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

Deep underground.

Darkness, like a viscous liquid, squeezed this man-made space from all sides. There was no sunlight, no wind, and even the air seemed to have solidified.

Only water droplets seeped from the cracks in the rocks overhead, falling one by one into the puddles on the ground, making hollow echoes.

Far from the human surface, far from the noisy, restless world filled with negative emotions, this place is the most secure nest for cursed spirits.

In the center of the cave, two enormous cursed embryos floated quietly half a meter above the ground.

They are over two meters tall, with a grayish-white surface and soft, amniotic membrane-like tissue covered with dark red vascular patterns.

The lines seemed to be alive, slowly wriggling, stretching and contracting with some unseen rhythm, like a beating heart.

With each pulse, the air in the cave would tremble slightly, and the tiny pebbles on the ground would bounce gently.

The left-hand cursed fetus is larger, and a curled-up human figure can be vaguely seen inside.

The head, torso, and limbs were already formed, but the fetus was still curled up in a fetal position, with its hands wrapped around its knees and its head buried between its knees.

The creature inside the cursed fetus on the right reveals its species; its small head bears a resemblance to an octopus.

Two or three meters away from them stood a short, humanoid cursed spirit.

It has a volcano-like head, with the top looking like scorched earth. The surface is covered with grooves and cracks, and you can vaguely see orange-red light flowing in the cracks, like magma surging under the earth's crust.

It has only one eye, located in the center of its forehead, which is currently half-closed as if it is dozing off. Its limbs are short and thick, and its fingertips are sharp like claws. The whole thing looks like a demon that crawled out of a volcano.

It was very quiet inside the cave.

It was so quiet that only the pulsation of the cursed fetus and the echo of water droplets could be heard.

Then, the rock wall above the cave split open.

It didn't crack naturally; it was torn open from the outside by someone.

Tree roots emerged from the cracks, clinging to the edge of the rock wall like countless pythons, and then suddenly pushed out to both sides.

The sound of rocks cracking echoed through the cave, as rubble poured down from the cracks, hitting the ground with dull thuds.

Two figures fell from the crack.

The first figure was huge and imposing. When it landed, its feet left two deep craters in the ground, sending pebbles flying in all directions.

Hua Yu raised her head, and her eyeless face turned towards the interior of the cave, as if to confirm her location.

Its right arm was new, exactly the same as its left arm, but traces of incomplete healing could still be seen at the cut on the shoulder, where the skin was whiter than the rest of the body, like newly grown tender flesh.

The body still bore the marks of battle, with several wounds that had not yet fully healed. Dark purple liquid slowly seeped from the wounds, leaving dried marks on its skin.

Following behind Hua Yu was Lu Suo.

She landed gracefully from the two-meter-high crack, her toes barely touching the ground as she crouched slightly to absorb the impact of the fall.

Her pink hair was badly burned, the ends were curly and yellowed, and she looked disheveled. The stab wound on her neck had closed, but a clear scar was still visible.

The wound to his heart had healed, but he hadn't changed out of the blood-soaked clothes; the dark red bloodstains on the pink fabric were a shocking sight.

Her expression was calm, even smiling.

The water clock remained untouched.

It stood beside the cursed fetus, and its single eye slowly opened from its half-closed state.

It first looked at Hua Yu.

His gaze lingered on Hua Yu's newly grown right arm for two seconds, then swept over the wounds on its body that were still slowly healing, before moving away.

It did not ask Hua Yu what had happened.

There's not much formality between spirits. Those who come back alive don't need to be asked; those who don't come back, asking won't help.

Louhu's gaze shifted from Huayu to Lusuo.

Its single eye lingered for a moment on the scar on her neck, then swept over the dried bloodstains on her clothes, before letting out a soft "humph" and expressionlessly looking away.

It doesn't care about the rope.

It never cared about the Lu Suo.

In the eyes of the water clock, this human was nothing more than a temporary collaborator, a tool with some use value.

Whether she is dead or alive makes no difference to it.

Its only concern is these two cursed fetuses.

After confirming that the cursed embryo had not been affected in any way, that its pulse was still stable, and that its internal outline was still clear, the water clock slowly opened its mouth, its voice hoarse and rough, like sandpaper grinding a stone.

"What happened?"

It was asking about the Flower Emperor.

Hua Yu tilted his head slightly, his face without features facing the water clock. After a moment of silence, he spoke, and the voice that resonated directly in his mind echoed throughout the cave.

"I encountered two humans."

The water clock's single eye narrowed slightly: "Two mere humans, and they've injured you this badly?"

"Who made the move? Was it Gojo Satoru?"

Hua Yu glanced down at her newly grown right arm, then looked up, her voice devoid of any emotion: "No, one of them doesn't have magical power, but their physical strength far surpasses that of ordinary humans, and they are very fast."

"another……"

Hua Yu paused for a moment here.

It was silent for a moment, as if it was organizing its thoughts or recalling something unsettling. Finally, it spoke, its voice a few decibels lower than before.

"...There's a fire."

"fire?"

The water clock's single eye blinked: "What kind of fire?"

"Pink fire."

Hua Yu raised her newly grown right arm and glanced at the healed wound on her shoulder.

Even though the arm has regenerated, the excruciating pain still lingers in its consciousness, like a red-hot iron nail driven into the deepest part of its memory.

"Don't touch it."

It said, "To a cursed spirit, that is deadly poison."

The water clock's single eye was fully open.

It stared at Hua Yu, a hint of seriousness appearing in its eyes. It knew that Hua Yu, this nature-loving spirit, never exaggerated and was calmer than most spirits.

What could make it utter the word "highly poisonous" in such a terrified tone must be no ordinary flame.

"Once it touches the flame, the magical power will be ignited, like dry wood meeting a raging fire, which is impossible to extinguish."

Hua Yu's voice remained calm, but with each word he spoke, the air grew heavier: "I tried to withstand it with my skin, but it was burned through. I tried to suppress it with my curse power, but the curse power became fuel instead."

It raised its head, its eyeless face pointing at the water clock: "I can only get rid of this by cutting off my own arm."

The water clock fell silent. It lowered its head and looked at its own hands, which were short and thick, covered with cracks, through which a faint orange-red light could be seen flowing.

fire.

It also has fire.

Its magic is fire. Its origin lies in humanity's fear of volcanoes, lava, and fire. It believes that no creature is stronger than it in the realm of fire.

But now Hua Yu says there is someone.

A human being.

There was a pink flame that it couldn't touch, which was like poison to the cursed spirit.

The water clock's single eye slowly narrowed, and the orange-red light in the crack brightened a few not so brightly as before. It was resentment, anger, and a kind of fury caused by its territory being violated.

"There are still humans like this."

Its voice was lower and deeper than before, like a roar squeezed from the depths of its throat: "We must find a chance to get rid of it!"

"laugh!"

A large cloud of white mist is spewing from the top, which means that the water clock is now in a state of anger!