Demon God Water Stone

This massive octagonal inner castle covers an area of one or two li, and there is no telling how many mechanisms and traps are hidden within.

"Lu Huairu is hiding inside, we must fight our way in." Si Borong looked at the corridor before him with some hesitation; the passage was deep and led into the heart of the inner castle. "However, there are likely many mechanisms, traps, and magic arrays inside. We need a Knight skilled in self-preservation to scout the path ahead."

Dongbo Xueying revealed a faint smile.

This Si Borong, at a glance, was someone who wanted to save face yet feared danger; he truly wondered how he had managed to cultivate to the Silver Moon Rank.

Tang Xiong and Liang Yong were both calm and composed, their gazes fixed on Yu Jingqiu.

"Charging in blindly is suicide." Yu Jingqiu's voice was cold, yet it made everyone involuntarily calm down. "Although Lu Huairu is only a Meteor-Rank Mage, he is skilled in alchemy and has certainly laid out many mechanisms, traps, and magic arrays. Even if a Silver Moon Knight were to charge in blindly... it would be difficult to survive. Wait a moment, I will cast a spell to scout the path ahead."

As she spoke, Yu Jingqiu held her staff and her lips moved slightly, silently chanting an incantation.

In truth, for Mages, chanting incantations is a form of self-hypnosis. After all, some powerful spells are so difficult that without self-hypnosis to push oneself to the limit, they cannot be cast. As for lesser spells... they can be forced into effect without any chanting at all. Like the Frost Domain from earlier, it posed no pressure on Yu Jingqiu whatsoever.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh~~~" Suddenly, countless shards of ice began to condense out of thin air before them. Soon, they formed a massive, coiled Ice Serpent, roughly the thickness of a water barrel and over twenty meters long. The Ice Serpent was crystalline throughout, its raised head carrying a cold, murderous intent. The intangible pressure it exuded made Si Borong, Tang Xiong, and the others feel a sense of trepidation.

"A Fifth-Order spell, Ice Serpent." Dongbo Xueying nodded inwardly. "Such a spell-born serpent has no vital points, and its strength is far greater than that of an ordinary Silver Moon Knight. In terms of raw power alone, it likely rivals a Title-level expert, though it is weaker in technique. If there were ten of them... they might even threaten a Title-level expert. However, Title-level experts possess the Unity of Heaven and Man, and under the suppression of the world's power, they wouldn't be able to cast spells at all."

Yu Jingqiu continued to chant silently while holding her staff.

After another moment, a second, equally massive Ice Serpent appeared beside the first.

"My mana is limited, and we still need to face the unknown situation ahead. I need to conserve some." Yu Jingqiu said, "These two Ice Serpents are enough to clear the way."

"Haha, having a Silver Moon Archmage with us, I said it before, is our good fortune." Tang Xiong laughed. "This Ice Serpent has no vital points; if we were to scout the path ourselves, we would be risking our lives."

"Jingqiu is truly impressive." Si Borong flattered her. "Alright, let's move out. Jingqiu, stay in the center of our protection. Old Liang and I will take the front, and Dongbo Xueying and Tang Xiong will bring up the rear."

He hadn't dared to charge in front just a moment ago.

Now, with two Ice Serpents leading the way, he was suddenly full of confidence.

In the spacious corridor, the two massive Ice Serpents slithered forward one after the other. At every stretch of the path, they would stop and lash their tails against the corridor walls. Boom, boom, boom~~~ The corridor trembled; some magic patterns were forcibly destroyed, some fragile walls collapsed outright, and some traps were triggered, attacking the Ice Serpents. Even when a hole was pierced into their icy bodies, the cold energy surging on their surface would mend the gap, leaving the bodies only slightly smaller.

With every attack and every injury, the Ice Serpents would lose a portion of their icy essence, and when they could no longer sustain themselves, they would collapse completely.

But before they collapsed, they had no vital points! They could attack madly without fear of death.

"Truly terrifying." Dongbo Xueying watched from behind, marveling inwardly. "If given sufficient time, the threat a Mage poses is indeed far greater than that of a Knight. It is said that the magic arrays Mages set up are even more powerful."

Mages are more like scholars, researching and dissecting the world. The spells they cast are incredibly exquisite; if given enough time to cast them slowly, they could easily torture a Knight to death! If they were given a year or half a year to set up a powerful magic array, the power would be even greater.

Knights, on the other hand, are more ferocious.

Knights rely on instantaneous bursts and killing at the front. The more powerful the Knight, the faster their speed. Like Dongbo Xueying, who could now cover over a hundred meters in the blink of an eye—ordinary people couldn't even catch a glimpse of his figure. With such terrifying speed... if he were to truly assassinate a Mage, the Mage would have no time to react. Thus, Mages and Knights each have their own advantages.

"Boom, boom, boom~~~"

The pure power of the Ice Serpents was nearly at the Title-level. While they might be a bit clumsy in close-quarters combat, they were exceptionally good at dismantling corridors. Accompanied by the rumbling, many walls collapsed, leaving many traps without a chance to function, and many magic arrays were destroyed right at their patterns.

However, the inner castle was indeed very sturdy; even with some walls removed, the castle itself still had other supporting walls and did not collapse.

"Haha, with Jingqiu here, we have it much easier. No mechanism, trap, or magic array can threaten us." Si Borong laughed heartily.

"Do not be careless." Yu Jingqiu held her staff, carefully observing every movement ahead. "A formidable Alchemy Master can create mechanisms and traps that are beyond expectation. Although my two Ice Serpents have crushed and destroyed everything twice over... I can only say that over ninety percent of the mechanisms and magic arrays will be destroyed. There is no absolute guarantee of safety; we must still be careful."

"Over ninety percent is enough, no problem. Besides, that Lu Huairu... I fear he isn't as capable as you think, Jingqiu. At Changfeng Academy, you are exposed to extremely powerful experts; how could Lu Huairu compare?" Si Borong said. Despite his words, his actions showed he was still following the lead of the experienced guard Liang Yong, clearly remaining quite cautious.

Inside a grand hall in the hidden depths of the inner castle.

Lu Huairu sat on a throne high up in the hall, frowning. Standing beside him were three subordinates, all of them Meteor-Rank Knights.

"Damn it, I didn't expect that Mage to be a Silver Moon Rank Mage." Lu Huairu frowned. He had only seen frost spreading outside earlier, and since it hadn't instantly frozen some mortals to death, he had assumed she wasn't very powerful. He hadn't dared to show his face, and he hadn't even seen the appearances of the five, so naturally, he didn't know Yu Jingqiu had arrived.

"Altar Master, what should we do?" The three protectors all looked at him.

"What can we do? Two Ice Serpents are rampaging and destroying everything, ruining many of my arrays. Most of my pure mechanisms and traps can't even function. Even if they are triggered, they consume at most a fraction of the Ice Serpents' power." Lu Huairu shook his head. "It seems we only have one chance left."

His entire inner castle was filled with mechanisms and traps, and naturally, there were some lethal spots.

But with those two Ice Serpents...

It meant only the clumsiest and most difficult-to-destroy trap could be put to good use.

"There is a lethal trap in the Seventh Corridor!" Lu Huairu said. "It is the most powerful trap I have set! However, with those two Ice Serpents blocking the way, I fear this trap will only kill two or three Silver Moon Knights... so the three of you need to act. When they are heavily injured by the trap, you go in and finish them off. Hmph, if you three strike with the strength of Silver Moon Knights at the most critical moment, they will surely die."

"Understood." The three protectors respectfully accepted the order, then took out pendants from their chests with some reluctance. The pendants could be opened, revealing a small, blood-colored crystal inside.

All three of them tilted their heads back and swallowed the small, blood-red crystals.

Following this, their skin began to flush red, blood and qi surged throughout their bodies, and the battle-qi within them began to undergo a transformation.

This was their life-saving item—the 'Demon God Water Stone'. It was of no use to Title-level experts, but it could greatly increase the strength of Meteor-Rank and Silver Moon Knights; the weaker the user, the more pronounced the effect. An ordinary Meteor-Rank Knight could reach the strength of a Silver Moon Knight for a short time after consuming it. Of course, once the medicinal effect wore off, they would be exhausted for two or three days.

Even so, such a treasure capable of greatly increasing one's strength was extremely precious. As protectors of this branch altar, they each only possessed one.

"Don't be stingy. After this, we will definitely have to relocate, and I will apply to get you each another one then." Lu Huairu said. "Go quickly, wait behind the Seventh Corridor."

"Understood."

The three flushed-skinned protectors immediately walked out.

At this moment, a monster-like, burly man walked in from a side door. His footsteps made the entire hall tremble slightly. Lu Huairu looked up and immediately stood up obediently. The monster-like man said casually: "What is it, running into trouble?"

"Reporting to the Divine Envoy, I fear this place has been exposed," Lu Huairu said.

"Exposed?" The monstrous, burly man walked over to the throne, sat down directly, and frowned with a cold snort, "They didn't discover me, did they?"

"If they had discovered the Divine Envoy, it wouldn't just be a few Silver Moon Rankers coming here. They would likely have arranged for Si Lianghong or Xiang Pangyun to come, or perhaps even sent a Transcendence," Lu Huairu said. There were differences in strength even among Title-level experts.

A normal Title-level expert would only obtain a Bronze Token.

Those who were more formidable could rank within the top three thousand of the entire empire; the difference between being on the list and not being on it was vast.

As for Si Lianghong, she was a Blood Demon old monster who had lived for hundreds of years, and Xiang Pangyun was even more ferocious. The two of them were ranked around the top five hundred among all Title-level experts in the Longshan Empire, far surpassing the average Title-level expert.

"A few Silver Moon Rankers?" The monstrous, burly man sneered, "In front of me, they are nothing more than ants. It is a pity, though; I had just settled into a peaceful period of recuperation here, and now I must leave."