Cataclysm King

Chapter 467 S-level plot, legend of haunted castle

"The Forbidden Ruins Stele is actually here? Could it be that some Outer God is also sealed here?"

This guess came to Ji Xun's mind the first time he saw the black stone tablet.

Suddenly, in an instant, everything became clear.

When he came in before, Ji Xun discovered that the elements near Yinshan Village were very poor, even worse than most places in Eastern Wilderness.

I originally thought it might be due to regional reasons.

Now that I have seen the [Forbidden Ruins Stone Tablet], it is most likely sealed.

Just like the mithril vein in the East Wasteland that sealed the Scarlet Corruption Seadis. Because of the magic barrier, the elements of a large area nearby were also absorbed and gathered, resulting in elemental barrenness.

In addition, the growth environment of the silver fir tree is also very special. Usually, such lush trees with metallic properties will grow on some magical metal ore layers.

Although he didn't see the seal, Ji Xun has basically confirmed that there must be a large ancient seal near Black Crow Castle.

Just as he was thinking about it, Gang Duoduo, Seri and Zhuosha, who were still on the other side of the suspension bridge, also came over.

They looked at the huge stone tablet with puzzled expressions.

"What is this? It's so magical. Did you see it? There seems to be some words engraved on this stone tablet. But the strange thing is, if you look closely, you can't see any."

"It may be some kind of divine and demonic language similar to the higher dragon language."

"The material of this stone tablet is very special. The rocks are weathered, but this stone tablet is not affected at all."

"Su Lun, you know a lot of things. Do you know what this is?"

"."

None of the five had seen the [Forbidden Ruins Stele], so they couldn't figure out what it was.

Ji Xun shrugged his shoulders after hearing the question and said in an uncertain tone: "I'm not sure what it is. It looks like an 'ancient stone tablet' that appeared in some ancient books."

This is also the truth. He still doesn't know what's going on with this stone tablet.

My absolute partial understanding of this stone tablet is still my own speculation.

Everyone: "Ancient stone tablet?"

Ji Xun: "Yes. It is said that there are some ancient ruins with some stone tablets that mortals cannot understand. No one knows what they are or what they record."

Hearing this, Serri also said: "We Lizards also have similar records. This seems to be something passed down from the last era."

Everyone just treated it as a legend.

At their current level, they are not even qualified to be affected by the stone tablet, let alone understand it.

Ji Xun originally didn't want to talk about this.

However, for some reason, he vaguely felt that someone in the team seemed to have understood the contents of the stone tablet!

And what’s surprising is that it’s not the most knowledgeable Seri, but Sister Zhuosha?
Ji Xun was stunned for a moment.

He felt that if he had not seen it wrong just now, when Zhuo Sha saw the contents on the stone tablet, there was no ignorant curiosity in her eyes like other people, but instead a sense of performance as if she was forcibly suppressing shock?
"Is it a strange illusion?"

Ji Xun glanced at him calmly and muttered to himself.

Dragonborn have an easier understanding of the High Writing than humans, and some pureblood dragonborn are born with the ability to read magical runes.

Could it be that this is why Zhuo Sha recognized him?
But if she recognized him, why didn't she say anything, but instead pretended that she didn't know either?

At the moment when he focused his gaze, Ji Xun narrowed his eyes slightly and showed a hint of joking that others could not see: "I just realized that there is a very special guy in the team."

Without the stone tablet, he had not discovered anything unusual about his teammate.

Since this stone tablet can be recognized, its identity is intriguing.

The battle in the ancient castle on the cliff is fierce, and the noise is getting louder and louder.

Langdon's team of six no longer paid attention to the strange stone tablet, but looked at the cave in front of them.

There were obvious traces of human footsteps at the entrance of the cave.

The six of them had already made up their minds, so no matter what the situation, they would continue to explore.

However, at this moment, Ji Xun suddenly changed his mind and stopped at the entrance of the cave: "I have a bad feeling."

If it was just about exploring the plot, no matter how great the risk was, Ji Xun felt that life and death were determined by fate, and whether or not to survive was the teammates' own choice.

But that was before I saw the [Forbidden Ruins Stele].

Now that he had seen the stone tablet, he had determined that the castle was related to the demon. If they continued to explore, the probability of their team surviving was extremely low.

And a guy with a special identity was found in the team, and the risk became even more uncontrollable.

To this end, he wanted to confirm his guess first.

When the other five heard this, they also stopped.

When Ji Xun was finding his way before, he demonstrated the incredible accuracy of his "sixth sense".

No one dares to be careless.

"What's wrong?" Seri asked.

Ji Xun said bluntly: "This cave is too narrow. If we go in like this, we will almost certainly trigger a trap."

He has a point.

This kind of secret passage in the cave must have some early warning settings.

But everyone was unwilling to give up the "hidden plot" right before their eyes.

Gang Duoduo asked: "Ah, then what should we do?"

Ji Xun expressed his thoughts: "I think we should wait a little longer. When the Red Dragon royal family breaks into the castle, they should have killed most of the high-level plot targets. We can go in then with minimal risk."

He paused and said, "Moreover, if we are lucky enough, we may even be able to catch a few seriously injured bandit leaders who are fleeing with valuables."

"."

Everyone's expressions brightened as they heard this.

There is actually nothing wrong with Ji Xun's plan.

Although if you don't sneak into the castle as soon as possible, you may get less rewards.

But it is relatively safer.

If you are a normal trial student, of course you can wait.

Just like Gang Duoduo, David and others.

The smaller the reward, the better. They trust Ji Xun's judgment more.

But if you are someone who considers other issues.

Then maybe you can't wait any longer.

Ji Xun felt that if Zhuo Sha’s identity was really problematic.

Then now she must have seen that there was something seriously wrong with this trial.

Before it could be said to be a coincidence, but now anyone who knows this stone tablet will know what it means.

Just like that, the six people waited at the entrance of the cave.

Listening to the battle in the ancient castle, Gang Duoduo and the others felt itchy, but no one said anything.

Ji Xun sat cross-legged in meditation, adding the new clues to his mind and re-deduce: "The plot related to the demon god must be S-level difficult. It is not something that can be passed with a large number of people. The Red Dragon Royal Family's frontal attack team may just be a bait. The best way is to have someone pin down those bandits, and then send elite troops to embed in the fortress to achieve the desired goal. However, what role does the 'mysterious NPC' play in this plot? How did the vampire come about?"

Just as he was thinking, Enlightenment appeared again: "Congratulations to the 30th team of the Red Dragon Royal Family for successfully breaking through the Black Crow Fort outpost. Story exploration degree +20%, trial extra reward +%"

"A-level courage plot triggered: Encirclement and suppression of bandits. The Red Dragon Royal Family broke through the outpost and encountered fierce resistance from the bandits. The bandits who went out to attack the village were also quickly returning to defend. Trialists, please support the Black Crow Castle battlefield as soon as possible. Killing the bandits will receive an extra 100% points reward and increase the probability of rare cards."

"The A-level plot has been triggered!"

Seeing the moment of enlightenment, Gang Duoduo and others on the edge of the cliff also became excited.

Although this was their first time participating in an alternate dimension, their seniors in the academy had told them countless times that clearing the A-level plot in the trial meant that they would be able to make it onto the Trial Honor List!
Moreover, the current plot also indicates that there will be double trial points, which means that if you participate in the encirclement and suppression of bandits now, the final trial points will be very considerable!

A-level mission
Even among the seniors, not many have actually completed a trial of this difficulty.

Once the inspiration came out, not to mention a reckless man like Gang Duoduo, even Seri was tempted.

But they are a team after all, so he thought about it and looked at Ji Xun first.

Looking at Ji Xun still meditating.

Of course, Seri was smart enough to figure out that guarding the entrance to the cave might not be any less rewarding than killing the bandits.

After thinking about it, I still didn't say anything.

The same was true for Gang Duoduo and the others. Seeing that Captain Seri and Ji Xun did not move, they swallowed the words on their lips and looked forward to it with eager hearts.

The more intense the emotional fluctuations are, the easier it is for the disguise to be exposed.

When Ji Xun began to doubt, his logical reasoning ability was completely focused on Zhuo Sha who was not far away.

Now it is basically confirmed.

Zhuo Sha really has a problem.

Ji Xun also suddenly figured out something, thinking: "Tsk, tsk, interesting. Lich secrets? Or some soul secrets?"

It wasn’t like Zhuosha was pretending to be perfect before.

But she had never disguised herself before.

It was just that I saw the stone tablet just now and touched upon certain specific conditions, which triggered some "deep consciousness".

This is a bit like the summoning technique used by the god thief Bai family. They summon a consciousness that does not belong to them to take over their bodies.

Or maybe there's something wrong with Zhuosha's soul itself.

As for why Ji Xun knew?
Except that he had seen the Bai family's methods before.

More importantly, his own clone's brain also has similar settings!
This is because they are afraid that the clone will know too much that is inconsistent with his personality and will be exposed in front of the top card masters, so some of the knowledge is deliberately blocked.

But if certain special conditions are met, it will be triggered.

The Zhuo Sha now is no longer the Zhuo Sha they knew before.

as predicted.

Everyone can wait.

But Zhuo Sha couldn't wait any longer!

She looked at Gang Duoduo who was the most reckless and could not help but speak, "Well, aren't we going now? What if there is some hidden plot in the cave and we miss it? We will probably lose a lot of trial points. And I suspect that the frontal attack may be to attract firepower. There may be other teams that have sneaked into the castle."

As she spoke, as if to make her statement more reasonable, she added: "Now that the Red Dragon Royal Family is attacking Black Crow Castle, the points of their teams will definitely be very high. In this case, our hope of being in the top ten may not be great."

The rewards for the top ten in the trial are very generous.

Their team had come here for this goal before.

Therefore, even if it was a dangerous plan like exploring the deep forest at night, several people decisively participated in it, in fact, they also wanted to get a higher ranking.

But now the exploration has suddenly come to a standstill, making them feel a sense of crisis.

After hearing this, expressions of approval appeared on the faces of Seri, Gang Duoduo, Gail and David.

Then they all looked at Ji Xun.

When Ji Xun heard this, his expression remained calm, but he shouted in his heart: "It is so!"

He was waiting for this guy to speak. And judging from the urgency of Zhuosha's words, she probably saw something she didn't know about.

It was not difficult for Ji Xun to guess the reason.

After all, since the "mastermind" was secretly causing trouble in the Trial of the Tower of Babel, it was in conflict with the Holy See.

No matter what they want to do, Zhuo Sha will definitely not let them achieve their goal.

Now that some of his guesses had been confirmed, Ji Xun was about to take action.

However, just as he was still considering how to continue exploring the plot without implicated other teammates, the plot took a sudden turn.

Enlightenment appears again: "Congratulations to the Red Dragon Royal Team for successfully sneaking into the depths of the castle. The hidden plot 'The Haunted Castle' is triggered."

The moment the S-level plot hint appeared, everyone's expressions froze on the spot.

They are still eager to try the A-level plot.

But S-level is more solemn.

The college instructor said that those who participated in the S-level plot had a narrow escape from death.

The results of the few S-level story trials in the history of the academy were all extremely heavy in casualties.

But Ji Xun was not surprised.

Whether it was someone sneaking in or a "haunted" plot, I had thought about it before.

But when he looked at Qi Di, his eyes narrowed slightly.

Because now, it is not up to them whether to participate in the plot exploration.

The cave, which was pitch black just now, is now bright.

Although Ji Xun himself didn't know what was happening, they were already in the plot.

The sudden light in the cave startled everyone in the team.

Gale, who was on guard, became alert instinctively and said in surprise: "Hey, there's a light on in the cave? But I didn't see anyone just now."

Serri seemed to have discovered something, frowning and said, "Have you noticed that this cave is different from before? I observed before that the candlestick on the wall had been burned out long ago and could not be ignited. But now, it is ignited. And the cave we saw before still had some collapsed rubble, but there is none here."

Before he finished speaking, there was only solemnity in his eyes.

Gang Duoduo asked: "What does this mean?"

Seli said in a serious tone: "It means that we seem to be forcibly pulled into that S-level plot. Well. Judging from the situation, we are either under an illusion or pulled into a special space."

As soon as these words were spoken, the faces of several people in the team changed.

I tried, but no method of countering the illusion was effective.

That is, they only have one option to explore.

Ji Xun was also a little helpless. He was just thinking about how to prevent several teammates from dying with him.

Now it’s a mandatory task.

He looked at the burning candle and vaguely guessed that this might be the Black Crow Castle from a hundred years ago.

It was like entering another dimension, and even Ji Xun was experiencing it for the first time.

It was because of this thought that he felt strange.

a long time
There is no such sense of anticipation anymore.

After a moment of silence, he reminded them, "Everyone, be careful. We should use the things we got in the village before."

There is no use saying more now.

Whether you can survive depends on fate.

Except for "Zhuo Sha", the others seemed to have not realized the seriousness of the matter.

No one has ever experienced the S-level plot. For a few passionate young people, the fear of death is far less intense than the anticipation for the top-level difficulty plot.

Ji Xun didn't say anything more. They looked at each other and walked into the secret passage.

The secret passage in the cave is very long.

There is a light every ten meters or so in the corridor, and visibility is very clear.

But as they walked, a bizarre scene appeared on everyone.

The six people walked very carefully along the way, for fear that some monster would suddenly jump out and attack them.

However, as if stepping into a certain time node, something strange happened suddenly.

"Duoduo, how did your clothes and your armor become clothes?"

"Yours too, David. Suellen, Gail. No, our clothes have all changed."

"The equipment is still there! It's just that the appearance has changed. Is it an illusion?"

"It shouldn't be a genjutsu. And if it is, we can't solve it to this extent."

"Ah, what should I do?"

"."

The adventure clothes worn by Ji Xun and others suddenly turned into gorgeous evening gowns.

There were also subtle dance music and loud noises in my ears.

The change came so suddenly that everyone in the team was confused and at a loss.

No one could figure out what was going on.

A chilling feeling of fear gradually came over me.

But at this moment, Ji Xun seemed to understand something.

He glanced at his dress and murmured in his heart: "So 'ball' is really a ball."

When entering the space, it is reminded that there will be a luxurious dance in the castle at night.

This led to the legend that the castle, which had been abandoned for a hundred years, was haunted.

Now it seems that it may not be as simple as a haunting.

They also joined the dance.

Ji Xun really enjoyed the sense of anticipation brought by the unknown.

Ji Xun has the broadest knowledge in the team, and now in this strange situation, the five people also place their hopes on him to solve the puzzle.

Serri asked, "Su Lun, do you see anything?"

Ji Xun chuckled, shook his head, and did not answer the question.

Instead, he said something seemingly insignificant: "I once saw a sentence in the biography of a legendary hero."

The five of them looked at him, waiting for what was to come.

Ji Xun paused and said directly: "Don't think about using force to resist when the S-level plot is triggered. This is a plot difficulty that exceeds the adventurer's own strength. Just experience it well. If you can't survive, at least you can enjoy the last moments before death comes. The opportunity to break the situation may come inadvertently."

This is indeed what is said in the classics.

Ji Xun agreed with this statement and was also reminding his teammates.

With this kind of plot difficulty, no matter how cautious they are, they will still die.

Everyone looked confused.

Gang Duoduo asked: "Ah, what should we do now?"

Ji Xun said: "The spatial will conjured this set of clothes for us, suggesting that we should try our best to fit the role we are playing and attend the dance. The clue is at the dance."

Seri and the others understood as soon as they heard it.

Ji Xun didn't say anything more and pushed open the door of the secret passage.

Behind the door is a castle with bright lights.

Ji Xun and six others appeared in the castle.

There is a huge garden in the castle, with roses as red as blood blooming beautifully.

There were not just the six of them, there were thousands of gorgeously dressed noble ladies, young ladies and young masters in the castle.

Of course, there are also countless bewildered trial students.

Were people in ancient civilizations conservative?
No, it doesn't.

The nobles during the Alterac civilization period were very bold and unrestrained.

The ladies were wearing formal evening gowns with very low necklines, exposing most of their breasts to the air.

Some of the ladies' skirts were almost translucent, and if you looked closely, you could see about 80% of their graceful figures.

The young maids are unabashedly sexy, with impeccable figures and looks, wearing black and white maid outfits that can arouse people's primitive desires. They serve the guests of the castle enthusiastically and will not refuse any of the gentlemen's teasing.
A fragrant and extravagant ball was being held in the castle.

"Hidden plot trigger: The owner of Black Crow Castle, Mrs. Mist, is famous for her beauty, and countless suitors come to her upon hearing the news. She also often holds dinner parties in the castle, inviting nearby nobles and celebrities to dine together. The balls are luxurious and erotic, but they also hide unknown secrets. You are a Vatican investigator, and your mission is to investigate missing people."

Enlightenment has reminded all adventurers not to act rashly.

No one has experienced the S-level plot, but everyone has heard the instructors warn about it in the academy.

None of the students in the garden dared to act rashly, and they watched secretly. However, their behavior was more like that of a poor detective, which aroused suspicion.

Ji Xun glanced at him, and the corners of his mouth slightly raised.

Vampires are almost the same as humans before they transform, but anyone who knows vampires well enough can still tell them apart.

Fair skin, little hair, deep pupils, and a desire for blood in his eyes.

Ji Xun only took a glance and discovered that there were many vampires in the castle.

At least the maids.

At this point, Ji Xun had almost completely figured out the plot line of this trial space.

It is unknown when Black Crow Castle was built, but the only thing that has been passed down to this day is the beautiful legend of its last owner, Countess Mist.

But unfortunately, the countess is most likely a vampire.

It looked like a dance party, but in fact it was a feast for selecting blood and food, which is why people went missing.

This went on for many years.

Until too many people went missing, the Church of Light sent people to wipe out these vampires?
That's basically the situation.

Ji Xun also found it quite interesting.

He had traveled through time and space and had some understanding of the laws of time, so he was sure that it was not a time travel and it was not an illusion.

And the legend of "haunting" has been around for a long time.

So Ji Xun felt that it was most likely some treasure that caused the scene to reappear.

And if I'm not mistaken, the "person behind the scenes" is also coming for this treasure.

If you want to break the impasse, this is the most reliable idea at present.

Ji Xun immediately became interested when he thought about it.

At this moment, he seemed to notice a gaze. He looked up and saw the charming Countess in a window of the castle.

(End of this chapter)