After the destruction of the Immortal Realm, I took in the fallen fairy.

"You mean, the seawater that almost drowned us just now... was caused by it?"

Lin Heng stood up and played with the hairpin in his hand in a daze.

Because he could not sense any power of rules or even any fluctuations of spiritual energy here.

"Yes, this is a hairpin that I used to carry for a long time. Before the demonic tide invaded, the sect leader had it made into a protective item for me."

Mu Tinglan nodded gently and said, "The sect leader used my own water spirit root to contain a secret technique within the hairpin that can protect me."

"So that's how it is..."

Lin Heng nodded slowly.

After all, both she and Yun Qinghe were being groomed by Yun Yue as the future of the Yunling Sect.

Even if the demonic tide invades, Yun Yue will prepare a trump card for them to fall into the immortal realm.

Yun Yue left the Thousand Branches Vine Sword behind in contact with Yun Qinghe through the Yuanhuo Sect.

As for Mu Tinglan, it was a secret technique that could instantly deprive the enemy of their spiritual power...

"So this must be what fell from the star."

Lin Heng looked at the hairpin in his hand and sighed inwardly.

Originally, he thought this was an item that could trigger the Tide-Summoning Seal, allowing Mu Tinglan to obtain the Mermaid Tear Tide-Summoning Flute.

However, if it contains a secret method to protect her, and it is a hairpin that she used to wear, then it does indeed fit Yun Yue's statement.

This hairpin does indeed carry the aura of Mu Tinglan.

Although no matter how I think about it, I still feel it's a bit of a pity...

Suddenly, Mu Tinglan's body trembled slightly, and she noticed out of the corner of her eye that Lin Heng quietly sighed.

"I'm sorry, Master..."

"?"

Lin Heng looked at her with a puzzled expression.

"When you first realized this item was related to me, you were probably filled with anticipation, weren't you?"

Mu Tinglan gently bit her thin lips, looking at Lin Heng with deep regret: "These past few days, Master has been preparing so meticulously..."

"But now I've discovered that this is just a hairpin that I used a secret technique on once and has no value anymore."

"To be honest, it's not entirely without value."

Lin Heng held the hairpin up high to look at it, then looked at Mu Tinglan beside him.

"Could it... still have value?"

Mu Tinglan stared blankly at Lin Heng.

Lin Heng didn't speak, but simply placed the hairpin in his hand: "Value doesn't necessarily have to be used to generate profit. For example, looking good while wearing it is also value."

Is this also value?

Mu Tinglan paused, holding the hairpin.

She has always seen things very clearly.

Everything the master does is actually in pursuit of his own interests.

For example, the reason I had my junior sister lie on the bed was to run the Spirit Restoration Array to generate spirit stones.

The reason for reading books on the Pleasure-Seeking Platform is to gain progress in unlocking content.

But the value of this hairpin...

Is it just because you think it will look good on you?

"Master, something terrible has happened!"

At this moment, Gesang Nazha and Song Jingyu led the Fire Spirit Root Fairies into the large hole formed by the seawater.

"Does Shen Zu still have a trump card up his sleeve?"

Subconsciously, Lin Heng thought of that fat old man.

But when I was awake just now, wasn't that guy still lying on the ground, his life hanging in the balance?

Song Jingyu exclaimed excitedly, "No, teacher, it's not him... it's the Demon Tide!"

"Demonic tide... Holy crap, it's only been three days!"

Lin Heng immediately started cursing.

It's probably only early morning during the Demon Detector's test.

In the past, the demonic tides either came during the day or at night... How come this time it seems like they're rushing to arrive, appearing as soon as the time comes?

"Yes, and I just went to the cave entrance and saw that almost all the miners in the mine have been killed by monsters."

Gesang Nazha's expression was even more gloomy and uncertain.

"What is this demonic tide?" Lin Heng asked immediately.

"It is the ethereal immortal soul tainted by demonic energy."

Everyone was astonished.

Only Lin Heng looked confused and asked, "What is that thing?"

"...Master, that is the soul of an immortal who, after passing away, was preserved in the world through the laws of the Great Void and Chaos."

Yun Qinghe said in a low voice, "They will not only retain their strength from when they were alive, but they can also continue to cultivate and improve their cultivation after they become souls."

"Has the immortal's soul been resurrected?"

"Hmm...that's roughly the idea."

Gesang Nazha nodded, her face grim: "I observed from outside just now. Most of them are Void Immortal Souls at the peak of the Spirit Realm. Because they are cultivators, even at the same level, their strength is somewhat stronger than the Heart-Eating Demon Wolves. But there is one exception among them..."

"exception?"

Lin Heng's heart skipped a beat.

You should know that he clearly remembered that the Demon Observation Platform showed that there was a chance that this demonic tide would generate a level 10 demonic tide in a local area!

I can't possibly be that lucky...

"Yes, a celestial realm with several mermaids assisting the Taixu Immortal Soul was generated around it."

Gesang Nazha nodded and said, "The biggest change in the Enlightenment Realm is understanding and utilizing the power of rules. And being able to form a Celestial Realm from the power of rules... is an ability that can only be comprehended in the Feather Transformation Realm."

Your mother's big watermelon!

Lin Heng nearly had a stroke upon hearing this.

Given his current situation, the immortal servants around him have all had their spiritual power drained by that secret technique, rendering them incapable of fighting.

If it's just dealing with a level 4 demonic tide, there are still some solutions.

After all, the mine was filled with magic arrays set up by Shen Zu, and he could protect himself completely with these arrays and the Extinction Fire Pearl in his palm.

But what's the meaning of this Taixu Immortal Soul at the Feather Transformation Realm?

Even if the immortal servants around him had not lost their spiritual power, they were still no match for a cultivator in the Feather Transformation Realm!

Even Yun Qinghe, who possessed the Thousand Branches Vine Sword, could only barely restrain Bai Ma Meiduo, who was at the Enlightenment Realm.

An old man who can reach the Ascension Realm...

Can't you just lie quietly in your coffin?

They insisted on coming to the Magical Calendar to fry fish!

Suddenly, a gust of cold wind blew in from the cave entrance.

Lin Heng and the others immediately fell silent and looked up at the cave entrance.

At the corner of the cave entrance, there was a floating, ethereal water surface formed by spiritual energy, and standing there was a mermaid with an illusory figure.

It brandished its harpoon triumphantly, and as it passed Shen Zu, who was still lying on the ground, it swiftly raised the harpoon and pierced Shen Zu's chest.

Even if Shen Zu didn't drown just now, he must be lifeless now.

As the merfolk drew closer, the entire floating surface of the water came into view before Lin Heng and the others.

Floating in the center of the water was an old man with a transparent body, white hair, and eyes that were stained black by demonic energy.