Hogwarts: This holy light is righteously evil.

As night deepened, Hogwarts was placed under a complete curfew.

The lights in the castle corridors dimmed, and students from all the colleges returned to their dormitories to rest, plunging the surroundings into complete silence.

At the entrance to the Slytherin common room, no students had returned. The surroundings were quiet, with only the silver serpentine statue guarding the door standing silently against the wall, maintaining security.

Just as everything returned to calm and the statue was about to fall into complete silence and rest, it keenly sensed the faint footsteps coming from the end of the corridor, and a figure was steadily approaching the entrance.

The footsteps stopped in front of the statue, and a deep, clear command slowly rang out, not the usual daytime code.

"I don't eat mice."

The unfamiliar yet effective special command was given, and the silver serpent eagle's body flickered slightly, as if carrying a hint of reluctance and hesitation, yet still obeying the rules of magic, slowly turning its body to make way for the passage to the common lounge.

As Puni stepped into the depths of the corridor, a few steps away from the door of the common room, he heard the small serpentine decorative statue inside suddenly emit a clear, slightly reproachful shout.

"You're so heartless! You only come back to see me once in all this time!"

The moment Penny stepped into the Slytherin common room, the serpent statue that was always there immediately began to chatter incessantly.

It remained as noisy as ever, its fine hissing incessantly, its speech incredibly fast, a string of complaints pouring out in rapid succession, so fast that even Puni could hardly catch every word, its ears filled with a dense cacophony of sounds.

Prior to this, Puni had visited this place alone late at night many times. The long period of getting to know each other had greatly reduced the little statue's originally extremely talkative nature.

It is usually very well-behaved, only responding briefly when Puni initiates conversation, and rarely nagging and complaining incessantly.

Today's incessant chatter is a relapse of an old problem, stemming from deep-seated resentment.

More than half a month has passed since the Easter holidays ended, and this is Penny's first time stepping into the Slytherin common room since the holidays ended.

The long absence caused the little statue to harbor resentment, and that scolding remark just now was the beginning of its emotional outburst.

Puni sighed inwardly. This snake statue, carved entirely from stone, was clearly a cold and lifeless magical creation, yet its personality had completely lost the restraint and calmness of a snake. Instead, it was more impatient and fierce, with a fiery and straightforward temperament. Its joy and anger were all written in its words and actions, and its temperament was far more impulsive than that of ordinary creatures.

In the past, during his leisure time, Puni would have deliberately teased and provoked the proud little statue, watching it become increasingly agitated and incessantly chattering, thus passing the time in the late night.

But he had absolutely no desire to have fun tonight.

From the moment he stepped into Hogwarts Castle, his thoughts were completely occupied by the thousand-year-old basilisk deep within the Chamber of Secrets. He repeatedly reviewed all the information about the basilisk, its dormant state, and its activity patterns in his mind. He was filled with crucial questions that urgently needed to be confirmed, and had no time to pay attention to the little statue's rambling.

Puni waited patiently for a moment, then seized the brief pause in the little statue's speech and interrupted its incessant complaints, taking the initiative to get to the point.

"Little statue, you don't need to worry about whether I'm back early or late anymore."

Puni's calm and composed tone abruptly ended the previous casual conversation. "I'm not here for idle chatter. Tell me, what is the current state of the basilisk inside the secret chamber?"

The little statue, which had been full of resentment and was about to continue criticizing Puni, immediately stopped babbling after hearing about the basilisk. The faint light floating around the statue paused slightly, the continuous hissing stopped, and the room instantly returned to silence.

Its stone-carved body swayed gently from side to side, causing the ancient magical patterns around it to flicker slightly, and it spoke with a tone of helplessness and confusion.

"You still can't let go of the secret room and that monster."

"Is that thousand-year-old serpent monster really that attractive? For thousands of years, countless people who know the secret of the secret chamber have been fearless of death, determined to uncover its true face and step into that deadly place. It is really hard to understand."

The stone sculpture of the small statue trembled slightly, and the snake's mouth opened and closed, emitting a mocking hiss.

"I can only say that your return this time was extremely unfortunate, Puni."

It slowly informed Puni of the latest developments in the secret room.

Today, the thousand-year-old serpent monster, which had been lying dormant in the secret chamber for a long time, went out to the Forbidden Forest to hunt for food, devoured a large number of wild magical creatures, and fully replenished its physical strength and magic power.

At this moment, it is full of energy and in its prime.

The molting period is the window of opportunity when the basilisk is at its weakest and least vigilant during its entire dormant period, making it the perfect time to subdue and control it.

The small statue suggested that if Puni's goal was to successfully subdue this ancient behemoth, it would be best to postpone the operation for two days and wait for the basilisk to enter its weakened molting period before taking action.

After saying this, the small statue stood quietly in place, secretly hoping to see a look of astonishment, regret, or disappointment on Puni's face.

It had long been accustomed to watching everyone who coveted the basilisk's power fail and return empty-handed due to bad timing, thus gaining some amusement from it.

The expected emotional fluctuations did not occur in Puni at all.

After hearing all the information, his expression remained calm and composed, without a trace of surprise or frustration in his eyes. He appeared calm and collected, as if he had already prepared to deal with all the variables.

Puni slowly raised his eyes, his gaze sweeping over the retro magic lamps hanging overhead. After a moment of silent contemplation, he murmured to himself.

"Do we have to wait another two days?"

He quickly sorted out his own state of mind and instantly understood the connection behind this coincidence.

His divine power has been active once a day, but he hasn't used it yet.

There's no need to wait any longer.

This serpent monster is less important than reading books; there's no need to waste any more time on it.

no way.

He is just too busy.

Let's deal with the snake monster first.

Unable to get any emotional response from Puni and completely ignoring his warnings, the little statue grew dissatisfied and began to rapidly flick its long, thin forked tongue.

"Hey! Did you even hear what I said?"

"I specifically told you the best time and kindly reminded you of the risks, so at least give me a normal reaction so I can feel a sense of accomplishment!"

Puni slowly withdrew his wand, his expression relaxed, a calm smile playing on his lips, as he made his decision with composure.

"In that case, my response is quite simple."

He looked up at the small snake-shaped statue in front of him.

"Open the entrance to the secret room."

This blunt request left the small statue utterly bewildered, its human-like expression instantly filled with shock, as if it couldn't believe what it was hearing.

"Open the door? Are you sure you want to open the door now?"

The statue's forked tongue flickered rapidly, and in disbelief, I hastily and solemnly reminded you of the deadly risk once again.

It had just clearly informed Puni that the basilisk had completed a large-scale hunt today, and its physical strength and magic were at their peak, not yet entering the weakened molting stage.

At this moment, the thousand-year-old basilisk was extremely powerful, far more so than usual. Even if the headmaster of Hogwarts were to be present, he might not be able to suppress it and deal with it calmly, let alone Puni, who was still young and inexperienced.

The basilisk's innate deadly gaze is flawless; if an ordinary wizard were to meet its gaze even once, he would instantly perish with no chance of survival!

The reason the little statue was so patient and earnest in trying to dissuade it was entirely because Puni was one of the very few people it could like and get along with.

For thousands of years, it has coldly watched and ignored countless people who tried to break into the secret chamber, never bothering to offer any advice.

If it weren't for its particular fondness for Puni, it wouldn't have bothered to warn of the life-or-death risks; it would have been enough to let the intruder perish in the secret chamber!

Faced with the small statue's sincere dissuasion, Puni simply shook his head slightly. The smile on his face did not fade, but his eyes became more and more determined, leaving no room for wavering.

Immediately afterwards, a series of low, obscure, and uniquely rhythmic hissing syllables emanated from his throat, and pure, ancient parseine slowly echoed in the empty lounge.

"Activate".

This is the exclusive original password to unlock the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets, an activation command engraved in the Slytherin bloodline.

Even though the little statue was unwilling and resisted in every way, under the urging of the orthodox Parseltongue, it could not disobey the ancient magical contract and could only obey the command to activate the door opening mechanism.

"I really don't know what to do with you... I really don't know how to advise you anymore."

The little statue's tone was full of helplessness and melancholy. Its restless body gradually calmed down, shedding its previous lively and agile anthropomorphic state and returning to the simple and heavy primitive statue posture.

The next second, the fireplace was activated by magic. The heavy stone fireplace body began to slowly sink and shrink backward, gradually embedding itself into the wall behind it. The originally protruding fireplace structure gradually became flush with the wall and seamlessly integrated into the stone wall.

"I hope that if you unfortunately perish and become a castle ghost, you will still remember to come and chat with me." The low voice of the small statue echoed softly, "Otherwise, I will have to endure another long period of time with no one to talk to and no one to keep me company."

Chapter 129 The Basilisk

Once the fireplace was completely concealed within the wall, the joints of the entire stone wall were smoothed out, and the originally uneven wall surface became flat and orderly.

Immediately afterwards, the entire massive stone wall began to slide smoothly and slowly to the right along a precise track.

Just as ancient legends have recounted, this entire wall in the Slytherin common room was never an ordinary wall from the beginning, but a giant magical stone door that carried the passage to the secret chamber.

As the wall continued to move to the right, the stone sculpture of the small statue also slid along with it, gradually disappearing into the gap in the right wall.

Puni watched the statue gradually disappear and whispered his promise.

"Don't worry, I will definitely come out alive and I won't let you down."

"That's easy for you to say."

The small statue muttered through the cracks in the wall, its tone filled with disbelief and sighs, and a detached indifference that seemed to have seen through the passage of time.

"Everyone who has ventured into the secret room before has been so confident and certain before, but in the end, no one has ever been able to keep their promise..."

More whispers continued to emerge, but as the cracks in the wall completely closed, the sounds were completely cut off and dissipated behind the stone wall, never to be heard again.

When the entire stone wall was completely removed, a deep, dark passage was revealed into view.

In the center of the passage, neat spiral stone steps wind around, layer upon layer, extending infinitely into the depths of the earth.

This place is located beneath the Black Lake, deep beneath the castle, and the spiral staircase continues to descend, leading directly to the core of the Chamber of Secrets hidden at the bottom of Hogwarts, exuding a deep and unknown aura.

Puni looked down at the spiral stone steps leading into the ground. The depths of the passage were completely shrouded in thick darkness, with not a single ray of light penetrating out. The entire deep underground passage was deathly silent and dark, and the unknown depths, along with the oppressive atmosphere, were enough to make most people who stepped into this place feel fear and hesitate at every step.

The exact depth of this staircase leading to the secret chamber remains unknown. It spirals downwards endlessly, completely isolating the castle from all light and sound. Any wizard with a weak mind or insufficient courage would not dare to set foot in this dark underground space alone. It is extremely rare for someone to muster the courage to approach this place.

Puni himself does have many things he fears and dreads, and psychological weaknesses unknown to ordinary people, but pure darkness has never been among them. He is born with an extreme ability to perceive light and life. Even in absolute darkness where he cannot see his own hand in front of his face, he can accurately capture subtle energy fluctuations and faint light trails. He will not be hindered by darkness in his vision and judgment.

With a wave of the wand.

The light spontaneously appeared.

Standing at the entrance to the stairs, Puni pondered to himself, deciding to quicken his pace.

The unknown depths underground are full of uncertainties. The longer we delay, the higher the probability of unforeseen events. Reaching the core of the secret chamber as soon as possible and figuring out the basilisk's real-time status is the safest option.

He briefly compared the two routes to the Chamber of Secrets, quickly weighing the pros and cons in his mind. The secret passage in the girls' washroom on the second floor of Hogwarts was a more convenient serpentine slide, which did not require walking and could quickly reach the Chamber of Secrets by sliding. The passage efficiency was far higher than the spiral staircase at this moment.

However, this shortcut carries enormous risks.

The entire slide runs right next to the basilisk's activity area, and the exit of the passage faces directly into the basilisk's habitat.

At this moment, the basilisk is at its peak of power and its temperament is fierce and restless. If you rashly slide down, you are very likely to fall directly into the basilisk's attack range, or even fall right into its hunting range.

This kind of fatal accident, which comes without warning and is delivered to our doorstep, leaves no room for remedy and makes it impossible to argue or hold anyone accountable.

After careful consideration, Puni decisively abandoned the shortcut and chose to descend the stairs steadily, avoiding all unknown risks.