From a loser to an immortal sage

Chapter 155 A Desperate Struggle in a Desperate Situation

The golden light intensified, but I felt the spiritual energy within my body surge towards the protective mirror like a burst dam. This wasn't protection; it was a death trap! In terror, I tried to discard it, but found it clinging to my palm like a suction cup, completely immovable. Did Zi Ling already know the secret of this protective mirror? Was she deliberately letting me take it to eliminate me? This thought flashed through my mind like lightning, sending chills down my spine.

"Little girl, let's see how long you can last!" Lei Hu's gruff voice came from outside the poisonous fog, laced with smugness and mockery. He clearly thought I was already trapped, leisurely searching for the elixir. I gritted my teeth, enduring the excruciating pain of my spiritual energy being drained, desperately circulating my inner energy to try and stop this terrible loss.

"Sister Xiao Yao!" A clear voice pierced through the poisonous fog. I looked in the direction of the voice and saw a figure in emerald green appearing and disappearing in the fog. It was Ling'er!

"Ling'er? What are you doing here?" I asked weakly.

Ling'er floated to my side, her voice anxious: "This poisonous fog is strange; it seems to specifically target the spiritual power of cultivators. Sister Xiao Yao, quickly throw away the protective mirror; it's absorbing your spiritual power!"

Ling'er's words confirmed my suspicions, and I was even more horrified. So that's how it is! This wasn't a protective magic weapon at all, but a trap! I used the last of my strength to try to pry the protective mirror off my hand, but it was all in vain.

“Don’t waste your energy,” Ling’er sighed helplessly. “This protective mirror has been corroded by the poisonous fog and has established a connection with you. Unless the poisonous fog dissipates, you will not be able to get rid of it.”

Am I really going to die here? Despair began to creep in, and just as I was about to give up, Ling'er suddenly said, "Wait, Pharmacist Mo once said that there's a spiritual herb in Immortal Medicine Valley that can cure all poisons. Perhaps it can..."

Ling'er's words were like a lifeline, rekindling my hope. "Where is the spirit herb?" I asked anxiously.

“Near the icy pool at the bottom of the valley,” Ling’er pointed in a direction, “but it’s guarded by powerful demonic beasts and is very dangerous.”

"I can't worry about anything else now," I gritted my teeth, "rather than sit and wait to die, I'd rather fight to the death!"

I forced myself to stay upright, following Ling'er towards the icy pool. The poisonous fog grew thicker and thicker, my vision became increasingly blurred, and every step felt like walking on a knife's edge.

"Roar!" A deafening roar suddenly rang out, and I felt a chill run down my spine. It seemed we had entered the territory of a demonic beast.

I gripped the protective mirror tightly; even though it was draining my spiritual energy, it was my only protection at this moment. The roars of the demonic beast grew closer, and my heart pounded faster and faster, as if it would leap out of my chest at any moment…

"Xiao Yao!" A deep, steady voice came from afar—it was Pharmacist Mo! My heart leaped with joy; could it be…

Before I could react, a dark shadow flashed by, and the Pharmacist Mo appeared before me. He glanced at the breastplate in my hand, his expression changing drastically. "Quick, give me the breastplate!"

Without hesitation, I handed him the protective mirror. The apothecary took the mirror, chanted incantations, and a golden light flashed. The mirror's light dimmed instantly, and the sensation of it absorbing my spiritual energy disappeared.

I let out a long sigh of relief, feeling much lighter. Only then did I notice that not far away, Lei Hu was being entangled by a huge demonic beast, and he seemed to be... fleeing towards Elder Xuanfeng's direction?

The apothecary helped me up and asked with concern, "How are you feeling?" I shook my head, indicating that I was fine, just a little weak from excessive spiritual energy consumption. My gaze, however, was fixed on Lei Hu and Elder Xuan Feng. Lei Hu was being forced back by the demonic beasts, but he was intentionally or unintentionally leading them towards Elder Xuan Feng's location. There seemed to be some kind of tacit understanding between the two of them.

"Sister Xiao Yao, be careful!" Ling'er's voice trembled slightly. Only then did I notice that Zi Ling was standing not far away, a sinister smile on her lips. She held a jade talisman in her hand, emitting a faint purple light. Alarm bells rang in my mind; my intuition told me that this jade talisman was definitely not a good thing.

"Ziling, what are you up to now?" I asked sharply, forcing myself to endure my weakness.

Zi Ling chuckled, her tone full of sarcasm: "What are you up to? Of course, I'm helping you out, Sister Xiao Yao. Didn't you want that immortal herb? I'll help you lure it over right now."

As soon as she finished speaking, the jade talisman in Zi Ling's hand shattered, turning into a cloud of purple mist that drifted towards the icy pool. Immediately afterward, a chilling roar came from the depths of the icy pool, even more ferocious and terrifying than the roar of the previous demonic beast.

"Not good! It's the guardian beast of the Frozen Pool!" Pharmacist Mo's expression changed drastically. "This beast's strength far surpasses the previous demonic beasts; we must leave this place immediately!"

"Want to leave? Not so easy!" Zi Ling sneered, her hands quickly forming hand seals, and a purple light screen instantly enveloped us, blocking our retreat.

I was burning with rage. This Zi Ling was utterly wicked! To obtain the elixir, she was willing to put us to death! "Zi Ling, you're insane! Even you can't handle the guardian beast of this icy pool!"

"Can't handle it?" Zi Ling's smile grew even more sinister. "Who said I was going to deal with it? My target has never been it, but..." Her gaze fell on me, a hint of malice in it, "...it's you, Xiao Yao!"

Meanwhile, the demonic beasts lured by Lei Hu joined the battle, launching a fierce attack on Mo Yaoshi. Although Mo Yaoshi was quite powerful, he was struggling to cope with two powerful demonic beasts at the same time.

My heart was burning with anxiety. On one hand, I had to be wary of Zi Ling's treachery, and on the other hand, I was worried about the safety of Pharmacist Mo. Just then, I felt a powerful pressure coming from the depths of the icy pool, and the ground began to tremble violently, as if some enormous creature was about to burst out of the earth.

"Roar!" A deafening roar rang out again, and a huge black shadow soared into the sky from the icy pool, blotting out the sun. It was a behemoth several times larger than the previous monster, its body covered in black scales, exuding a suffocatingly terrifying aura.

Upon seeing this, Elder Xuanfeng showed no fear whatsoever; instead, he revealed an excited smile. "Excellent! This is the guardian beast of the Frozen Pool I've been searching for! As long as I obtain its inner core, my cultivation will break through its bottleneck and reach a higher realm!"

He rapidly formed hand seals, and black runes flew from his hands, merging into the giant beast's body. The beast's eyes instantly turned blood red, and it let out an even more frenzied roar, charging towards us.

I quickly activated my defensive magic weapon to withstand the giant beast's attack. However, the beast's power was simply too great, and my defensive magic weapon began to crack...

Zi Ling's voice rang in my ears, tinged with a hint of mockery: "Xiao Yao, your end has come..." She slowly raised her hand, a ball of purple energy gathering in it, pointing directly at me...

Zi Ling's cold laughter was like a venomous snake's hiss, piercing and chilling. I watched helplessly as the purple energy ball in her hand grew larger and larger, the shadow of death looming over me, suffocating me. The cracks on the defensive magic artifact grew denser, spreading like a spiderweb, on the verge of complete shattering. Was I going to die here? No, I refused to accept it!

Countless images flashed through my mind: from transmigrating to this world, from a useless person without spiritual roots to now being able to fight against these cultivators, how much effort I've put in, how many life-or-death trials I've endured! I absolutely cannot give up like this!

At this critical moment, I suddenly remembered what the Pharmacist Mo had once mentioned about how to counteract the poisonous fog. He had said that although Zi Ling's poisonous fog was powerful, it was ultimately based on spiritual power, and as long as one's own spiritual power was strong enough, it could be dispelled.

I suppressed the surging blood and qi within me, quickly mobilizing the little spiritual energy I had left. A warm current surged from my dantian, flowing throughout my body. I took a deep breath, gathered this warm current in my palm, and thrust it forward with a mighty thrust!

"Break!" I shouted, and golden spiritual energy pierced through the purple poisonous mist like a sharp sword. The surrounding poisonous mist began to dissipate rapidly, and visibility gradually returned. I felt my body lighten, and my breathing became much easier.

Zi Ling was clearly taken aback by my sudden break free from the poisonous fog, and a look of shock crossed her face. The purple energy ball in her hand also dissipated, and a hint of panic flashed in her eyes.

I will not give her any more chances! While she was in a daze, I quickly took out a spirit sword from my storage bag and pointed it at Zi Ling.

"Ziling, do you really think you can beat me?" I looked at her coldly, my eyes filled with murderous intent.

Zi Ling snapped out of her daze, a fierce glint flashing across her face. "Xiao Yao, don't be so smug! Even if you can cure my poison, you won't leave here alive!"

She gathered her spiritual power again, preparing to launch an attack. However, I wouldn't give her that chance again. I flashed forward, instantly appearing before her, my spiritual sword, radiating a sharp aura, thrusting straight at her chest!

Zi Ling quickly dodged, barely avoiding my fatal blow. But she had clearly underestimated my speed and strength. I gave her no chance to catch her breath, my sword strikes flowing like water, relentlessly forcing her to retreat.

"You...you actually..." Zi Ling's face was filled with disbelief. She never imagined that I could suppress her.

I sneered, ignoring her shock. My spirit sword danced faster and faster, its energy crisscrossing and completely enveloping her. Zi Ling's face grew paler and paler, fine beads of sweat forming on her forehead.

Just as I was about to deliver the final blow, a deafening roar suddenly rang out, interrupting my attack. I turned my head and saw that the guardian beast of the icy pool, controlled by Elder Xuanfeng, had broken through my defensive magic and was pouncing towards me!

My heart sank, and I quickly dodged. The beast's claws grazed my sleeve, creating a gust of wind that tore it. I secretly rejoiced; thankfully, I had dodged in time, or the consequences would have been unimaginable.

However, just as I dodged the behemoth's attack, Lei Hu reappeared in my sight. He wielded a giant axe and swung it down fiercely at me! I cursed inwardly, "That Lei Hu is truly persistent!"

I quickly raised my sword to parry, but Lei Hu's strength far exceeded my expectations. The giant axe collided with the spirit sword, producing a deafening roar. I was so shaken that my hands went numb, and I staggered backward.

Seeing this, Lei Hu revealed a smug smile. "Xiao Yao, you're dead!" He raised his giant axe again, preparing to deliver the fatal blow.

I gritted my teeth, enduring the pain in my arm, preparing to fight again. Just then, I suddenly felt a powerful pressure emanating from the direction of the guardian beast of the icy pool… That giant beast seemed to have undergone some change… Its aura was even more terrifying… I took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the surging blood within me. Lei Hu's smug face magnified in my eyes; at this moment, he was like a piece of fatty meat delivered to my lips, waiting for me to devour him. I wouldn't give him another chance!

"Overestimating yourself!" I sneered, ignoring the restless beast behind me. With a flash, I charged towards Lei Hu like an arrow released from a bow. My speed far exceeded his expectations. The smug smile on his face was replaced by astonishment before it could fully fade.

"You..." He had barely uttered a word when my spirit sword was already in front of him. The sword light flashed, its chilling aura was palpable, and it carried a sharp sword energy, aiming straight for his face.

Lei Hu hurriedly raised his giant axe to block, but my attack was too fast, and he had no time to react. With a loud clang, his giant axe was knocked away by my spirit sword, and he staggered back a few steps.

I pressed my advantage, unleashing a torrent of sword strikes like a storm, each blow carrying a deadly intent. Lei Hu was forced to retreat repeatedly by my onslaught, his face filled with terror. He never imagined I could unleash such power.

"Impossible! How could a good-for-nothing like you..." he exclaimed incredulously as he parried my attacks.

"Useless trash?" I sneered. "The useless trash in your eyes will be your life today!"

The spirit sword in my hand danced faster and faster, its sword energy crisscrossing and completely enveloping him. Lei Hu's defenses gradually collapsed, and several wounds appeared on his body, blood gushing out continuously.

"Ah!" He let out a scream, unable to withstand my attack any longer. I struck him with my sword and sent him flying, crashing heavily to the ground.

I didn't give up. I flashed back to him, raising my spirit sword high, ready to deliver the final blow.

"Stop!" Just then, a furious roar came from afar. I turned my head and saw Elder Xuanfeng rushing towards me, his face full of anger.

I cursed inwardly, "That old guy is really persistent!" I sheathed my spirit sword, ignoring him, and turned to look in the direction of the guardian beast of the cold pool.

During the time I was fighting Lei Hu, the behemoth underwent a dramatic transformation. Its size increased, and it exuded a suffocating aura. Its originally gray skin had turned dark red, like burning flames.

My heart sank. This behemoth had actually evolved! What new abilities had it gained?

I stared intently at it, not daring to relax for a moment. It slowly raised its head, its scarlet eyes fixed on me, and let out a low growl.

"Roar--"

The roar, like a demonic sound from hell, made my eardrums ring. I felt a powerful pressure emanating from it, making it almost impossible for me to breathe.

It slowly raised one of its front paws and pointed it at me... and on that paw, a blazing dark red flame was burning...

"This is..." My pupils contracted sharply, my heart filled with shock and fear.