"You're right, how could I use a feather?"

Sheng Lingyuan finally lifted his head slowly, smiling as he looked at the many clones of the Shadow person. "Who do you think you are?"

"I am just a pitiful shadow," the mercury-like substance bubbled and boiled, and in no time, countless figures "evaporated" from the ground.

There was the last Tian'er, the first generation of Qingping Division's chief, the mixed-blood nine-tailed fox... there were strange human figures, and huge half-beasts, opening their mouths to spew out a stinky wind that could scrape people's faces.

"I wonder if these ancestors are worthy of seeing the techniques of the emperor?"

The Shadow person could inherit all of their master's abilities. He was like a loyal and dedicated recording machine.

Those who had tried to dominate his life had become living specimens preserved by him after death, and all their power was stolen and inherited by him.

The field vehicle was surrounded by these big shots, like a nursery school surrounded by bandits with live ammunition, because the power balance was so uneven.

Among the Shadow people, the last one was the mixed-blood green snake demon, He Cuiyu, who had lived for seven hundred years - Old Lady Yu Jade. She was so weak that she seemed like a mere addition, standing in the corner.

Meanwhile, the "field elites" present referred to this "addition" as their ancestor.

"What the hell is going on?" Zhang Zhao trembled, "Former heavenly group? I suddenly have a different understanding of 'stamp collecting'..."

The former heavenly group of Shadow people burst into laughter.

The field vehicle was shattered by the terrifying sound waves.

The field agents were in chaos, jumping out of the car and rescuing others, all while being covered by flying protective equipment.

It was quite a scene.

"Everyone," suddenly a voice echoed in their minds, "I am connected to the Chiyuan. Without restraint, it could easily destroy the already precarious Vermilion Bird Bone Seal. Can I borrow a body?"

The field agents collectively raised question marks in their minds.

What does "borrow a body" mean?

It sounds terrible, like there's a risk of losing one's body.

However, as a feudal ruling class, the emperor's bad habits are hard to change. Although his tone was polite and courteous, it was not a consultation, but a notification.

Before the words even landed, Zhang Zhao felt a thought that did not belong to him flash through his mind.

It bypassed his cerebral cortex and directly connected to his upper limb muscles.

Before he could even react to the content of that thought, his hand had already followed the command and paused time for a second!

"Don't resist," the demon's aura condensed into thin threads, piercing through the ears of all the field agents like black mist. "Relax and leave it to me."

The field agents felt as though they were remote-controlled computers, their consciousness still intact but a mysterious force had taken over some of their neural pathways, seizing control of their bodies, and they were unable to resist.

They had always thought of themselves as battle-hardened with lightning-fast reflexes, but now they found that their thoughts couldn't keep up with their bodies.

They hadn't even analyzed how the first movement was achieved when they realized they had already teleported more than ten meters away.

With a pause of just one second, all the field agents who were still conscious had their positions arranged.

"I forgot, Your Majesty, you are a master of formations throughout your life," the shadowy figure chuckled, "even if you cannot act directly, you can use people as chess pieces, how interesting. But who were your subordinates in the past? The elite of the witch race, the powerful half-blood monsters, and the top experts of the human race who gathered the essence of heaven and earth. Those below the Nascent Soul stage were not qualified to see you. And what are they now? Hahaha!"

"I understood that sentence, it's racial discrimination... damn!" Zhang Zhao exclaimed.

His energy detector around his waist shattered into pieces without a sound, falling to the ground.

In an instant, the ground beneath his feet turned into a swamp, and a monster resembling a giant crocodile emerged from the ground, opening its mouth with raging flames inside, ready to swallow the foolish mortals on the ground.

At the same time, thunderclouds covered the sky, and lightning struck lower and lower, like a big black pot hanging overhead.

However, the field agents found that their feet didn't stop, and their thick boots stepped over the burning swamp. Each person's footsteps had a strange rhythm, sometimes fast and sometimes slow.

The soles of their shoes were not burned, but instead felt a bit chilly.

One field agent exclaimed, "My shoes are frozen!"

Fine water vapor steamed from the bodies of the water-type field agents.

Yan Qiushan could feel the metal ions around him moving, capturing the water vapor. But the speed was too fast, and he couldn't keep up with his familiar old colleagues.

The most sensitive Gu Yuexi heard a mysterious vibration coming from the ground. When the special field agents of different spectra were moving, they seemed to be surrounded by a special connection that was complex and unfathomable.

A huge thunderball came crashing down, causing Zhang Zhao's hair to stand on end.

But in the next moment, he realized that the ball had been deflected by an invisible energy field and landed in the mouth of a giant beast in the swamp, creating a deafening roar that left everyone stunned.

Despite the shock, the field agents were able to regroup and coordinate under the leadership of Sheng Lingyuan.

With the five elements represented among them, they seamlessly formed a human chess formation.

The scorched ground scattered into ashes, and a tender shoot emerged, as if the plant-type agents were channeling their special abilities in an unprecedented way.

In an instant, the shoot grew into a towering tree, connecting the heavens and the earth, and bridging the gap between thunder and soil.

With a loud crack, the Shadow person, who relied on the faint energy of the Jiangzhou energy veins, was hit by a thunderbolt they had summoned themselves.

The former members of the heavenly group couldn't maintain their formation, revealing the mercury-like figure protected in the centre.

The plant-type field agent howled, "Wow, I've never been this awesome before! Can someone record this and make it a teaching video? Zhi Chun, please! Turn on the camera!"

Zhi Chun: "..."

Sheng Lingyuan beckoned to him and pulled out an xun from his pocket - the one from the Yuyang coffee shop.

"Come here and contact your people. Ask them if they can change the music in the 'Echo Sound Machine'."

"Change the music?" At this moment, Ping Qianru had already brought the third batch of Echo Sound machines to the border of Jiangzhou.

She wore a gas mask and her voice was muffled as she anxiously looked at the clearly polluted Jiangzhou.

She stammered, "But using the Echo Sound machine on a large scale could accidentally cause psychological trauma to everyone in the area. We do not allow the use of sounds with strong spiritual-type abilities. Changing the music requires approval from the department director and will be reviewed by the mental health department of the Research Institute..."

"Are you not willing to take charge when given orders outside of your jurisdiction?" Sheng Lingyuan interrupted her.

At this time, he had mobilized dozens of mortal field agents who were now in a standoff with a group of ancient powerhouses. "I believe your director has no objections."

Ping Qianru held her phone in a state of confusion. The field agents around her were running around like headless chickens.

"Hurry up, aftermath department staff!"

"The spread of the Heart Demon Miasma is now almost twice as fast as before, at a speed of about ten kilometers per hour. The radio echoes may not be enough, we need to think of a solution quickly!"

Ping Qianru looked bewildered and asked, "Why did it suddenly increase in speed?"

"Our field agents have suffered casualties," a colleague gasped for breath, "once they are attacked inside and their protective gear is damaged, they will be trapped in the miasma and become a source of energy for the enemy. I think... if we can't handle it, we can only evacuate the civilians."

Within the boundaries of Jiangzhou, a large number of residents had fallen into a state of demonic possession, causing incredible destruction. Even with the impromptu adaptation of the Heart-Piercing Grass spell by Sheng Lingyuan, the special forces alone were not enough to handle the situation.

All available personnel from surrounding precincts were called in to help maintain order, even those who had never participated in combat.

Although some of these staff members possessed special abilities, they were essentially no different from ordinary people. Their abilities only allowed them to excel in arm-wrestling competitions in the neighborhood, leaving them flustered and unprepared on the battlefield.

As they spoke, Yang Chao and Luo Cuicui had already connected the newly arrived Echo Sound system with a group of helpers from the aftermath department, and began playing the third round of music according to the protocol.

However, it was clear that the gentle music from the Echo Sound system could not keep up with the speed at which they were losing people.

"The spread of the miasma has slowed down slightly, but then it has an upward trend."

"Can we increase the power of the Echo Sound radio?"

"Think of a solution!"

"It's already at its highest, brother!"

In the cold winter month of December, Yang Chao's sweat dripped into his eyes, but he couldn't wipe it off while wearing protective gear.

"With this volume, I estimate that even neighboring countries across the sea can hear the music. The Echo Sound effect has nothing to do with the machine's power, but with the use of spiritual energy carriers... It's related to the music!"

The field agent was a layman: "Then let's change the song!"

"The Echo Radio is usually used one-on-one, to modify memories for unrelated personnel with special abilities on site. Now, with such high power and range, precise control cannot be achieved. Even if our department's special ability in the spiritual field is utilized, it would cause collective cerebral hemorrhage. No one's mental strength can control it. We can only use existing works in the spiritual field," said Yang Chao.

"Everything in the spiritual field must be handled with extreme caution. Each person must be treated accordingly, otherwise, it could cause mental illness or even fatalities. To give an uncertain analogy, in this situation, we need strong medicine, but it could cure one group of people and kill another. What can we do? We can only distribute weaked medicine to everyone!"

Luo Cuicui ran over and grabbed Yang Chao, "Don't just stand there, the entire department needs to have a meeting to prepare for evacuating the surrounding people! Oh my god, how do we prepare? Where do we evacuate to? And where do we put the people after they're evacuated? Who knows how far this thing can spread? How do we communicate with our superiors? How do we explain this to the public?"

Not only do we need to consider how to explain this to the public, at this rate, it could even affect neighboring countries. There are several countries nearby with both special and ordinary governments, so we need to communicate with both sides.

As the range of the miasma expands, the oxygen supply carried by each special ability person is limited. How do we allocate resources?

Even if we evacuate, the miasma spreads at a rate of 20 kilometers per hour. Can ordinary people without any preparation really evacuate at that speed?

Isn't that just a pipe dream?

The problem was that Jiangzhou was not too far from the capital, Yong'an.

The Bureau had an underground facility there, containing many dangerous sealed objects.

It was a highly sensitive base. If the Yong'an earth veins were contaminated, the Shadow person could get their hands on the Bureau's headquarters...

Luo Cuicui was at his wit's end, anxiously spinning in place. "I need to buy a wig, I need to buy a wig!"

The aftermath department always came and went quietly, mostly just writing up news releases and silently negotiating compensation contracts.

They had never experienced such a large-scale security event before, and the field agents were running themselves ragged while they were in disarray.

Ping Qian stood there with a blank mind for two seconds, then steeled herself and spoke into the phone.

"Are you still there?"

"I'm here, I heard everything." Sheng Lingyuan's voice was always pleasant to listen to, flowing out of the earpiece with an indescribable tenderness. "Don't worry."

But it was impossible not to worry. In Dongchuan, she had seen Sheng Lingyuan manipulate the Echo Sound system to wash away a group of people's memories, but Dongchuan was just a city.

At that time, most people were asleep. Could he control it now?

If someone died, who would be responsible for this?

If she was held accountable, even if she sacrificed her entire future...which she didn't have much of anyway...could she bear the burden of her life and fortune?

Her life and fortune were only worth a few cents!

Ping Qianru was trembling with fear.

However, she continued to tremble and gasp for breath, her mouth seemingly disconnected from her brain as she answered on her own accord, "What, what song? I'll go change the music."

Three minutes later, the sound of the xun was transmitted through the signal and played from dozens of large Echo Sound machines, blowing towards the mist of the demon's heart.

The sound of the xun was usually like the wind passing through narrow and dilapidated mud and tiles, low and desolate.

However, the sound produced by Sheng Lingyuan was different. The melody had a light and cheerful feeling, like the return of birds and sparrows in spring. It was a tune full of passionate innocence, even the tremolo carried a sense of joy.

The rapidly expanding Heart Demon Miasma suddenly came to a halt.

On his first attempt, the sound was sluggish and unrefined. It seemed as though he was thinking while playing, and if he wasn't careful, the sound would become low and hoarse, only to be dragged back to its original tone, making him appear somewhat uneasy.

Although the formation was exquisite, the field agents were still human, and their physical stamina was starting to lag.

One of the Wind Gods had almost depleted his energy, causing him to stumble and revealing a flaw in the seamless formation.

Fortunately, Yan Qiushan was nearby and quickly made up for the gap.

The Shadow people had clearly identified the weak link and began to close in on the gasping field operatives, causing the formation to become strained.

Gu Yuexi was the first to realize the situation and was sweating profusely as she desperately communicated with Sheng Lingyuan in her mind, asking him what to do.

Sheng Lingyuan ignored it and closed his eyes, sitting in the wreckage of the exploded field vehicle, repeatedly playing the unfamiliar tune.

As a former Vermilion Bird, this winged clan was not only faster at cracking sunflower seeds than others, but also skilled in music.

Sheng Lingyuan remembered that no matter if it was celestial music or folk tunes, that guy could learn it almost perfectly after just listening once.

However, his taste was poor, and he always liked to change it into something strange and unclassifiable after learning it, ending up sounding like a bird call - incredibly noisy.

The only tune he learned without changing was a small song from the Northern Plains. That year, in order to win the support of the Northern Plains, Sheng Lingyuan personally led his men to cross the snowy mountains and reach the settlement of the Northern Plains on the glacier to meet their high priest.

The human race was divided and struggling to survive, and many refugees from the Central Plains fled to the Northern Plains, which were protected by the snow-capped mountains, bringing some of the customs of the Central Plains with them.

When they arrived, it happened to be the Lantern Festival, and the refugees made ice lanterns in the cold weather, decorating the long valleys with colorful flowers and green willows, hoping to recreate the bustling streets of their hometown.

The Sword Spirit insisted on strolling around and guessing lantern riddles, so Sheng Lingyuan had no choice but to take him for a walk, admiring the scenery while pondering the strategies he had discussed with the high priest.

The Sword Spirit felt that he was absent-minded and unhappy, so he complained, "When you were playing riddles with that old man with a white beard, I was with you the whole time. How come you can't play with me for a while?"

He helplessly coaxed him, "Have more respect, don't call him 'white-bearded old man.' And when did you stay with me the whole time? You fell asleep after the High Priest spoke just a few words. Don't think I don't know."

The Sword Spirit even snored, luckily no one else could hear it except him.

The Sword Spirit argued confidently, "That old man talks so slowly, dragging out every word for miles. His voice is like a ghost's, who wouldn't get sleepy listening to him?"

Sheng Lingyuan was accidentally dragged into the conversation, "That old man has the Northern Plains and three thousand wolf riders in his hands. Even if he's speaking like a ghost, they would still listen. Besides, we were talking about serious matters, not playing riddles."

"Be straightforward with me. All this beating around the bush is like solving riddles for the sake of it. The old man is just worried that you'll take his wolf riders and sacrifice them in the battle against the demon king for the sake of victory, trampling over the bones of the Northern Plains. It's not that complicated. Who wouldn't understand?"

Sheng Lingyuan chuckled dismissively, "Although the Northern Plains and the Central Plains belong to the same race, they are not unified. The late emperor often had disputes with our northern neighbors, so the High Priest's concerns are not unfounded."

"You're not like the late emperor," Sword Spirit blurted out without thinking, "You're the Emperor of Humanity."

Sheng Lingyuan was taken aback, "What did you say?"

"I said you are the Emperor of Humanity, the Emperor of Humanity," the Sword Spirit's voice was clear and pure. "You promised Aluojin that you would close the eyes of all those who died unjustly, and bury all the unclaimed bones. You also said you would bring clarity to the rivers and mountains, and take everyone back to their hometowns. When I achieve my true form, we can happily travel through the world."

Sheng Lingyuan seemed to have escaped from the exhausting political struggles, and took in a breath of spring breeze.

Ah, those were the days when we were so young. The pear blossoms in Dongchuan were still blooming, and there was a young man who believed he could do anything.

"Take me to guess lantern riddles quickly, if we guess correctly, we can win a lantern!"

The Sword Spirit pretended to be old and grumpy. "This place is so gloomy and dark, you have so many problems, you can't sleep without a light. Can't I win you a flower lantern to coax you to sleep?"

Sheng Lingyuan was both laughing and crying, feeling both sour and soft in his heart.

He could only accompany him in embarrassment - the lantern market was a haven for refugees to think of their hometowns, and the lantern riddles generally carried hidden metaphors unique to their respective hometowns. These metaphors came from all over the country, with vastly different customs, and it was difficult to understand without doing enough research beforehand.

Sheng Lingyuan deliberately kept quiet, and as a result, the Little Sword Spirit, who shamelessly claimed he could "coax him to sleep," couldn't guess a single one from one end of the street to the other, becoming extremely frustrated.

In the end, a vendor recognized the Emperor and deliberately gave them a free pass, giving them a crystal ice lantern, so they finally didn't return empty-handed.

The Sword Spirit picked a butterfly lamp because the Dongchuan witch clan worshipped butterflies.

Every spring, the children of the witch clan would hold butterfly lamps on the mountaintop. The Sword Spirit had just come out of Dongchuan and had never seen anything like it before. When he saw the lamp, she naturally thought it should be butterfly-shaped.

The Sword Spirit always felt that the ice lamp was her 'hard-won' treasure and she had to take it with her when she left. Unfortunately, it was already warm and the ice lamp melted when she left the North.

The Sword Spirit didn't say anything, but Sheng Lingyuan could feel that his little Sword Spirit seemed to understand for the first time that things have metabolism, and what is hard to come by may not last forever.

So Sheng Lingyuan wasn't afraid of losing face and carved a small butterfly sword tassel out of wood, hanging it on the Heavenly Demon Sword.

On the way back, the Sword Spirit hummed the Northern Plains folk song all the way. It wasn't the traditional song from the northern frontier, but a fusion of small tunes from refugees' hometowns from all over.

The style was completely different, yet subtly blended together. There was a hint of sadness, but it was dispersed by the vastness tempered by the Northern Plains people in the ice and snow, making it vibrant.

It seemed to be a metaphor for the handshake and reconciliation between the various ethnic groups of the Central Plains and the various tribes of the Northern Plains.

Finally, Sheng Lingyuan stumbled and recalled the complete song, recalling the life he had thrown away.

Back then, he was not yet an adult and was a foolish child who was not much more experienced than the sword spirit. He was still studying.

The sword spirit shamelessly proclaimed him as the first and only emperor in history, and he looked back at the vast sky road that spanned the snowy mountains.

He fearlessly accepted the seal of the emperor and made a great vow: all living beings, whether they have spirits or not, have a place to belong.

In this way, after thousands of years, when the sword spirit achieved its true form, there would be a human who could freely roam the world.

How naive and ignorant he was.