Chapter 854: Exploring the Ancient Castle

After several hours of trekking, Zhang Meng, Ye Li and Chu Tian finally arrived at the edge of the castle ruins. The scene before them was frightening: dilapidated stone walls were scattered all over the ground, dead trees were like twisted ghost claws, and the entire castle was wrapped in a layer of strange gray mist, as if the breath of the dead was shrouded in the air.

Zhang Meng stopped and looked at the ruins in front of him with a frown: "I knew that there would be no good things in this kind of place."

"Stop complaining." Ye Li patted Zhang Meng's shoulder. "This is the path we chose. Besides, since the Dark Cult's sacrificial ceremony is here, we must stop it."

"I know, I know." Zhang Meng shrugged, "It's just that this place is really uncomfortable. Don't you think the air here is a bit... cold?"

Chu Tian nodded and looked around: "Something is wrong. The temperature here is much lower than when we first came in. It seems like something is secretly watching us."

"It's like we are their midnight snack." Zhang Meng said with a bitter face.

Ye Li rolled her eyes at him and said, "Alright, stop talking so horribly. Let's get into the castle quickly. We have to find the exact location of the sacrificial ceremony as soon as possible."

The three of them walked cautiously into the ruins of the castle. The ground was full of broken stones and collapsed building debris, and the air was filled with a rotten smell. With every step, they could feel the ground beneath their feet shaking slightly, as if some kind of power was moving underground.

"This place is too quiet." Ye Li whispered, "Usually there will be at least some wild animals active in such ruins, but here there is not even the sound of birds singing."

"Forget about birds. I didn't even see a mosquito." Zhang Meng scratched his neck. "It's so quiet that it's really creepy."

"This shows that the dark forces here have penetrated very deeply." Chu Tian analyzed, "Those controlled soul beasts may have cleared out other creatures in this area."

Ye Li nodded and continued to observe the surroundings: "Everyone stay alert, the people from the Dark Cult may be nearby."

As they were moving forward carefully, a low chanting sound suddenly came from afar. The sound seemed to have some kind of magic, echoing in the ruins of the castle, as if it came from all directions, making it impossible to tell its exact direction.

"Did you hear that?" Ye Li stopped and pricked up her ears. "That was the incantation of the Dark Cult!"

"It must be their sacrificial ritual." Chu Tian said seriously, "We have to find the source of the sound quickly and stop them!"

"Wait a minute!" Zhang Meng raised his hand, his face pale. "Spell? Sacrifice? Are we sure we want to rush in right away? This sounds like a death wish."

Ye Li rolled her eyes helplessly: "Mengzi, are you scared? Didn't you always want to fight?"

"I can fight! But I'm a little scared to fight those guys who can chant spells." Zhang Meng frowned, "Last time, I was fooled around by that black-robed monster. Now I feel uncomfortable when I hear spells."

Chu Tian patted Zhang Meng on the back and said, "Don't worry, this time the three of us will act together. As long as we find their ritual formation and destroy it, everything will be over."

Zhang Meng muttered: "I hope so..."

As the chanting became clearer, the three quickened their pace and followed a hidden path through the ruins into the interior of the castle. Soon, they arrived at the central square of the castle.

In the square, there was a huge black stone platform, with complex runes carved all around it. The air was filled with a strong smell of blood. Around the stone platform, several people in black robes were performing a sacrificial ceremony around a circular magic circle. The magic circle in the center was flashing red light, and several controlled soul beasts were crawling on the ground, seemingly having lost the ability to resist.

"This is their sacrificial ceremony!" Ye Li whispered, then pulled the bowstring and prepared to launch an attack.

"Wait!" Chu Tian stopped her softly, "We can't act rashly. The people of the Dark Cult are chanting a spell. If we interrupt their spell, it may lead to adverse consequences."

"Then what should we do?" Ye Li frowned, "We can't just watch them complete this sacrifice."

Zhang Meng interrupted quietly, "How about I go up and lead the charge? I can chop them down with my giant axe, and then the spell will be interrupted, right?"

Chu Tian shook his head: "No, the sacrificial ritual is too complicated. If there is a mistake, it may cause the dark forces to get out of control. We must first find a way to weaken their power, and then destroy the magic circle."

"Okay." Zhang Meng sighed and put away his giant axe. "Then how do you decide to weaken it? I'll listen to you."

Ye Li looked around the square sharply. Suddenly, she pointed at several black stone pillars around the stone platform and said, "Look, there are runes on those stone pillars. They should be used to strengthen the magic circle. We can destroy these runes first and weaken their sacrificial ritual."

"Not a bad idea." Chu Tian nodded in agreement. "Mengzi, you take charge of the stone pillar on the left. Ye Li and I will destroy the other two stone pillars respectively. We have to act at the same time to ensure that we will not be discovered."

"I understand!" Zhang Meng clenched the giant axe and said excitedly, "Finally, there is a place for me to show my abilities!"

The three of them quietly circled around the stone platform and quickly approached the black stone pillars. Each stone pillar was engraved with complex runes, emitting a faint black light, as if continuously supplying energy to the magic circle.

As Zhang Meng approached the stone pillar, he whispered, "Little Shizhu, don't blame me for being merciless. Who told you to help the bad guys?"

He raised his giant axe, aimed at the rune, and chopped it down fiercely. The axe hit the stone pillar heavily, and the rune instantly made a sharp buzzing sound, then cracked into several gaps, and the light gradually dimmed.

At the same time, Ye Li and Chu Tian also shot arrows and swung swords respectively, accurately hitting the runes of the other two stone pillars. Cracks appeared on the three stone pillars almost at the same time, and the black light gradually disappeared.

"Success!" Zhang Meng shouted excitedly, "I told you, you can solve problems with just physical strength!"

However, as the light of the stone pillar disappeared, the entire magic circle suddenly vibrated, and the red light became more unstable. The black-robed man noticed something unusual and immediately stopped chanting. They all turned their heads to look around the stone platform, obviously noticing the actions of the three people.

"Someone is disrupting the ceremony! Stop them!" one of the men in black robes shouted.

"Oh no!" Zhang Meng saw several men in black robes rushing towards them, and immediately raised his giant axe and shouted, "Now is the time to fight! Watch me!"

He rushed towards the black-robed man without hesitation, swinging his giant axe like a windmill, and slashed at the enemy in front. The black-robed man tried to resist, but facing Zhang Meng's huge power, their defense was as fragile as a piece of paper, and they were knocked down in an instant.

"I've been waiting to beat you up!" Zhang Meng shouted excitedly, "How dare you stop us?!"

Ye Li and Chu Tian did not hesitate and quickly joined the battle. Ye Li pulled the bowstring and shot arrows at the black-robed men like raindrops, accurately hitting their vital points. Chu Tian's sword energy was sharp, and he quickly shuttled between the enemies, dissolving their attacks into nothingness.

"Don't let them get close to the magic circle!" A man in black robes shouted, trying to restart the sacrificial ritual, but it was too late. Without the support of the stone pillars, the energy of the magic circle became extremely unstable, and the red light flickered, as if it could collapse at any time.