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

Chapter 116 A Dangerous Circumstances During the Assessment, A Clever Solution

"What's going on?" Before Dai Yao could finish speaking, a gleaming sword came hurtling through the air, aimed directly at her face! Dai Yao only felt a flash of cold light before her eyes, the sword's sharpness seemingly stinging them. She reacted swiftly, dodging to the side, hearing only the "whoosh" of the sword cutting through the air, barely avoiding this fatal blow. She cursed inwardly, her spiritual energy surging in her hand, feeling it gather in her palm and condense into a sword of light. With a backhand swing, she repelled the attacking shadow, simultaneously hearing a muffled groan from it.

The next day, Dai Yao stepped into the illusionary realm of the assessment. Before she could even exclaim in her heart, "The special effects are pretty good," she felt a sudden dizziness, and her vision blurred as everything around her turned into a vast expanse of white. Visually, there was only endless white, as if she had been swept into a white vortex. "Playing with teleportation arrays? Launching ambushes? Can't we do something different?" Dai Yao thought to herself, but she didn't dare to let her guard down. She could feel a dangerous aura permeating the surrounding air, like cold threads brushing against her skin, sharpening her senses.

The fog was so thick that she couldn't see her hand in front of her face, let alone discern direction. A heavy sense of loneliness enveloped her like a giant net; she could only hear the echo of her own heartbeat in the silence. Suddenly, a figure flashed out from the fog, brandishing a long sword and thrusting at her! Dai Yao quickly parried, but found the attack to be elusive and unpredictable. "Illusions?" Dai Yao narrowed her eyes, carefully observing the attack patterns of these illusions. A scene from her childhood training with her brothers in the family flashed through her mind; that rigorous training had taught her how to find weaknesses in complex attacks. "They look familiar..." Soon, she realized that the attack patterns of these illusions were extremely similar to the spiritual energy fluctuations of Ling Feng and Xing Yao!

One wave subsides only for another to rise; the phantoms multiply, and the attacks grow ever more ferocious. Dai Yao fought and retreated, gradually feeling the strain. "This won't do; I need to find a way to break this deadlock..." Just then, she sensed something amiss—a faint current of energy flowing within the illusion... Dai Yao's eyes narrowed. "This is..." Her eyes lit up; this current of energy was none other than her golden finger—the ability to sense the direction of energy flow! In the perilous illusion, this ability was like a lighthouse in the darkness, guiding her forward.

"Trying to play dirty? This old lady's gotta play along!" Dai Yao's lips curled into a sly smile. Her steps were light, her figure weaving through the phantoms like a ghost. She could hear the whistling sound of the phantom attacks missing their mark. She wasn't just dodging randomly; she was cleverly avoiding most of the attacks by exploiting weaknesses in her luck, even deliberately leaving misleading traces to make Ling Feng and Xing Yao think she was in dire straits and exhausted. In reality, she was steadily advancing towards her assessment goal. "You little punks, you're still too green to fight this old lady!" Dai Yao thought to herself, secretly pleased. This feeling of playing dumb to outsmart her was truly delightful!

As she ventured deeper into the illusion, the scenery abruptly changed, no longer a vast expanse of white, but a dark, gloomy forest. Suddenly, a deafening roar erupted, making her ears ring. A gigantic guardian beast appeared before Dai Yao! This beast resembled a tiger, but possessed three heads, each radiating a chilling pressure that felt almost tangible against her. "Holy crap! What is this thing? A Cerberus enhanced version?!" Dai Yao exclaimed, but dared not be careless; this guardian beast's strength far surpassed her current level!

The guardian beast's attacks came like a storm, and Dai Yao was exhausted from dealing with them, sustaining injuries that stung her. "This won't do, I have to think of something..." Just as she was racking her brains, she suddenly remembered what Zi You had mentioned before: the immortal sect's assessments sometimes incorporated knowledge of music. And this guardian beast seemed to be particularly sensitive to certain specific musical notes.

Suddenly inspired, Dai Yao tried to simulate some simple melodies using her spiritual power. She closed her eyes, her hands moving gently, spiritual power flowing from her fingertips, transforming into shimmering musical notes. These notes seemed to possess a life of their own, slowly drifting towards the guardian beast. The guardian beast's previously ferocious attack suddenly faltered; its massive claws stopped in mid-air, and Dai Yao could hear the sudden halt of the wind as the claws sliced ​​through the air. Dai Yao was delighted and continued adjusting the melody, which became even more melodious and gentle, like celestial music from a fairyland. The guardian beast's three heads gradually lowered, its eyes softening, and its previously deafening roar transformed into a low whimper. The surrounding air seemed to calm down with the melody; the leaves in the forest ceased rustling, as if listening to this magical tune. Finally, she had found a melody that could gradually calm the guardian beast.

Just as the guardian beast was about to be completely calmed, Dai Yao sensed a familiar presence… “He’s here?” Dai Yao hummed an unknown tune, her fingertips circulating spiritual energy that transformed into strange musical notes, which entered the ears of the Cerberus Plus version—let’s call it that for now. This huge creature, which had originally looked ferocious, now resembled a giant husky whose fur had been stroked, its three heads swaying gently to the music, its eyelids beginning to droop.

"Phew, all done!" Dai Yao wiped the sweat from her forehead, secretly relieved. Although he wasn't by her side, just thinking about his encouraging words, "Yao Yao is the best," filled her with energy, making her feel like she had a cheat code!

However, just as she was about to pack up and leave, a figure flashed by, and Ling Feng's smug face appeared in front of her. "Yo, Junior Sister Dai, I didn't expect you to have this skill! But, this guardian beast is mine!" He grinned maliciously, his long sword thrusting straight at the guardian beast, trying to forcibly interrupt Dai Yao's attempt to appease it and seize the spoils.

"Damn it! Has this kid lost his mind?" Dai Yao cursed inwardly. This guardian beast was only in a semi-tamed state. If disturbed, it would definitely explode! Sure enough, the Cerberus Plus version was enraged by Ling Feng. All three heads roared at the same time. The roar assaulted her eardrums. Her eyes, which were about to close, widened instantly, revealing a fierce glint.

Dai Yao knew she was in trouble; this was truly a case of collateral damage! She dodged the guardian beast's ferocious attacks, the wind whistling past her ears, while simultaneously guarding against Ling Feng's sneak attacks. For a moment, she was in grave danger. "Ling Feng, have you lost your mind? You're harming yourself and others!"

Ling Feng sneered, "Dai Yao, the winner takes all, don't you understand? You're destined to lose to me in this assessment!" His swordplay was fierce, each move aimed directly at Dai Yao's vital points.

"Losing my foot!" Dai Yao was not one to be trifled with. While dodging, she observed her surroundings, looking for an opportunity to counterattack. Suddenly, an idea struck her. Taking advantage of the guardian beast's attack, she forced Ling Feng to the edge of a swamp deep in the forest.

"Senior Brother Ling Feng, watch your step!" Dai Yao's lips curled into a sly smile. Spiritual energy surged in her hand as she flicked the edge of the swamp... "Boom!" A loud crash echoed as the swamp spewed forth a torrent of mud, which, like an angry mud dragon, lunged at Ling Feng, its claws outstretched. It struck Ling Feng squarely in the face, sending him sprawling face-first into the mud. The moment the mud splashed, Dai Yao burst into laughter: "Senior Brother Ling Feng, this is called reaping what you sow! Did you think I, Dai Yao, was so easy to bully? Today I'll show you that I, your grandma, am not to be trifled with!"

"Cough cough cough... Dai Yao, you're despicable!" Ling Feng crawled out of the mud in a disheveled state, roaring angrily.

Dai Yao clapped her hands, looking completely innocent: "All's fair in war, Senior Brother Ling Feng, thank you for your leniency!" She turned to leave, but suddenly felt a cold gaze fall on her... A faint voice echoed in the air: "Heh, what a wonderful show..." Dai Yao turned around gracefully, ready to slip away, but felt a chill run down her back, as if she were being watched by something. She unconsciously rubbed her arms, and goosebumps rose on her skin.

She thought to herself, "No way, there's someone else? Ling Feng is already in trouble enough, if someone even more powerful comes along, I'm afraid I'll be done for today." A strange fragrance filled the air, so sweet it made her uneasy, and the scent was somewhat pungent when it entered her nostrils.

Dai Yao looked around warily, but found nothing. "Could it be my imagination?" Just as she was about to relax her guard, a charming voice came from behind her: "Oh my, isn't this Junior Sister Dai? What's up, enjoying the scenery here all by yourself?"

Dai Yao turned around abruptly and saw Xing Yao dressed in red, as alluring as a blooming poppy, smiling at her.

"Heh, Senior Sister Xingyao, what a coincidence." Dai Yao replied with a forced smile, but inwardly she was cursing, "Coincidence my foot! This woman must have been hiding in the shadows watching the show all along!"

Xing Yao moved gracefully to stand before Dai Yao, extending her slender fingers to gently stroke Dai Yao's cheek. Dai Yao felt the fingers like cold snakes slithering across her face. She subtly dodged Xing Yao's hand, forcing a dry laugh, "Senior Sister, you flatter me. I'm naturally beautiful, it's hard to hide." Inwardly, however, she cursed, "I'm made with spiritual spring water, what do you know, you scheming bitch!"

Xingyao wasn't annoyed, but simply covered her mouth and chuckled, "Junior sister is so humorous. However, this assessment isn't about who's good-looking; it's also about strength." As she spoke, she glanced at Ling Feng, who was still struggling in the swamp, a hint of disdain flashing in her eyes.

"Some people just overestimate their abilities."

"That's not necessarily true." A cool voice suddenly interrupted.

Dai Yao and Xing Yao turned around simultaneously, only to see a figure appear behind them at some point. The person was dressed in black, obscuring their face, yet exuding an inexplicable sense of oppression. Dai Yao was overjoyed—her savior had arrived! Although she didn't know who this person was, it was still better than fighting Xing Yao alone.

"This..." she was about to speak when she was interrupted by the person.

"Let's go." The man in black spoke sparingly, then turned and walked into the depths of the forest.

Dai Yao was stunned for a moment, then realized what was happening and quickly followed.

Xingyao watched the two figures leave, a meaningful smile playing on her lips.

“Heh, interesting…” She clapped her hands lightly, and a dark figure emerged from behind a tree, kneeling respectfully before her.

"Go and find out who he is."

"Yes!" The dark figure accepted the order and disappeared into the vast night.

Xingyao looked up at the sky and said softly, "This game is getting more and more fun..." At the same time, Daiyao followed the man in black to a hidden cave.

The man in black finally removed his hood, revealing an incomparably handsome face. Dai Yao almost couldn't help but gasp in surprise—this...this is just too handsome!

"I'll guarantee your eligibility for the assessment," the man in black said calmly, his voice as clear and melodious as jade.

Before Dai Yao could process this unexpected surprise, she heard a distant, melodious, and heavy chime...

"The final round of assessment..." The man in black gazed in the direction from which the bell tolled, a complex light flashing in his eyes...