Hearing the sound, Chu He turned his head with difficulty, squinting at the figure approaching him.

When he saw clearly that the newcomer was Moria, Chu He felt no fear; instead, he grinned weakly, revealing two rows of pale teeth.

"Heh... cough cough..." Chu He chuckled dryly. "Looks like someone remembers us after all. Hey, silver-haired handsome guy over there, since you're here, did you bring food? If you don't have a royal feast, even a plain white steamed bun would do."

Compared to Chu He's crazy optimism, Mo Hen's reaction was far more solemn.

Looking up at Moria who was gazing down at them from above, he said neutrally, "Being remembered by Your Excellency is hardly a good thing."

Zhou Huai had no intention of wasting time talking in circles with them either.

Getting straight to the point, he asked, "You've been here for so long and suffered so much torment. Have you thought it through? Isn't it time to choose to submit to me?"

Hearing this, Chu He, who was lying motionless on the ground, suddenly let out a strange, wheezing laugh.

"Submit to you? I am the Personnel Director of the Dawnbreaker Guild! I am the one who recruits others; how could anyone recruit me?"

"This is completely absurd!"

On the other side, although Mo Hen didn't even have the strength to lift his head, he still made a weak sound.

"Enough, stop wasting time. If you want to kill us, do it and give us a quick death. Don't play these cat-and-mouse games; it makes you look utterly lacking in class."

Zhou Huai wasn't particularly surprised by their answers.

These two were S-Rank Experts and fanatical lunatics to boot, so it was only natural that they were stubborn.

It was just...

"I'm just a bit curious. Even at this point, what kind of benefits did that Mr. Duan give you? Is it really worth risking your lives for him to this extent?"

"Shut up!"

As soon as Zhou Huai finished speaking, Chu He reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. He struggled furiously, veins bulging on his neck, and if he hadn't been bound by the Magic Suppression Chains, he probably would have lunged forward.

"What do you know?! How could a mere mortal like you understand Mr. Duan's greatness!"

"Mr. Duan is a god! He is the only True God who can save this decayed world! He is the savior! Everything we do is to welcome the arrival of the true dawn! For the advent of a perfect new world!"

Zhou Huai frowned.

Savior?

Sounds like this Dawnbreaker Guild is a thorough cult.

Saving the world, a new world—this line of rhetoric is a bit too cliché.

He didn't bother wasting any more words on these two clearly unhinged guys.

Right at that moment...

*Creak—*

The heavy iron door of the dungeon was pushed open from the outside, the dull scraping sound echoing through the empty corridor.

A ray of soft light shone in, dispelling the dungeon's gloom.

A thin old man dressed in gray robes stepped inside with his hands behind his back, walking at an unhurried pace.

It was none other than Great Sage Li Er.

Zhou Huai's original plan was to have Caesar repeat his old trick, using Parasites to control their minds so that Moria's 【Demon Lord Contract】 could be signed more smoothly.

But now, with Li Er... the method could become much simpler and far more elegant.

Chu He and Mo Hen on the ground also realized something was wrong.

This plain-looking old man didn't have the slightest trace of mana fluctuations around him, yet as soon as he appeared, the cold, damp, sickening air throughout the entire dungeon seemed to be purified.

A powerful pressure, gentle as spring rain, silently enveloped them, feeling far more terrifying than the aura of any SS-Rank Expert!

That was an absolute crushing force stemming from a higher tier of life!

"Run!"

The same thought flashed through both of their minds simultaneously.

They struggled, summoning every ounce of strength they had to crawl up from the floor and escape this place.

However, having gone without a drop of water or food for over ten days, their bodies had long been drained empty. Even lifting a single finger was impossibly difficult, let alone running away.

Despair engulfed them.

They could only watch helplessly as that silver-haired Demon Lord stepped closer, one pace at a time.

Moria walked up to the two of them and squatted down.

He reached out with both hands, his long, pale fingers lightly pressing against the crowns of Chu He's and Mo Hen's heads.

A chill seeped in from his fingertips, followed immediately by a grand will surging into their minds!

【Demon Lord Contract...】

An ancient contract emitting an ethereal purple light unfolded within their spiritual realm.

At the same time, Zhou Huai's voice echoed in their ears like a devil's whisper:

"Give up your resistance. As long as you sign this contract, you can survive."

"In... in your dreams!" Chu He ground his molars together, squeezing out those words through his teeth.

Using the last remnants of his Mental Strength, he constructed a fragile water curtain barrier within his Sea of Consciousness to make a final stand.

Although Mo Hen didn't speak, his tense body and his soul, which vibrated wildly in the spiritual realm, clearly manifested his unyielding will to prefer death over surrender.

Zhou Huai clearly sensed that even though the two were at their last gasp, their souls were extraordinarily resilient, making it impossible for the power of the 【Demon Lord Contract】 to be forcibly branded onto them.

Just then, the role of Saint Li Er came into play.

The old man who had been standing on the side opened his eyes.

Looking at the two souls still struggling on the ground, he parted his lips slightly and uttered four words.

"Relinquish all resistance."

The voice was unremarkable, neither loud nor soft, even carrying a hint of gentle warmth peculiar to the elderly.

However, these four words contained the supreme Law of heaven and earth!

As soon as his voice fell...

Chu He's and Mo Hen's souls, which had still been fiercely struggling a moment ago, came to an abrupt halt!

The two, who had been ready to embrace death just a second before, completely gave up all resistance at the exact same moment.

Their eyes turned hollow, turning them into soulless puppets.

Without any remaining obstacles, the purple 【Demon Lord Contract】 smoothly merged into the depths of their souls, imprinting an indelible mark!

The contract was sealed!

However, at the exact instant the contract was completed...

Zhou Huai suddenly sensed an invisible thread connecting to an unknown entity inside the heads of these two newly bound Demon Slaves snap with a pop.

That thread was extremely subtle; had it not been for the deep soul link just established by the 【Demon Lord Contract】, Zhou Huai would not have noticed its existence at all.

"Is this... a contingency left behind by Mr. Duan?" Zhou Huai realized.

Before he could think further...

A loud boom echoed in his head!

A vast, chaotic surge of information rushed back along that broken thread, flooding straight into Zhou Huai's mind!

Zhou Huai's vision went dark, and his entire world began to spin uncontrollably!

The next second, when he opened his eyes again, he found himself no longer in the dark dungeon, but inside a brightly lit, luxuriously decorated banquet hall.

Around him were glamorously dressed men and women chatting and laughing with wine glasses in hand, while the air was filled with a blend of expensive perfume and delicious food.

"Where is this?"

Zhou Huai was stunned. He looked down at himself and discovered he was still in Moria's form.

This sudden change caught him off guard.

Just then, he sensed a gaze.

An intensely aggressive gaze fell upon him.

Zhou Huai raised his head and looked toward the feeling.

At the far end of the banquet hall, past the crowd, an elegant middle-aged man holding a glass of red wine was quietly watching him across the distance.

Their eyes locked weirdly in midair just like that.

Time stood still at this moment.

The noisy crowd and melodious music around them turned into silent background props.

Zhou Huai's heart began pounding uncontrollably!

From the man's eyes, he read a calm indifference that signaled everything was well within his grasp.

It was the look of someone standing at the top of the food chain, observing an intriguing prey.

The eerie gaze lasted for only a second.

The middle-aged man suddenly smiled.

His smile was very gentle, even carrying a bit of appreciation, but when it fell upon Zhou Huai's eyes, it sent a wave of chill through him.

"You truly are... very interesting."

The man mouthed silently.

Having said that, he raised his wine glass toward Zhou Huai from afar and nodded slightly, as if offering a greeting or declaring war.

Then, he drank the red wine in his glass in one gulp.

The entire scene began to distort, rippling out like water, until it turned into countless spots of light and completely dissipated.

...

Zhou Huai snapped back to his senses as his consciousness returned to his body. He gasped heavily, fine beads of cold sweat breaking out across his forehead.

Everything that just happened took place in his mind in the blink of an eye.

Yet the feeling of being watched by a venomous snake was so vivid that lingering fear still gripped his heart.

He stared blankly at the two new Demon Slaves who had passed out completely in the dungeon, as the scene from earlier replayed in his mind along with the man's final smile and mouthing of words.

A chilling thought emerged uncontrollably in his head.

Was the man in that scene just now...

Could he actually be Mr. Duan?