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

Chapter 158 Entering the Ruins to Uncover the Truth, Seeking Survival Amidst Danger

Dai Yao felt as if an invisible hand was gripping her internal organs tightly, making it increasingly difficult to breathe. It was as if a heavy object was pressing on her chest, and each breath felt like a taut string being pulled. The oppressive feeling of this ancient ruin far exceeded her imagination. The aura seemed to envelop her as if it were a tangible thing, and she could even smell the old, mysterious, and slightly decaying odor.

The thick fog, like heavy cotton wool, filled the surroundings completely. Dai Yao stretched out her hand, but all she could see was a chaotic white expanse. She could only grope her way forward along the wall, the rough surface of which rubbed against her fingertips, causing a slight stinging sensation.

Unfortunately, the demonic cultivator inside her body acted like a mischievous child, constantly causing trouble. One moment it interfered with her senses, as if countless ants were crawling on her nerves; the next moment it made her legs weak, her feet feeling like they were stepping on cotton. She swayed and almost fell, and couldn't help but complain in her heart: "Big brother, can't you be a little more steady? I'm a disciple of a celestial sect, after all. It would be too embarrassing if I fell face-first into the mud."

Having finally reached an open area, a barrier shimmering with a ghostly blue light appeared before her. The barrier was covered with dense runes, like countless tiny insects wriggling, making Dai Yao's scalp tingle. She felt as if she were facing an unsolvable advanced mathematics problem.

Just as she was pondering where to begin, the demonic cultivator's sinister voice echoed in her mind: "Hehehe, little girl, give up, you can't break this restriction! Why don't you hand over control of your body to me, and I'll take you out, how about that?"

"Dream on!" Dai Yao refused without hesitation. "Even if I break this restriction, I won't let you succeed!"

The body-swapping demonic cultivator sneered and began frantically seizing control of the body.

Dai Yao's consciousness felt like it was being pulled by an invisible hand; the excruciating pain made her vision blur, and it felt like two tiny figures were frantically pulling at her inside her head. She couldn't fall; the beliefs to uncover the truth and protect those around her flickered in her mind.

She gritted her teeth, mobilizing the remaining spiritual energy within her body to engage in a life-or-death struggle with the demonic cultivator's consciousness. At times, her consciousness was clear, and she could feel her spiritual energy flowing like a gentle stream; at other times, it was blurred, as if she were being swallowed by darkness.

"Give up...you can't beat me..." The demonic cultivator's voice grew weaker and weaker, but it was still full of malice.

Dai Yao's consciousness gradually blurred, but she still refused to give up. She felt her hands move uncontrollably, drawing complex runes on the restriction. "No...this is impossible..." the demonic cultivator's voice was filled with disbelief. A smile appeared on Dai Yao's lips, her hand suddenly stopped, and then the restriction opened with a "click".

Dai Yao's vision went black, and she almost fainted. She felt dizzy, as if her head had been hit by a heavy hammer.

She shook her head to clear her mind, then cautiously stepped into the space beyond the barrier. The space opened up dramatically; soft light replaced the thick fog, a warm glow like a mother's hand gently caressing her face. An ancient altar stood in the center of the space, upon which rested a stone tablet emitting a faint golden light. The shimmering light made Dai Yao's eyes light up. This stone tablet was no ordinary object; could it be the key to unlocking the truth behind the body-swapping incident? Excitedly, she rubbed her hands together, the friction producing a soft rustling sound. Just as she was about to examine it, the ground around the altar suddenly trembled.

"What's going on?!" Dai Yao exclaimed in surprise. Before she could react, countless hidden weapons shot towards her from all directions. "Whoosh whoosh whoosh—" The sound of the hidden weapons piercing the air was like the howl of death, sending chills down her spine. At the critical moment, the demonic power within Dai Yao erupted. Her figure flashed, turning into a series of afterimages. The hidden weapons seemed incredibly slow to her, and she moved among them with ease, as if dancing a dance she controlled. The little demon spirit hiding in the shadows watched in disbelief: "Wow! This human female cultivator is something else!" While dodging, Dai Yao thought to herself: Big brother, it's not that I'm good, it's that you're good! You'd better step up your game, or we'll both be done for!

Having dodged the hidden weapon attack, before she could even catch her breath, she heard a loud bang coming from the direction of the altar. "Boom—" The stone tablet on the altar suddenly cracked open, and a dazzling light shot into the sky. Dai Yao squinted at the direction of the altar, the intense light stinging her eyes. She could only see a dark shadow slowly rising from the cracked stone tablet.

“Heh,” a deep voice echoed through the space, “Interesting.” The shadow gradually solidified, and a handsome man with a hint of evil, dressed in a black robe, appeared before them. He glanced at Dai Yao with disdain, his black robe fluttering slightly in the wind, and a cold smile curled at the corner of his mouth: “I didn’t expect that someone would actually be able to break in here.”

Alarm bells rang in Dai Yao's mind, but she calmly circulated the demonic power within her body. "Who are you?"

"Heh," the man in black robes chuckled, "Who I am is not for you to know. But since you've come here, then leave your life behind!" With that, he flashed forward like a black lightning bolt, his black robes fluttering in the wind like the cloak of death.

Dai Yao's gaze was resolute, the ground beneath her feet trembling slightly from the surging demonic power. Just as the black-robed man's attack was about to strike her, Dai Yao flashed, disappearing from her spot like a phantom, leaving the black-robed man empty-handed. Immediately afterward, Dai Yao appeared behind the black-robed man, a blade of light formed from condensed spiritual energy appearing in her hand, which she thrust towards his back. The black-robed man, as if he had eyes in the back of his head, twisted his body strangely, dodging the attack, and simultaneously swung his hand back, unleashing a wave of black demonic energy towards Dai Yao. Dai Yao remained calm, chanting incantations, the surrounding air seemingly manipulated by her, forming a barrier that blocked the demonic energy wave. The two exchanged blows, each attack and dodge creating a gust of wind that howled past Dai Yao's ears, whipping her hair wildly. The surrounding space seemed to distort from their battle, while the little demon spirit watched with wide eyes, barely daring to breathe, as if witnessing a duel between god and demon.

Just then, Dai Yao sensed a familiar presence approaching, and her heart leaped with joy. A white figure suddenly appeared, blocking Dai Yao's path—it was Xinghua. He held a long sword, his gaze fixed firmly on the black-robed man: "Don't even think about harming her!"

"Xinghua? What brings you here?" Dai Yao asked in surprise.

“I was worried about you, so I followed you,” Xinghua replied briefly, her gaze never leaving the man in black robes.

"Oh, another one coming to die." The man in black robes sneered disdainfully. "Since that's the case, let's take care of them together!" As soon as he finished speaking, a huge demonic beast emerged from the ground. It opened its blood-red maw and let out a deafening roar. The sound was like thunder exploding in Dai Yao's ears as it pounced towards her and Xinghua.

"What is this thing?!" Dai Yao was startled.

"Watch out!" Xinghua grabbed Dai Yao and pulled her behind him.

A fierce battle ensued between the human and the beast. Xinghua possessed considerable strength, but he was struggling against the mutated behemoth. Dai Yao joined the fight, using her agile movements and demonic cultivation power to continuously attack the behemoth's weaknesses, creating opportunities for Xinghua.

Just as the two were about to give up, a golden light flashed, and the giant beast let out a miserable cry before its massive body crashed to the ground. Dai Yao and Xing Hua looked in surprise in the direction from which the golden light had come. A man dressed in a golden robe with a cold and stern face slowly walked towards them. The man stood in front of Dai Yao, gazing at her intently, and slowly asked, "Are you alright?"

Dai Yao stared blankly at the man before her, a strange sense of familiarity welling up inside her. She opened her mouth, but couldn't find the words. The man reached out and gently stroked Dai Yao's cheek. His fingers were cool as they brushed across her face. "It's alright, you're alright..." Dai Yao's heart suddenly raced, a strange feeling spreading through her...

Suddenly, the man's expression changed, and he shoved Dai Yao away.

"careful!"

With a deafening roar, the ground shook violently...

The golden light faded, and the dust settled. Dai Yao scrambled to her feet, brushing the dust off her clothes, completely bewildered. What had just happened? An earthquake? Before she could even react, she saw the man clutching his chest, a trickle of blood escaping from the corner of his mouth.

"Are you alright?" Dai Yao quickly stepped forward to support him. This man who appeared with an aura of his own, she couldn't let him just die like this.

The man shook his head, his face pale. "I'm fine, it's just... the restrictions on this ruin have been triggered." He looked up ahead, his eyes filled with worry. "We must leave here as soon as possible."

Dai Yao followed his gaze and saw that the once peaceful entrance to the ruins was now emitting an eerie red light. A chilling aura permeated the air, like a cold snake crawling into her body through her nostrils.

"Let's go!" The man grabbed Dai Yao's hand and ran deeper into the ruins.

Xinghua followed closely behind, complaining as she ran: "These ruins are so unreliable! They keep having earthquakes and even change color, what a disaster!"

As Dai Yao ran alongside, she mentally ranted: This isn't just a bad review, it's the worst of the worst! If this were modern times, it would be a total shoddy construction project!

The demonic cultivator inside her body sneered, "Hmph, trying to run? Not so easy!"

Dai Yao was startled. What kind of trouble was this guy up to now?

Just then, a huge abyss appeared before them, bottomless, like a gate to hell, the darkness as thick as ink.

"What the hell is this?!" Dai Yao couldn't help but swear.

The man's expression was grave: "This is the entrance to a deeper part of the ruins, filled with unknown dangers."

"Should we still go in?" Xinghua asked cautiously.

The man took a deep breath, his eyes resolute: "We must go in! Only by finding the core of the ruins can we completely resolve the body-swapping incident; otherwise, the consequences will be dire!"

Dai Yao understood the seriousness of the situation, gritted her teeth and said, "Then let's go in! What's there to be afraid of? We'll deal with whatever comes our way!"

The man looked at Dai Yao, a hint of admiration flashing in his eyes. He took Dai Yao's hand, and leaped into the abyss.

Seeing this, Xinghua also jumped down.

"Hey! Wait for me!" Dai Yao shouted in the air.

In the abyss, it was pitch black, so dark you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. Dai Yao felt the wind howling in her ears, like countless demons screaming, as her body plummeted downwards, the wind cutting through her skin like knives. Suddenly, she felt a hand tightly gripping hers.

"Don't be afraid, I'm here." A warm voice rang in her ear.

Dai Yao felt a warmth in her heart and turned to look at the man beside her, only to find his face hidden in the darkness, his expression unreadable.

"you……"

The man suddenly interrupted her, his voice low and menacing: "Shh, someone's coming..."