While I was chanting a curse, the system said I was Xiao Yan?

Chapter 177 The Plan Begins

The world changed in that instant!

Starting from the location of the Punishment Chain, a barrier expanded outward from his body at an extremely fast speed, so fast that it was as if someone had replaced the reality surrounding him with something else in an instant.

The bombers disappeared, the swarm of insects disappeared, and even the torrent of cursed power that was pouring down, upon hitting the expanding barrier, seemed to have struck an invisible wall, and was silently swallowed up and vanished completely!

Xia Youjie stood in that newly unfolded space. His body had not yet fully recovered from the recoil of the released vortex. His gaze swept around, and his pupils contracted slightly.

He was brought into the domain of Lu Suo!

This space has no lava, no sea, no beach, only a huge tree standing in a vast, gray-white void.

The tree was made up of countless fetal faces, densely stacked from root to tip. Each face was writhing, lips slightly parted, eyes half-open and half-closed, like a massive life form struggling in a dream.

Simplified area, expand!

A faint glow emanated from Xia Youjie's body, spreading outwards and enveloping an area of ​​about two meters around him in a nearly transparent light.

But that glimmer of light seemed exceptionally fragile within Rosso's domain, like a candle flickering in a storm. Its light was absorbed by the lips of the fetuses around him, and stared at by their half-open eyes. Each flicker made his heart beat a little faster.

Lu Suo stood less than ten meters away from him, his gaze fixed on Xia Youjie: "Simple Domain... how long can it last? A minute? Or even less?"

His voice echoed within the domain, carrying a sense of superior composure.

Xia Youjie remained silent, his gaze fixed on Luo Suo. The faint light of the Simple Domain flickered around his body, as if it were being squeezed from all sides by something, each flicker making the light thinner.

Lu Suo took a step forward, her pace neither hurried nor slow, as if she were taking a stroll in her own backyard.

The branches formed by fetal faces tilted slightly as he passed, as if in greeting: "Actually, I've come up with a very interesting idea. After I take over your body, I'll appear before those people at the college with your face... and then tell them, 'Xia Youjie is dead.'"

He paused, as if savoring the lingering meaning of those words: "What do you think their expressions would be like at that time?"

""

Xia Youjie's pupils contracted slightly: "...What do you mean?"

Lu Suo stopped, tilted her head, and deepened her smile: "You don't know yet, do you?"

He raised his hand, his fingertips gripping the skin on his forehead, and pulled it outwards. A thin line emerged from the center of his forehead, extending along the edge of his hairline to both sides, as if some carefully stitched scar was being reopened.

The skin was peeled away, and the skull was lifted up like a hat, revealing the white brain that was slowly wriggling inside.

The surface of the brain is covered with human teeth, which are arranged on the grayish-white brain tissue as if chewing something unseen. The brain itself is also gently contracting, and its surface has a moist sheen.

A mocking voice came from that exposed brain: "This is my true face."

Xia Youjie's eyes widened in that instant, his pupils contracted to the size of pinpoints, and his expression was one of shock.

The faint light of the Simple Realm trembled violently around his body, as if not only his emotions were fluctuating, but also his control over his magical power.

Xia Youjie's voice was somewhat dry: "Could it be... you're not human?"

"I am a real human being."

Lu Suo's voice brightened; no matter how many times he saw this scene, it always put him in a good mood: "They've just lived a very long time."

Lu Suo put his skull back on, sewed it up, and then looked at the crumbling makeshift domain: "Enough of the small talk, let's get down to business."

As soon as he finished speaking, the faint light in the simple field began to tremble violently, starting from the edges, like a shattered mirror, with cracks spreading towards the center.

On the edge of the base, in a corner untouched by the fighting.

Ryomen Sukuna stood on the roof of a hangar, her short pink hair fluttering slightly in the wind, all four of her eyes fixed on the black spherical barrier in the distance.

His posture was casual, with his hands in his pockets, as if he were leaning against an invisible chair back, exuding a condescending sense of scrutiny, as if he were watching a performance that had nothing to do with him.

Rimei stood half a step behind him, her expression indifferent, her hands folded in front of her, her gaze also fixed on the barrier. Her breathing was very light, almost without making a sound, and only the occasional movement of her eyes proved that she was a living being.

Su Nuo spoke, his voice low and filled with undisguised disdain: "That Rosso guy... is really unpleasant."

His lips curved slightly, but there was no warmth in that smile, only a cold mockery as if he had seen through someone's poor acting skills.

His four eyes narrowed slightly at the same time: "He thought I hadn't noticed, but his strength is definitely more than what he's showing now."

He withdrew his gaze and glanced at Rimei: "That kind of person will stab you in the back sooner or later."

Rime's voice was calm, as if it came from the surface of still water: "Should we kill him?"

"Not for now."

Su Nuo was not surprised by Li Mei's murderous intent. Anyone who could serve a willful and reckless person must regard everything about him as the most noble thing, and anything that displeased him could be killed.

Su Nuo turned her gaze back to the black barrier in the distance: "I still need him for now, that's why I've tolerated him until now."

.

He paused slightly, then said, "However... once he's done what he needs to do, that's another matter."

His gaze lingered on the surface of the barrier for a few seconds, then he turned and walked away from the edge of the hangar roof, heading further away. His pace was unhurried, his boots making a rhythmic clatter on the tin roof: "Get ready, the reincarnation ritual 'bath' is about to begin."

Rime followed behind him, her footsteps light and almost silent: "Your current vessel was provided by the Penalty..."

'

Su Nuo paused, turned his head to look at her, and narrowed two of his four eyes slightly: "You think there's something fishy going on?"

Rime paused for a moment, as if choosing his words carefully, before speaking: "Given Rosso's character, the container he provided couldn't possibly be without a backup plan."

Su Nu smiled. That smile carried an absolute confidence, not as if she had been reminded of something to be wary of, but rather as if she had heard an interesting hypothesis: "So what if it's a trap?"

He started walking forward again, his voice drifting from ahead, carrying a lazy ease: "That child's soul is not even five years old, ridiculously fragile. Even if the Punishment Chain left something in that container... I only need to suppress that soul to gain complete control of this body."

He paused, then the smile on his lips widened: "Although that kind of forced suppression will reduce the strength after being physically attacked... even with only 60 or 70% of the power, it will be enough to crush all the sorcerers of this era."

Rime didn't say anything more, just nodded slightly, and then turned and walked towards the interior of the base.

Su Nuo stood on the edge of the roof, looking in the direction where Rimei had disappeared, then turned his gaze back to the trembling black barrier.

On the surface of the black spherical barrier in the distance, cracks are spreading upwards from the bottom.

The cracks grew denser and deeper, like a spiderweb, and dark red light seeped out from them, as if something was being ignited inside the barrier.

The light flowed across the dark barrier surface, spreading outwards along the cracks.

"Snap!"

The first cracking sound was very soft, like a fine needle falling to the ground, but it was exceptionally clear on the empty tarmac.

Then more sounds followed, as if triggered by the first sound, so dense they almost merged into one.

"Click, click, click!"

The barrier's surface crumbled, fragments flying in all directions, turning into tiny specks of magical energy that slowly dissipated into the air.

So stood in the center of the open space, his hands hanging at his sides. He looked almost unharmed, his expression was calm, and his breathing was steady.

At his feet, Xia Youjie lay on the ground, his robe torn to shreds, revealing the bleeding wounds beneath. Dark red blood seeped from the wounds, pooling on the ground and slowly spreading.

His eyes were half-open, his pupils unfocused, as if he were looking at a very, very far place. His chest was still rising and falling slightly, but the rise and fall was getting slower and slower, and each rise was lower than the last.

Lu Suo's gaze lingered on Xia Youjie's bloodless face for a few seconds, as if to check his condition. Then he squatted down, stretched out a hand, and placed it on the top of Xia Youjie's head, his palm conforming to the curve of the skull, his fingers slightly curled.

Xia Youjie's lips moved slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but only a bubbly cloud of blood foam welled up from the corner of his mouth, slid down his chin, and dripped onto the ground where the rags and bloodstains were mixed, making a faint sound.

Lu Suo's voice was very soft: "Your body... I'll accept it."

Xia Youjie's eyes widened slightly at that moment, and a last glimmer of light flashed in his pupils. The light was brief and weak, like the flicker of an oil lamp as it burns out its last drop of oil.

Then the light went out completely, and his pupils dilated, no longer focused, no longer moving, just staring at the empty sky.

His body stopped rising and falling, his breathing stopped, and his chest stopped beating.

Lu Suo stood up: "...Next, it will take a little time."

39

He turned around and looked towards the direction of the hangar roof in the distance. It was empty; Su Nuo and Ri Mei had left, leaving only the empty metal roof and a few exhaust pipes bent by the wind, casting long, thin shadows in the morning light.

On the runway at Andersen Air Force Base.

Ten B-2 bombers were taxiing in sequence, the roar of their engines deafening. Ground crew were evacuating from both sides of the runway, watching as the massive flying wing silhouettes accelerated, lifted, and left the ground one after another.

The first bomber had already left the ground, its fuselage slowly pulling up, its landing gear retracting after takeoff, disappearing into the clouds, and flying northwest.

The second one followed closely behind, then the third, each leaving a brief contrail on the runway before being blown away by the airflow as if it had never existed.

General Ross stood at the window of the command center, his hands behind his back, watching the bombers taking off through the thick bulletproof glass.

His face was expressionless, like a stone statue carved in front of a window, his gaze following the silhouettes of the departing wings until the last one became a tiny dot on the horizon.

A moment later, he picked up the communicator, pressed the call button, and spoke in a calm voice as if reading a routine announcement: "Attention all units, targets set to twelve designated cities throughout Japan, nuclear warheads loaded, coordinates confirmed, proceed as planned."

The pilot's confirmation came through the communicator, brief and clear: "Received."

General Ross put down the communicator, his gaze fixed on the empty sky in the distance. He whispered something, as if to himself: "...We are the destroyers of the world."

The underground passage of the college was deeper than Tianyan remembered.

The last time he came here, he was stopped at the door by Masamichi Yagami and could only watch Gojo Satoru's figure disappear behind the bronze door.

This time, the bronze door was open, and a ghostly blue rune flowed along the edge of the door frame, like some kind of living thing breathing.

Tenyan walked at the front, followed by Nanami Kento, Haibara Yu, Hiromi Higurashi, and Ieiri Shoko.

Gojo Satoru was not there. He left the college after receiving news of Xia Youjie's appearance. Yae Masakazu should have come with him, but the work of repairing the barrier at the college and the spread of the barrier throughout the country required him to stay behind. So only a few of them walked along this forward-extending passage, step by step, toward the secret room that was sealed and wrapped in layers of seals.

"This place... is more normal than I imagined, it's like an abandoned train tunnel."

Haibara Yu's voice came from behind, with an effort to maintain a relaxed tone: "I thought the place where Tengen-sama lived would be like... a nest of tree roots full of eyes or something."

"You're talking about the tree spirit, not Lord Tianyuan."

Nanami Kento's voice was steady, but Tenyan could hear the tension in his tone. He had never met Tenyuan before.

Hiromi Higurashi, standing next to him, seemed even more silent than the others. He shouldn't have been here, but he had been specifically asked by Tengen to come along, for reasons unknown.

Shoko Ieiri walked at the very back, her hands in the pockets of her white coat: "I'm quite curious about what Lord Tengen looks like. Someone who has lived for over a thousand years should... look a bit inhuman, right?"

This description swirled in Tianyan's mind. He recalled Tianyuan's image in the original work, which was indeed an existence that had evolved to the point of being almost inhuman, with a completely white body and four eyes.

The group saw the end of the glowing passage; after passing through it, a wide open space was revealed behind it.

It was a circular hall with a high dome, about ten meters high. The walls were inlaid with crystals that emitted a soft glow, which mixed together to form a warm light like that of dusk.

In the center of the hall is a stone table with a complete map of Japan carved on it. The edges of the red circles are slowly expanding, covering more and more areas.

Several chairs were scattered around the map, made of the same material as the door—neither gold nor wood, but with a warm, lustrous sheen.

And sitting next to the stone table was a person.