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After scanning the surroundings multiple times, he saw no corpses and no signs of human activity, deepening his confusion. He couldn\'t help but turn to Nicholas William.

Noticing Dean Bruce\'s gaze, Nicholas William paused, surprised. "Teacher, why are you looking at me like that?"

Dean Bruce replied calmly, "This palace is so grand and expansive, yet there are no signs of life nearby. It clearly indicates that there are many magical arrays or some special space concealing it!"

"How... how did you know the correct path? Is a treasure map something someone of your strength could obtain?"

At this, Nicholas William hesitated before sheepishly admitting, "You always see through me, teacher. But I didn\'t mean to hide it from you!"

He quickly clarified, "Actually, this treasure map was discovered by my sister. She felt bad about that day but was too shy to tell you herself, so she gave the map to me and taught me the secret to getting in."

"This area is cursed, and the space itself is sealed. Only by strictly following the spatial markers and not making any missteps can one arrive here."

"Your sister discovered it?" Dean Bruce frowned slightly, feeling his doubts ease.

After all, Jennier William was powerful, and it wasn\'t impossible for her to uncover such a hidden space.

As Dean Bruce continued forward, Nicholas William let out a sigh of relief. He wasn\'t trying to deceive Dean Bruce; it was just that the matter of the ancestral spirit was something he couldn\'t discuss.

The two made their way unhindered to the front of the palace. As they got closer, they truly felt the height of the city walls, which seemed endless when looked at from below.

Although the palace was damaged, the walls remained intact and incredibly sturdy, leaving no opportunity for Dean Bruce and Nicholas William to take a shortcut.

"Teacher," Nicholas William said, "the treasure map indicates that these walls have mechanisms. We mustn\'t force our way in, or we\'ll face strong attacks! It\'s like a city, with four entrances. Let\'s find one to enter."

Following the wall, it wasn\'t long before an ancient stone door came into view.

Nicholas William\'s face lit up with excitement as he quickly approached. He pulled out a necklace from his pocket and placed it into the slot in the center of the stone door. Then, he took out a dagger and made a small cut on his palm, letting his blood drip onto it.

Seeing this, Dean Bruce realized that this so-called treasure site was related to the William family!

Otherwise, there would be no need for Nicholas William to use his blood to activate it!

But if this was the William family\'s treasure site, why deceive him?

Hadn\'t Billis William ever mentioned this?

Or was it just Nicholas William\'s idea, unknown to his family?

With a rumbling sound—

As the blood and necklace fused, the ancient stone door trembled, slowly rising to reveal a passage inside.

The passage was dark; even with the door wide open, sunlight could only illuminate areas near the entrance.

Upon closer inspection, Dean Bruce\'s pupils contracted sharply, as if an earthquake had struck.

On both sides of the passage lay a dozen corpses, their armor long damaged, exposing their skeletal remains.

The ground was flat, devoid of any pits or signs of battle, not even a trace of blood, making the presence of the bodies all the more eerie.

With a click—

The stone door fully retracted into the wall, and the necklace popped out, landing in Nicholas William\'s hand.

He observed this scene without much surprise, saying, "Teacher, according to the treasure map, this city once experienced a disaster. To contain it, the entire city was sealed off, and these people were likely soldiers who defended it, ultimately perishing from hunger."

"Oh?" Dean Bruce countered, "If the goal was to contain the disaster, why are we opening this city? Aren\'t you afraid of releasing that disaster again?"

"It won\'t happen," Nicholas William grinned. "That thing can\'t survive for long, and the dates recorded on the treasure map are two thousand years apart from now. It\'s probably long dead! If we can obtain its crystal core, it would greatly enhance our strength!"

Dean Bruce whispered, "What is that thing?"

"I don\'t know the specifics, just that the treasure map mentions it as the source of the disaster and says it won\'t survive for long," Nicholas William replied, shaking his head. He then summoned his magic, illuminating the dark passage with a bright light.

Looking ahead, Dean Bruce noticed there were no corpses deeper in the passage; aside from some obstacles, it seemed empty.

As Nicholas William moved forward, Dean Bruce followed closely behind.

After walking about ten feet, they encountered a wooden door, slightly ajar. Just as Nicholas William reached out to push it open, Dean Bruce sensed something was wrong and quickly pulled him back.

But it was too late; Nicholas William had already touched the door and pushed it open.

Whoosh—

A flurry of sounds erupted as several dark figures landed precisely where Nicholas William had been standing, sending dirt flying into the air.

Looking down, Dean Bruce saw several arrows embedded in the ground.

The chaos wasn\'t over yet. A buzzing sound filled the air, and Dean Bruce quickly looked up to see a humanoid puppet made entirely of bronze soaring through the air, swinging a long blade toward them.

With a sharp "clack," more arrows shot from the bronze puppet\'s shoulder.

"The Compassion of Heaven and Earth!"

Fortunately, Dean Bruce had been prepared for battle. He stepped forward and cast a spell, summoning dense earth elements to form a protective earthen wall.

Clang, clang, clang—

Though the arrows were small, they packed incredible power, shattering the earthen wall almost instantly. Fortunately, the arrows lost their momentum and fell lightly to the ground.

But just behind the arrows, the bronze puppet wielding a long blade charged forward.

Only Dean Bruce, with his tenfold comprehension, managed to instantaneously cast another earthen wall to block the puppet\'s assault.

Moreover, as the ground trembled, several stones flew up. Dean Bruce attempted to use the same tactic to crush the bronze puppet beneath them.

However, the bronze puppet, being a construct with no pain response, easily leaped into the air, rapidly closing the distance toward Dean Bruce.

It was only then that Nicholas William reacted, calling out, "Teacher! The control mechanism for these bronze puppets is located on their backs. If we can get behind them and remove the crystal core, they won\'t be able to move!"

"My goodness, it\'s astonishing that these bronze puppets can still function after so many years! If we can gather the complete tokens from the four city gates, we could control them!"

Hearing this, Dean Bruce\'s heart stirred with excitement.

If he could control these bronze puppets, it would be a tremendous advantage.

From their earlier encounter, Dean Bruce could estimate that the bronze puppets had attack capabilities around the Great Magus level, with even higher defensive power!

Being able to command these bronze puppets would be like having an entire army, making him nearly invincible on the battlefield!

Of course, there are drawbacks: you need to keep a constant watch on them. Otherwise, if the crystal core on their backs is removed, they become useless.

Since the stones couldn\'t control the bronze puppet, Dean Bruce immediately activated the Blue Shadow Ring and cast the Shadow Clone spell.

Buzz—

With a flash of light, Dean Bruce split into two, causing Nicholas William to look on in astonishment.

No matter how formidable the bronze puppet was, it was still just a puppet without a mind. With a clone drawing its fire, Dean Bruce\'s main body swiftly maneuvered behind it. A quick glance revealed a crystal core shimmering faintly embedded in its back.

Taking a deep breath, Dean Bruce seized the moment as the bronze puppet lunged again. He leaped behind it, grabbed the crystal core, and yanked it out.

Boom!

A loud sound echoed as the floating bronze puppet suddenly crashed to the ground, but it didn\'t fall over; it stood still, unmoving.

Nicholas William let out a sigh of relief. The information he had was from the ancestor\'s words, and until he could verify its truth, he would naturally be concerned.

"Teacher, you should collect these puppets. Once we gather the complete tokens, they can become your henchmen!"

Nicholas William suggested softly. "According to the treasure map, there are a total of twenty bronze puppets, each capable of fighting against a Great Magus. Even an Archmage would find it difficult to destroy them; they\'re quite remarkable!"

Dean Bruce asked thoughtfully, "What kind of treasure map could convey such detailed information?"