From a loser to an immortal sage

Chapter 99 First Exploration of the Secret Realm: Heart Full of Trembling

"Be careful..." Master Yan's voice still seemed to echo in my ears as I stepped into the seven-colored vortex, instantly feeling dizzy. When I opened my eyes again, I found myself in an unfamiliar jungle. A dense spiritual energy rushed towards me, almost tangible, making me feel refreshed. However, a faint smell of blood permeated the air, making me wary.

The secret realm was indeed fraught with danger.

I extended my divine sense outwards, cautiously surveying my surroundings. Towering ancient trees blocked out the sun, vines entwined the ground, and slippery moss covered the area; a slight misstep could lead to a fall. I took each step with extreme care, trying my best to make no sound.

After walking for about half an incense stick's time, an open space appeared ahead. A huge ancient tree stood in the center, its trunk so thick that it would take more than a dozen people to encircle it, its branches and leaves flourishing like a giant open umbrella. Beneath the ancient tree, an old man sat cross-legged, his eyes closed, exuding a powerful aura.

He is Elder Feng.

I took a deep breath, stepped forward slowly, and bowed respectfully: "Junior Xiao Yao greets Elder Feng."

Elder Feng slowly opened his eyes, his gaze sharp and penetrating, as if he could see right through people. He looked me up and down and said in a cold tone, "The secret realm is fraught with danger. Leave immediately."

I wasn't surprised he refused. I had prepared in advance and took out the token that Madam Qin had given me, presenting it with both hands: "Elder Feng, I have come here to search for the meteorite. This is the token that Madam Qin asked me to bring to you."

Elder Feng took the token, examined it carefully for a moment, and his expression softened slightly, but he still showed no intention of letting her pass: "Even with Madam Qin's token, I cannot allow you to enter the depths of the secret realm. It is fraught with danger and not something a little girl like you can handle."

“Elder Feng, I am not one to indulge in pleasure. I am only searching for meteorites to repair my natal magic weapon. I know the secret realm is dangerous, but for the sake of cultivation, I am willing to take the risk.” My tone was firm and unwavering.

Elder Feng remained silent for a moment, seemingly weighing the pros and cons. Just then, I keenly sensed a chilling aura rapidly approaching. My heart tightened, and I discreetly placed my hand on my storage bag, ready to respond to any unexpected situation.

Elder Feng also noticed something amiss. He frowned and scanned his surroundings warily.

"Hehehe..." A sinister laugh suddenly broke the silence. A man dressed in a blood-red robe emerged from the dense forest. His face was pale, his eyes were bloodshot, and he reeked of blood.

Blood Demon!

He stared at me greedily, a wicked smile playing on his lips: "It's like finding a needle in a haystack. I never expected to encounter such a delicious soul here..." He licked his lips, his eyes gleaming with bloodlust.

Elder Feng's face darkened, and he shouted sternly, "Blood Demon, what do you want to do?"

The Blood Demon ignored Elder Feng and turned his gaze to me, approaching step by step. He said in a hoarse voice, "Little girl, if you surrender obediently, you might suffer less torture..." He stuck out his scarlet tongue and licked his chapped lips.

I gripped the talisman in my hand tightly, staring at him coldly, plotting how to escape.

Just then, a cold voice came from the depths of the dense forest... "Blood Demon, how dare you be so insolent!"

The appearance of the Blood Demon made my heart sink. This guy was infamous, bloodthirsty and cruel; being targeted by him was no good. But at the same time, his appearance also gave me a glimmer of hope.

Elder Feng's attention was completely drawn to the Blood Demon, and the tense atmosphere between the two was about to erupt. I held my breath and retreated silently, stepping lightly to avoid making a sound.

"Blood Demon, this is not a place for you to run wild! Leave at once!" Elder Feng shouted sternly, a long sword appearing in his hand at some point, its blade gleaming with a cold light, clearly not an ordinary weapon.

"Hehehe... Old man, do you think I'm still the same as before? Now that my power has greatly increased, you are no match for me at all!" The Blood Demon laughed arrogantly, his eyes full of contempt.

The conversation between the two made me even more nervous; I had to leave before they fought. I carefully bypassed Elder Feng and ran deeper into the secret realm. The dense forest obscured my figure and made it even harder for me to discern directions.

As I ran, I kept looking back, afraid that Elder Feng would catch up. But luckily, his attention was completely drawn to the Blood Demon, and he didn't notice me leaving.

I secretly rejoiced and quickened my pace. The spiritual energy in the secret realm was astonishingly dense, filling me with power. I felt like a nimble rabbit, weaving through the thick jungle.

After running for a while, I felt the auras of Elder Feng and the Blood Demon gradually fading away, so I slowed down and began to observe my surroundings.

Towering ancient trees block out the sun, vines entwine the ground, and slippery moss covers the area. A strange fragrance permeates the air, refreshing the mind and spirit. However, hidden beneath this beautiful scenery lies an unknown danger.

I took a deep breath and extended my divine sense, cautiously surveying my surroundings. Suddenly, I sensed a chilling aura emanating from ahead, which sent a shiver down my spine.

I immediately stopped and watched ahead warily. A cloud of black mist slowly drifted from the depths of the dense forest, and within the mist, I could vaguely make out a hideous face, radiating a chilling aura.

I had a bad feeling and quickly retreated, trying to avoid the black mist. However, the black mist was much faster than I expected, and it was in front of me in the blink of an eye.

I quickly activated my protective magic weapon, and a golden light flashed, blocking the black mist. However, the power of the black mist was unexpectedly strong, and my protective magic weapon began to crack.

I was shocked and quickly channeled my spiritual energy again, barely managing to stabilize the protective magic artifact. However, I knew that this couldn't continue; my spiritual energy would eventually be exhausted.

Just as I was getting extremely anxious, a clear, cold voice suddenly came from behind me: "Little girl, do you need any help?"

I turned around and saw a woman dressed in white standing behind me. She had a beautiful face and an ethereal air, like a fairy from the heavens.

“You are…” I looked at her with suspicion, my heart filled with vigilance.

The woman in white smiled slightly and said, "I am Youyue."

Youyue... I feel like I've heard that name somewhere before.

"Fairy Youyue?" I asked tentatively.

The woman in white nodded and said, "That's right."

I was immediately startled. Fairy Youyue was a very famous figure in the cultivation world. I never expected to meet her here.

"Thank you for your help, fairy." I quickly expressed my gratitude.

Fairy Youyue smiled slightly and said, "It was nothing." Then, she turned to look at the black mist, a cold glint flashing in her eyes… "You wretched creature, reveal yourself at once!"

With a casual wave of her hand, Fairy Youyue caused the black mist to melt away like ice and snow, revealing a trembling, low-level demon within. It let out a shrill scream and vanished in the blink of an eye. I was secretly amazed by Fairy Youyue's strength; she truly lived up to her reputation.

"Thank you for saving me, Fairy." I expressed my gratitude again, but my heart was filled with even more unease. Why was Fairy Youyue here? What was her purpose?

Fairy Youyue merely glanced at me indifferently, said nothing more, and turned to leave. I hesitated for a moment, then finally asked, "Fairy, may I ask where in this secret realm one can find treasures?"

She paused, but did not turn around, leaving only a faint voice: "Where there is opportunity, there is destiny."

With that, she vanished into the mist in a flash. I gazed in the direction she disappeared, my mind racing. "Where there's opportunity, there's destiny..." What exactly does this saying mean?

I took a deep breath and decided to continue. The secret realm was fraught with danger; I had to find the treasure as soon as possible to improve my strength. I walked along a path, the surrounding trees growing denser, the air more humid, and filled with a faint, decaying smell.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, I suddenly found myself enveloped in a thick fog. The fog was so dense that I couldn't see my hand in front of my face, and it carried a strange, intoxicating fragrance that made me dizzy. I knew I was in trouble and immediately held my breath, circulating my spiritual energy to resist the fog's encroachment.

I tried to discern directions, but found that the fog seemed to interfere with my senses, preventing me from perceiving my surroundings. I walked for a long time, but kept going in circles, unable to find a way out.

Just as I was becoming increasingly anxious, a figure suddenly emerged from the mist. I looked closely and saw that it was Fairy Youyue. She glanced at me but didn't say anything, simply walking off in one direction.

I hesitated, unsure whether I should follow her. Fairy Youyue was powerful and acted with unpredictable mystery; I remained wary of her. However, I couldn't find a way out of this fog, and staying here would likely be dangerous.

After much deliberation, I decided to follow Fairy Youyue. After all, she was more familiar with the environment of this secret realm than I was. I carefully followed behind her, keeping a certain distance, afraid of disturbing her.

We walked for a long time, and the mist gradually dissipated, revealing a wide open space. In the center of the open space stood an ancient altar, covered with mysterious runes, radiating a powerful spiritual energy.

My heart leaped with joy; it seemed this was the core area of ​​the secret realm. Just as I was about to go forward to investigate, I suddenly heard a commotion coming from afar.

I turned my head and saw a group of people walking towards us. The leader was a burly man with a fierce face; it was Chief Huang. Behind him followed a group of menacing bandits, each wielding a weapon and exuding an menacing aura.

When Chief Huang saw me, his eyes lit up, and he shouted, "Little wench, you actually came here! Hand over your magic treasure obediently, and I'll spare your life!"

My heart sank; it seemed a fierce battle was inevitable... Fairy Youyue stood beside the altar, coldly watching this scene, a meaningful smile appearing on her lips.

At Chief Huang's command, the bandits behind him pounced on me like wolves. I cursed inwardly and quickly drew my longsword to meet them. Although these bandits were numerous, their cultivation levels were low, and I could barely handle them. The sword flashed, and a chilling aura emanated from it. I forced them back several steps, but I dared not let my guard down. Chief Huang, watching with envious eyes, grinned maliciously, and a huge cleaver appeared in his hand, which he swung down at me.

The blade whistled through the air, carrying a powerful surge of spiritual energy. I dared not take it head-on and quickly dodged to the side. The cleaver slammed heavily into the ground, creating a deafening crash and cracking a fissure in the earth. I was startled; Chief Huang's strength was indeed not to be underestimated. While dodging Chief Huang's attacks, I also had to be wary of sneak attacks from the surrounding bandits, finding myself in a perilous situation.

Fairy Youyue remained standing beside the altar, coldly observing the battle as if it were none of her concern. I couldn't help but feel annoyed. Was she just going to watch me besieged by these bandits?

"Fairy, are you just going to stand by and do nothing?" I shouted as I parried Chief Huang's attacks.

Upon hearing this, Fairy Youyue finally reacted. She chuckled and said, "Little girl, this secret realm is a world where the strong prey on the weak. If you can't even deal with these bandits, how can you obtain treasures?"

My anger intensified; this Fairy Youyue was clearly deliberately trying to make a fool of me! I gritted my teeth, pushing my spiritual power to its limit, making my sword light even sharper and faster. I fought and retreated, gradually approaching the altar.

Chief Huang seemed to have seen through my intention, and he roared, "Don't let her get near the altar!"

Hearing this, the bandits attacked me even more frantically. I dodged left and right, constantly in grave danger. Just then, I suddenly felt a strange sensation under my feet, as if I had stepped on something. I looked down and saw a small whirlpool slowly rotating beneath my feet.

A surge of joy filled my heart. Could this be the passage out of here? I quickly took a step back, dodging Chief Huang's attack, and then leaped into the whirlpool.

After a dizzying spin, I found myself in a narrow passage. The walls on both sides of the passage were covered with mysterious runes, emitting a faint glow that illuminated the path ahead. I looked back and saw that the vortex had disappeared, and Chief Huang and his men were trapped outside.

I secretly rejoiced, finally rid of those annoying bandits. I walked forward along the passage, my heart filled with anticipation. What kind of treasure awaited me at the end of this passage? After walking a few steps, I felt something soft under my feet… something was wrong. I looked down…