The snow had just melted, leaving the ground damp and musty.

The sound of small echoes bounced back and forth, their source unknown. A low buzzing sound filled the air, as if something was whispering in the darkness, discussing how to feast on the flesh and blood of those who had trespassed.

Xuan Ji raised his hand and snapped his fingers, creating a cluster of snow-white flames that rolled onto the wall with a sizzling sound.

Suddenly, numerous ghostly faces appeared on the mud wall, silently pushing their way outwards.

Some of the faces had already taken shape, with blood oozing from their mouths.

The closest person to the wall, Zhang Zhao, shuddered with goosebumps.

"Director Xuan, what is this?"

Xuan Ji held the flame steadily in one hand and made a "quiet" gesture with the other hand at his mouth.

Suddenly, there was a sound of metal colliding in the darkness ahead. They saw several chambers in front of them, with rows of armor standing densely inside, and the shiny horse-cutting swords seemed to have just been sharpened, like a group of armored guards.

The leader of the armor had already turned his head towards the crowd, and the energy detectors on the field agents' bodies were already going crazy.

"Hold your breath," Xuan Ji took out his phone and sent a message, "They haven't eaten human flesh in thousands of years, they're starving and rusty."

The "Hazard Management Center" personnel who followed the team all the way couldn't stop sweating - who knew if they had walked even halfway into this underground "warehouse", and the deadly things inside were almost catching up with the underground sealing facility of the Bureau.

Moving forward, the underground passage began to narrow until it became a small path that could only fit one or two people side by side.

Its length and contents were unknown.

Suddenly, Gu Yuexi stopped and hastily sent a message to the group chat: "I can't see anything."

Her X-ray vision could only penetrate up to ten meters of the narrow passage.

She could only see a large space at the end of the path, but it was filled with fog, making it impossible to see anything clearly.

Something had triggered her intuition, causing Gu Yuexi's hair to stand on end.

Sheng Lingyuan glanced at Xuan Ji's phone screen and waved his hand to the group.

He stepped forward and said, "It's okay. There are no living creatures inside. You can't see anything because your vision is obstructed by the heavenly rules."

With that, he walked into the foggy space.

Perhaps due to the fact that the demon was inedible, despite him speaking, the dangerous creatures within did not react.

The field agents dared not copy this boss, nor did they dare to ask or even lower their heads to send WeChat messages.

They could only hold back their doubts and walk with extreme caution, following the footprints of Sheng Lingyuan, not daring to touch even a speck of the bricks and soil on either side of the narrow path.

As they walked, the smell of the receding tide suddenly became strange, with a strong smell of blood mixed with a peculiar sweetness. It made people feel nauseous yet salivate at the same time.

Several field agents who had not had breakfast clearly felt their stomachs churning. The further they went, the stronger the sweetness became. Some people couldn't help but swallow, and their nervous system became active, causing a hot and restless sensation in their bodies.

Xuan Ji's gaze fell on Sheng Lingyuan's back, and the one-meter distance between them involuntarily shortened.

Luckily, when he was by Sheng Lingyuan's side, his nerves were always taut, and he immediately noticed it and stopped in his tracks.

As soon as he stumbled, Sheng Lingyuan said without turning his head, "Don't be nervous, it's just a lingering taste, it's harmless now."

Before Xuan Ji could even ask, the flame in his hand trembled violently, and the desire that had just risen in his heart evaporated through his pores.

Inside, it was about the size of a football field. The ceiling, floor, and walls were covered in densely packed "Yin sacrificial texts".

Countless human and inhuman bodies lay scattered about, with only a small portion recognizable.

A quick glance revealed a variety of gruesome deaths, as if taken straight out of a horror movie. It made one wonder if this was real or just an expensive movie set.

Xiao Zheng had an energy detector strapped to his wrist and, wearing gloves, picked up a small piece of torn cloth from a corner.

Wang Ze leaned in to study it with him, but after half a minute, his face suddenly turned pale and he took several steps back.

"This..." he stammered.

"What is it?" asked Zhang Zhao.

Xiao Zheng stood frozen for a moment, his eyes becoming unfocused.

Then, in slow motion, he mechanically picked up the cloth and placed it back where he found it.

Wang Ze's chest heaved violently, as if he couldn't catch his breath.

He spoke in a hushed voice, "It's...human skin! A child's skin!"

The skin was tanned like a fur collar, and the facial features were still visible, including the small nose and mouth.

The energy detector showed a small number, indicating that the child was likely a special ability person before their death.

The field agents were in an uproar.

Zhang Zhao struggled to speak, "S-So...this is all real..."

But before he could finish his sentence, he choked and nearly vomited inside his gas mask.

Sheng Lingyuan ignored their commotion and asked for a flashlight.

He shone it on the sacrificial text on the wall and read it word for word.

Gu Yuexi whispered to him, "Your Majesty...is this all part of the Yin Sacrifice ritual?"

"This is a sacrificial ritual, but not the Yin Sacrifice," Sheng Lingyuan said. "Sacrificial rituals are just one type of 'ritual'... you can think of it as a special kind of contract."

"It's like a contract," Xuan Ji interjected. "Yin Sacrifice rituals are used to summon demons, similar to standardized contracts. Different sacrificial rituals just need to switch out the offerings, mediums, and heavenly demon pairs in the text, and all of these belong to the same category of rituals. Other standardized rituals include..."

There are also the "Great Light Sacrifice" and the "Heavenly Demon Sacrifice," which respectively involve the demon princess sacrificing herself to bring Dan Li to the earth, and the top 81 human cultivators refining the Heavenly Demon. Neither of these two examples are suitable.

Xuan Ji quickly glanced at Sheng Lingyuan and changed his mind on the spot: "There are many others, some of which are not standard. I don't recognize most of the sacrificial texts here, they should be... how should I put it, original sacrificial texts?"

"You don't need to know about such filthy things," Sheng Lingyuan raised his hand and a blood-stained sacrificial text character peeled off the wall.

Just as it was about to fall into his palm, the obedient black mist in Sheng Lingyuan's hand suddenly seemed to have a mind of its own, twisting into a small vortex and chasing after the sacrificial text character.

Sheng Lingyuan expressionlessly tilted his head and the black mist shattered the sacrificial text in mid-air.

"To put it simply, sacrificial texts are like magnets that can extract malice from all things and turn it into something you can use. Once you have enough, you can exchange it for whatever you want with a sacrificial offering."

Xiao Zheng was the head of the special forces and had a high sensitivity thanks to to his profession.

Upon hearing this, he immediately struggled out of the human skin trauma from earlier and asked, "What kind of people are usually used as sacrificial offerings? Are there any high-risk victim groups?"

"There is none," Sheng Lingyuan's flashlight swept over the waist-high pile of human skin in the corner, the bloodstains on the walls, the limbs, and the unrecognizable organs.

"This is like a foolish tiger seeking its skin. The Yin sacrificial text points to a heavenly demon, and the sacrificial text dare not act rashly. However, these 'non-standard' sacrificial texts have their own requirements. They want something, and the person who writes the sacrificial text must give it to them. During chaotic times, it is common for people to sacrifice their wives, children, and families."

"So, what exactly does 'malice' refer to? Like...negative emotions?" Wang Ze felt like he had touched something dirty and kept rubbing his hands together through his gloves.

He spoke to Sheng Lingyuan with caution, "I don't think we can just judge what is 'malice.' Everything has two sides, right, senior?"

Sheng Lingyuan looked at him and found him quite interesting when he was with that descendant of the Thunder Beast, Xiao Zheng. One was warm-faced but cold-hearted, the other was cold-faced but warm-hearted. One appeared careless but was actually quite meticulous, while the other seemed calm and rigorous but lacked quick wit when it mattered most.

Xuan Ji answered on behalf of Wang Ze, "Thick and dense means malicious intent."

Wang Ze was taken aback, but immediately grasped the meaning.

Xiao Zheng, however, frowned and asked, "What's wrong with you lately? You're speaking less and less like a human. What do you mean?"

Xuan Ji: "..."

During this period, he didn't hide anything and was involved in burning King Wei Yu with the Vermilion Bird fire on the sea. Later, he hung out with Sheng Lingyuan.

Although the field agents didn't know his identity, their polite attitude became even more cautious. Even Wang Ze, who was usually familiar with everyone, didn't associate with him anymore.

But Old Xiao, with his loud and boisterous attitude, remained steadfast in his hostility towards him.

This made him feel like an ordinary person, which was quite nice.

"Basically, any intense emotion will eventually turn into malice, whether it's good or bad. Even if I like you and love you to the point of 99% intensity, it will still turn into poison...similar to how love can turn into hate. Do you understand?" Xuan Ji said helplessly.

"Anyway, just remember the conclusion. This knowledge point is useless to you. No one has nothing better to do than to love you."

As soon as he started arguing with Xiao Zheng, Xuan Ji couldn't help but speak his mind.

He didn't notice the four words "I like you" slip out of his mouth recklessly, causing Sheng Lingyuan's jaw to tighten slightly.

Gu Yuexi timely interrupted the boys' banter and brought the conversation back to the topic at hand.

"Can this so-called 'malice' accumulate? If it takes a little bit from each person and concentrates it together, wouldn't the intensity be very high?"

Xuan Ji forced a bitter smile and said, "Yes, otherwise how do you think the thousands of sacrificial texts here came about?"

"Well, I see some fresh bloodstains here," interjected Ping Qianru.

Since his department's director was present, the bootlicker Luo Cuicui naturally followed along and grabbed her to join the group of logistics personnel from the Research Institute and the 'Hazard Management Center'.

Luo Cuicui had originally wanted to make his presence felt in front of the leaders and gain some knowledge, but he didn't expect to witness such a grand scene before seeing the treasures of Qingping Division.

He was so scared that he almost collapsed, and only managed to stand with the support of Ping Qianru.

Ping Qianru said, "Director, if the culprit hasn't gone far, should we be more careful?"

Without looking back, Xiao Zheng said, "Logistics, fall back and wait for us at the entrance. Did He Cuiyu write this sacrificial text? What is her insane purpose, can it be seen from the text?"

Before Xuan Ji could answer, a scream was heard.

Luo Cuicui's legs went weak like noodles, and Ping Qianru lost her grip on him due to her slippery gloves, causing him to fall into the pile of sacrificial texts on the ground.

Several logistics personnel rushed to help him up, but Luo Cuicui seemed to have seen something terrifying. With his mouth wide open and pointing ahead, he screamed and rubbed his butt against the ground, almost exposing the opening of his protective suit.

Several flashlights shone in the direction of his finger, revealing a pile of corpses lying in all directions. Everywhere here are corpses, most of them dead without dignity, so no one had the heart to look closely.

It was only when Luo Cuicui pointed that everyone noticed a familiar head in the pile of bodies.

Wang Ze and Xiao Zheng almost simultaneously recognized it and exclaimed in unison, "He Cuiyu?!"

When Old Lady Yu was alive, she was surrounded by people and held in high esteem.

Who would have thought that after her death, she would end up sleeping on a communal bed, covered in corpses?

The field agents cautiously approached her with energy detectors, carefully circling around her to make sure there was no abnormal energy before finally moving the bodies covering her with great care.

The corpses were still relatively fresh. Based on the surrounding temperature and environment, the time of death was no more than a week ago. Some of them hadn't even had the chance to climb onto the sacrificial text.

It seemed that He Cuiyu had died midway through the last Yin Sacrifice ritual, and the bodies that were supposed to be sacrificed had all fallen on top of her... Who knew if she was suffocated to death by the mountain of corpses.

Suddenly, one of the field agents gasped and caught sight of He Cuiyu beneath the pile of corpses.

He stumbled back half a meter and almost fell down.

He Cuiyu's legs were missing, replaced by a snake tail as thick as a person's arm.

As the bodies on top of her were cleared away, her head drooped limply.

There was a layer of snake scales on her neck, and two hooked fangs protruded from her shriveled lips, reflecting a cold light.

"Don't... don't panic, it's okay, she's already dead!"

"Confirming no signs of life, no abnormal energy readings."

"Oh my... is this some kind of dark version of the Legend of the White Snake?"

"Is this a case of devolution? But humans are mammals, how did she become a reptile?"

Sheng Lingyuan's expression suddenly turned cold.

Xuan Ji also froze, uncertainly looking towards Sheng Lingyuan. "Did she really use..."

"The 'Heaven-Defying Techniques' of the Demon King Jiu Xun," Sheng Lingyuan scrutinized the half-human, half-snake figure of He Cuiyu from a few steps away. "Jiu Xun accepts all spiritual creatures, regardless of origin. But it seems she learned his lesson and only feeds on her own kind, trying to purify herself into a pure-blooded demon."

"So, she was actually using the Penglai Conference to groom the younger generation of water-type cultivators and stock up on resources for herself?"

Wang Ze shuddered with goosebumps all over his body.

"Damn it! She even touched my hand...and patted my back! I thought she was just being friendly, or maybe even eyeing me as a fresh piece of meat...but I never imagined she was actually lusting after my body! Treating me like a compressed biscuit ingredient!"

"Calm down, Brother Wang. You're not from the same clan as her," Xuan Ji stepped forward and opened the corpse of the Old Lady Yu.

"Water-type cultivators are already rare, and in the past seven to eight hundred years, those with the same bloodline as her have probably been devoured by her. With the Chiyuan sealed off, even pure-blooded demons with a lifespan of seven to eight hundred years should have reached the end of their lives. That's why she instigated the lunatics of the True Nature Sect to re-open the Chiyuan."

Zhang Zhao muttered, "Just for the sake of immortality, she eats people of her own kind and still isn't satisfied? I thought this kind of villainous character was no longer popular after 'Journey to the West'. Hasn't she lived long enough after eight hundred years? How much charm can a Shadow person really have?"

How much charm can a Shadow person really have?

Legend has it that once a Shadow person recognizes their master, every inch of them grows according to their master's will.

The owner of a Shadow person is immersed in a dream-like world of tenderness for their entire life, becoming infatuated with the idea of abandoning their wife and children and losing their sanity.

Some people die with an overwhelming possessiveness, not allowing their Shadow person to live alone; others cannot bear to have their Shadow person buried with them, leaving them behind and causing endless trouble for their descendants.

There are also those who, in their old age, become delusional and refuse to let their Shadow person see their own decline.

Those who pose a smaller threat to society may choose to end their lives in their prime, while those with poor moral character may seek out various evil practices in an attempt to remain forever young.

He Cuiyu was not the first.

She was just lucky enough to be born in the last generation of Qingping Division, and took advantage of the accumulated wealth of Qingping Division for a thousand years, obtaining the 'Heaven-Defying Techniques' of the Demon King Jiu Xun, and almost succeeded in carrying out a sacrificial ritual that defied death.

The allure of a Shadow person was something Xuan Ji had never experienced before. But if that person were to respond to him, he would probably go crazy on the spot.

Zhang Zhao asked, "Are those sacrificial texts also for seeking immortality?"

"I'm not very familiar with sacrificial texts," Xuan Ji snapped out of his thoughts, adjusted his mental state, and looked at Sheng Lingyuan with a questioning gaze. "But from what I remember, there doesn't seem to be any sacrificial text that can grant immortality, right?"

Sheng Lingyuan shook his head as he looked at the messy sacrificial texts on the walls and floor, all created by Old Lady Yu herself, but never successful even until her death.

Even though the Emperor was a living encyclopedia of ancient and modern rituals, he couldn't make heads or tails of this unclear "draft" and could only vaguely discern that it had something to do with time and a transaction.

This place was not suitable for a long stay. Xiao Zheng took charge and ordered the removal of all the victims' bodies.

Some of them had not been dead for long, and their identities could possibly be determined through DNA technology.

Regardless of anything else, at least it could provide an explanation to the families of the victims.

As for "Old Lady Yu," she was a figure who could shake the contemporary supernatural world with just a stomp of her foot. She certainly couldn't be buried silently and without a trace.

The field agents and the Hazard Management Center staff carefully inspected the huge snake corpse twice, confirming that there were no abnormal energy reactions before daring to organize people to move it away.

"One, two, three...lift! Be careful, don't let her tail drag on the ground, don't scrape anything." Xuan Ji quickly memorized the visible location of the sacrificial text.

This kind of witchcraft couldn't be rashly captured on film, and could only be recorded bit by bit by experts. This way, in case of any changes, he could directly access it from his own consciousness.

Suddenly, he caught a glimpse of something rolling off Old Lady Yu's body from the corner of his eye.

It was a palm-sized scale.

It wasn't her own snake scale. Old Lady Yu's snake scale was a dark green color, almost black, but this scale was almost translucent.

It seemed to have plated all the surrounding light sources onto itself, with a dreamy halo floating above it, shimmering with iridescent colors.

Obviously, it wasn't just Xuan Ji who saw it.

Luo Cuicui, who was resting beside him, also spoke up: "What is that?"

Zhang Zhao, who was nearby, was about to bend down to pick it up when Xuan Ji's spine suddenly chilled.

Without thinking, his intuition warned him and he pushed Zhang Zhao away: "Don't touch it!"

Zhang Zhao stumbled back and then groaned, clutching his chest - his watch, which had paused for a second, suddenly heated up.

The scale suddenly burst into flames, engulfing Xuan Ji completely.

As soon as he touched the red light, Xuan Ji felt like he was being pushed down into the water, with the distant sound of waves ringing in his ears.

His movements suddenly slowed down, and his mind went blank, as if his thoughts had been slowed down countless times.

He seemed to be stuck in a time warp, losing his sense of time.

He didn't know if it had been a second or a lifetime, but the roar of the waves was shattered by thunder that split the sky and the earth.

Xuan Ji was startled, and was pulled into a tight embrace.