This massive octagonal inner castle covers an area of one or two li, and no one knows how many traps and mechanisms are hidden inside.
"Lu Huiru is hiding inside; we need to fight our way in," Sibo Rong said hesitantly, looking at the corridor ahead, which led deep into the inner castle. "However, there are probably many traps and magical arrays inside, so we need a knight skilled in survival to lead the way."
Dongbo Xueying showed a hint of a smile.
This Sibo Rong, he clearly wants to save face but is also afraid of danger. I really don't know how he managed to cultivate to the Silver Moon level.
Tang Xiong and Liang Yong were very calm, their gazes fixed on Yu Jingqiu.
"Rushing in blindly is a death sentence," Yu Jingqiu's voice was cold, yet it made everyone feel inexplicably calm. "Although Lu Huiru is only a Starstream Mage, he is skilled in alchemy and has definitely set up many traps and magical arrays. Even if Silver Moon Knights rush in blindly... it would be very difficult for them to survive. Wait a moment, I will cast a spell to scout ahead."
As he spoke, Yu Jingqiu held his staff and his lips moved slightly, silently chanting the incantation.
In fact, when mages chant incantations, it is a form of self-hypnosis. After all, some powerful spells are extremely difficult, and without self-hypnosis, they would be unable to cast them. As for some lesser spells... they can be cast without chanting incantations. For example, the Frost Domain earlier posed no challenge to Yu Jingqiu.
"Swish, swish, swish~~~" Suddenly, countless ice crystals began to form out of thin air, quickly forming a massive ice snake about twenty meters long, coiled up. The ice snake was crystal clear, its raised head exuding a cold and deadly aura, and its无形的威势让司柏荣、唐熊他们个个都有些忌惮。
"Level 5 spell, Ice Snake," Dongbo Xueying nodded inwardly. "This kind of spell snake has no vital points and is much stronger than an ordinary Silver Moon Knight. In terms of strength, it might rival a Titleholder, though it is weaker in technique. If there were ten of them... they could probably threaten a Titleholder. However, Titleholders achieve harmony with heaven and earth, and under the suppression of the natural forces, they can't cast spells at all."
Yu Jingqiu continued to silently chant the incantation with his staff in hand.
After a while, another equally massive ice snake appeared beside the first one.
"Mana is limited, and we still need to face the unknown situation ahead. We need to be careful," Yu Jingqiu said. "These two ice snakes are enough to clear the way."
"Haha, having a Silver Moon High Mage with us is our luck," Tang Xiong laughed. "These ice snakes have no vital points. If we were to scout ahead, we would be risking our lives."
"Jingqiu is truly impressive," Sibo Rong flattered. "Alright, let's set out. Jingqiu, you stay in the middle of our four protectors. I and Old Liang will be in front, and Dongbo Xueying and Tang Xiong will be at the back."
He was hesitant to lead the charge just now.
Now, with two ice snakes leading the way, he was full of confidence.
...
In the spacious corridor, the two massive ice snakes moved forward, one after the other. They would stop at each section and use their tails to strike the walls on either side. *Rumble* The corridor trembled, and some magical patterns were destroyed. Some weaker walls collapsed, and some traps were destroyed or triggered, attacking the ice snakes. Even if they created ice holes, the ice snakes' surface would emit cold energy to fill the holes, though their bodies would slightly shrink.
With each attack and each injury, the ice snakes would gradually lose their ice power, and they would eventually collapse when they could no longer sustain themselves.
However, before they collapsed, they had no vital points and could attack recklessly without fear of death.
"Truly terrifying," Dongbo Xueying observed from behind, inwardly amazed. "If given enough time, mages are indeed much more threatening than knights. The magical arrays set up by mages are said to be even more powerful."
Mages are more like scholars, studying and analyzing the world. The spells they cast are incredibly intricate. With enough time to cast spells slowly, they can easily overwhelm knights! If they are given a year or two to set up powerful arrays, their power would be even greater.
Knights, on the other hand, are more fierce.
Knights burst into action instantly, leading the charge. The more powerful the knight, the faster they are. Dongbo Xueying, for example, can cover over a hundred meters in a blink, and ordinary people can't even see his figure. This terrifying speed... if they were to assassinate a mage, the mages would have no time to react. Therefore, both mages and knights have their own advantages.
*Boom, boom, boom~~~*
The sheer strength of the ice snakes was nearly on par with a Titleholder. While they might be clumsy in close combat, they were extremely adept at destroying the corridor. With some rumbling, many walls collapsed, and many traps were rendered useless, with many magical arrays being destroyed from the patterns.
However, the inner castle was indeed very sturdy. Even with some walls destroyed, the castle itself still had other supporting walls, so it didn't collapse.
"Haha, with Jingqiu here, things are much easier for us. No traps or magical arrays can threaten us," Sibo Rong laughed.
"Don't be too complacent," Yu Jingqiu held his staff and carefully observed the surroundings. "A skilled alchemy master can set up unexpected traps. Although my two ice snakes have destroyed over 90% of the traps and magical arrays... there's no absolute safety, so we still need to be cautious."
"Over 90% is good enough. Besides, Lu Huiru... is probably not as powerful as you think. At the Longfeng Academy, you deal with extremely powerful experts, which is far beyond Lu Huiru's level," Sibo Rong said, though his actions showed that he still followed the experienced guard Liang Yong's lead, clearly being quite cautious.
...
In a hidden hall deep within the inner castle.
Lu Huiru sat on a high throne, frowning, with three subordinates, all Starstream Knights, standing beside him.
"Damn, I didn't expect that mage to be a Silver Moon Mage," Lu Huiru frowned. He had only seen the frost spreading outside, which didn't instantly freeze ordinary people, so he thought it wasn't very powerful. He had never dared to show himself and hadn't even seen the faces of Dongbo Xueying and the others, so he didn't know Yu Jingqiu was there.
"Master, what should we do?" the three subordinates looked at him.
"What can we do? Two ice snakes are wreaking havoc, destroying many places. My magical arrays are ruined, and only a few of the pure mechanical traps are still functional. Even if they are triggered, they can only consume a bit of the ice snakes' power," Lu Huiru shook his head. "It seems we only have one chance left."
His inner castle had some powerful traps.
But with two ice snakes...
Only the most primitive and hardest-to-destroy trap could still be effective.
"There is one absolute killing trap, the Seventh Corridor," Lu Huiru said. "It's the most powerful trap I set up! However, with those two ice snakes in front, this trap can probably only kill two or three Silver Moon Knights. So, the three of you need to act. When they are severely injured by the trap, you go in for the kill. Hmph, at the most critical moment, the three of you, who are on par with Silver Moon Knights, will ensure their deaths."
"Yes," the three subordinates respectfully responded, then reluctantly took out pendants from their chests. The pendants could be opened, revealing a small blood-colored crystal inside.
They all swallowed the blood-colored crystals.
Their skin began to turn red, and their blood and qi surged, with their inner martial energy also changing.
This was their life-saving item—the 'Demon Water Stone.' It was useless for Titleholders but greatly increased the strength of Starstream and Silver Moon Knights. The weaker the user, the more significant the effect. Generally, a Starstream Knight could reach the strength of a Silver Moon Knight for a short time after consuming it, though they would be exhausted for two to three days afterward.
Even so, such a powerful item was extremely precious, and as subordinates of this branch, they each had only one.
"Don't be too worried. After this, we will definitely move. I will apply for another one for each of you," Lu Huiru said. "Go quickly, wait behind the Seventh Corridor."
"Yes."
The three subordinates with red skin immediately left.
At this moment, a monstrous-looking giant entered from a side door, his footsteps causing the entire hall to tremble. Lu Huiru immediately stood up obediently. The monstrous giant casually asked, "What's the trouble?"
"Reporting to the Divine Messenger, our location may have been exposed," Lu Huiru said.
"Exposed?" The monstrous giant walked to the throne and sat down, frowning and snorting. "Have you discovered me?"
"If you were discovered, it wouldn't just be a few Silver Moon Knights. They would likely send Sim Lianghong and Xiang Pangyun, or even a Transcendent," Lu Huiru said. Titleholders also have different levels of strength.
Ordinary Titleholders receive a Bronze Order.
The more powerful ones can rank in the top three thousand in the entire empire, and the difference between being on the list and not is significant.
Sim Lianghong, who has lived for hundreds of years, is a blood demon, and Xiang Pangyun is even more ruthless. They both rank around five hundred among the Titleholders in the Longshan Empire, far surpassing ordinary Titleholders.
"A few Silver Moon Knights?" The monstrous giant sneered. "They are mere ants before me. Unfortunately, I just had a peaceful stay here and now have to leave."