strictlysupreme Chapter 114 The Truth Revealed, A New Path Begins
Chapter 114 The Truth Revealed, A New Path Begins
As the shadowy figure appeared, the air in the cave seemed to freeze instantly, a suffocating sense of oppression spreading like an icy tide. Dai Yao could clearly feel that heavy pressure pressing down on her skin, cold and sticky, making every inch of her skin tense. The shadowy figure let out a sinister laugh, a sound like the hooting of an owl in her ear, a piercing sound that went straight to her eardrums, sending chills down her spine; Dai Yao's ears were ringing.
"Heh, a few little kids, daring to run wild here? They really don't know their own limitations!" The shadowy figure's words were full of disdain and mockery. Dai Yao's heart sank; this guy was clearly not someone to be trifled with.
She furtively sized up the shadowy figure, straining her eyes to focus in the darkness, but could only make out a blurry outline. Yet, the malevolent aura emanating from it was palpable. She silently assessed the figure's strength; this malevolent aura was probably even stronger than that of the Blood Demon Elder! "Sister Yao, am I really going to die here today?" she thought to herself, inwardly groaning. She had finally cleared herself of some suspicion; she couldn't afford to be falsely accused of colluding with the demon again.
Suddenly, the shadowy figure moved! A black light flashed, as fast as a black lightning bolt suddenly appearing in the darkness, heading straight for Dai Yao. "Watch out!" The mysterious figure reacted extremely quickly, instantly blocking in front of Dai Yao. Dai Yao only felt a gust of wind rush towards her face as the mysterious figure forcefully took the attack. She seemed to hear a slight muffled thud from the collision between the shadowy figure's attack and the mysterious figure's defense.
"Oh, that's quite touching," the shadowy figure chuckled, the sound echoing through the cave like the screams of countless ghosts. "Too bad, none of you will leave here alive today!"
"You're dreaming!" Dai Yao was furious. This dark figure was not only powerful, but also repeatedly provoked her. This was simply intolerable!
“This is none of his business, come at me!”
"Oh, oh, oh, little girl, you've got some backbone," the shadowy figure said contemptuously. "Unfortunately, in my eyes, you're nothing but ants, things I can manipulate however I want!"
"Nonsense! Who do you think you are, the Jade Emperor or Buddha? Stop pretending!" Dai Yao retorted without backing down, her mind racing as she considered a strategy. A direct confrontation was out of the question; she had to outsmart her!
"Sharp-tongued!" The shadowy figure was clearly enraged by Dai Yao's attitude. "Then I'll deal with you first!" He attacked again, his attacks even more ferocious. The wind he created whistled in Dai Yao's ears. The mysterious figure tried his best to defend, but he was gradually losing ground. Dai Yao could see the mysterious figure's body trembling slightly, as if he was under tremendous pressure.
"Brother, hold on!" Dai Yao cheered on the mysterious figure while secretly observing the shadowy figure's moves, her eyes fixed on the figure's actions, searching for any openings.
Suddenly, her eyes lit up, as if she had thought of something.
“Wait…” Dai Yao suddenly looked up, staring directly at the dark figure, a meaningful smile playing on her lips.
"I think I know who you are..." Dai Yao's smile grew wider, but her eyes grew colder, as deep and unfathomable as a frozen pool.
"The fluctuations in your aura are strikingly similar to those during the unusual events at the Demon Palace. I was completely baffled before, but now it seems you were behind it all!" Dai Yao's eyes were icy. With each piece of evidence she presented, the shadowy figure trembled slightly. Her voice, like a sharp arrow, pierced through the figure's feigned composure: "The night you appeared in the Demon Palace's treasury, the monitoring magic stone malfunctioned, and you used the excuse of going out to cultivate. There are too many coincidences. Also, the residual aura from the Shadow Technique you used in secret is exactly the same as the one at the scene." As Dai Yao spoke, the shadowy figure's face grew paler and paler, and the surrounding air seemed to freeze. The crowd's gazes shifted back and forth between Dai Yao and the shadowy figure. When Dai Yao finished presenting the last piece of evidence, the shadowy figure collapsed to the ground with a thud, and a gasp of astonishment erupted around them.
"What are you saying? I don't understand." His tone was stiff, trying to hide his inner panic.
"Don't understand? No problem, I'll make you 'understand'." Dai Yao's tone was contemptuous, and her eyes were filled with mockery. She listed out the clues she had collected before, including the time and place of the shadowy figure's appearance, as well as some special spells he used, and connected them with the abnormal events that occurred in the Demon Palace. The logic was clear and the evidence was conclusive.
Zi Ling and Ling Feng were stunned. Although they had suspected Dai Yao before, it was mostly due to various coincidences and misleading information. Now that the truth was out, they realized that they had been blinded and that the real mastermind had been hiding in the shadows all along.
"Impossible! You're slandering me!" The shadowy figure's tone became noticeably flustered. He had thought he had done everything perfectly, but he never expected that Dai Yao would see through his deception.
"Slander? Ha, whether it's slander or not, you know best in your heart." Dai Yao sneered and continued, "You think you've hidden it well? You think your plan to manipulate the Demon Palace is flawless? Unfortunately, everything you do is under my control!" Dai Yao's words were half true and half false, a mix of truth and deception, meant to intimidate the shadowy figure and to mislead him into believing that she had all the evidence.
After being exposed by Dai Yao, the shadowy figure became enraged and stopped pretending. The black aura around him surged like that of a furious beast, emitting a pungent odor that made Dai Yao wrinkle her nose.
"Since you know so much, then I can't let you live!" he roared, lunging at Dai Yao with an attack even more ferocious than before, carrying a world-destroying momentum. The gale generated by the attack made Dai Yao's hair fly wildly, almost obscuring her vision.
Upon seeing this, the mysterious figure immediately stepped in front of Dai Yao, preparing to block the shadowy figure's attack once again.
However, this time, the shadowy figure's target was not the mysterious person, but rather...
"Yao'er, be careful!"
The shadowy figure's attacks were like a storm, each strike deadly, the howling wind like the wailing of ghosts and wolves, yet Dai Yao and the mysterious figure neutralized them all. Dai Yao was no pushover; she had been playing dumb before, but now it was time to show her true skills!
While dodging attacks, she taunted, "That's it? That's it? I thought it was some hidden boss, but all you've got is this amateurish skill?"
The mysterious figure worked together seamlessly, combining offense and defense, and every move was perfectly timed, steadily protecting Dai Yao. Dai Yao could feel the warm aura emanating from the mysterious figure.
Zi Ling and Ling Feng joined the battle. Zi Ling stared intently at the shadowy figure's moves and suddenly shouted, "Sister Yao, his left-hand attack has a paralyzing effect, be careful!" Ling Feng dodged the attacks while shouting, "This shadowy figure looks fierce, but he's just a paper tiger. Sister Yao, let's beat him to a pulp!" Although they were slightly weaker, their excellent teamwork caused the shadowy figure a lot of trouble.
"Sister Yao, you kept it a secret for so long!" Lingfeng complained while fighting off the enemy.
"Keep it low-key, keep it low-key, basic operation, don't be silly." Dai Yao dodged the attack from the shadowy figure with a quick movement, then struck the shadowy figure squarely in the chest with a backhand palm strike. She could feel the recoil force when her palm made contact with the shadowy figure's body.
"Serves you right for showing off!"
The shadowy figure was forced to retreat repeatedly by Dai Yao's attacks. Enraged, he unleashed his ultimate move.
However, Dai Yao had already seen through his intentions and made preparations in advance.
A sly smile crept across her lips: "I've been waiting for you to unleash your ultimate move!"
Dai Yao and the mysterious figure unleashed a coordinated attack, its power astonishing. A burst of light caused Dai Yao's vision to go completely white, while a powerful force surged from her body, instantly neutralizing the shadowy figure's attack.
The dark figure was blasted away by the powerful force, crashing heavily to the ground, spitting out blood, and revealing its true form—it was actually a highly respected elder of the Demon Palace!
"What?! It's him?!" Zi Ling and Ling Feng were both stunned.
At this moment, Elder Blood Demon arrived at the scene with a group of Demon Palace disciples.
Dai Yao presented the evidence she had collected one by one. After seeing the truth, Elder Blood Demon blushed and awkwardly touched his nose: "Venerable Dai, I misunderstood you before, please forgive me."
The people of the Demon Palace also expressed their admiration for Dai Yao's wisdom and courage, praising her as a hero of the Demon Palace.
Dai Yao successfully cleared herself of suspicion and even managed to expose the real traitor. This move was absolutely brilliant!
Just as Dai Yao was basking in the praise of the crowd and preparing to retire gracefully, the mysterious figure suddenly gripped her hand tightly. Dai Yao could feel the figure's hand was warm and strong, with deep eyes and a meaningful tone: "Yao'er, there are more important things to do next..." Dai Yao put her hands on her hips and triumphantly gestured towards the unconscious traitor elder, "Heh, old man, you think you can mess with me? You're too green!" She clapped her hands, exuding a queenly aura of "everything is under control."
The demon palace disciples around her looked at her with eyes full of admiration, as if they were watching a rising superstar in the demon world.
Zi Ling walked up to Dai Yao, her face full of admiration: "Sister Yao, you're absolutely amazing! Playing dumb to fool others, I give you full marks for that!"
Dai Yao raised an eyebrow and gave a mischievous smile: "Basic stuff, don't be silly."
Elder Blood Demon also came over, his old face slightly flushed, and he coughed awkwardly: "Envoy Dai, I was blind before and misunderstood you. Please forgive me."
Dai Yao waved her hand and said magnanimously, "It's alright. It's good to admit your mistakes and correct them! But..." She changed the subject, her eyes sweeping over everyone with a sly look, "Next time there's something like this, remember to let me know first so I can have a good show."
Everyone burst into laughter, and the tense atmosphere vanished instantly.
Just when Dai Yao thought everything was settled and she could enjoy the fruits of victory, a warm hand gently grasped hers.
Dai Yao turned her head and saw the mysterious figure who had been silently protecting her all along.
The mysterious figure had deep eyes and spoke in a gentle yet meaningful tone: "Yao'er, it's too early to be happy."
Dai Yao was stunned. Before she could ask a question, a gold-embossed invitation appeared out of nowhere in front of her.
"Immortal Sect Assessment?" Dai Yao read the words on the invitation, her brows furrowing slightly.
She knew that the Immortal Sect's assessment was extremely difficult, and that her special abilities absolutely could not be exposed to the Immortal Sect.
This assessment is clearly a trap!
The mysterious figure gently stroked Dai Yao's hair. Dai Yao could feel his fingers tenderly running through her hair as he whispered, "Yao'er, the road ahead will likely be even more treacherous."
Dai Yao took a deep breath, her eyes gradually hardening.
When soldiers come, generals will block them; when water comes, earth will dam it. When has Dai Yao ever been afraid of a challenge?
“What’s there to be afraid of?” Dai Yao grasped the mysterious figure’s hand in return, a confident smile playing on her lips. “One if they come, I’ll take them on; two if they come, I’ll take them on! I want to see just what kind of den of dragons and tigers this Immortal Sect’s assessment is!”
The mysterious figure looked at Dai Yao, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes, and tightened his grip on her hand.
"Yao'er..." He started to speak, but then stopped, and in the end just looked at her deeply without saying anything.
In an instant, the surrounding air seemed to freeze.
Dai Yao felt an inexplicable pressure, and a sense of unease welled up in her heart.
Just then, a dazzling white light shot out from the invitation, enveloping Dai Yao. The light was so bright that she couldn't open her eyes, and before she could react, she felt the world spinning around her...
"Wait..." Dai Yao only managed to utter these two words before disappearing from the spot.
The mysterious figure gazed in the direction where Dai Yao had disappeared, his eyes unfathomable, and slowly uttered a sentence: "Everything has only just begun..." He reached out his hand, as if trying to grasp something, but ultimately let it fall limply.
In my palm, only the gold-embossed invitation remained, lying quietly.