Xiao Zheng and Wang Ze stretched their necks and opened their mouths in unison, exclaiming, "Ah?"

It's no wonder these two highly skilled elites were making such a turtle-like expression.

The curse's name was long and twisted, and it didn't sound like human language at all.

"The name of this curse is a direct translation from the language of the demon clan. In the past, cultured people who understood the demon language thought it was vulgar to talk about such things, so the translation entry was not edited. It doesn't sound elegant enough, so just try to understand the spirit of it."

Xuan Ji continued, "The demon king Jiu Xun used the 'Heaven-Defying Techniques' to cleanse his own bloodline. When the upper beam is not straight, the lower beam will be crooked. Some demons followed his example and didn't take the right path. They didn't have the courage to slaughter gods, so they made a low-grade version of the 'Heaven-Defying Techniques' - they captured mortals and kept them in a 'human field'.

"The people inside are forced to repeatedly recite the so-called 'Curse of Subjugation' every day. When they reach a certain level of recitation, their life force will gradually be extracted by the curse and then harvested by those demons, like livestock... But in this vast world, there is nothing strange that doesn't exist. I have never seen anyone who voluntarily recites this curse."

Not only did they recite on her own initiative, but judging from their skilled mouth movements and uniform rhythm, they probably also organized study sessions in their spare time. They was truly diligent and hardworking.

Xiao Zheng was completely confused and asked, "So, can it be understood as a kind of sacrifice? And what about the bead that just flew over?"

Sheng Lingyuan looked at the detention center that resembled a hell on earth, his brow slightly furrowed.

The situation below was unclear, but the prisoners on the lower level had already died, and most of them had turned into a mess of flesh and blood. There were not many 'demon pills' like Silver Shadow's that had be extracted.

"I think it looks like a demon pill," Xuan Ji pondered for a moment. "In theory, Silver Shadow is human, so there shouldn't be anything like this... I guess it's probably related to the 'True Pill' they eat. The so-called 'True Pill' of the True Nature Sect is refined by special people, drawing on their special bloodline. Every time they swallow a True Pill, the bloodline of the demon race will be purified once, and when it reaches a certain degree, they will undergo this after reciting the original curse...

"Tsk, so the True Nature Sect has exposed so many undercover agents, not just for the sake of the time law, but also because it's the end of the year and these believers were supposed to be 'slaughtered' anyway. Waste not, want not. Hey, Lingyuan--"

Sheng Lingyuan ignored him and turned to leave, followed by a large group of special ability field agents who were equally confused.

Wang Ze whispered to Xuan Ji in confusion, "What's the meaning of the 'big shot'? I feel like his mood is off today... Director Xuan, do you think I'm right or wrong?"

Xuan Ji clicked his tongue and ignored him, thinking that if he could avoid talking to him, he would.

"I think he didn't criticize me, which means he agrees with me."

Wang Ze was surprised and asked, "Why would he criticize you? The 'big shot' doesn't have such a bad temper."

Xuan Ji looked at Wang Ze with a condescending gaze, as if he was proud of his privilege to be able to be scolded at any time.

Wang Ze couldn't figure out what was wrong with him, so he had to put aside this question for now and whispered to Xuan Ji, "Why did the True Nature Sect keep so many followers just to 'eat' them? Even He Cuiyu doesn't have such a big appetite. Who is planting these 'human fields'?"

Xuan Ji flicked his hand in the air and felt the thick and dense demonic energy that seemed to be on the verge of turning into rain.

"Maybe the Demon King has come back to life..."

Before he could finish his sentence, Sheng Lingyuan interrupted him without even turning his head.

"Nonsense."

Although the emperor only said two words and scolded him, Xuan Ji felt as if someone had just scratched him from head to toe, feeling satisfied as he turned to Wang Ze and shrugged his shoulders. "See, I told you so."

In fact, Xuan Ji was just teasing Sheng Lingyuan and didn't really believe that the Demon King could come back to life.

Years ago, the human race paid a huge price to forge the Heavenly Demon Sword and its companion, and during the decades of chaos, millions of vengeful spirits wailed in the depths of the Chiyuan.

Xuan Ji still remembered the feeling of cutting off the Demon King's head with his sword body.

At that moment, his entire body and soul seemed to have been flattened.

The power seemed to have an independent will, as though it was not them killing the enemy, but the enraged heavenly rules using the power of this sword to punish the arrogant person who went against the natural order.

Whether it was the Emperor of Humanity or the descendant of the Vermilion Bird, they were all pawns in the hands of Heavenly Way, arranged and manipulated without their own will.

The sword not only cut off the Demon King's head, but also the fate of the entire Demon race. Unless time could flow backwards, he couldn't imagine who could escape from that sword.

Back in the day, even though Jiu Xun had an unappetizing appearance, he was still very picky about his food. He was obsessed with "innate spiritual objects". If it wasn't in the Pan Gu Classics or the Shan Hai Jing, it wasn't worthy of being a dish.

As a self-cultivated demon, he didn't care to taste anything that wasn't natural-born, let alone mixed-blood or mortal beings... or even those non-human things - even if this old nemesis managed to cheat death and survive until now, he wouldn't stoop so low as to eat feces.

"Senior," Xiao Zheng, who was averse to the feudal imperial system, couldn't bring himself to call him "Your Majesty" and instead respectfully addressed him as "Senior", caught up with Sheng Lingyuan and asked, "May I ask what we're doing now?"

"Have the idle ones leave," Sheng Lingyuan said, "Find a flat space in this building for me, the bigger the better."

Xiao Zheng asked, "In the building? What for? Can't we do it on the back mountain? It's much more spacious up there."

Sheng Lingyuan simply replied, "To set up the formation."

Xiao Zheng exclaimed, "What?"

Xuan Ji reached out and grabbed the back of Xiao Zheng's collar, pulling him back to stand shoulder to shoulder with Sheng Lingyuan.

"Someone is using the 'Curse of Subjugation' to devour his reserve food. The reserve food is spread all over the world, and his formation is like a giant magnet, sucking in all the fake demon pills and real flesh and blood. So, we will create a high-quality imitation of the 'Curse of Subjugation' to disrupt this magnetic field.

"As for why we chose the building... of course, it's because the headquarters' protective formation is powerful, and the energy monitoring system is both comprehensive and sensitive, able to locate the formation master. Right, Lingyuan?"

Lingyuan was suddenly deaf.

Xiao Zheng didn't know how to set up formations, but he understood the Emperor's praise for the infrastructure construction of the bureau and felt proud.

He immediately said, "The tarmac should work."

Sheng Lingyuan's hearing had been restored, and he ordered, "Lead the way."

The tarmac was located outdoors on the 36th floor where the aftermath department was located. The night wind was biting, and thick clouds covered the sky, as if ready to unleash a thunderstorm at any moment.

Sheng Lingyuan glanced up at the faint flashes of lightning and thunder, his face growing even darker.

The energy monitoring was complete nonsense - Xuan Ji was just spouting nonsense. The emperor had spent half his life strategizing and deploying troops, so what use did he have for these trivial things?

It was only because of the restrictions of the heavens that he couldn't use dark magic without being struck by lightning. He could only rely on the lightning rods in this building to create a time delay.

But really, if he was going to be struck by lightning, he might as well just take a few hits.

After all, he couldn't be killed by it, and Sheng Lingyuan didn't care much either.

It was all because of that damn 'oath of eternal love' that he was burdened with this damn feathered creature!

The feathered creature slinked over and asked, "I feel like sneezing, are you cursing at me again?"

Sheng Lingyuan: "..."

Xuan Ji laughed and revealed his family emblem on his forehead. He bent his finger into a gesture of "kneeling" and lightly tapped Sheng Lingyuan's wrist.

"Your Majesty, don't worry. I'll protect you."

After speaking, flames of fire-colored "ripples" floated up from under his feet. With him at the center, they spread out in circles, illuminating the landing pad as bright as daylight.

Due to the 'oath of eternal love' between the two, a subtle resonance was created.

Xuan Ji whispered flatteringly in his ear, "I am your sword, master."

Sheng Lingyuan didn't fall for it and sneered, "I dare not, you are my ancestor."

He mocked with his mouth, but his hands were quick.

The black mist spread out from his hands like layers of fine gauze, quickly mixing with the flames of the ripples.

Clearly, they were naturally antagonistic, but for a moment, they intertwined with a lingering taste, inseparable and connected, weaving a precise ancient formation.

The Curse of Subjugation.

Evil and greedy, emanating a savage and ancient aura, but with a hint of vitality due to the fiery threads mixed within.

The formation unfolded layer by layer, taking shape in an instant, causing the winds and clouds in the sky to surge.

Then, a bolt of lightning struck straight down, and a dazzling flame-colored light flew out from the formation, meeting the lightning in mid-air. For a moment, sparks flew and black mist rushed into the sky, spreading in all directions under the cover of the flames.

Beside them, a field agent with an unsteady mind was inexplicably drawn to the formation, and as they took a step closer, a coin suddenly bounced off their forehead with a "ding" sound.

The field agent who had been bewitched suddenly snapped out of it and scrambled backwards.

Xuan Ji turned around and summoned the coin back with a sigh.

"Your Majesty, this 'Demon of the Six Desires' is no joke. You really can turn people's minds upside down. I feel so jealous."

Sheng Lingyuan went deaf again and looked up towards the sky.

The special ability talents outside the formation all felt a chill run down their spines... Something was coming!

The sacrificial lambs from the True Nature Sect who had willingly offered themselves felt the presence of another Curse of Subjugation formation. They were momentarily confused, not knowing which way to direct the life force they were giving up, as if they had lost their shepherd dog.

The wind whipped up Sheng Lingyuan's long hair, and the formation beneath his feet grew larger and larger until it almost filled the entire landing pad.

The great heavenly demon was an expert in dark magic, and the high-quality imitation of the Curse of Subjugation had a stronger presence than the original, which was hidden somewhere unknown. The fake demon pills were divided into streams, with some being attracted by the demonic energy and flying towards them.

They were like a connecting wire, falling into the formation and "short-circuiting" the two formations that were separated from each other, seeing through each other's movements.

A huge black shadow floated above the parking lot, "reflecting" another formation that was devouring the fake demon pills. The formation had an ancient tree surrounded by withered vines, with a diameter of more than a hundred meters and an exceptionally huge and ferocious root system.

"Well, it's revealed," Xuan Ji whistled.

"Mr. Xiao-"

The cameras in the hands of the field agents flashed brightly as Xiao Zheng turned to the staff next to him and said, "Go check where this is. Such a thick ancient tree must have a record..."

At that moment, Wang Ze pulled him back.

"No, no need to check," Wang Ze said dryly. "Don't you recognize it? I feel like I'm quite familiar with it."

Xuan Ji's whistle changed tune - that ancient tree covered in withered vines was right in the center of the Bureau's building.

The other formation was in their building!

But... how could that be possible?

The main job of the Bureau is "energy monitoring".

The headquarters would love to have energy sensors in every tile crack, creating a grand array that could play a symphony of fate with all the energy monitors.

How could such a large array be hidden silently in the headquarters building?

If there was a problem with that tree, it would be understandable if he didn't notice it.

But why didn't Sheng Lingyuan notice it during his previous visits to the Bureau?

Before Xuan Ji could think further, a strange muffled sound spread through the building like boiling water, bubbling up.

"What's that  sound?" Wang Ze instinctively looked up at the sky. "Why does thunder sound like this? Is there a thunderstorm coming?"

But Xiao Zheng murmured, "No... it's not thunder."

As everyone followed his gaze and lowered their heads, they saw the terrace's floor tiles trembling. The tiny cracks spread in all directions like ice flowers blooming in frozen water.

The muffled sound was coming from under their feet!

In the same building, two similar formations attracted and repelled each other subtly, forming a pair of destructively powerful gravitational sources.

Each fake demon pill was attached to a human life, rushing from all directions and making the night sky murky and chaotic. The artificial light that took away the brilliance of the stars and the moon gradually became shrouded in murkiness, and the surrounding area of West Mountain experienced a power outage.

At the same time, with a loud "bang," the protective film wrapped around the ancient tree during the renovation exploded. Huge energy flowed from the roots of the tree at the bottom of the Bureau building, passing through the building and rushing upwards!

The landing pad of the Bureau was on the 36th floor, a large tarmac protruding from the building with a helicopter parked in the center and a runway for planes around the outer edge.

This bright and suspended airport violated numerous principles of architecture and was certainly not a product of pure steel and concrete.

The entire outer ring of the building was layered with countless formations, some reinforced, some insulated, some invisible, and even some with space-folding capabilities. They usually clung to the walls, silently maintaining the operation of the building, as if they were invisible.

But now, one by one, they appeared and collapsed like a circuit board soaked in water, exploding from the bottom up.

In just a few moments, the small crack on the landing pad's surface rapidly expanded, causing the entire building to shake.

Xiao Zheng suddenly turned his head and shouted, "Get on the helicopter! Quickly!"

On the terrace, everyone ran as fast as they could towards the nearest helicopter.

Suddenly, there was a loud noise and the ground split open. Cement bricks flew everywhere, lifted by the strong wind, and in the chaos, everything on the helipad was swept up. Sheng Lingyuan's Curse of Subjugation formation was hastily drawn, and like the terrace, was destroyed in an instant.

As the ground gave way, the two people reacted simultaneously.

However, because the situation was so sudden, there was no time to discuss a plan.

Xuanyi's first instinct was to save people. Falling from the thirty-sixth floor, even for a special operations agent, would result in becoming a special kind of pancake.

On the other hand, Sheng Lingyuan's first instinct was to catch the masterminds. He followed the trail of the other formation and leaped after it.

They were heading in opposite directions, one towards the building and the other away from it. They had been standing together, but now they were quickly separated.

They both turned around and looked at each other from a few meters away.

In unison, they asked, "What are you doing?"

It seemed like they had some kind of understanding, but it was not the right time or place for it.

Xuan Ji opened his mouth to speak, but suddenly there was a heart-wrenching scream from beside him.

He saw that one of the agents had stepped on a spot that wasn't solid ground, and the building's formation that was supporting him disappeared. He found himself hanging in mid-air, thirty-six floors up!

Xuan Ji didn't have time to say anything else.

He spread his wings and flew over, just in time to grab the person who had been fallen into the air.

When he turned around, Sheng Lingyuan was nowhere to be seen.

"Notify all departments," Xiao Zheng turned and shouted to someone next to him, "immediately evacuate the building. Those on lower floors should take the emergency escape route, those on higher floors - above the 36th floor - won't have time to come down, so gather at the helipad, quickly!"

As the building's formations were destroyed, the entire helipad began to collapse. The planes parked on the outer ring rolled down like dumplings, and there was no time for them to wait, they had to grab one as soon as possible.

The helicopter started up and flew off first, then dropped a ladder in mid-air.

Fortunately, the scene wasn't too chaotic.

The main bureau building had been sealed off earlier, and there weren't many logistics personnel left behind. Those still in the building were mostly special agents who had already organized themselves without needing any orders.

"Water and ice types, gather over here!" Wang Ze shouted, "Follow me!"

With his hands clasped together in front of his chest, Wang Ze formed a ball and the moisture in the air began to gather in his palms. His coat tore on his bulging arms, revealing the veins pulsing underneath.

He then forcefully slammed his hands down, compressing the gathered moisture into the cracks on the ground, which were immediately frozen by the nearby ice-based special ability user.

"I hate coming back to this dump of a place in Yong'an! It's as dry as if it had been dehumidified!"

Countless different types of talismans flew out of people's hands, and in a very short amount of time, these field agents displayed their unique abilities, patching up the crumbling runway.

The runway had collapsed halfway and was eerily suspended in mid-air. At this moment, all the on-duty personnel in the building had received the notice and quickly evacuated in an orderly manner.

The people on the 36th floor automatically split into two groups - the few non-combatants quickly boarded the rescue helicopter, while the field agents stayed behind to join others in holding off the enemy.

The hovering helicopter cast a strong light that illuminated the overlapping talismans on the terrace, creating a layer of fluorescence. Faint traces of ancient energy from various tribes mixed together, including those that were once archenemies due to their opposing attributes.

However, at this moment, they melted together in a contradictory yet harmonious way, just like the original appearance of the world before it was divided into clear and turbid during the chaos of the ancient times.

As Xuan Ji helped the rescue operations in mid-air, he inadvertently caught a glimpse and suddenly felt something in his heart.

Suddenly, a pungent stench filled the air.

It seemed like a vortex with a diameter of several hundred meters had formed around the building of the Bureau, greedily sucking in something.

The air became sticky and the smell of blood grew stronger and stronger, making one wonder if they were bleeding from their nose. The once murky sky now had a rust color, bringing an indescribable sense of oppression.

A thunderous crack sounded from the clouds, as if it were a warning.

"There's one more!" On the terrace, Wang Ze grabbed a logistics colleague by the back of his neck and uniform belt, throwing him outwards.

He estimated the weight and reported, "Director Xuan, your turn! One hundred pounds!"

A female colleague who usually claimed to weigh only ninety-five pounds cried out with a sob, "I weigh one hundred and one pounds!"

As soon as Xuan Ji regained his senses, he caught the person and leaped up, shoving them into the open door of the helicopter. His eyes caught a glimpse of a shadow - a piece of stone sculpture dislodged from the building above, hurtling towards the helicopter with teeth bared and claws outstretched.

Xuan Ji raised his hand and pushed the helicopter away, piercing the sky with a deafening sound. The helicopter was pushed several meters away, and a piece of chain flew out from Xuan Ji, smashing into the stone sculpture.

The giant rock whistled as it rolled down, and the usually brightly lit building was now pitch black. A bolt of lightning struck, and a terrifying crack appeared on the building, disappearing into the dark clouds above.

Xuan Ji's heart skipped a beat: could this building withstand the impact?

Let's not even mention the precious materials and archives that are trapped inside, along with the hundreds of staff members who are also trapped. And even more dangerous are the hazardous materials and dangerous species that are sealed underground, not to mention the highly lethal weapons being researched in the institute.

If the building collapses...

Suddenly, there was a loud "crack" in his ear, and something seemed to have broken. Xuan Ji shuddered as he saw thin branches emerging from the cracks in the building, causing the entire wall to tremble as if it could burst at any moment.

Xiao Zheng and the others were still down below!

Xuan Ji quickly formed a hand seal and a flame-colored talisman appeared on the wall with a loud smack. The wall emitted a wild beast-like roar from within, and a spider-web-like crack appeared on its surface.

It turned out that the wall had been hollowed out, with only a thin layer of skin left. The branches inside felt that the outsiders were not to be trifled with and immediately began to retract.

With each probing and retracting, the already damaged wall suddenly lost its support.

Xuan Ji swooped down, leaving behind a fiery trail in the air.

"Come out quickly!"

As soon as the words fell, the wall that had been eaten away was about to collapse, and the runway above was on the verge of collapsing. Xuan Ji spread his wings and propped up a shaky steel bar with one shoulder, while throwing out a handful of coins.

These "coins" were actually iron from his sword, which could transform according to his will and fly in all directions.

Upon landing, they immediately turned into iron chains of varying thicknesses, accurately "biting" onto the branches and firmly tying them in place, stubbornly supporting the wall.

The vicious Curse formation and the wildly growing dead trees finally attracted the heavenly calamity, and the first lightning bolt struck, illuminating everything around.

Amidst the chaos, Wang Ze whistled and exclaimed, "Awesome!"

Xiao Zheng, who specialized in lightning, shouted, "What the hell! Are your damn chains insulated? How are we supposed to get out of here?"

Xuan Ji: "..."

Although this guy was a bit rough around the edges, he always managed to hit the mark.

As soon as he finished speaking, a thunderstorm came crashing down with a vengeance. The lightning rod and anti-lightning system of the building had already stopped working due to the damage, and the lightning struck a tree branch, climbing up the conductive chain.

The chain and the trapped vines were intertwined into a pile of Tesla coils, creating a stunning display of purple electricity and blue frost.

At that moment, it was unclear whether this friend named Xuan Ji was helping or adding fuel to the fire.