I told you to plant peas, and you summon Mordekaiser?

Just then, a slight rustling sound came from the forest; it was the sound of dead leaves being trampled.

Chen Yang's gaze sharpened, and he quickly turned towards the source of the sound.

In the shadows of the woods, a figure dressed in a black robe had appeared out of nowhere.

His hunched body was shrouded in a heavy black robe, his face hidden in the shadow of the hood, revealing only a pair of eyes that glowed with a dark red light, like will-o'-the-wisps burning in the depths of hell.

Those eyes were fixed on Chen Yang.

"If you are a follower of my religion, why are you only observing from afar?"

The black-robed man's voice was incredibly old.

Chen Yang narrowed his eyes slightly and asked, "Who are you?"

The old man slowly removed his hood, revealing a weathered face.

The face was thin and withered, covered with wrinkles, like cracks on parched earth.

His eyes were sunken, but his pupils glowed with a faint red light.

His gaze lingered on Chen Yang's gloved left hand.

It then landed on the corpse monkey.

His pupils contracted slightly, as if he had sensed something unusual, but he quickly regained his composure.

"A sixth-tier corpse plant..."

The old man murmured softly, his tone softening slightly, "I am a deacon of the Corpse Cult. Seeing that you two young friends were merely observing from afar, I came to provide assistance."

Chen Yang stared at him coldly, not letting his guard down easily. "Backup?"

The old man nodded, his hunched body leaning slightly forward.

"The Southern Military Region has now become the temple of my Corpse Cult, and the news has been proclaimed to the world. All those who are destined to join my cult will come to this place."

"Young friend, your strength is extraordinary, to be able to cultivate such an exceptional corpse plant... You must have come here to join the Corpse Cult..."

Chen Yang raised an eyebrow slightly, but did not answer immediately.

The Corpse Cult—this was the third time he had heard the name of this sect.

The first time was outside that jungle, where the Clown King Zombie mistook him for a member of the Corpse Cult.

The second time was when Huang Aotian told him about the Corpse Cult's attack on the front lines.

The third time is now.

Based on the old man's occasional glances toward his left arm, Chen Yang gradually formed a vague deduction in his mind.

It was probably the Corpse Cult that captured this fortress, leading to the complete loss of the southern war zone.

At this moment, the other party, because of his mutated left arm, mistakenly identified him as someone who came to join the Corpse Cult.

With this in mind, Chen Yang made a plan.

Since we have the opportunity, there's no harm in going and exploring.

The corpse monkey beside him stared coldly at the old man, the golden light in its eyes growing even brighter.

The old man seemed to sense something and smiled, "Young friend, there's no need to be nervous. Those who join my sect will all receive boundless blessings. How could you easily miss such a good fortune?"

Chen Yang and Huang Aotian exchanged a glance, and seeing Huang Aotian's blank expression, they made a decision.

"We have come here to seek refuge."

Chen Yang spoke calmly, his expression revealing a sense of composure.

The old man smiled slightly, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes, and nodded slowly: "Very good, I will now lead you two inside."

With the old man leading the way, Chen Yang and Huang Aotian followed behind, heading towards the massive fortress.

As the distance closed, the fortress's magnificent grandeur became increasingly awe-inspiring.

The city walls stand tall and majestic, and the military insignia that was once engraved on the huge gate tower has long since faded. In its place is a strange symbol—like a wide-open eye, entwined by countless tiny vines.

Chen Yang stared at the imposing yet eerie building, feeling utterly incredulous.

Such a magnificent fortress was actually occupied by this so-called Corpse Cult.

What is the background of a religious sect that has the power to fight against an army?

A long queue had formed in front of the fortress.

Many people in the group looked travel-worn, as if they had been on a long journey.

Chen Yang glanced at them and vaguely understood that these must be the people the old man had mentioned who had come to join the Corpse Cult out of admiration.

As he approached the city gate, the old man paused slightly and raised his hand to greet the guard at the gate.

The guard's face was half zombie, but the other half still retained human features, making him look extremely eerie.

Upon seeing the old man, the guard immediately stood up straight, his expression extremely respectful, and bowed to him, saying, "Sir."

The old man nodded slightly and led Chen Yang and the other man into the fortress through the side gate.

As he traveled, Chen Yang could feel the strange gazes around him.

Many figures stopped what they were doing, their eyes fixed on the bouncy corpse monkey beside them, filled with astonishment.

"Is this a corpse plant?"

"Are you crazy? How could normal plants possibly appear here?"

"But...why does this corpse plant look so healthy?"

"Holy crap... this corpse plant actually glared at me."

Many people whispered among themselves, but no one dared to approach.

On the way, the old man chatted with Chen Yang: "An initiation ceremony will be held after dark. I see that this young friend has already completed the conversion, so I have decided to exempt the two young friends from the qualification verification."

He pointed to the long line outside the gate: "Those are all mortals who wish to join the sect. Only after their qualifications have been examined can they step into the threshold of my Corpse Sect."

Chen Yang understood: "I see, then thank you for your instruction."

The old coach had just shown a slight smile, but before he could speak, a sharp shout suddenly came from his side.

"Ninth Brother, you dared to bring in people of unknown origin without any vetting?"

Chen Yang turned his head and saw a man wearing an eye patch, with his other exposed eye staring fiercely at him.

The old man frowned slightly, turned to look at him, and said with a hint of dissatisfaction, "Fifth Brother, this person is indeed qualified."

He paused briefly, then added, "If His Holiness the Bishop weren't absent, I would personally introduce him to him."

Wu Zhijiao glanced at the corpse monkey next to Chen Yang and put away his sneer: "In this special period, if anything happens, you can't afford to take responsibility."

He then stopped pressing the matter and said calmly, "I'm here to inform you that there's another problem with His Excellency the Bishop, and you need to go there immediately."

The old man raised an eyebrow slightly, but said nothing, nodding to indicate that he understood.

The Five Fingers Sect snorted coldly, their gaze finally settling on Chen Yang, their sharp eyes seeming to issue a warning.

Then he turned and left.

The old man turned around and looked at Chen Yang and his companion:

"Hehe, please excuse my rudeness... There will be an initiation ceremony tonight. Please rest here for now, and someone will come to lead you to the ceremony after nightfall."

After speaking, the old man turned slightly to the side and beckoned to a follower behind him who was also dressed in a black robe.

The believer quickly stepped forward, bowed deeply, and said respectfully, "Deacon, sir."

"They are new believers; take them to a resting place first."

The black-robed cultist nodded hurriedly: "Yes, sir."

After saying that, he turned to Chen Yang and Huang Aotian and nodded slightly: "Gentlemen, please follow me."

The old man said nothing more, nodded to them, and then turned and left.