Hogwarts: This holy light is righteously evil

Chapter 106 Percival? Lestrange's elder?!

As Xinglun's figure disappeared completely into the dense forest, Dumbledore and Penny exchanged a glance. Without needing to say much, their gazes turned to the spot on the shore that seemed to be the entrance. The dilapidated stone wall, under the cold winter light, exuded an ancient and mysterious aura, and traces of human restoration could be vaguely seen.

The vines that entwined the stone walls along the shore lost their vitality, becoming dry and brittle, and the tree roots exposed on the ground were frozen stiff.

This made it easier for the two to clear the obstacles around the entrance. Puni waved his wand casually, and several gentle beams of magic shot out, causing the withered vines and loose roots to fall off, revealing the smooth stone slabs below the stone wall.

However, the frozen lake in front of them became the biggest obstacle to their progress.

The ice on the lake surface is thick and hard; to enter the space at the bottom of the lake, this layer of ice must first be broken.

Dumbledore slowly walked to the lakeside, stopped, gripped his wand tightly in his right hand, and exerted his power.

He tilted his head back, took a deep breath of the chilly air, and slowly gathered the magic within him at the tip of his wand. Then he raised his arm and slowly slid the wand from bottom to top.

As the wand moved, a crisp, piercing cracking sound suddenly rang out from the ice.

"Click"

Immediately afterwards, a straight and flat groove appeared on the surface of the swimmer's body, with neat and smooth edges, as if it had been cut open by an invisible, sharp blade.

Dumbledore didn't stop what he was doing. He adjusted his posture, gripped the wand with both hands, and gently waved it from the center to the sides.

The next second, a magical scene unfolded. The two pieces of ice that had been cut apart seemed to be slowly pushed to the sides by an invisible force, and the friction between the ice surfaces produced a slight "crunching" sound. As the sliding amplitude increased, the space hidden under the ice gradually revealed itself to the two people.

After the ice was completely removed, a set of steps made of ice blocks appeared before them.

The steps descend layer by layer, their surfaces smooth and moistened by the lake water, yet a thin layer of white frost has condensed on them due to the low winter temperatures, giving them a chilly feel.

Dumbledore took the lead and stepped onto the stairs, followed closely by Penny. The two of them slowly descended the stairs, the ice beneath their feet making a slight creaking sound as they took each step with extreme caution.

Descending the steps, a smooth stone slab surface comes into view. The slabs, soaked in the lake water, have a dark gray sheen and still bear some watermarks. The air is filled with damp chill and the ancient smell of stone.

A peculiar stone wall blocked their way.

This stone wall is made of evenly sized stones pieced together with tight gaps between them. Dark-colored stones are used to neatly arrange a spiral pattern on top. The spiral pattern is clear, extending inward in circles. The specific meaning is not clear, but it exudes an ancient and mysterious atmosphere, making people want to explore its secrets.

"open."

As soon as Dumbledore finished speaking, the stone wall in front of Puni suddenly began to slowly rotate. A slight friction sound came from between the stones. The originally flat wall gradually shifted as it rotated, and a dark doorway slowly appeared in the gaps between the stones. The depths of the doorway were dark and deep, and the scene inside could not be seen. Only a faint, cold aura emanated from it.

Puni took a few steps forward, examining the doorway before him, then turned to Dumbledore and said, "Professor, this should be the entrance you're looking for? Where exactly is this?"

Dumbledore walked to the doorway, raised his hand and gently touched the stone beside it, feeling the lingering ancient magical aura. A gentle smile appeared on his lips as he turned to Puni: "You'll know once you go in."

Behind the doorway is a naturally formed underground cave. On the walls on both sides of the cave are embedded metal braziers, which are devices specifically used for lighting.

The moment the two stepped into the cave, the braziers automatically ignited with pale blue ancient celestial fire. The light of the celestial fire was soft and steady, illuminating the entire cave and dispelling the cold atmosphere within.

The path inside the cave was very flat, the ground was polished smooth and flat, and there were no obstacles. The two walked forward along the cave, and the stone slabs under their feet made a soft sound that echoed in the silent cave.

After walking for about fifteen minutes, a heavy iron gate suddenly appeared in front of them. The surface of the iron gate was covered with rust and looked quite old. On the wall next to the iron gate, there was a round metal disc with complex runes engraved on it, which looked particularly eerie.

As the magical beam struck the metal disc, the runes on it instantly glowed with a faint golden light. Immediately afterward, a gurgling sound came from the lake outside the cave, and several thick stone pillars slowly rose from the lake. The surfaces of the pillars were smooth, and their tops gleamed with a damp sheen; their purpose was unknown.

Puni turned to look at Dumbledore and found him staring intently at the runes on the metal disc, clearly more interested in these ancient runes than in the stone pillars.

Just then, the heavy iron door creaked open slowly, and a strong smell of cobwebs instantly wafted out from behind it.

Puni peered behind the door and saw that the space behind it was filled with dense spider webs. The webs were wrapped around the walls and stone pillars, thick and sticky, and had obviously been there for a long time.

"Blazing Flames!" Puni waved his wand rapidly.

On the surface, he would have worried about the magical flames igniting the vegetation in the Forbidden Forest, but now that he was in an underground cave with no flammable materials, he had no such concerns.

A burst of intense flame erupted from the tip of the wand, sweeping towards the spiderwebs and instantly igniting the thick webs.

The sizzling sound of flames burning the spider webs was incessant, and black smoke slowly rose, filling the cave.

Just as the flames were about to burn away all the spider webs, a series of soft, rustling sounds suddenly came from the dark corners of the cave. The sound grew closer and closer, carrying a somewhat eerie atmosphere.

Puni gripped his wand tightly, scanning his surroundings warily.

The next second, several enormous spiders crawled out from the dark corner. Their bodies were covered with jet-black hairs, their eight thick legs were covered with tiny barbs, and their sharp pincers were open, gleaming with a cold light. They bared their teeth at Puni and Dumbledore and let out a piercing hiss.

"Thunder Explosion!" Puni didn't hesitate and launched the first attack. With a wave of his wand, a powerful beam of magic shot out, hitting the giant spider at the front and instantly blasting it to pieces.

Then, he waved his wand again and shouted the spell: "Burning Flame!"

The blazing flames erupted once more, sweeping towards the remaining giant spiders and giving them no chance to get close.

Puni waved his wand rapidly, unleashing several bursts of flame and explosive spells that flew precisely into the hole where the spider was hiding.

The moment the spell entered the cave, the crackling sound of flames burning spider webs echoed from the depths of the cave, accompanied by the painful hissing and struggling of the giant spider. The two sounds intertwined and reverberated in the empty cave.

Puni stood at the cave entrance, listening to the sounds inside, and secretly reassured himself that fire magic was undoubtedly the most effective way to deal with such damp creatures.

Before long, several giant spiders that had narrowly escaped the fire attack rushed over from the other end of the passage in a panic. Forced into a corner by the flames in the cave, they could only flee in the direction of Puni and Dumbledore.

Puni reacted immediately, waving his wand quickly and casting the Barrier Charm and the Levitation Charm in succession. The Barrier Charm formed an invisible barrier in front of the spiders, blocking their path, while the Levitation Charm levitated the spiders in mid-air, rendering them unable to move and leaving them helpless targets, waving their pincers in vain.

"That saved me a lot of trouble," Puni muttered to himself, a hint of smugness on his face.

He quickly pulled an empty bottle from his pocket, strode over to the suspended spider, and precisely aimed the bottle opening at the spider's venom sac.

He gently pressed the spider's venom sac with his wand while rubbing and squeezing it with his hands.

The spider, its venom sac squeezed, trembled incessantly, as if enduring immense pain, yet unable to break free from the levitation spell. Moments later, it became completely still, drooping straight down, lifeless.

Puni tightened the bottle filled with venom, took out his marker, and carefully marked the size and weight of the spider on the bottle, recording every number clearly.

He did this to facilitate subsequent statistics on the venom production of spiders of different sizes, thereby summarizing patterns and improving the efficiency of venom collection. If profit-driven capitalists knew about this meticulousness and calculation, they would probably secretly admire him.

Dumbledore stood quietly to the side the whole time, his gaze fixed on Puni, who was busy collecting venom.

He knew, of course, that spider venom was expensive, selling for 100 Galleons a pint. If someone unaware of the situation saw Puni collecting it so diligently, they would most likely assume he was simply eager to learn and wanted to study the properties of spider venom.

However, Dumbledore knew that with the Lestrange family's strength and connections, they could certainly get a lower purchase price if they collected spider venom in bulk in the future. In a sense, these spiders that were causing trouble everywhere were actually making an indirect contribution to the development of potions in the magical world.

After collecting the venom, Puni put the bottle into his backpack and turned to look at the road ahead. He found that the once flat passage was now only a few stone slabs floating in mid-air. The stone slabs were spaced a certain distance apart and were steadily resting in the center of the cave without any support.

Clearly, this is a checkpoint deliberately set up by the trial designers. The purpose is obvious: to make people step on these floating stone slabs, cross this distance, and continue forward.

Puni took a deep breath, turned around and looked at Old Deng. He found Old Deng looking at him calmly. He suppressed his nervousness, stared intently at the floating stone slab closest to him, and stepped onto it.

The stone slab wobbled slightly before settling down. He quickly steadied himself, spreading his arms to maintain his balance.

Immediately afterwards, he waved his wand and chanted the spell to activate the stone slab. As the spell fell, the stone slab slowly started up, carrying him towards the opposite side of the cave.

Puni kept his eyes fixed on the stone slabs beneath his feet, lest he accidentally fall from mid-air. The bottom of the cave was pitch black, and no one knew what dangers lurked below. If he fell, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Just as the stone slab flew to the center of the cave, Puni suddenly heard a series of soft sounds. At first, he thought he had misheard, and even subconsciously thought it was the sound of galleons colliding.

Upon closer listening, the sound was subtle and rhythmic, likely the sound of a spider's legs rubbing against the ground and walls as it crawled.

Puni's heart tightened, and he immediately looked up and scanned his surroundings. The scene before him made him gasp instantly, a chill running from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, which was truly terrifying.

The walls and ceiling of the cave were covered with a dense mass of spider eggs and webs. The webs were thick and sticky, wrapped around every corner of the stone walls. The spider eggs were milky white, huddled together tightly, some of them already cracked, and you could vaguely see tiny spider legs inside. The scene was disgusting and terrifying.

Clearly, these giant spiders had long since made this cave their nest, where they bred and multiplied.

"Hmph, I'll turn you all into my familiars sooner or later!"

Despite his discomfort and fear, Puni gripped his wand tightly and swung it rapidly, unleashing a series of fire spells.

The blazing flames swept across, engulfing all the spider eggs and webs on the walls and ceiling, instantly burning them to ashes. The acrid smell of burning flames filled the cave, making people grimace.

The flames roared and illuminated every corner of the cave. The small spiders that had been hiding in the gaps of the spider webs and had not yet managed to escape were burned to death. The remaining adult spiders were terrified and fled into the depths of the cave, no longer daring to linger.

"Look here." Dumbledore slowly raised his finger, pointing to a hidden opening in the cave ceiling. The opening wasn't large, but it was big enough for spiders to enter and exit. He said thoughtfully, "These spiders must have come in through this opening. It connects to the ground of the Forbidden Forest."

Puni looked in the direction Dumbledore pointed and indeed saw the hidden opening. He nodded.

Although it is unknown how many years this cave has been eroded by time, thankfully, the magical mechanisms here are still functioning properly and have not failed due to the passage of time.

After passing through this area filled with spider nests, the cave ahead becomes increasingly intricate, resembling a giant maze. The winding passages crisscross, with each fork in the road leading in a different direction, making it dizzying to look around, and one could easily go the wrong way if not careful.

What's even more troublesome is that every fork in the road is swarming with spiders, which occupy both sides of the passage and watch the intruders with predatory eyes.

But Puni had already mastered how to deal with them. Whenever he encountered a group of spiders, he would use fire magic to drive them away or burn them to death. Under the threat of the flames, the spiders could only flee in a sorry state, probably secretly vowing never to come to this place to die again in their next life.

Along the way, Puni dealt with the spider attacks while collecting spider venom whenever he could. Before he knew it, the bottles in his backpack were all full.

After a difficult trek and some cleaning, he finally arrived at a spacious cave with Dumbledore, carrying a bag full of venom.

Directly in front of the cave is the bridge that rose from the lake earlier. The gaps in the bridge are not yet fully closed. Obviously, once the last mechanism is triggered, the bridge can be opened and one can reach the other side.

Puni strode forward, his eyes searching the cave walls, and soon found the last metal rune hidden behind the stone.

He raised his wand, and a beam of magic shot out, striking the rune precisely. The rune instantly lit up with a golden light.

As the runes were activated, the entire bridge began to creak and groan. The originally scattered stone slabs on the bridge surface slowly came together in the middle, forming a solid and flat whole without any gaps.

Standing at one end of the bridge, Puni looked up and could see the trial hall on the other side.

The hall was spacious and magnificent, with smooth stone slabs paving the floor. Several stone knight statues stood solemnly on both sides of the hall, their tall figures and dignified expressions seemingly guarding some important item in the center of the hall.

Each stone statue is clad in armor, gripping a long sword tightly in its hand. The sword's blade is sharp and gleams with a cold light. They exude an aura of inviolable majesty, inspiring awe in all who behold them.

Puni took a deep breath, suppressing his nervousness and anticipation, and stepped onto the bridge alone.

The bridge was sturdy and stable. He walked forward step by step, his footsteps echoing in the empty cave.

The moment he stepped into the trial hall, a gust of wind suddenly swept past his ear, moving with lightning speed. Puni dodged to the side, and with a loud crash, a huge hammer slammed heavily onto the ground, instantly creating a dent in the stone slab and sending fragments of stone flying.

Puni broke out in a cold sweat and quickly took a few steps back. Looking up, he saw a knight statue that had come to life, holding a huge mace in its hand, slowly raising it in preparation for another attack.

"What the hell is this?!"

Looking at these stone guardians wielding weapons, Puni couldn't help but think of the ghost Richard. He had heard people say that Richard's head was probably cut off by these stone guardians wielding longswords.

Puni frowned, but Dumbledore didn't seem surprised and calmed down as well.

He knew perfectly well that the larger the enemy, the more difficult it was to control with conventional magic.

These knight statues before him were tall and incredibly strong. Coupled with their chaotic and unpredictable attack methods, they posed the greatest threat to a wizard like him who was skilled in ranged spellcasting but had weak defenses. They were the bane of fragile mages.

I tried using levitation and knockback spells to control the statue, but I found that these spells were ineffective, like stones sinking into the sea.

Puni wasted no more time and immediately adjusted his tactics, waving his wand rapidly and loudly chanting the spell "Obstacles."

An invisible magical barrier instantly formed in front of the stone statues. Although it could not completely stop the statues from moving forward, it could effectively slow down their movement speed, giving the user valuable reaction time.

Taking advantage of the moment when the statues slowed down, Puni pushed off with his feet, quickly increasing the distance between himself and the statues, always maintaining a safe casting range.

As he moved nimbly, he continuously waved his wand, unleashing a series of offensive spells that landed precisely on the stone statues, gradually eroding their power.

His goal was clear: first, to knock the weapon from the statue's hand, and then use that heavy weapon to smash the statue itself.

It sounds simple, but in practice it requires a high degree of concentration and agile footwork.

Puni kept a close eye on the statues' movements, circling them constantly to avoid their swinging hammers and swords while still launching continuous attacks.

He couldn't help but recall Professor Flitwick's words: "In battle, you must be agile and keep up with your spellcasting rhythm. Pay close attention to the enemy's attack movements at all times, observe your surroundings, avoid all obstacles, and never trip over something because of panic. Even the slightest negligence can be fatal."

Professor Flitwick's teachings became Puni's guiding principles at this moment.

While keeping the teachings in mind, he constantly observed the attack patterns of the stone statues and gradually figured out their moves. Every swing of the hammer and every chop had a fixed rhythm and angle, without any unnecessary feints.

Once the pattern was figured out, the threat level of the stone statue instantly decreased by more than half, and Puni was able to deal with it with greater ease.

After several rounds, Puni seized the moment when the statue was swinging its sword and fired a precise blasting spell, which hit the statue's sword-wielding arm.

With a loud clang, the longsword fell to the ground with a heavy thud.

Puni seized the opportunity to step forward, waved his wand, used the Levitation Charm to lift the longsword from the ground, and smashed it hard into the statue's chest.

The stone statue crashed to the ground, instantly shattering into countless pieces, leaving only a wisp of ancient magical essence suspended in mid-air.

The remaining stone statues were also defeated one after another by Puni's skillful handling, turning into magical essence, and the entire trial hall returned to peace.

"Magic essence?"

Just as the last stone statue shattered, the giant statue at the end of the hall suddenly began to slowly melt. The melting stones gradually gathered together and eventually formed an ancient stone archway.

Dumbledore stepped forward, raised his hand, and released a spell into the stone archway, energizing it.

As magic was infused, the stone archway slowly opened, revealing a long corridor. The walls on both sides of the corridor were inlaid with faint glowing stones, illuminating the path ahead.

"Go, child, this is yours."

Puni turned around, but Old Deng still didn't move. Then he walked along the corridor and soon arrived at another closed door.

The gate was thick and sturdy, with intricate runes engraved on its surface. In the center was a raised circular rune, which was the mechanism to open the gate.

Puni reached out and gently touched the central rune. The rune instantly lit up with a faint light, but the door remained motionless, showing no sign of opening.

"This is... a training ground?"

Puni frowned.

Just as he was filled with doubt, he suddenly felt a damp, cool sensation under his feet.

He looked down and saw that a large amount of lake water was gushing out from the crevices of the surrounding rock walls. The lake water flowed slowly down the rock walls and rose rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye, reaching his ankles in the blink of an eye.

Puni no longer cared about studying the door that couldn't be opened. He turned around and ran back to the corridor he had come from, wanting to leave the area that was being submerged by the lake.

But at this moment, the lake water was rising faster and faster, and had already reached his calves. His steps were hindered by the lake water, and it was very difficult for him to run. Obviously, it was too late to turn back now.

Just as the lake water was about to reach his knees, a small whirlpool suddenly rose from beneath Puni's feet. The whirlpool spun rapidly, gradually expanding until it formed a transparent film that enveloped his entire body, isolating him from the lake water outside.

Puni raised his hand and touched the thin film. He could easily pass through it. The film felt warm and smooth, like the effect of the Bubble Head Spell, but it was gentler and more stable.

Just then, Puni vaguely sensed a flash of light behind him. He turned around in a daze and saw that the door that had been motionless just moments before had turned into a semi-transparent phantom. The doorway that had been closed was now completely unobstructed.

Behind the gate was a sloping stone staircase leading upwards. The staircase was smooth and flat. Puni walked up the staircase step by step, and after about several dozen steps, he finally arrived at a wide circular hall.

The hall was empty, the floor was smooth and pure black, and several metal picture frames hung on the walls, neatly arranged, with a thin layer of dust on their surfaces, indicating that they had been hanging there for a long time.

Just as he was wondering, one of the metal picture frames suddenly lit up, the dust gradually dissipated, and a familiar scene appeared in the frame.

That was actually his study!

The study was fully furnished. In the portrait he had seen at home, one of his elders, Lestrange, was sitting lazily in a carved chair, arms crossed, laughing and watching him with great interest.

Following this, the other six metal picture frames also lit up one after another, the dust receded, and different scenes gradually emerged. Two of the picture frames also depicted study scenes, but the books and furniture were slightly different. One picture frame showed an unnamed corner of a room with an old cabinet and several antique items on it. The other picture frame showed a landscape painting with continuous mountain ranges and clear lakes, a very beautiful scene.

At that moment, a gentle voice came from another picture frame depicting a study scene, slowly saying, "Congratulations, young trial participant, you have successfully found this secret room on the map. I am—"

"Alright, alright, Professor Percival, stop wasting your breath."

"1

Lestrange's voice rang out again, interrupting the gentle one.