Chapter 987 Desolate City

As everyone took the elixir and regulated their breathing, the withered remains of the demon tree suddenly turned into black mist and dissipated, and an ancient teleportation array emerged from the ground.

Feng Wuhen gathered a wisp of soul power on his fingertips and tested: "This time, I'll be more straightforward."

A stone tablet slowly rose in the center of the teleportation array, with blood-lettered words on it:

[The living enter, the dead exit, the eighth level is where your bones are buried]

The expressions of several people suddenly changed, "This..."

Feng Wuhen clenched his fists. "Back then, the Saintess of my Taixu Feng clan died in the eighth level. What exactly is the eighth level?!"

Luo Li narrowed her eyes, "Rest for a night first, we will set off for the eighth level tomorrow."

Everyone looked at each other and nodded solemnly: "Okay!"

Dawn completely dispelled the darkness of night, and everyone was almost back to normal.

Luo Li stood in the center of the teleportation array and looked around at her companions: "Once we enter the eighth level, there may be no turning back."

She was responded with five determined gazes.

"Then let's go." Luo Li threw the Phantom Spirit Pearl high up. The pearl drew a dazzling arc in the air and landed at the core of the teleportation array, forming a light shield to protect everyone.

In an instant, the blue light became brighter and the figures of the six people were swallowed up by the light.

The eighth level of the Netherworld—the Desolate City.

The dizzying feeling lasted for a few breaths. When her feet touched the ground again, Luo Li immediately noticed something unusual - it was too quiet here.

There was no sound of wind, no chirping of insects, and even the sound of one's own heartbeat became unclear.

They stood on a gray plain. The sky was a sickly dark yellow. There was no sunlight, but a strange light source was evenly distributed on the earth.

The outline of a ruined city can be vaguely seen in the distance, but what is more eye-catching are the criss-crossing black lines on the ground - they pulsate like blood vessels, emitting an unpleasant odor.

"The time here... is wrong." Wen Xingyan suddenly said. A thin layer of frost condensed on the surface of the long sword in his hand, and then quickly melted away. "My sword is experiencing the process of rusting and repairing at the same time."

Shen Fuzhou frowned: "This is a lord's weapon. It's impossible to let it rust even after hundreds of thousands of years..."

Xie Shiyuan squatted down and touched the ground with his silver knife. "The soil is warm, but the tip of my knife is frozen."

Luo Li looked at the ruined city ahead and said, "Let's go and take a look."

The group slowly walked into the ruined city. However, the moment they entered the city, a strange phenomenon occurred -

The originally ruined city suddenly began to distort, but in an instant, it was no longer dilapidated, and a prosperous city suddenly appeared before their eyes.

The bustling crowds and luxurious streets are all extremely real.

Standing inside the city gate, Luo Li and the others had a mixture of vigilance and horror in their eyes.

They looked at each other, their expressions changing. What was going on?

As they stood there alert, a beautiful girl passed by them.

Glancing at them, the girl came over in surprise, "Are you adventurers from outside?"

Luo Li frowned calmly, then said, "Yes, I happened to pass by, so I wanted to come in and take a look."

The girl's eyes lit up at the words, and she revealed an innocent smile. "Then you've come to the right place! Desolate City is currently hosting the once-a-century 'Spirit Festival'. The entire city will be celebrating for seven days and seven nights!"

As soon as she finished speaking, a clear bell sound suddenly came from the end of the street.

Twelve priests in black robes slowly approached, carrying a gorgeous sedan chair. What hung around the sedan chair were not veils, but flowing strips of light.

"It's the High Priest!" the girl exclaimed in a low voice, pulling Luo Li's sleeve and retreating to the side of the road, "Get out of the way! Looking directly at the High Priest will shorten your lifespan!"

Luo Li and the others frowned slightly, but still followed the girl to the side of the road.

On the wide street, people bowed their heads respectfully, while inside the gorgeous sedan, an extremely beautiful woman's eyes wandered.

Luo Li raised her eyes slightly, and through the sedan chair, she met those deep blue eyes.

The woman narrowed her eyes, and just when Luo Li thought she was going to attack, she shifted her gaze.

The sedan chair passed smoothly, and after the priest went away, the crowd became active again and gradually dispersed.

The girl patted her chest and breathed a sigh of relief: "That was a close call! Last time, a stranger stared at the high priest and turned into an ice sculpture on the spot."

As she spoke, she suddenly leaned close to Luo Li's ear and said, "You smell good, do you want to come to my teahouse and sit down?"

Xuan Mu's folding fan swung open, casting a cold light on the girl's neck. "Little sister, your tea...isn't it poison?"

The venom seeping from the dark grooves of the fan bones glowed dark green in the sunlight.

"Ouch!" The girl screamed and stepped back, her embroidered shoes accidentally stepping on the gap between the floor tiles - suddenly several wisps of black mist shot out from there and wrapped around her ankles like a living thing.

Xie Shiyuan's silver knife flashed like lightning, and the black mist let out a sharp scream like a baby crying and dissipated into the air.

The girl didn't notice anything. She asked in surprise: "What on earth are you thinking?!"

Luo Li's eyes flickered slightly, and she immediately stopped Xuan Mu and said with a smile, "I'm really sorry. Before we came to Desolate City, we encountered a demon vine tree in the wild. He was injured at the time, so he thinks everything is poisonous."

The girl breathed a sigh of relief, "Is that so..."

She glanced at Xuan Mu with pity, "This brother is so pitiful."

Xuan Mu's lips twitched, but knowing that Luo Li had her own thoughts, she could only hold back and not say a word.

Luo Li continued, "It just so happens that we're going to stay here for a few days. Can we stay in your teahouse?"

The girl raised an exceptionally bright smile, "Of course!"

She smiled and said, "Then come with me, my home is not far ahead!"

The girl skipped ahead to lead the way, and wisps of black mist seeped out from the cracks in the blue bricks where her embroidered shoes had stepped.

Luo Li secretly made a hand gesture, and a wisp of spiritual consciousness quietly attached to the corner of the girl's clothes.

After turning three streets and alleys, a three-story wooden building with a plaque that reads "Wangyou Pavilion" appears before our eyes.

The lanterns in front of the building moved automatically without wind, and the light and shadows they cast formed distorted human faces on the brick floor.

"Grandpa! A guest is coming!" the girl shouted as she pushed the door open.

A one-eyed old man came out from behind the counter. When his gray-white pupils swept over everyone, a chill rose from their bodies.

The girl smiled and said, "Grandpa, these people want to stay with us for a few days!"

"Three Yin Ling stones every day for the upper room." The old man's voice was hoarse like sand.

Wen Xingyan suddenly pressed Luo Li's wrist - the inner alchemy of the light-type monster embedded in the hilt of his sword was reversing madly.

Xie Shiyuan's silver knife made a buzzing sound in its sheath. She could only smile awkwardly, but the old man seemed not to notice it, staring at them with his grayish-white pupils.

Shen Fuzhou whispered: “What should we do, Luo Li, we don’t have any Yin Ling Stones at all…”