From a loser to an immortal sage

Chapter 101 The Guardian Beast's Amazing Appearance

I staggered forward, my lungs burning with pain; the impact of the boulder felt like my internal organs had shifted. The presence behind me grew closer, carrying a suffocating pressure, like a mountain pressing down on me, making it hard to breathe.

"Come out!" The voice rang out again, making my eardrums buzz.

I dared not look back. I gritted my teeth and desperately channeled the last of my spiritual energy to speed up my escape. But my body had reached its limit. Every step felt like walking on a knife's edge, and the excruciating pain almost made me faint.

Suddenly, a foul stench hit me, and I instinctively rolled to the side, barely dodging a huge claw.

I looked up and immediately gasped.

A colossal beast stood before me, its massive form blotting out the sky. It was entirely white, yet possessed a ferocious lion's head, with a single horn on its forehead gleaming with an eerie blue light. It opened its blood-red maw, revealing sharp fangs, and the stench it emitted made me want to vomit.

It's a guardian beast! My heart sank. It seemed that I had escaped the trap, but had fallen into an even greater crisis.

This guardian beast's aura is far stronger than any demonic beast I've encountered before; it's probably already at the Nascent Soul stage. In my current state, I'm no match for it at all.

The guardian beast let out a low growl and pounced at me again. I quickly rolled away to dodge, and at the same time, I took out a handful of talismans from my storage bag and threw them out without hesitation.

"Explosive Flame Talisman! Ice Seal Talisman! Entangling Talisman!"

The talisman exploded in the air, transforming into raging flames, chilling ice, and resilient vines, briefly trapping the guardian beast.

I took the opportunity to get up, wanting to continue running away, but found that my legs were numb and I couldn't muster any strength.

The guardian beast roared, and with a flash of white light, it broke free from the talisman's restraints. Its eyes flashed with ferocity, clearly enraged by me.

I closed my eyes in despair, waiting for death to come.

However, the expected pain did not come.

I opened my eyes in confusion and saw a figure blocking my way.

The newcomer was dressed in green robes with long, ink-black hair; he was none other than Elder Feng.

"You beast! How dare you be so insolent!" Elder Feng shouted sternly, waving his longsword and unleashing a sharp sword aura that slashed straight at the guardian beast.

The guardian beast, in pain, let out a deafening roar and staggered back several steps.

Elder Feng pressed his advantage, his longsword flashing with afterimages, the sword energy crisscrossing and forcing the guardian beast to retreat repeatedly.

A glimmer of hope ignited in my heart; it seemed there was still hope for me!

However, just then, I heard a cold voice coming from afar: "Elder Feng, long time no see. This guardian beast is a rare treasure. Why don't we join forces and capture it?"

I looked in the direction of the sound and saw that the Blood Demon had somehow escaped from the trap and was looking at me with a sinister smile.

His gaze swept back and forth between me and the guardian beast, a strange smile playing on his lips. Then, he made a gesture that sent chills down my spine… He pointed at me, then at the guardian beast, and said to Elder Feng, “Look, it seems more interested in the… little girl behind you.”

Upon hearing this, Elder Feng's expression changed, and he immediately understood the Blood Demon's intention. He shielded me behind him, keeping a wary eye on the Blood Demon and the guardian beast.

"Blood Demon, you won't succeed!" Elder Feng roared.

The Blood Demon, however, showed no fear. Instead, he chuckled sinisterly, "Elder Feng, you'd better take care of yourself first. This guardian beast is not someone you can handle."

As soon as he finished speaking, a cloud of black mist suddenly appeared in the Blood Demon's hand, which he hurled at the guardian beast. The black mist rapidly spread through the air, transforming into a strange force that seeped into the guardian beast's body.

The guardian beast let out a painful roar, its once snow-white fur instantly turning blood red, and its eyes becoming bloodshot, filled with a ferocious aura. It stopped attacking Elder Feng and instead fixed its gaze on me, letting out a deafening roar as it pounced on me.

I was horrified; this Blood Demon had actually used evil magic to control the guardian beast!

Seeing this, Elder Feng hurriedly swung his sword to defend himself, but was knocked away by the ferocious guardian beast's claw and crashed heavily to the ground, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

I watched helplessly as the guardian beast pounced on me again, my heart filled with despair. Was I really going to die here today?

Just at this critical moment, a figure suddenly appeared in front of me, blocking the guardian beast's attack.

It's Youyue!

She held a curved sword in her hand, the blade emitting a faint blue light, which contrasted sharply with the blood red of the guardian beast.

"If you want to touch her, you'll have to get past me first!" Youyue said coldly, her tone carrying a hint of barely perceptible excitement.

The guardian beast, blocked by Youyue, let out an angry roar and engaged her in fierce combat. Youyue's swordsmanship was swift and deadly, and although the guardian beast was powerful, it gradually lost ground under Youyue's attacks.

I watched the battle unfold before me, my heart filled with mixed emotions. Why was Youyue helping me? What was her purpose?

I endured the pain and struggled to stand up, only to find that I was so weak that I couldn't move at all.

At that moment, I noticed a furtive figure hiding behind a boulder not far away, secretly observing the commotion.

It's Chief Huang!

Seeing the guardian beast's immense power, a flicker of fear crossed his eyes, but seeing me utterly helpless under its attacks, a glint of greed flashed in his eyes as well. He seemed hesitant, wondering whether to seize the opportunity to strike me.

My heart sank; it seemed my chances of survival were slim.

The battle between Youyue and the guardian beast continued, with both sides giving their all and each move aimed to kill.

Suddenly, Youyue found an opening and plunged her curved blade into the guardian beast's abdomen.

The guardian beast let out a shrill scream, and its massive body crashed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Youyue sheathed her scimitar, her cold gaze sweeping across the entire arena before finally settling on me.

She slowly walked towards me, a meaningful smile playing on her lips: "You... owe me a favor."

As I watched her approach step by step, a sudden, intense unease welled up within me. This woman was more terrifying than the Blood Demon…

Then she stopped, looked past me, and looked behind me... "It seems there's someone who wants to 'thank' you more than I do."

Youyue's words sent a chill down my spine, a cold shiver running from my feet to the top of my head. I turned my head with difficulty and saw Chief Huang sneaking out from behind the boulder, a gleaming machete in his hand, a greedy smile on his face. He probably thought I was too weak to be a good opportunity to steal the treasure. What a despicable scoundrel!

"Little girl, hand over your treasures! Save your energy and avoid getting hurt!" Chief Huang said as he approached me. He seemed confident of victory, his tone full of smugness.

I cursed inwardly, but was powerless to refute. Waves of pain washed over me, making it almost impossible to breathe. I forced myself to sit up, watching Chief Huang warily while glancing around out of the corner of my eye. Blood Demon stood not far away, arms crossed, watching with amusement. Elder Feng lay on the ground, his fate unknown. Youyue stood beside me, watching me with a half-smile, as if waiting to see me make a fool of myself.

I took a deep breath, trying to stay calm. I can't give up like this! Even if I die, I'll take someone down with me!

I remembered the protective magic weapon my master had given me—the Purple Gold Bell. It could withstand powerful attacks and might help me escape this calamity. With trembling hands, I took the Purple Gold Bell out of my storage bag and gripped it tightly in my hand.

"Chief Huang, do you really think you can succeed?" I forced myself to stay alert and sneered at Chief Huang.

Chief Huang was taken aback, clearly not expecting me to still have the strength to speak. He looked at the purple-gold bell in my hand, a greedy glint in his eyes. "What kind of treasure is this? Hand it over as well!"

I sneered and ignored him. I channeled my spiritual energy into the Purple Gold Bell, which emitted a dazzling light, and a powerful force emanated from it.

Chief Huang was stunned by this power and involuntarily took a few steps back. He seemed to realize the power of this magic weapon, and a trace of fear flashed in his eyes.

Just then, Elder Feng, who was lying on the ground, suddenly let out a muffled groan and slowly opened his eyes. He saw that I was surrounded by Chief Huang, struggled to stand up, but fell back down again, powerless.

"Xiao Yao...be careful..." he said weakly, his voice barely audible.

My heart tightened, and I dared not be careless. I had to finish this quickly, otherwise, once Blood Demon and Ghost Moon reacted, I would truly have no chance.

I raised the Purple Gold Bell high and shouted at Chief Huang, "Die!"

The Purple Gold Bell emitted a clear, crisp sound, and a golden light shot out from the bell, heading straight for Chief Huang.

Chief Huang's expression changed drastically. He tried to dodge, but it was too late. The golden light struck his chest instantly. He let out a scream, flew backward, and crashed heavily to the ground, his life hanging in the balance.

I breathed a sigh of relief, but dared not relax for a moment. I knew this was only temporary safety. Blood Demon and Ghost Moon hadn't made their move yet; the real danger was yet to come.

Youyue walked up to me, bent down, and said in an almost whispered voice, "It seems you do have some skill..." She reached out, her slender fingers pointing to the purple-gold bell in my hand, "...However, this thing is mine now." She suddenly struck...

Youyue's speed was astonishing; before I could react, she snatched the Purple Gold Bell. A smug smile played on her lips, as if everything was under her control. I felt a surge of resentment, but there was nothing I could do. Without the Purple Gold Bell, I was like a tiger with its teeth pulled, utterly powerless.

Just then, a deafening roar echoed throughout the valley. The ground shook violently, and I staggered, almost falling. I looked up and saw a gigantic figure descending from the sky, landing right in front of us.

It's a guardian beast!

It was larger than I had imagined, its body covered in thick scales that shimmered with a metallic sheen. A pair of enormous eyes, like burning flames, stared intently at us. Seemingly enraged by the light of the Purple-Gold Bell, it spewed a ball of scorching flame from its mouth, instantly reducing the surrounding trees to ashes.

My heart sank; this was bad. The appearance of the guardian beast had made the situation even more complicated. I not only had to be wary of the Blood Demon and the Moon Demon, but also had to face this powerful guardian beast.

Youyue seemed startled by the appearance of the guardian beast. She took a few steps back and watched it warily. The Blood Demon stood to the side, a playful smile on his face, seemingly enjoying the chaotic situation.

The guardian beast's attacks grew increasingly fierce, unleashing a barrage of spells—fire, ice spikes, lightning—all vying for dodging. I dodged left and right, utterly humiliated. The surrounding trees were completely destroyed, and huge craters were blasted into the ground.

I knew this couldn't go on; I had to find the guardian beast's weakness. I endured the pain and carefully observed its attack patterns. I discovered that while the guardian beast possessed powerful attacks, its movements were somewhat clumsy, and it always had a brief charging period before each attack.

Perhaps, this is its weakness!

A surge of joy welled up inside me, and a bold idea popped into my head. I decided to take a gamble!

I deliberately slowed down my dodging speed to lure the guardian beast into attacking me. When it breathed fire again, I didn't dodge, but instead charged towards the flames.

"Xiao Yao! You've gone mad!" Youyue exclaimed.

Of course I'm not crazy. Just as the flames were about to hit me, I dodged to the side and simultaneously plunged the dagger in my hand into the guardian beast's abdomen.

Although the dagger is just an ordinary weapon, it is coated with a potent poison. These are poisonous herbs I collected on the road, specifically for dealing with guardian beasts.

The guardian beast let out a painful roar, its massive body trembling violently. I seized the opportunity to draw my dagger and retreat once more.

Green venom oozed from the guardian beast's wounds, and its movements became noticeably slower. I knew my plan had succeeded!

However, before I could even catch my breath, I suddenly felt a powerful suction force coming from behind me. I turned around and saw a huge vortex appearing on the ground, rapidly devouring everything around it.

Oh no! It's a spatial rift!

I was startled and tried to escape, but it was too late. I felt my body being sucked in by a powerful force, and everything went black before my eyes, and I lost consciousness.

"Wait..." A voice rang in my ears, but it seemed to come from another world.