Zhong Kui's Commission

Shen Luo stared at the three incense sticks for a moment and saw that the smoke rising from them was milky white, ascending straight into the air without the slightest deviation.

Yet aside from that, there was nothing unusual about them.

Just as Shen Luo was growing bored and about to look away, the three incense sticks suddenly changed.

The flames at their tips abruptly flared, as though someone had blown on them. They shifted from dark red to bright yellow, then began burning rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The instant the three sparks of incense ash fell, a strange mark suddenly appeared on the round, three-legged censer. Immediately afterward, Shen Luo heard a rush of wind.

A hazy vortex rose from the accumulated ash within the censer, gradually expanding as it descended over the group.

Shen Luo instinctively tried to step back, but someone seized his shoulder.

"Trust Elder Hu. It'll be fine," Lü He's voice came from behind him.

Hearing this, Shen Luo remained tense and unable to relax. Before he could make another move, however, the ash vortex had already descended and engulfed him.

In an instant, the surroundings seemed to be shrouded in black mist, turning utterly dim. Shen Luo felt as though he had fallen into a bottomless pit, his body dropping endlessly without ever reaching the bottom.

After an unknown amount of time, Shen Luo's feet finally touched solid ground again. The murky black mist around him also seemed to be gradually thinning, and the surrounding scenery slowly came into view.

Shen Luo glanced around and saw a dark sky overhead, with a layer of mist lingering in the distance and obscuring everything from view. The land beneath his feet was desolate and barren, without so much as a blade