Chapter 233: Opening the Portal, The Witch Castle (6000)

"My god… so strong?"

After reading the stats of this pistol, shock appeared in Cao Xing's eyes.

Every special effect on it was terrifying, and combined with that attack power of over 900, it was much fiercer than Barrett.

The key was its short attack interval.

Cao Xing even wanted to keep it for himself!

However, while this pistol was powerful, its consumption was also high.

It required one [Primary Magic Crystal] for every few shots.

And Cao Xing checked his backpack.

[Primary Magic Crystal * 832]

[Intermediate Magic Crystal * 261]

[Advanced Magic Crystal * 31]

…

The number of Primary and Intermediate Magic Crystals was quite large.

They added up to over a thousand.

It was enough for him to squander.

However, Cao Xing decided to give this pistol to Tong Chuchu.

After all, the Mechanic had the [Primary Firearms Mastery] skill, which could increase hit rate and attack power.

Plus, with the [Mechanical Energy Saving] skill, it would consume less magic energy.

Thinking of this, Cao Xing already had candidates for these two pieces of equipment.

Then, he checked the time.

It was already four o'clock in the afternoon.

"It's about time to set off."

"It will take a while to get from here to the Witch Forest, and by the time we reach the depths, it will be the onset of nightfall."

Thus, Cao Xing shouted again,

"Combat personnel, assemble!"

In an instant, over two hundred combat personnel swarmed over.

Hearing Cao Xing call them, everyone knew there was a mission tonight.

Everyone had expectant looks in their eyes, hoping their Lord would take them along.

This was not only an honor but also a recognition of their strength.

Then, Cao Xing began roll call.

"Assam, Andrew, Jonard…"

As Cao Xing called out more than a dozen names,

the personnel configuration remained the same as last time, including those few Nightmare Archers, whom Cao Xing also brought along.

After all, they had a talent for sealing enemy skills, which was quite good.

At this moment, Cao Xing suddenly slapped his forehead, as if remembering something.

"Damn, I forgot there were over 20 Archer Recruitment Scrolls in my backpack!"

"Forget it, I'll summon them when I get back."

He shook his head.

Everyone was ready to go!

In addition to the personnel from last time, Cao Xing also brought the two Centaurs, Kantor and Kandaer.

He had a premonition that the enemies to be faced in the Witch Castle this time might be very powerful.

After all, the fairy tale told by the Old Witch alone confirmed that there were at least three terrible monsters inside.

Plus, there was a mysterious witch…

Therefore, while ensuring the safety of the territory, Cao Xing took as many troops as possible.

When the two Centaurs heard the news that Cao Xing was taking them out, they happily waved the blunt weapons in their hands.

"Oh! The strong Lord is finally taking us out to fight, that's great!"

"Haha, Kandaer, we must perform well!"

"Exactly! We must perform well and let the Lord see the strong physique of the Centaurs!"

Watching them happy, those combat personnel left in the territory by Cao Xing were very envious.

Even Ilena looked at Cao Xing with some resentment.

Of course, she also knew that she needed to stay in the territory.

After all, there was still a hidden danger in the territory, which was that farm woman 'Mupo'.

If the opponent suddenly erupted, with Ilena's strength, she might not be able to stop her.

However, there were still many strong people in his territory.

Those Dragon Blood Fighters, as well as Sylvia and Aili, were now also boss-level creatures.

When that time came, once Mupo's escape was discovered, a large number of soldiers would rush out, and with their ejection grappling hooks, it would be enough to control that commander-level existence.

Therefore, Cao Xing was not too worried.

At this moment, except for those he named, the other combat personnel dispersed one after another.

And Cao Xing handed the [Evil Eye Greatshield (Gold)] in his hand to Braum.

He also gave the [Super Power Pistol (Gold)] to Tong Chuchu.

At this moment, Braum swapped out his blue greatshield, held this greatshield that was about 1.5 meters high and exuded an evil aura, and was extremely excited.

He had no resistance to the appearance of this shield.

To him, equipment was for use, no matter what it looked like, as long as it was powerful enough.

Braum said excitedly: "Aha, what a thick greatshield!"

"Braum feels full of strength!"

Beside him, Little Chuchu, holding the pistol in her hands that looked small but was full of lethality, had stars in her little eyes!

"Wow! What a beautiful pistol!"

"Great, this way, I can blow up those monsters' eyeballs with one shot!"

Cao Xing's mouth twitched.

It was clear that Tong Chuchu had been somewhat corrupted by him after the previous battles…

Such a small child could actually say such things with an innocent face.

Cao Xing secretly decided to have Xia Yanni educate Little Chuchu when there was a chance.

But for now, it was most important to let her become stronger as soon as possible and have the ability to survive in this world.

Everything was ready.

Thus, Cao Xing said directly: "Everyone, let's go!"

Dabai flicked its trunk again, directly taking everyone and rushing out of the territory.

Compared to the journey back from the Witch Forest two days ago,

Cao Xing's strength had once again been greatly improved!

"Thump! Thump-thump!"

Dabai and Volibear, the two giant beasts, walked at the front of the team.

Under everyone's gaze, they soon left the territory.

…

…

Ten minutes later, they had already left the territory for about twenty kilometers.

The snow on the ground was very thick, already more than a meter deep.

No wonder Hilton's convoy got stuck in it.

However, fortunately, Dabai's size was large enough.

Every step it took would leave a huge deep pit on the ground.

Then, using its massive size, it cleared a path.

It was almost equivalent to a large snowplow.

Others followed behind Dabai, unobstructed all the way.

The snow on the ground could not affect their movement at all.

The Mammoth's movement speed was not fast, maintaining a speed of about 80 kilometers per hour.

Cao Xing and Liu Muxue were sitting steadily on it, watching the scenery around them.

After the blizzard, there was almost no sign of biological activity.

Everything in sight was vast and boundless, as if the whole world had fallen silent.

Just then, Cao Xing seemed to see a Survivor's territory in the snow in the distance.

A group of Arctic People were busily repairing the damaged buildings in the territory.

Including the Survivors inside, they were also collecting various resources.

Cao Xing did not go over, but continued to take Dabai and move forward.

Two hours later.

At exactly five o'clock in the afternoon, Cao Xing and the others arrived at the edge of the familiar Witch Forest.

Since it was their first time here, the two Centaurs had excited expressions on their faces.

Kandaer said excitedly: "Oh! This forest is so big!"

"Haha, we like the forest. In the forest, even black bears can't catch up with us Centaurs!"

"Centaurs are warriors in the forest!"

Rabb, who was beside them, heard this and also became interested, saying: "Oh! The two Centaur warriors have the same opinion!"

"We Wild Boar Warriors are also warriors in the jungle, best at fighting in the jungle!"

Hearing this, Kantor cast his gaze on Rabb.

"Oh? This Wild Boar Warrior really looks strong. Do you want to come over and discuss jungle combat techniques with us?"

"With pleasure!"

After saying that, Rabb approached the two Centaurs.

These three beings with straightforward brain circuits soon started chatting happily.

Cao Xing smiled, looked at the sky, and said: "From now on, we are entering the forest."

"Let's not delay on the road and head straight to the deepest part."

"I estimate we can enter the castle before dark."

Hearing Cao Xing's order, everyone nodded.

Then, they began to shuttle through this vast forest.

The momentum of Dabai and Volibear was as powerful as ever, breaking many large trees along the way and rushing with everyone.

To Cao Xing's surprise, through the communication with the Centaurs along the way,

Rabb was actually invited by them to sit on his back.

This Wild Boar Warrior was riding a Centaur, holding high twin blades, and kept making strange noises.

"Warrior Kantor, you run really fast. You are worthy of being from the Centaur tribe, very strong!"

The Centaur also said excitedly: "Warrior Rabb, your twin blades are also very sharp!"

"We must join forces!"

Rabb said excitedly: "Haha! That's right, we join forces, and we will definitely become the strongest jungle warriors!"

After speaking, the Centaur took Rabb and ran wildly.

"Clatter! Clatter!"

The crisp sound of the Centaur's hooves rang out.

The vines and branches encountered along the way were either cut off by Rabb's twin blades or shattered by the blunt weapon in Kantor's hand.

Seeing this scene, everyone had strange expressions on their faces.

It seemed they didn't expect these two troop types to be combined.

And it looked like the power exerted was quite good.

This also gave Cao Xing a different idea.

Obviously, letting Wild Boar Warriors cooperate with Centaurs seemed to produce the effect of cavalry.

It was no less lethal than ordinary knights.

And in the future, more different troop types would appear in his territory.

If these troop types could cooperate, sometimes they would exert unexpected effects.

Cao Xing's thinking suddenly became active.

However, this was just a prototype of an idea.

It needed practice, and the number of troop types in his territory was not large.

"For now, let's focus on the journey. I hope we can reach the castle before dark."

Fifty minutes later.

Cao Xing and the others finally arrived at the deepest part of the forest and saw the familiar castle shrouded in a barrier.

He checked the time.

[Time until nightfall: 24 minutes 31 seconds…]

Cao Xing nodded secretly, "Not bad, finally arrived before dark."

At this moment, the entire Witch Forest was deep and dark.

This also meant that night was about to fall.

Then, under Cao Xing's leadership, they returned to the barrier of the Witch Castle.

An invisible wall blocked everyone's way.

The two Centaurs tried to hit the barrier with the blunt weapons in their hands, but found that except for a ripple of energy, it had no effect.

They seemed unwilling to believe it and picked up their weapons to hit it a few more times.

But obviously, it still didn't cause any damage.

Braum laughed and said: "Kantor, Kandaer, don't try anymore. This is a powerful barrier, and ordinary means cannot break it!"

The two Centaurs smiled embarrassedly: "I see."

"Then how do we get in?"

Braum laughed, "The Lord will have a way."

Cao Xing didn't speak, but under the gaze of everyone, he took out the black crystal ball.

At this moment, this black crystal ball exuded a faint black aura.

It looked unremarkable, but it could open a portal to help them pass through the castle.

However, this thing required a special incantation.

There was indeed a record on the Black Crystal Ball.

Thus, Cao Xing began to chant.

"…"

"…"

"!"

As the words fell…

A massive, jet-black portal about six meters high appeared before Cao Xing.

And another portal appeared four meters in front of him.

These two portals looked identical, with a layer of black energy vortex in the center.

Cao Xing could faintly sense a spatial force connecting them.

The two Centaurs exclaimed in surprise, "By the ancestors of Modir, this is actually a portal!"

"I see. Strong Lord, you are truly omnipotent!"

Cao Xing smiled, and just as he was about to step into the portal first,

at that moment, Assam said, "Lord, let me try it first."

Hearing this, Cao Xing pondered for a moment, then nodded.

Although the information on the [Black Crystal Ball] did not mention any probability of portal failure or accidental situations, it involved something as profound as spatial teleportation.

Without verification, no one could guarantee that stepping into this portal would safely lead to the other side.

One slip could potentially teleport them to an unknown location.

Therefore, Assam was taking a huge risk by entering the portal first.

At this moment, he drew his longsword and resolutely approached the jet-black portal outside the barrier, then stepped inside.

When everyone saw Assam's figure disappear into the black vortex, they couldn't help but feel a bit nervous.

Fortunately, the portal constructed by the crystal ball was quite stable.

Soon, Assam's figure appeared on the other side.

A look of relief immediately appeared on everyone's faces.

Then, Braum raised his Evil Eye Greatshield and said, "Aha! Next is my turn!"

After receiving a signal from Cao Xing, Braum raised his shield and charged straight in.

Soon, he also successfully appeared on the other side of the portal.

Seeing this, everyone felt even more at ease.

After that, it was Liu Muxue and Cao Xing's turn.

Cao Xing came to the gate, looked at the vortex before him, and felt a wave of dizziness.

Without overthinking it, he stepped in.

The moment he stepped into the portal, his vision began to shift, as if he had entered some sort of space-time tunnel.

After a bout of dizziness, Cao Xing had already appeared inside the barrier of the Witch's Castle.

Looking at the barrier behind him, Cao Xing nodded.

"Not bad, this portal is quite stable."

Then, he continued, "Everyone, hurry up and come over."

Since the portal only lasted for 60 seconds, it would take another 7 days to open it again.

However, fortunately, this barrier was one-way; one could leave at any time but could not enter.

Cao Xing did not know the principle behind this.

Hearing this, everyone began to file in.

Isabelle, Hilda, Elisa… a group of nearly 20 people all squeezed in.

Even Dabai and Volibear tumbled in.

At the same time, the portal's duration ended and it vanished.

Cao Xing led his group and began to slowly approach the walls of the Witch's Castle.

Everyone looked at the six-meter-high, mottled wall before them.

Clearly, this could not stop their advance.

After all, even Dabai was five or six meters tall.

They could easily cross it.

Soon, the group climbed over the wall and arrived inside the castle.

A system prompt appeared.

[You have entered a special area: The Forest Witch's Castle…]

[Please note: This area will undergo some changes in 15 minutes.]

"Thump."

Cao Xing jumped down from the wall.

After landing, he immediately began to observe his surroundings.

The others also looked around with curious expressions.

He discovered that their landing spot was near the courtyard inside the castle.

The ground was overgrown with weeds.

Nearby were several tall towers and a few single-story stone houses.

However, the interior of the castle seemed extremely desolate; there was no movement at all, and it was unusually quiet.

"As expected, just as the Old Witch said, will the castle only reveal its true appearance at night?"

"There are 15 minutes left before nightfall; let's see if we can explore and find something."

Thus, Cao Xing aimed at one of the three-story towers and ordered, "Let's go, we're heading over."

Soon, they stepped through weeds that reached their heels and arrived near the tower.

In front of them appeared a black iron gate.

[Tower Gate][Armor: 200][Durability: 2000][Special Effects: None]

It was just an ordinary iron gate.

Cao Xing had Assam casually strike it twice with his sword, splitting it open.

Then, the group entered the tower in an orderly fashion.

However, because Dabai was too large, it had to be left at the entrance.

Upon entering the tower, a scent of decay rushed toward them.

It seemed to be the smell of rotting wood.

Looking around, the interior was very cluttered, with a few wooden tables and small stools, and messy shelves against the walls.

Beside them were some empty weapon racks.

It didn't look like there was much to gain.

Cao Xing said, "Search around and see if there are any hidden areas or basements."

Hearing this, everyone began to act.

"Clatter…"

The entire first floor of the tower was soon turned upside down by them.

However, apart from some stinking debris, there were only a few dead rats.

Just then, Elisa, who was carrying a large bow, suddenly said, "Lord, look quickly, I found something good!"

Hearing this, Cao Xing instantly looked over, "What good thing?"

"Ta-da! A treasure chest!"

As Elisa moved aside, a Silver Treasure Chest appeared behind her.

Seeing this, a look of delight appeared in Cao Xing's eyes.

"Good, good, good, well done, Elisa!"

After speaking, he walked straight to the treasure chest.

A system prompt appeared.

[Found an unlocked Silver Treasure Chest. Open it?]

"Open."

[Opened successfully.]

[Obtained: Intermediate Sentry Tower Construction Blueprint]

[Obtained: Purification Amulet (Purple)]

[Obtained: Refined Iron * 5]

[Obtained: Medium Resource Pack * 3]

[Obtained: Tamila Barley Ale * 3]

[Obtained: Medium Agility Tome * 1]

"Oh, there's actually an Intermediate Sentry Tower blueprint and a piece of purple equipment?"

Cao Xing looked at the blueprint's attributes.

[Intermediate Sentry Tower Construction Blueprint]

[Blueprint Description: Can upgrade the Primary Sentry Towers in the territory. Intermediate Sentry Towers have better vision and can accommodate more guards.]

[Armor: 150 points]

[Durability: 4500/4500]

[Footprint: 32 square meters]

[Building Height: 20 meters]

[Guards: 0/4]

[Construction Materials Required: Primary Sentry Tower * 1, Wood * 500, Stone * 300, Iron * 100, Copper * 20, Intermediate Elemental Crystal * 10]

[Construction Time: 12 hours 53 minutes]

"Not bad, just in time to upgrade those Primary Sentry Towers in my territory."

"The upgraded sentry towers won't be as easily blown down by strong winds."

Then, he looked at the equipment's attributes.

[Purification Amulet (Purple)]

[Equipment Slot: Necklace]

[Quality: Rare]

[Wear Requirement: Level 40]

[Attributes: Spirit +160, Physique +130, Casting Speed +15%]

[Special Effect: Abnormal Inhibition (When taking damage from abnormal statuses (bleeding, poisoning, health drain, etc…), reduce the health lost per second by 20%)]

[Special Effect: Purification Power (When attacked by an abnormal status, immune to this instance of damage; can trigger once every 120 seconds.)]

(Equipment Description: A necklace with a holy aura, blessed by a certain priest…)

"Is this equipment for negative status effects?"

"The attributes are quite good; it should come in handy at certain times."

Unfortunately, this is a Level 40 piece of equipment.

No one should be able to equip it for a short time.

Cao Xing put all these items into his backpack.

"Not bad, not bad. I didn't expect to find a Silver Treasure Chest right after entering one tower."

"And this is only the first floor; the second and third floors haven't been explored yet."

"There are many more towers like this inside this castle, there should be quite a lot of loot."

Having tasted the sweetness, Cao Xing was preparing to take his people to continue searching the second floor.

However, as night fell, the sky turned completely dark.

At this moment, everyone seemed to have a strange feeling.

It was as if the entire castle had come alive.

They heard rustling sounds.

It sounded like insects crawling, and also like a group of creatures waking up from underground…

At the same time, one after another, eerie blue lights lit up inside the castle.

"Clang! Clang, clang!"

Weapons began to vibrate.

Then, in the area of the second floor, Cao Xing and the others heard some voices filled with anger.

"I sense it, the aura of living people has appeared inside this castle, right below us!"