Claven entered the ancient castle at the forefront, with Bai Qi following closely. Once they confirmed there was no danger, Walong led his subordinates into the castle.
Upon entering, Bai Qi discovered that the interior of the castle was inverted relative to the exterior; the entrance from outside was, in fact, the ceiling of the castle.
"You four idiots, get down there quickly."
Seeing Walong pinned down by the four, Bai Qi couldn't help but offer a moment of silence for him. If it were just the three stooges, it might have been manageable, but with Tula there at the end, his size alone was equivalent to five others. Walong had to be grateful for his persistent daily exercise if he was still alive.
Ignoring the comedic antics of Walong and the others, Bai Qi began to survey the interior environment of the castle.
From the castle's interior decoration alone, it was evident that it was likely constructed during the medieval period.
In the dark Middle Ages, during the rampant plague, a group of ignorant and unenlightened commoners, shouting slogans to burn witches, blamed witches for the plague.
It was during that time that many wizards and sorcerers, to escape the plague and the harassment of the commoners, built their castles underground.
Bai Qi turned back to Walong and the others and said, "Split up and search. Bring all the books you can find here."
Bai Qi knew that Walong and his subordinates were ordinary people without any magic. Within this castle, there were likely traps and mechanisms left by sorcerers. This was why Bai Qi instructed Walong and his men to only collect books and not touch anything else.
Because, in that era, books were extremely precious, and every sorcerer cherished them greatly, making it unlikely for them to tamper with the books themselves.
However, Bai Qi was still somewhat uneasy and sent Claven to accompany them.
"But Master, if that's the case, who will protect your safety?"
Bai Qi said, "Don't worry, a small castle can't do anything to me."
Walking alone in the castle, perhaps due to being underground, Bai Qi always felt the atmosphere around him to be somewhat heavy.
The entrance was in the main hall. Bai Qi took a general look and found nothing of significant value. He briefly glanced at the subsequent bedrooms before leaving.
In a castle, apart from the master's bedroom, side bedrooms like those encountered earlier would not typically contain anything of value.
After finishing the first floor, Bai Qi proceeded to the second floor. As soon as he arrived, he saw Rasu running towards him, with a knight's armor wielding a sharp blade in pursuit.
"Holy Master, save me!"
Seeing Bai Qi, Rasu ran towards him with all his might as if he had seen a savior.
Facing the menacing armor, Bai Qi merely raised his staff, and the armor immediately shattered into pieces. A blue orb of energy emerged from the armor and turned to flee.
Bai Qi raised his staff again and shouted, "Come here."
The orb of energy was instantly frozen in mid-air. Then, with a wave of his hand, the orb slowly settled into Bai Qi's palm.
Looking at the orb of energy in his hand, Rasu curiously asked, "Holy Master, what is this?"
Bai Qi said, "A spirit. It's likely a fragment of a larger ghost."
Observing the orb of spirit in Bai Qi's hand, it lacked self-awareness, which led Bai Qi to believe it was a fragment split from a greater phantom.
Bai Qi knew that with Rasu's intelligence, he wouldn't understand what he was saying, so he was too lazy to explain.
"What did you encounter? Where are the others?"
At this point, Rasu remembered and said, "Reporting, Holy Master. We found a study. When we were collecting books according to your orders, we were attacked by these armors. Even if we shattered the armors, they would automatically restore themselves."
The armors were not the main problem; the true issue was the spirits hidden within them. If the spirits were not dealt with, the armors would be controlled by them and restore themselves no matter how many times they were broken.
However, it must be said, while Walong and the others were somewhat incompetent, their luck was undeniably excellent.
In a castle, the most valuable places were typically the laboratory, the study, and the storage room.
Walong and his men, by sheer chance, had stumbled upon the study.
"Go, take me to see it."
Led by Rasu, Bai Qi arrived at the study.
Pushing open the study door, Bai Qi saw Claven, whose bloodline had been activated, fighting three armors, while Tula was engaged with two. As for Walong and the others, it was best not to mention them; they were hiding behind bookshelves, playing hide-and-seek with an armor.
However, now that Bai Qi was here, it was time to put an end to this farce.
Bai Qi used the same method, raising his staff high, chanting a spell. All the armors in the study promptly fell to the ground. The hidden spirits within them were all imprisoned by Bai Qi in the gems of his dragon-headed staff.
"Master."
Seeing Bai Qi arrive, Claven skillfully moved to his side.
Upon seeing that all the armors had been dealt with, Walong, who had gotten up from the ground, straightened his suit and approached Bai Qi. "Holy Master, what kind of monsters are these?"
Bai Qi ignored Walong, instead scanning the entire study, his gaze finally settling on an oil painting.
"You attacked my subordinates, and you don't plan on coming out to explain?"
Walong followed Bai Qi's gaze and saw what appeared to be a large human-shaped oil painting. "Holy Master, that's just an oil painting."
Bai Qi ignored Walong, raised his staff, and the dragon head absorbed the surrounding fire elements, forming a fist-sized fireball at the tip of the staff.
"If you don't speak again, don't blame me for being merciless."
Perhaps sensing the searing heat of the fireball, the person in the painting actually moved and spoke, "Who are you?"
"I sense the aura of dark magic on you. Are you a dark wizard? No, the castle has a magic array; dark wizards cannot enter. Who exactly are you?"
Bai Qi let out a soft snort and said, "Dark wizard? I am your ancestor."
Bai Qi's words were not an exaggeration. The earliest dark magic originated from the Holy Master, who imparted dark magic to humanity, giving rise to dark wizards. Thus, among his many titles, the Holy Master also held the title of the Progenitor of Dark Magic.
"Impossible, absolutely impossible. The Progenitor of Dark Magic is the Fire Demon, and the Fire Demon has long been sealed by the Saints. It is absolutely impossible for it to appear here."
Bai Qi took two steps forward, reaching beneath the oil painting, and said, "I am. The Holy Master."
The oil painting looked at Bai Qi and burst into laughter. "Impossible, the Holy Master is one of the Eight Great Demons, and you are just a human brat who hasn't even fully grown."
"You know quite a bit, but haven't you heard of the Sheep Talisman?"
Upon hearing Bai Qi's words, the figure in the oil painting seemed to have its throat constricted.
"Could it be that you... are truly... the Holy Master?" Sultan Novel Network
Bai Qi did not answer, instead proving his identity through action.
A powerful dragon might emanated from Bai Qi's body. Books, bookshelves, the floor, the entire study trembled violently under the dragon's might, as if on the verge of collapse. Bai Qi's eyes turned into the crimson, demonic blood-red eyes unique to demons.