"Quick, we need medical attention here! We have wounded!" 

"Slow down, slow down, this one is severely injured! We need special care!" 

"What is this? There's a frozen person here who can still react! Oh my god, what do we do? Should we thaw him out?" 

"If we thaw him out, he won't survive," Xuan Ji said. "Quickly move him to a place where he can receive proper medical attention, and he will naturally thaw out." 

Du Ruo asked in a hurry, "Are these all comrades of the Wind Gods? What was their mission? How did things get so bad... And you, sir, who are you?" 

Xuan Ji helped the rescue team lift Yan Qiushan onto the stretcher. 

He handed her his work ID and said, "I'm from the Bureau's Aftermath Department Director. Let's save the person first, and I'll explain everything to you when we get back. Thank you, brothers, for your hard work."

Du Ruo suddenly realized, "Oh, you're from the aftermath department." 

She thought to herself, "No wonder they're so well-equipped. The comrades from the Special Forces are really reliable. They even protect their logistics colleagues so well, even when they look like bears themselves."

"Director Xuan, your back clothes are all burnt," Du Ruo said. "Stop working and come over here. Let us treat your burns."

Xuan Ji casually wiped his back and said, "It's okay, it's not a burn. I'm just wearing a backless outfit."

Du Ruo: "......"

What's wrong with this leader from the Bureau? Is he even more shameless than her? 

Just then, Xuan Ji suddenly paused and looked up towards the northwest, his eyes fixed on something. Du Ruo followed his gaze, but all she could see was the faint light of the sea and the lighthouse, with nothing else in sight.

Du Ruo looked at Xuan Ji in confusion, wondering if he had caught a cold and was about to sneeze. "Hey...someone, get a blanket for the bureau director. It's pretty chilly out here on the sea..."

Before she could finish her sentence, Xuan Ji, who had been perfectly fine just moments ago, suddenly fell over.

"Holy crap! Someone help...hey?" 

The cheerful flute music suddenly stopped, and a shadowy figure darted towards them, catching Xuan Ji in mid-fall. 

It was the "water demon" who had shown them the way earlier. As he got closer, the ghostly aura around him grew stronger, like a perfectly crafted horror mystery that made people break out in cold sweat and unable to look away. 

He nodded at Du Ruo, and quickly grabbed a blanket from a nearby medic, wrapping Xuan Ji up like a cocoon before carrying him onto the emergency boat.

The family emblem on Xuan Ji's forehead was faintly visible, and after losing consciousness, his body instinctively released a fiery aura, repelling all evil spirits. 

Just a brief touch and Sheng Lingyuan felt like he had touched a hot iron, his palm almost burnt. He didn't make a sound, and after finding a place to put Xuan Ji down, he flexed his fingers as if feeling a bit of pain, and black mist rose from the burn, quickly healing the wound until it was as good as new in just a moment. 

"Vermilion Bird..." Sheng Lingyuan looked at Xuan Ji thoughtfully. Xuan Ji's brow furrowed tighter and tighter, as if trapped in a nightmare.

In just a short month, this little demon suddenly became fluent in the elegant language of the Mountain clan and knew of the secrets of the mermaids. They could even manipulate the ancient Vermilion Bird fire... and speak a few sentences of imperfect mermaid language, as if they had suddenly become enlightened.

It reminded the emperor of the "inheritance" of some ancient races - the previous generation would directly implant the inheritance into the successor's mind before dying, to ensure the continuation of the traditions of the tribe. 

The Fire-keeper was the spirit of the Vermilion Bird's bone. Each generation of Fire-keepers had perished in the Chiyuan, never having the chance to meet their successors. It was not unusual for them to pass down their knowledge and skills through "inheritance." 

The only problem was that this "inheritance" should have been completed during the transition of old and new. It was unheard of for someone to live for decades, living a mundane life, and then suddenly pass down their knowledge. 

Was this just a peculiar tradition of the Fire-keepers, or was there something wrong with the Chiyuan that triggered this inheritance? 

Sheng Lingyuan stroked the short flute in his hand, thinking of the strange broken stone tablets in the Chiyuan. He couldn't tell if it was just his imagination, but he saw a flicker of firelight in the northwest direction - where the Chiyuan was located, thousands of miles away. 

Deep in the primitive forest, the grand canyon was restless tonight. All the spirit vessels, including Dao Yi, had retreated into their own bodies. 

A pile of scrap metal clung to the cliffs on either side of the canyon, trembling in the wind. It looked as if a row of magnets had been installed to collect them.

Ever since Xuan Ji had used the Vermilion Bird's true power on the sea, black mist had been swirling beneath the canyon, and flames had been burning fiercely. It was as if two angry dragons were entangled together. It wasn't until dawn broke that everything finally calmed down.

Dao Yi was the first to peek out of his vessel to take a look. But before he could even breathe a sigh of relief, there was a loud cracking sound. The few remaining stone tablets near the altar crumbled into dust one by one. 

After the last one collapsed, a mournful bird cry echoed from the altar. 

A fire-red seal, tens of yards in size, appeared, just like the red paper seal on the iron door in Xuan Ji's dream. With a flash, everything disappeared into thin air. Amidst the haze, Xuan Ji heard the sound of the stone tablet and seal shattering. 

Before he could resist, he was once again engulfed by the rushing tide of memories.

"I'm not going." It was a beautiful afternoon, and the young Sheng Lingyuan lazily sat under a tree, flipping through the pages of a "leaf" book from the Witch Clan. 

It was said to be an ancient text, and the pages were fragile. He handled them with great care, as if he were pinching the wings of a cicada. While reading, he multitasked by teaching his sword spirit a lesson in his sea of consciousness. "You're embarrassing me."

The sword spirit goaded him, "No one saw you. That kid is long gone!"

"That kid" was Aluojin, still a carefree child who hadn't yet led the Witch Clan and himself down a dead end. He liked to dry pear slices in the ice spring under the altar and was spotted by the Heavenly Demon Sword, which forced him to go and get some - taking without asking. 

Sheng Lingyuan, the young boy, had a rosy complexion and a strong aura. When he was with the innocent sword spirit, he was affectionate but also a bit temperamental. 

Although he looked ninety percent like his adult self, he and the bone-chilling heavenly demon seemed like two different people.

The young boy didn't even lift his eyelids as he firmly refused, "A gentleman is cautious when alone."

"I'm not a gentleman, I want to eat dried pears!" The sword spirit was not happy and started throwing a tantrum in his sea of consciousness. "What about the fruit you promised me? Where is my fruit? Don't tell me there are no fruit or fruit slices!"

Sheng Lingyuan closed his book of leaves and let out a long sigh. "This matter can't be resolved, can it?" 

The Heavenly Demon Sword was very special. Teacher Dan Li said that he and Lingyuan were one. 

When he was young and the sword was not yet formed, he was born on Lingyuan's back. Even when the sword was unsheathed, it couldn't detach from the body like Zhi Chun. 

The spirit had to undergo years of hard cultivation to detach from the body. Those with good aptitude could achieve it in a few decades, but some who were not talented might not be able to do it even after a hundred years, which could lead to the demise of their master.

As a child, he tasted the sweetness and bitterness of the mortal world through Lingyuan's senses. At that time, Lingyuan was his world.

Lingyuan didn't like strong-tasting food, but the Heavenly Demon Sword, who shared his senses, was different. If the sword spirit were to cultivate its own body in the future, it would have to become a debauched playboy who loved good food, women, and wine.

He was kind, lustful, loved wine... and was even greedy. 

In the great courtyard, the pear tree has once again produced a batch of fruit. This season, the sunshine is particularly abundant, and everyone says that the fruit must be sweet. 

The Sword Spirit has been drooling over them for a long time. Sheng Lingyuan, who is fifteen or sixteen years old, considers himself an adult and acts maturely. He doesn't want to act like those mischievous kids who wait for the fruit to ripen while drooling. 

However, he was so reserved that Aluojin was able to beat him to the punch and pick all the good ones, leaving the Sword Spirit angry enough to want to shave Aluojin's little braid into a bald head.

Sheng Lingyuan couldn't stand his own tantrum and had to promise to go pick up the leftovers for him. When he climbed up the tree, he found that Aluojin had already picked the best ones and only two were left. 

Just as he was about to pick them, he heard someone timidly calling out "Brother Lingyuan" from below the tree. It was the most beautiful little girl of the Wu people, looking up at him with eager eyes. 

The prince of the human race was being ridiculous by fighting with a little girl over a pear. Sheng Lingyuan had no choice but to give in. 

But as soon as he pacified one side, the other side exploded. The little girl from the witch race was happy, and the sword spirit caused chaos in his mind.

It's unclear where he got such a temper, but he was so angry over a pear that he learned a new skill - the ability to unilaterally shut down his thoughts, although it was not very effective and often leaked out.

The sword spirit said, "You promised me first, that's mine! Who let you give my things to others so casually! Even if you want to marry her in the future..."

Sheng Lingyuan interrupted, "Nonsense!"

The sword spirit immediately demonstrated what true nonsense was: "You are just forgetting your principles for the sake of beauty! You are fickle! I want to eat dried pears!"

"I'm not being fickle...just leave me alone, will you?" 

"I'm so annoyed! Why don't you practice properly and pull me out of your back and throw me away!" 

Sheng Lingyuan couldn't take it anymore and stood up with a huff, saying: "Shut up, here you go, okay!" 

He refused to sneak around and deliberately coughed loudly at the entrance of the cold pool, as if announcing his arrival. 

The sword spirit boasted, "I told you that the little ghost is not..." 

He didn't finish his sentence when someone inside the cold pool screamed. Two figures stuck together quickly separated, one of them still not fully dressed and only had time to cover their face with one hand. 

Sheng Lingyuan: "..." 

Sword spirit: "...here."