The Side Character Who Wins by Doing Nothing

The ground split open, revealing a long flight of stairs leading underground.

The stairs led to an unknown destination. It was pitch-black inside, like an abyss that could swallow a person whole, inspiring an inexplicable sense of dread.

The group stood before the stairs, gazing into the bottomless opening, their faces showing a hint of astonishment.

"Could this... be the entrance to the Demon God Hall?"

Luo Linlang looked curious. "I never thought it would be underground. And it seems to require some coincidence of refracted sunlight to open the door. No wonder no one has ever discovered it before."

Duan Xingyun thought for a moment and said, "It’s not necessarily that no one has ever found it. It could also be that... the ones who went down never came out alive."

His words added another layer of mysterious terror to the already unsettling entrance.

Shen Yuzhao rubbed his arms, the unease in his eyes palpable. "Then... are we still going in?"

The one who answered him was Lu Sangjiu. Her voice was calm. "It’s not a question of whether we go in, but that we *must* go in."

’We’ve been trapped in here for so many days. If someone were coming to save us, they would have done so by now.’

’Although we don’t know why we’ve been so completely abandoned... the fact is, we can only rely on ourselves now.’

Li Qiancheng took a deep breath. "Let’s go. The sun will move soon, and I’m afraid the door will close."

’In a place like this, shrouded year-round by miasma and resentful energy, the chance of a crack opening just enough for light to leak through is probably rare.’

’If we wait for the next time, who knows how many more battles we’ll have to endure.’

The group steeled themselves, maintained their highest level of vigilance, and slowly descended the stairs.

As they ventured deeper, a rumbling sound echoed from above a few moments later. Looking up slightly, they saw the entrance, which had been a sliver of light, slowly closing.

And as it closed, it meant there was no turning back for them. No matter what they encountered, they could only press forward.

After they had descended further in the darkness, candlelight suddenly, abruptly, flared to life on both sides of the staircase.

They hadn’t felt any fluctuation of energy, yet the candles had inexplicably lit themselves.

Shen Yuzhao was a little scared and subconsciously shrank closer to Lu Sangjiu. "What is this?"

Lu Sangjiu glanced over, unsurprised. "Don’t worry. It’s just a little trick."

"The candle holders are filled with Burning Demon Sand. It ignites on contact with Demonic Qi."

"The substance isn’t poisonous. I imagine the flames are just for illumination. Relax."

Shen Yuzhao let out a sigh of relief, then couldn’t help but say with a look of adoration, "Little Junior Sister, you know so much! You’re amazing!"

Seeing that Shen Yuzhao’s attitude toward her was the same as ever—still so affectionate even after she revealed her knowledge of so many things related to Demon Cultivators—the last trace of unease in her heart finally dissipated.

They didn’t care about her identity, and it wasn’t just empty words. At this moment, their every action and expression told her that nothing had changed between them.

They descended an unknown number of steps; they estimated there must have been at least thirty thousand.

The descent was surprisingly calm, and they encountered no danger.

They took advantage of this time to adjust their conditions to their peak state.

After walking down the last step, Lu Sangjiu looked at the magnificent, luxurious palace built underground before them and couldn’t help but suck in a breath. "...Underneath all this, there’s actually a real palace."

’I thought it was just an underground palace that happened to be called the Demon God Hall. I didn’t expect it to have an actual grand hall.’

Above the towering main hall was an imposing plaque bearing the name "Demon God Hall" in large, flourishing calligraphy.

The person who wrote the inscription must have been a senior with extremely high cultivation. After countless years, a rhythmic Dao still flowed between the strokes. Their own cultivation was insufficient; a single glance made their eyes sting, and they hurriedly looked away.

Everyone was stunned by the sight, and then a question arose. "How much manpower and resources would it take to build this? But why are there only a few legends about it, with no detailed records left behind?"

Lu Sangjiu was silent for a moment before speaking up. "While not all Demon Cultivators are evil... many are indeed quite ruthless, especially those with high cultivation."

"I’ve heard that the people who built this palace all disappeared in the end."

As for where they went, there was no need to elaborate. Everyone could guess.

The master of this Demon God Hall was clearly not an easy person to deal with. The preceding calm hadn’t caused Lu Sangjiu to lower her guard at all; on the contrary, she grew even more wary.

It was just that everyone had needed to recuperate, and since they hadn’t encountered any danger, she had refrained from warning them, lest they become overly worried and tense.

But now that the period of calm was over and they were about to truly enter the Demon God Hall, she knew it would be fraught with peril. She had to make everyone face reality.

Hearing her words, the others did indeed become more vigilant.

Luo Linlang said worriedly, "Little Junior Sister, this is the Demon God Hall. We’re a group of Immortal Cultivators walking in. Will we immediately anger the hall and get killed the moment we step inside?"

It wasn’t strange for her to have such a worry. After all, Immortals and Demons have been at odds since ancient times, and most Demon Cultivators despise Immortal Cultivators.

Plus, the master of this Demon God Hall clearly had a bad temper. It was entirely possible they would attack without distinguishing right from wrong.

Lu Sangjiu hesitated slightly. "...Actually, I’ve researched the legends about the Demon God Hall before. From what I understand, its master was extremely arrogant."

"And after building this place, they said that ’those with fate may enter,’ without ever specifying that only Demon Cultivators were allowed."

’So, I’d think they wouldn’t mind if we’re Immortal Cultivators, right?’

But after what Luo Linlang said, she wasn’t so sure anymore. She paused, then added, "However, everyone’s safety is at stake, so it’s better to be careful. I’ll go in first to test the waters. If it’s fine, you can all come in after me."

Lu Sangjiu could switch freely between Immortal and Demon states. The palace wasn’t a living thing. If she was careful and things looked bad, she could just immediately switch to her Demon Cultivator state. It should be fine.

Everyone agreed this was the safest approach and nodded. "Then we’ll wait here for you. Be careful, Little Junior Sister!"

Duan Xingyun also advised, "Don’t try to be a hero. Just test it, and come out immediately regardless of the result. If it doesn’t work, we’ll figure something else out together."

Lu Sangjiu nodded. "Don’t worry!"

With that, she no longer hesitated and walked toward the main gate of the Demon God Hall.

The hall was towering and majestic. The closer she got, the more her heart pounded. Fortunately, Lu Sangjiu was someone who had seen her share of grand scenes. Coupled with her solidified Divine Soul, she wasn’t intimidated by such pressure.

Arriving before the main gate, she took a deep breath, raised her hands, and slowly pushed it open.

"CREAK..."

The gate made a faint sound as Lu Sangjiu pushed it open with ease, and everything inside was instantly revealed before her...