Without any surprises, Xiao Hua passed through the maze-like forest and continued to move forward along the overgrown path. As he delved deeper into the sparse woods, he suddenly encountered scattered white skeletons. These white skeletons were randomly distributed throughout the forest, aimlessly wandering among the weeds, occasionally bumping into tree trunks before turning to walk in another direction. Their intelligence was exceptionally low.
The forest was overgrown with weeds and littered with dead branches and fallen leaves. However, it wasn't very large, and after about ten minutes, Xiao Hua exited the small grove to find himself in front of the ruins of a dilapidated village. The village seemed to have been composed almost entirely of wooden houses, each engraved with strange patterns, perhaps a local custom. But now, the village was deserted and lifeless. The wooden houses, battered by long exposure to wind, rain, sun, and weather, were in a state of disrepair, with many partially collapsed and the rest leaning precariously, on the verge of collapse.
There were quite a few skeletons slowly patrolling the village. Judging by the color and luster of their bones, they were much more advanced than those in the forest. Xiao Hua continued to sneak towards the back of the village, following the evil dragon's instructions that the altar was located atop the hill behind the village.
Looking into the distance, Xiao Hua could faintly make out the shadow of the altar on the distant mountaintop. After passing through the village and continuing on, he arrived at a stone staircase at the foot of the hill. The staircase was constructed of solid blue stone blocks, with each step spaced wide and grandly, stretching in a continuous line up the mountain in a winding manner. Glancing up along the staircase, one could not help but feel a sense of solemnity. However, this atmosphere was disrupted by the skeletons patrolling the stairs, giving the scene an eerie severity instead.
Xiao Hua wasn't sure how long he had been walking, but after climbing hundreds of steps, he finally reached the summit. At the top, he first saw tall, gray, cylindrical rock pillars standing upright, about three to four meters high. The pillars were arranged in a regular pattern, encircling the central altar at equal distances. The surface of the pillars was uneven and pockmarked, suggesting they had withstood the test of time. Some had even broken into several pieces and lay scattered on the ground. Numerous vines with unknown colorful flowers climbed up the pillars, adding an air of mystery to the stone forest.
Among these perfectly arranged stone pillars, the number and quality of skeletons were a notch higher than those seen in the village before. Although they were also composed of bones, these skeletons exuded a menacing and fierce aura, indicating they were formidable foes!
After passing through four or five circles of the stone forest, Xiao Hua's vision was filled with rows upon rows of countless skeletons. These skeletons varied in color, luster, bone size, shape, and even demeanor. Most notably, they all wielded large, black bone scythes, making it clear that they were not to be trifled with.
Through the layers of skeletons, Xiao Hua's attention was quickly drawn to a skeletal figure in the center, standing on a slightly raised stone altar. The figure was dressed in a black female ceremonial garb, its bones translucent and crystal-like, shining brightly.
This was the Bone Witch of the Undead? Xiao Hua was utterly astonished. She was nothing like what he had imagined. Despite being a mere skeleton, she possessed an uncanny beauty and allure, which was bizarrely captivating.
The beautiful Bone Witch sat quietly on a chair made of gray and white bones. Her black ceremonial attire appeared to have been buried in a landfill for years, tattered and riddled with holes. One would expect a devilishly curved beauty to fill out such attire, stirring desires and illicit thoughts. However, through the many holes, all Xiao Hua could see were more bones.
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The Bone Witch's bony hands lay calmly on the armrests of the bone chair. In her right hand, she grasped a skull staff as white as jade. Under her black ceremonial hat, her crystal-like, delicate skull gazed slightly upwards towards the sky, motionless. A ray of sunlight shone upon her empty eye sockets, scattering into several prismatic patches of light, a truly mesmerizing sight!
Looking at the Bone Witch in this state, Xiao Hua felt a very strange sensation. For a moment, it seemed as if she was not just a skeleton but a living person!
However, this feeling fleetingly passed through Xiao Hua's mind, and he quickly focused on how to defeat and steal from the Bone Witch.
After circling the altar, Xiao Hua frowned and realized that the layers of skeletons surrounding the Bone Witch were densely packed and motionless. Unless he killed them, there was no way for his decoy to approach the Bone Witch. As for defeating the Bone Witch, it seemed entirely impossible!
Exiting the stone forest, Xiao Hua found a place devoid of skeleton spawns and summoned his decoy to lure the skeletons surrounding the Bone Witch. As soon as the decoy revealed itself, several skeletons charged over, swinging their large black bone scythes and swiftly defeating the decoy. After disposing of the decoy, the skeletons immediately returned to their original positions, standing motionless as they continued to guard the Bone Witch.
Seeing this, Xiao Hua knew he was out of options and had to descend from the mountaintop to seek out the only living NPC in the village, the evil dragon's old flame, Tasi MM, who was cursed and unable to leave the village.
Returning to the village, it didn't take much effort for Xiao Hua to spot an NPC lady carrying a basket of clothes, weaving through a group of skeletons that completely ignored her. This lady was undoubtedly Tasi.
Tasi entered a well-organized wooden house, with Xiao Hua following closely behind and revealing his presence.
Upon seeing Xiao Hua, Tasi was both surprised and delighted; she had finally waited for the brave warrior who had come to defeat the Bone Witch. However, upon realizing that Xiao Hua was alone, a hint of disappointment crossed Tasi's face.
Xiao Hua recounted the conditions of the old woodcutter and the young man, and upon hearing the news of the old woodcutter's death, Tasi couldn't help but shed tears.
"Miss Tasi, you have been by the Bone Witch's side for so long, do you know if the Bone Witch has any weaknesses?" After explaining everything and gaining Tasi's trust, Xiao Hua got straight to the point. If the Bone Witch had any vulnerabilities, even if he couldn't kill her, it would increase his chances of successfully stealing from her.
"There is!" Tasi did not disappoint Xiao Hua and answered his question affirmatively, "Over the years, I have been searching through the village chief's house for ancestral records, hoping to find a way to eliminate the Bone Witch. I found in a very ancient book that the sorcerer who sealed the Bone Witch in the altar also left a backup magical array beneath the village. Once this magical array is activated, a barrier will form around the altar, suppressing the abilities of the Bone Witch and the undead skeletons within, preventing them from regaining life force. However, this barrier can only be entered and not exited; it will only disappear after the Bone Witch is defeated. Brave warrior, you must carefully consider before entering!"
Tasi warned in the end.
Is there really such a magical array? After hearing Tasi's words, Xiao Hua's mind immediately began to race, and a seemingly feasible plan emerged in his mind. However, the most important thing now was to activate that magical array first.
"Miss Tasi, how can this magical array be activated?"
"There is an underground maze accessible from the cellar in the village chief's house. Within the maze, there are five magical energy crystals located at the east, south, west, north, and center. You just need to find them and place them into the magical device beside them. I have only been inside once and discovered the vast underground maze world beneath the village. I intended to go in, activate the magical array, and trap the Bone Witch within it, but it was filled with skeletons that were hostile towards me. I could not proceed and had to retreat." Tasi said with a hint of helplessness.
It sounds like activating the magical array is not particularly difficult, not the monster-slaying task that Xiao Hua fears. But whether the magical array can be activated smoothly still depends on what he finds in the underground maze.