Chapter 36: Mission Appears, the Obsession of the Demon Hunter [Seeking Recommendations/Votes]

“Your command is our life!”

“Wherever your blade points, that is my direction!”

The wolf cavalry and Tie Zhu saluted with great tact.

In the next moment, Zong Shen turned his gaze toward Tasia. He remained expressionless and silent, as if waiting for something.

Seeing this, Tasia placed one hand over her chest, bowed slightly, and declared her stance to Zong Shen.

“Everything shall follow your will!”

Only then did Zong Shen reveal a faint smile and nod.

“Very well.”

Inside the temple, after the deceased had been defeated, there seemed to be nothing left worth noting—except for one thing.

He turned his gaze toward the deepest part of the temple.

There stood a stone sarcophagus carved with many motifs of decapitated demons.

It seemed this temple had been built specifically to enshrine this sarcophagus.

Zong Shen suddenly recalled the depiction of that epochal battle carved into the bluestone floor at the temple entrance.

The lonely hunter sitting by the cliff, gazing up at the bright moon.

Could his remains be inside this sarcophagus?

Zong Shen focused his gaze.

A golden strategy guide surfaced.

(Beneath the sarcophagus lies a connection to a mysterious dungeon. The soul of a demon hunter is waiting for someone who can help him fulfill his obsession.)

When he saw the guide, he felt a sense of disappointment, but also a touch of relief.

With a thought, he dismissed the text of the guide.

“Let’s go. An ancient dungeon is hidden beneath the sarcophagus. Let’s see if there is anything to be gained.”

Zong Shen pointed toward the sarcophagus.

Having spoken, he took the lead and walked straight toward it.

The wolf cavalry and Tie Zhu followed in succession, guarding him cautiously.

Tasia walked at the very rear, maintaining her expressionless, cold demeanor.

The group arrived before the sarcophagus.

Under Zong Shen's command, three wolf cavalrymen dismounted their wolves.

Together, they began attempting to open the heavy lid.

The lid was incredibly heavy, weighing at least several hundred kilograms.

Fortunately, Zong Shen had sufficient manpower; otherwise, he likely wouldn't have been able to move it alone.

Even so, it took the combined strength of the three wolf cavalrymen, Zong Shen, and Tie Zhu—five people in total—to finally heave the lid open.

“Why is this thing so heavy?”

Zong Shen was puzzled; the density clearly exceeded that of ordinary stone.

Thinking of this, he focused his gaze once more.

[High-grade Magic Rune Sarcophagus] [Made entirely of high-grade magic rune stone] [(Click to decompose)] (Magic rune stone is a precious magical material that can be used to engrave magic circles, craft enchanted items, or create magical tools.) (Though doing so is a bit unscrupulous, buddy, this is high-grade magic rune stone. High-grade, high-grade, very high-grade.)

After reading the prompt, Zong Shen realized that this sarcophagus was actually a high-grade magical material.

He peered inside the coffin.

He found it empty.

He also saw no entrance to a dungeon.

“Could it be beneath the sarcophagus?”

With this thought, Zong Shen selected [Decompose].

Instantly, the magic rune sarcophagus before him transformed into a mass of light.

[Obtained High-grade Magic Rune Stone ×187]

With a wave of his hand, Zong Shen collected them into his storage slot.

Sure enough, as soon as the sarcophagus vanished, a deep, dark entrance was revealed below.

“Lord, let us clear the way for you!”

“Giant wolves still possess excellent vision in the darkness,” Colby volunteered.

The entrance was not too narrow; it was large enough to accommodate the size of the giant wolves.

Zong Shen nodded, agreeing to Colby's suggestion.

Thus, the three wolf cavalrymen put their fingers to their mouths and blew a sharp whistle.

In the next moment, receiving the command, the three giant wolves crawled into the tunnel entrance one after another.

The three robust wolf cavalrymen drew their twin blades and followed closely behind into the tunnel.

Only then did Zong Shen descend.

Tie Zhu and Tasia walked at the very end.

The interior of the tunnel was not as dark and cramped as Zong Shen had imagined.

There was a hidden mechanism beneath the temple.

Once they passed through the entrance, a wide, descending stone staircase appeared beneath their feet.

It was wide enough for two wolf cavalrymen to walk side-by-side.

As the group descended the stairs, a long corridor stretched out before them.

It was deep, pitch-black, and offered absolutely no visibility.

However, just as Zong Shen looked up, the sides of the corridor suddenly began to light up.

Pale white candles ignited one by one, lighting up the path from near to far.

The candlelight was not bright.

Instead, it flickered like pale ghostly flames, emitting a dim glow.

They looked like white roses dancing in the darkness—eerie and bewitching.

“This scene is damn creepy...”

Even though Zong Shen was now brave enough to fight dried corpses with his bare hands, arriving in such a place still made him feel uneasy.

He could feel the goosebumps rising on his arms.

“I did not expect that after ten thousand years, the first to set foot here would be a human.”

A voice echoed softly right in Zong Shen's ear.

Strangely, his soldiers did not notice it at all.

Only Tasia's eyes held a hint of an unusual look, yet she did not react.

“Who’s there?”

Zong Shen spun around sharply, bracing his shield.

A demon hunter with a melancholy face stood directly behind him.

Startled, Zong Shen drew his Germanic sword and swung it toward the figure.

However, the blade passed straight through the demon hunter's body as if passing through thin air.

The wolf cavalry and Tie Zhu looked at each other, bewildered by what had happened.

At this moment, Zong Shen actually calmed down.

He remembered the "soul of a demon hunter" mentioned in the strategy guide when they entered.

“Human, I have been dead for tens of thousands of years. I bear no ill will toward you.”

“The only reason I still exist is because of an obsession.”

“Are you willing to help me resolve my obsession, so that I may finally rest in peace?”

The demon hunter spoke again.

Simultaneously, a system notification appeared.

[The soul of the Demon Hunter, Outland Windwhisper, has issued a quest invitation to you.] [Accept] [Decline] (Accept it.)

Zong Shen had no reason to refuse.

A quest meant rewards.

Moreover, he had the suggestion from the guide.

He chose [Accept].

“I am willing to help you.”

A simple, pure smile appeared on the face of the demon hunter's soul.

“Thank you, human friend.”

“My request is simple.”

“My remains are lost within this dungeon. Years ago, the imprisoned Blood-burning Demons escaped during the chaos.”

“They attacked me and tore my body into six pieces, scattering them throughout the dungeon. Please help me find my remains and bury them beside the Moon Well.”

“A child of the moon must, in the end, return to the moon...”

The demon hunter's voice drifted away.

His figure gradually faded from sight.

In front of Zong Shen, the system quest panel and the guide's notes appeared.

(A child of the moon wishes to return to his mother's embrace. Please do your best to fulfill his obsession.)

(You happen to have a Moon Well in your territory. After completing the quest, some wonderful changes might occur.)