Chapter 51: Narrow Escape Within the Forbidden Passage

Yunyao stood at the entrance of the passage and took a deep breath. The air was filled with an ancient and oppressive atmosphere that made her chest feel somewhat tight.

The passage before her resembled a dark corridor where countless venomous snakes lurked, flashing with an eerie red light. Every flicker seemed to mock the overconfidence of any intruder.

She knew this was the mandatory path leading to the treasure. Fear surged like a tidal wave, yet she forcefully suppressed it.

"Since I have arrived, I shall take things as they come," Yunyao whispered to herself, stepping unhesitatingly into the passage without a moment's delay.

Her figure moved, resembling a nimble fish weaving through the flashing barriers of restrictive spells.

The instant she stepped into the passage, two intense waves of spiritual energy came from behind. Without turning back, she knew that Black Fiend Demon Lord and Purple Star Fairy had followed her inside.

"Hmph, attempting to stop a chariot with your arms?" The cruel laughter of Black Fiend Demon Lord echoed through the passage. Black Qi swirled around his entire body, making him look like a vicious ghost emerging from the abyss.

Purple Star Fairy let out a cold snort, the longsword in her hand emitting a crystalline radiance. Her gaze was sharp, akin to a hunting falcon.

The figures of the three instantly intertwined.

Within the passage, the light of the restrictions acted as if it possessed a life of its own, transforming at times into sharp blades and at other times into binding chains, slashing and constricting toward Yunyao.

Dodgeing left and right, her movements were like a ghost, evading each fatal attack.

The attacks of Black Fiend Demon Lord were like a violent storm, every strike carrying the force to split mountains and shatter rocks.

Purple Star Fairy was like a phantom, her longsword striking from devious and unpredictable angles against which defense was nearly impossible.

"Clang! Clang! Bang!" Sounds of colliding energy continuously resounded within the passage. The surrounding rock walls groaned under the unbearable burden, sending gravel flying and dust billowing into the air.

Utilizing her agile movement techniques, Yunyao maneuvered steadily amidst their fierce onslaughts.

While evading their attacks, she closely observed the shifting patterns of the restrictions, silently calculating the optimal breakthrough route in her mind.

She could feel the spiritual energy within her body constantly depleting; fine beads of sweat oozed across her forehead, and her heartbeat grew increasingly rapid.

"Quite interesting," an aged voice echoed through the corridor. Elder Guling had somehow appeared on the rock wall to one side of the passage. Motionless like a sculpture, he silently observed everything unfolding, his murky eyes flickering with an unfathomable light.

A chill crept up from the soles of Yunyao's feet.

Suddenly, Purple Star Fairy's sword grazed the hem of Yunyao's robe, leaving a shallow cut.

A cold smile curved the corner of her lips as she looked triumphantly at Yunyao. "Your movement technique is indeed quite agile, but this is the end of the line for you!"

Black Fiend Demon Lord also burst into wild laughter, flipping his palm to summon a massive black battle-axe into his grasp. "Little girl, it can be considered your honor to die beneath my axe!"

Sensing the powerful momentum erupting from the two, a strong sense of crisis surged within Yunyao's heart.

She took a deep breath.

"This time, the two of you are going to be unfortunate." A strange smile suddenly bloomed at the corner of Yunyao's lips.

During her earlier explorations, she had already secretly deciphered the operational patterns of the local restrictions.

With a sudden pivot of her body, under the guise of evading, she intentionally lured Black Fiend Demon Lord toward a restriction node where the light flashed violently.

Laughing hideously, Black Fiend Demon Lord pursued her, completely unaware of the danger beneath his feet.

"Boom!" A thick column of red light shot fiercely from the ground, striking Black Fiend Demon Lord squarely in the chest.

Caught entirely off guard, he was sent flying backward by the massive energy impact, crashing heavily into the rock wall with a muffled thud. The black Qi enveloping him dissipated significantly.

Seeing this, a trace of shock flashed across the depths of Purple Star Fairy's eyes, yet she did not halt her assault. The longsword in her hand continued to pierce toward Yunyao with a piercing, chilling light.

With a slight upward curve of her lips, Yunyao repeated the exact same trick, employing another clever enticement.

Utterly dismissive, Purple Star Fairy believed Yunyao was merely struggling in her final moments, never anticipating that Yunyao had already predicted her next move.

Just as her sword tip was about to touch Yunyao's robe, a flash of purple restrictive light suddenly erupted right beneath her feet.

Purple Star Fairy staggered, shaken back repeatedly by the power of the restriction. The trace of arrogance on her face was finally replaced by a look of disarray.

"The good show is yet to come," Yunyao murmured softly to herself. Taking advantage of their disheveled state, her figure flashed like lightning as she surged rapidly forward, leaving the two far behind in the dust.

The roars of Black Fiend Demon Lord and Purple Star Fairy echoed through the passage, but they could no longer halt Yunyao's advancing footsteps.

Hidden deep within the passage, an unremarkable stone spirit widened its eyes at that moment.

It watched Yunyao's nimble figure disappear into the distance.

As Yunyao ventured deeper, the restrictions within the passage grew increasingly formidable, their attacks becoming denser and even more devious.

She was struck by the restrictions in multiple places; her clothes were torn to shreds, revealing several bloody gashes.

Every single wound burned with a fiery pain. She felt as though her skin were being scorched by roaring flames, and every step felt as if she were treading upon the edge of a blade.

The oppressive atmosphere within the passage intensified, making her chest feel as though a massive boulder rested upon it, rendering breathing nearly impossible.

Clenching her teeth tightly, she endured the physical agony and pressed forward.

She knew that giving up meant failure; she had to reach the treasure chamber.

She absolutely could not allow Black Fiend Demon Lord and Purple Star Fairy to seize the lead. Only a single conviction echoed in her mind: to grow stronger!

She could even sense that the passage seemed to be devouring her willpower, attempting to trap her here for all eternity.

Suddenly, her foot stepped upon something hard and icy. Subconsciously, she bent down to retrieve it—it was a peculiarly shaped, primitive disc carved with intricate patterns, radiating a freezing chill upon contact.

The moment she touched the disc, a grinding sound of gears turning echoed from the very end of the passage.

The grinding grew increasingly distinct, and the stone wall at the terminus of the passage slowly parted, revealing an ancient bronze portal.

Yunyao's heart pounded like a war drum. She realized that this disc was the key to unlocking the treasure chamber!

Inserting the disc into the indentation upon the gates, she heard a crisp "click," and the restrictive radiance glowing on the doors instantly extinguished, restoring tranquility to the passage.

"It worked!" Overjoyed, Yunyao shoved the bronze gates open and slipped inside.

Behind her, at the entrance of the passage, Qingfeng stamped his feet in exasperation. The traps he had originally set up had actually been solved by Yunyao through sheer blind luck!

Glares of venomous hatred fixed upon the direction of Yunyao's disappearance, and he gnashed his teeth, muttering, "Don't get too smug; the best part is yet to come!"

Outside the ruins, Jun Moheng had consistently monitored Yunyao's movements.

When he sensed that the restrictive passage had fallen quiet, the heart hanging in his throat finally settled, and hot tears welled up in his eyes from sheer emotional relief.

"Yao'er, you truly are the best!" he murmured to himself, his gaze filled with tenderness yet intertwined with a trace of anxiety.

He knew that even greater challenges lay ahead.

Entering the inner chamber, Yunyao was struck dumb with awe by the spectacle before her.

At the center of the resplendent chamber rested a crystal-clear jade slip, emanating a gentle, luminous glow.

Yunyao recognized it at a single glance—this was the powerful cultivation technique she had dreamed of attaining!

Unable to wait a moment longer, she reached out her hand to take it. The very instant her fingertips were about to brush the jade slip, two powerful auras struck from behind!

"Little girl, this technique is not something you are qualified to touch!" Black Fiend Demon Lord laughed malevolently as the black battle-axe in his hand cleaved toward Yunyao with fierce murderous intent.

"Overestimating yourself!" Purple Star Fairy sneered coldly, her longsword transforming into a streak of freezing light that stabbed straight for Yunyao's back.

Having anticipated this, Yunyao sidestepped smoothly to evade their joint assault, a gleaming dagger appearing in her hand.

"Want to snatch what is mine? Then let's see if you have the capability!" Her gaze was sharp, resembling a leopard coiled and ready to pounce.

A ferocious battle erupted within the chamber.

Fighting two opponents simultaneously, Yunyao showed not a hint of fear.

Pushing the movement techniques learned from the stone spirit to their absolute limit, her figure flickered unpredictably like a phantom, rendering her movements impossible for Black Fiend Demon Lord and Purple Star Fairy to pin down.

Every wave of the dagger in her hand carried lethal intent, leaving a trail of bloody gashes across their bodies.

The more they fought, the more alarmed Black Fiend Demon Lord and Purple Star Fairy became. They never expected that a woman who appeared so delicate could possess such formidable strength!

Gradually falling into a disadvantageous position, their bodies were covered in injuries, and their breathing grew chaotic.

Seizing an opening, Yunyao transformed her dagger into a bolt of lightning, thrusting toward the throat of Black Fiend Demon Lord.

Failing to evade in time, Black Fiend Demon Lord let out a miserable screech and collapsed to the floor, breathing his last.

Seized by sudden horror at the sight, Purple Star Fairy spun around, desperate to flee.

"Want to leave? It's not that easy!" Yunyao shouted coldly, her figure flashing to block Purple Star Fairy's escape path.

The tip of her dagger pressed gently against the throat of Purple Star Fairy.

"Hand over your storage pouch, and I might spare your life!"

Turning pale as paper, Purple Star Fairy knew she was no match for Yunyao and obediently surrendered her storage pouch.

Taking the pouch, Yunyao kicked Purple Star Fairy flying with a single strike, then walked toward the jade slip and stowed it away.

Clutching the cultivation manual, before she could even recover from the joy of victory, an aged voice sounded beside her ear: "Congratulations on passing the trial..."