Sheng Lingyuan felt an unnamed restlessness in his heart, but he didn't show it on his face.

He lowered his head and froze the Wind God in the car, temporarily cutting off the black mist that was constantly entering and exiting their seven orifices.

Then he waved his hand to Gu Yuexi and spoke calmly, "It's okay, you can tell me about the situation first."

Gu Yuexi was exactly the type of person that His Majesty admired the most.

She didn't waste any words, knew how to prioritize, and would quickly state the main point before asking, "I have a few questions, senior. Firstly, how do we protect ourselves from the fact that the spiritual protective gear is not only ineffective, but also aids the enemy? How do we wake up our colleagues? Secondly, what is the current level of the pervasive miasma? If, as you said, all those affected are 'nourishment,' will it continue to spread? If it is possible to spread to other areas, what should we do? Thirdly, what about the ordinary people who have been invaded by the black miasma? Will there be any after-effects?"

The first person to break free from the demonic miasma was still quite clear-headed.

Sheng Lingyuan couldn't help but take a closer look at her and ask, "Young lady, what is your name?"

Gu Yuexi choked a little and said, "My name is Gu Yuexi, from the Wind God Second Team."

Despite having worked together many times, she still hadn't earned the right to be called by her name.

What's even more inexplicable is that when she heard the long-lost title of "young lady" from that man's mouth, she not only didn't get angry, but also felt a sense of being a lost child who had found a rescuer.

"The so-called spiritual protective gear is designed to shield external sounds, but heart demons arise from within. Shielding the outside world will only cause the sea of consciousness to turn inward, which will only exacerbate the problem. Protective gear will only hinder progress. That's why those trapped by heart demons can only rely on themselves to wake up," replied Sheng Lingyuan.

"If the heavenly demon wants to spread further, it can do so endlessly unless it is sealed beforehand... As for the after-effects, it mainly depends on the individual's willpower and how long they were trapped. If it's just a momentary lapse, most people will be fine and just consider it a bad dream. But if it lasts longer than a nightmare, it's hard to say. Some people may never wake up, while others may wake up with a completely different personality. It's difficult to predict."

Gu Yuexi quickly checked the items at hand. They didn't have any high-energy objects with them, and the signal of their ordinary communication devices had recovered by two bars.

Without hesitation, she reported the situation to the headquarters' central dispatch office.

The central dispatch office had lost contact with Director Xiao and was in chaos.

When they received Gu Yuexi's briefing, the situation had just been stabilized by Chief Huang.

"I just obtained the right to access the public surveillance network at any time," Chief Huang said in a deep voice. "The first batch of drones can be in position within half an hour, but our people can't get close right now, can they? I want to know, can none of the six major sects or the military and police forces of ordinary people be immune to this kind of mind demon plague?"

"No," Sheng Lingyuan interjected, "those who can wake up from the demon's miasma are fine. And for those who haven't been exposed yet, if they can protect themselves and avoid contact with the miasma, they can hold out for a while. For example..."

"The bubbles used by water-based types and the external protection of metal-based systems can both work!" Another voice joined the communication signal, sounding a bit muffled.

"I am Zhang Zhao, from the Wind Gods. We were attacked by an unknown energy object, and almost all of my colleagues were hit... At that time, our leader put me in a water film, and now, now..."

Chief Huang quickly asked, "How long can the water film hold out?"

"Don't worry about me, chief. Captain Yan woke up and reinforced me."

The video connected and Zhang Zhao's face appeared on the screen. The water film on his body had already burst, but he had a thin layer of metal protective film on his body.

He was breathing from an oxygen tank and looked like a golden Buddha who loves diving.

As the camera turned, some of the elite field agents on the helicopter were unconscious, some were staring blankly while standing or sitting in place, showing no response to the outside world.

Others were violent, painfully banging their heads against the wall or walking around with a gloomy face, trying to attack any living thing around them.

A man was busy separating these dangerous individuals.

When the camera turned to him, the man nodded briefly to Chief Huang and said in a concise manner, "Hello, Chief Huang. I am Yan Qiushan."

"Captain Yan was in the emergency cabin," Zhang Zhao said. "I don't know if he had something that could protect him..."

"No, he didn't."

"No, I didn't," both Sheng Lingyuan and Yan Qiushan spoke up at the same time.

Yan Qiushan unexpectedly glanced at him through the video, "Yes, that's right. When I feel danger, my body automatically mobilizes the surrounding metal substances to protect myself. It should be a special...mutated metal ability."

He didn't know what kind of gift the Nanming stone, which had almost separated his head from his body, had left him.

The phrase "special mutated metal ability" sounded a bit funny to Sheng Lingyuan, and he subtly pursed his lips.

Zhang Zhao suddenly realized, "No wonder the Shadow person targeted you specifically!"

"The water and metal types both have similar protective measures. We need to coordinate and utilize the special abilities of these two types, but make sure to bring oxygen tanks," Yan Qiushan said quickly, glancing at Zhang Zhao.

"The younger and less experienced, the better. Don't bring any spiritual protection gear and make sure the transportation is tightly sealed, no outside circulation..."

Yan Qiushan was interrupted by the sudden ringing of his phone in his pocket. The phone was a gift from a Wind God colleague, who was worried about him getting bored on the road.

The phone card was new and untouched, and Yan Qiushan didn't feel like using it.

Everyone who knew the number, other than Gu Yuexi and Zhang Zhao, were now unconscious beneath his feet...

Yan Qiushan took out his phone and glanced at it, his face suddenly showing surprise.

An unknown number had sent him a message: "The Shadow person's true form resides in an ancient clamshell."

He immediately tried to call back, but the number was unreachable.

So, he sent a message in return: "Who are you?"

The response came quickly, along with a dozen photos.

"What is this? A silk antique book?" Zhang Zhao moved the camera closer to the screen and gave the photo a close-up.

"There are so many ghostly symbols, not all of them are Chinese characters, are they?"

Sheng Lingyuan's pupils contracted as he recognized the handwriting of an old friend - it was Wei Yun's handwriting, written on a piece of jellyfish silk.

When Wei Yun first arrived among the human race, he recorded many trivial matters every day to practice his writing. If he didn't know how to write a certain character, he would use the Mountain script instead, which eventually formed a unique writing style.

On a piece of silk, there was a note that recorded the encounter of Wei Yun with the Shadow person, whom he had transformed.

Every detail was recorded, and Wei Yun was like a foolish groom who had just married his bride, completely infatuated with the Shadow person who had attached himself to him, even when he was being held hostage in the dangerous human kingdom.

Sheng Lingyuan quickly skimmed through a series of nauseating nonsense and found the key point of the note.

Wei Yun said that other Shadow people, after transforming, would completely detach themselves from the wood or stone they had previously parasitized.

However, this Shadow person seemed to have been injured when he was young, and was naturally weak. Every full moon and new moon night, he would return to an ancient clam shell to rest and recover.

According to the notes, the Shadow person is naturally noble and 'especially fond of things bestowed by the emperor.'

Every time they see him, they ask for something and hide it in his shell, 'which is quite pitiful and adorable.'

The notes also say that the little trinkets that catch the Shadow person's eye must have passed through the emperor's hands. Wei Yun, who only knows how to forge, thinks that the Shadow person is sensitive by nature and can feel the "purple energy" of the emperor, which makes him quite proud!

Sheng Lingyuan: "..."

The little Shadow person, because he was beaten up by him, was scared and clearly didn't dare to show his face in front of him. Instead, he clung to Wei Yun and slyly rubbed against his heavenly demon energy through this alternative means.

Zhang Zhao: "What does this mean? Who sent this? Is it an enemy or a friend?"

Yan Qiushan and Sheng Lingyuan both thought of the heart-piercing grass doll that looked exactly like Zhi Chun. They both looked up and glanced at each other through the screen.

Taking a deep breath, Yan Qiushan tried to remain calm under the icy gaze of Sheng Lingyuan.

He wanted to believe his instincts, but he knew that all scams in the world preyed on "instincts", and his own instincts were unreliable, based solely on the face of Zhi Chun's doll.

"I don't know if the technical department can trace the source of the number or if anyone in the ancient studies department can decipher the text on it. Could you please contact Dr. Wang?" Yan Qiushan cautiously suggested.

"Come with me," Sheng Lingyuan interrupted, focusing on the key points and quickly translating the three useless notes from Wei Yun for them.

The clamshell was likely the new parasitic shell that the Shadow person had found for itself.

Since the Shadow person could repeatedly return to its unformed state, according to its habits, it was likely that it would never be able to live without a parasitic shell.

The shell of the clam had been refining who knows how much heavenly demon energy... Could it be that he used the same method to refine the earth veins of Jiangzhou?

Zhang Zhao exclaimed in shock, "Sir, what kind of encyclopedia are you? Let the ancient studies department triple your salary!"

Yan Qiushan furrowed his brows unexpectedly and said, "My friend, how can you judge the reliability of this information source? What if it's a trap set by that Shadow person?"

"He just swallowed something he shouldn't have, so he should be too preoccupied to care."

The Shadow person clearly had no idea of Xuan Ji's identity as the Fire-keeper.

Although the energy obtained from Xuan Ji thanks to the Heart Demon Poison was enough to consume the entire Jiangzhou, the taste of being burned by the Vermilion Bird's flames was definitely not pleasant.

This Shadow person was naturally greedy, daring to even covet the Heavenly Demon's body.

He would certainly not be willing to spit out this mouth-burning chicken meat.

The most likely scenario now was that he would sink into the earth's veins and work hard to digest within his parasitic shell.

"There are millions of mortals here who cannot afford to wait. Even if he is holding so many people, even if it is a trap, can you all afford not to jump in? I remember you all have that 'Fifteen-Person Red Line'."

With one sentence, Sheng Lingyuan made the faces of all the field agents turn green.

Then he calmly said to Gu Yuexi, "I have never seen a trap that can trap me. Little girl, give me the map of Jiangzhou's earth veins, and then drive... follow the route I indicate."

Gu Yuexi immediately retrieved the geographical map of Jiangzhou's veins and handed it to him.

After hesitating for a moment, she whispered, "The 'thing he shouldn't have swallowed' that you mentioned... are you referring to Director Xuan?"

Sheng Lingyuan glanced at her, with a hint of indulgence in his tone, "This little girl is quite clever. What do you want to say?"

Gu Yuexi was already a reserved person and was not good at dealing with this kind of situation.

Her ears turned red immediately, and she became even more shy, "Um... I know Director Xuan is very powerful and has many secrets. Sometimes I can see a little bit with my eyes... Although we're not close, I think he has a pretty cheerful personality. He's not someone who can't handle things, at least not worse than me. Senior, can't you wake him up like you woke me up?"

"I can't," Sheng Lingyuan fell silent for a moment, his face turning pale. "He's different from you all. He's already been consumed by the Heart Demon Miasma. You can think of it as...the Black Miasma that's currently enveloping the entire Jiangzhou was born from his Heart Demon."

Gu Yuexi: "..."

Gu Yuexi was shocked and took a glance outside the car window at the dark and gloomy world. This must be at least a level of vengefulness that involved wiping out entire families and generations, plus dismembering them!

After receiving the news, Chief Huang, who was in charge of the headquarters, was also shocked.

"I'll look into Little Comrade Xuan's file right away."

Sheng Lingyuan absentmindedly began to calculate the earth veins on the map, not believing that they could find anything.

There was nothing in the Illusion Realm that had anything to do with human affairs.

The key point of Xuan Ji being dragged into the Heart Demon Miasma must be related to three thousand years ago...and to Chiyuan.

What exactly was it?

Why did the Fire-keeper clan preserve his corpse?

And why do the spirits born from the bones of the Vermilion Bird have the attributes of metal?

Xuan Ji felt like he had just woken up from a beautiful dream - in that dream, he was like an ordinary person, mingling with the crowds, enjoying the breeze and living carefree without any worries about past lives or future thoughts.

However, dreams are always like bubbles, allowing him to rest for a moment before opening his eyes in the boundless darkness once again.

As soon as he opened his eyes, he became a heavenly demon sword spirit with no connection to the mortal world, losing his own sword body and all contact with others.

He could only watch as the person he worshipped every day in his heart struggle with nightmares, repeatedly honing himself.

He stumbled along, following Prince Ning into the dungeon. He listened as the Prince scolded Wei Yun, his words sharp as knives.

"Do you know that the matter of the Chiyuan is related to the fate of the human race for generations to come? One misstep could lead to a catastrophe and eternal infamy. You two fools...how dare you connect the Heavenly Demon Sword Spirit to this matter! What were you and that old Bifang demon thinking? You two have such vicious eyes, and you've stepped on the Emperor's sore spot!"

Then, he watched as Lingyuan repeatedly smashed his sword and drew blood.

Xuan Ji was screaming at him, pulling him, and cursing him without restraint.

"Do you really want to keep me trapped in the sword? Your Majesty, please, let me go!"

He was even willing to sacrifice his soul and never be reborn in exchange for that person to just look at him and say a word.

But their hands kept passing through each other, and neither of them could feel the other. Even Wei Yun was driven almost insane by Sheng Lingyuan.

"You're here, right? I know you're here. I'm a Tian'er, my intuition never fails, but why can't I hear you?"

Wei Yun paced back and forth, biting his nails and muttering to the air.

"Just admit you're wrong and apologize to him, Master," Xuan Ji said. "Don't drive yourself crazy with him."

Wei Yun couldn't hear him and chewed his nails into a wavy shape.

"Why? Why won't he answer me?"

Xuan Ji followed him like a ghost, exhausted. "I'm begging you both, just give me a way out."

Despite repeated failures in repairing the Heavenly Demon Sword, Wei Yun was under immense pressure in the later stages and occasionally spoke to Xuan Ji.

Xuan Ji was always there to answer any questions, but unfortunately, they couldn't communicate properly and could only talk to themselves like two lunatics facing each other.

Outside the furnace, a voice rang out, "Why don't you tell His Majesty that the spirit of the Heavenly Demon Sword has already died?"

Wei Yun and Xuan Ji, who were squatting side by side, both jumped in shock and turned their heads to see a tall figure standing against the light.

The furnace was located deep in the Duo Ling Palace, next to the East Inner Palace, and was a forbidden area. Even ordinary eunuchs were not allowed to approach it, except for Wei Yun.

However, this person was able to freely enter and exit the palace. He wore a mask, revealing only a pair of clear eyes that seemed to be filled with sadness.

He walked with extremely light footsteps, almost soundlessly, as if he was walking on clouds with each step.

Xuan Ji opened his mouth, but couldn't bring himself to call out "teacher." This was the imperial teacher, Dan Li.

As soon as Wei Yun saw Dan Li, his legs started cramping and he stood up shakily.

He had a mournful expression on his face as he said, "Your Excellency Dan Li, His Majesty is not here right now..."

"I know, I just went to see him and gave him some calming incense to help him sleep," Dan Li reached out and knocked on the cooled sword furnace, sighing.

"What a mess...if he wants to act recklessly on his own, that's one thing, but for all of you to follow him without trying to stop him..."

Wei Yun didn't dare to say a word.

"His Majesty's achievements in restoring the country and slaying the demon king are truly remarkable. However, I fear that he may become too arrogant and believe that the world is at his fingertips, allowing him to do as you please.

"The incident with the mixed-blood demon tribe and the destruction of the Witch Clan was a warning, and I thought you would remember the lesson. But now, with the country still in turmoil, he is risking everything by creating the 'Qingping Department'."

Dan Li spoke slowly and melodiously, his enunciation clear and pleasing to the ear.

"I had hoped that he would learn from his mistakes and come to his senses, but it seems that he need to experience loss firsthand. It's normal to want to make a fuss afterwards, but everything must be done in moderation.

"As a loyal subject, one must know their place and offer advice when necessary. If one flatters and indulges in everything, seeking only personal gain and wealth, it is nothing but flattery and opportunism, wouldn't you agree?"

Wei Yun hesitated, "I... I only know how to forge swords, I don't understand matters of the state."

Dan Li's eyes curved slightly, revealing a few meaningful laugh lines, "Do you really not understand, Prince Wei Yun?"

Wei Yun's knees almost gave out from his smile.

Dan Li's smile widened, gentle but firm, "Go tell the Emperor that the heavenly demon sword spirit is dead. Let him give up on his delusions. His obsession has caused him to bleed dry. At the court meeting today, he looked sickly and couldn't even sit still. Does he really think his ministers are blind?"

Although Wei Yun was terrified of him, he still bravely spoke up, "But... but this is tantamount to deceiving the Emperor. I have sworn an oath in blood and cannot betray him. I really..."

"Dead is dead, how can that be considered deceiving the emperor?" Dan Li interrupted him. "Since you have secretly investigated among the demon clan, you must know that the spirit of the sword was originally a Vermilion Bird Heavenly Spirit, in a state of neither life nor death before entering the sword."

Wei Yun's back was covered in sweat, and he knelt down with a 'thump': "I have never secretly investigated among the demon clan..."

Dan Li looked down at him with a slight sneer, raised his hand and lifted the so-called "Mountain prince" who was all talk and no action.

"Your Highness, I cannot bear to see you kneel like this. No need to be so polite. Well, you didn't secretly collude with the demon clan to come up with the idea of the Heavenly Spirit on your own. But you should understand that, for the original refining process that granted birth to the 'Vermilion Bird Heavenly Spirit' that could never otherwise break through its shell, even if you have delusions of replicating it, you must at least follow the entire process from back then.

"Can you do that? Don't overestimate yourself. Follow my advice and return to the Emperor. The blood oath will not backfire, and the Emperor will know that you are telling the truth."

With these words, Dan Li turned and left. Xuan Ji and Wei Yun were left by the sword furnace, both looking confused and not understanding what he meant.

Xuan Ji was completely bewildered.

What does it mean to do the whole set?

Why doesn't lying count as betraying a blood oath?

Wei Yun frowned and paced back and forth like a donkey pulling a millstone, muttering "grant birth" and "follow the entire process" repeatedly.

After a moment, he stopped in his tracks and suddenly widened his eyes in horror--