One of the enigmatic devils, the Joyous Desire Witch, appeared suddenly before Sai Zong, relying on the form of her Chosen One.

Thinking of the flesh that had been pulverized before, this should be the Secret Energy of the Chosen One, or perhaps the power of the Joyful Garden.

After a momentary shock, Sai Zong immediately realized this was a perfect opportunity and grasped the Wrath Authority tightly.

The rising murderous aura was like countless blades scraping against each other, pressing and grinding forcefully, bursting with sparks, shattering those fragile blades, leaving only a sharpness that could sever steel.

The terrifying ferocity seemed to gain physical form, giving Sai Zong a fearsome sharpness that simply observing him would induce an illusory pain of being cut.

Sharp pain arose in the mind of the Joyous Desire Witch; she was not afraid, instead her eyes showed a crazed delight.

As a devil, no one could harm the Joyous Desire Witch; thus, pain was an unfamiliar sensation to her.

Relying on the Chosen One's body, the intense pain returned, causing a fluctuation in her numb nerves, and even bringing her joy and pleasure.

As the oldest Chosen One, judged by Sai Zong's age, he bore the most primal Alchemy Matrix.

The competition among the Chosen Ones could also be seen as determining the strongest of this era. In this brutal elimination contest, the Wrath Authority helped Sai Zong slay countless strong enemies, safeguarding the interests of the Eyes of Eternal Fury.

Increasingly powerful Alchemy Matrices appeared, and increasingly powerful Chosen Ones took part in the conflict, yet regardless of how seats were shuffled, Sai Zong always stood among them.

"Are you not afraid of me?"

The Joyous Desire Witch stared straight at Sai Zong, threateningly.

Sai Zong shook his head; he had long been in through wars even a devil could not scare him.

Devils cannot directly intervene in the world; the Joyous Desire Witch used this cheating method to descend with an avatar onto earth, and the power she could wield was limited to her physical form and the strength of her Chosen One; the devil's powers remained constrained by the rules.

Ultimately, it's just a confrontation between Chosen Ones.

If successful, Sai Zong could not only kill the Chosen One but further restrict the Joyous Desire Witch, sweeping away her power.

But before making a move, Sai Zong hesitated somewhat, as he found himself on the train named Joyful Garden, which was the territory of the Joyous Desire Witch.

Just like the wayward path is to the Tyrant, within the territory of the Joyful Garden, to act against a devil held many unknowns, even though she was subject to the rules.

The Joyous Desire Witch continued to smile, appearing as though everything was under control.

After a moment of silence, Sai Zong abandoned the attack, and the smile on the Joyous Desire Witch's face grew even broader.

"It seems you've figured it out."

Sai Zong nodded, "To solve you now would only add pressure on me."

"That's right, compared to my other brothers and sisters, my power is quite weak. Otherwise, I wouldn't attempt to fragment the Unfettered Poetry Society."

The Joyous Desire Witch complained, "Truly can't understand what the outsider did to condense such a force, nor can I comprehend his concept to allow this force to sink into the mortal realm."

"As for you, after the Eyes of Eternal Fury fell into slumber, the only power left behind in the earthly realm was the Undying Club; but does that truly count as power? Rather call it the Undead's sanatorium, which is more apropos."

"You're worried, Sai Zong, I can sense it.

This era is no longer familiar to you; with the rising ether tides, Condensers have ushered in their most powerful era. Even with the Wrath Authority you wield, there is no certainty you could defeat them."

She mocked Sai Zong wantonly, "Of course, if the Eyes of Eternal Fury awakens, none of this would be a problem. But do you truly desire your master to be controlled by unending wrath again?"

The Joyous Desire Witch precisely pinpointed Sai Zong's vulnerability, striking against it, this psychological offensive made Sai Zong uncomfortable, and it reinforced his dislike towards women.

But she was right; what Sai Zong feared facing the most was the awakening of the Eyes of Eternal Fury, and he was part of the conflict this time to find a way to solve this problem.

Sai Zong could not extinguish his fury; it's the Original Sin of the Eyes of Eternal Fury, but at least he could allow the Eyes of Eternal Fury to enjoy a longer peace.

Just as the Joyous Desire Witch said, the Eyes of Eternal Fury is Sai Zong, but Sai Zong is not the Eyes of Eternal Fury.

The Joyous Desire Witch softly said, "The decisive battle is not yet here, maintaining our balance is of utmost importance."

Sai Zong agreed with her words, for now, balancing the devils was crucial, as rising stronger only tilted the scales.

Just like past conflicts, losers rotate, but the ultimate victor is always that person.

The Joyous Desire Witch extended an invitation to Sai Zong, "Speaking of stance, you and I could form an alliance, what do you say?"

Sai Zong didn't think too much about it and simply shook his head, "No."

Collaborate with this woman? Sai Zong would rather ally with the Observer, even if he can't offer any help.

The Joyous Desire Witch is like a cunning viper, and Sai Zong doesn't like snakes.

The conversation had been enough; Sai Zong was ready to move on to his next destination. The Joyous Desire Witch watched his back, speaking again.

"The first undead member of the Undying Club in years who hasn't 'retired,' and is still employed at the Order Bureau, with ties to the Tyrant... Even the Observer has noticed him."

Sai Zong wasn't surprised the woman knew this information. Through the Zongge Orchestra, she could to some extent gather intelligence from the Observer.

The information was scant, but it was enough for her.

The Joyous Desire Witch asked, "Who is that Bologue Lazarus?"

"None of your business."

"Alright, I guessed you'd say that," she continued, "but it doesn't matter, they'll find ways to please me."

"By the way, Sai Zong, the Order Bureau has discovered the original artifact."

The Joyous Desire Witch added with a smile.

"But don't worry, I've already sent someone to handle all this, after all, neither of us wants the Order Bureau to discover..."

Before the woman could finish, Sai Zong left without a backward glance, decisively stepping off the train. He didn't want to stay in this godforsaken place for another moment.

The melodious string music covered every corner of the carriage, day and night, everyone could hear this unending tune, but within this elegant sound, Sai Zong could discern those subtle noises.

It was wailing, it was pain, it was a bloodstained curse, it was a heart-wrenching lament...

Standing in the desolate wilderness, as the train whistle blew, the train rumbled once again. Sai Zong recalled something and looked towards the tracks ahead.

The iron creation rolled over the tracks, dragging a banner of steam, the small flowers beneath the tracks were shattered into fragments, dissipating into the barrenness.

Strange power engulfed the entire train. It plunged into an invisible door, the whole engine sinking into it, vanishing into thin air, with the heavy carriages following closely.

It was impossible to estimate how long the train was; this journey continued for several minutes before it ended, as the tail also entered the invisible door, disappearing from the tracks, with this, the Joyful Garden completely left the area.

Sai Zong watched this for a long time. For some reason, he started to miss the undead of the Undying Club, and he understood, it was just an escape, whether for himself or for those undead.

He did not linger, continuing along the tracks towards the mountains.

...

With the efficiency of the Order Bureau's actions, the shrill alarm only lasted for about thirty seconds. Within five minutes after the alarm ended, Lebius and his team members reached the area where the alarm had sounded.

At this moment, the Observation Tower was crowded with people. The field staff who stayed within the Order Bureau mostly came here, in addition to some unfamiliar faces. As Lebius put it, they were from the Security Department of the Order Bureau.

Security Department? It was the first time for Bologue to know of this department's existence. What surprised him even more was that such a well-armed place needed security? Who would be foolish enough to come here?

Lebius didn't explain much; he was more concerned about what caused the alarm, and then at the Observation Tower, they saw those scarred figures.

Blood stained the ground, the injured leaned against the side in defeat, the Vortex Gate used for Curved Path Breakthroughs was covered in cracks, intense ethereal fluctuations spread wildly, it seemed a battle had just occurred here.

Bologue murmured, "What's going on?"

The crowd muttered among themselves, no one answered Bologue. Doctors attended to the injured, transporting them to the Border Sanatorium, the Alchemists of the Sublimation Furnace Core urgently maintained the Vortex Gate, several action team leaders stepped forward to inquire about the injured.

Palmer responded softly, "It seems they were attacked during Curved Path Shuttling."

During Curved Path Shuttling, once attacked, the surging ether would disrupt the path's operation, causing spatial distortion and turbulence. This is extremely dangerous, as dislocated spaces could easily crush nearby lifeforms.

One of the injured was just like that, his entire lower leg was missing, with a clean and tidy cut, hard to imagine what kind of sharp blade it would take to make such a wound, and the severed limb was absent from the scene, likely lost to the other end of the path.

The spatial disturbances not only harmed these people but even spread to the Observation Tower, causing damage to the Vortex Gate.

"Defender," Lebius whispered, "They were attacked by the Defender."

An ordinary First Stage Condenser is enough to disrupt Curved Path Shuttling, but to extend attacks to the other end of the path requires at least the etheric strength of a Negative Power User, and the adversary not only harmed the other end but even damaged the Vortex Gate.

Lebius stepped forward; he wanted to know what exactly these people encountered.

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