Now, there was only a hundred meters left to Blackstone Castle. However, this hundred meters was by no means easy to pass. Although the number of guards stationed in the square was far less than the zombie soldiers, they were all members of the Blackstone Castle's elite guard. So, in terms of combat power, they were enough to deal with the hundreds of zombie soldiers flooding into Blackstone Square like a tide. Moreover, this group of guards, wearing fully enclosed helmets, were all high-level zombie soldiers, making them even less likely to be at a disadvantage in what seemed to be an outnumbered battle.
"The most difficult part has finally come! Our zombie soldiers are definitely no match for these guards. So, if we want to sneak into Blackstone Castle amidst the chaos, you two had better start thinking of a plan now!" Biscuit Tang couldn't help but gasp in awe when he saw the heavily armed guards awaiting them.
Haoyun and Dao Lao naturally understood this. So, after breaking into Blackstone Square, the two immediately joined the battle, intending to disrupt the occupation and seize the opportunity to sneak into Blackstone Castle. Meanwhile, Biscuit Tang and his group, upon entering Blackstone Square, began using targeted long-range attacks to destroy the torches, braziers, and other lighting fixtures around them. This further reduced visibility in the area, allowing Haoyun and Dao Lao to take advantage of the darkness of the night to find opportunities to sneak into Blackstone Castle and prepare for their escape.
Biscuit Tang's actions quickly took effect. After their vandalism, the already dim Blackstone Square became even darker. Meanwhile, the zombie soldiers charging into Blackstone Square were swiftly guided by Haoyun and Dao Lao towards Blackstone Castle's center.
Everything was going smoothly. But it was at this moment that Dao Lao suddenly pulled Haoyun back into the zombie horde and then said to both Haoyun and Biscuit Tang, "Something seems off. There are clearly many forbidden zones around Blackstone Square, and the Dak elf army can use the stone gates in each forbidden zone to enter here. But why aren't the Dak elves sending troops from other entrances to besiege us?"
"Do you notice that the guards here don't seem eager to engage in significant conflict with the zombies? They seem more like luring the zombie horde into Blackstone Square, withdrawing bit by bit. And why did the Dak elf soldiers who rushed to support us from behind seem more like they were driving us into Blackstone Square rather than trying to encircle us from behind? Yes, driving us in here. So, everyone must be careful! There may be traps here!" Dao Lao quickly warned.
After listening to Dao Lao's explanation, Haoyun and the others immediately sensed that something was amiss. Yes, the surrounding guards seemed to be using heavy shields to fend off the zombie soldiers' attacks, but none of them were picking up weapons to engage in a full-on fight with the zombie horde.
"Old Tang, something seems off! You guys should withdraw to the vicinity of the stone gate and be ready to retreat!" Dao Lao reminded.
However, this time, Dao Lao's warning seemed a bit late. Because by now, the zombie horde had mostly poured into Blackstone Square, and the defensive perimeter outside the stone gate had been largely retaken by the Dak elf soldiers who had come to support them again. Consequently, their suspicious behavior of retreating from Blackstone Square would undoubtedly arouse suspicion from the Dak elf soldiers behind them, leading to their identities being exposed.
Biscuit Tang clearly understood this principle, so he immediately expressed his refusal to retreat. He also stated that since they were all going to die anyway, it was better to die heroically here than to be captured and suffer Dak elf execution. The other elves with him expressed similar sentiments. So, they continued to hold their positions, remaining vigilant for any sudden developments, while fully executing their task of destroying the scene's light sources to provide Haoyun and Dao Lao with more cover in the dim light.
Suddenly, as Pranod, who was still maintaining vigilance around them, pointed towards Blackstone Castle and said, "Everyone, pay attention! There's movement over there at Blackstone Castle!"
Everyone immediately looked towards Blackstone Castle. Then, they saw the gates of Blackstone Castle suddenly crack open. Shortly after, a team of guards clad in heavy armor, wielding massive shields, quickly emerged from the gate. After stepping out, these guards didn't continue forward but swiftly formed a tight defensive formation on the stone steps in front of the gate.
After arranging the defensive formation, a tall black-robed mage, his face completely hidden by a large hood, walked out from the gate and stood behind the shield formation. Once he stood firm, he raised a token emitting strong black magic and began chanting incantations to himself, "Under the guidance of Archbishop Anselin, with the original necromancy control token in hand—"
As the man took out the token and recited the familiar incantation, the zombie soldiers who were still attacking the guards and advancing towards Blackstone Castle like a tide suddenly froze in place, as if someone had pressed the pause button on them.
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Almost simultaneously with the appearance of the black-robed mage and the unveiling of the token, Biscuit Tang's voice once again came through the communicator, "Not good! That person, he's an elder of the Dark Magic Association! And the thing he's holding—"
Before Biscuit Tang could finish his sentence, Haoyun interjected, "Another advanced necromancy control token!"
Almost at the same time, Haoyun also figured out what was happening. Haoyun was certain that the necromancy control token held by the elder mentioned by Biscuit Tang was not only more advanced but also likely to be a token with the highest level of authority. Although he didn't know why the elder had chosen this moment to reveal the token, his purpose in appearing was undoubtedly to use the absolute highest authority of this token to regain control of these zombie soldiers and completely quell the riot.
As soon as Haoyun uttered the words "Another advanced necromancy control token!" he understood all of these reasons. So, he immediately turned to Dao Lao and shouted, "Dao Lao, that token—"
Before Haoyun could finish his sentence, he saw Dao Lao swiftly darting towards the elder's direction, his body crouched low. Clearly, Dao Lao had also instantly grasped what Haoyun was thinking and immediately prepared to intervene and intercept the elder.
If this were merely a battle between two ideological elf groups, then for the bold adventurers like Biscuit Tang and his companions, who dared to enter the heartland of the Dark Elves, they would undoubtedly face certain defeat. However, unfortunately for the forces they encountered on the battlefield today, there were two priests from the Upper Realms of the Spirit Gods present.
Therefore, the crisis that Biscuit Tang and his group faced at this moment was no longer insurmountable. Dao Lao had already sprinted forward at an incredible speed, covering a short distance before executing a standard javelin throw motion, hurling his staff, now transformed into a spear, towards the elder fifty meters away.
It was evident that Dao Lao's strike utilized sufficient divine power. This caused his transformed spear to shoot towards the elder like a bullet, piercing through any defense formed by the lower realm creatures or monsters that comprised the elder's guard, and directly impaling the elder against the thick doors behind him.
With the elder slain, the token emitting black magic fell to the ground. With his incantation interrupted, the once motionless zombie soldiers on the scene suddenly regained "life" and immediately plunged back into battle. However, this time, these zombie soldiers seemed even more frenzied. In addition to attacking the guards, they also seemed to have their sights set on Haoyun and his companions, making them feel like they could be attacked at any moment.
The two elf individuals immediately produced two advanced tokens in an attempt to regain control over the zombie soldiers, but to no avail. This revelation instantly illuminated everyone's minds, realizing that it was likely due to the interference of the original token that chaos had erupted once again among the zombies. And this time, if these zombies lost control, Haoyun and his team might not be able to regain control over them.
"Haoyun! What are you waiting for? Cover me!" At that moment, Dao Lao's voice came through Haoyun's consciousness once again.
Haoyun quickly snapped back to attention, looking towards the gates of Blackstone Castle, wielding two longswords seized from enemies, hacking away at the guards attempting to block his path.
"I'm coming!" Haoyun shouted and, wielding his dagger, rushed towards Dao Lao, unleashing Swift Strike, cutting down all the guards in his path without hesitation.
With Haoyun's assistance, Dao Lao quickly reached the gates of Blackstone Castle. After easily dispatching the still somewhat flustered guards stationed there, he retrieved his weapon and seized the original necromancy control token that had fallen from the elder's hand.
However, for safety reasons, Haoyun and Dao Lao did not pick up the token brimming with dark magic. Instead, they used a longsword to flick it into a helmet taken from one of the guards. Then, Dao Lao, accompanied by Haoyun, headed back towards the central area of Blackstone Square.
"Hey! Didn't the gates of Blackstone Castle open already? Why aren't we just charging in? Why are we heading back?" Haoyun asked in confusion.
"Stealth infiltration, stealth infiltration. Otherwise, with so many people watching us, how can we conduct our investigation in peace? Besides, although we may be forced to slaughter in the lower realm for our mission, we cannot simply kill all the Dark Elf soldiers who tried to stop us just to investigate inside Blackstone Castle, can we?" Dao Lao said firmly, sticking to his principles.
Haoyun thought for a moment, finding Dao Lao's words reasonable. After all, if they had boldly entered Blackstone Castle just now, it would have inevitably prompted the entire Cold Moon City's army to launch a full-scale assault on Blackstone Castle. By then, how would they leave Blackstone Castle? Would they fight their way out? Or would they forcibly leave this planet using the system's built-in teleportation function? Neither option seemed suitable.
So, Haoyun asked again, "What should we do now? Whether we charge in or not, with the current situation, the entire Cold Moon City's army will definitely have their eyes on us."
"So, we need to continue to escalate the chaos here. This way, at least for a short period, they won't be able to focus their attention on us!" Dao Lao replied, leading Haoyun back to where Biscuit Tang and the others were hiding in the relatively safe shadow of a giant zombie beast.
"Old Tang, do you have a way to create an even bigger chaos?" Dao Lao, as soon as he ducked into the shadow, handed over the helmet containing the token to Biscuit Tang.
Seeing the token, Biscuit Tang's eyes immediately lit up, saying, "How did you get it back?! This token is said to be the first primitive necromancy control token crafted by Archbishop Anselin after mastering advanced necromantic black magic! With it—"
Dao Lao evidently didn't want to hear Biscuit Tang elaborate on the token, so he quickly interrupted, "I know all that. So, can you use this token to create even more chaos here? This way, we can take advantage of the chaos to enter Blackstone Castle for our mission. And you can also find a way to leave this damned place amidst the chaos!"