From a loser to an immortal sage

Chapter 164 Trapped in the Cave, Dire Need for Elixir

After the white light faded, I found myself still standing on the stone platform, but the scenery around me had changed dramatically.

The crystals on the cave ceiling no longer sparkled; instead, a dark aura prevailed, with only the runes on the stone platform emitting a faint glow.

The air was filled with a damp, rotten smell, which made me feel suffocated.

"Sister Xiao Yao, are you alright?" Ling'er's voice trembled slightly.

I turned to look at her and found her face was pale and her eyes were filled with fear.

“I’m fine,” I tried to keep myself calm, “it’s just… this place feels strange.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the runes around the stone platform suddenly began to flash violently, and a deep humming sound came from the depths of the cave.

"Oh no! Something's about to come out!" Ling'er exclaimed.

Almost simultaneously, streams of black mist poured out from the cracks around the stone platform and spread rapidly.

"What is this?" I felt a pang of fear and instinctively took a step back.

"Be careful! This fog will erode your spiritual power!" Ling'er's voice was filled with anxiety.

Only then did I realize that the spiritual energy in my body was rapidly draining away, and a sense of powerlessness swept over my entire body.

"Xiao Yao! How are you?" Zi Ling's voice came from afar, tinged with schadenfreude. She hadn't been affected by the fog at all!

Immediately afterward, Lei Hu's gruff voice rang out: "Haha! It seems the restrictions on this ancient cave are no joke! Little girl, let's see what you do this time!" He was surrounded by several burly men, each with a mocking expression, clearly waiting to see me make a fool of myself.

I gritted my teeth and tried my best to mobilize the remaining spiritual energy in my body, but I found that it was like a mud ox sinking into the sea, unable to resist the erosion of the mist at all.

Am I going to die here?

Suddenly, I remembered that the Pharmacist Mo had once mentioned a special spiritual power that could resist the erosion of some evil energies... I closed my eyes and, following the method I remembered, tried to mobilize the power hidden deep within my dantian... A faint golden light slowly flowed from my fingertips...

Golden light danced at my fingertips, as faint as fireflies, yet carrying a mysterious power.

I felt the rate at which my spiritual energy was draining from my body slow down, and the suffocating pressure gradually subsided.

"Huh? What's going on?" Lei Hu's voice carried a hint of surprise. "This little girl can actually resist the erosion of the black mist?"

Zi Ling's voice was also full of doubt: "What is that golden light emanating from her? Could it be some kind of special magic weapon?"

I opened my eyes, gave them a cold glance, and ignored their questions. Now was not the time to explain; I had to find a way to get out of here as soon as possible.

The Pharmacist Mo once said that this golden spiritual power is extremely precious and should not be used lightly unless absolutely necessary.

Although it can ward off evil spirits, it also consumes a great deal of energy.

I don't have much spiritual power right now. If I use it all to dispel the black mist, I'm afraid I won't be able to cope if I encounter other dangers.

However, without dispelling the black mist, I couldn't leave this stone platform at all, let alone find the elixir. I was caught in a dilemma, struggling internally.

Just then, Ling'er's voice rang in my ears: "Sister Xiao Yao, look!"

I followed her gaze and saw that deep inside the cave, the black mist was growing thicker and thicker, as if something was about to emerge from it.

A chilling aura swept over me, making me shiver involuntarily.

"Oh no!" My heart sank, and a strong sense of unease welled up inside me. "Ling'er, hold on tight to me!"

I grabbed Ling'er's hand and poured golden spiritual power into her body to help her resist the erosion of the black mist.

Suddenly, a sharp roar came from the black mist, followed by a dark shadow darting out and rushing towards us... "Watch out!"

I shouted, shielding Ling'er behind me...

The shadowy figure moved incredibly fast; I barely had time to react before a stench assaulted my senses.

Instinctively, I swung my palm, and golden spiritual energy formed a barrier, blocking the attack from the dark figure.

With a muffled thud, the dark figure was forced back a few steps, revealing its true form—a group of ferocious-looking ghosts. They let out sharp howls, their eyes gleaming with greed, as if they wanted to devour me completely.

"These are... ghosts?" I was shocked. These ghosts were much stronger than I had imagined. They even cracked my spiritual energy barrier.

I dared not be careless and quickly summoned my flying sword. The sword emitted a dazzling light, and I swung it, sending streaks of sword energy slashing towards the ghost.

"Swoosh swoosh swoosh..." The sword energy sliced ​​through the air with a sharp sound. The ghosts were hit by the sword energy and let out a miserable scream. Their bodies gradually became transparent and finally turned into a wisp of black smoke and dissipated in the air.

However, these ghosts seemed endless. I would eliminate one batch, and another batch would emerge from the black mist. Their numbers were increasing, and I gradually felt powerless to stop them.

"Sister Xiao Yao, look!" Ling'er's voice suddenly rang in my ears. I quickly turned my head and saw Ling'er pointing to an inconspicuous protrusion on the cave wall.

"What is this?" I asked puzzledly.

“I feel like there’s some kind of mechanism here.” Ling’er walked to the protrusion and observed it carefully. “Perhaps it’s related to these ghosts.”

A thought suddenly struck me: Could the mechanism controlling these ghosts be here? If I could find the mechanism, perhaps I could escape the clutches of these ghosts.

However, triggering the mechanism might also trigger other unknown dangers, and I hesitated whether to try it. Just then, a commotion came from the cave entrance.

"I heard a sound! They're nearby!" It was Elder Xuanfeng's voice!

Cold sweat trickled down my temples, and my heart pounded.

Activating the mechanism might solve the problem of the ghost in front of you, but it could also trigger an even more terrifying trap.

I bit my lip, undecided.

The voice of Elder Xuanfeng outside grew closer and closer. I could imagine his greedy face, his excitement at the prospect of obtaining the elixir.

"Xiao Yao! I know you're here!" Elder Xuanfeng's roar echoed at the cave entrance, causing rubble to fall from the cave.

I turned around abruptly, and the ghosts let out sharp howls, as if provoked, and pounced on me even more frantically.

I brandished my flying sword, barely managing to fend off their attacks, but my spiritual energy was being depleted, and I felt like I was about to collapse.

Ling'er hid behind me, her face pale, clutching my clothes tightly. "Sister Xiao Yao, what should we do?" Her voice trembled, tinged with a sob.

I took a deep breath and forced myself to calm down.

Now is not the time to hesitate, a choice must be made!

I glanced at the protrusion on the wall and made a firm decision.

Instead of waiting for death, why not give it a try!

Just as I was about to reach out and touch the mechanism, suddenly, a figure darted in from the opening.

It's Zi Ling!

Her face was pale and her clothes were disheveled, as if she had just been through a fierce battle.

"Xiao Yao, run! Outside..." Before she could finish speaking, Lei Hu, who rushed in after her, grabbed her.

Lei Hu's face was contorted with rage, and his eyes flashed with ferocity.

"Trying to run? Not so easy! Hand over the elixir!" He shoved Zi Ling to the ground and then glared at me fiercely.

I gripped my flying sword tightly, watching Lei Hu and Elder Xuanfeng and the others behind me warily.

Their faces were contorted with rage, their eyes filled with greed and murderous intent.

I'm surrounded!

The howls of the ghosts, the shouts of the Thunder Tiger, and the cold laughter of Elder Xuanfeng intertwined, like death warrants, making me feel suffocated.

Looking at the eerie runes flashing around me and the ghostly creatures about to pounce on me, a wave of despair washed over me...

"Do you really think you can get it?" I said in a low voice, my gaze falling on the protrusion on the wall...