On a moonless night, when the spiritual energy is at its thinnest and the earth's veins are silent, the mountains and rivers are immersed in a deep slumber, not yet awake.

The flowers and birds are quiet, and the distinction between purity and turbidity is clear in the world.

It's a good time for whispers.

Inside the heavily guarded building of the bureau, the atmosphere is unusually tense.

Half of the ten patrol teams stationed here belong to the Storm special forces group in Yong'an, while the other half are from Wind God's Team One. Thunder is investigating the traitors within the True Nature Sect and can no longer be mobilized.

Both sides are cooperating with each other, but also keeping a close eye on each other. Communication is strictly monitored, and the festive atmosphere of the outside world cannot penetrate the building.

Tonight, all the special abilities suspects on the underground floors one to six are colleagues who clocked in for work together in the morning. The maintenance and renovation of the formation in the hall had come to a halt. The isolation board outside the foundation tree was still in place, with the words "Construction, Protecting Ancient Trees and Cultural Relics" crookedly sprayed on it, making it look chaotic.

As a Wind God team passed by the hall, the field agent at the end suddenly stopped and grabbed his colleague, saying, "Look at that!"

The person next to him followed his finger and saw a tender shoot poking out from the gap in the isolation board. It was a timid green, full of vitality, as if it was ready to flourish in a hurry before the beginning of spring.

The Bureau was not a botanical garden, and the sudden growth of plants was not a symbol of spring's arrival - it often indicated some kind of mutation.

Several Wind Gods took a step back and each held onto their weapons.

The leader of the group spoke quickly and quietly, "Notify the other duty colleagues and report to Team Leader Zhang, quickly!"

The Wind God agent, who received the order, immediately reached for his walkie-talkie.

But before he could say anything, a voice came from the walkie-talkie. It was from the Storm Team patrolling the special abilities detention center underground.

"In Zone A on the lower level, the detainees are acting strange. We are closely monitoring the situation and requesting backup..."

Before the voice could finish, another voice cut in on the walkie-talkie, "Special detention center on the second lower level requesting backup!"

Inside the special detention center, each room was a single cell, strictly isolated from any communication channels that could not be monitored by the spiritual ability-types. The outermost layer of each temporary cell was made of one-way glass, allowing patrol officers to observe the movements of detainees from the outside, while those inside could not see out.

However, at this moment, all the detainees stood up in unison, as if they were wound up, and walked to the door in the same posture, with a collective eerie smile on their faces.

"They seem to have received some kind of instruction."

"What kind of communication channel?"

"Unknown. No one spoke, and the energy monitoring system did not detect any abnormal energy fluctuations."

"Wait, shh, listen——"

After a moment of rustling on the intercom, a song began to play. From the first to the sixth underground floor, a total of 270 True Nature Sect believers of the Bureau were detained, mostly field agents, with a few logistical personnel. The field agents still wore their uniforms, and apart from the special handcuffs on their bodies, they were no different from the patrol officers outside the cell door.

These people stood together at the door, staring straight at their colleagues outside the window. They opened their mouths in unison, their low voices echoing in the closed and soundproofed detention center, gradually forming a melody.

Someone whispered, "This sounds like... the commemorative song we commissioned for our anniversary."

During the time when the old bureau chief was still in office, the last anniversary of the establishment of the bureau was celebrated. The bureau invited a famous musician to write a song called "Born Together".

The composer who took on the task was an ordinary person. Seeing that the theme was "born the same yet different", he thought he was being invited by some organization that protects the disabled. He buried himself in work for months and wrote a masterpiece that praises the greatness of life and the spirit of perseverance.

The lyrics were catchy and the melody was grand and solemn. Apart from a few strange lyrics, there were no major flaws, and everyone played it on repeat - even some individuals with a tendency towards melodrama, like the members of the Wind God team, used it as their entrance music.

However, on the first day of the Lunar New Year, communication had been cut off.

In the dim underground prison, the song suddenly took on a different tone, filled with anger and humiliation. The sound waves seemed to be crashing against the special abilities detention center's door, ready to break free.

Not far away, the temporary command center was in chaos as the phone rang incessantly, interrupting Dan Lin's report on the preliminary structure of the earth veins monitoring network.

"Singing?" Xiao Zheng asked incredulously. "Just... singing?"

Dan Lin frowned, his first reaction being, "Is there any psychic attack in the song?"

"No, the upgraded security system last year filters out spiritual-type abilities in the special abilities detention center..."

"The key issue is how they communicate with each other. There are no clocks in the individual cells of the detention center, so they couldn't have arranged it beforehand," Wang Ze stood up. "Hasn't their subconscious imprint from the cult already been exposed? This is too strange. I'll bring reinforcements back to headquarters right away..."

"Wait," Yan Qiushan suddenly interrupted. He was already a man of few words, and had become even more silent since returning from the Heavenly White Jade Palace.

Although he had been called to the temporary command center meeting, his participation was minimal, always sitting by the window with Zhi Chun, pretending to listen.

At this moment, Yan Qiushan was facing away from everyone, looking out the window with slightly narrowed eyes.

He asked an unrelated question, "Director Xiao, where did you import the elm-leaved plum trees in your yard from?"

Xiao Zheng replied, "Huh?"

Yan Qiushan slowly turned his head and asked, "Why did they bloom before the beginning of spring?"

These plum trees are a common ornamental plant in the north, and usually only blooms when spring is at its strongest.

Yan Qiushan pushed open the window of the meeting room, and the cold northern wind "whooshed" in, causing the papers on the conference table to flutter. The people in the room who weren't wearing coats shivered together.

Outside the window, there were large clusters of plum trees in full bloom, and the western sky had already dimmed. The evening glow seemed to have fallen into the mortal world.

Just then, Dan Lin's phone began to vibrate frantically, and in the background pushed notifications of dozens of urgent work emails. Her old phone, with insufficient memory, almost froze.

The emails were from the personnel responsible for monitoring the rain at various pulse nodes throughout the entire region - the level of abnormal energy from an unknown source had skyrocketed!

As the evening approached and the stars began to twinkle, a team of operatives, with the assistance of the border defense forces, had finally located their target on the rarely traveled northern border. The three individuals they were pursuing were remnants of He Cuiyu's followers.

The old witch, who seemed to possess eternal life, had met her demise and transformed into a giant worm, buried in the ancestral tomb of Qingping Division. The rest of her misguided followers, unable to find their way, were tricked by the Shadow person into attempting to assassinate Yan Qiushan.

The assassination failed, and the Shadow person was subdued. These once dutiful and wise descendants had become outcasts, surrounded while attempting to flee the country illegally.

The leader of the on-site arrest operation held up a borrowed megaphone and announced, "Attention, people in the car, if you resist arrest, you will be charged with the crime of 'abusing special abilities' and your punishment will be increased. You will be locked up for a long time! People in the car..."

As soon as he finished speaking, one of the suspects stumbled out of the car as the surrounded door suddenly popped open. This suspect had long hair that defied gravity, styled like a frozen mop.

The field agents clearly did not appreciate his punk fashion sense, as seven or eight mithril guns immediately aimed at him.

"Stop! Don't move! Put your hands on your head... huh?"

The suspect wobbled and kept muttering, whether cursing or hexing someone, before suddenly dropping to his knees with a thud.

The shouting field agent was taken aback, wondering why the suspect was cooperating so well.

As he tiptoed closer to take a look, he suddenly took a big step back, his hair standing on end.

"What the heck is that?!"

The suspect's left half was still in human form, but the right half of their body had already begun to fade like a shadow.

Suddenly, they opened their mouth and spat out a large mouthful of blood, the stench overwhelming. Upon closer inspection, all of their internal organs had "flowed" out with the blood, and even their heart, which had fallen to the ground, was still beating!

In less than half a minute, the suspect had vomited themselves into an empty sack and collapsed dead on the ground. Blood seeped everywhere, and in the middle was a dark red bead that stood out.

The undercover agents who were carrying out the arrest had never seen anything like this before and were collectively dumbfounded.

After a while, someone cautiously approached the bead and said, "This is..."

Before they could get a good look, a string of black characters flowed across the "bead," and it flew up on its own. All the items on the scene were important evidence.

The field agent closest to the bead instinctively moved to intercept it, using both hands to create a thin barrier that blocked the bead's path. The bead, seemingly intelligent, tested the barrier by bumping into it a few times before coming to a stop.

The field agent breathed a sigh of relief and turned to his colleagues, saying, "Quick, get me an energy shield..."

"Be careful!"

Suddenly, the bead exploded into a cloud of black smoke, corroding the barrier in an instant.

Before anyone could react, the bead tore through the barrier like a bullet and shot directly into the field agent's forehead, exiting through the back of his head.

Amidst the panic and shouts of the crowd, the bead flew into the sky and disappeared.

This was the northernmost point of the border, where the temperature had already dropped to below minus thirty degrees Celsius. The fierce northwest wind whipped up thick snow, and strange grass sprouted on the ground.

As luck would have it, near a small island in Southeast Asia, a boat packed with illegal immigrants was resting in the harbor. On board, the smell of people mixed with the stench of fish, as if the boat was filled with salted fish.

After spending so much time on the boat, the passengers had become accustomed to the smell, but one night, a strong and pungent odor suddenly spread throughout the boat, waking up even those who had already become accustomed to the stench.

Several people on the boat tried to endure the smell for a while, but eventually they couldn't take it anymore. They grumbled and climbed up to search for the source of the odor.

They searched the entire boat upside down and finally found a scar-faced man in the corner. The man called himself "Snake Skin" and claimed to have committed a crime in Nanhui, Yuzhou, and was being pursued by the local police.

He had escaped by this fishing boat and loved to tell sensational and superstitious stories, but everyone knew he was a liar.

One of the stowaways kicked him and exclaimed, "Snake Skin, what are you doing...ah!"

Snake Skin tumbled down with the force of the kick.

The stowaways got a good look at him and immediately screamed in terror, scrambling to retreat. In the cramped cabin, a vacuum was created as they all backed away.

Snake Skin's lower body had turned into a slimy eel-like tail, while his upper body seemed to have "melted."

At the slightest touch, his flesh and blood spilled out onto the floor. His eyes were wide open and lifeless, and his pupils had dilated.

He was dead.

After a while, someone cautiously poked him with a stick.

With a light "pop" sound, Snake Skin made a cracking noise. His skin seemed to have lost its elasticity and was as dry as garlic skin, easily falling off with a tug.

On the small smuggling boat, there was not a sound to be heard.

Under the moonlight, the boat was covered in moss, and in the shimmering sea, it looked like it was dripping with emerald green.

The central dispatch office had been bombarded with calls from all over the place - "Report, some plants in the Shanbei protective forest are showing signs of abnormal growth out of season, and unidentified bodies have been found nearby, with an abnormal energy level rating of R. Please instruct the headquarters."

"At the same time, three rental houses in Dongchuan caught fire, and there were charred bodies at the scene. It is suspected to be the remnants of the Yue De Sect, but the cause of death is unclear... um, how many people? If, if several... wait a moment, we'll confirm whether the number of arms, legs, and heads match up!"

"We've been tracking a small group suspected to be from the True Nature Sect these past few days. The branch office has just issued an arrest warrant, but before we could act, several suspects simultaneously exploded and died. The energy level at the scene exceeded our processing authority... Oh, by the way, a dead cherry blossom tree that had been dead for years suddenly came back to life at the entrance and bloomed."

On the cold night of New Year's Day, flowers all over the world bloomed, as if they were welcoming something.

Forty-five minutes later, Xiao Zheng waited at the entrance of the headquarters amidst a sea of flowers, and was greeted by Xuan Ji, who had descended from the sky.

Xuan Ji had flown directly over and was choked by pollen, causing him to sneeze twice. His wings, which he had not had time to retract, almost caused Director Xiao to trip.

"What, ah-choo, why is the vegetation so rich, ah-choo!"

Although the number of tourists visiting the West Mountain has always been disappointing, the environmental protection there is quite impressive. The vegetation is rich throughout the four seasons, each with its own unique scenery.

In spring, there are magnolias; in summer, roses; in autumn, chrysanthemums cover the ground; and in winter, there are plum blossoms. Normally, these flowers bloom in rotation throughout the year, but now they are blooming out of season and causing discomfort for those with allergies.

"I don't know, why are you alone?" Xiao Zheng looked around and asked, "That person... um..."

Sheng Lingyuan appeared behind him at some point, standing on the stone steps in front of the building. He seemed to have emerged from the darkness and was everywhere, just like the night.

He looked up at the sky with his hands behind his back, and furrowed his brow.

As soon as Xiao Zheng looked at Sheng Lingyuan, he noticed a slight flush on his face.

Suddenly, he looked more human... and emanated an aura of 'don't mess with me.'

Xiao Zheng quickly followed his gaze, hoping to find some clues in the 'heavenly phenomena,' only to find that there were no stars or moon in the sky. It was a cloudy night.

"It's a new moon night," Sheng Lingyuan whispered, then turned and walked into the control building.

Xuan Ji hurried to catch up, but Xiao Zheng stopped him and asked, "What does that mean?"

"Didn't you notice that all the major Yin Sacrifice rituals that happened before were on the first night of the new moon when there was no moon in the sky? Your Majesty, wait for me... huh!"

The alarm echoed through the building of the bureau, and on the large screen in the lobby, a huge map resembling a satellite cloud map was displayed. At this moment, circles of red light were erupting from all over the country, making people's hearts tremble with fear.

"First, let them figure out how to turn off the alarm. The building is going to explode," said Xiao Zheng, his shiny bald head reflecting the flashing red lights like a brilliant sunset, dazzling to the eyes. "With such a large-scale abnormal energy reaction, we still haven't found the cause. What have you all been doing? You..."

Xuan Ji raised his hand to interrupt his loud voice and sniffed, "I smell something heavy. Haven't you all noticed it?"

Xiao Zheng asked, "Huh?"

"Something's not right," Xuan Ji took a deep breath without showing any emotion. In a daze, he almost felt like he was transported back to the demon capital 3000 years ago.

The overwhelming demonic energy was so thick that it penetrated his mind, making it impossible to discern its source.

Ever since Chiyuan was sealed by the Vermilion Bird Bone, such a scent had never been present in the world.

Suddenly, a Wind God appeared as if he had seen a ghost, running towards them.

He stumbled over something and fell to his knees, skidding horizontally towards Xiao Zheng.

"Director Xiao," the Wind God agent shouted at the top of his lungs, accustomed to dealing with such situations. "The underground special abilities detention center... it's... it's..."

The underground was filled with a pungent and foul odor, like the sewage system of a slaughterhouse.

As soon as the elevator doors opened, Xiao Zheng was almost knocked over by the foul stench. Sheng Lingyuan's senses were on high alert, and he wrinkled his nose and covered it with his hand.

For some reason, he was reminded of the scene where blood-red threads pierced through his entire body, and he felt like he smelled like a bird.

Damn it!

Xuan Ji noticed his reaction and quickly tried to please him, "I'll go check it out, I'll run errands! It's too smelly here, Your Majesty, you go up first and wait..."

Sheng Lingyuan was annoyed by his behavior and waved him off, treating him like air and walking around him.

A field agent suddenly burst into the elevator, panting and rolling, without even greeting his superiors. He hugged the trash can and vomited uncontrollably.

A group of special agents stood or knelt, blocking the entrance to the hallway, too afraid to go in.

Shoving through the crowd, Xiao Zheng took one look and covered his mouth before rushing out, even Sheng Lingyuan frowned. The detention center was beyond unbearable.

"L-Look at the surveillance..." a Wind God agent trembled so much that his uniform pants shook.

The blind man, Silver Shadow, was locked up in the innermost room, with his condition visible on the monitor. To everyone's surprise, he had grown horns on his head.

His cloudy white cataracts had disappeared, revealing rectangular pupils that resembled copper coins. His eyelids were lifted all the way up to his forehead.

Silver Shadow stared at the surveillance camera with a creepy smile that was both fearful and excited. His whole body trembled, and the frequency of his tremors increased over time.

Muttering to himself, Xuan Ji wondered, "What's wrong with him? He looks like he's about to explode..."

"Holy crap!" Xuan Ji exclaimed as Silver Shadow's skin suddenly began to split from the top of his horned head, shedding his ill-fitting clothes like a snake shedding its skin.

The blind man, who no longer looked human, tilted his head back and howled like a dog. He curled up into a ball and ran around the cell on all fours, but his thin and short arms couldn't move like an animal's limbs.

Suddenly, he spat out something and it actually smashed through the prison door, flying out straight away.

Sheng Lingyuan waved his sleeve and the black mist rolled over, bringing the thing over.

It was a dark red bead with a heavily fishy smell and faint black patterns.

Wang Ze, who had rushed down with the Wind God agents upon hearing the news, pinched his nose and exclaimed, "Who ate shit? Why does this vomit smell so bad!"

"Hmm?" Sheng Lingyuan examined the bead and frowned, "How does this look like a demon pill?"

Normal demon pills are like pearls, regardless of their color, they all have a layer of shiny luster on the surface. Only when the owner is injured or their cultivation is damaged, will the luster dim.

Demon pills are crystallizations of the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and they definitely wouldn't smell like this.

Moreover, demon pills are not something that just anyone can have.

Only great demons with a cultivation level equivalent to that of a human's golden core can have formed demon pills.

What kind of thing could a mere few decades old mixed-blood spit out? A stone?

Just then, something suddenly flowed over the surface of the pill.

Sheng Lingyuan reacted quickly, and the black mist in his palm thickened by three layers, tightly wrapping around the suspected demon pill and throwing it towards an empty area.

The demon pill didn't even touch the ground before it cracked open on its own.

Out of it emerged a face that looked like a mix between a horse and a human, frantically bouncing around in the black mist, trying to break free.

Inside the cell, the blind man convulsed and struggled just as vigorously, mirroring the movements of the ghostly face in the mist. After a while, the blind man collapsed onto the ground, exhausted and lifeless, while the thing trapped in the mist silently dissipated into a cloud of smoke and dust.

Next, all the true believers of the True Nature Sect stood at the door, their skin bursting like inflated balloons, hanging raggedly on their bloody bodies. The exposed flesh and bones kept contorting, and blood mist sprayed out from the cracks in the windows and doors.

Some people's internal organs fell to the ground, leaving them with nowhere to hide. These people had a strange smile on their faces, like Silver Shadow, and their throats made a boiling sound like hot water.

Many people's vocal cords had already ruptured, but they grew various animal-like vocal substitutes. The universal language of the demon race, which was difficult to learn, became unexpectedly standardized.

The mighty Sheng Lingyuan, who had regained the Vermilion Bird's blood, understood their demon language.

They said, "May my body be turned into firewood, and the heavenly fire burns brightly, so that the nine nine return to one."

Xuan Ji widened his eyes and turned to look at Sheng Lingyuan, "Wait, this seems to be..."

Sheng Lingyuan's face was as still as water as he uttered, "The Curse of Subjugation: Lowly Servants Bowing Before the Origin."