Xuan Ji's phone began to shake endlessly.

After signing the "full responsibility agreement," his system seemed to have taken drugs and excitedly sent him twenty-eight private messages in the background.

Some congratulated him on his sword spirit obtaining legal human status and "human rights."

Others urged him to promptly complete the sword spirit's information in order to apply for various identity documents.

There were also various welfare notices... and most importantly, a reminder that the signatory must be responsible for all actions of the sword spirit, including but not limited to taking the blame and serving time in prison for murder.

Therefore, the signatory of the full responsibility agreement must always pay attention to restraining the behavior of the sword spirit and has an obligation to instill civilized legal concepts into these spirits, who have several tons of feudal rubbish in their brains, and cannot just enjoy double salaries and welfare benefits without any responsibility.

Restraining... behavior...

Instilling... civilized legal concepts...

Xuan Ji was so focused that he was a bit disoriented, but his phone woke him up.

He slowly lifted his gaze from the screen and saw the Emperor standing a few steps away from him.

Sheng Lingyuan was puzzled by his silence, "That puppet girl was just a Heart-Piercing Grass Puppet controlled by someone else. Upon being captured, it should be expected that it would be destroy itself."

Why did his face suddenly turn green when he heard this news?

Xuan Ji's expression was as if he had just had his wisdom teeth pulled out, "I'm not surprised at all."

The memories of the Heavenly Demon Sword Spirit were sealed in the deepest part of his mind.

Indeed, those memories were not just a few "holographic movies" for him.

Xuan Ji could clearly feel that the emotions belonging to the Sword Spirit were influencing... even controlling him.

In just a few short days, he had already experienced the agony of unrequited love and heart-wrenching pain.

His emotions were so deep and his mind so exhausted that he no longer felt like himself.

If he continued down this path, he feared he would eventually be assimilated by the heavenly demon sword spirit.

Whether it was assimilation or transformation, Xuan Ji was more open-minded. After all, people are always changing.

Ordinary people are constantly influenced by various social trends, and few have a clear idea of who they are. Xuan Ji never demanded to be an unchanging rock.

If he could be assimilated into a devilishly charming and domineering CEO, as long as his wallet could keep up, he would not only have no objections, but would also be ecstatic.

But he didn't want to become like the heavenly demon sword spirit.

Perhaps hardship can bring prosperity to a nation, but it will definitely harm people. The life of the Heavenly Demon Sword Spirit is a tragic tale, forged with steel and iron.

Even in death, he was tormented by this heartless demon, adding to his misery.

The few memories of this ancestor have caused serious trauma to Xuan Ji, to the point where he trembles at the mere mention of the words "Heavenly Demon Sword Spirit."

This cannot continue.

Xuan Ji calmly takes a deep breath and glances at his phone.

The lock screen displays a selfie of himself, with a ten-level beauty filter and a trendy vibe that exudes from the screen. Even his teeth are perfectly white.

Xuan Ji stares at his handsome and suave face, strengthening his resolve - he is who he is, a unique and brilliant individual who will not be tainted by the likes of the Heavenly Demon Sword Spirit and his bitter grudges.

Hopefully, the full responsibility agreement can be retracted.

A few of the technical staff at the Bureau's aftermath department were busy deleting and editing posts.

The internal network was poorly maintained and was as slow as a ticket-booking software during the Spring Festival rush.

Exerting tremendous effort, Xuan Ji finally managed to log back into the full liability agreement.

He was sweating profusely and breathed a sigh of relief after carefully reading the terms and conditions - the full liability agreement could be revoked within 24 hours.

Thank Buddha for the great electronic agreement!

Without hesitation, he entered the revocation program.

A rudimentary dialogue box popped up on the system, with misaligned text that could drive a perfectionist crazy: "Do you want to revoke the full liability agreement?"

Xuan Ji didn't have time to nitpick the formatting and quickly clicked "Yes."

The system then displayed another dialogue box, which seemed to flicker: "To ensure public safety, after revoking the full liability agreement, the system will immediately enter a security review process. Please be prepared and cooperate with the work. Do you want to continue revoking?"

"Yes...no! Wait a minute!"

Xuan Ji quickly clicked on the link for the "safety review process" and scanned through the program instructions.

The general idea was that once the "safety review process" was initiated, highly humanoid weapon spirits would be automatically classified as "special grade dangerous objects."

What exactly did "special grade" mean?

The eight mutated trees that caused a riot in Chiyuan were only classified as "second grade," and the Mirage Island that almost trapped Yan Qiushan was only classified as "first grade."

Once a "special grade dangerous object" appeared, the Bureau would activate emergency measures, mobilize the nearest special forces at the fastest speed, forcibly arrest the object, and if necessary, even use large-scale barrier instruments to seal off the space.

In other words, as long as Xuan Ji presses this button, the Wind Gods who just "queued up" to present the gift boxes to the emperor will immediately receive an emergency call-up order, requiring them to "eliminate" the "dangerous hidden danger" of Sheng Lingyuan.

And in this damned system, the only way to revoke the full responsibility agreement is to enter the security review process!

The Bureau, being such a huge organization, sometimes tends to be lazy.

The strict management of the weapon spirits is largely because Zhi Chun injured innocent civilians.

The Bureau needs to come up with a charter to show outsiders, but internally it is "the people do not report, the officials do not investigate."

If Xuan Ji had continued to pretend that Sheng Lingyuan didn't exist, theoretically, he could have continued to get by - just maintain good relationships with his colleagues, avoid offending anyone, and don't let anyone report him for illegally raising sword spirits...even if someone did report him, it wouldn't matter since "sword spirits" were just an excuse and the emperor wasn't a real sword.

However, once he himself had logged into the "full responsibility system," he would be confessing to his own crimes.

The bureau had clearly stipulated that once a highly humanoid spirit was born, unless someone took full responsibility for it, it must immediately undergo a security check.

In the end, it was all because he was too impulsive...no, it was all because the memories of the heavenly demon sword spirit in his sea of consciousness were haunting him!

Xuan Ji stole a glance at Sheng Lingyuan and thought to himself that the emperor couldn't possibly just stand there and let them investigate him.

Although they were currently on the same side as the Bureau and could get along relatively well, that didn't mean the old demon wouldn't take action against them.

For the sake of the "big picture," the old demon could even sacrifice his temporary teammates, let alone those who had offended him.

Sheng Lingyuan's spiritual awareness was extremely keen, and he had long since noticed Xuan Ji's sneaky glances at him.

He lazily spoke up, as if Xuan Ji hadn't held in a fart properly, "If you have something to say, just say it. What are you looking at?"

Xuan Ji had a thousand words he wanted to say.

He wished he could immediately rush over and hug the emperor's thigh, begging him to have mercy on him for the sake of their "joint responsibility."

He wanted to be closer to the common people and further away from the yoke of the law.

Sheng Lingyuan turned his head and glanced at him, "Hmm?"

Xuan Ji knew rationally that he should "stay away from drugs, stay away from gambling, stay away from Sheng Lingyuan," but his body couldn't help but react to the seductive gaze, causing his heart to spasm and his blood pressure to skyrocket.

He deeply understood what it meant to be a slave to one's desires.

At the same time, he silently locked his phone screen and put it back in his pocket - he decided to hold back and not say anything, otherwise he would just be giving the old demon a clear path to control him.

"I... have something I want to ask for your advice on..." Xuan Ji, with a blood-red face and a blank expression, forced out a few serious words from his gut, trying to show that he was not swayed by appearance.

"I want to ask, during the fight with the Mountain king on the sea, why did I feel like we were mutually restraining each other... was it just my imagination?"

Sheng Lingyuan raised an eyebrow lightly. "Oh, it's impressive that you still remember that."

Xuan Ji: "..."

He always felt like he was being insulted with a needle whenever he spoke.

"Indeed, we do clash with each other."

As they walked, Sheng Lingyuan briefly explained the principle of their mutual restraint, then felt that Xuan Ji might not understand.

So he simply and rudely instructed, "In any case, everything is balanced and mysterious. It's okay if you don't understand. Just remember, whether it's the power of Chiyuan or the seal of Vermilion Bird, both will break the balance and go against the will of heaven. Unless the Chiyuan fire reignites in the future, don't use your Vermilion Bird seal power recklessly."

Xuan Ji thought for a moment, "But what if the situation is critical? What if I encounter a formidable enemy that I can't defeat?"

"For three thousand years, Chiyuan has been sealed. The powerful beings and spirits of the past have long since died, leaving no formidable opponents. Apart from the sealing of the Vermilion Bird, there are no additional restrictions from the heavens on your clan. With the inheritance of three thousand years, you have a unique advantage..."

Sheng Lingyuan's usual gentle tone remained unchanged, but for some reason, Xuan Ji could sense a hint of impatience.

He quickly interjected, "If I can die despite having such an advantage, then I must be a useless waste who deserves it!"

Sheng Lingyuan gave him a fake smile that said "you're a teachable child."

Xuan Ji fell silent for a moment before speaking again, "Your Majesty, correct me if I'm wrong, but the stronger one's power and the closer they are to breaking the rules, the more they will be restricted, right?"

Sheng Lingyuan paused slightly before responding, "Hmm?"

"I've been thinking about these Yin Sacrifice rituals," Xuan Ji pondered, "and the first choice for the sacrifice is you...the Heart-Piercing Grass Puppet buried under the Chiyuan. The Chiyuan is the place you, Your Majesty, have sealed off. Although I only found out about this recently, I don't think the brother who controls the Yin Sacrifice ritual could be as ignorant as I am. It's absurd that he summoned a formidable enemy in the first round to increase the challenge for himself."

For ancient people who have lived long enough, the usual tradition is to hang themselves or take poison. Those who are rich can swallow gold, and those who are brave can even cut their own necks.

Only this Majesty sought death in a unique way - jumping barefoot into a volcano, achieving death and cremation in one step. A wild creature like this, it's obvious that he wouldn't be controlled by the Yin Sacrifice ritual.

No amount of thunder or knives could stop him from breaking the contract, and he might even take a few who disturbed his eternal rest with him.

If it weren't for Sheng Lingyuan being awakened, Aluojin and his mysterious group of witch people would have created big trouble for the Bureau.

Let alone the Mountain king.

So why did the manipulators behind the Yin Sacrifice ritual, or rather, those from the True Nature Sect, want to wake up this big shot?

Were they just looking for trouble because they had nothing better to do?

"So I guess it's possible that the so-called rules of heaven, like a ball, have limited capacity. Once something too powerful enters, it will be struck back by the ball, like being struck by lightning.

"Captain Yan always believed that the 'heavenly demons' had already left their flesh and become a part of the rules of heaven and earth. If his inference is correct, then the young clan leader and King Wei Yu, those heavenly demons, should all be existence that the rules of heaven cannot tolerate.

"But I found that as long as you are present, the heavenly thunder doesn't strike others as much. You are like a..." Xuan Ji almost blurted out the words 'lightning rod', but quickly hit the brakes and skillfully changed course, "the high point overlooking the forest under the blue sky, the one who expands the space of the ball. Because of you, the subsequent human demons are not very noticeable and become the ones that slip through the cracks instead of getting struck by heavenly thunder."

"The fish," he pondered. "What was that saying again? 'The carp swims with the current, but the shrimp is crushed by the waves'..."

His mind wandered as he tried to recall the exact words.

Suddenly, he remembered, "No, no, that's not it. It's 'The orbit of Saturn is steady, while the smoke rises endlessly'..."

He smiled to himself, pleased with his recollection.

As Xuan Ji spoke, he suddenly paused, feeling as though he heard an echo in his heart... It was like someone had lamented like this in his ear a long time ago.

Who was it?

Sheng Lingyuan paid no attention. The emperor had heard too many words in his lifetime, and someone like Xuan Ji, at best, could only be considered "not unpleasant to listen to."

He couldn't even make it into the ranks of third-rate flatterers.

"Not only that," seeing that the little demon was still somewhat clever, he had the mood to give a few more pointers, "besides being able to block the Heavenly Way for those demon people, I also have the same origin as Chiyuan. Chiyuan and I influence each other - it has been three thousand years. The reason why I can respond to the Yin Sacrifice ritual at this time is also related to the loosening of the bone seal of Chiyuan. The thirty-six bone seals are left with only you... "

Look at this incapable last seal.

Sheng Lingyuan glanced at Xuan Ji and clicked his tongue, "If I didn't exercise restraint and used my power recklessly to deal with those old friends, there would be no need for others to provoke me to unleash the power of the Chiyuan."

In other words, as long as this True Nature Sect can continuously create enemies to force Sheng Lingyuan to take action, it is like constantly throwing firewood into the Chiyuan.

"Your Majesty, I have another question," Xuan Ji said in a deep voice, "What does 'you and the Chiyuan share the same origin' mean?"

Why did you choose the fires of Chiyuan as your lifelong destination back then?

Why does a jade carving of a Heart-Piercing Grass Puppet have the same level of power as a heavenly demon?

What exactly is this Heavenly Demon that once carried the fate of the human race?

The winter day in Yuyang was unbelievably bright. As soon as he finished speaking, a warm wind wrapped up a large cloud that happened to pass by the sun.

The shadow fell on the ground, and the colors of the surrounding plants suddenly became gloomy.

Sheng Lingyuan's golden edges disappeared quietly under the sunlight, and he tied his long black hair behind his head.

His long-sleeved shirt was so white that it looked cold.

The hospital was located in a remote area, and the small road surrounded by coconut trees at the entrance was rarely visited.

At this moment, there were only the two of them, and it was rare to have a peaceful conversation.

Xuan Ji felt that the temperature around them dropped by three degrees as soon as he asked his question, realizing that he had crossed a line.

He skillfully paved the way: "I just asked casually. If it's too complicated, you don't have to say it. I don't understand anything about Taoism or mysticism..."

Sheng Lingyuan waved his hand: "It's just the literal meaning."

Xuan Ji held his breath and watched Sheng Lingyuan carefully.

Seeing that he hadn't spoken for a while and had a slightly furrowed brow, he couldn't bear to see the Emperor suffer thanks to his "Heavenly Demon Sword Spirit Disease" any longer and immediately spoke up, "Your Majesty, you don't have to..."

"It's not that I can't say anything, it's just that I don't know where to start," Sheng Lingyuan put his hands behind his back and gave him a frown, "I don't know where to start so you can understand."

Xuan Ji: "..."

Well, it's okay. The "Heavenly Demon Sword Spirit Disease" healed itself under the blatant discrimination.

"Do you understand the beginning and end of the first Pingyuan War that Shen Jun started?" Sheng Lingyuan asked.

Xuan Ji took a moment to react before realizing that "Shen Jun" was the Emperor Ping's name.

"The Demon King Jiu Xun destroyed the Vermilion Bird Clan, seized control of the Chiyuan, and as long as he holds it, the human race is powerless - even if all the human tribes unite as one, and millions of ants sacrifice their lives, they cannot stop a heavy rain."

Sheng Lingyuan strolled leisurely under the trees, the sunlight shining through the leaves like scattered gold, covering him from head to toe. His voice was also lazy, as if he was telling a history story that had nothing to do with him on a lazy afternoon.

"Therefore, the human race must not let Jiu Xun succeed. Fortunately, although Jiu Xun swallowed the leader of the Divine Bird Clan, he could not completely control the Chiyuan."

Xuan Ji asked cautiously, "Does 'swallowed' mean..."

"It's means eating," Sheng Lingyuan said helplessly. "Tigers and wolves eat sheep, jackals and foxes hunt pheasants as a normal occurrence. Even the demon race eats their own kind, so what's so special about it? I mean, you're a spirit born from a demon bone, how come you're living like a human?"

Xuan Ji: "..."

He now felt that being called a "little demon" was an insult.

"The Demon King Jiu Xun was born from the drunken union of a the old demon king and a Jiao maiden. The Jiao clan was considered lowly and treated like livestock among the demon clan.

"Jiu Xun's mother was killed by the other concubines of the old demon king shortly after giving birth. Jiu Xun hated his own origins and tried every means possible to cleanse himself of his Jiao blood.

"He swallowed 999 preeminent demons to purify himself, but ended up becoming a shape-shifting monster with a thousand heads and a thousand bodies.

"Although he had consumed the leader of the divine bird clan, he still suffered from... what was that word from a TV commercial? Oh yes, 'indigestion'. Until he fully assimilates the power of the Vermilion Bird, Chiyuan will not recognize him as his master."

"What happened then?" Xuan Ji felt his stomach churning and thought, 'What about giving the demon king some laxatives? It's never ended well for those who eat wild animals as sashimi.'

Sheng Lingyuan said, "The Chiyuan was divided in half."

Xuan Ji asked, "What?"

"According to legend, since the true god created the world, there have been three great demonic weapons in the mortal world that can connect heaven and earth, draw ghost fire into them, and become a great demon body. You don't need me to say what the three great demonic weapons are."

"You mean...the 'Divine Corpse,' 'Ghost Pill,' and 'Heaven and Earth Cauldron'?" Xuan Ji hesitated, "I thought that was similar to the myth of Nuwa mending the sky, all just folklore."

"The 'Divine Corpse' refers to the non-decaying corpse of ancient gods. Legend has it that when the true god dies, their body will naturally return to the earth and sky. If the body is imprisoned in a special way before it dissolves, the imprisoned god will become a demonic weapon due to resentment and anger."

As for the "Ghost Pill," it was a concept used in a mobile game that Xuan Ji had recently played. It was said that once every ten thousand years, a "Supreme Yin Ghost" would be born in response to a calamity.

Born from the dead, their eyes would hold the flames of karma, and they could single-handedly stir up a storm of blood and violence. They were the sole survivor of a million lives, and upon achieving enlightenment, they would become a great demon of the heavens.

If their heart was ever cut out, it would transform into a multi-faceted stone, with each facet showing the agonized screams and cries of countless evil spirits.

"The Heaven and Earth Cauldron" is even more mysterious.

It is said that billions of years ago, there was a great natural disaster where divine fire rained down from the sky, burning the ancient ancestors to death overnight. Countless prehistoric spiritual creatures also disappeared in the heavenly fire, except for the Nanming Vermilion Bird, which belongs to the fire element, and only a few eggs were left in a cauldron.

The living creatures who fled in all directions in the heavenly fire collided with the cauldron and begged desperately to enter for refuge, but they were unable to do so and left 8,800 scars on the cauldron.

Therefore, although the Vermilion Bird is a divine race, it was born from a demonic artifact and has a natural ability to communicate with demons.

Sheng Lingyuan laughed and said, "The 'Divine Corpse' is illusory, the 'Ghost Pill' may yet exist, but I have personally seen the 'Heaven and Earth Cauldron', which is the sacred object of the human royal family."

Xuan Ji was initially taken aback, but then remembered the chaotic Vermilion Bird Temple where demons danced, the boy and young bird nailed to the large bronze cauldron when eighty-one thunderbolts struck, and the hysterical Empress Chen from the memories of the Heavenly Demon Sword Spirit.

There were also the chilling secrets of the Du ling Palace...

It seemed that an answer that connected everything was about to be revealed.

Sheng Lingyuan said, "This is a long story. My birth mother was not from the Chen family, but a demoness. I have some Vermilion Bird bloodline as well. When she was pregnant with me, she unknowingly underwent a 'sacrifice ritual'. You understand what the heavenly rules mean, right?"

Xuan Ji had a vague understanding of the heavenly rules, which referred to the rules of power and law - power of the same level could either enhance or counteract each other, such as water and fire being counteractive while earth and wood were complementary. Higher-level powers could also overpower lower-level ones, such as how water could extinguish fire in general, but not a forest fire.

Regardless of which clan or series of power and sacrifice, they must follow this level rule.

The first level was about the natural laws of life and death, the laws of nature, the situation of heaven and earth, and the passage of time.

The second level was "similar to life and death," which meant equivalent exchange.

Only after that came the five elements, the interaction of mountains and rivers, and so on.

Weapon crafting and the Yin Sacrifice rituals belonged to the second level, and in the event of conflicting rules, they needed to obey the first level.

In other words, Sheng Lingyuan's birth mother was going to sacrifice herself, but her unborn child was going to be born.

Without killing the fetus beforehand, the act of sacrifice and birth conflicted with each other, so her sacrifice failed.

"She became a living dead because her sacrifice failed due to her pregnancy. By a stroke of luck, I became a Yin ghost born from the living dead, carrying the blood of the Vermilion Bird, making me a perfect material for refining into a Heavenly Demon. The top 81 elite cultivators of the human race used the entire human race's fortune as a sacrifice, throwing me into the Heaven and Earth Cauldron, killing my physical body, and drawing the Chiyuan Fire inside to refine into the Heavenly Demon's body," said Sheng Lingyuan nonchalantly.

"Although I look like a human, I am not one. This body is half of the Chiyuan. As long as I am alive, Jiu Xun cannot steal the power of the Chiyuan. I am the true secret that allowed the human race to survive and thrive.

"Otherwise, why do you think the human race chose me as their banner?

"With Dan Li's ability, even a dog could be made to obey, what woud they still want me for?"