"Your command is my life!"
"Where your sword points, there shall I go!"
The Wolf Cavalry and Tie Zhu said as they bowed respectfully.
The next moment, Zong Shen turned his gaze to Tasia. His face was expressionless, and he said nothing.
He seemed to be waiting for something.
Only then did Tasia place one hand over her chest.
She bowed slightly and addressed Zong Shen.
"Everything shall be done according to your will!"
Only then did Zong Shen give a faint smile and nod.
"Good."
After the dead had been defeated, there seemed to be nothing else inside the Temple worth paying attention to.
Except for one thing.
He looked toward the very back of the Temple.
There stood a stone coffin carved with images of many beheaded demons.
The Temple seemed to have been built specifically to enshrine this coffin.
Zong Shen suddenly recalled the mural he had seen on the bluestone floor at the entrance to the Temple, depicting a world-shaking battle.
The lone hunter, sitting on the edge of a cliff and gazing up at the bright moon.
Could his remains be inside this coffin?
Zong Shen focused his gaze on it.
Golden Strategy Guide text appeared before him.
(The coffin connects to a mysterious dungeon beneath it. The spirit of a Demon Hunter is waiting for someone who can help him fulfill his obsession.)
When he saw the Strategy Guide, he felt a little disappointed, but also somewhat relieved.
With a thought, he dismissed the Strategy Guide text.
"Let's go. There's an ancient dungeon hidden beneath the coffin. Let's see if there's anything worth finding."
Zong Shen pointed at the coffin.
Then he led the way straight toward it.
The Wolf Cavalry and Tie Zhu followed one after another.
They kept a careful guard around him.
Tasia brought up the rear.
She still wore her usual cold, expressionless look.
The group came to a stop in front of the coffin.
At Zong Shen's command, three Wolf Cavalry dismounted.
Together, they tried to open the heavy lid.
It was incredibly weighty.
It must have weighed several hundred kilograms at least.
Fortunately, Zong Shen had plenty of people with him. Otherwise, he probably wouldn't have been able to move it alone.
Even so, it took all five of them—the three Wolf Cavalry, Zong Shen, and Tie Zhu—a great deal of effort to lift the lid.
"Why's this thing so heavy?"
Zong Shen was puzzled. Its density was clearly greater than that of ordinary stone.
Thinking of this, he focused his gaze on it.
[Advanced Magic Rune Stone Coffin] [Made entirely from advanced magic rune stone] [(Click to dismantle)] (Magic rune stone is a precious magical material. It can be used to inscribe magic arrays, make enchanted items, or craft magical tools.) (This might be a little unethical, but buddy, this is advanced magic rune stone. Advanced. Advanced. Really advanced.)
Only after reading the prompts did Zong Shen realize that the coffin was made of advanced magical material.
He looked inside.
But the interior was completely empty.
There was no sign of an entrance to the dungeon, either.
"Could it be underneath the coffin?"
Thinking this, Zong Shen selected [Dismantle].
At once, the magic rune stone coffin before him dissolved into a ball of light.
[Obtained Advanced Magic Rune Stone ×187]
With a wave of his hand, Zong Shen stored it in his Storage Grid.
Sure enough, as soon as the coffin disappeared, a deep, dark entrance was revealed beneath it.
"Lord, let us lead the way!"
"Giant Wolves can see quite well in the dark."
Colby volunteered.
The entrance was wide enough for the Giant Wolves to enter.
Zong Shen nodded, agreeing to Colby's suggestion.
The three Wolf Cavalry each put a finger in their mouths and let out a sharp whistle.
At the signal, the three Giant Wolves crawled into the passage one after another.
The three burly Wolf Cavalry drew their twin blades and followed close behind, entering the passage.
Only then did Zong Shen follow them down.
Tie Zhu and Tasia brought up the rear.
The passage wasn't as dark and cramped inside as Zong Shen had imagined.
There was more to the area beneath the Temple than met the eye.
As soon as they passed through the entrance, a broad flight of stone steps sloped downward beneath their feet.
It was wide enough for two Wolf Cavalry to walk side by side.
When the group reached the bottom of the steps, a long Corridor stretched out before them.
It was deep and pitch-black, with no visibility at all.
But just as Zong Shen looked up,
the sides of the Corridor gradually began to brighten.
One pale-white candle after another sprang to life, lighting up in succession from near to far.
Their light was not bright.
Instead, they flickered like pale Ghost Fire, casting a dim glow.
Like white roses dancing in the darkness, they were both eerie and bewitching.
"This place is seriously creepy..."
Although Zong Shen had already dared to fight a Dried Corpse barehanded,
he still felt uneasy after suddenly ending up in a place like this.
He felt goosebumps rising one by one along his arms.
"I never expected that, ten thousand years later, the first to set foot here would be a human."
A voice drifted eerily beside Zong Shen's ear.
Strangely, none of his soldiers seemed to notice it.
Only Tasia's eyes held a flicker of something unusual.
Even she did not react.
"Who's there?"
Zong Shen spun around with his shield raised.
A Demon Hunter with a sorrowful face stood behind him.
Startled, Zong Shen drew his Germanic Sword and swung at him.
But the blade passed straight through the Demon Hunter's body, as though cutting through air.
The Wolf Cavalry and Tie Zhu looked at one another, unsure what had happened.
Zong Shen, on the other hand, quickly calmed down.
He remembered the Strategy Guide's hint about the Demon Hunter's spirit.
"Human, I died more than ten thousand years ago. I mean you no harm."
"The only reason I still exist is because of my obsession."
"Would you be willing to help me let go of my obsession, so that I may finally rest?"
The Demon Hunter spoke again.
At the same time,
a system prompt appeared.
[The spirit of Demon Hunter Altland Whisperwind has invited you to accept a quest] [Accept] [Decline] (Accept it.)
Zong Shen had no reason to refuse.
A quest meant a reward.
Besides, the Strategy Guide recommended accepting it.
He selected [Accept].
"I'm willing to help you."
A simple smile appeared on the Demon Hunter's face.
"Thank you, my human friend."
"My request is simple."
"My remains were lost somewhere in this dungeon. Back then, the Blood-Burning Demons imprisoned here escaped during the chaos."
"They attacked me, tore my body into six pieces, and scattered them throughout the dungeon. Please help me find my remains, then bury them beside the Moon Well."
"The children of the moon must, in the end, return to the moon..."
The Demon Hunter's voice faded into the distance.
His figure gradually disappeared.
A system quest panel and a Strategy Guide note appeared before Zong Shen.
(The children of the moon long to return to their mother's embrace. Do your best to help him fulfill his obsession.) (There is a Moon Well in your territory. Once you complete the quest, something wondrous may happen.)
Before you continue