Chapter 56

Hao Ren casually took out the data terminal and was about to smash it on the ground. This thing usually didn't work well, and now it was acting up and being a pain in the neck. He had never seen such a difficult PDA to deal with in his life!

"What's wrong?" Vivi saw Hao Ren's actions and was utterly confused. "Getting mad at it won't help."

"Open the stone wall," Hao Ren angrily stuffed the data terminal back into his pocket. "The sealing system of the underground chamber is long gone. Whatever is sealed inside would have escaped through other places if it wanted to—unfortunately, we're stuck in this only functional dead end!"

Vivi glanced at Hao Ren, not caring how he knew all this, and turned to deal with the stone wall inscribed with runes. However, she soon dejectedly told Hao Ren some bad news: "As expected, it won't open."

"Didn't you say it was thin?"

"The stone wall itself is thin, but the Letta runes form the phrase 'Castle of the Earthly King,' giving it the strength of a city wall. Moreover, the Letta runes suppress my power... Lily, don't even try; brute force won't work."

The werewolf girl was already clawing and digging at the rune-inscribed stone wall, trying to create a tunnel: "I'm trying to dig a passage from underground!"

Vivi rolled her eyes: "Good luck. Based on the strength of the runes, you'd have to dig at least half a kilometer down."

Lily was struck as if by lightning, her tail and ears drooping in dejection. She looked at Hao Ren with a mournful face: "Landlord, what do we do?"

"What do you think I can do?" Hao Ren was at a loss. As the least powerful human on the scene, it was already quite surprising that he could maintain a nearly carefree calm. He had no idea how to solve this and could only punch the rune-inscribed stone wall in frustration. "Why am I so unlucky!!"

A distinct cracking sound suddenly came from above the stone wall. Hao Ren, being the closest to the wall, immediately heard the "crack" amidst the surrounding noise. He looked up in surprise and saw the ancient Letta runes glowing with an eerie red light, then slowly detaching from the wall as if being "squeezed out"!

"Vivi, did you do this?" Hao Ren looked at the vampire girl in surprise, but she was equally puzzled: "No... it seems like your punch just knocked the runes off."

Hao Ren thought for a moment and suddenly turned pale: "The runes say only the bloodline descendant of Jofurde can open the underground chamber. Could I be the long-lost heir of an old British noble family? Is this castle and the surrounding 200 acres of wasteland mine?"

Vivi's surprised expression quickly turned to bewilderment: "Landlord, your thinking is broader than a big dog's... forget about that, we need to get out first! Big dog, go!"

Lily didn't wait for Vivi to finish. She took a running start and charged at the stone wall, swinging her fist. A loud "thud" echoed, and a large hole appeared in the seemingly indestructible stone slab. Once the power of the runes dissipated, the stone didn't seem much stronger than ordinary rock, much easier to deal with than the enchanted black rock behind it.

The stone wall... or rather, the stone door, when broken, revealed a spacious underground hall to the three of them. This hall was much larger than the intersection of the tunnels beneath the small chapel, square and symmetrical. On the opposite side of the hall, another tunnel could be seen leading to an unknown destination. Without thinking, they covered their noses and ran through the flying stone debris into the hall. As they entered, a thunderous sound of rock collapse echoed from the tunnel they had just come through: the entire tunnel had collapsed.

"Damn... we were on the brink of death," Hao Ren turned to see the place where he had just stood now blocked by rubble, his heart racing and cold sweat pouring down his back. "One step later and we'd be dead."

"It's probably part of the underground chamber's design. When the Letta runes are destroyed abnormally, the corresponding passage collapses to seal off the intrusion point," Vivi sensed the magical flow from a moment ago, and the cautious design of the underground chamber made her even more uneasy. "Rune-sealed doors, enchanted rocks, and self-destructing passages—what could be sealed down here to warrant such elaborate measures?"

A rustling sound suddenly came from all around. Hao Ren looked around and his voice changed: "I know what's sealed down here... aren't they the undead you mentioned?!"

When the three of them rushed in, they were too hurried to notice the hall's contents. Now they realized the hall was not empty: the floor was embedded with rectangular stone slabs, each protruding less than an inch from the ground. If not for careful observation, they might have mistaken them for the floor tiles of the underground chamber. However, these "large tiles" were now being pushed open, and from beneath them, iron-clad arms were emerging!

The hall was actually a tomb, and the stone slabs covered coffins!

One by one, the stone slabs were pushed aside, accompanied by the chaotic noise of metal friction. Countless figures clad in knightly armor rose from the ground. They looked like European knights from a museum, completely encased in heavy armor, even their hair. Most astonishingly, the steel, buried for hundreds of years, showed no signs of rust. Each "knight's" armor was as bright and new as ever. In Hao Ren's enhanced vision, he could even see the clear patterns and family crests on the steel surfaces.

These undead knights held weapons tightly in their hands—some with long swords, some with war hammers, and others with short swords and thick shields. Their burial positions were clearly arranged, and when they rose, they formed a well-organized and diverse battle formation.

The undead knights who had been digging in the tunnel outside were likely of the same kind—only they had been sealed by the collapsed rubble.

Hao Ren had never seen such a scene before and felt a sudden dizziness. However, he didn't lose his composure at the last moment. His carefree and thick-skinned nature from childhood helped him stay calm. Seeing the exit at the other end of the hall, he immediately patted Lily's shoulder: "Run to the exit!"

The heavily armored knights, just awakened from their slumber, were not yet fully active. They moved clumsily, swaying and stumbling, and it seemed they hadn't focused on Hao Ren and his companions yet. Seizing this opportunity, Lily kicked the undead knight in front of her, leading the charge towards the exit.

However, Lily's kick stirred up a hornet's nest. The previously dazed undead knights instantly "woke up," and countless pairs of blood-red lights shone from behind their heavy helmets. The entire underground tomb was instantly filled with a heart-stopping red glow!

"Don't get in the way!" Lily, seeing this, felt a bit nervous. She immediately grabbed an undead knight who was swaying towards her and swung him like a war hammer. The over 1.8-meter-tall undead knight was helpless against this brute force and unconventional fighting style. With a series of clanging metal sounds, a large number of heavily armored spirits were swept away by Lily!

"This big dog is actually useful," Vivi praised, satisfied. She was surrounded by a whirlwind of blood-red light, and cold air spirals spread out from her in all directions. In a moment, all the nearby undead knights were covered in thick ice. "Big dog, don't linger. The underground chamber is the domain of the undead. Let's go to the surface!"

The enclosed and gloomy underground chamber was the battlefield of the undead, and this environment was not suitable for Vivi, who could fly, or Lily, who fought with broad, sweeping movements. Only on the surface, with the support of the current moonlight, could Vivi and Lily fight with confidence.

Lily, swinging her "war hammer" in front, was like a powerful steel whirlwind, clearing the way. Vivi continuously used freezing breath and sharp, blade-like blood shockwaves to fend off the heavily armored knights attacking from all sides. Although Hao Ren knew he was just a human, he was determined in this life-or-death situation. Even against the undead, he fought with all his might—whether it was an illusion, a paycheck, or the legendary adrenaline rush, Hao Ren felt his strength growing: he could kick the heavy steel bodies nearly five meters away!

In this fight and retreat, the three of them finally broke out of the underground tomb.

What greeted them was even more clashing armor sounds—coming from all directions!

(Three River List is doing well, but it's not over yet =.=)

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