From a loser to an immortal sage

Chapter 82 Hidden Opportunities Emerge, Dawn Slightly Appears

After the blinding light subsided, I slowly lowered my arm from my eyes, and the sight before me left me speechless. Mu Feng, enveloped in a golden light, hovered above the altar, struggling in agony and uttering incoherent roars. The runes on the altar flickered erratically, like breathing, and an ancient and mysterious aura permeated the entire space.

I tried to move my body and found that I could move freely again. I cautiously approached the altar to see what had happened.

"Mu Feng!" A clear female voice rang out, and I turned to see Fairy Yun rushing over with several disciples from the Celestial Palace. Her expression changed drastically when she saw Mu Feng. "What happened? Senior Brother Mu Feng!"

No one answered her; all eyes were on the altar. Mu Feng's screams grew weaker and weaker, and the golden light gradually dimmed.

I had a vague feeling that this altar and that bead were not simple treasures; they contained immense power and might even conceal some kind of danger.

Mu Feng's body slowly fell, crashing heavily to the ground, unconscious. Fairy Yun rushed forward to check on him and found that his breath was weak and his condition was extremely critical.

"Quickly, take Senior Brother Mufeng back to heal his injuries!" Fairy Yun ordered anxiously.

Several disciples of the Immortal Palace quickly lifted Mu Feng up and hurriedly left.

Before leaving, Fairy Yun gave me a deep look, her eyes filled with complex emotions, as if she had questions and worries, but in the end she said nothing.

After they left, I was left alone in the vast space. I looked at the altar again, and the bead still emitted a soft light, as if nothing had happened.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down. Mu Feng's experience served as a wake-up call; although this bead contained immense power, it was also fraught with unknown dangers. I had to be extremely careful to seize any real opportunity.

I slowly walked to the altar, reaching out my hand to touch the bead. Just as my fingertips were about to touch it, a voice suddenly echoed in my mind: "You, are you willing to bear the consequences...?"

The voice was deep and ancient, carrying an unquestionable authority. My heart skipped a beat, and I instinctively withdrew my hand.

Whose voice is this? What does it mean? What does it represent?

My mind was filled with questions, yet I dared not try it lightly.

Just then, a series of noisy footsteps came from the cave entrance. I turned my head and saw that Master Zhao was leading a group of people in.

"Xiao Yao, you really are here!" Hall Master Zhao said sternly when he saw me. "Do you know that you have violated the trial rules?"

I was startled, only then remembering that the trial rules clearly stipulated that one must not enter unexplored areas without permission. And the ruins before me were clearly outside the scope of the trial.

"Master Zhao, I..." I wanted to explain, but Master Zhao interrupted me.

"No need to explain, come back with me to accept your punishment!" said Hall Master Zhao, then gestured for the guards behind him to take me away.

I was anxious. I hadn't figured out the secrets of this ruin yet, how could I leave like this?

Just then, a familiar voice rang out: "Wait!"

I looked up and saw Elder Xing walk out from the crowd. His gaze fell on the altar, and a glint of light flashed in his eyes.

He walked up to me and asked in a deep voice, "Xiao Yao, how did you find this place?"

I hesitated for a moment, but then briefly told him about my experiences along the way.

After listening to my story, Elder Xing fell into deep thought.

"You...would you be willing..." That deep voice echoed in my mind again, this time more clearly. Elder Xing's brows were furrowed, as if he were weighing something. I noticed that the guard behind him, Lin, was anxiously looking towards the altar, as if he had something to say. Finally, he couldn't help but step forward and whisper a few words to Elder Xing.

I strained my ears and vaguely heard words like "Mu Feng" and "violation of rules." Elder Xing's expression changed upon hearing this, and he immediately instructed Hall Master Zhao, "Hall Master Zhao, take some men and see what Mu Feng and the others are doing. Make sure the trial is fair and just!"

Hall Master Zhao accepted the order and left, quickly departing from the ruins with a group of men. Guard Lin looked even more anxious; he glanced at Elder Xing, then at me, hesitating to speak.

"Guard Lin, is something the matter?" I couldn't help but ask.

Guard Lin hesitated for a moment before saying, "Miss Xiao Yao, it seems that Young Master Mu Feng and the others are... it seems that they are using forbidden techniques to forcibly break through the trial. I am worried that they will disrupt the balance of the trial and even endanger the safety of other trial participants."

I was shocked. How dare Mu Feng break the rules so blatantly? It seems he's resorting to any means necessary to get the trial rewards.

"Guard Lin, why didn't you stop them?" I asked.

Guard Lin smiled wryly, "Young Master Mu Feng has powerful backing, and I... I am but a nobody, and it is difficult for me to stop them. Moreover, they have already activated forbidden techniques, and I am worried that forceful intervention will backfire."

Just then, a commotion erupted from the cave entrance. I turned to look and saw Mu Feng and his group storming in, radiating powerful spiritual energy—clearly they had used some kind of forbidden technique. Upon seeing this, Guard Lin immediately stepped forward, blocking their path, and shouted sternly, "Young Master Mu Feng, your actions violate the trial rules! Stop immediately, or I will report to Elder Xing and have you disqualified from the trial!"

Mu Feng and the others ignored Lin's warning, looking at him with sneers, their eyes filled with disdain and provocation.

"Guard Lin, you're just a lowly guard, how dare you stop us? If you know what's good for you, get out of our way!" one of the disciples next to Mu Feng said arrogantly.

Guard Lin's face was ashen. He gripped his longsword tightly, but dared not make a move. He knew that if he really fought Mu Feng and the others, he would be no match for them.

Just as the two sides were deadlocked, a bold idea suddenly came to my mind. Taking advantage of their argument with Guard Lin, I quietly circled around to the other side of the altar, took a deep breath, and leaped into the light in the center of the altar.

A blinding light instantly engulfed me, and I felt as if I had entered a strange space, where everything around me became blurry. When I opened my eyes again, I found myself in an ancient ruin.

The ruins were dimly lit, and a musty, decaying smell filled the air. I cautiously looked around and discovered that the ruins were riddled with traps and mechanisms; a slight misstep could trigger them and plunge me into danger. I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself, and then began to carefully explore this mysterious ruin.

I walked along a narrow passage, the walls on either side of which were covered with ancient runes that emitted a faint glow. I examined these runes closely and found that they seemed to contain some kind of mysterious power.

Suddenly, I felt a strange movement beneath my feet. I quickly took a step back, and saw that the ground where I had just been standing had suddenly collapsed, revealing a bottomless trap. I couldn't help but gasp. If I hadn't reacted in time, I probably would have fallen into the trap.

I continued forward, carefully avoiding various traps and mechanisms along the way. I discovered that the layout of this ruin was extremely complex, resembling a giant maze, making it easy to lose one's way.

I walked down a long corridor and came to a spacious hall. In the center of the hall stood a huge stone tablet, covered with densely packed characters. I approached the tablet and carefully examined the characters, discovering that it was a script I had never seen before, and I couldn't understand its meaning at all.

Just as I was feeling confused, I suddenly heard a soft footstep behind me... I turned around abruptly, gripping the dagger I had brought from the trial grounds, my eyes fixed intently on the direction of the sound, and whispered, "Who's there?"

From the darkness, a figure slowly emerged—it was Fairy Yun. She paused slightly upon seeing the dagger in my hand, then smiled gently: "Miss Xiao Yao, don't be nervous, it's me."

I breathed a sigh of relief and put the dagger back into my storage bag. "Fairy Yun, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be outside assisting Elder Xing?"

Fairy Yun sighed, walked to my side, and whispered, "Mu Feng and the others have shaken off Guard Lin and entered the ruins. They've scattered and are looking for you, probably to steal any treasures you may have already found."

My heart sank. Mu Feng was indeed persistent. It seemed I had to find a way out of here as soon as possible, otherwise, if they found me, the consequences would be unimaginable. "Thank you for the reminder, Fairy Yun. I will be careful."

Fairy Yun nodded, her gaze falling on the stone tablet in the center of the hall. "Do you recognize the characters on this stone tablet?"

I shook my head. "I've never seen it before. It seems to be some kind of ancient rune."

After a moment of contemplation, Fairy Yun said, "Perhaps, this stone tablet is the key to leaving this place."

A thought struck me, and I looked at the runes on the stone tablet again. I tried to touch the runes with my spiritual power, but there was no reaction. I closed my eyes, trying hard to recall the various runes I had encountered in the Trial Grounds, hoping to find some clues.

Suddenly, a thought flashed through my mind, and I remembered an ancient rune I had seen in ancient books, which was quite similar to the runes on the stone tablet. I opened my eyes and carefully compared the runes on the stone tablet with the ancient runes in my memory. I found that although their shapes were slightly different, their internal structures were extremely similar.

I took a deep breath and began to try to decipher the runes on the stone tablet using methods for interpreting ancient runes. I channeled my spiritual energy into the stone tablet, guiding it along a specific trajectory, while silently reciting the incantation for deciphering the runes.

As I moved, the runes on the stone tablet began to glow faintly, and a powerful force surged from the tablet, filling the entire hall. I felt an immense pressure bearing down on me, almost crushing me.

I gritted my teeth and persisted in deciphering the runes. Suddenly, the runes on the stone tablet shone brightly, and a powerful force pushed me away. I staggered back a few steps, steadied myself, and looked up at the stone tablet.

The runes on the stone tablet had disappeared, replaced by a shimmering teleportation array. At the same time, a commotion arose at the entrance of the hall; Mu Feng and the others had caught up.

A surge of joy filled me; it seemed my guess was right—this stone tablet was indeed the key to leaving this place. Without hesitation, I stepped into the teleportation array, and with a flash of light, I vanished from the hall.

Almost at the same moment I disappeared, Mu Feng and the others rushed into the hall. Seeing the empty hall, their faces immediately turned grim.

"Damn it! She got away!" Mu Feng roared.

"What do we do now?" a disciple asked.

A ruthless glint flashed in Mu Feng's eyes. "Keep chasing! I refuse to believe she can escape my grasp!"

……

I was teleported by a teleportation array to an unfamiliar cave. The cave was pitch black; you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. I groped my way along the walls, carefully making my way forward.

Suddenly, I felt something step on. I looked down and, in the dim light, saw some broken stones scattered on the ground, with strange symbols carved on them.

A thought struck me, and I bent down to examine the symbols closely. I discovered they were remarkably similar to the runes I had seen on the stone tablet earlier. Could it be…?

My fingers gently traced the symbols on the stone. Suddenly, the cave walls began to shake, and stones rained down from above... I looked up sharply and saw a huge crack appear in the cave ceiling. "Oh no!"

"Not good!" I cried out in alarm, retreating rapidly. Huge boulders crashed down with a whooshing sound, dust billowing and the entire cave trembling. I quickly activated my defensive magic artifact, a golden shield enveloping my body to withstand the impact of the falling rocks.

The roar was deafening, and I felt like a small boat in a storm, about to be swallowed by the giant waves. I dared not be careless, maintaining my shield while observing my surroundings, searching for an escape route.

The cave's roof had completely collapsed, and rubble blocked the exit, trapping me in this crumbling cave. Was I going to perish here? No, I would never give up! I tried to calm myself, recalling the runes I had seen on the stone tablet and the symbols on the scattered stones on the ground.

These symbols… I suddenly realized that the way they were arranged seemed to have some connection to the structure of the cave. I carefully observed the surrounding walls and found similar symbols carved on them, only more complex and hidden.

Could it be that these symbols are the key to cracking the mechanism?

A glimmer of hope ignited in my heart. Suppressing my fear, I approached the wall step by step, carefully examining the symbols on it. These symbols seemed to tell a story, a story about this cave, about this ruin.

I tried to touch the symbols on the wall with my spiritual power, and a strange energy wave spread throughout my body. I felt as if my consciousness had entered a wondrous space, where everything around me became blurred, and only the symbols were flashing with light.

I seemed to hear an ancient voice whispering, telling the secrets of this ruin, the intricacies of its mechanisms. I gradually understood that this mechanism was not meant to trap intruders, but rather to test their wisdom and courage.

Only by truly understanding the meaning of these symbols can we find a way to crack the mechanism.

I closed my eyes, concentrated, and tried to decipher the meaning of the symbols. I incorporated my understanding of cultivation into them, attempting to comprehend these ancient runes from a completely new perspective.

Time ticked by, and the tremors in the cave grew more and more intense, threatening to collapse completely at any moment. Beads of sweat appeared on my forehead, but I dared not relax for a moment.

Finally, I felt I had grasped a glimmer of inspiration. I opened my eyes, a determined light shining within them. I knew I had found a way to solve the puzzle.

I took a deep breath and mobilized the immortal power within my body, circulating it along a special trajectory. I placed my palms against the wall and slowly poured the immortal power into those symbols.

As the divine power was infused, the symbols on the walls began to emit a dazzling light, illuminating the entire cave as if it were daytime. I felt a powerful force surging within me, and the surrounding air seemed to distort.

The symbols on the wall began to move, rearrange, and eventually form a completely new pattern. I was overjoyed, knowing that I had already succeeded halfway.

Suddenly, I felt an unusual tremor beneath my feet. I looked down and saw that the stones on the ground were also moving, forming an array that echoed the patterns on the wall... I quickly reached my hand towards the array on the ground... "Wait!" a voice suddenly rang out.