"?" The Cleaver Bandit was baffled.
"?" The Archer Bandit was baffled.
At the stronghold entrance, several bandits stared at the scene in bewilderment.
But before they could react, the pebbles curved through the air and landed in separate spots.
Two landed on the arrow towers!
Boom!
The Divine Bird Sigil flashed, and two bursts of flame exploded, tearing apart the three Archer Bandits inside.
Two landed at the entrance.
The five Cleaver Bandits were just about to speak when the flames spread and engulfed them.
Boooom!!!
Explosions rocked the stronghold entrance, and flames blazed.
Wu Yu hid in the distance, watching carefully. Even after the flames dissipated, he stayed put.
Only after waiting a good while did he cautiously approach, holding several pebbles inscribed with [Bi Fang Sigil] in his left hand and several ordinary pebbles in his right.
The stronghold gate had become a charred ruin. The lookout platform and arrow towers had collapsed, leaving only half of them standing.
There were a few cards up above and a few more on the ground.
Wu Yu did not let his guard down. He carefully circled the area, confirming that everyone was dead before approaching to collect the cards.
There were nine cards in total. He threw away the four [Unpleasant Meat Chunk] cards immediately, leaving two [Vitality Pill] cards, one [Silver Tael] card, and two [Bandit Shortbow] cards.
"A bow!?"
Wu Yu's eyes lit up. He put the other cards away and used one [Bandit Shortbow] card.
The card dissolved into motes of light, and a three-foot-long shortbow appeared.
Its body was wooden, and its string was made from some kind of animal sinew.
"Interesting."
He fiddled with it briefly, then put it straight into his Inventory.
He had a bow but no arrows, and he knew nothing about archery. All he could do was admire it.
"Heaven-and-Earth Toss is a hidden-weapon technique. Even if I applied it to archery, I could only throw the arrows. Surely I can't throw the bow itself as a hidden weapon."
He shook his head and carefully descended the mountain path, observing the stronghold a short distance away.
Since it was not far off, the commotion here had attracted some attention.
Several bandits emerged from the stronghold, cleavers hanging at their waists, and strolled leisurely toward the gate.
Evil Tiger Stronghold lay deep in mountainous woods with complex terrain. Naturally, the whole stronghold could not cluster together like Redfang Village; instead, it was divided into several sections.
The stronghold gate stood at a junction, with a sheer cliff on one side and a mountainside on the other.
Only a few houses stood near the gate, mostly occupied by bandit guards.
Before they reached the entrance, one bandit stepped on a pebble.
"?" The bandit looked down.
Boooom!!!
Flames exploded, sending the group flying on the spot. Those closest were reduced to charred chunks of flesh, while the others fell to the ground screaming, gravely wounded.
But Wu Yu quickly lunged out, gripping a rock and smashing it into a severely wounded bandit's temple!
The rock in his hand was no tiny pebble. With [Heaven-Earth State] activated, blood-red vapor coiled around it, and every blow struck true!
Thud! Thud!
After just a few blows, the wounded bandits were dead too, their bodies dissolving into light.
Cards appeared one after another.
Wu Yu let out a long breath. He first glanced warily toward the houses, then turned back to collect the loot only after confirming no one was there.
"Beast meat. Not bad."
"Another Unpleasant Meat Chunk? Toss it, toss it!"
"Hmm? This is..."
There were seven cards in total. Apart from those he needed to discard, Wu Yu inspected all the useful ones.
He already had most of them, but his eyes lit up when he saw the last card.
[Fine Dagger] Type: Weapon. Quality: White. Description: A bandit's fine dagger, suitable for slitting throats.
"What great luck!"
Delight spread across his face, and he used it without hesitation.
The card dissolved into motes of light, and a dagger slightly longer than his palm appeared in his hand.
"A little small. Not really suited for me."
"No, wait. I can use this as a hidden weapon!"
Excitement stirred in Wu Yu's heart.
He looked toward the stronghold gate and hurled it!
Whoosh!
The dagger shot out, wrapped in blood-red vapor, passing straight through the gate and flying into the distance.
Wu Yu hastily willed it back. The dagger immediately reversed course and returned, landing firmly on the ground in front of him.
"A knockoff flying sword!"
He laughed and stroked the dagger as though it were a precious treasure, a gleam flashing in his eyes.
Runes appeared on its smooth blade, stroke by stroke, and the Divine Bird Sigil was inscribed in an instant.
[Fine Dagger] Type: Weapon. Quality: White. Enchanting: [Bi Fang Sigil]. Description: An enchanted weapon that can explode instantly!
"Enchanting..."
Wu Yu pondered.
"Looks like it doesn't increase its power. It just explodes like the stones."
"Then I can't activate the [Bi Fang Sigil] on it carelessly."
Past the stronghold gate, the guards' huts were crude, with only a few simple decorations.
Most were animal hides and skulls.
Wu Yu searched the huts and put all the animal hides into his Inventory.
When he reached the final hut and opened its door, he immediately spotted something strange!
Inside the crude wooden hut, a bronze chest about a foot and a half tall stood in the center. Shimmering light flowed over it, making it look utterly out of place.
"A treasure chest... This is getting more and more like a game. Unbelievable."
Wu Yu had already prepared himself mentally, but seeing an actual treasure chest still filled him with excitement.
He forced himself to calm down and checked the surroundings before entering and looking at the Treasure Chest.
Unlike an ordinary box, this Treasure Chest was wreathed in flowing light, intricate and mysterious, and exuded an ancient air.
Wu Yu held his dagger against the Treasure Chest's opening, and a panel actually popped up!
[Bronze Chest] Opening countdown: 4 minutes, 59 seconds!
Startled, Wu Yu immediately pulled back.
As soon as he withdrew the dagger, the panel vanished.
An idea struck him, and he pressed it against the Treasure Chest's opening again. Sure enough, the panel appeared, but the countdown had reset!
"So that's how it works!"
Wu Yu understood.
Opening a Treasure Chest took time, and any interruption meant starting over!
"Could this Treasure Chest, like the mist, be exclusive to Tower Climbers?"
"Do all Treasure Chests have the same countdown? Or do different chests have different countdowns? Could it depend on the value of what's inside?"
Many thoughts sprang into Wu Yu's mind as he held his dagger against the Treasure Chest's opening.
The countdown appeared, ticking down second by second!
Before long, it ended.
Click!
The Treasure Chest's lid automatically opened a crack. With a little force from Wu Yu, it opened completely, revealing several items inside.
They were all cards, but each shone with a different luster. One even glowed purple!
[Vitality Pill] (Details omitted)
[Three-Treasure Vitality Pill] Type: Consumable. Quality: Blue. Description: Three treasures protect the body, greatly increasing a mortal's vitality and strengthening their foundation.
"Mountain Lord Ghost Servant Art" Type: Technique. Quality: Green. Description: Use to learn "Mountain Lord Blood Demon Art" and become a tiger wraith.
[Mountain Lord Thunder Spirit Herb] Type: Material. Quality: Purple. Description: A mutated spiritual herb with greatly improved quality.
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