Many children, many blessings: Stealing the offspring of powerful figures to cultivate immortality.

Jiang Yining did not avoid Lou Xiaotian's gaze: "The Dark Golden Lotus comes from the Merit Pool, and it is also connected to the intimacy between me and Fan Chenxin. He shattered his Dao Heart for me, and his Buddha Bone has not yet recovered. I will not deny these things to appease you."

Lou Xiaotian gripped the strap of his gun holster, the green vine on his chest pausing for a moment: "I don't want you to deny it, I just want to hear the truth."

"I heard the truth. If you mind, just say so. Don't try to get me to turn back by threatening your injuries and your life force."

"I mind."

Lou Xiaotian lowered his head and tightened the loosened ribbon. "Every time I see you tidying up his prayer beads, I want to shove the tassel of my gun into your hand. But the place I want has to be given by you. What you take away can't be kept."

Jiang Yining pushed aside the vines blocking her way: "After things in the city are over, let's talk privately. Make it clear what you want and what I can give you."

"Don't ask me to move any more materials."

"As long as you don't burn your essence before we start talking, I won't back down."

The cry of a fire falcon came from the backyard. Jiang Siyue was using two wooden planks to train the bald-tailed fat bird to walk in a straight line.

The Fire Spirit Falcon has grown a short, crimson tail feather. Every three steps it takes, it veers to the left, and halfway there, it simply lies down on the wooden plank, its wings close to the ground as if it's tired.

"You can't stay here, or you'll start spinning when you fly."

Jiang Siyue placed half an ordinary spirit fruit at the end of the wooden board. "You can only eat it if you come over. There are no Flame Marrow Fruits available today."

The Fire Spirit Falcon stared at the spirit fruit, then puffed out its belly and continued to move forward.

The array material box containing the star map bone plate suddenly trembled, and the triple sealing vines on the box lid heated up at the same time, with gray-white flight tracks leaking out from the gaps.

The cries of several children drifted into the backyard along the old flight path.

"In April, the ship broke down."

"Sister, come quick, it's so dark in the back cabin."

Jiang Siyue picked up the Fire Spirit Falcon and walked around the array material box at a distance: "Big Red Chicken, don't go over there, let's find Mother first."

As she stepped into the center of the backyard, the old post station bricks beneath her feet glowed with dark red fire patterns.

The North Post Station was originally a transit point for postal officials in the city. There was a fire node for the city's defense buried underground. It was abandoned seven years ago and only the surface was sealed. Pei Henian used the fire path left by Han Que when he restarted the city's sealing formation to awaken it from the outside.

The crying sound from the Star Chart Bone Plate pressed into the node. Jiang Siyue had touched the fox breath left by the bone plate and was caught by the array pattern. The nine tails opened up from behind her on their own.

"Mother, there's a fire underground!"

Jiang Yining burst through the back door, and the Purple-Gold Demon Vine shot straight for the child's waist.

Just as the vine tip wrapped around Jiang Siyue's cloak, the city's protective fire rose from the cracks in the bricks, forming a wall of fire. The demonic vine crashed into the fire wall and was burned off by half a foot.

Lou Xiaotian's Overlord Spear pierced into the outer ring of bricks: "The fire path is connected to the main vein of the city. If we force it, the entire fire will be poured into April's body."

Pei Yunji, leaning on his cane, rushed to the outside of the formation. The inner ancestral seal was reflected in the brick seam: "Pei Henian used the residual sound from the stern of the ancient boat to activate the bone plate, and then used the fox breath left by April to lock onto her. The bone plate was just bait. The real teleportation formation was hidden at the foot of the North Post Station."

The ring of fire pressed down to Jiang Siyue's feet, and the Fire Spirit Falcon spread its wings to block her.

The blood vines of the mother and daughter were stretched straight by the teleportation force, and the lock wound on Jiang Yining's wrist burst open along the old wound: "April, hold the big red chicken tight, don't touch the fire line."

"Mother, April didn't run around. April is on her way to find you."

"Mother saw it."

A burst of light obscured the child's figure, and the Fire Spirit Falcon suddenly pecked at the still-open crack in the fire.

Having swallowed the Flame Marrow Crystal, the newly formed Flame Marrow Fire Vein within its body could briefly bite through the same source of fire. When its sharp beak touched the gap in the array, it burned a bloody wound, yet still managed to pluck a tuft of blood-stained fox fur from within.

The Fire Spirit Falcon bit off its newly grown tail feathers, and the crimson feathers, coated with fox blood, shot out from the closing gap in the fire.

Jiang Yining raised her hand to catch Huo Yu, and a burn was left on her palm. The pulse transmitted by the blood vine between mother and daughter was still beating.

As the second chain of fire swept through the formation, the Fire Spirit Falcon, despite its injured left wing, crawled to Jiang Siyue's knees and used its body to block the line of fire.

The Ancestral Fire Array completely closed, and the child and the fat bird disappeared from the backyard, leaving only a ring of charred array patterns in the center of the floor tiles.

Lou Xiaotian gripped his gun and charged toward the center of the formation, but Jiang Yining held down the gun barrel: "Siyue is still alive. If you open up the ley lines and move the exit, it will collapse."

She wrapped the blood-stained fox fur around her fingers, and the wood energy probed into the distance along the blood vines of the mother and daughter, confirming that the child's Qi Sea was intact: "Lou Xiaotian, seal the outer green wood veins of the North Post Station, don't let the array domain continue to change positions."

"With a heart full of defilement, I seek the Buddha's lamp and use the fox's breath left over from April to find my way."

Pei Yunji investigated which city formations the nine fire paths passed through, focusing only on the entrances and avoiding the core of the formations.

The three split up. Lou Xiaotian used the green vine to suppress the fire veins under the courtyard wall, Fan Chenxin held up a lamp to shine on the fox fur, and Pei Yunji sent the inner seal energy into the outermost layer of the burnt bricks.

Bai Yan quickly drew a thin line, pointing to the center of the city: "The array is hidden below the city's protective water mirror, twelve miles from the North Post Station."

Pei Yunji knelt beside the array patterns, his fingertips avoiding the scalding inner circle: "The fire path is divided into nine branches, eight of which conceal the location, and the true path switches between the water mirror and the underground fire well."

Jiang Yining held the mother and daughter's blood vines: "April, if you can hear it, knock three times and tell your mother where the fire is coming from."

Within a twelve-mile-long array, Jiang Siyue huddled in the center of a stone platform, her nine fox tails wrapping around the injured Fire Spirit Falcon.

She didn't try to break through the barrier, but instead tapped the stone platform at her feet with her fingers.

The first tap was received after six breaths, the second after another six breaths, and after the third tap, the fox fur in Jiang Yining's palm darkened.

"The ancestral fire completes one cycle every six breaths, burning the fox breath that was placed outside in April."

Jiang Yining inserted the fire feather into the Heart-Questioning Buddha Lamp. "The fire vein left by the fat bird can still be used. Follow it to find the entrance."

Suddenly, the protective water mirror above the northern city unfolded, and the image of Jiang Siyue holding the injured Fire Spirit Falcon filled all the streets and alleys.

Pei Henian's projection stood above the array, pressing down nine chains of fire with his palm: "Everyone in the city, look carefully. This child carries the blood of the Nine-Tailed Demon and is connected to the Myriad Spirits Divine Tree. After the main tomb collapsed, she was drawing out the city's protective ancestral fire."

Warriors gathered at the north post station, and the city defense troops raised their shields to block the street entrance, but did not advance into the courtyard.

Han Que ascended the city tower and first pressed the city defense order into the water mirror: "Pei Henian, the fire node of the North Post Station is under the jurisdiction of the Tianhuang City Defense Array. Release the child."

Pei Henian's projection raised a finger, and the fire chain pressed down on the Nine-Tailed Fox Shield: "Hand over the Myriad Spirits Divine Wood, and the city's protective formation will naturally recover."

Han Que activated the city defense order, and eight of the nine fire routes stopped, but the last one was nailed to the depths of the fire well by Elder Zuxue.

"I can only block the Eighth Route Army."

Han Que shouted to Jiang Yining through the water mirror, "The core of the formation has broken free of the city's defenses. Forcibly demolishing it will cause the fire well to flood the entire city."

Chu Ling Shuang, carrying a hammer, walked to the courtyard gate: "Since you know that Pei Henian has raided the city formation, why are you still besieging the North Post Station? Hand over the fire path map of the city's protective water mirror."

"The command of Master Shui Jing must not fall into the hands of outsiders."

Han Que pressed down on the city defense order, "Jiang Yining, if you can peel off a section of the main branch of the divine tree and send it into the core of the formation, Pei Henian might stop firing."

"He just used your son's drugs to trap you, and now he's threatening to set the whole city on fire."

Jiang Yining pressed her injured palm against Huo Yu's. "Han Que, do you still want to leave the choice to him?"

Han Que looked at the child in the water mirror, his Adam's apple bobbing: "I will continue to suppress the Eighth Route Army, and I will also withdraw the city defense troops outside Beiyi. I cannot cut off the remaining route."

Jiang Siyue's fourth tap was transmitted back, the rhythm being half a breath slower than before.

The Buddha Lamp illuminated the outline of the array. A layer of the outer fox shield had been burned away, and the Fire Spirit Falcon was still protecting the child, its injured left wing dragging on the stone platform.

Pei Henian's projection raised its hand, and the second round of ancestral fire pressed down along the last fire path.

"Jiang Yining, bring the third ancestral root in exchange."

"If I don't see the sacred tree before the next round of fire falls, you'll have to search for your daughter in the ashes."