At 4 a.m., Ji Chen and Su Wan moved silently through the deserted streets. The city was still asleep, and the streetlights cast long shadows across the pavement. The address Lin Mo had given them led to the Jiangcheng branch of the Bureau of Special Affairs, located inside an unremarkable office building in the city center.
"Are you sure you want to come with me?" Ji Chen asked for the third time. "It's too dangerous to go back to the company."
Su Wan rolled her eyes. "Ask me one more time and I'll hit you with a Silence Spell for an hour." She checked the silver needles hidden up her sleeve. "Besides, without my Disguise Spell, you wouldn't even make it through the front door."
Ji Chen shut his mouth. Over the past two days, Su Wan had taught him a number of useful spells, but Disguise Magic was far beyond his current capabilities.
The Jiangcheng branch of the Bureau looked ordinary from the outside, but inside it was heavily guarded. After passing through three security checkpoints and one spiritual scan, the two were escorted down to the command center on the third basement floor. Lin Mo stood in front of a massive electronic screen displaying a map of Jiangcheng, where nine red dots flashed in a deliberate rhythm.
"The situation has changed," Lin Mo said bluntly. "Qin Yue has activated the formation earlier than expected. It's not fully operational yet, but the nine nodes have already begun absorbing spiritual essence from the surrounding living beings."
Ji Chen moved closer to the screen and noticed that the locations of the red dots matched exactly what he and Su Wan had predicted. The central dot was, unsurprisingly, the headquarters of the Genesis Group.
"Why activate early?" Su Wan asked.
"Not sure. But it might have something to do with this." Lin Mo pulled up a surveillance video showing a black altar in Qin Yue's office, with a fist-sized blood-red crystal suspended above it. "That 'Blood Spirit Crystal' suddenly flared to life last night. We suspect it sensed something."
Ji Chen's right palm suddenly burned with pain—the mark of the jade scroll glowing faintly. He instinctively covered his hand, but Lin Mo had already noticed.
"So it is connected to the Heavenly Tome," Lin Mo murmured thoughtfully. "The Blood Spirit Crystal is a condensation of resentment and negative energy collected by the Night Owl Society. Normally it clashes with orthodox cultivation techniques, unless…"
"Unless what?" Ji Chen asked quickly.
"Unless it's seeking its kin," Lin Mo said, locking eyes with him. "There are said to be nine ancient Heavenly Tomes. The Tai Xu Derivation Sutra is just one of them. Legend has it they were once part of a whole, and can resonate with one another."
Ji Chen felt his heart lurch. That dream—standing before a glowing door with nine indentations—could it be…
"No time to ponder," Lin Mo cut in, snapping Ji Chen out of his thoughts. "We're launching a strike on the nine nodes this morning. But the core of the formation—the array eye—must be destroyed at the same time. Qin Yue's office is the most crucial, and also the most dangerous spot."
"We'll go," Ji Chen blurted out.
Lin Mo raised an eyebrow. "Perfect. You two have legitimate reasons to enter the building. And…" He gave Ji Chen a meaningful look. "The Heavenly Tome's host might be the only one capable of destroying the Blood Spirit Crystal."
The operation plan was quickly finalized. The Bureau's agents would attack the outer eight nodes, while Lin Mo would personally lead a team into the underground sub-node beneath Genesis HQ. Ji Chen and Su Wan would enter Qin Yue's office under the pretense of retrieving documents and attempt to destroy the main node.
"Remember, we must strike simultaneously at noon." Lin Mo handed Ji Chen a jade talisman. "This is a Break Formation Charm. Crush it when you locate the array's core. I'll be waiting downstairs for support."
By the time they left the Bureau, the eastern sky had begun to pale. With six hours left before the operation, the two decided to return to the safehouse to make final preparations.
"You sure about this?" Su Wan asked suddenly. "If we face Qin Yue head-on, our chances of winning are less than thirty percent."
Ji Chen stopped walking. "Do you have a better idea?"
"I could contact my clan—"
"And then what?" Ji Chen's voice rose unconsciously. "Have the Su family send help so they can drag you back to marry Zhao Mingyang?"
He regretted it as soon as the words left his mouth. Su Wan's face turned pale, her eyes flashing with a trace of hurt.
"Sorry, I didn't mean—"
"No, you're right." Su Wan let out a cold laugh. "I should know my place. A half-blood like me will never escape her fate, no matter how hard she struggles."
Ji Chen tried to explain, but Su Wan had already walked away. They returned to the safehouse in silence, the tension between them thick enough to cut with a knife.
Frustrated, Ji Chen raked his fingers through his hair. He knew he'd overreacted, but the thought of Su Wan being forced into a political marriage gnawed at him. And the worst part—he had no right to stop her. They were allies, nothing more. Not even friends, really.
Trying to distract himself, he began organizing his gear. He packed the pills he had managed to refine over the past two days—five Qi Restoration Pills, three Clarity Elixirs, and two barely usable Spirit Burst Pills, which could temporarily boost spiritual power at the cost of severe side effects.
"Here," he said, pushing half of them toward Su Wan. "Just in case."
Su Wan accepted them silently, then took out a small jade box from her own pouch. "This is a Qīngluán Heartguard Pill. It can save your life in a crisis."
Ji Chen wanted to refuse, but one look at her stubborn expression convinced him otherwise. He accepted the box—it felt warm to the touch, carved with the image of a phoenix in flight.
"Su Wan, about earlier—"
"No need to apologize," she interrupted. "You were right. I really don't have a choice." She looked up, her eyes flickering with something unreadable. "But at least today, I get to decide how I fight."
Ji Chen's chest tightened. He wanted to say something—anything—but the words wouldn't come. Instead, he just reached out and gently placed his hand over hers.
After a brief silence, Su Wan pulled her hand away. "It's getting late. Let's go."