Hearing this, Cao Xing became thoughtful again.

In this case, the soldier I just met was the test subject in the castle.

In other words, there are still many soldiers in this castle?

That’s great!

This makes Cao Xing want to go in even more!

You know, he just wanted to kill more fusion soldiers and get a large number of [Soul Orbs] to improve himself.

According to the old witch, the group of soldiers would only appear in the castle at night.

Of course, he didn't completely believe what the old witch said.

Cao Xing continued to ask, "Old man, do you know how to enter the castle?"

Hearing this, the old witch said slowly.

"The barrier cast by that evil witch is very powerful... Even I... can't break her barrier..."

There was a look of disappointment in Cao Xing's eyes.

At this time, the old witch changed the subject.

"But... a few days ago, a girl brought me a lost crystal ball..."

Girl?

Cao Xing immediately thought of the group of survivors who entered the Witch Forest together last time.

Could it be... Qiu Yating?

Cao Xing asked, "Is the girl you are talking about the same as me?"

The old witch nodded.

"She's just like you... She has the aura of another world... But, she's much weaker than you..."

"I never thought... such a weak human could successfully pass through such a dangerous forest... and even bring back the things I lost..."

"But... she seemed frightened... she said that all her teammates died in the forest... and she was the only one who found me..."

"I comforted the child, gave her enough rewards... and sent her out of the forest..."

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

He also understood what the mission Qiu Yating was talking about.

It's to give a crystal ball to this old witch.

Unexpectedly, they actually completed the task.

The only price she paid was that all her teammates died, leaving her alone alive.

As for what happened in the meantime, Cao Xing had no idea.

Cao Xing didn't care how Qiu Yating completed her mission, and continued to ask, "You mean, this crystal ball can help us enter the witch's castle?"

“Hehehe…”

The old witch nodded and said, "Yes... This is a very magical crystal ball... I have activated its power..."

Hearing this, Cao Xing showed curiosity in his eyes.

"Can you give us this crystal ball? We want to take a look inside the castle."

"We'll return it to you when you're done."

"Of course, see if you need anything and we can exchange."

Hearing this, a hidden deep look appeared in the old witch's cloudy eyes.

It's like the expression of a fisherman who has waited for a long time and finally sees the fish take the bait...

“Hehehe…”

The old witch laughed shrilly, and even raised her voice a little.

"I don't need anything..."

"I just need you to help me...kill the witch in the castle..."

Hearing this, Cao Xing was shocked.

In an instant, he also understood the old witch's purpose.

Cao Xing asked, "Do you want to deal with the witch in the castle?"

The old witch nodded, "Yes... She is an evil being..."

"I have been waiting here for many years... waiting for someone to enter the castle and kill her..."

After hearing this, Cao Xing looked thoughtful and did not make a decision immediately.

After all, his plan was just to enter the castle and explore it.

The witch must be very powerful to be able to cast such a barrier, and Cao Xing was not sure he could defeat her.

It seemed that he knew Cao Xing was hesitating.

The old witch took out a black crystal ball directly from her arms.

There was a mysterious dark aura emanating from it.

"To...young explorers..."

"Take a look at this crystal ball first..."

Cao Xing took it tentatively.

[Obtained: Dark Crystal Ball (Orange) *1]

…

Cao Xing was secretly amazed that this was actually something of epic quality.

He glanced at the attributes silently.

【Dark Crystal Ball (Orange)】

【Quality: Epic】

[Effect of item: Can build two dark portals that are connected to each other. The maximum distance between the two portals is 5 meters. The duration is 60 seconds. It can be used once every 7 days.]

…

Oh my goodness, this is actually a teleportation item.

Moreover, its effect is terrifying!

In other words, as long as you have this crystal ball in your hand.

For Cao Xing, sealed gates and special areas are basically useless!

At this moment, he suddenly thought of something.

He thought to himself, "I remember that there is a sealed treasure house in the underground palace of Ascalon."

"It is said that only someone with royal blood of Ascalon can open the gate..."

Obviously, in a short period of time, Cao Xing had no chance to go to the Kingdom of Youlan to look for the person with the royal blood of Ascalon.

If we have this thing, then we don't need to find the royal bloodline, and we can directly enter the underground palace treasury?

Cao Xing was shocked instantly!

After all, there are clues about repairing the [Ancient Sword - Magdale], and there may also be a lot of treasures!

Thinking of this, a greedy look gradually emerged in Cao Xing's eyes.

I even subconsciously wanted to take the crystal ball away with me.

However, he did not implement this idea.

Because Cao Xing knew that the old witch in front of him was definitely not as simple as she seemed.

The old witch's eyes, like those of an old cat, saw Cao Xing's reaction and seemed to guess what was in his mind.

A terrifying smile appeared on the wrinkled face.

"Hehe...young adventurer...this is a magical crystal ball. It can take you through any door..."

"If you can kill the evil witch in the castle, I can give you this crystal ball directly..."

At the same time, the system prompt appears.

[Do you accept the commission from the witch in the forest: kill the witch in the castle? ]

[Mission Reward: Dark Crystal Ball (Orange)*1]

…

Looking at the mission information, Cao Xing pondered for a moment.

Everyone stood there, seemingly waiting for his decision.

Including the old witch in front of him, they looked at Cao Xing with some expectation.

Then he shook his head and said, "Forget it."

"never mind?"

There was a look of doubt in the old witch's eyes, and she seemed very puzzled.

"Yes."

Cao Xing nodded. "According to what you said, the witch in the castle must be extremely powerful to be able to set up such a barrier."

"We don't have enough strength, so we'd better not take the risk."

Hearing this, the old witch seemed a little anxious.

She quickly said, "Young explorer..."

"Although that evil witch is very powerful...but you guys are also very powerful..."

"Besides, there was something wrong with the witch's body, and she couldn't exert all her power..."

"I think you can accomplish this task. Of course, it requires a little luck..."

However, Cao Xing still shook his head and did not agree.

When the old witch saw this, her cloudy eyes seemed to understand something.

"Young explorer...how about this..."

"If you can get into the castle and kill the evil witch...

"In addition to this crystal ball, I can also tell you the whereabouts of a legendary item..."

Hearing this, a barely perceptible smile appeared on Cao Xing's lips.

Finally succeeded.

He must go into the witch castle to explore.

He just wanted to find this mysterious old witch and ask for more rewards.

Now it seems that he succeeded.

Cao Xing suppressed his thoughts without making a sound, and asked in confusion, "Legendary item? What is it?"

The old witch recalled and continued to make a harsh sound, "That legendary item is called the Shield of Origin - Annodite..."

"This is a shield used by a legendary knight. It has the power of Dwayna, the goddess of air and life..."

Hearing this, a hint of surprise flashed across Cao Xing's eyes.

It turned out to be a legendary shield.

Before this, he already knew that any piece of legendary equipment had an extremely powerful effect.

And this [Shield of Origin - Annodite] must also have its special features.

If he could get it, whether he gave it to Liu Muxue or Braum, it would surely bring him a great improvement.

So Cao Xing said directly: "Okay, I accept it."

[Successfully accepted the mission: Kill the castle witch]

[Mission Progress: Enter the Castle, Kill the Witch: 0/1]

…

When she heard Cao Xing accept it, a terrifying smile appeared on the old witch's face again.

Cao Xing couldn't stand the old man's smile and directly put the crystal ball into his backpack.

Then he said, "Old man, we will take our leave now."

Anyway, what should be obtained has been obtained.

After saying this, he prepared to take his people away.

At this time, the old witch called them.

"Young explorer, please wait a moment..."

Cao Xing asked doubtfully, "Is there anything else?"

The old witch nodded and said, "How about you listen to three stories from me before you enter the castle?"

"story?"

Cao Xing asked: "Does this have anything to do with our next move?"

The old witch nodded again.

Seeing this, Cao Xing said directly, "Okay, go ahead."

The old witch cleared her throat.

"The first story is about a wolf..."

Her voice has changed, giving it a timeless, ancient feel.

"Many years ago, there was a wolf working in a circus. He had been strictly trained since he was a child. The circus people took him with them every day to perform the story of Little Red Riding Hood."

"The story is: the wolf ate Little Red Riding Hood and her grandmother, and then was chased by a hunter. The hunter cut open the wolf's stomach, and Little Red Riding Hood and her grandmother miraculously came back to life."

"Their performances are wonderful and they always receive full applause. The audience also loves watching this show."

"And one day, the wolf went crazy on the stage. Its body became very tall and it could stand up like a human. With a permeable red light in its eyes, it ate Little Red Riding Hood and her grandmother in front of everyone..."

"The audience below clapped and cheered for the wolf's perfect performance..."

"However, when the wolf jumped off the stage and began to tear apart the bodies of humans with its terrifying claws, the audience finally began to panic..."

"The wolf killed everyone present, ripped out everyone's intestines and connected them together."

"Then, it was also hunted by hunters. In a forest, the wolf was shot by an arrow and fell down."

"The hunter quickly walked over and cut open the wolf's stomach. However, this time, instead of the grandfather and grandson jumping out of the stomach, there were two magic beans..."

After listening to the old witch's talk, Cao Xing was thoughtful.

Obviously, this is the story of Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf, just another version.

The old witch paused and continued.

"The second story is about an ogre."

"A long time ago... there lived an ogre in the forest..."

"No one knows when he appeared in the forest. No one knows his past. All we know is that he likes to eat people!"

"This ogre has mastered the art of cooking human flesh..."

"He's catching and eating all the children in the nearby villages!"

"Until one day, a princess from the kingdom appeared in the forest and was captured by the ogre."

"The king was very angry when he heard the news! He immediately sent out a large number of knights to capture the ogre."

"However, when people entered the forest again, they found that the knights and soldiers sent by the king, including the princess, and the ogre had all disappeared in the forest and never appeared again..."

…

After the old witch finished speaking, everyone present fell into deep thought.

Her voice is very hoarse and heavy, and seems to be born to tell all kinds of horror stories.

However, Cao Xing had never heard of the story about this cannibal.

The old voice sounded again.

"The third story is about a princess from a kingdom..."

"A long time ago... there was a very beautiful princess. Her appearance was like the moon in the sky, and she was very popular. Many princes from neighboring countries came to this country, wanting to marry this princess..."

"However... in order to prevent others from having any ideas about the princess, the king built a 100-meter-high tower and locked the princess in the tower, forbidding anyone to have any contact with her..."

"After that, the king brought food and water to the princess every day..."

"The queen knew all this clearly. One day, she wanted to release her daughter from the tower, but was discovered by the king..."

"As time went by, the princess' hair grew longer and longer..."

"Until one day... her hair reached a hundred meters long, long enough for her to slide down from the tower..."

"As the number of casualties increased, the legend of the tower gradually spread... From then on... that area became a forbidden place that few people set foot on..."

…

After listening to these three stories, Cao Xing was thoughtful.

Obviously, this is related to what she said before, the monster in the castle.

Cao Xing asked directly: "Are the three stories you told me about the three kinds of monsters you told me about before?"

The old witch laughed sharply.

“Hehehe…”

"Yes... If you want to see the witch in the castle, you must defeat these three first..."

"Each one is stronger than the other. If you can find their weaknesses, you can defeat them more easily..."

"Weakness?"

Cao Xing asked doubtfully.

"That's right...their weaknesses are hidden in the stories I told them..."

After hearing this, Cao Xing also understood the purpose of the old witch telling these three stories.

At the same time, the system prompt appears.

[Kill the Forest Witch quest has been changed]

[Mission objective: Defeat the three castle guardians, the Big Bad Wolf, the Ogre, and the Rapunzel, 0/3]

[Go to the top floor of the castle and defeat the forest witch: 0/1]

[Mission Reward: Dark Crystal Ball (Orange)*1, Shield of Origin - Annodite's Clue...]

…

After the old witch said this, the cat's eyes once again showed a green glow.

"This young explorer... I wish you good luck... hehehe..."

"I'll remind you again... the castle will only reveal its true appearance at night. You need to enter at night..."

After saying that, she closed the door of the cabin.

Hearing this, Cao Xing's eyes showed a thoughtful look.

"Will its true face be revealed at night?"

He checked the time.

[Time until night falls: 1 hour and 17 minutes...]

…

Cao Xing didn't say much, but quickly left with everyone.

…

…

At this moment, as time goes by, the environment of the Witch Forest becomes darker and darker, and night is about to fall.

Liu Muxue also noticed this, and then asked softly: "Ah Xing, are we going into the castle tonight?"

Cao Xing thought for a moment, shook his head and said, "I won't go in tonight."

"According to what the old witch said, the monsters in this castle should be of a very high level."

"We won't be returning to our territory tonight. We'll just rest in the forest for the night."

"Tomorrow morning, we will continue to explore the Witch Forest and try to clear all the monsters near the castle. We will get more [High-level Power Hearts] and [Intermediate Power Hearts] so that we can break through."

"Once you have improved your strength, you will have greater confidence."

After listening to Cao Xing's analysis, everyone nodded.

Obviously, his decision was right.

Cao Xing still maintains the same steady style as before.

After getting the [Dark Crystal Ball] and seeing the mission reward, I dived right in.

He still chose to play it safe and make sure he had enough strength to deal with the dangers of the castle before entering.

This is also one of the reasons why Assam and others respect Cao Xing.

Sometimes on the battlefield, charging blindly may have significant effects, but it will result in greater casualties.

Only by rationally analyzing your own strength and improving yourself as much as possible before the battle can you go further.

Besides, the old witch didn't ask them to complete it within a certain time frame.

Cao Xing can enter whenever he wants.

Lab said excitedly: "My Lord, are we going to spend the night in the forest tonight?"

Cao Xing nodded, "Yes."

Rab immediately responded, "Great! Boar Warrior loves forests the most!"

"By the way, Lord, do you want to go to our Wild Boar Tribe to rest?"

Hearing this, Cao Xing also started to think about it.

In this forest, there is a wild boar tribe with a comfortable temperature and a ready-made rest room.

He opened the map and took a look.

The location where he discovered the wild boar tribe was about ten kilometers away, which was not too far.

So, Cao Xing nodded and said, "Okay, then we'll go to the Wild Boar Tribe to rest for a night."

Hearing this, smiles appeared on everyone's faces.

They are now powerful beings of the third or fourth level.

With everyone's physical fitness, it's not a big deal to endure a whole night in the forest.

But it's obviously nice to have a warm place to live.

At this time, Cao Xing said.

"Chu Chu, tell your mother that you are safe and don't let her worry."

Tong Chuchu followed Elisa and nodded, "Yes, yes, big brother!"

After saying that, she went to contact Xia Yanni.

Elisa said, "Lord, tell my father too, or he will think that you and I stayed out all night and did something secretly outside!"

Cao Xing looked at her speechlessly, "Got it."

Then he pressed the communicator on his ear and called Irena.

“Sizzle…sizzle…”

The sound of electric current began.

After a moment, Ilena's voice rang in my ears.

"Lord?"

Ilena doesn't seem to be used to using this kind of technology.

"It's me."

Cao Xing said directly: "Ilena, we will not return to the territory tonight."

"Please inform the others and proceed with all work as usual."

Hearing this, Ilena replied softly: "Okay, Lord, please be careful outside, remember to keep warm, and remember to miss me~"

"Yes, I will."

After giving these instructions, Cao Xing prepared to hang up the call.

At this time——

An idea suddenly flashed through his mind.

Currently, in addition to Ilena and the three female dragonblood warriors, there are more than two hundred combatants in the territory.

This is a very powerful force.

Those soldiers had nothing to do at night except standing guard.

Can I use the [Ice Dragon Horn] to summon the Ice Nest Monster to gain points and the Ice Dragon Mark?

With their strength, it may be difficult to cope with the medium Ice Dragon Horn challenge.

However, if it comes to dealing with monsters summoned by [Ice Dragon Horn (Small)], it is no problem at all.

Thinking of this, Cao Xing added, "By the way, Ilena."

"Continue to notify the soldiers to be ready for battle at night."

"At night I will use a small ice dragon horn, and a large number of icebrood monsters will descend."

"You lead three dragonblood warriors, and two centaurs to form a team."

"Deal with those icebrood attacks."

…

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