From a loser to an immortal sage

Chapter 153 Bravely Fighting the Guardian Monster

A strange light burned in its crimson beastly eyes. It slowly stood up, and the wound that had once been deep enough to expose bone was now completely healed, its smooth scales reflecting a cold luster in the sunlight. An even more powerful aura emanated from its body, so oppressive that I could hardly breathe. "What... what are you..." I murmured to myself, gripping the dagger in my hand tightly, my palms sweating.

It didn't answer, but suddenly roared to the sky, a deafening roar that shook the surrounding trees violently. I felt a powerful force rushing towards me, and without thinking, I instinctively rolled to the side, barely dodging its attack. However, the sharp claws still tore at my arm, and a burning pain shot through me. I looked down and saw that my sleeve was ripped open, revealing a deep wound that exposed bone, from which blood gushed.

I gritted my teeth, enduring the pain, and quickly tried to stop the bleeding. This monster was far more powerful than I had imagined! It seemed to possess some kind of powerful self-healing ability, and its speed and strength had increased by more than one level compared to before.

I kept a vigilant eye on it, not daring to relax for a moment. It pounced on me again, with astonishing speed; I could barely see its movements. I barely dodged its attack, but its huge tail slammed into my back, sending me flying and crashing heavily to the ground, feeling as if my internal organs had shifted.

I struggled to stand up, but found my body aching and weak. The monster approached me step by step, its enormous shadow looming over me, filling me with a suffocating fear. It opened its blood-red maw, revealing sharp fangs, and a foul stench assaulted my nostrils.

Am I going to die here today? I refuse! I still have so much to do, I still have so much to do…

Suddenly, I sensed something was amiss. This demonic beast, though powerful, seemed to employ a somewhat predictable attack pattern, and it appeared to be deliberately avoiding my vital points. Did it really want to kill me? Or…?

Just as I was wondering, a voice came from not far away: "Hey, isn't this Xiao Yao? What, you can't even handle a beast?"

I turned my head and saw Lei Hu standing not far away, looking at me with a mocking expression. He had his arms crossed, looking like he was enjoying a good show. Seeing my injured state, he showed no sympathy whatsoever, but instead revealed a gloating smile.

“Lei Hu…” I gritted my teeth and spat out his name.

He smiled dismissively and said, "What, you want me to help you? I'm not some kind of saint. But..." He paused, a greedy glint in his eyes, "If you're willing to give me that elixir, I might consider it."

I stared at him coldly, saying nothing. He walked towards me step by step, his smile growing increasingly sinister…

Blood dripped down my arm, staining the soil beneath my feet. The intense pain made my vision blur. This monster's power far exceeded my expectations; every attack carried an overwhelming force. I could only barely dodge, utterly powerless to retaliate.

"Tsk tsk tsk, what a sorry sight, Xiao Yao." Lei Hu's voice pierced my ears like a venomous snake. He stood leisurely to the side with his arms crossed, showing no intention of helping. "I thought you were so powerful, but it turns out you're nothing special."

Every word he spoke felt like a sharp knife piercing my heart. I gritted my teeth, suppressing my anger, and ignored him. The most important thing now was to resolve the immediate crisis.

The monster roared and charged again. I rolled away to avoid it, but the wound on my back was torn open again, and the pain almost made me faint. I staggered to my feet, only to find that the monster's speed and strength were even more terrifying than before. Each of its attacks was accompanied by a sharp gust of wind, leaving me with no way to dodge.

What's going on? How did this monster's strength suddenly increase so much?

Just as I was wondering, I felt a chilling aura coming from afar. I looked up abruptly and saw Elder Xuanfeng standing under a large tree not far away. He was forming hand seals and chanting incantations. A black mist emanated from his hands and slowly drifted toward the demon beast.

My heart sank. I understood! Elder Xuanfeng was secretly helping the demon beast! That old scoundrel, how could he be so despicable!

My heart was filled with anger and despair. Faced with such a powerful monster and a treacherous enemy, I felt like prey trapped in a spider web, powerless to struggle.

"Xiao Yao, I think you should just give up. You're no match for it." Lei Hu's voice rang out again, tinged with sarcasm. "If you hand over the elixir to me now, I might consider saving your life."

I glared at him coldly, without saying a word. Even if I die, I will not hand over the elixir to this despicable man!

The monster lunged at me again, and I endured the pain to barely dodge its attack. However, at that moment, my footing gave way, and I plummeted downwards.

trap!

I was startled, realizing that I was now surrounded by traps! I tried to steady myself, but it was too late. I fell heavily into a deep pit, and a sharp pain shot through me. I felt like my bones were about to break.

I struggled to get up, only to find that my legs had gone numb. I looked up and saw Lei Hu standing at the edge of the pit, looking down at me with a sinister smile on his face.

"Xiao Yao, it seems your luck has run out." His voice was cold and ruthless. "I'll gladly accept this immortal herb."

As he spoke, he was about to jump into the deep pit.

Just then, a clear voice came from afar: "Wait!"

Ling'er descended from the sky, landing lightly on the edge of the pit, blocking Lei Hu's path. She held a vibrant green vine in her hand, her eyes fixed firmly on Lei Hu: "You won't be able to harm Sister Xiao Yao!"

Lei Hu sneered disdainfully: "A little elf dares to stop me?"

"Ling'er is no ordinary little elf!" Ling'er's voice was clear and strong. "I am the guardian elf of Immortal Medicine Valley!"

Lei Hu's expression changed slightly; the guardian spirits of Immortal Medicine Valley were not to be trifled with. He hesitated for a moment, but ultimately did not make a move.

Ling'er turned around and looked at me with concern: "Sister Xiao Yao, are you alright?"

I shook my head and forced a smile: "I'm fine, thank you, Ling'er."

"Sister Xiao Yao, don't worry, I'll help you." Ling'er said, waving the vines in her hand and pulling me out of the deep pit.

I gave her a grateful look, then glanced around warily. Elder Xuanfeng was still in the distance, his chilling gaze sending shivers down my spine. As for Lei Hu, although he was temporarily intimidated by Ling'er, I knew he wouldn't give up easily.

What unsettled me even more was the sense that there seemed to be more traps around us. Upon closer inspection, I discovered that these traps were extremely well-hidden; they would have been nearly impossible to spot unless I had been specifically looking for them. These traps were clearly not set by demonic beasts, so…

My gaze fell on Zi Ling, who was standing not far away with a barely perceptible sneer on her face.

My heart sank. I understood! It was Zi Ling! She secretly set these traps around us while I was fighting the monsters! What a vicious woman!

I took a deep breath and forced myself to calm down. Now is not the time to assign blame; the most important thing is to resolve the immediate crisis.

The monster roared and charged again. I dared not relax for a moment, nimbly weaving between its attacks and traps. Every step I took was cautious, and every dodge was incredibly precise.

I am like a nimble butterfly, dancing on the tip of a knife.

Lei Hu and Zi Ling were both dumbfounded. They never expected that I could be so at ease in such a dangerous situation.

I sneered, my heart filled with disdain. Trying to deal with me with such petty tricks? They're underestimating me!

While dodging the attacks of the monsters, I secretly observed the surrounding terrain. I discovered that the terrain in this area was quite complex, with many places that could be used.

A bold idea popped into my head.

I took a deep breath, a resolute glint in my eyes. It was time to fight back!

I began to attack the monster proactively. I cast spells, and sharp sword energies shot towards the monster's eyes.

The monster let out an angry roar, its eyes becoming even more ferocious as it was enraged by my attack.

It lunged at me again, but I dodged to the side and then used a sword formed from my spiritual energy to stab the monster in the abdomen.

The monster became even more ferocious after being injured. It breathed fire, which I blocked with a shield. Then, using the surrounding terrain, I jumped to a high place and delivered a heavy blow to the monster from above.

The monster let out a shrill scream, and its body crashed heavily to the ground, where it lay motionless.

I landed slowly, looking at the monster lying on the ground, but I felt no relief whatsoever.

Because I sensed that this monster... didn't seem to be completely dead yet.

It exuded an eerie aura, an aura that... made my heart pound.

“It… seems to be…” Ling’er’s voice trembled, tinged with fear.

I suddenly looked up at the monster...

The moment I landed, the monster convulsed violently, and a dark purple mist emanated from its body, filling the air with a nauseating stench. "It...it's going to self-destruct!" Ling'er cried out in terror. My heart sank. Self-destruct? This monster actually chose to self-destruct! The power of a monster's self-destruction is extraordinary; if one were caught in it, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Without a second thought, I immediately mobilized all my spiritual energy to create a thick spiritual energy barrier in front of me. At the same time, I shouted a warning, "Ling'er, get out of the way!" Ling'er reacted quickly, flashing behind a boulder in the distance.

Almost at the same moment Ling'er dodged, the demonic beast let out a deafening roar. Its body rapidly expanded, and the dark purple mist thickened, as if it would devour the entire world. Boom! With a deafening roar, the beast's body exploded, and a powerful shockwave swept over, causing my spiritual energy barrier to tremble violently, as if it would shatter at any moment. I gritted my teeth, desperately maintaining the barrier, feeling every bone in my body cracking and creaking.

The shockwave from the explosion lasted for a long time, uprooting the surrounding trees and creating a huge crater in the ground. Sand and stones flew everywhere, blotting out the sun, and the whole world seemed to fall into chaos.

After an unknown amount of time, the shockwave finally dissipated, and the dust slowly settled. I removed my spiritual energy barrier, feeling sore all over and completely drained of my spiritual energy. I staggered a few steps and almost fell to the ground.

"Sister Xiao Yao, are you alright?" Ling'er ran out from behind the boulder, looking at me with a worried expression.

I shook my head, forcing myself to stand firm, and said, "I'm fine, just that I've overused my spiritual energy." I looked around at the scene of devastation. The once lush forest was now just bare tree trunks and rubble scattered everywhere.

Lei Hu and Zi Ling emerged from their hiding place, their faces pale, clearly terrified by the explosion. Lei Hu looked at me with fear; he hadn't expected me to withstand the monster's self-destruction. Zi Ling, on the other hand, wore a grim expression; her carefully laid trap had served no purpose whatsoever.

I ignored them and walked to the center of the explosion to examine it closely. After the monster self-destructed, it left behind a fist-sized black crystal, the surface of which emitted a faint black light, looking extremely eerie.

"What is this?" Ling'er asked curiously.

"This is a demon core," I explained, "the essence contained within a demon beast's body." I carefully picked up the demon core and put it into my storage bag. This demon core contains powerful energy; it can be used to refine pills or to enhance one's cultivation.

"Congratulations, Sister Xiao Yao, on obtaining the demon core!" Ling'er said happily.

I smiled slightly, but felt little joy. Although I had defeated the demon beast and obtained its core, I still had a feeling that things weren't so simple. What exactly was this demon beast guarding? Why did it choose to self-destruct? These questions still troubled me.

I looked up at the Valley of Immortal Medicine in the distance, my heart filled with doubt and unease.