Chapter 64 – Reversal

Yun Xiguang stroked the little spirit bird’s feathers, and felt an inexplicable sense of emptiness in his heart.

When he interacted with Chi Qiong in human form, he felt immense pressure. Confronted by those clear, domineering eyes, there was always a desire to escape, always hoping that Chi Qiong would transform back into the small bird, as the little spirit bird’s form provided greater security.

But when Chi Qiong was unable to assume human form, Yun Xiguang felt even more lost.

He looked at the little spirit bird, thinking about how its bold and straightforward personality could no longer be expressed, feeling a sense of sorrow on his behalf.

However, Yun Xiguang’s sense of loss did not last long. He was a forward-looking individual who wouldn’t allow himself to be mired in negative emotions for too long.

If he felt disheartened and sad, he would act to change the situation, which was always better than getting stuck in it.

Since he felt sorry for Chi Qiong, he would assist him more actively in recovering the phoenix feather, and that was Yun Xiguang’s way of handling things.

Yun Xiguang’s disappointment vanished swiftly, and transformed into the impetus for action.

He had to find Li Zheng and others soon to inform them about the events at Youying Academy so they could report to their superiors, who would then send people to search for the spiritual energy there.

At that moment, Luo Ju’s villa was empty, the courtyard in disarray, the grass and trees uprooted, turning the three-story villa into ruins. It was clear that a fierce battle had just taken place there, likely between the Azure Dragon, Li Zheng, and Hai Ruobo and Luo Ju.

The weaver ants had been burned to ashes long ago, the queen ant and the nest dead, meaning Luo Ju probably didn’t have much time left either. Hai Ruobo’s combat power was inferior to the combined strength of the Azure Dragon and the Golden-Winged Great Peng. After losing, he escaped through the Illusionary Reality channel to the location of the weaver ants, only to be nearly burned to death by Chi Qiong.

Yun Xiguang quickly pieced together the entire battle process, speculating that Li Zheng and others were likely divided into two groups at that moment — one going to save Bai Ze, and the other searching for Hai Ruobo and himself.

Inspector Zhang must have gone after Hai Ruobo, while Li Zheng might be with Qin Shu.

After figuring this out, Yun Xiguang took out his phone intending to make a call, but it rang just in time. The caller was Inspector Zhang.

“Hello, is this Yun Xiguang? I’ve been monitoring your phone signal and just noticed it restored. Are you safely back?” asked Inspector Zhang.

“It’s me. I’ve brought Hai Ruobo back and have important intelligence to report,” said Yun Xiguang.

“Hai Ruobo is also with you?” Inspector Zhang’s tone was filled with surprise. “Are you injured? I’ll send someone to pick you up immediately.”

Yun Xiguang replied, “I’m not injured. I’m in the sanatorium, planning to visit Bai Ze.”

Inspector Zhang said, “I’m also with Bai Ze.”

Yun Xiguang was somewhat surprised, and quickly walked toward Qin Shu’s residence as he asked, “You’re here as well?”

Inspector Zhang replied, “Hai Ruobo suddenly disappeared, leaving us unable to locate his whereabouts. Rather than wasting resources tracking him down, we decided to concentrate our efforts on treating Bai Ze. Once Bai Ze recovers, we can predict Hai Ruobo’s and your locations.”

That was indeed a good approach.

As they spoke, Yun Xiguang arrived at the villa where Qin Shu was temporarily staying. A car was parked in the yard, and beside it, on an open space, was a helicopter. Inspector Zhang poked his head out from the helicopter.

Yun Xiguang asked, “The weaver ant’s main body has died. How is Bai Ze’s condition?”

Logically speaking, once the main body died, the worker ants would lack pheromones and quickly perish. Once they died, Bai Ze would only have physical injuries left, which could be treated by healers with all their might.

To Yun Xiguang’s surprise, Inspector Zhang said solemnly, “It’s not looking good.”

“How so?” asked Yun Xiguang, concerned.

“Did the main body of the weaver ant die half an hour ago?” Inspector Zhang inquired.

“Yes,” said Yun Xiguang.

Chi Qiong had transformed into human form at that time.

Inspector Zhang explained, “Luo Ju wasn’t strong himself; he just had high concealment. After the Azure Dragon broke through Hai Ruobo’s ‘Illusionary Reality,’ I used ultrasound to find all the hidden weaver ants. Li Zheng and the Golden-Winged Great Peng worked together to eliminate these weaver ants, and Luo Ju died. Just like Bai Ze, his body had been hollowed out by the weaver ants. Once the weaver ants perished, he couldn’t survive either.

“After Luo Ju’s death, Hai Ruobo fled. We planned to split into two groups. I was going to take the helicopter back to headquarters to mobilize forces to track down Hai Ruobo’s whereabouts. But as soon as I returned here, Bai Ze took a turn for the worse.

“Just half an hour ago, the moment the main body of the weaver ant died, a worker ant inside the villa spontaneously differentiated into a new queen ant, parasitizing Qin Shu and attempting to create a new nest.”

“Aren’t the weaver ants within Bai Ze frozen?” Yun Xiguang exclaimed.

He had clearly left the Crimson Chi to protect Bai Ze.

“The differentiated weaver ant wasn’t inside Bai Ze,” Inspector Zhang said gravely. “This weaver ant had been lurking in the house from the start, seemingly to prevent any accidents.”

As they spoke, the two reached the third floor. Qin Shu and Bai Ze lay with their eyes closed in the middle of the Spirit Gathering Array. The Azure Dragon circled the ceiling, steadily releasing pale blue ripples as if suppressing the weaver ants with its own power.

Apart from Li Zheng, there were two healers from Zhuzhao Academy present, one of whom was their vice president, Ning Shan.

“How are they?” asked Inspector Zhang, stepping forward.

Ning Shan shook his head and said, “With the main body and the Spiritbond Master dead, the worker ants could still differentiate into a new queen ant, instantly parasitizing a new Spiritbond Master to create a new nest. I’ve never seen such a spirit beast before.

“Eliminating the weaver ants is easy, but saving the person is hard. Currently, we’re barely restricting the reproduction of the weaver ants with the Azure Dragon’s power. However, they continue to reproduce at an extremely slow pace. The Azure Dragon’s power can only buy time, but once that time runs out, Qin Shu and Bai Ze will still become nests.”

“Is there no solution?” asked Li Zheng, worried.

Ning Shan said, “Our only hope now is for Bai Ze to use his own strength to kill the weaver ants within his body. This requires Bai Ze to recover as soon as possible, and that’s exactly what we’re working on. But now, Bai Ze and the weaver ants are one. While we treat Bai Ze, we’re also inadvertently accelerating the reproduction of the weaver ants, wasting the Azure Dragon’s power. This makes us hesitant to fully treat Bai Ze. It’s difficult, very difficult!”

“What kind of divine creature is this nine-strand spiritual energy, capable of giving birth to such a terrifying spirit beast,” said Inspector Zhang, troubled.

Yun Xiguang, who knew everything, handed Hai Ruobo over to Li Zheng and slowly walked into the Spirit Gathering Array.

“Student Yun Xiguang, please leave this place. Don’t interfere with our treatment,” Ning Shan hurriedly said.

Unexpectedly, upon seeing Yun Xiguang, the Azure Dragon forcefully flicked its tail, expelling everyone except Yun Xiguang from the room.

In an instant, Ning Shan, Li Zheng, and others found themselves moved outside the villa, standing in the yard, momentarily stunned.

Ning Shan said, “What’s the Azure Dragon doing? We’re still treating President Qin and Bai Ze.”

He tried to return to the villa but saw the Golden-Winged Great Peng spread its wings, blocking everyone’s path. A warning voice echoed in everyone’s mind: “No entry allowed here.”

Li Zheng asked in surprise, “Great Peng, do you think Yun Xiguang has a way to treat Bai Ze?”

The Golden-Winged Great Peng remained silent, merely casting a quiet glance at Li Zheng.

Ning Shan remarked, “Isn’t Yun Xiguang just an ordinary student without a spirit root? The reason he became a Grade-A Spiritbond Master was due to the Azure Dragon, not because he actually possessed that strength, right?”

Inspector Zhang didn’t understand what Yun Xiguang intended to do either, but he glanced at Hai Ruobo, who was still unconscious, pointing at the wound on his forehead and saying, “After Hai Ruobo fled, he was captured by Yun Xiguang. At that time, the Azure Dragon wasn’t by Yun Xiguang’s side. Moreover, the Azure Dragon belongs to water, and it’s absolutely impossible for it to cause such a burn injury.”

Everyone then focused their attention on Hai Ruobo. Ning Shan checked the wound on Hai Ruobo’s forehead and muttered, “His spirit root has been burned.”

Li Zheng said, “On the day Yun Xiguang became a Spiritbond Master, a celestial phenomenon occurred, and the True Sun Fire descended upon the world. The injury suffered by Yun Xinglei, who opposed Yun Xiguang at that time, was also similar.”

Ning Shan gave a dry laugh and said, “Yun Xiguang said his spirit beast is an ancient divine bird, the spirit of all fires, but that chick-like fledgling…how…possible?”

This time, everyone fell silent.

Ning Shan added in disbelief, “He’s a student of our school, a person without a spirit root. We evaluated him many times and always concluded that Yun Xiguang couldn’t become a Spiritbond Master. He had no future…”

Inspector Zhang furrowed his brows, as if remembering something, and said, “He’s Ling Qingkong’s son.”

“Ling Qingkong was…” Ning Shan’s words suddenly paused.

As Inspector Zhang mentioned “Ling Qingkong,” the memory that had been erased by time gradually resurfaced, reminding everyone of Ling Qingkong, the woman who had become a legend in the Spiritbond Master world while still alive, the woman who turned all impossibilities into possibilities.

“That’s right, that’s Ling Qingkong…” murmured Li Zheng. “If she were still alive, she might already be a Heaven-grade Spiritbond Master.”

Back then, Ling Qingkong was the idol of all Spiritbond Masters not born into prominent families. Li Zheng had also strived to emulate Ling Qingkong.

“The Crimson Chi isn’t a divine beast, it shouldn’t have been able to…” Ning Shan shook his head as he spoke. “Not necessarily. Ten years ago, she said the Crimson Chi had the potential to become a divine beast, and she would find ways to cultivate the Crimson Chi. Perhaps she really could have become a Heaven-grade Spiritbond Master.”

Li Zheng tapped his head and lamented, “In the past, I thought Yun Xiguang would be happier living as an ordinary person. He’s Ling Qingkong’s child. Ling Qingkong was someone who could turn the impossible into reality. How could I forget that? Inspector Zhang, how did you remember the name Ling Qingkong?”

“When interrogating Yun Boquan, he repeatedly mentioned the name Ling Qingkong. He believed that the reason his younger brother, Yun Botian, didn’t help him and didn’t serve the Yun family was because he met Ling Qingkong. Yun Boquan harbored hatred toward Ling Qingkong, considering her an ordinary person who overestimated her capabilities. I couldn’t remember Ling Qingkong at that time. No matter how I recorded it, her name couldn’t be recorded. Until just now,” said Inspector Zhang.

He also found it strange why, just then, this name that he could never remember suddenly appeared clearly in his mind.

“Because certain restrictions are gradually disappearing, and certain powers are gradually weakening,” said the Azure Dragon in the air.

Li Zheng looked up and saw that the Azure Dragon had somehow left the villa as well, and he asked with concern, “How are Bai Ze and President Qin?”

“Soon,” said the Azure Dragon.

As it spoke, a gentle yet firm flame ignited from within the villa, enveloping the entire building. This flame contained an extremely terrifying power but didn’t destroy anything.

“This is… Heavenly Fire?” Inspector Zhang said uncertainly.

Everyone present had witnessed Heavenly Fire before and knew that it only harmed spirit beasts, not others or objects.

“No, this isn’t Heavenly Fire,” said the Azure Dragon. “Heavenly Fire can only attack spirit beasts that violate the laws of the world. The weaver ant is a spirit beast evolved from modern biological creatures. It belongs to this era, so Heavenly Fire is ineffective against it.”

Heavenly Fire would only attack Bai Ze, not the weaver ants.

“What is this fire then?” asked Ning Shan.

“This is Yun Xiguang reversing the rules of Heavenly Fire, borrowing the power of that Supreme Deity to create a new rule-based fire,” said the Azure Dragon.