From a loser to an immortal sage

Chapter 120 A Perilous Journey into the Demon Realm

Darkness engulfed us, and the heavy stench of decay felt like an invisible hand gripping my throat, making me want to vomit. I held Wen Chen's hand tightly; his palm was warm and dry, offering me a sliver of comfort. I struggled to control my erratic breathing, following him step by step. Master Qingfeng, holding his whisk, brought up the rear; his righteous aura shone like a beacon in the darkness.

"Watch out!" Master Qingfeng shouted in a low voice, and swept his whisk forward sharply.

Almost simultaneously, a group of hideous creatures sprang out of the darkness. They resembled demons, with grayish-white skin and scarlet eyes, baring their fangs and claws as they lunged at us. The stench of decay in the air intensified; I could almost feel their foul breath spraying onto my face.

Instinctively, I took a step back, pressing myself tightly against Wen Chen. Fear surged into my heart like a tidal wave, almost overwhelming me. I had never seen such a terrifying sight before; even in countless battles against demonic beasts, I had never been so afraid.

"Yao'er, don't be afraid." Wen Chen's voice rang in my ears, steady and powerful, like a shot of adrenaline, instantly dispelling the fear in my heart.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down. I told myself I couldn't be afraid, I couldn't back down. I am Xiao Yao, a cultivator who rose from nothing to where I am today. I have endured countless hardships and defeated countless enemies; I cannot be intimidated by these ugly creatures.

I drew my sword, and the blade emitted a clear, resonant hum, as if in response to my resolve.

The creatures emitted sharp, piercing cries, like wails from hell, sending chills down our spines. They brandished their sharp claws and lunged at us.

Master Qingfeng waved his whisk, and streaks of golden light flashed, knocking away any creatures that approached. He chanted incantations, clearly using some powerful Taoist technique.

"These are just the lowest-level demonic soldiers, nothing to fear." Wen Chen's voice remained calm, yet carried an undeniable air of authority.

He slowly raised his right hand, and a dazzling white light condensed in his palm. The white light grew stronger and stronger, eventually transforming into a huge pillar of light that shot straight into the sky.

"boom--"

With a deafening roar, the beam of light struck a group of creatures, blasting them to pieces. Black demonic energy permeated the air, and the stench of decay intensified.

More creatures poured out of the darkness, seemingly endless. They roared angrily and pounced on us madly.

Wen Chen's eyes sharpened, and the light in his hand flashed again... "Yao'er, protect yourself." His deep voice rang in my ear, and then he flashed forward like an arrow released from a bow. Wen Chen's figure weaved through the demonic soldiers, as fast as lightning. Each of his attacks was accompanied by a dazzling white light and a deafening roar. Those hideous demonic soldiers were like paper before him, being knocked away, exploded, and turned into black smoke that dissipated into the air.

I followed closely behind, my longsword flashing, its energy like a rainbow, slaying the demonic soldiers who approached me one by one. Although my swordsmanship wasn't as powerful as Wen Chen's, it was still sharp and precise. Combined with Wen Chen's attacks, it was enough to barely hold off the demonic soldiers' onslaught.

However, the number of these demonic soldiers was simply too great, like a tidal wave, wave after wave, seemingly endless. Moreover, their attack methods were extremely bizarre; sometimes they would tear and bite with sharp claws, sometimes they would spew out black poisonous mist, and they could even emit sharp and ear-piercing sonic attacks to disturb our minds.

I swung my sword and severed the claws of a demonic soldier, only to find that my sword energy couldn't do much damage. Black demonic energy surged at its wound, quickly healing it.

"These demonic soldiers have extremely strong regenerative abilities; ordinary immortal techniques are not very effective against them!" I loudly reminded Wen Chen.

Upon hearing this, Wen Chen paused slightly, and the white light in his hand became even more dazzling. He let out a low shout, and an even thicker beam of light shot out from his hand, enveloping a large group of demonic soldiers.

This time, the demon soldier struck by the beam of light did not recover immediately. Instead, it let out a painful roar as its body gradually melted, eventually turning into a pool of black liquid.

"It seems we'll need even more powerful immortal techniques to completely eliminate them," Wen Chen said, his tone still calm, yet tinged with a hint of solemnity.

I nodded and began to try using more advanced immortal techniques. I took a deep breath, mobilized all the spiritual power in my body, and the longsword in my hand emitted a dazzling golden light.

"Break!" I shouted, and a golden sword aura shot out from my hand like lightning, instantly piercing through the bodies of several demon soldiers.

These demonic soldiers let out a shrill scream, their bodies turning into black fragments and completely dissipating into the air.

I was overjoyed; it seemed my advanced immortal techniques were still effective against these demonic soldiers.

However, my joy did not last long. More demonic soldiers poured out of the darkness, their attacks becoming more ferocious and insane.

I felt my spiritual power being rapidly depleted, while the number of demonic soldiers showed no signs of decreasing.

"This won't do, our spiritual energy will run out sooner or later!" I said anxiously.

Wen Chen's expression also became somewhat serious. He looked around, and his eyes suddenly lit up.

"Yao'er, let's retreat to Master Qingfeng's place first!"

I followed his gaze and saw Master Qingfeng standing not far away, waving his whisk. Golden light formed a protective barrier around him, keeping the approaching demon soldiers at bay.

We immediately moved closer to where Master Qingfeng was.

Just then, I felt the ground beneath my feet tremble, and a powerful surge of demonic energy erupted from the ground… “Watch out!” Wen Chen pulled me behind him, his eyes fixed warily on the ground. A jagged crack appeared in the ground, and thick, black demonic energy billowed out like billowing smoke, carrying a nauseating stench. I almost suffocated from the demonic energy; my stomach churned. Wen Chen shielded me behind him, his body radiating a warm white light, forming a barrier that kept the unpleasant demonic energy at bay.

"Yao'er, are you alright?" His concerned voice carried a hint of nervousness.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm my churning stomach: "I'm fine." The tremor just now still left me shaken, and I gripped the longsword tightly in my hand, not daring to relax for a moment.

“This demonic energy…” I frowned, carefully sensing the surging demonic energy around me, “something seems off.”

Wen Chen also noticed the abnormality: "Indeed, this demonic energy is purer than the one we encountered before, and..." He paused, "it seems to be controlled by some kind of force."

I carefully observed the frantically surging demonic soldiers. Although they attacked Master Qingfeng's defensive formation with relentless ferocity, they were not entirely without strategy. Their attacks seemed to follow a certain pattern, wave after wave rhythmically crashing against the formation's light barrier like a tide.

“They seem to be…being directed,” I whispered, a sense of unease rising within me.

Just then, Master Qingfeng's voice came: "My formation can't hold for much longer! You all need to think of a way!" His voice trembled slightly, clearly indicating that he was nearing his limit.

I turned my head and saw that the once golden defensive formation of Daoist Qingfeng had become dim and lifeless, its light screen cracked and teetering on the verge of collapse. The demonic soldiers were attacking the formation even more frantically, letting out deafening roars.

"We must find something to control these demonic soldiers as soon as possible!" Wen Chen said in a deep voice. The white light in his hand erupted again, and sharp sword energies shot towards the demonic soldiers like a rainstorm, trying to relieve the pressure on Daoist Qingfeng.

I tried to calm myself down and carefully observed the movements of the demonic soldiers again. Although their movements were fierce, they had a clear repetitiveness, as if... they were performing some kind of ritual.

My gaze fell on the crack in the ground that was still spewing out demonic energy, and a thought suddenly flashed through my mind: Could it be that the thing controlling these demonic soldiers is under this crack?

"Wen Chen!" I pointed to the crack in the ground, "I think the thing controlling the demonic soldiers is down there!"

Wen Chen followed my gaze, his brows furrowed: "Yao'er, the demonic energy in this crevice is too heavy; it's too dangerous to go down rashly!"

I knew he was worried about my safety, but I had a strong feeling that if we didn't go down and find out, we might miss a crucial opportunity.

"We must go down!" I said firmly. "Only by finding what controls the demonic soldiers can we completely resolve this crisis!"

Seeing the determination in my eyes, Wen Chen finally nodded: "Alright, let's go down together. Master Qingfeng, try your best to hold on!"

Master Qingfeng's voice came from within the crumbling formation: "I will do my best!"

Wen Chen grabbed my hand, and the white light around him suddenly intensified, enveloping us tightly. Then he took a deep breath, and with me in his arms, he leaped into the demonic energy rift filled with unknown dangers.

As we fell, I gripped Wen Chen's hand tightly, feeling the warmth of his palm. The demonic energy around us grew increasingly dense, threatening to engulf us. I struggled to stay alert, vigilantly observing everything around me.

Suddenly, I felt Wen Chen's hand tighten.

"Yao'er..." he said solemnly, his gaze fixed ahead...

Wen Chen's hand tightened suddenly, and I followed his gaze, my heart clenching. Deep within the churning demonic energy, a tall figure loomed, engulfed in raging black flames, like a demon god from hell. Even without seeing his face, I could feel the suffocating pressure emanating from him.

"It's the Black Flame Demon King!" I instinctively gripped my longsword, cold sweat beading on my palms. The Black Flame Demon King, the supreme ruler of the Demon Realm, possessed unfathomable strength; even Wen Chen dared not underestimate him.

His appearance seemed to inject a stimulant into the surrounding monsters, causing them to let out even sharper and more piercing roars, and their attacks became even more frenzied and violent. The white light surrounding Wen Chen flickered violently, clearly as he struggled to resist this immense pressure.

"Yao'er, be careful!" Wen Chen's voice was low and urgent. He shielded me behind him, his long sword flashing with sharp sword energy, cutting the attacking demon into pieces.

I took a deep breath, trying to stay calm. I knew we were in grave danger; one wrong step and we would be doomed. I had to pull myself together and fight alongside Wen Chen!

I wielded my longsword, slaying the approaching demons one by one. Although these demons were numerous, they weren't particularly strong, and I could barely handle them. However, the presence of the Black Flame Demon King was like a mountain, pressing down on me and making it hard to breathe.

"This can't go on!" I said to Wen Chen while fending off the monsters' attacks. "The appearance of the Black Flame Demon King has driven these monsters even crazier. We must find something to control them as soon as possible!"

Wen Chen's expression was also very serious: "I know, but we're trapped here now and have no way to get out!"

Just then, I noticed that the attacks from the surrounding monsters seemed to have become more rhythmic; their movements were perfectly synchronized, as if they were performing some kind of ritual. My gaze fell once again on the crack in the ground spewing demonic energy, and a bold guess suddenly formed in my mind.

"Wen Chen, I've got an idea!" I pointed to the crack. "Perhaps the thing controlling these monsters is beneath this crack. If we can destroy it, maybe we can control these monsters!"

Wen Chen's gaze also fell on the crack. He hesitated for a moment, but finally nodded: "Okay, let's give it a shot!"

He grabbed my hand, and a burst of white light erupted from his body once more, forming a solid barrier that enveloped us tightly. Then, he took a deep breath and carried me back down into the crevice below.

As we fell, the surrounding demonic energy grew even denser, almost to the point of complete darkness. I gripped Wen Chen's hand tightly, feeling the warmth of his palm, which brought me a sense of security.

Suddenly, I felt Wen Chen's body stiffen abruptly.

"Yao'er..." His voice was low, his gaze fixed ahead, the longsword in his hand humming as if sensing something powerful. I followed his gaze and vaguely saw a figure...