"Director Xiao!"

At the temporary headquarters in Yong'an, Xiao Zheng was chasing after a crow with black feathers, jumping up and down. "What's going on! What's wrong now?"

"Director, we found out that before the headquarters building collapsed, Luo Cuicui used his work card to go to the 80th floor. But because of the damage to the building, we can't confirm if anything is missing inside."

The 80th floor is the headquarters' permanent weapons depot.

There was a large number of mithril bullets inside.
Xiao

Zheng shuddered.

The mithril bullets were designed specifically for the "Fifteen-People Red Line" and had a precision of 'within five centimeters' to avoid injuring ordinary people during field operations. In other words, as long as the distance between the gun and the target was greater than or equal to five centimeters, the mithril bullets could successfully avoid 'non-special ability individuals' and ensure that they were unharmed.

This could greatly reduce the psychological pressure on field agents during missions, ensuring the safety of ordinary people and protecting the handcuffed field agents.

The mithril bullets were the greatest invention of the Research Institute in decades, without a doubt.

But...at this critical moment, if the secret was leaked, who would be in the crosshairs?

Thick miasma had already risen in the primitive forest of Chiyuan, causing all the insects and birds to flee. Except for the sound of the wind, there was a dead silence.

Gong Chenggong hung up the phone and turned to 'Jiu Xun': "The first batch of mithril guns has been distributed."

As he spoke, he took out a semi-transparent small bag from his pocket, inside of which was a silver-white small ball with a texture like just-solidified jelly, trembling and flowing in the small bag.

"As long as Brother Luo goes in and takes a turn, sprinkles a few seeds, and comes out empty-handed, he can secretly move out several tons of mithril weapons without anyone noticing. Who says that the plant-types can only do logistics? The Bureau really has no eyes."

'Jiu Xun' waved his hand and the mithril bullets flew into his hand: "Is it enough?"

"No problem, we have obtained the complete technology. Although Master Yue De was arrested, since they were able to successfully replicate the mithril cannon last time, there should be no problem replicating the bullets this time. The production line is already in place, and we can mass-produce the new ones within ten days to a month at most.

"With He Cuiyu dead, her useless subordinates will automatically come to us. Master Yue De's group is even worse off. From Master Yue De himself to his top disciples, they have all been caught and detained by the Bureau of Paranormal Control.

"The rest almost disbanded, and besides the emperor, there is nowhere else for them to turn to. The other loose civilian organizations are not influential, and I have contacted most of them. Most of them are timid and are just watching from the sidelines. But don't worry, these civilian sects are actually the ones who can best maintain tradition. They know which side they belong to."

"Only attack our own kind, not the humans," sneered 'Jiu Xun' as he held a small mithril bullet. "Sheng Xiao talks about how all living beings have a place to stand, does he want to live as a Shadow slave?"

Gong Chenggong smiled respectfully, "Exactly. Our own people are grateful and think they are great, glorious, and right. The mithril bullet sacrifices some of its killing power to ensure precise positioning. As long as Chiyuan is unsealed, we will regain our strength..."

'Jiu Xun' broke the protective bag of the mithril bullet, and it exploded upon contact with an abnormal energy body. He casually closed his palm, and the bullet exploded in his hand, only leaving a small wound that was quickly healed by the power of the three heavenly demons he had consumed.

The silver liquid flowed into Chiyuan through his fingers.

"You did well." 'Jiu Xun' glanced at him and said, "Thank you for your hard work."

Gong Chenggong was a typical 'ordinary person with a special bloodline'. Due to his bloodline being too thin, he couldn't express any abilities even when in the Chiyuan.

Like every ambitious person who refused to be a 'second-class citizen' in the Bureau, he thirsted for power and authority and had been working for the True Nature Sect for a long time.

But for some reason, 'Jiu Xun' always felt uneasy with him.

While Luo Cuicui wanted to break free from the pain of being a marginalized person, Old Lady Yu was deceived by the Shadow person and feared aging, Zhi Chun sought survival, and Bi Chunsheng sought death... all of these people had weaknesses that were waiting for him to exploit, except for Gong Chenggong.

Moreover, unlike those who were bewitched by the True Nature Sect, Gong Chenggong actively sought them out. Although he didn't have any special abilities, he managed to become the head of the aftermath department and was far from being on the sidelines.

He was shrewd and cunning within the Bureau, even holding incriminating evidence against the former chief and accumulating wealth over the years. At the Penglai Conference, he flirted with a group of civilian special ability users, and it seemed like he had connections everywhere. 'Jiu Xun' even suspected that the Yue De Sect's idea of cursing their customers themselves and then lifting their curse was his idea.

Director Gong was like a natural-born troublemaker, a bad seed without any additives.

"I can't compare to Brother Luo's sacrifice," Gong Chenggong humbly said. "Brother Luo even gave up his own body."

As the green vines wrapped around him, Luo Cuicui seemed to melt into them.

It was hard to tell where the branches ended and his body began. At first glance, it appeared as though his body had transformed into a part of the plant, but upon closer inspection, the veins under his skin resembled those of a leaf. It was clear that his body was no longer human.

"What are you saying?" Luo Cuicui spoke coldly, his focus on the Echo Sound.

"I chose to sacrifice my flesh and offer it to the Heavenly Cauldron, to abandon my physical body and attain my true form. I don't see it as a sacrifice. Director Gong, if you can't do it yourself, don't criticize others."

As Luo Cuicui spoke, bloodshot veins appeared in his eyes, their green hue making his gaze even darker.

"What's so great about the Heavenly Demon Sword Spirit? It's just an unhatched egg. If it hadn't been refined into a sword spirit by the Heavenly Demon, it wouldn't even have had the chance to open its eyes to the world. Becoming a sword spirit allowed it to shed its defective body and become an immortal spirit... thriving in the mortal world. Oh, and by the way, he even took over your director's position. Do you think he sacrificed himself?

"As for me, I was originally a discarded plant, but now I have transcended my useless physical form and gained the power of the Vermilion Bird through empathy. All the vines in the world are now a part of me. As a shapeshifter, why can't I break free and become something greater? Who says I have to cling to my own body?"

"Director Gong, what's the difference between your narrow-minded thinking and the ancient belief that 'one's body and skin are inherited from their parents'?"

As he shouted into the distance, it seemed as though the heavens and earth heard him. The wind rushed in, causing the massive bronze cauldron to emit a soft humming sound.

Luo Cuicui's body had already become a dried-up piece of meat, lying face up deep underground. His limbs had transformed into green vines that were deeply rooted in the ground, like a plant that had never seen the light of day.

"He's been hanging here for a while," Xuan Ji touched Luo Cuicui's body through his clothes. "At least it happened before I joined the aftermath department. They couldn't have suddenly switched people right under my nose. When it comes to the Heaven and Earth Cauldron, even the X-ray vision can't see through it...tsk, it's like hunting geese every year, but this year the geese came to us."

Before Sheng Lingyuan could respond, Xuan Ji turned around and saw the Emperor half-kneeling among the green leaves.

His fingers, which had just been scraped by a stone, caressed the bones hidden beneath the lush foliage.

It was unclear what he was thinking.

"Lingyuan, look at this," Xuan Ji exclaimed, tapping his own chest and gesturing towards it. "Do you want to touch it? It's warm and elastic, and feels so good to the touch - even though I, as a divine bird, find it quite unbelievable that I could still grow after death and end up this big... But no matter what, it's just a shell that's been stripped off."

Sheng Lingyuan snapped out of his thoughts and couldn't help but laugh.

He had heard from bird owners before that these winged creatures were quite jealous, especially the smarter ones who were more petty and couldn't stand being ignored.

As long as they felt that something else was stealing their spotlight, they would flap their feathers and sing loudly, doing everything they could to draw attention back to themselves.

"If it was just an empty shell, they wouldn't have kept it," said Sheng Lingyuan. "Inanimate objects don't change, they can only decay. A body can't grow from the size of a palm to what it is now."

"But it can't be considered alive either," Xuan Ji chuckled bitterly. "Even a chicken bone that's been gnawed on isn't this clean."

Sheng Lingyuan remained silent, impressed by Xuan Ji's wit.

"Do you understand this ritual?" Xuan Ji asked, carefully examining Luo Cuicui's corpse. "I feel like the green vine passing through the Heaven and Earth Cauldron, binding Luo Cuicui and my...my old bones that grew crazily after death together, looks a lot like when they nailed me to you during the Heavenly Demon Sacrifice years ago."

"The positions are the same, but there doesn't seem to be any sacrificial text around," Xuan Ji continued, flipping open Luo Cuicui's body with caution.

After a moment of contemplation, Sheng Lingyuan spoke up: "I've heard a rather unreliable theory before, that the Heaven and Earth Cauldron contains a trace of chaos from the beginning of time. Therefore, within the Heaven and Earth Cauldron, yin and yang, heaven and earth, gods and demons, water and fire... are all interconnected. It can merge everything in the world into one."

Xuan Ji exclaimed, "Ah?"

Sheng Lingyuan uncomfortably clenched his fist - there was only a small cut on his palm, but it had been bleeding and his hand had lost most of its strength... the upper body strength of the human race was too weak.

"There are formations that can suppress the cultivation of cultivators or the power of demons, and I know a few of them, but formations are also man-made and cannot surpass the 'heavenly rules' to completely suppress demonic energy," Sheng Lingyuan said, "unless..."

"The true power of the Chiyuan lies within something here," Xuan Ji's gaze fell upon the almost towering bird skeleton. "Wait, that means after the extinction of the Vermilion Bird Clan, the Chiyuan power fell onto this...this...what's it called!"

No wonder it didn't decay after death and even grew in size!

The Vermilion Bird Clan was the true keepers of the Chiyuan flame, so once they arrived here, whether it was the so-called "half of the Chiyuan" demon or the artificially created fake Fire-keeper, they all became powerless mortals in front of it.

Perhaps even Jiu Xun didn't expect that after devouring the entire Vermilion Bird Clan, the Chiyuan power still refused to give in to him despite his efforts.

It would rather fall onto the body of a half-dead "spirit" than give it to him.

"This is just too..."

It was too bizarre!

As Xuan Ji let out a sigh, he suddenly remembered something.

"This skeleton has the power of Chiyuan and the ability to merge everything with the Heaven and Earth Cauldron. Doesn't that mean that Luo Cuicui now indirectly controls Chiyuan? What the hell, he's going to turn into a plant spirit like the new generation of demon king!"

This was too much to bear!

"You...you fool, you nailed your own blood and flesh to the Heaven and Earth Cauldron," Sheng Lingyuan was stunned for a moment, amused by his naive thoughts.

"Your body is born and grown naturally. Unless necessary, how can it be easily replaced? Of course, you just trick a sucker into sacrificing themselves, and when the seal of Chiyuan is lifted, you swallow that plant spirit in one gulp - just like how the demon king gained the power of Chiyuan by devouring the Vermilion Bird God back then."

Xuan Ji exclaimed, "Your Majesty, can you not curse this poor sucker right in front of his dead body?" These conspirators are all so wicked!

"At present, the Vermilion Bird bone seal has not been broken," Sheng Lingyuan said solemnly, "that little demon has a mixed bloodline and weak magical powers. Even if he sacrifices himself and nails himself to the Vermilion Bird bone, the amount of power he can share with us in the Chiyuan will not be much. Therefore, they must find a way to break the seal first. Have you ever broken a seal before, or has it only been broken by external forces?"

"Yes, but not often. It requires a major natural disaster or a war that kills half the population," Xuan Ji replied. "Since the Chiyuan is the source of demonic energy, if there is enough turmoil in the mortal world, the Chiyuan will resonate through the seal and break the Vermilion Bird bone."

Although now only one of the 36 Vermilion Bird bones remains, and the seal has become exceptionally fragile, with demons restless and eager to break free, it seems unlikely that there will be any major disaster that could wipe out half of humanity in the short term, unless a comet collides with the Earth.

The scoundrel spirit who called himself 'Jiu Xun' had consumed three heavenly demons with great effort, finally transforming himself into a somewhat presentable form.

Of course, he was not willing to use himself as kindling to ignite the Chiyuan.

But... what if he could directly pour the resentment and anger in people's hearts into the Chiyuan?

Luo Cuicui used his Echo Sound voice to incite both special ability individuals and ordinary people.

Once conflicts escalated, unknown fears would turn into hatred, and more and more people would agree with the nonsense he spread through the Echo Sound.

More and more consciousnesses would join in, and the resonance would grow stronger and stronger, until...