Chapter 42: The Demon God Water Stone

This vast inner castle, shaped like an octagon, covered an area of about one or two miles. No one knew how many hidden mechanisms and traps it concealed.

“Lu Huairu is hiding inside. We must break in,” Si Borong said hesitantly, staring at the corridor ahead. The corridor was deep and led into the heart of the inner castle. “However, there are likely many mechanisms, traps, and arrays within. We’ll need a knight skilled in survival to lead the way.”

Dongbo Xueying revealed a faint smile.

This Si Borong clearly wanted to save face while fearing danger. It was a mystery how he had managed to cultivate to the Silver Moon Rank.

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

“Rushing in blindly would be suicide,” Yu Jingqiu said in a clear, cold voice that naturally calmed everyone. “Although Lu Huairu is only a Meteor Star Mage, he specializes in alchemy and must have set up many mechanisms, traps, and arrays. Even a Silver Moon Knight charging in recklessly would struggle to survive. Wait a moment while I use magic to scout ahead.”

As she spoke, Yu Jingqiu held her staff and silently began chanting a spell.

Actually, mages chanting spells was a form of self-hypnosis. Some powerful spells were so difficult that without self-hypnosis and pushing to their limits, they couldn’t be cast. As for lesser spells, they could be forcibly executed without chanting at all. For instance, spells like Ice Domain posed no challenge to Yu Jingqiu.

“Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh~” Suddenly, countless shards of ice began to materialize out of thin air, quickly forming into a massive ice serpent nearly twenty meters long, as thick as a water barrel. The ice serpent was crystalline, its raised head exuding a cold, murderous intent. The invisible aura it radiated made even Si Borong, Tang Xiong, and the others feel a sense of trepidation.

“A fifth-tier spell, Ice Serpent,” Dongbo Xueying silently nodded. “This spell has no weak points and possesses strength surpassing that of an ordinary Silver Moon Knight. In terms of raw power, it might even rival a named-tier opponent, though it lacks in skill. If there were ten of them, they might pose a threat to a named-tier opponent. However, under the Suppression of the Heaven and Earthforces, named-tier opponents couldn’t even cast spells.”

Yu Jingqiu continued silently chanting while gripping her staff.

After a while, another massive ice serpent appeared beside the first.

“My mana is limited, and we still face unknown dangers ahead. We must conserve it,” Yu Jingqiu said. “These two Ice Serpents are enough to clear the way.”

“Haha, having a Silver Moon Grand Mage with us means we’re lucky, as I said,” Tang Xiong laughed. “These Ice Serpents have no weak points. If we had to scout ahead, we’d be risking our lives.”

“Jingqiu is truly remarkable,” Si Borong flattered. “Alright, let’s move out. Jingqiu, you’ll stay protected in the center among the four of us. I and Old Liang will lead the way, while Dongbo Xueying and Tang Xiong will guard the rear.”

Earlier, he had been too afraid to take the lead.

Now, with two Ice Serpents at the front, he was brimming with confidence.

…

In the wide corridor, the two massive ice serpents slithered forward, one after the other. At each section of the passage, they paused and lashed their tails against the walls, causing thunderous booms. The corridor trembled, some magical arrays were forcibly destroyed, and some fragile walls collapsed entirely. Traps were either destroyed or triggered, their attacks striking the Ice Serpents. Even if they pierced holes in the serpents, the serpents’ icy aura surged forth to repair the damage, though their bodies slightly shrank.

With every attack and injury, the Ice Serpents gradually lost their icy power. Eventually, they would collapse entirely.

But before that, they had no weak points! They could attack recklessly, fearless of death.

“Truly terrifying,” Dongbo Xueying observed from behind, secretly marveling. “If given enough time, a mage’s threat is indeed far greater than that of a knight. Some of the arrays they set up are said to be even more powerful.”

Mages were more like scholars, studying and analyzing the Heaven and Earth. Their spells were exquisitely refined. Given enough time to slowly cast spells, they could easily slaughter knights. If given a year or so to set up powerful arrays, their power would be even greater.

Knights, on the other hand, were more valiant.

Knights relied on instantaneous bursts of power, charging headlong into battle. The stronger the knight, the faster their speed. Even Dongbo Xueying could now dash over a hundred meters in the blink of an eye, so fast that ordinary people couldn’t even see his figure. This terrifying speed meant that if they wanted to assassinate a mage, the mage wouldn’t have time to react. Thus, mages and knights each had their own advantages.

“Boom, boom, boom~”

The Ice Serpents’ raw power was nearly on par with that of a named-tier opponent. Though they might be clumsy in close combat, they were exceptionally skilled at demolishing corridors. Accompanied by thunderous explosions, many walls collapsed, and numerous traps never had the chance to activate, their arrays destroyed from the very patterns etched into them.

However, the inner castle was indeed sturdy. Even with some walls destroyed, the castle itself still had other supporting walls and remained intact.

“Haha, with Jingqiu here, we’ve got it easy. No mechanisms, traps, or arrays can threaten us,” Si Borong laughed.

“Don’t be careless,” Yu Jingqiu held her staff but carefully observed every movement ahead. “A skilled alchemist may have some unexpected mechanisms and traps. Although my two Ice Serpents have crushed and destroyed things twice in succession… we can only say that over ninety percent of the mechanisms, traps, and arrays will be destroyed. There’s no absolute guarantee of safety, so we must remain cautious.”

“Over ninety percent? That’s more than enough. Besides, that Lu Huairu probably isn’t as formidable as you imagine, Jingqiu. You’ve always been at Longwind Academy, associating with only the most powerful experts. How could Lu Huairu compare to you?” Si Borong said. Although he spoke like this, he still followed the experienced bodyguard Liang Yong’s lead, clearly being quite cautious.

…

In a hidden, secluded hall deep within the inner castle.

Lu Huairu sat on the throne at the top of the hall, frowning. Beside him stood three subordinates, all Meteor Star Knights.

“Cursed it, I didn’t expect that mage to be a Silver Moon Mage,” Lu Huairu frowned. Earlier, he had only seen the frost spreading outside and noticed that even ordinary people hadn’t been instantly frozen to death, so he thought it wasn’t that powerful. He hadn’t dared to show himself, and hadn’t even seen the five people outside, so naturally, he didn’t know that Yu Jingqiu had arrived.

“Tanhua, what should we do?” the three guardians looked at him.

“What can we do? Two Ice Serpents rampaging, destroying many places, my arrays are ruined. Some simple mechanisms and traps couldn’t even take effect. Even if triggered, they could only consume a bit of the serpents’ power,” Lu Huairu shook his head. “It seems we only have one chance left.”

Within his inner castle, there were naturally some deadly mechanisms and traps.

But with two Ice Serpents…

Only the most primitive and hardest-to-destroy mechanism could have any real effect.

“There’s a deadly trap—the Seventh Corridor!” Lu Huairu said. “It’s the most powerful trap I’ve set! But with those two Ice Serpents in front, this trap might only kill two or three Silver Moon Knights… so the three of you guardians must act. When they’re severely injured by the trap, you finish them off. Hmph, at the most critical moment, you three, matching Silver Moon Knights, strike decisively. They will die for sure.”

“Yes,” the three guardians respectfully accepted their orders, then reluctantly took out pendants from their chests. The pendants could be opened, revealing a small red crystal inside.

Each of them raised their heads and swallowed the red crystal.

Immediately, their skin began to turn red, their blood and energy surging, and their inner Aura of Rivalry began to change.

This was their life-saving treasure—the ‘Demon God Water Stone.’ It was useless against named-tier opponents, but it significantly enhanced the strength of Meteor Knights and Silver Moon Knights. The weaker the opponent, the more noticeable the effect. A Meteor Knight who consumed it could briefly match a Silver Moon Knight in power, though after the effects wore off, they would be exhausted for two or three days.

Even so, such treasures that could greatly enhance power were extremely valuable. As guardians of this sect’s altar, they each only had one.

“Don’t be too upset. After this, we’ll definitely have to relocate. I’ll apply for more then,” Lu Huairu said. “Now go, wait behind the Seventh Corridor.”

“Yes.”

The three guardians, their skin flushed red, immediately walked out.

At that moment, a monstrous, hulking man entered through a side door. His footsteps made the entire hall tremble faintly. Lu Huairu immediately stood up obediently. The monstrous man casually said, “What’s wrong? Running into trouble?”

“Reporting to the Divine Envoy, it seems we might be exposed,” Lu Huairu replied.

“Exposed?” The monstrous man walked to the throne and sat down directly, frowning coldly. “They haven’t discovered me, have they?”

“If they had discovered the Divine Envoy, they wouldn’t have only sent a few Silver Moon Rank individuals. They might have directly dispatched Si Lianghong or Xiang Pangyun, or even possibly sent an extraordinary being,” Lu Huairu said. Even named-tier opponents varied in strength.

Ordinary named-tier opponents could only obtain a Bronze Token.

Stronger ones could rank among the top three thousand in the empire. The difference between being ranked and unranked was significant.

Si Lianghong was an ancient blood demon who had lived for centuries, while Xiang Pangyun was even more ferocious. Both ranked around the top five hundred among the named-tier in the Longshan Empire, far surpassing ordinary named-tier opponents.

“A few Silver Moon Rank?” The monstrous man sneered. “They’re nothing but ants before me. Pity, just as I was enjoying a peaceful rest here, I have to leave.”