Chapter 2693: Suitcase Man’s Castle

Xu Huo and Yan Jiayu launched an attack, while Zhu Bo and Jiji Bird used their spatial power to clear the way for them. With their cooperation, Xu Huo and the others quickly arrived at the feet of the Big Skeleton Monster.

Although the Big Skeleton Monster had strong attack power, its movements were relatively slow—a fact that was unusual. However, Xu Huo didn’t think too much about it. When the Black Blade struck the leg bone of the Big Skeleton Monster but didn’t penetrate it, instead getting stuck in the bone, he understood why...

The body of the Big Skeleton Monster was unexpectedly made of special metal. Its slow movements weren’t due to its large frame, but because the metal was extraordinarily heavy. He hadn’t noticed it in his rush. The ground where the two skeleton monsters stood was full of pits, likely formed when they settled down!

As the Big Skeleton Monster lifted its foot to the side, Xu Huo was sent flying by a gust of energy, forcing him to release the Black Blade as he crashed into the woods on the right.

However, before he could pass through the woods, the Big Skeleton Monster’s palm descended from the sky, slamming him into the ground with immense pressure, instantly burying him among the fallen trees!

"Ssshhh!" Several black materialized items shot out from the broken wood, wrapping directly around the Big Skeleton Monster’s palm. As the black-bone hand waved, Xu Huo was pulled from the ground. At the moment he was in mid-air, another Big Skeleton Monster was toppling over in this direction!

Using the momentum of his ascent, he opened a Mental Portal above him, maneuvering to the back of the Big Skeleton Monster and using the materialized item power as a rope to forcibly pull it back!

The two Big Skeleton Monsters collided, the sound of metal clashing and grinding was so harsh it made one’s teeth ache. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Xu Huo opened a wide Mental Portal, transporting everyone to the other side of the skeleton monsters.

Beyond the Puppet Wall, past forest and lake, the Big and Small Skeleton Monsters guarded in the forest. Once Xu Huo and the others passed through the forest, they didn’t pursue them further, and ahead lay a vast lake, seemingly impossible to cross in one go.

Not bothering to think about what might be in the lake, he used all his strength to open a Mental Portal at a higher point. Yet, once everyone was up, a sudden, massive suction force pulled them towards the lake’s surface!

"This isn’t Circus City; it’s a monster lair!" Zhu Bo flipped in the air, conjuring multiple layers of spatial barriers one after another, forming a long jumping bridge in the air. Beneath this bridge were several layers of spatial barriers serving as protection to resist the suction from the lake!

"Quick!" Zhu Bo shouted towards Xu Huo, struggling to maintain the barrier desperately.

A few Mental Portals opened again, and after several traverses, they finally crossed the lake safely and reached the opposite shore.

By then, they were already standing in front of the castle’s main gate.

Perhaps because the owner was absent, the vast castle only had lights in the towers on either side. Although Xu Huo had seen the Suitcase Man’s castle before, last time it was from inside, not giving him a full view of the whole structure.

"Someone’s missing," Jiji Bird reminded.

"Let’s go in first before discussing," the Girl in the Painting suggested. She had disappeared shortly after entering the Puppet Wall, different from the others, possibly having moved inside the castle already.

The group hurried into the castle. Surprisingly, there were no obstacles or attacks when they entered. The inside and outside of the castle seemed clear, with mannequins standing at the entrance and in the main hall, remaining inactive when the lights were off.

They silently entered the main hall, gazing at the two spiral staircases ahead, then split into two groups and went up.

The two staircases led to different corridors, with dark hallways stretching beyond sight, revealing only a few nearby doors. Entering them might lead to different spaces, risking separation, but splitting up was the only way to quickly find an exit.

"Good luck," Zhu Bo said silently, then proceeded down the hallway with his two companions.

At a distance of only a few meters, Xu Huo’s perception was entirely engulfed. He turned to Yan Jiayu, silently mouthing, "Stay close."

Yan Jiayu solemnly nodded.

Many parts of the castle showed spatial power fluctuations, including but not limited to room doors, paintings, stairway corners, and skylights. Given the drastically reduced perception range, Xu Huo and the others could only observe closely to determine the nature of the doors and windows, whether they might be entrances or exits.

Xu Huo’s perception strength was unmatched by others present, yet he couldn’t immediately discern any differences from other Space Portals. The spatial power on doors and windows had subtle differences, but too minor to identify any as entrances or exits. The most likely scenario was that none of them were entrances or exits.

Yan Jiayu stopped in front of a room door on the second floor, pointing at the door handle, signaling to try opening it.

Jiji Bird stepped in to block her, hinting that a live prop might exist inside.

The Crocodile and Peacock suggested moving forward to at least survey the castle’s layout. According to their thinking, if an entrance or exit really existed in the castle, it likely wouldn’t be any random door that could open. At the very least, there would be a live prop guarding it.

Before they reached any conclusion, a sudden "thud-thud-thud" sound came from deep within the hallway— not footsteps, but some hard object striking the carpet.

Their faces changed. Such brazen movement within the castle could hardly be an outsider. Without hesitation, they turned back, intending to return to the first floor.

"Thud! Thud! Thud!" Yet the sound suddenly echoed from the other side this time.

They halted abruptly, holding their breath and concentrating, only to realize the sound seemed to be constantly switching positions, sometimes on the left, sometimes on the right, yet never entering their perceptual range.

Their awareness extended only about ten meters; if there was indeed a live prop, it would likely be too late to evade within this range. Anxious, they instinctively cast their eyes toward a nearby room.

At this moment, they all felt the urge to take a gamble. The Crocodile reached for the door handle, but merely placing his hand on it, he was suddenly lifted by a force and vanished swiftly into the darkness above!

The entire process was as swift as a blink — the Crocodile disappeared without resistance, and overhead in the hallway, the far reaches of the walls remained shrouded in impenetrable darkness, while the "thud-thud-thud" sound persisted, moving about them.

The sound neither approached nor receded. Xu Huo focused intently into the dark, seemingly glimpsing a wooden stick flicking by. Just a wooden stick, nothing more.

He involuntarily looked up at the ceiling, then refrained from signaling to Yan Jiayu and the others not to touch anything along the hallway sides.

They prepared for defense yet stayed unmoving. The sound lingered for another half-minute before slowly fading.

Just as they were about to breathe a sigh of relief, Xu Huo suddenly felt a force grip his head!