"Something terrible has happened! The scepter has vanished without a trace overnight..." A shocking piece of news quietly spread through the inner palace of Tongling City: "A demon has appeared in Tongling City; disaster is imminent..."

The side hall was silver-white, with spacious rooms and silver decorations everywhere.

"I have secretly summoned you to resolve this issue," the king, dressed in a purple royal robe, hurriedly emerged from behind the white screen. His face was ashen, and his brows were deeply furrowed.

"Greetings, Your Majesty." Wen Long and Zhuo Yue stepped forward side by side, bowing deeply. "May I ask what urgent matter Your Majesty has summoned your subjects this morning?"

"This matter is urgent. Last night at midnight, the scepter, which was in my palace, suddenly disappeared without a trace. This is no small matter. We must immediately seal off the news and not let a word of it leak out. The scepter is a treasure of the palace and a symbol of my power. It cannot be ignored. In addition, the Empress is currently six months pregnant and has not had a single good night's sleep since the scepter was lost..."

Upon hearing this, the two ministers were dumbfounded, their expressions becoming solemn, unsure of what to say.

"What's wrong? Have you all gone mute? We've been raising an army for a thousand days, and now it's time for you to put your skills to use." The old King Ling was clearly agitated when he said this.

“I don’t think things are that simple. It might be the work of a demon,” Wen Long stepped forward, bowed slightly, and said to the king, “Why don’t I investigate for Your Majesty and see if anything unusual has happened recently?”

"Nonsense! What demons or monsters?" Zhuoyue's face flushed red as he glared at Wenlong. "I think someone is causing trouble..."

"Lord Zhuoyue, please don't say that. This palace is not for ordinary spirits to enter. Besides, there's no smoke without fire. There might really be some mystery behind it." Wen Long swallowed and glanced back at Zhuoyue.

“Yes, my palace has always been impregnable. How could an ordinary thief possibly get in? I think Wenlong is right. Besides, Wenlong is always conscientious in his work. Let him handle this matter.”

"Puff puff..." Just then, the sound of flapping wings came from the doorway. A red blob appeared in the room, and a small old man in red stepped forward. "Firebird is late, please forgive me, Your Majesty. Firebird is willing to accompany General Wen to investigate the demon,"

"Approved! Lord Firebird is fair in his dealings. With you assisting me, I feel even more at ease."

"Firebird obeys!" Firebird and Wenlong were about to bow and retreat.

“But Your Majesty.” Zhuoyue quickly stepped forward, opening his mouth as if to say something.

"Court is adjourned. The Queen needs me to accompany her. I'll leave everything to Wenlong this time. Discuss matters with him." The King frowned and walked behind the screen without looking back...

"Hmph!" Wen Long, who had already reached the door, turned around and flicked his sleeve at Zhuo Yue. Zhuo Yue turned around and met Wen Long's gaze. He saw a cold frost flash in Wen Long's eyes.

Zhuoyue felt a chill run down his spine. Only after Wen Long left did he turn around, hurriedly leave the main hall, and follow behind Wen Long...

After walking about half a mile, he turned around a jade slope and saw the firebird flapping its wings and catching up with Wenlong. The two hid behind a boulder and began to talk, "didi-gugu!"

Lord Zhuoyue approached stealthily, wanting to hear what they were saying. He secretly used his spiritual power, only to find that the two had set up a barrier, making it impossible to hear what they were saying.