From a loser to an immortal sage

Chapter 373 Yao Maiden Enters Immortal Spirit Ruins, First Encounter with Mystery and Peril

Huff... The air I inhaled carried an ancient, dusty smell, like the aroma of wine wafting from a thousand-year-old cellar, except that this "wine" smelled a bit creepy.

The moment I stepped into the Immortal Ruins, the expected splendor and celestial music did not appear. Instead, a powerful force instantly enveloped us, and everything before my eyes was a vast expanse of white, thicker than the beard of that old guy, the Wind Demon King!

"What happened?!" Zi Ling's voice trembled slightly. This little girl usually seems quite clever, but she always messes up at crucial moments.

"Don't panic," I said, patting her shoulder as if to appear calm, though my heart was pounding. "It's just a smokescreen, a trivial trick."

But while I spoke casually, this fog was incredibly eerie, like a living thing, constantly changing shape, making everything in front of me distorted and blurry.

I tried to use my divine sense to find the way, but it was like throwing a stone into the sea—there was no echo at all.

What's even stranger is that time seems to have lost its meaning here. I felt as if a long time had passed, yet it also felt as if only a moment had gone by.

"Xiao Yao, this fog... something's not right." Even the usually composed Wen Chen spoke up, his voice low and carrying a hint of barely perceptible worry.

"I know." I gritted my teeth and scratched my hair in frustration.

It felt like falling into a giant, soft, yet suffocating abyss.

"This won't do, we'll get lost here!" Zi Ling's voice grew increasingly panicked. She had already exhausted a lot of her spiritual energy, and her face had turned pale.

Just as I was about to say something to comfort her, a chilling laugh suddenly came from the depths of the mist, like a venomous snake flicking its tongue, sending shivers down my spine.

"Hehehe... It seems someone has already gone before us."

That voice… I immediately realized it was Blood Fiend! That persistent ghost!

As the mist gradually dissipated, Blood Fiend's repulsive face appeared before us, followed by a motley crew of menacing and menacing-looking people who were clearly no good.

"Oh, isn't this Fairy Xiao?" Blood Fiend said in a sarcastic tone, his eyes scanning me up and down with greed and malice. "What, are you also interested in the treasures of this Immortal Spirit Ruins?"

"Blood Fiend, what do you mean?" I stared at him coldly, trying hard to suppress the urge to beat him up.

"What do you mean? Heh heh..." Blood Fiend chuckled twice. "Of course, you're here to search for treasure! The treasures in these Immortal Spirit Ruins aren't for just anyone to get their hands on, not for a piece of trash like you..."

He paused deliberately, his eyes filled with contempt, "You'd better just go back obediently!"

A good-for-nothing?!

A surge of anger welled up inside me. That damned Blood Fiend, how dare he look down on me like that!

Just as I was about to retort, Wen Chen grabbed my hand and gently shook his head.

I understand what he means. Now is not the time to act rashly. Blood Fiend's strength should not be underestimated. We must be careful.

“Blood Fiend,” Wen Chen’s voice was icy cold, devoid of any emotion, “you’d better not block my way.”

"Blocking my way? Heh heh..." Blood Fiend laughed so hard he almost fell over, as if he had heard a joke. "You think you can take my treasure?"

His laughter abruptly stopped, his eyes turning sinister and ruthless. "Brothers, charge!"

"Go! Tear them to pieces!" Blood Fiend gave the order, and the group of henchmen behind him pounced on them like hungry wolves seeing lambs, howling as they charged forward.

The light of the magical artifacts flickered in the mist, and the clanging of swords clashing, the chanting of incantations, and the muffled groans of the wounded mingled together like a chaotic stew, making one feel uneasy.

Ziling was terrified, her face turning pale. She hid behind me, trembling, and kept muttering, "It's over, it's over, I'm really going to die here..."

I shoved her next to Wen Chen and yelled, "Take good care of her!"

Wen Chen nodded, drew a long sword, and shielded Zi Ling behind him.

I wasn't idle either. I drew my treasure, "Sunset Glow," its blade glowing with a faint red light, as beautiful as the sunset, yet also carrying a deadly killing intent.

"Sunset Glow" Sword Technique!

I silently recited the incantation, and the tip of my sword drew a graceful arc, bringing with it a burst of red sword energy, like a burning flame, sweeping towards Blood Fiend's subordinates.

"what!"

"my hand!"

"Help!"

Screams rose and fell as Blood Fiend's men were struck by my sword energy. Some were injured, while others were cut in two, their flesh and blood flying everywhere. The scene was extremely bloody.

However, these guys were like cockroaches that could never be killed. As soon as one batch fell, another batch would swarm in. Moreover, their attacks became more and more ferocious, and they threw all sorts of magical artifacts and talismans at us as if they were free.

"Damn it!" I cursed under my breath, and swung my sword several times, knocking back several approaching enemies.

"puff!"

Just then, I heard a muffled groan. I turned my head and saw that Elder Qingfeng's left arm had been stabbed by a flying knife, and blood instantly stained his sleeve.

"Elder Qingfeng!" I exclaimed, feeling a pang of guilt.

It's all my fault. If I hadn't insisted on coming to this damned ruin, Elder Qingfeng wouldn't have been injured.

"I'm fine..." Elder Qingfeng endured the pain, his face as pale as paper.

Seeing this, I could no longer suppress my anger. I, Xiao Yao, am not some pushover to be bullied!

I will make these guys pay the price!

However, my anger did not make me lose my mind.

I took a deep breath, forced myself to calm down, and quickly observed my surroundings.

This fog... seems rather strange.

I closed my eyes, released my consciousness, and carefully sensed the changes in the airflow around me.

Although the fog obscured the view, the airflow within it was not entirely without pattern.

I discovered that these air currents sometimes move to the left, sometimes to the right, sometimes rise, and sometimes fall. They seem chaotic, but upon closer inspection, one can find a certain pattern hidden within them.

Like...like a winding path, pointing the way.

"Found it!" I exclaimed, opening my eyes wide.

This is no ordinary fog; it's a giant maze!

Those idiots, Blood Fiend and his gang, only knew how to charge around recklessly and didn't discover the secret behind it at all.

"Follow me!" I shouted, and rushed off in one direction.

Wen Chen and Zi Ling followed closely behind me without the slightest hesitation.

Although Elder Qingfeng was injured, he gritted his teeth and followed.

Following the changes in airflow that I sensed, I zigzagged left and right through the fog, constantly changing direction.

Blood Fiend's men were left disoriented by our attacks, which gradually missed their mark.

"What happened? Where did they go?"

"Damn it, this fog is too eerie!"

"Lord Blood Fiend, we can't catch up with them!"

Blood Fiend's men began to panic, their shouts echoing through the mist, sounding particularly comical.

"Hmph, a bunch of useless trash!" Blood Fiend roared in exasperation, his face ashen, his eyes filled with anger and astonishment. "This little bitch actually managed to solve the maze's puzzle?!"

He never imagined that a girl he considered useless would have such keen insight.

"Lord Blood Fiend, what do we do now?" one of his subordinates asked cautiously.

"Chase them! Chase them!" Blood Fiend said through gritted teeth. "We must capture them and tear them to pieces!"

However, no matter how hard they tried, they could not catch up with us.

I led everyone, following the patterns of the maze, and we continued to move deeper into the maze.

After about half an hour, we finally got out of the maze.

The fog gradually dissipated, revealing a wide-open space before us.

"Phew... Finally out!" Zi Ling breathed a sigh of relief and plopped down on the ground, panting heavily.

Elder Qingfeng also leaned against a rock, closing his eyes to rest.

I looked around and found that this place resembled a huge square. In the center of the square stood a towering stone tablet, inscribed with ancient characters that emitted a faint spiritual light.

Just as I was about to examine the stone tablet closely, a huge roar suddenly came from ahead, and the ground began to tremble violently.

"Roar!"

A deafening roar erupted, making our eardrums ring.

I looked up abruptly and saw a huge monster appear at the other end of the square.

This monster was enormous, standing dozens of feet tall, covered in black scales, with a pair of huge horns on its head, and eyes that gleamed red like lanterns.

Even more terrifying was the powerful aura emanating from this monster, an aura several times stronger than that of the Blood Fiend, which made it almost impossible for us to breathe.

"This is... a Phantom Beast?!" Elder Qingfeng exclaimed, his voice filled with fear.

"Phantom Beast?" I frowned; the name didn't sound like a good thing.

“This phantom beast… seems to be waiting for something…” Wen Chen suddenly said, pointing in front of the phantom beast with a solemn expression.