From a loser to an immortal sage

Chapter 106 Approaching the Core Treasure

I whirled around, and there stood the Blood Demon behind me, his eyes gleaming with greed. "You actually... broke the illusion array!" he said through gritted teeth, his voice filled with resentment.

I stared at him coldly, saying nothing. My body still ached, and my true energy was almost depleted, but seeing the core treasure so close at hand, a surge of power welled up from the depths of my heart. I absolutely could not let the Blood Demon get there first!

I took a deep breath, enduring the excruciating pain in my body, and walked towards the crystal ball. Every step felt like walking on a knife's edge; the pain made it almost impossible to breathe, but I dared not stop. I felt the Blood Demon's gaze following me intently, like a wild beast poised to pounce.

The floor of the main hall was paved with an unknown black stone, smooth as a mirror, reflecting the light of the crystal ball and appearing even more mysterious. I walked carefully, afraid of triggering some mechanism.

"Don't waste your energy!" the Blood Demon's voice rang out again. "This core treasure is mine!"

Before he finished speaking, he transformed into a blood-red shadow and pounced towards me. I was prepared and dodged his attack by sidestepping. The Blood Demon, having missed his strike, paused, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

I seized the opportunity to run forward, getting closer and closer to the crystal ball. I could feel the powerful energy emanating from it; it was like a beating heart, drawing me in, and also drawing the Blood Demon in.

"Trying to steal my things? Dream on!" the Blood Demon roared, launching another attack. He was faster and stronger than before. I managed to dodge a few blows, but was ultimately struck by his palm, my body crashing heavily to the ground once more.

A mouthful of blood gushed out, and my vision blurred. The Blood Demon grinned maliciously as he walked towards me. "Now, what other tricks do you have up your sleeve?"

I struggled to stand up, but found myself completely powerless. Was I really going to give up like this? No, I refused!

I looked up at the crystal ball, my eyes filled with longing. Just then, I noticed a small groove at the bottom of the crystal ball, its shape exactly the same as the runes I had seen in the illusion before.

Is it...

I endured the pain, extended my finger, and tremblingly injected a wisp of true energy into the groove.

hum-

With a soft hum, the entire hall trembled. The crystal ball shone even brighter, and a powerful energy wave spread outwards. The Blood Demon was forced back several steps by this energy, a look of terror on his face.

I felt a powerful force surge into my body, repairing my damaged form. I slowly stood up, looked at the panicked Blood Demon, and a cold smile appeared on my lips.

"Now, it's time to end it."

I raised my hand, a powerful energy gathering in my palm, and aimed it at the Blood Demon...

"Stop!" A clear, cold voice rang out in the hall.

I turned my head and saw that Youyue had appeared at the entrance of the main hall at some point. Her face was pale and her breathing was disordered, clearly affected by the illusion, but the cold light flashing in her eyes had not diminished at all. She held a dagger that emitted a ghostly blue light in her hand, pointing it directly at the Blood Demon, and said in an icy tone, "This thing is mine."

As soon as Youyue finished speaking, a beam of dark blue light shot towards the Blood Demon. The Blood Demon clearly hadn't expected such a sudden attack, and could only dodge hastily. The dark blue light grazed his cheek, leaving a thin, bloody gash. He clutched his face and roared angrily, "You bitch, you're asking for it!"

Taking advantage of a lull in their fight, I refocused my attention on the crystal ball. The energy that had just surged into my body had healed some of my injuries, but my true energy was still nearly depleted. I had to obtain the core treasure as soon as possible!

Just as I was about to try activating the crystal ball again, a series of noisy footsteps came from outside the main hall. Immediately afterwards, a group of people dressed in coarse linen clothes and carrying various weapons rushed in. The leader was a burly man with a fierce face, who was none other than Chief Huang, whom I had met at the entrance of the secret realm.

"Hahaha, it's like finding a needle in a haystack!" Chief Huang laughed, his eyes greedily fixed on the crystal ball. "This treasure, I want it!"

At his command, his men pounced on the crystal ball like hungry wolves. The scene instantly became even more chaotic, and Blood Demon and Ghost Moon were entangled by these suddenly appearing bandits, unable to break free for the time being.

I was secretly delighted; this chaos was actually an opportunity for me. I took a deep breath, held my breath, and moved with light, ghostly steps through the crowd. I tried to avoid direct confrontation, using the terrain and their blind spots to quickly advance towards the crystal ball.

The main hall was filled with shouts of battle, curses, and the clash of weapons, and the air reeked of blood. I was nearly caught in the crossfire several times, but I managed to escape unscathed thanks to my agility and quick reflexes.

I got closer and closer to the crystal ball, so close that I could almost feel the powerful energy fluctuations emanating from it. My heart began to race, and a strange sense of excitement welled up inside me.

However, just as I was about to touch the crystal ball, an invisible resistance suddenly appeared, forcefully blocking me from entering. I reached out to touch it, but it felt like I was touching a solid wall, unable to move forward even an inch.

I was startled and quickly examined the crystal ball closely. I then discovered a faint golden light surrounding it, like an inverted bowl completely enveloping it. This must be the protective barrier around the core treasure.

"Want to take the core treasure? Not so easy!" An old voice suddenly rang out behind me.

I turned around abruptly and saw an old man in a gray robe appear behind me. He had white hair and beard, a ruddy complexion, and sharp eyes. He held an ancient-looking wooden staff in his hand, and a powerful aura emanated from him, making me feel suffocated.

This old man must be Elder Feng, the guardian of the secret realm. He looked at me, a hint of warning in his eyes, and slowly said, "Young man, greed is the original sin..."

Before Elder Feng could finish speaking, Blood Demon, Youyue, Chief Huang, and the others arrived one after another. Upon seeing Elder Feng and the golden barrier enveloping the crystal ball, they temporarily ceased their fighting and focused their attention on the barrier that emitted a soft light.

I inwardly groaned; it seemed this core treasure wouldn't be so easy to obtain. Elder Feng's strength was unfathomable, and with Blood Demon, Youyue, and Chief Huang all eyeing it covetously, getting the core treasure under their noses was practically impossible.

“This restriction…” The Blood Demon narrowed his eyes, licking his lips with his scarlet tongue, “seems rather strange.”

Youyue remained silent, quietly observing the restriction. A faint, eerie blue light surrounded her, making her appear mysterious and unpredictable. Chief Huang, on the other hand, looked impatient. He grumbled, "Old man, how do you open this damn thing? Tell me now!"

Elder Feng snorted coldly, ignoring Chief Huang's clamor. Holding his wooden staff, he slowly walked to the barrier and began to examine it carefully. I didn't dare to be negligent and quickly followed, pretending to be studying the barrier as well, but actually secretly observing Elder Feng and the others' actions, hoping to find a glimmer of opportunity.

The golden barrier resembled an inverted bowl, its surface shimmering with intricate runes and emitting a faint golden glow. I tried to touch it, but it felt like touching a solid barrier, impossible to penetrate. I focused my mind and channeled my meager inner energy, attempting to probe the barrier's structure, only to find it like a bottomless pit; my inner energy vanished without a trace the moment it touched it.

I was secretly alarmed; this restriction was far more complex and powerful than I had imagined. It seemed impossible to break it by force; I would have to find another way.

I glanced furtively at the others and saw that they were all deep in thought, clearly helpless against the restriction. The Blood Demon tapped the restriction with his fingers from time to time, producing a crisp sound, seemingly trying to find its weak point. Youyue closed her eyes, seemingly using some special method to sense the restriction's power. Chief Huang simply sat on the ground, impatiently urging Elder Feng to open the restriction while munching on a chicken leg.

Time ticked by, and the atmosphere in the hall grew increasingly tense. I pretended to study the restrictions while racking my brains for a solution. Suddenly, I remembered the scene I had witnessed in the illusion.

In the illusion, I saw a blurry figure walk to the barrier and make a strange gesture. At the time, I didn't pay much attention, but now I think that gesture might have been the key to breaking the barrier!

I tried hard to recall the movements of the figure in the illusion, and then secretly began to imitate them. My fingers traced complex trajectories in the air, and the true energy within my body circulated accordingly.

Just then, I sensed a slight fluctuation in the power of the restriction. Overjoyed, I immediately increased the output of my true energy, and my fingers moved faster and faster.

Suddenly, I felt a slight vibration coming from a certain point on the barrier. My heart skipped a beat, and I immediately concentrated all my true energy on that point.

"Click——"

A soft sound rang out, and I felt the power of the restriction weaken slightly. I was overjoyed, knowing I had found the weakness in the restriction!

Just as I was preparing to break through the barrier with all my might, a dangerous aura suddenly came from behind me. I turned around abruptly and saw Blood Demon, Youyue, Chief Huang, and the others staring intently at me, their eyes filled with greed and killing intent… Youyue's lips curled into a cold smile, and the eerie blue light in her hand shone again. “Looks like someone wants to get there first…”

Youyue's words were like a thunderclap, exploding in the hall. I knew in my heart that I was in trouble; I was too late!

The Blood Demon's crimson eyes stared intently at me, as if he wanted to devour me alive. "Little girl, you've been hiding it well! Trying to sneak around and hoard the treasure for yourself!" Before he finished speaking, he transformed into a bloody shadow and pounced on me, the stench of blood assaulting my nostrils.

Almost simultaneously, Chief Huang roared and swung his giant axe at me. Elder Feng, though not attacking, held his wooden staff, blocking my retreat, his eyes flashing with complex emotions. I was suddenly caught in a pincer movement.

At the critical moment, I pushed my inner energy to its limit, and with a flash, I barely dodged the Blood Demon's attack. Chief Huang's giant axe followed closely behind. I rolled to the side, and the axe blade grazed my cheek, leaving a thin, long bloody mark.

"Trying to run? Not so easy!" Youyue sneered, and the dark blue light in her hand suddenly intensified, transforming into blades of light that attacked me. I hurriedly swung my longsword to block the blades one by one, but I was still cut on the arm by several of them.

I gritted my teeth, enduring the pain, with only one thought in my mind: I must not give up!

I once again mobilized my true energy, concentrating all my power into my fingertips, and struck fiercely at the weak point of the restriction!

"boom!"

With a deafening roar, the barrier trembled violently, radiating golden light. I felt a powerful force surge forth from the barrier, blasting me away.

I crashed heavily to the ground, feeling as if my internal organs had shifted, and a metallic taste rose in my throat. I struggled to stand up, but found myself powerless, and could only watch helplessly as Blood Demon, Youyue, Chief Huang, and the others approached me again.

Is it really going to all come to nothing like this? I refuse to accept it!

Just then, the golden light on the barrier suddenly became even more dazzling, and a powerful suction force pulled me towards it. I felt as if I were in a giant vortex, and everything around me became blurred.

When I regained consciousness, I found myself in a completely unfamiliar place. It was a magnificent, golden hall, its walls covered with ancient runes that emitted a faint golden glow. In the center of the hall, a fist-sized golden bead floated, radiating a soft light.

A thought suddenly struck me: Could this be the core treasure?

I cautiously stepped forward, reached out, and grasped the golden bead in my hand. A warm energy instantly surged into my body, and I felt my meridians become unobstructed, and my internal energy became purer.

I was overjoyed; this core treasure was indeed extraordinary!

I carefully put the golden bead away, then looked around, searching for a way out.

Suddenly, I noticed an inconspicuous stone door in the corner of the main hall. I walked over, gently pushed it, and the stone door slowly opened.

Outside the door lies a road leading to the unknown… “Where does this lead…?”