From a loser to an immortal sage

Chapter 421 Perilous Situations Surrounding the Strange Treasure

Before the joy of breaking through the defenses could even bloom in my heart, a chilling aura clung to me like a leech.

I stopped abruptly, alarm bells ringing in my heart.

This feeling... is like being watched by something, cold, sticky, and nauseating.

This is not a good sign.

Deeper into the cave, the light of the treasure shone even brighter, but I felt there was an evil quality in that light, like the greedy eyes of some kind of wild beast.

The air around me seemed to freeze, making it hard for me to breathe.

"Watch out!" I practically yelled.

Before the words were even finished, the seemingly ordinary rock patterns on the cave walls suddenly lit up with a dazzling light, and sharp beams of light shot towards us like arrows released from a bow!

I instinctively summoned my protective magic weapon, barely managing to block the oncoming attack.

A sharp whistling sound filled my ears, and the air was thick with the smell of burning. I could even feel the heat as the beam of light slashed across my cheek.

Damn it! There are even such traps around this treasure!

In the chaos, I caught a glimpse of Su Yao's terrified face.

This woman!

Ignoring everyone else, she screamed and ran deeper into the cave, deliberately dashing left and right in an attempt to draw the attack towards us!

"Su Yao! What are you doing!" I roared, but could only watch helplessly as she disappeared into the deeper darkness like a headless fly.

This selfish woman, in order to save her own life, actually used us as a shield!

My heart sank. This sudden attack and Su Yao's betrayal left me feeling powerless.

To make matters worse, Kuroba's previous injuries hadn't fully healed, and now he had to face this damned attack. I saw him grunt as a beam of light grazed his arm, and black blood gushed out instantly.

That light... was poisonous!

"Black Feather!" My heart tightened, and I quickly diverted some of my spiritual power to help him suppress the poison.

The toxin spread at an alarming speed; almost in the blink of an eye, his entire arm turned an eerie black.

"I'm fine..." Kuroba's voice was weak, but he still managed to swing his sword to block the incoming light.

I gritted my teeth. Now was not the time to worry about him; I had to figure out how to get out of this predicament first.

Master Li's situation was also not optimistic. He had to defend against attacks while also taking care of other injured disciples. His immortal power was greatly depleted, and his movements began to become sluggish.

I watched helplessly as a beam of light struck his leg, causing him to stagger and nearly fall to the ground.

"Master!" I exclaimed, but there was nothing I could do.

The surrounding light grew increasingly intense, and I felt like a small boat in a storm, about to be swallowed up at any moment.

No, we'll all die here if this continues!

I forced myself to calm down and tried to observe my surroundings.

These rays of light are coming from the patterns on the stone wall. Is there any pattern to them?

I squinted and carefully observed the glowing patterns. Suddenly, I realized that these patterns seemed to resemble some kind of array!

A formation I've never seen before!

Could this be... the last line of defense protecting the rare treasure?

I took a deep breath and tried hard to recall the array formation texts I had read before.

Wait… this pattern… it seems… I’ve seen it somewhere before…

Suddenly, a brilliant idea flashed into my mind!

This pattern is very similar to the "starry sky formation" in ancient forbidden formations!

If it truly is a star-studded formation, then the key to the formation should be...

My gaze swept quickly across the cave walls, and finally, my eyes settled on a protruding rock at the top of the cave.

On that rock, there was a tiny, almost imperceptible red mark!

That's it!

"Everyone, attack the top of the cave, that red mark!" I shouted, channeling all my spiritual power into the longsword in my hand and slashing at the rock.

A loud bang was heard, and the top of the cave shook violently...

"What's going on?" Master Li's voice came from not far away, tinged with doubt.

I looked up and saw the red mark on the rock flash with light. Then, the entire cave shook violently, and rubble fell from above, crashing to the ground and kicking up a cloud of choking dust.

I instinctively closed my eyes and covered my head with my hands, feeling the ground trembling as if it were about to collapse at any moment.

This feeling is fucking exhilarating!

Although I felt a little panicked, I was inexplicably excited.

This kind of thrilling, life-or-death situation is something not everyone can experience.

The vibrations continued for quite a while before gradually stopping.

I slowly opened my eyes. As the dust gradually dissipated, the scene before me gave me a jolt.

Those damn beams of light are gone!

"It's a success?!" Hall Master Li's voice trembled, filled with disbelief.

I let out a long sigh of relief, wiped the dust off my face, and grinned: "Looks like my guess was right, this really is a star-studded formation!"

To be honest, I wasn't sure either, since I'd only ever seen this formation in ancient books and had never actually tried it before.

But now it seems I made the right bet!

This feeling is like winning your entire fortune in a casino, it's absolutely amazing!

"Xiao Yao, you're amazing!" Pharmacist Zhao gave me a thumbs up while treating the injured disciple.

I proudly raised my chin, but secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Luckily I reacted quickly, otherwise I would have been in big trouble this time.

"Is everyone alright?" I looked around and saw that everyone was safe and sound, and my heart finally settled down.

"Thank goodness you were here, otherwise we would have been finished this time." Master Li walked to my side, patted my shoulder, and his tone was full of gratitude.

"You're too kind, Master. We're all here for the rare treasure, so helping each other is only right." I smiled modestly, but inwardly I couldn't help but think: If it weren't for that stupid woman Su Yao, we wouldn't be in such a dangerous situation.

Wait, where is Su Yao?

I looked around, but I couldn't see Su Yao anywhere.

"Where did that woman go?" I frowned, a bad feeling rising in my heart.

"She ran away in the chaos, probably to find some rare treasure." Hei Yu's voice sounded behind me, tinged with coldness.

"Damn it!" I cursed under my breath. This woman won't admit her mistakes until she's faced with the truth!

Did she think she could keep the treasure all to herself?

It’s simply wishful thinking!

"Let's go too, we can't let her get there first." I took a deep breath and looked resolutely into the depths of the cave.

The cave was silent, with only the echo of our heavy footsteps.

An eerie atmosphere filled the air, sending chills down one's spine.

I always feel like something's not right, but I can't quite put my finger on it.

Suddenly, Kuroba grabbed my arm, and a deep voice sounded in my ear: "Watch out!"

Before I could react, I felt a powerful force come crashing down on me, sending me flying.

"Ugh..." I groaned and fell heavily to the ground, feeling as if my internal organs had shifted.

I struggled to my feet, and what I saw there stunned me.

From the depths of the cave, a gigantic figure emerged...

"What is that thing..." Master Li's voice trembled, tinged with fear.

I squinted, trying hard to see the figure clearly, but found it shrouded in a layer of black mist, making it impossible to see its true face.

"Roar--"

A deafening roar came from the depths of the cave, like that of an ancient beast, carrying a suffocating sense of oppression.

I felt like my heart was about to stop beating.

“This…this is the real guardian beast…” My voice trembled, tinged with despair.

This extraordinary treasure is indeed not so easy to obtain...

"Prepare for battle!" Kuroba's voice was cold and resolute, like a sharp sword slicing through the silent air.

My heart sank as well.

"Wait," Elder Feng suddenly spoke, his voice somewhat hoarse, "Did you hear... anything?"