Facing the farmer's exaggerated reaction, Zhang Yuanqing and his teammates exchanged glances and said amiably, "Old man, don't be afraid. We won't hurt you. We just want to ask about something."

The farmer turned a deaf ear, just kowtowing repeatedly:

"My lords, officials, masters, I'm just a cowherd. Please, don't take me there..."

Next, no matter what Zhang Yuanqing and the others asked, the farmer maintained an anxious posture, preoccupied with kowtowing and begging for mercy, making communication difficult. Could it be that this NPC needs specific code words or slogans to trigger? Zhang Yuanqing and the others fell into contemplation.

"Hey, uncle!" Hongjige couldn't help but grab the farmer's collar, lift him into the air, and cursed, "Are you deaf or blind? If you keep talking to yourself, believe it or not, I'll burn you to death with a single fire."

As he spoke, he raised his hand in a knife-hand strike. With a "chi" sound, a bright flame rose from his hand, radiating scorching heat.

"The Mo Sect is in those mountains! Legend has it that as long as you pass through the dense forest ahead and reach the end, you can see the immortals living in the Mo Sect," the farmer said quickly, pointing to the distant mountains.

"He just gave it up like that." Zhang Yuanqing's lips twitched. He instinctively believed that information in S-level dungeons might require methods and wisdom.

Thinking this, he glanced at Tianxiaguihuo and the others, and found that everyone had similar expressions.

"It's there after crossing this forest?" Hongjige thought for a moment, turned to look at his teammates behind him, and reminded, "I keenly sensed something was wrong."

"You don't need to be keen to sense something is wrong." Tianxiaguihuo stared at the villager's face solemnly and asked, "What were you afraid of just now? Don't take you where? What dangers are there in the mountains?"

The hand knife radiating high temperatures had a good deterrent effect. The farmer answered tremblingly, "The mountains are where the gods live, of course it's dangerous. This forest is also very dangerous. Since childhood, the elders in the village have told us to stay away from this forest, because everyone who went in died inside."

"The immortals of the Mo Sect don't like to be disturbed, so they arranged monsters to guard the forest. A few years ago, some people came here and said they wanted to enter the mountains. They caught many villagers to lead the way, but none of them returned. Later, more Jin people came, and they all died inside."

"Jin people..." Tianxiaguihuo frowned, "What's the current era?"

The farmer looked blank.

Xiahou Aotian chuckled, "You're asking an illiterate mountain villager about the era? Are you crazy? But since he mentioned Jin people, it should be the Southern Song Dynasty."

Sun Senmiao spoke enthusiastically, "Vice Mu mentioned in the introduction that the Mo Sect obtained an ancient treasure. Whoever obtains this treasure obtains the world. The Jin people sent troops to the Mo Sect, and the purpose is self-evident."

Afterwards, they asked in detail about the legends of the forest, as well as the number and batches of Jin people entering the forest. After dismissing the villager, the group discussed in a low voice.

"The Jin people came three times and were completely wiped out, but they may not have died in the forest. It's also possible they died in the mechanical city." Tianxiaguihuo started, saying, "We need a cannon fodder to enter the forest and trigger the traps, to figure out the dangers inside." As he spoke, he looked at the three Star Lords, as only Night Wanderers could do this.

"No need for so much trouble!" Hongjige patted his chest, "I'll just burn this forest with a single fire." Seeing no one objected, Hongjige immediately raised both hands and condensed a fireball with a diameter of three meters. The hot air flow made everyone retreat repeatedly. He rushed forward a few steps and threw the fireball with all his might.

"Boom!"

The fireball exploded in the dense forest, setting off a dazzling flash of fire and thick smoke, but it quickly subsided, and the fire did not catch.

"It's no use setting fire to the mountain," Zhang Yuanqing said. "If it were that simple, the Jin people would have burned down this entire mountain long ago."

Everyone had a calm expression, and was not surprised that the fireball could not ignite the forest.

Hongjige widened his eyes, "Did you all guess it?"

Xiahou Aotian chuckled, "Isn't it obvious?"

Hongjige suddenly became a little unhappy, "Then why didn't you remind me?"

Because you're a Fire Master, Zhang Yuanqing pondered, "Practice is the sole criterion for testing truth."

Hongjige then smiled, "You always know how to make people feel comfortable."

Xiao Yuan, who had been silent all along, finally spoke, her voice cold, "Don't waste time."

Zhang Yuanqing immediately took out Little Red Riding Hood and shook out two Yin corpses, one was a long-haired beauty wearing light white jeans and a black T-shirt, and the other was a withered and gloomy middle-aged man.

The former was Princess Yinyao, and the latter was a level 4 Yin corpse obtained from the Ghost City. It is worth mentioning that Princess Yinyao had a fanny pack tied around her slender waist and was holding a small horn in her hand. As soon as she appeared, she raised the small horn.

"Greetings, heroes of the Jianghu, I am Yinyao, Princess of the Great Ming, nice to meet you."

"Damn it!" Hongjige exclaimed, "She can talk? Isn't she a Yin corpse?"

Princess Yinyao's scarlet and eerie eyes looked at Hongjige, "I have always been able to talk. Last time in the Qinfeng Academy, you slandered Yuanshi Tianzun for specifically choosing beautiful Yin corpses with bad habits. I haven't settled accounts with you yet."

"Ah, this, sorry, sorry..." Hongjige was embarrassed again.

Zhao Chenghuang and Sun Miaomiao were also stunned, with a look of astonishment. It was the first time they had seen a Yin corpse with self-awareness. When Yuanshi Tianzun manipulated the level 4 Yin corpse to walk towards the forest, Sun Miaomiao hurriedly stopped him, "Hey, you, are you going to use a Saint-level Yin corpse to scout the way?"

"Is there a problem?" Zhang Yuanqing asked.

Are you a spendthrift! Sun Miaomiao and Zhao Chenghuang had the exact same expression.

Zhao Chenghuang said, "I'll scout the way," and without saying a word, he took out a heavy bronze box. The lid of the box "clanged" open, and a phantom in a tattered robe floated behind Zhao Chenghuang. The ghost raised its hand, and a dark thread extended from its fingertip and drilled into the bronze box.

A dark terracotta warrior flashing with metallic luster leaped out of the box and, under the manipulation of the phantom, walked stiffly towards the forest.

"The terracotta warrior's range of action is 300 meters. We need to explore and advance at the same time," Zhao Chenghuang said.

While everyone's attention was focused on the terracotta warrior, Zhang Yuanqing approached Princess Yinyao and whispered, "Who let you bring it out?"

"I think it's cute," Princess Yinyao lifted Zhang Yuanqing's T-shirt and stuffed the small horn into his stomach, so that the sound would be a little quieter.

"I think your face is full of mischief," Zhang Yuanqing lowered his voice and said angrily, "You didn't think so when you first saw it. You almost killed me. You should know its origin."

"Its former owner used it to record a bunch of dirty words to scold me. I said a few days ago that I would smash it. Now it's very well-behaved and is a pragmatic prop," Princess Yinyao said.

As they were talking, Zhao Chenghuang suddenly said in a deep voice, "The connection between the terracotta warrior and me is broken."

Zhang Yuanqing looked over and saw that the dark thread extending from the phantom's finger had broken and hung limply on the ground.

"What's the situation inside?" Tianxiaguihuo asked quickly.

"It's a tree demon," Zhao Chenghuang said, "This forest is full of tree demons. They attacked my terracotta warrior. Their combat power is about level 4, and there are many of them. Their attack method is physical output."

Xiahou Aotian stroked his chin and said, "Tree demons, and tree demons with high fire resistance. The terracotta warrior was disconnected within five minutes. The scale of the forest is so large that the number of tree demons is probably one every ten meters. If we break in forcibly, crossing the forest may mean facing the attack of hundreds of tree demons. Even with healing and defensive props, I'm afraid there will be casualties."

"Yuanshi, it's your turn." Now that the enemy's identity and attack methods have been tested, it's easy to handle. Just dispatch Yuanshi Tianzun directly.

Under the gaze of Xiao Yuan and others, Zhang Yuanqing slowly took off his T-shirt and pants, leaving only a pair of black boxer briefs. Qianliang and Sun Miaomiao exclaimed and hurriedly averted their eyes. Guan Ya and Xiao Yuan did not react.

"Take good care of it for me!" Zhang Yuanqing originally wanted to throw his clothes to Guan Ya, but after thinking about it, he threw them to Hongjige. Then, he grabbed the Azure Emperor Jade Belt from the inventory and strode into the forest.

"Swish..."

He stepped on the fallen leaves that covered the ground and entered the forest. As soon as he entered the forest, the light immediately dimmed. The layers of canopies blocked the sunlight. Zhang Yuanqing walked cautiously, observing the surrounding plants.

The trees here are thick and tall. The thinnest one requires one person to hug it. The trunks and branches are black, and the surface is smooth and shiny, as if coated with a layer of waterproof and fireproof metallic film. These trees should be special varieties, but unfortunately there are no Wood Demons in the team to give us science lessons, Zhang Yuanqing thought to himself.

A straight punch hit the tree trunk beside him. With a crack, the tree trunk broke. "It's not a tree demon."

He continued forward and walked for nearly five minutes. He saw a large tree that required three people to hug it standing in front of him. Under the tree lay a black terracotta warrior, its heavy body pressed into the soft soil. The whole thing was intact, but it should have been damaged, but the characteristics of Xirang gave it "regeneration" ability.

Speaking of which, Huang Taiji's Xirang is still with me. This guy doesn't even want it, Zhang Yuanqing suddenly remembered this.

Approaching the terracotta warrior, he also saw a pile of broken bones, ribs, leg bones, skull, etc. When a normal human dies, the bones are complete, but these bones are scattered all over the ground, more like food on the dining table. The flesh was eaten, and the bones were thrown away randomly. In addition to the bones, he also saw broken armor and several rusty knives.

"These should be the skeletons left by the Jin soldiers. There are traces of the fallen leaves being turned over. Did Zhao Chenghuang check them?" As soon as this thought flashed, Zhang Yuanqing suddenly felt his ankle tighten. Looking down, he saw two tentacle-like roots entangled around his ankle.

Immediately afterwards, a rustling sound rang out. Several flexible vines with green leaves emerged from the layers of canopies and tied him up. At the same time, two dark and deep eyes and a gap with interlocking fangs cracked on the smooth and shiny trunk of the big tree in front. The roots retracted into the ground, and the vines dragged Zhang Yuanqing, sending him into the gap in the tree trunk.

Zhang Yuanqing immediately activated the "Beast Transformation" skill. Coarse and hard black hair grew on the surface of his body, his body became taller, his head became larger and rounder, and round ears grew on the top of his head. In an instant, he transformed into a two-meter-tall black bear. The vines that bound him were broken by his soaring body during the transformation.

"Roar!"

The black bear bared its teeth and roared, and saliva dripped down its white teeth. The entire forest trembled in the roar.

It stood upright, pushed hard with its front paws, and the indestructible tree trunk, unafraid of fire and lightning, broke in response. The cracks in the tree trunk, like eyes, and the gap with interlocking fangs, then closed.

The black bear immediately launched a charge in the forest, pushing down one giant tree after another. The powerful tree demons were as weak as weeds to be trampled on at will in front of it.

Outside the forest, Guan Ya and others listened to the loud crashing sounds and the black bear's roar from afar, and a strong sense of security surged in their hearts.

"The commotion is really loud. Tsk tsk, Yuanshi Tianzun, when we teamed up in the Cliff Mountain Sea, he was the weakest one." Hongjige sighed, "In two or three months, he's become more powerful than all of us."

More powerful than all of us. The speaker was unintentional, but the listener was intentional. Guan Ya, who personally led Yuanshi Tianzun into the official organization, Xiao Yuan, the former Saint-level boss, Sun Miaomiao and Zhao Chenghuang, who had bullied Yuanshi Tianzun in the arena, and Xiahou Aotian, who claimed to be the protagonist, all fell silent.

"Hey, why are you all silent?" Hongjige looked at them, but no one paid attention to him.

Princess Yinyao raised the small horn, "They hate your loose tongue!"

Hongjige was stunned, "Did I say something wrong?"

He said angrily, "Are you all discriminating against regions and looking down on people from Huadu?" But no one paid attention to him.

Princess Yinyao put the small horn to his ear and said softly, "They are discriminating against you."

At the end of the forest was a jagged cliff dwelling with a three-meter-high stone door embedded in the wall. An eight-trigram relief was carved on the stone door, with raised characters such as Qian, Kun, Zhen, Kan, and Li.

Zhang Yuanqing slumped on the ground with a pale face and said, "This door can't be opened. It should require a specific key. My task is completed, and I'll leave the rest to you."

The pain of muscle tears and broken bones after beast transformation was still tormenting him. He was reluctant to use the Azure Emperor Longevity Technique and the Source of Life. The self-healing skill of the Mountain God Scepter was not very effective, so he could only endure it. Guan Ya probably wanted to show off her love in front of Xiao Yuan.

When she first came over and saw Zhang Yuanqing's miserable state, she hurriedly massaged his legs and shoulders, almost knocking him to death on the spot. Zhang Yuanqing scolded her with tears in his eyes, "Get the hell out," and she got angry and ignored him.

At this time, she was standing in front of the door, observing the stone door with Sun Miaomiao and others.

"The trick to opening the door should be on the eight-trigram diagram. If I remember correctly, this is the forte of Scholars," Guan Ya said. Sun Miaomiao turned her head, "Xiahou Aotian, I'll leave it to you. The Mo family's mechanical arts should be mainly a Scholar organization."

Xiahou Aotian frowned, "It's the field of Scholars, but this thing is like an electronic lock. I'm a locksmith, but I can only pick locks. Cracking the password of an electronic lock is different from picking a lock."

"You just can't handle it," Hongjige still didn't learn his lesson and was still blunt.

At this time, Xiahou Aotian suddenly lowered his head, staring intently at the black iron ring on his thumb, as if listening to something. After a few seconds, he raised his head and chest and said proudly:

"Who said I can't handle it? The eight-trigram diagram on the door is actually an eight-trigram sealing formation passed down from the pre-Qin era. It can be unlocked by injecting spiritual energy according to the correct route. Simple!" After saying that, he randomly pressed on the raised characters on the relief, and then pressed the central Taiji fish. The stone door "rumbled" and slowly slid open to the side.

Behind the stone door was not a dark and gloomy mountain belly, but a candlelit passage. The passage had obvious traces of excavation, not naturally formed. The smooth walls were stained with dark red bloodstains, and the entrance of the passage was covered with bones.