An invasion from the Abyss? I, a demonic cultivator, laughed.

Chapter 74 Adventure Plan
Distinguished guest?
The stark contrast in the black-armored man's attitude immediately put everyone on alert. Without a word, the group of trainees huddled together back to back.

Chu Xiu felt countless greedy eyes scanning him, as if he were a sheep that had strayed deep into a pack of wolves.

"Hehe, everyone, there's no need to be nervous," the black-armored man chuckled hoarsely, explaining somewhat palely, "You interfered with the ceremony earlier, which is why I was rude. We, the Meteor Village, are extremely hospitable, hehehe."

Before Chu Xiu and the others could speak, a villager shouted, "High Priest, let me entertain them! I have freshly slaughtered cattle and sheep at home!"

"And me! I'll kill the old hen at home as soon as I get back and make soup for our distinguished guests!"

"What's that compared to what I've got? My calf was just born, not even a month old yet, and its meat is incredibly tender, hehehe."

The noisy villagers below sent a chill down Chu Xiu's spine.

"Okay, stop arguing."

The man in black armor waved to stop the crowd and turned to Chu Xiu and the others, saying, "You have come from afar, you must be tired. We have prepared the finest food and comfortable accommodations in the castle, please follow me."

The man in black armor finished speaking, but no one moved.

He narrowed his eyes and said slowly, "I heard from the villagers that you are inquiring about the great Az Ilitua Mgos? If you come with me, I will introduce you to our village elders. Only they have the right to reveal this to outsiders."

The man in black armor's words left everyone looking at each other, unsure of what to do.

"What should we do now?" Jiang Xue asked softly.

No one answered her.

We cannot make any judgments based on the information we have now.

This is an open scheme. Although we know the other party may be plotting something, if we don't go, we will fall into the same predicament as before, like a headless fly not knowing what to do.

Ideally, someone in the team would be willing to act as a scout, going alone to meet the elders and gather information, but clearly, no one would be willing to do that.

After glancing at the clueless crowd, Chu Xiu thought carefully for a moment before speaking:

"Let's go."

Zhou Juncai frowned: "Aren't you afraid it's a trap?"

“We’ve only been in this village for a quarter of an hour, and we’ve only just attracted their attention, so we probably won’t be ready anytime soon.”

"Besides, they're after us, but don't we have our own plans as well?"

A fierce glint flashed in Chu Xiu's eyes: "We absolutely cannot let them lead us by the nose!"

"Once we see that so-called elder, we'll try to get some useful information out of him. If we don't get any, we'll launch a surprise attack immediately and annihilate all the village's defenses as much as possible!"

"No matter what wicked schemes they're plotting, without power, they can't accomplish anything!"

"If their strength exceeds our expectations, we will abduct their elders, escape to a safe place, and then interrogate them!"

Chu Xiu spoke in Chinese, so he wasn't worried that the black-armored man opposite him would understand.

He had originally planned to capture the village's leader and interrogate him for information, but for some reason the leader wanted to meet with everyone, which allowed them to bypass many layers of defense.

Of course, venturing deep into the enemy's territory carries certain risks, but it is a last resort.

They no longer have time to drag this out.

If we were to attack directly, putting everything else aside, these elders could simply hide, and in such a large village, it would be impossible to find them within three hours!

Furthermore, his plan has another advantage: it allows him to take the opportunity to uncover the mole hidden among the crowd. Once the two sides start fighting, it won't be so easy for him to fish in troubled waters; he'll easily expose his weaknesses.

Although this guy doesn't seem to have taken any action yet, Chu Xiu doesn't want to keep this thorn in his side forever.

Upon hearing his bold proposal, the others couldn't help but show expressions of shock.

"Isn't this too risky?" Chai San asked hesitantly.

This plan is practically tantamount to breaking ties with the entire village.

"We don't have much time left, we have to take some risks!" Chu Xiu said decisively.

After a moment of hesitation, Zhou Jun finally spoke up: "Great! I like this plan! Let's give it a shot!"

Once someone took the lead, others followed suit; they genuinely had no better method at the moment.

Having reached an agreement, the group followed the man in black armor toward the highest point of the village.

Walking uphill along a main road, you soon arrive at a magnificent castle.

The castle's decor was bizarre, with spikes protruding everywhere—on the walls, in the corridors, and even from the ceiling.

"This is a custom in our village," the man in black explained.

A sense of unease crept into everyone's hearts, but at this point, they had no choice but to grit their teeth and continue.

Although Chai San was a saint, he was also truly responsible, carrying a large shield and walking at the very front.

"Would you all like to eat something first?" the man in black armor asked.

After receiving a negative answer, he said no more and led the group deeper into the building. There was a downward passage, which was very deep, like a dark prison, with only the torches hanging on the walls on both sides emitting a dim yellow glow.

The high priest walked to the deepest part of the room, opened a door, and respectfully said, "Elders, I have brought the person."

Chu Xiu mingled into the crowd and walked in. As soon as he stepped into the room behind the door, his expression changed slightly.

A strong, pungent smell of blood filled my nostrils.

At the far end of the room stood a statue exactly like the one in the square, with a pained man's face, a pitch-black void, and countless spider-like limbs, which involuntarily evoked a sense of fear in anyone who looked at it.

There were three chairs in front of the statue.

No, it's less of a chair and more of a torture device, with straps specifically designed to restrict movement and covered in long, thin spikes.

At this moment, three old men sat on it. They were emaciated and their faces were horribly pale. Their thighs and arms were pierced by sharp spikes, and the dark red blood had even congealed. What was even more terrifying was that each of them wore a helmet that looked like a birdcage. Inside the helmet, there were also more than a dozen sharp spikes that were right against their skin. If they moved even slightly, the spikes would cut their faces.

The expressions on the faces of all the trial participants changed.

"This is what you call an elder?" Chai San roared at the high priest.

However, the man in black armor remained expressionless: "This is an elder of our clan."

As he finished speaking, one of the old men laughed hoarsely. With a slit in his helmet, the spikes slashed his face, and dark red, viscous blood slid down his cheeks, but he seemed oblivious.

He simply looked at everyone and said with a smile:

"I heard you're looking for the great Az Ilituya Mgos?"

(End of this chapter)