Transmigrated into the villain? Watch my epic comeback in the ethereal fairy realm!

Chapter 159 Exploring the Depths, the Truth Begins to Emerge

The bottom of the abyss was not the solid ground she had imagined. Dai Yao felt as if she were surrounded by a thick, ink-like darkness, as if she were completely shrouded by a black curtain. She felt as if she had fallen into a viscous liquid, the stickiness spreading from her skin, and her descent suddenly slowed.

"What the hell is going on?" Dai Yao couldn't help but complain, her voice echoing in the dark space. The setting of this ruin was too unscientific! Fortunately, the mysterious man beside her held her hand tightly. The strength from his hand made her feel much more at ease. Otherwise, she felt that she would definitely be swallowed up by this strange darkness. The darkness seemed to have a substance, as if it was going to wrap her up. The oppressive feeling made it hard for her to breathe.

The demonic energy within her surged wildly like a runaway horse. Dai Yao gritted her teeth, cold sweat beading on her forehead and trickling down her cheeks; she could feel the chill of the sweat. The sinister voice of the body-swapping demonic cultivator echoed in her mind: "Give up the resistance, your body will soon be mine!" "Heh, dream on!" Dai Yao endured the excruciating pain, channeling a wisp of her immortal energy to fight back. "I'm not one to be trifled with!"

Suddenly, a faint light appeared in the darkness before them. The dim light was particularly dazzling in the gloom, and as they descended, it grew larger and larger, eventually illuminating a strange space. In the center of the space, an ancient stone tablet stood silently, covered with intricate runes. Those runes exuded a chilling aura, and Dai Yao recognized them at a glance: body-swapping runes!

"Found it!" Dai Yao was overjoyed, but her expression changed immediately. The restrictions around the stone tablet emitted a powerful pressure. She could feel the pressure squeezing in from all directions, making her feel suffocated, as if a pair of invisible hands were tightly gripping her throat.

Almost simultaneously, two powerful auras approached from afar. Dai Yao thought to herself, "This is bad. It seems the Immortal Sect Leader and the Demon Palace Lord have arrived as well!" Sure enough, the two figures appeared in this space almost at the same time. The Immortal Sect Leader was dressed in white, exuding an air of otherworldly elegance, with piercing eyes; the Demon Palace Lord was dressed in black, domineering and imposing, with cold, sinister eyes.

"This stone tablet, our Immortal Sect is determined to possess!" The Immortal Sect Leader spoke first, his tone leaving no room for doubt, his voice full of vigor, echoing in the space. "Hmph, Immortal Sect? You dare to challenge me!" The Demon Lord of the Demon Palace sneered, his demonic energy surging around him, the sound of that surging demonic energy like a deep roar.

Caught between the two men, Dai Yao felt like a sandwich filling, ready to be crushed at any moment. Her eyes darted around, an idea forming in her mind. She shouted at the top of her lungs, "Don't be so hasty, you two! The restrictions on this stone tablet are no joke; we could all be doomed! How about..." Dai Yao paused, a sly smile playing on her lips, "How about we cooperate?" A tense atmosphere filled the space. Dai Yao's voice echoed in the silence, the gazes of the Immortal Sect Leader and the Demon Palace Lord pressing down on her as if they could see right through her. Yet Dai Yao remained fearless, her sly smile growing even more pronounced.

The Immortal Sect Leader and the Demon Lord of the Demon Palace both looked at her, their eyes filled with suspicion and wariness. Dai Yao chuckled inwardly; the fish had taken the bait! She lowered her voice mysteriously, "I know how to break the seal..." Dai Yao cleared her throat, then pointed to a rune on the stone tablet with feigned profundity, saying, "See this? This thing is called the 'Yin-Yang Two Elements Lock.' It can only be unlocked by both an immortal and a demon simultaneously injecting spiritual power. Two powerful figures, a powerful alliance—wouldn't that be wonderful?"

As expected, the Immortal Sect Leader and the Demon Palace Demon Lord were drawn to her words. They glared at each other, their eyes filled with hostility, yet both were also eager for the secrets behind the stone tablet. Ultimately, under Dai Yao's "persuasion," they reluctantly agreed to cooperate. "Hmph, I'll trust you this once!" the Immortal Sect Leader sneered, infusing his immortal power into the stone tablet first. The Demon Palace Demon Lord was not to be outdone, injecting his demonic energy into the stone tablet as well.

The moment the two forces converged, the runes on the stone tablet suddenly shone brightly, the light so intense that Dai Yao couldn't open her eyes. A powerful energy wave swept outwards. Dai Yao was prepared, secretly activating a special ability of demonic cultivation—"Devouring." This ability could absorb surrounding energy and convert it into her own power. Dai Yao's figure flashed, and a huge vortex appeared around her, drawing all the energy into it. Her eyes gleamed with a strange light, as if the entire space was enveloped by her aura. She chuckled inwardly, looking at the astonished expressions of the two powerful figures, feeling as if she were watching two fooled bears. 'Hmph, trying to fight me? You're still too green!' she thought to herself.

The sect leader of the immortal sect and the demon lord of the demon palace were both dumbfounded. This little girl was actually playing dumb to fool everyone! After absorbing the energy, Dai Yao felt her body brimming with power. That power surged within her, making her feel full of vitality. A slight smile played on her lips as she pretended nothing had happened, pointing at the stone tablet and saying, "Look, the restriction is lifted!"

Everyone finally reacted and looked at the stone tablet. Sure enough, the restrictions around the tablet had disappeared. Taking advantage of the moment before everyone could process what was happening, Dai Yao quickly deciphered the runes on the tablet. "So that's how it is..." Dai Yao murmured to herself, a glint of light flashing in her eyes. She had finally found the key information to the truth behind the body swap!

However, at that moment, the consciousness of the demonic cultivator who had possessed her body began to fiercely counterattack! "Ahhh—!" Dai Yao clutched her head in agony, feeling as if her consciousness was being torn apart, as if a thousand needles were piercing her head. "Not good! This girl is about to be possessed!" the Immortal Sect Leader exclaimed in alarm. The Demon Lord of the Demon Palace, however, remained indifferent, seemingly unconcerned about Dai Yao's life or death.

Despite the excruciating pain, Dai Yao activated her cheat ability, sensing the flow of Qi. She discovered that the Qi of the body-swapping demonic cultivator was actually tightly connected to her own! A bold idea surfaced in her mind. She gritted her teeth, mobilized all her power, and began to counter the body-swapping demonic cultivator… Gradually, Dai Yao's pain lessened, and she felt as if she had mastered a new power. She slowly opened her eyes, a resolute glint in them.

"You... what did you do?" The voice of the body-swapping demon cultivator weakly echoed in her mind. Dai Yao's lips curled into a cold smile: "I told you, I'm not someone to be trifled with! You think you can easily take over my body? That's wishful thinking. Now you know how powerful I am, so you'll just obediently be a little minion inside me." She stretched out her hand, a ball of black energy gathering in her palm... "Next, it's my turn!"

The black energy gathering in Dai Yao's palm resembled a predatory beast, emanating a chilling aura. The body-swapped demon cultivator trembled within her, utterly terrified: "You, you actually..." "Surprised? Unexpected?" Dai Yao raised an eyebrow and smiled, her tone playful, seemingly unaffected by the pain she had just endured.

This counterattack was something she had been planning for a long time! Just then, a figure appeared and pulled Dai Yao into a tight embrace. A familiar, cool scent enveloped her, carrying a hint of barely perceptible heartache. "Yao'er, are you alright?" A deep voice sounded in her ear, incredibly gentle.

Dai Yao was stunned for a moment, then looked up at the person who had arrived. Ying Yue? What was he doing here? Feeling his warm embrace, a warm feeling welled up in Dai Yao's heart. She leaned against him and gently shook her head, "I'm fine." With him by her side, she felt as if she was filled with strength again. Ying Yue gently stroked her hair, his eyes full of pity. "Silly girl, don't take such risks next time."

However, this heartwarming moment didn't last long. A violent tremor suddenly erupted from the depths of the ruins, the sound like thunder, and a powerful spiritual pressure swept in. "Not good! The guardian of the ruins has awakened!" The sect leader's expression changed drastically.

A colossal spirit slowly rose from the depths of the ruins, radiating a dazzling light that was almost blinding, resembling a celestial being and exuding a suffocating pressure. "A mere spirit dares to cause trouble!" the Demon Lord of the Demon Palace sneered, launching the first attack. His spells emitted brilliant light and whistling winds. The Immortal Sect Leader followed closely behind, joining forces with the Demon Lord to fight the spirit.

Dai Yao and Ying Yue exchanged a glance and joined the battle. The spirit's attacks were exceptionally powerful, and the group could barely withstand them. The impact of the attacks sent a sharp pain through Dai Yao's body.

"This won't do!" Dai Yao frowned. She noticed a shimmering point of light at the core of the spirit entity—its source of spiritual energy! "Attack its core!"

Dai Yao and Ying Yue worked in perfect unison, charging towards the spirit's core simultaneously. Ying Yue cleared a path for Dai Yao, blocking the spirit's attacks time and again, each blocked attack accompanied by a tremendous crash. "Devour!" Dai Yao seized the opportunity, unleashing the most powerful spell of a demonic cultivator, frantically absorbing the energy from the spirit's core.

Under the combined attack of everyone, the spirit finally let out a mournful cry and slowly dissipated. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, but Dai Yao sensed something was amiss. She looked at the stone tablet; the runes on it seemed to have changed…

“Wait a minute,” Dai Yao said gravely, pointing to the newly appeared runes on the stone tablet, “things don’t seem to be that simple…”

Dai Yao stared at the newly appeared runes on the stone tablet, her brows furrowed. The runes were convoluted and twisted, resembling the scribbles she used to dislike in elementary school—they were enough to give anyone a headache. "What is this thing? A high-level version of Connect Four?" Dai Yao muttered.

Yingyue approached and, after a careful examination, her expression turned serious. "This seems to be some kind of ancient script, recording... the key to completely resolving the body-swapping method."

"Completely solved? In other words, the method I'm using is only treating the symptoms, not the root cause?" Dai Yao's eyes widened. "This body-swapping demonic cultivator has settled down in my body, and even has installment payments? Who can tolerate this?"

Yingyue nodded. "According to the records here, to completely resolve the body swap, we need to find a divine artifact called 'Purifying Glaze.' It is hidden deep within the ruins."

"The deepest part? What kind of place is that? A dragon's den or a tiger's lair? Or the Demon King's lair?" Dai Yao subconsciously touched her arm, feeling a chill in it.

“Based on previous explorations, the deepest part of the ruins is full of unknown dangers, and…” Yingyue paused, a hint of worry flashing in her eyes, “Although the body-swapping demonic cultivators have been temporarily suppressed, they may make a comeback at any time.”

"Wow! This is for real!" Dai Yao took a deep breath, a fighting spirit igniting within her.

"What's there to be afraid of! I'm a veteran of countless battles, a transmigrator! A mere ruin can't possibly stop me!"

"Yao'er, this matter is fraught with danger. I will go with you." Yingyue looked at her gently.

"No need, you protect the others, I'll go by myself." Dai Yao waved her hand. "Too many people will make us a bigger target and easier to be discovered. Besides, I have a secret weapon!" She smiled mysteriously and patted the Qiankun bag at her waist.

“But…” Yingyue wanted to say something, but was interrupted by Dai Yao.

"No buts, it's decided!" Dai Yao's eyes were firm. "Wait for my good news!"

After saying that, Dai Yao turned and walked into the depths of the ruins, her figure gradually disappearing into the darkness.

Suddenly, she stopped and turned back to smile at everyone: "Oh, by the way, if I don't come back for three days, remember to burn paper money..." Before she finished speaking, she disappeared in a flash.