From a loser to an immortal sage

Chapter 209 Exploring the Ancient Castle: Xiao Yao Breaks the Situation

The heavy wooden door creaked open slowly in front of me, and a musty, stale smell mixed with dust and mildew wafted out, making me instinctively cover my mouth and nose.

The castle was darker than I had imagined, with not a single ray of light penetrating, like the gaping maw of a giant beast, silently waiting for its prey to walk into its trap.

I cautiously stepped inside, my feet sinking into a thick layer of dust. Each step made a crunching sound, particularly jarring in the silent castle, as if pounding on my heart.

A suffocating sense of oppression filled the air, making it difficult for me to breathe, and alarm bells were ringing in my head.

In the darkness, I could only barely see with the faint light of my spiritual energy.

The interior of the castle was dilapidated, with dark green moss covering the walls and the stone pillars carved with strange patterns incomplete, as if telling the story of its former glory and present decline.

I was extra careful with every step I took, afraid of triggering some kind of trap.

Suddenly, a strange sound came from underfoot!

I was startled and before I could react, a powerful force surged from the ground, hurling me violently into the air!

I groaned and fell heavily to the ground, a sharp pain shooting through my limbs.

Damn!

It triggered a trap!

I struggled to my feet, looked around warily, and cursed myself for being careless.

This castle is indeed fraught with danger; a single misstep could lead to utter destruction.

I took a deep breath, endured the pain, and once again gathered my spiritual power to illuminate the path ahead.

In the dim light, I seemed to see a tightly closed stone door ahead, with intricate runes carved on it and emitting a faint glow.

Perhaps that is the destination of my trip.

I gritted my teeth and walked step by step toward the stone gate, but a strange feeling grew stronger and stronger...

My footsteps seem to...

It's getting heavier and heavier...

"What's going on..." I murmured to myself, trying to lift my foot, but found it was as if it were filled with lead, and I couldn't move it an inch.

Sweat trickled down my forehead and soaked my temples.

I tried desperately to lift my feet, but it felt like I was nailed to the spot and couldn't move.

This invisible force, like a leech clinging to my bone, tightly bound me, making it difficult for me to even breathe.

My heart was pounding violently in my chest, as if it were about to burst through my ribs.

Damn!

What the hell is this?

!

The air around me grew increasingly heavy, and the oppressive feeling was like a mountain pressing down on me, making it hard to breathe.

I felt my body getting heavier and heavier, as if I were being tightly bound by countless invisible chains.

Panic surged through me like a tidal wave. I gritted my teeth and struggled desperately, but it was all in vain.

Black Feather!

It must be Kuroba!

That persistent ghost!

The image of Kuroba's sinister face flashed through my mind, filling me with anger and fear.

He's like a venomous snake, lurking in the shadows, waiting for his chance to strike, ready to deliver a fatal blow at any moment.

I forced myself to calm down and tried to sense everything around me, attempting to find Kuroba's whereabouts.

A faint smell of blood filled the air, mixed with the stale odor unique to the castle, making me feel nauseous.

My senses became unusually sharp, and every subtle sound around me was clearly audible.

Tick ​​tock, tick tock...

The sound of water droplets falling to the ground was exceptionally clear in the silent castle, as if striking my nerves.

My hands gripped the sword at my waist tightly, my knuckles turning white from the force.

I must remain vigilant and not reveal the slightest flaw.

Kuroba could appear at any moment, and I must be prepared for battle.

Suddenly, I felt a chilling aura flash through the castle, and my hair stood on end.

It's Kuroba!

He's nearby!

I held my breath, afraid to make a sound, and tried my best to catch the scent of Kuroba.

My gaze fell on the tightly closed stone door in front of me, and a thought suddenly flashed through my mind.

Is it...

My hand slowly reached for the runes on the stone door. "Perhaps..." I murmured to myself, "it's right here..."

I took a deep breath and pressed my trembling fingers onto the cold runes.

A strange energy fluctuation emanated from the rune, flowing into my body through my fingertips.

Suddenly, images flashed through my mind: ancient characters and intricate patterns, like a revolving lantern.

I closed my eyes and tried to decipher this information, vaguely sensing that this was the key to cracking the mechanism.

Time passed second by second, and fine beads of sweat appeared on my forehead.

I felt the energy fluctuations on the runes growing stronger and stronger, as if they were about to devour me.

I gritted my teeth and persevered, not daring to relax even slightly.

Suddenly, I felt a powerful force surge from the runes, which forced me to retreat.

I opened my eyes and saw the runes on the stone door emitting a dazzling light, then slowly opening to both sides, revealing a passage leading to the unknown.

My heart was filled with hope, and the tense atmosphere eased slightly.

This passage may be the path to the depths of the castle, the path to the final opportunity.

I composed myself and stepped into the passageway.

The passage was dark and deep, like a gate to hell.

I walked forward cautiously, taking each step with extreme care, afraid of triggering some mechanism.

Suddenly, a group of figures shimmering with a ghostly green light appeared before my eyes.

They are tall and have ferocious faces. They wield sharp weapons and exude a suffocating sense of oppression.

My heart sank, and a sense of foreboding washed over me.

These mysterious guardians blocked my way.

I tried to communicate with them, but all I got was a low growl.

They brandished their weapons and launched a fierce attack on me.

I quickly drew my sword to defend against their attacks.

Swords flashed, and a chilling aura filled the air as a fierce battle unfolded in the passageway.

I dodged left and right, skillfully avoiding their attacks, while simultaneously brandishing my sword and launching counterattacks.

However, these guardians were far more powerful than I had imagined. Their attacks were incredibly fast and powerful, and every time I tried to defend myself, it was extremely difficult.

"Damn it! What kind of monsters are these guys?" I gritted my teeth and cursed inwardly.

I have several wounds on my body, and blood is flowing out continuously.

I can feel my energy being rapidly depleted. If this continues, I will eventually be worn down and die.

As I fought, I observed their movements, trying to find their weaknesses.

Suddenly, I noticed that although their attacks were fierce, they seemed somewhat rigid and lacked variation.

A flash of inspiration struck me, and a bold idea took shape in my mind.

"Perhaps..." I murmured to myself, "I can use this..."

I suddenly leaped backward, creating distance between myself and them.

Then, I took a deep breath and concentrated all the spiritual power in my body into the sword in my hand.

The sword emitted a dazzling light, and a powerful force surged from it...

"Now!" I shouted, and swung my sword...

I swung my sword, unleashing a sharp sword aura that aimed straight for the head of one of the guardians.

The guardian seemed caught off guard by my sudden change of tactics. He froze for a moment, unable to dodge in time, and was struck in the head by the sword energy. He let out a shrill scream and then collapsed to the ground.

I was overjoyed; it seemed my judgment was correct!

The weakness of these guardians is their slow reaction time. If I can exploit this weakness, I can defeat them all!

I pressed my advantage, unleashing several more sword strikes that felled the remaining guardians one by one.

The battle ended, and the passage returned to calm, with only the sound of the guardian falling to the ground still echoing.

I wiped the sweat from my forehead, secretly relieved.

Fortunately, I reacted in time; otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

I continued walking forward, and at the end of the passage was a huge stone gate, carved with intricate runes and radiating a mysterious light.

I took a deep breath, placed my hand on the stone door, and slowly pushed it open.

The stone door made a heavy scraping sound as it slowly opened to both sides, revealing a wide space.

This is a huge hall. In the center of the hall is a high platform, on which sits a crystal ball that emits a soft light, illuminating the entire hall.

I walked up to the platform and reached out to touch the crystal ball.

A strange energy surged from the crystal ball and flowed into my body.

Suddenly, images flashed through my mind: ancient characters and intricate patterns, like a revolving lantern.

I closed my eyes and tried to decipher this information, vaguely sensing in my heart that this was the secret of the castle.

Time passed second by second, and fine beads of sweat appeared on my forehead.

I felt the energy inside the crystal ball growing stronger and stronger, as if it were about to devour me.

I gritted my teeth and persevered, not daring to relax even slightly.

Suddenly, I felt a powerful force surging out of the crystal ball, which made me stagger backward.

I opened my eyes and saw the crystal ball emitting a dazzling light before slowly disappearing.

The hall returned to calm, and I stood alone on the high platform, filled with doubt.

Did the secrets of the castle also disappear with the disappearing crystal ball?

I looked around and found that the walls of the hall were covered with ancient texts and patterns.

I carefully examined the words and patterns, trying to find some clues.

Suddenly, my gaze fell on an inconspicuous corner where a strange symbol was engraved.

I walked over and carefully observed the symbol, when a thought suddenly flashed through my mind.

This symbol seems familiar...

I tried hard to recall, and suddenly, a picture popped into my mind.

I saw this symbol in an ancient book before I traveled through time.

Ancient texts record that this symbol represents a powerful force that can open the door to another world.

Is it...

My heart skipped a beat. Could this symbol be the key to unlocking the core area of ​​the castle?

My hand slowly reached for the symbol. "Perhaps..." I murmured to myself, "it's right here..."