Hogwarts: This holy light is righteously evil.

Meanwhile, in the Ravenclaw common room at Hogwarts, the atmosphere was quiet and soothing late at night.

As the Easter holiday ends and academic pressure gradually increases, many senior students choose to stay up late to study in the period leading up to the final exams. Even after the dormitory curfew has passed, many students still stay in the common room, sitting around the lamp to read books, deduce magical theories, and organize their course notes.

The college common room is a shared area for all Ravenclaw students and there are no strict rules about clearing out the dorms at certain times.

As long as students do not deliberately make noise or disrupt public order, no one will stop or hold them accountable even if they study or rest here all night and do not return to their dormitories. The class leaders and faculty members have always been tolerant of this.

Qiu Zhang is also one of those who stayed in the rest room tonight.

She sat upright in the reading seat by the window, a thick magical book spread out in front of her. On the surface, she seemed no different from other students who were engrossed in their studies, but her mind had already completely drifted away from the contents of the book.

She was completely unable to concentrate on studying the material. Her attention was uncontrollably fixed on the solid wood door of the common room. Every few seconds, she would subconsciously look up at the closed door, her gaze fixed on the door panel and the crack, hoping that familiar figure would push the door open and return.

The dense text and magical annotations on the book blurred into a blur in her eyes. No matter how hard she tried to focus, she couldn't concentrate on studying. Her mind and eyes were filled with nothing but worry and concern for Puni.

She couldn't explain the source of her feelings. In the past, Puni often went out late at night and returned to school in the early morning, but she had never felt such a strong sense of unease. However, tonight, the anxiety and panic in her heart piled up and lingered, and she felt that some unknown danger was quietly approaching.

The long wait grew increasingly agonizing, and Qiu Zhang repeatedly repeated the same thought to himself.

When will Puni be able to return safely?

Puni walked briskly downhill for a full half hour before finally traversing all the spiral steps and reaching the very bottom of the entire spiral passage.

He traveled at almost constant speed without stopping or slowing down, yet it still took him an extremely long time, demonstrating just how terrifyingly deep this underground passage was.

After regaining his footing, Puni looked up at the endless darkness above and couldn't help but sigh inwardly. He realized that he was now deep beneath the Black Lake, and the distance between him and the surface castle was immeasurable.

At the same time, a real problem also came to mind.

If going downhill already takes so much physical effort and time, then if the return journey also requires hiking up this long and winding spiral tunnel, it will inevitably consume a lot of physical strength. After a round trip, the body will definitely be under great strain and it will be very easy to fall into a state of physical exhaustion.

There are no complicated forks at the end of the passage, and the view is open and clear. In the very center stands a giant stone sculpture of a snake's head, which marks the end of the passage.

This stone sculpture is over three meters tall and is carved from a single piece of dark rock. The snake's mouth is wide open, its fangs are exposed, and its lines are sharp and rugged, giving it a fierce and murderous aura, filled with the oppressive feeling of an ancient demon.

Unlike the small statues at the entrance that can interact with speech, this giant snake-head statue is completely silent. Its entire stone structure is solid, without any movable joints or linkage components. It is merely a purely static decoration and a carrier of mechanisms.

In the hollow space of the snake's mouth is a neat, round stone door, which is the last barrier leading to the core of the secret chamber.

The surface of the stone door is covered with fine carvings, with countless miniature snake reliefs crisscrossing and arranged in layers, the textures are exquisite and complex, covering the entire door panel.

The edge of the door panel is evenly distributed with a number of circular holes that correspond exactly to the miniature snake carvings. They are of regular size and are clearly the key structure for the linkage mechanism.

Without needing to perform detailed deductions, one can tell from the naked eye that this is a sophisticated, interconnected mechanism.

All the static serpentine reliefs appear lifeless and immobile, but each emerald inlaid with a serpent's eye reflects a cold, eerie light, covering the entire field of vision as if it is locking onto any approaching intruder, creating a strong sense of visual oppression.

The unlocking logic of the entire mechanism is very clear: all the serpentine reliefs on the door panel must be precisely aligned with the holes embedded in the edge in order to unlock the stone door.

After observing carefully for a while, Puni quickly figured out the working mechanism of this ancient mechanism, breaking his preconceived notions about ancient magical mechanisms.

The Chamber of Secrets, created by Slytherin, abandoned conventional methods such as touch unlocking, item matching, and password triggering. Instead, it adopted an extremely rare Parseltongue voice-activated triggering method, making it an exceptionally ingenious and advanced design among ancient magical mechanisms.

After confirming the unlocking method, Puni slowly stepped forward and stood directly in front of the circular stone gate. His throat vibrated, and he once again uttered a string of pure, ancient snake-like syllables, issuing the command to activate the restriction.

As the snake's language fell, all the miniature snake reliefs that were originally firmly fixed to the door panel were instantly activated. The stone sculptures trembled slightly, and then one by one they broke free from the constraints of the door panel's patterns, flexibly twisting their bodies and precisely drilling into the corresponding edge holes.

Once all the serpent carvings were in place and embedded in the holes, the intricate patterns on the entire door panel faded away, and a clear and complete Slytherin family crest slowly emerged in the center.

The silver serpent relief entwined in the center of the coat of arms is completely different from the static carving on the door panel. It has a vibrant life force, with clear and flowing scale patterns and a slightly undulating body, just like a living creature.

It slightly raised its head, gently flicked its tongue, and carefully sniffed the scent flowing from Puni in front of it.

Sensing the pure and rich aura of an ancient pure-blooded wizard, the living silver snake completely lowered its guard, and with a docile posture, slowly moved aside to the side of the emblem, completely clearing the passage to the stone door.

Accompanied by a deep, heavy creaking sound of stone rubbing together, the heavy, round stone door slowly opened inward, completely revealing the core space of the secret chamber hidden behind it.

Behind the door lies an extremely vast, gigantic stone chamber, its scale beyond imagination. The view stretches forward, making it impossible to see the end of the chamber.

Inside the entire stone chamber, countless massive stone pillars stand in a neat and orderly fashion, supporting the entire underground space.

Each stone pillar is extremely tall and straight, extending upwards and eventually disappearing into the thick, endless darkness above. Even the soft light illuminating Puni's head cannot reach the top of the pillars, making it difficult to discern the complete layout of the entire stone chamber.

At the top of each of the giant stone pillars standing inside the stone chamber, there is a stone snake sculpture in a crouching posture.

All the snake heads are facing downwards towards the ground, looking down at the center of the passage, firmly locking onto every intruder who steps into the secret room.

These stone snakes are not ordinary static stone sculptures, but living magical creations that have been permanently imprisoned by ancient magic and exist in relation to the stone pillars.

Their range of movement is strictly limited by magic, and they can never leave their corresponding stone pillars throughout their lives. However, they possess independent spirituality and mobility. Their bodies, necks, and heads can all rotate freely, making them natural guard mechanisms inside secret chambers.

The gazes of countless stone snakes were all focused on Puni. The abdomen of each stone snake was rhythmically rising and falling, exhibiting the breathing rhythm of a living creature, exuding vibrant vitality.

Even though he was being watched closely by countless unknown ancient creations, Puni did not sense any hostility or murderous intent.

These stone snakes exuded a gentle and restrained aura, harboring no hidden desire to attack; they were merely monitoring and observing.

At the same time, Puni keenly sensed that the spiritual aura, eyes and expressions of these stone snakes were exceptionally familiar, highly consistent with the statues and small figurines he had previously encountered in the lounge.

His mind raced, and a reasonable hypothesis instantly formed in his head.

He finally understood why the small statue could accurately grasp all the dynamics inside the secret chamber and clearly know the basilisk's state and routine.

The stone pillars and spirit snakes in the entire secret chamber are most likely of the same origin and coexist with the small statues, sharing the same sensory field of vision.

The small statues not only have the ability to observe the entire secret chamber through these stone snakes, but they may even have the authority to control and command these guardian spirit snakes, making them the core hub of the entire secret chamber surveillance system.

To verify his conjecture, Puni raised his hand and gently waved it, making a gesture towards the nearest stone pillar and stone snake beside him.

The next second, a highly spiritual scene suddenly unfolded.

The stone serpent that had been staring intently at him suddenly twisted its neck, turning its gaze away and no longer looking at him.

This scene confirmed Puni's suspicions.

This haughty, slightly sullen demeanor, deliberately avoiding eye contact, is exactly like the little statue's usual words and actions. There will never be another example of the same spiritual quality among all the magical creations of Hogwarts.

He secretly found it amusing that the ancient secret chamber mechanism, unchanged for thousands of years, actually harbored such a vivid and quirky little personality.

After a brief moment of surprise and amusement, Puni quickly gathered his thoughts and forcibly pulled his attention back.

Now is not the time to explore the intrigues of the mechanisms or study the ancient creations of the secret chamber. Facing the thousand-year-old serpent monster at its peak is the core task at hand, and there is no room for any slackness or distraction.

Puni gripped his wand firmly with both hands, his nerves taut, fully alert, and steadily continued forward into the depths of the stone chamber.

As they ventured deeper, the clear outline of the end of the vast stone chamber gradually emerged.

A colossal stone sculpture of immense size stands at the deepest part of the chamber, occupying the core position of the entire area; it is Salazars-Slytherin's personal statue.

Despite enduring thousands of years of erosion underground, this statue remains remarkably well-preserved, showing no signs of weathering, damage, or blurred lines. The facial features are sculpted with exceptional clarity and three-dimensionality, with every detail intact, showcasing the exquisite craftsmanship of ancient artisans.

It is precisely this extremely clear carving that fully reveals the facial features of the statue itself.

Unlike the exquisite portraits and elegant legends passed down through the ages, this real primitive statue has rather coarse facial lines, disproportionate features, and a somewhat dull and simple facial contour. Overall, it is not particularly outstanding, and its expression and appearance even have a hint of ape-like texture.

As Puni gazed at the renowned statue of the founder before him, a simple sense of emotion welled up within him.

The founder of Slytherin, who is revered and regarded as a legend by countless people in later generations, was not particularly outstanding in appearance, and certainly not handsome.

A sudden confrontation with the appearance of the thousand-year-old serpent monster.

Puni stared at the rough facial features of the Slytherin statue in front of him and couldn't help but complain in his heart. This legendary founder not only had an ordinary appearance, but also had a pitifully thin scalp, making him look bald. This was completely different from the noble and elegant aristocratic image that was circulated in the outside world.

The moment his thoughts began to stir, the atmosphere in the entire secret room suddenly changed drastically.

The stone snakes that had been quietly coiled and docile on the surrounding giant stone pillars began to stir.

Countless stone snakes rapidly climbed, shifted, and moved on the surface of the dedicated stone pillars, their bodies swimming back and forth at high speed.

Limited by ancient magical rules, they cannot detach themselves from the stone pillar and cannot make any sound. They can only use this extremely agitated movement to frantically transmit danger warning signals.

Puni clearly noticed all the unusual movements of the stone snakes and knew in his heart that they were giving him a warning.

He was secretly grateful for the kindness of these spirit snakes, but he didn't need the warning, because he had already sensed the approaching danger seconds earlier.

A thick, murky aura drifted slowly in along the underground air currents, breaking the deathly silence of the secret chamber.

It was a unique smell, a mixture of damp, decaying earth, the stench of wild animals, and the strong scent of blood. It was heavy and pungent, permeating the entire stone chamber and impossible to ignore.

The intense smell of blood was enough to prove that the basilisk had hunted thoroughly in the Forbidden Forest, and it also confirmed what the little statue said: it was currently at the peak of its physical strength and combat power.

Puni quickly gathered all his idle thoughts, turned around, and nimbly faced the dark area deep inside the stone chamber.

In the endless, dark depths of the earth, an enormous silhouette slowly moved, steadily drifting toward him.

The beast's body was too large to fully stretch out in the empty stone chamber. Each movement required a strenuous adjustment of its posture, and its movements were noticeably sluggish and heavy.

The silhouette in the darkness drew ever closer, the shape of the behemoth becoming increasingly clear, and an oppressive atmosphere instantly filled the entire area.

As the stone snakes became increasingly frantic and agitated, countless stone sculptures spun rapidly, almost leaving afterimages on the stone pillars, pushing the atmosphere of alertness in the entire secret chamber to its extreme.

The next second, an enormous snake head pierced through the darkness and appeared directly in front of Puni.

This is a snake's head with flat, broad lines. The skull is hard and thick, and a straight, hard horn grows from the center of the top of the head. The horn is as hard as a crystal.

Behind the unicorn's scalp, a tuft of fine, scarlet, fleshy crest feathers grows, their shape flamboyant and abrupt, like the crest of a bird, gleaming faintly with a bloody light in the dim underground.

The height of just one snake head far exceeded that of Puni's body; the difference in size between the two was enormous, and the overwhelming ancient pressure emanating from them was suffocating.

A pair of round, protruding, dark yellow vertical pupils were firmly locked onto the human in front of him. The pupils contracted and opened slightly, and primal ferocity and doubt surged in the depths of his eyes.

The giant beast that had been entrenched in the secret chamber for thousands of years was clearly puzzled as to why a young wizard would rashly trespass into this forbidden area and appear in its territory.

Faced with the basilisk's extremely intimidating gaze, an ordinary wizard would have already lost his mind and died instantly.

But Puni did not flinch. He opened his eyes open and met the basilisk's deadly gaze steadily and firmly, without showing the slightest fear or retreat.

He conveyed his confidence in the most direct way, completely shattering the basilisk's preconceived notions about human wizards.

The stone snakes that were frantically thrashing about on the surrounding pillars suddenly stopped climbing and turning after observing this scene.

Chapter 130 The Spirit of Holy Light

The human who broke into the secret room was completely unafraid of the basilisk's deadly gaze, indicating that he had come prepared.

The spiritual consciousness of the group of serpents softened slightly, and most of their worries were relieved.

The small statue hidden at the other end of the passage also saw the situation in the arena through the stone snake's vision. Just as its heart was beginning to settle down, a sudden change occurred.

After a brief standoff and observation, the basilisk completed the preparation and adjustment of its entire body's muscles. The tense muscles around its body instantly relaxed, and its massive body suddenly burst out with extreme speed.

Its massive jaws gaped open, revealing layers of sharp, interlocking fangs, and it charged straight at Puni, its attack swift and without warning, carrying a pungent, bloody stench.

The ancient behemoth was not intelligent; its thinking was simple and primitive. It emitted low, indistinct roars, its words chaotic and harsh, filled with primal bloodlust.

"Blood...meat...delicious...eat...eat...eat..."