Castle exploration and new encounters

Ye Qiu heard the conversation of the Black-Robed Figure and his heart tightened; it seemed the ceremony of the Mysterious Organization was already being prepared, and time was running out.

He gestured to Alice and the Black-Robed Figure, signaling them to continue moving forward.

The three carefully bypassed the Black-Robed Figures and followed the corridor deep into the castle.

The layout inside the castle was intricate, like a huge maze.

In the process of searching for the location of the ceremony, they encountered several patrols of Black-Robed Figures, but they cleverly avoided them by relying on Ye Qiu's Star Rending Void Step and keen perception.

Just as they passed a corner, they suddenly heard a slight sobbing sound.

Ye Qiu signaled the two to stop, then quietly walked towards the source of the sound.

In a dim room, they found a captive woman.

The woman looked very young, with long blue hair like a waterfall, skin as fair as snow, and her delicate face was full of tear stains, with fear and helplessness in her eyes.

She was wearing a tattered white dress, her body trembling slightly.

"Who are you? Why are you locked up here?" Ye Qiu asked softly, trying to make his voice sound gentle so as not to scare the woman.

The woman raised her head, saw Ye Qiu and the others, and a glimmer of hope flashed in her eyes.

"My name is Lucia, and I was captured by the Mysterious Organization. They said I have a special Physique that might be helpful for their ceremony."

Ye Qiu's heart stirred; it seemed that this Lucia had some connection to the Mysterious Organization's plan.

"Don't be afraid, we are here to stop the Mysterious Organization, and we will take you away from here."

System notification: "host shows the demeanor of a hero saving a beauty, prestige value +1000."

Lucia looked at Ye Qiu gratefully: "Thank you all, I know some secret passages in this castle, perhaps I can help you find the core area of the Mysterious Organization."

With the addition of Lucia, the team's exploration became smoother.

Under her guidance, they avoided more patrols and advanced towards the depths of the castle.

On the way, Ye Qiu's show-off system suddenly issued a notification: "Detected that the host continues to show strong adaptability and charm in a complex and dangerous environment, rewarded with a bottle of 'Insight Enhancement Potion', which can greatly improve the ability of 'Eye of Insight' for one hour after use; rewarded with a 'Space Folding Ring', which has a certain amount of space storage capacity and can perform a short-distance space folding escape at a critical moment."

Ye Qiu was overjoyed; these two rewards came just in time.

He immediately took the 'Insight Enhancement Potion', and instantly, he felt his 'Eye of Insight' ability had been greatly improved.

Everything around him became clearer in his eyes, and he could even perceive small mechanisms and passages hidden in the walls.

"Everyone, follow me closely, I have found a hidden passage." Ye Qiu said confidently, his eyes revealing a powerful Aura.

System notification: "host successfully showed off, relying on reward abilities to show confident demeanor, prestige value +1500."

Everyone followed Ye Qiu into the hidden passage.

The passage was filled with an old atmosphere, and the walls were flickering with faint light.

They moved quickly along the passage and soon arrived at a huge hall.

The hall was filled with all kinds of strange instruments and devices, and in the center was a huge circular stone platform, engraved with mysterious runes.

At this moment, the sphere snatched from the Abyss of Death was placed on the stone platform, emitting a strong light, echoing with the surrounding runes.

"It seems this is the place where the Mysterious Organization holds the ceremony," said the Black-Robed Figure.

Just then, a group of Black-Robed Figures poured out from all around the hall, surrounding them.

The leader of the Black-Robed Figures was tall and wore a golden mask on his face, making it impossible to see his face clearly.

"You finally came, but this is your burial ground," the golden-masked Black-Robed Figure said coldly.

Ye Qiu was not afraid at all; he held the star dawn sword and stepped forward: "Just because of you? You dare to speak such wild words."

System notification: "host successfully showed off, not backing down in the face of many enemies, prestige value +1800."

The golden-masked Black-Robed Figure waved his hand, and the surrounding Black-Robed Figures rushed towards Ye Qiu and the others.

Ye Qiu unleashed "Star Profound Truth · Chaos Storm", and the powerful Star Power and Chaos Power turned into a violent storm, sweeping towards the Black-Robed Figures.

The Black-Robed Figures flew backward in the storm, and many were directly shredded by the energy.

Zi Li, Qian Xue, and others also came from the warship to support and joined the battle.

Zi Li's Water Element turned into sharp ice blades, stabbing towards the Black-Robed Figures; Qian Xue's black long sword flashed with a deadly light in the darkness, taking away a life with every swing; Xiao Meng cast pink magic, forming shields to protect her teammates while mentally interfering with the enemies; Serena and Vivian also used their respective powerful skills to fight to the death with the Black-Robed Figures.

Alice used her agility to shuttle through the battlefield, looking for flaws in the enemies and delivering fatal blows.

Lucia was not idle either; she used her familiarity with the castle to help everyone avoid enemy attacks.

In the fierce battle, Ye Qiu activated his upgraded Eye of Insight, and he could clearly see the movement trajectory and weaknesses of each Black-Robed Figure.

His attacks were more precise, and every sword strike could accurately hit the enemy's vital points.

"You evil guys, today is your doomsday!" Ye Qiu shouted, his voice echoing in the hall, full of dominance.

System notification: "host continues to show off, showing invincible Aura in battle, prestige value +2000."

The golden-masked Black-Robed Figure was furious when he saw his subordinates defeated so easily.

He personally took action, and a black scepter appeared in his hand, with a red gem embedded on the top of the scepter, emitting an evil Aura.

"You all must die!" The golden-masked Black-Robed Figure waved his scepter, and a powerful black energy shot towards Ye Qiu.

Ye Qiu cast God-Tier Star Guardian Shield, and the powerful Star Power formed a solid shield, blocking the black energy.

But the impact of the black energy still made Ye Qiu take a few steps back.

"A bit of ability, but that's not enough." Ye Qiu sneered, gathering Star Power, Chaos Power, Light Power, and the powerful insight gained from the 'Insight Enhancement Potion' together.

"Chaos Light · Star Annihilation!" Ye Qiu shouted, and a Sword Qi fused with various powerful forces shot towards the golden-masked Black-Robed Figure.

Wherever the Sword Qi passed, space was torn into black cracks.

The golden-masked Black-Robed Figure felt a huge threat; he defended with all his might, but the Sword Qi still broke through his defense line and hit his body.

The golden-masked Black-Robed Figure let out a scream and fell to the ground.

His mask also fell off in the attack, revealing a hideous face.

"You... you dare to ruin my good deeds!" the golden-masked Black-Robed Figure said through gritted teeth.

Ye Qiu stepped forward and stepped on him: "Speak, what exactly is your ceremony? What is the use of the heart of chaos?"

A flash of hesitation appeared in the eyes of the golden-masked Black-Robed Figure, but under Ye Qiu's powerful oppression, he still spoke: "The heart of chaos is the key to opening the door to another dimension, where a power that can control the rules of the Universe is hidden. The leader of our organization wants to obtain this power to rule the entire Universe."

"Then where is your leader?" Ye Qiu asked.

The golden-masked Black-Robed Figure sneered: "You think you can find the leader just by defeating me? Don't be naive. His strength is beyond your imagination, you cannot stop him."

Ye Qiu was secretly angry, and he increased the force under his feet: "If you don't say it, I will kill you now."

The golden-masked Black-Robed Figure showed a painful expression on his face: "Okay... okay, I'll say it. He is in the deepest part of the castle, a place heavily protected by Darkness Power. But even if you go in, it's a dead end."

Ye Qiu let him go: "I'll spare your life for now."

System notification: "host successfully showed off, obtained key information from the enemy, prestige value +2200."

After solving the golden-masked Black-Robed Figure, the group continued to advance towards the deepest part of the castle.

Along the way, they encountered various powerful Dark Creatures and dangerous traps.

But under Ye Qiu's leadership, everyone turned danger into safety time and time again with their powerful strength and wisdom.

When they arrived at the deepest part of the castle, a huge black stone gate blocked their way.

The stone gate was engraved with various evil runes, and the runes emitted powerful Darkness Power.

Ye Qiu activated the Eye of Insight and carefully observed the runes on the stone gate.

After some research, he found that these runes needed to be cracked with specific energy fluctuations.

Ye Qiu tried to touch the runes with Star Power, Chaos Power, and Light Power, but none of them had any effect.

"Could there be other powers?" Ye Qiu pondered in his heart.

Just then, Lucia suddenly said: "I feel a power in my body echoing with these runes. Maybe I can try."

Ye Qiu looked at Lucia: "Then be careful."

Lucia walked to the stone gate, closed her eyes, and concentrated.

A soft blue light emanated from her body, and the light intertwined with the runes on the stone gate.

The runes on the stone gate flickered with light, seemingly communicating with Lucia's power.

After a while, the stone gate made a dull roar and slowly opened.

"Success!" everyone shouted excitedly.

Behind the door was a huge space, filled with thick Darkness Power.

In the center of the space was a black throne, and a person in a black robe sat on the throne.

"You finally came." The Black-Robed Figure stood up slowly.

His black robe was like dark clouds in the night sky, drifting gently with his movements.

His figure looked a bit hunched, but it exuded a heart-palpitating Aura.

His voice was low and hoarse, like an echo from the endless Dark Abyss, and every word carried a heavy weight, striking the hearts of everyone present.

Ye Qiu stared closely at the Black-Robed Figure, and an inexplicable sense of tension surged in his heart.

He could feel the powerful Aura emanating from the other party, a kind of majesty precipitated after experiencing countless storms and vicissitudes.

The Black-Robed Figure's face was hidden in the shadows, making it impossible for people to see his true appearance.

But Ye Qiu could feel that the eyes shrouded in darkness were coldly staring at them through the shadows, like two burning ghost fires.