Chapter 235: Failed Experiment, Ancient Castle Riot (5000)

A large number of soldiers woke up within the ancient castle.

Everyone frowned and immediately prepared for battle.

After waiting for a moment, however, no soldiers rushed over.

Cao Xing thought to himself, "It seems our fighting commotion disturbed the other soldiers in the ancient castle, causing them to wake up."

"But they haven't rushed over; they must be confirming something."

Cao Xing did not panic but instead said, "Guard the first-floor entrance."

Upon hearing the order, everyone stood ready in formation.

Cao Xing went straight into the first floor and picked up everything dropped by the soldiers.

[Obtained: Chaotic Soldier Captain Soul Orb (Blue) * 2]

[Obtained: Tamaila Captain Seal (Blue) * 1]

[Obtained: Chaotic Soldier Soul Orb (Green) * 19]

[Obtained: Tamaila Soldier Seal (Green) * 24]

[Obtained: Royal Poleaxe (Blue) * 1]

[Obtained: Intermediate Heart of Strength * 4]

[Obtained: Tamaila Standard Weapon (Green) * 34]

"Not bad, not bad, another 4 Intermediate Hearts of Strength."

"Plus two blue-grade soul orbs and 19 green-grade soul orbs; this drop rate is really high!"

Cao Xing glanced over and discovered that the two blue soul orbs added Strength and Agility, and Constitution and Spirit, respectively.

"Not bad, there's one I can use myself."

Thinking of this, he took Liu Muxue and continued searching the first floor.

However, this time, they weren't as lucky as before; they didn't see any treasure chests on the first floor.

Cao Xing went to the second floor with little interest.

He went to the area where the soldiers rested as usual and rummaged through it.

This time, he actually discovered some good items.

Under a soldier's pillow, Cao Xing dug out a purple potion that was shimmering with a faint glow.

It looked quite extraordinary.

He gathered all these items up immediately.

[Obtained: Stamford's Elixir (Purple) * 1]

[Obtained: Tamaila Barley Beer * 8]

[Obtained: Life Secret Medicine (Small) * 5]

[Obtained: Coins * 1134]

[Obtained: Letter to the Shopkeeper * 1]

"Oh? It's actually a purple potion?"

A look of surprise appeared in Cao Xing's eyes, and then he checked the potion's attributes.

[Stamford's Elixir (Purple)]

[Potion Effect: After consumption, immediately restores 4000 HP, and restores 100 HP per second for the next 60 seconds. Cooldown: 120 seconds]

(Description: A powerful elixir. With the fall of the Tamaila Kingdom, the recipe for this elixir has vanished from the world.)

"Good heavens, restoring 4000 HP instantly, and then 100 HP per second for the next 60 seconds—that adds up to 10,000 HP!"

"Most importantly, this lingering effect will likely also be boosted by Eternal Power!"

Just as the system said, this was a potent elixir.

Cao Xing even wanted to drink it immediately to increase his recovery ability.

However, the recipe for this elixir had already gone extinct.

In other words, the one in his hand was likely the last bottle.

After pondering for a moment, Cao Xing decided not to consume it himself.

"Forget it, I'll just keep it for now."

"I'll see if there's a chance to replicate this elixir in the future."

After all, this is a magical world where anything is possible.

As for the other item: [Letter to the Shopkeeper].

Cao Xing took a look; it was just some daily trivialities with no important information.

Then, he took Liu Muxue to the third floor.

Both of them had expectant looks in their eyes.

"I hope that, just as I thought, every tower has a few Destroyer Crossbows!"

As they stepped directly onto the third floor, the scene before them immediately brought smiles to their faces.

Just as expected, by the windows of this tower, there were also a few [Destroyer Crossbows].

Next to them were several large crates filled with bolts specifically for the Destroyer Crossbows.

"Haha, there really are!"

Cao Xing didn't hesitate to collect all these items into his backpack.

[Obtained: Destroyer Crossbow (Purple) * 4]

[Obtained: Refined Iron Bolt (Blue) * 400]

Cao Xing said happily, "Very good, these towers must be the defensive fortifications of this ancient castle; every tower has soldiers and crossbows."

"While we haven't fully attracted attention yet, I'll try to loot as many towers as possible!"

Of course, if they were exposed, Cao Xing wouldn't run away.

At worst, they would just engage in a head-on battle.

He, Cao Xing, was determined to loot this ancient castle!

After clearing the loot from this tower.

Cao Xing quickly went downstairs and said, "Dabai, Woli, you two are large, so stay here and wait for orders."

"Everyone else, follow me to continue searching other areas."

The two pets obediently stayed where they were.

Cao Xing immediately led the group toward the next tower.

Bang! The tower door was broken open.

Just like before, those castle soldiers could immediately sense Cao Xing and his group once they got within a certain range.

Bursts of roars rang out, and then the group engaged in battle with those angry fusion soldiers.

In three consecutive waves of battle, the group won completely with a crushing advantage!

There was no need for him to command at all.

Then, Cao Xing unhurriedly collected the loot on the ground and the crossbows from the upper floors into his backpack.

[Obtained: Chaotic Soldier Captain Soul Orb (Blue) * 5]

[Obtained: Tamaila Soldier Captain's Seal (Blue) * 3]

[Obtained: Chaotic Soldier Soul Orb (Green) * 72]

[Obtained: Tamaila Soldier's Seal (Green) * 41]

[Obtained: Intermediate Heart of Strength * 18]

"Good, good, good! The number of Intermediate Hearts of Strength in my hand has already exceeded 90!"

"Once I go back this time, I can let all the Ascalon soldiers break through to the third tier, saving me nearly a million Ice Dragon Marks!"

Cao Xing was extremely excited.

Besides that.

In these three towers, he had once again obtained 12 [Destroyer Crossbows (Purple)], plus 1,280 [Refined Iron Bolts (Blue)]!

From this, one can imagine how huge Cao Xing's harvest was this time!

Moreover, this was just the beginning.

Because Cao Xing had already more or less noticed.

Although the towers in this ancient castle were somewhat scattered, there were at least thirty or forty of them.

In other words, he conservatively estimated that he could obtain over a hundred [Destroyer Crossbows]!

Furthermore, there were some one-story stone houses; he didn't know what was inside, and he hadn't investigated them yet.

Plus, the huge tower in the center that was over a hundred meters tall.

Heaven knows how many supplies and opportunities were contained within this ancient castle!

Thinking of this, Cao Xing felt even more expectant.

After clearing the three towers, the roars in the ancient castle became increasingly intense.

But fortunately, they still hadn't been discovered so far.

There was no helping it; their combat speed was just too fast.

Often, before those soldiers could react, they had already engaged in battle and wiped out the enemies with overwhelming force.

Cao Xing quickly scanned the area and saw a large one-story house nearby.

"Let's go, let's go check out that house."

The group followed Cao Xing and moved forward quickly.

Soon, they arrived in front of this house.

A thick iron door appeared.

The information for the iron door appeared before them.

[Sturdy Iron Door]

[Armor: 500]

[Durability: 8000]

[Special Effect: Intermediate Damage Reduction (Reduces incoming damage by 20%)]

(Description: An unknown iron door; it seems to be imprisoning some kind of creature inside.)

Seeing the system prompt, a look of curiosity appeared in Cao Xing's eyes.

"Interesting, these houses aren't used for storing supplies, but for imprisoning some kind of creature?"

He didn't hesitate, and with confidence in his own strength, he ordered directly, "Break it open."

Upon receiving the order, Assam and Rabb's attacks already struck the iron door.

"Clang! Clang, clang!"

In a few quick strikes, the iron door's durability dropped to zero, and they pushed it open on the spot.

The inside of the room was exceptionally dark, pitch black.

A strong smell of blood wafted towards them, mixed with the stench of animal feces.

Just as Assam was preparing to go in and investigate, Cao Xing suddenly saw a pair of bright red eyes appear in the darkness.

Thump! Thump, thump!

Heavy footsteps approached.

It approached the group step by step.

And Cao Xing gradually saw its figure clearly.

It was a bovine monster with curved horns and a body covered in black fur.

Its body was largely decayed, and with every step it took, black, foul-smelling pus dripped from its feet.

Hundreds of human limbs hung from its body, dangling limply below.

Even more eerie was the pained human face located on the ox's forehead.

The face would occasionally contort into expressions of pain and anger.

"I am in so much pain…"

"I want to… crush your bodies… crush them into meat paste…"

"Let us… become one…"

This monster's appearance was quite terrifying, making several of the women present tremble.

Cao Xing quickly scanned its attributes.

[Failed Experiment: Forest Demon Ox]

[Race: Human/Beast/Monster]

[Level: 40 (Tier 4 Boss-level creature)]

[HP: 112349/112349]

[Attack Power: 3177–3283]

[Skills: Chaos (The fusion of multiple souls makes its consciousness extremely chaotic, but also grants it immense power; Strength increased by 30%)

Dragging Charge (Suddenly rushes forward, dealing impact damage to enemies along the path, and uses the human arms on its body to grab surrounding enemies and drag them.)

Foul Body (Large-scale decay causes it to constantly emit a foul stench, reducing the attributes of nearby enemies by 10%)

Multiple Stomp (Uses its hind hooves and limbs to deal multiple stomp damage to enemies, with a damage coefficient of 112%)

Dark Power (Activates the dark power within its body, reducing its own defense by 30% while increasing attack speed and movement speed by 50%)]

[Talent: Multiple Fusion Body (HP +30%, Attack +20%)]

(Description: A failed experiment, with nothing left in its heart but pain and the desire to kill.)

…

"To think it's a monster created by fusing the souls of three creatures?"

A look of surprise appeared in Cao Xing's eyes.

After all, fusing the souls of two creatures was already a shocking feat.

The difficulty was unimaginable!

Yet this Demon Ox possessed the souls of three creatures.

Thus, the experimenter failed, creating such a terrifying creature.

At this moment, the terrifying Demon Ox, covered in arms and with dozens of legs, charged towards the group.

"Boom! Rumble!"

Like a rapidly moving small hill, it bore down with astonishing momentum.

Cao Xing quickly gave the order: "Braum, Ice Giant form, block it."

Upon hearing this, Braum's body instantly surged in size, and he leaped directly in front of the Demon Ox, raising his Evil Eye Shield!

"Aha! Come on, little black ox!"

The charging Demon Ox made direct contact with Braum's shield.

"Bang!"

After a dull impact, Braum was pushed back several meters.

Cao Xing, watching from behind, revealed a look of surprise: "Good grief, this monster has such strength?"

However, this was to be expected.

After all, Braum was currently only a level 30 boss and had not yet officially broken through to Tier 4.

He was a full 10 levels behind this monster!

Braum let out a roar: "Don't even think about—breaking through my defense!"

"Hold it!"

As he spoke, his muscles bulged, and he actually pushed back against this terrifying monster, forcing it to retreat.

"Moo—moo—"

The Demon Ox continued to let out strange cries.

However, no matter how hard it tried, it was still being pushed back by Braum.

[Evil Eye Greatshield] acted like a blood-red door panel, blocking all damage.

Seeing this, a smile appeared on Cao Xing's lips.

As expected, Braum, having evolved into a boss, was still very strong.

Plus, he had equipped a golden shield with extremely powerful armor; at least in terms of defense, no one could compare to him.

Cao Xing quickly ordered: "Finish it off."

"Bang!"

Andrew's 'Starfire Art' was the first to explode!

[-6054]

It dealt a terrifying amount of damage directly to the Demon Ox.

Then, the attacks from the others bombarded it like a violent storm.

Although this Tier 4 boss-level Demon Ox was formidable, facing the group's siege, its HP plummeted rapidly.

Less than half a minute into the battle.

Its HP had already dropped below 60,000.

Just as Cao Xing wanted to press the attack, a series of alarm bells suddenly rang in his ears.

"Ring, ring, ring!"

"Ring, ring, ring!!!"

The piercing bell sounds began to echo continuously.

The entire ancient castle seemed to stir.

Cao Xing even heard the roars of soldiers in the distance.

"Roar! Someone has broken into the castle!"

"A few of you, go upstairs and operate the Destroyer Crossbows."

"All other soldiers, follow me out and capture these intruders!"

Bang! Bang, bang!

The iron doors of the castle rooms were kicked open, and a large number of soldiers poured out.

Inside the buildings on the first floor, muffled thumping sounds emerged, as if some monster was about to burst out!

The entire castle was thrown into chaos in an instant.

A system prompt appeared before Cao Xing.

[Due to your actions, the castle guards have been alerted, and the Witch's Castle has entered a state of martial law…]

…

Seeing the system prompt, Cao Xing frowned.

"Exposed so quickly?"

However, he did not panic, but instead ordered: "Speed it up, finish off this monster in front of us first."

Upon receiving the order, everyone's attacks became even sharper!

"Swish! Swish, swish!"

The Wild Boar Warrior's pair of dual blades were swung so fast they left afterimages.

The few Nightmare Court Archers in the rear were also straining to draw their bows.

Two Centaurs charged directly in front of the Forest Demon Ox, attacking its body with the blunt weapons in their hands.

Soon, they had reduced the Demon Ox's HP to below 30,000!

Just then, it suddenly lowered its head.

It turned the pained human face on its forehead towards the group.

The next moment, a strong black aura rose from the Forest Demon Ox's body!

"Moo!!"

In that instant, it broke through Braum's defense and charged out from the group's siege!

This was the effect of its final skill, [Dark Power]!

"Boom! Rumble!"

The Forest Demon Ox began to ram wildly in the narrow room, with astonishing momentum.

It seemed to know that Cao Xing, standing at the doorway, was the key to this group.

Thus, the Forest Demon Ox charged fiercely towards Cao Xing!

Seeing this, Braum immediately prepared to use [Leap Guardian] to jump to Cao Xing's side.

But just then, a graceful figure appeared before Cao Xing first.

It was Liu Muxue!

This heroic and beautiful woman crouched slightly, her defensive stance perfectly standard.

She seemed to know that the Forest Demon Ox's strength in its charging state was terrifying.

Thus, the moment it charged, Liu Muxue let out a sharp cry and swung the shield in her hand violently.

"Hah!"

Bang!

The massive ox head was slapped to the side by Liu Muxue.

It was the ultimate counter-attack skill: [Shield Counter]!

At this moment, the Forest Demon Ox seemed stunned by this [Shield Counter], shaking its head.

However, Liu Muxue would not give it time to react; she swung the [Magdal] in her hand and used the Sweep skill.

"Swish!"

[-2074!]

The Forest Demon Ox's massive body was swept seven or eight meters away by her, crashing to the ground.

"Boom!"

Like a small hill collapsing.

Not only that, before the Demon Ox could react.

A holy light erupted from Liu Muxue's body, and she instantly vanished from the spot.

The next moment, she appeared directly beside the fallen Demon Ox and smashed down with the shield in her hand.

Bang!

A stun icon appeared above the Forest Demon Ox's head.

[Holy Shield Assault] followed by [Shield Bash]!

This combo directly hard-controlled the big black ox in place once more.

The fluid movements left the others looking on in surprise.

Even Cao Xing's eyes showed a look of admiration.

"Not bad, not bad. Muxue's combat awareness is getting stronger and stronger!"

Meanwhile, seeing this opportunity, the group rained various attacks down on this monster.

Watching as its HP dropped below 5,000.

As Liu Muxue struck with her final sword slash, she completed her finishing move.

"Moo—"

The Forest Demon Ox let out a pained wail and collapsed to the ground.

[Your subordinate lord: Liu Muxue killed the Forest Demon Ox Lv40, Tier 4 Boss-level creature, EXP gained: 0]

[Combatants gained EXP: 4000]

…

Little Chuchu held her pistol and looked at Liu Muxue excitedly: "Sister Muxue, that was amazing!"

"You were actually able to slap such a terrifying monster away and even stun it!"