The Heavenly Court is gone, I don't want to be a True Lord.

The fog billowed and the chill was biting.

As the eerie chanting echoed, the place where Zuo Qi was gradually enveloped in moonlight.

In the distance, he saw shadows writhing at the entrance of the palace, and two white figures hanging upside down from the beams. They were not mountain demons, but two skeletons draped in tattered Taoist robes.

The two skeletons stared intently at Zuo Qi.

"Are you here to offer incense?"

Zuo Qi did not answer.

The two skeletons continued to ask.

"May I come to offer incense?"

Zuo Qi remained silent.

silence.

Suddenly, the forest seemed to boil over, everything in the moonlight began to distort, and snowflakes surged up along with the thick fog.

Centered on the ruined temple in the mountains, everything exudes a distorted aura.

One by one, mountain demons emerged, born from this demon's lair. Within the lair, these mountain demons seemed to move faster and be more elusive.

Unfortunately, there were no mountain demons with thirty years of cultivation, and only seven or eight mountain demons at the same level as Zuo Qi, so they did not pose much of a threat to Zuo Qi. However, when they attacked at the same time, it was not so easy for Zuo Qi to deal with them.

The main problem was that the mountain demon was too fast.

As Zuo Qi killed three mountain demons with twenty years of cultivation (third level), the moonlight overhead brightened noticeably, and the mist gradually disappeared.

Squeak squeak squeak~!

Countless mountain demons transformed into distorted afterimages and disappeared into the mist.

This seemed to anger the 'Source' within the demon's lair.

"Offer incense!"

"superior!"

"fragrant!"

A voice, ethereal as if from another dimension, echoed outwards.

Centered on Zuo Qi, everything around him froze, as if Zuo Qi's entire body was locked and suppressed by a terrifying force!

He watched helplessly as the distance between himself and the Demon Nest Palace continued to shrink.

moment.

The blue bricks underfoot were cold and slippery, and the air was filled with the smell of decaying incense.

Zuo Qi was swept into the palace gate by a strange force.

The two skeletons, clad in Taoist robes, held incense sticks on their withered hand bones. "Please offer incense, worshippers."

An invisible pressure locked down his limbs, and his qi and blood were almost stagnant.

A martial artist at the third level of cultivation is not strong enough to forcibly break through the suppression of the special rules formed by the demon's nest.

Zuo Qi seemed to have expected this, and calmly took the incense sticks from the two skeletons.

The incense was icy cold to the bone, like holding a frozen finger.

The two entered the ruined hall.

There is also a broken plaque in the hall, which reads "X Yuan Hall".

It has a name?

Zuo Qi seemed to be deep in thought.

Could it be that all the demon lairs originated from the same place?

Waaaaah~

Strange black wisps lingered in the hall. In the distance, a deity whose face and figure were indistinct stood in the hall, with a pitch-black incense table in front of it, upon which sat an incense burner.

As his gaze shifted, Zuo Qi's pupils contracted slightly.

Inside the hall, dozens of figures were sitting densely packed on the open ground.

Some wore short tunics, some wore long gowns, some wore armor, and some wore tall crowns. The clothing spanned several dynasties, with old and new styles intermingling, as if it were a place where time had crossed paths.

They all bowed their heads, their hands hanging at their knees, motionless, like forgotten clay sculptures.

Its eyes were empty, its face was ashen, it had no breathing, and showed no signs of life, yet it was not dead.

Some had dry, withered skin, some had swollen faces, and some were still slowly oozing black blood, yet they were completely unaware of it.

Numbness, deathly silence, despair, as if their souls had been ripped out, leaving only empty shells.

These are all "pilgrims" who have mistakenly entered the demon's lair over the past few centuries and have been trapped there ever since.

I had only heard Lin Yuchan say that the demon's lair was dangerous, but after actually entering it today, I realized just how terrifying it was.

Knowing the details of this demon's lair, he naturally knew that these were people who had once truly existed in this world.

Each and every one of them should be an outstanding individual on the path of martial arts cultivation.

Unfortunately, one careless move led him into this demon's lair, turning him into a living dead, suppressed by special rules, unable to live or die.

The two skeletons that had greeted him earlier came before him and said, "Honored guest, the Five Lords are about to bestow a divine miracle. Please take a seat."

As he spoke, all the figures sitting cross-legged in the hall raised their heads and looked at Zuo Qi.

It was as if he would be besieged by the people in the hall if he refused.

Zuo Qi did not refuse, nor did he intend to refuse.

Instead, he looked around among the seated people and sat down next to someone dressed in the Dai Viet style.

"You're really unlucky to have gotten involved in this godforsaken place at such a young age."

Zuo Qi was taken aback at first, then looked at the person beside him.

His face was obscured by a black hood, revealing him to be a middle-aged man with a slightly fierce appearance and a thick beard.

"You can talk?"

Zuo Qi asked subconsciously. He had always thought these people were the living dead, but he never expected that they would still have consciousness.

The bearded man glared at him. "Kid, I'm only talking to you because I feel sorry for you. You don't think I'm easy to bully, do you?"

Zuo Qi: ...

"Can you move?"

He asked again.

The bearded man fell silent.

"So, you're completely immobilized now? Do you know how many of these people can talk like you?"

Zuo Qi then asked.

The bearded man seemed hurt by his words and remained silent.

To Zuo Qi's surprise, someone on his right actually responded.

"Those who have only been involved for a few years can all talk."

Zuo Qi quickly looked over and saw that it was a woman with regular features. However, she looked dusty because she hadn't taken care of herself for a long time. But even with her current appearance, it was clear that she was a beauty.

The woman noticed Zuo Qi's observing gaze, met his eyes, and seemed to be judging something.

"Are you from Yuncheng?"

Zuo Qi was taken aback. Da Yue Mandarin was from the capital, but few people spoke it. Taizhou was mountainous, and accents varied from place to place. He still had some accent from Yuncheng.

However, he did not recognize the woman's accent. She was clearly of noble birth and had received an aristocratic education, speaking standard Kyoto Mandarin.

"Born in Cloud City."

Zuo Qi replied.

"As a fellow villager, I'll give you some advice. After the bell rings, do the same thing we do. Once you're back in your room, don't touch anything. If you hear a knock on the door, don't answer. This will save you some suffering."

A woman's hoarse, weary voice rang out.

The bearded man grew impatient. "Hey, what do you mean, woman? We've suffered so much to finally understand the rules of this demon's lair, and you're just telling this kid like that? We can't even move, and you still want to find a lover?"

Zuo Qi and the woman ignored him.

After thinking for a moment, Zuo Qi asked, "May I ask, young lady, what is your current condition?"

"As you can see, a half-dead being will become a servant of this demon's lair once its life force is exhausted."

Zuo Qi suddenly realized.

According to the information previously provided by the Heavenly Eye Blessing.

There is a chance to leave the demon's lair alive before the incense stick burns out.

After burning out, it will be suppressed by the rules of the palace, and its life force will be rapidly consumed. When it is consumed to a certain extent, it will fall into a state of living dead until its life force is exhausted, and it will turn into a skeleton and be controlled by the 'Source' in the demon's nest.

It seems that there are still some people like the woman in front of us and Luo Saihu who have retained their minds.

Looking at the gloomy and magnificent ruined palace, Zuo Qi felt only terror. The entire palace was like an overturned giant coffin, suffocating all the living people inside, slowly rotting and assimilating them.

Ultimately, they served together the so-called Five Lords.