Faced with the farmer's exaggerated reaction, Zhang Yuanqing and his teammates exchanged glances and spoke calmly, "Senior, don't be afraid. We won't harm you—we just wish to ask you a few questions." The farmer paid no attention, only continuously bowing his head: "Sir, officer, elder, I'm just a herdsman. Please, please, don't take me there..." No matter what Zhang Yuanqing or his team asked, the farmer remained in a state of constant fear and anxiety, only focusing on bowing and pleading for mercy—making communication nearly impossible. Could it be that this NPC required a specific phrase or chant to trigger a response? Zhang Yuanqing and his teammates pondered this. "Hey,大叔!" Red Chicken couldn't take it anymore. He grabbed the farmer by the collar, lifting him off the ground, and barked, "We're asking you questions! Are you deaf or blind? If you keep talking to yourself like this, I'll set you on fire right here!" With that, he raised his hand, and a bright, blazing flame erupted, radiating intense heat. "The Mo Sect is right in that mountain range!" According to legend, as long as one passes through the dense forest ahead and reaches the end, one will see the Mo Sect, where the immortals live. The farmer quickly pointed toward the distant mountains and explained. This already made sense... Zhang Yuanqing's嘴角 twitched slightly. By instinct, he believed that in an S-tier dungeon, information might require both method and wisdom. Observing the others, he noticed that everyone's expressions were similar. "Is it just that simple—pass through the forest and you're there?" Red Chicken Brother thought for a moment, then turned to his teammates and remarked, "I've sensed something's off." "Even without being particularly perceptive, you'd notice something's wrong," said Tian Xia Gui, his face serious, turning to the farmer and asking, "What were you afraid of just now? Did you sense any danger in the mountains—anything that might have threatened your journey?" The farmer, trembling under the intense heat of Tian Xia Gui's gaze, replied hesitantly, "The mountains are home to the immortals—of course, there's danger." The forest is also quite dangerous. Our elders from the village have always urged us to stay away from it, since everyone who enters ends up dying there. "The deities of the Mo Sect don't like to be disturbed, so they've stationed monsters within the forest to guard it." "A few years ago, Jin people came here, claiming they wanted to enter the mountains. They took many villagers as guides, but none of them returned. Subsequently, more Jin envoys arrived one after another—each one perished within the forest." "Jin people..." Tian Xia Gui furrowed his brow. "What is the current era name?" The farmer looked utterly puzzled. Xia Hou Ao Tian chuckled. "Do you really expect a rustic village man who doesn't even recognize a single character to know the era name? That's quite out of the ordinary. Still, since he mentioned the Jin people, it must be from the Southern Song period." Sun Miao Miao stepped forward eagerly. "The副本 introduction mentions that the Mo Sect has obtained an ancient heirloom—a treasure said to grant the holder dominion over the world. It's clear that the Jin forces sent troops to the Mo Sect with a clear purpose." Then they asked in detail about the legends of the forest, as well as the number and waves of Jin troops entering the forest. After sending the villagers away, the group discussed quietly. "The Jin forces came three times, and were completely wiped out—though they may not have died within the forest itself; they might have perished in the mechanical city," began Tianxia Guihuo. "We need a sacrificial force to enter the forest and trigger the hidden dangers." He then looked toward the three star officials. Only the Night-Wanderer could accomplish such a task. "No need for such complexity!" Red Chicken Brother puffed out his chest. "I'll simply set this entire forest on fire right away." Seeing no objections, Red Chicken Brother immediately raised both hands, gathering a fire ball three meters in diameter. The intense airflow pushed the group back several steps. He then charged forward and launched the fire ball with force. "Boom!" The fire ball exploded in the dense forest, sending up a bright flash of flame and thick smoke, but quickly subsided, with no actual fire spreading. "Setting the forest on fire won't work." “Zhang Yuanqing said, ‘If it were that simple, the Jin forces would have already set the entire mountain range ablaze.’ Everyone remained calm, showing no surprise at the fireballs’ inability to ignite the forest. Hong Ji Ge widened his eyes, ‘Did you all suspect this from the start?’ Xia Hou Ao Tian chuckled, ‘Isn’t this obvious?’ Hong Ji Ge grew slightly displeased, ‘Then why didn’t you remind me?’ After all, you’re the Fire Master… Zhang Yuanqing mused, ‘Practice is the sole criterion for verifying truth.’ Hong Ji Ge finally smiled, ‘You always know how to make people feel at ease.’ The usually silent Xiao Yuan finally spoke, her tone cool, ‘Let’s cut to the chase.’ Zhang Yuanqing immediately produced the Little Red Hat, extracting two spectral corpses—one a tall, beautiful woman with light blue jeans and a black T-shirt, long hair, and the other a gaunt, cold middle-aged man. The former was Lady Yin Yao, the latter a level-4 spectral corpse obtained from the Ghost City. — Notably, Lady Yin Yao’s slender waist is tied with a sash, and she holds a small horn in her hand. As soon as she appears, she raises the horn and says, “Ladies and gentlemen of the martial world, this is Lady Yin Yao, a noble of the Ming Dynasty. It’s a pleasure to meet you all.” “Whoa!” Red Chicken Brother gasps, “She can speak? Isn’t she a shadow corpse?” Lady Yin Yao’s vivid, crimson eyes fix on Red Chicken Brother: “I’ve always been able to speak. Last time at Qin Feng Academy, you accused the Primordial Sovereign of having a preference for beautiful shadow corpses and an improper taste—haven’t I yet had the chance to settle that score with you?” “Oh, right… Thunder monkey, thunder monkey…” Red Chicken Brother stammers again. Zhao City God and Sun Miao Miao are also stunned, their faces filled with astonishment—they’ve never seen a shadow corpse with self-awareness before. When the Primordial Sovereign guides the 4-tier shadow corpse toward the forest ahead, Sun Miao Miao quickly calls out, “Wait—would you like to use a saint-level shadow corpse to scout the Sun Miaomiao and Zhao Chenghuang displayed exactly the same expression. Zhao Chenghuang said, "I'll go ahead and scout the way." Without hesitation, he produced a heavy bronze box, which opened with a loud clang. A shadow, draped in a tattered robe, materialized behind Zhao Chenghuang. The ghost raised his hand, and black threads extended from his fingertips, penetrating the bronze box. A black soldier figure, gleaming with a metallic sheen, leapt out and, under the ghost's guidance, advanced stiffly, with a steady, rhythmic thud, toward the forest. "The soldier's range is three hundred meters," Zhao Chenghuang explained. "We'll need to explore and move forward simultaneously." While everyone's attention was focused on the soldier, Zhang Yuanqing approached Lady Yiniao quietly and whispered, "Who sent you with it?" "I find it adorable," Lady Yiniao said, lifting Zhang Yuanqing's T-shirt and gently inserting the small speaker into his abdomen so that the sound would be softer. "I think you're clearly planning something," Zhang Yuanqing said in a lowered voice, angrily. "When you first saw it, you didn't feel that way. You nearly killed me back then—you should know its history." "Its previous owner used to record a lot of harsh criticisms and complaints about me," Lady Yin Yao said. "I mentioned just a few days ago that I wanted to shatter it completely. Now it's so well-behaved—it's clearly a savvy piece of furniture." As she spoke, Zhao Chenghuang suddenly said in a serious tone, "My connection with the soldiers has been severed." Zhang Yuanqing looked in that direction and saw the slender black thread extending from the shadow's fingertip had snapped, now dangling lifelessly to the ground. "What's going on inside?" Tianxia Guihuo asked quickly. "It's a tree spirit," Zhao Chenghuang replied. "There are tree spirits all over this forest. They've attacked my soldiers—around level 4 in combat strength, quite numerous, and their attacks are purely physical." Xiahou Aotian stroked his chin and said, "A tree spirit—specifically, one with high fire resistance. The soldier statues will sever the connection within five minutes. Given the vast scale of the forest, tree spirits are spaced roughly every ten meters. If they advance directly, they'll have to face attacks from hundreds of tree spirits. Even with healing and defensive items, casualties will inevitably occur. 'Master Yuan Shi, it's your turn.' Once we've identified the enemy's identity and tactics, the matter becomes straightforward. We simply dispatch Master Yuan Shi. Under the watchful eyes of Xiao Yuan and the others, Zhang Yuancheng removed his T-shirt and pants, leaving only a black four-cornered trousers. Shina Ryō and Sun Miao Miao gasped, quickly shifting their gaze. Guan Ya and Xiao Yuan remained unmoved. 'Please keep this safe!' Zhang Yuancheng had originally intended to hand his clothes to Guan Ya, but then decided to give them to Red Chicken instead. Then, he reached into his inventory and retrieved the Jade Belt of Qing Di, stepping confidently into the forest. "Shush… shush…" He stepped into the forest, the fallen leaves cradling his footsteps. As soon as he entered the grove, the light dimmed instantly, the layered canopy blocking out the sun. Zhang Yuanqing advanced cautiously, observing the surrounding plants. The trees here were thick and towering—even the thinnest required a person's arms to encircle them. Their trunks and branches were dark, smooth, and lustrous, as if coated with a waterproof, fire-resistant metallic film. These must be special varieties. Unfortunately, there were no wood spirits in the party to explain them to us… Zhang Yuanqing thought to himself, then delivered a straight punch to the trunk beside him. Crack—the trunk snapped instantly. "Not tree spirits…" He continued forward, walking for nearly five minutes, until he reached a massive tree standing ahead, large enough to be embraced by three people. Beneath it, a black soldier statue lay横, its heavy body sinking into the soft earth, yet intact throughout. It had clearly sustained damage, but the unique properties of Xishang granted it the ability to regenerate. To be honest, Huang Taiqi's Xisang is still with me—this guy doesn't even care about what I want. Zhang Yuanqing suddenly remembered this. Near the army statues, he noticed a scattered ground of broken bones—ribs, leg bones, skulls, among others. In normal human deaths, bones remain intact, but these bones lie scattered like dishes left on a table after the flesh has been eaten, bones simply tossed aside. Besides the bones, he also spotted damaged armor and a few rusted swords. "These should be the remains of the Jin soldiers. The leaves have been turned over—was it Zhao Chenghuang who inspected them?" The thought just formed, and then Zhang Yuanqing felt a sudden tightness at his ankle. Looking down, he saw two root-like tendrils wrapping tightly around it. Immediately, a rustling sound followed, and several flexible, leafy vines burst through the layered tree canopy, binding him securely. At the same time, on the smooth, lustrous trunk of the large tree ahead, two deep, dark eyes split open, and a jagged, toothed opening appeared. The roots retracted into the earth, while the vines pulled Zhang Yuanqing, dragging him toward the opening in the trunk. Zhang Yuanqing immediately activated his "Beast Form" skill, coarse black fur sprouting across his body, his stature growing taller, his head enlarging and rounding out, and rounded ears emerging atop his head. In an instant, he transformed into a two-meter-tall black bear, and the vines binding him snapped apart as his body expanded. "Roar!" The bear snapped its teeth, drool cascading down its snowy-white teeth, causing the entire forest to tremble beneath the force of its roar. It stood upright, pushing forward with its forelimbs—unfazed by fire or lightning—and the sturdy trunk shattered with a resounding crack, the fissure closing like the iris of an eye, the jagged gaps of its tusks sealing shut. The bear then launched into a swift charge across the forest, pushing one towering tree after another. The powerful tree spirits stood no match before it, appearing as mere grasses easily trampled. Outside the forest, Guan Ya and the others heard the distant rumble of collapsing trees and the bear's roar, and felt an unexpected "The contrast is truly remarkable," Red Chicken Brother remarked, "Back when we all teamed up at the Cliff Mountain Sea, Yuan Shi Tian Zun was the weakest of us all." "In just a few months, he's outshone even us all." Outshone even us all... said casually, yet heard with intent. Those who had personally guided Yuan Shi Tian Zun through the official tournament, the former Saint Realm powerhouse Xiao Yuan, who had once bullied Yuan Shi Tian Zun on the arena stage—Sun Miao Miao and Zhao Cheng Huang—the self-proclaimed protagonist Xiahou Aotian—all fell silent. "Wait, why aren't you speaking?" Red Chicken Brother asked, looking at them. No one responded. Yin Yao Princess raised her small microphone, "They think you're too plain-spoken!" Red Chicken Brother was taken aback, "Did I say something wrong?" He grew increasingly agitated, "Are you all showing regional bias? Do you look down on people from Huadu?" Still, no one answered. Yin Yao Princess gently pressed the microphone to his ear and whispered, "Actually, it's you they're discriminating against." "...” ... At the far end of the forest stood a rugged cliff face, upon which a stone gate three meters high was embedded. Carved into the gate was a relief of the Eight Trigrams, with characters such as "Qian," "Kun," "Zhen," and "Kan" and "Li" projecting prominently. Zhang Yuanqing, pale and gasping, sat down on the ground, saying, "This gate cannot be opened—it must require a specific key. My task is now complete. From here on, I leave it to you." After transforming into a beast, the pain of torn muscles and broken bones continued to torment him. He had hesitated to use the Qing Di's immortality technique or the Life Source Liquid, as the self-healing ability of the Mountain God's staff proved only modestly effective, so he had to endure it. Guan Ya, likely eager to display her affection before Xiao Yuan, had rushed over upon seeing Zhang Yuanqing's condition, immediately tapping and kneading his legs and shoulders, nearly knocking him senseless. After being gently scolded by him in tears—“Get off your behind!”—she had grown angry and stopped attending to him. Now, standing at the gate alongside Sun M "The secret to opening the doors should be on the Bagua diagram—I believe that's the forte of the scholars," Guan Ya said. Sun Miao Miao turned to face Xue Hou Ao Tian. "Xue Hou Ao Tian, it's up to you. The Mo family's mechanical engineering is primarily a scholar-driven organization." Xue Hou Ao Tian frowned. "It's indeed the scholars' domain, but this thing is like an electronic lock—I'm a locksmith, yet I can only disassemble it. Understanding and deciphering the electronic code is entirely different from actually opening the lock." "You just can't manage it," Red Chicken still hadn't learned from past mistakes, speaking straight to the point. At that moment, Xue Hou Ao Tian suddenly lowered his head, intently focusing on the black iron ring on his thumb, as if listening to a subtle sound. After a few seconds, he raised his head proudly and declared, "Who says I can't manage it? The Bagua diagram on the door is actually an ancient Bagua sealing array from the Warring States period. By following the correct path and channeling the spiritual energy into it, the lock can be unlocked—simple!" He then randomly tapped the engraved characters before pressing the Only heard the stone gate rumble and slowly slide open to one side. Beyond it was not the dark, shadowy mountain interior, but a long passage lit by flickering candlelight. The passage bore clear signs of deliberate excavation—its smooth walls stained with dark red blood. At the entrance, a layer of skeletons lay scattered across the ground.