From a loser to an immortal sage

Chapter 103 Symbolic Puzzle Reveals Vitality

The blinding light gradually faded, and I blinked to adjust to the light in the hall. The walls were carved with intricate patterns, like some kind of ancient script, none of which I recognized. The altar in the very center soared to the top, emanating a faint fluctuation of spiritual energy. The mysterious voice echoed in my ears: "Welcome to the center of the labyrinth..." The voice was ethereal and indistinct, its gender unclear, and its source unknown.

Before I could think any further, a gust of wind swept from behind! It was the Blood Demon! He had actually teleported here with me! "Little girl, do you think you can escape my grasp?" The Blood Demon's face was ferocious as he brandished his claws and pounced on me.

I quickly dodged, inwardly groaning. Although the center of this maze was rich in spiritual energy, it was a completely unfamiliar place to me, while the Blood Demon was clearly more adapted to the environment than I was.

"Damn it! What do these symbols mean?" I dodged the Blood Demon's attacks while trying to recall the order of the symbols on the wall. The symbols flickered in my mind, emitting a faint light like stars.

The Blood Demon's attacks grew increasingly fierce, and I gradually felt overwhelmed. Each of his attacks reeked of blood, making me feel nauseous. I had to find a way out quickly, or I would eventually be worn down and die here!

I took a deep breath, forcing myself to calm down. I carefully examined the surrounding walls, trying to find patterns similar to the symbols in the previous maze. Finally, on the back of the altar, I discovered a set of symbols arranged slightly differently.

A thought flashed through my mind, and I immediately realized that this set of symbols might be the key to unlocking the maze! While fending off the Blood Demon's attacks, I cautiously approached the altar.

The Blood Demon seemed to sense my intentions and intensified its attacks. "Don't even think about succeeding!" it roared, its claws slicing through the air with a sharp whistling sound.

I dared not be careless and could only barely hold on. My spiritual energy was almost exhausted, and the wounds on my body were piling up. But I couldn't give up; I had to persevere!

I gritted my teeth, concentrated my spiritual power in my hand, and condensed a shield to block the blood demon's attack. Taking advantage of this opening, I quickly compared the symbols on the back of the altar with the symbols in the previous maze.

After much contemplation, I finally discovered the pattern in these symbols! They are not simple patterns, but an ancient script that records the secrets of the labyrinth.

Following the symbols, I found the key to the maze. It was a mechanism hidden at the bottom of the altar; activating it would open a passage to the exit.

However, just as I was about to trigger the mechanism, the Blood Demon sensed my intention and let out a deafening roar. His eyes were bloodshot, and his entire body radiated a terrifying killing intent.

"How dare you trick me!" the Blood Demon roared, launching an even more ferocious attack. I knew this was his final act of madness.

I dared not delay and immediately channeled my spiritual energy into the mechanism. The mechanism hummed and slowly activated. Just as the passage was about to open, I sensed a chilling aura behind me… A soft voice whispered in my ear: “Looks like someone beat you to it…”

The buzzing sound of the mechanism starting up was drowned out by a loud bang, and the entire hall shook violently, with stones raining down from above. I stumbled and almost fell. "What's going on?!" I exclaimed, struggling to steady myself.

From afar came Chief Huang's furious roar: "Which bastard triggered my trap! I'll skin him alive!"

It seemed Chief Huang had accidentally triggered a trap in the maze; this sudden turn of events made me even more nervous. The Blood Demon was also jolted back a few steps by the sudden tremor, giving me a chance to catch my breath. He steadied himself, his eyes flashing with even more ferocity: "You brat, you think you can escape like this?"

I forced myself to remain calm, suppressing my fear. The entrance to the passage had appeared, but the situation was now more complicated. I not only had to face the Blood Demon, but also be wary of the hall that could collapse at any moment and the elusive Ghost Moon hiding somewhere.

Just then, I felt a chilling aura behind me, coiling around me like a venomous snake. "Looks like someone beat me to it..." Youyue's voice drifted through the hall like a ghost. She had somehow gotten behind me, holding a dagger that emitted a ghostly blue light.

My heart sank; I knew she had her eye on me. With the Blood Demon in front and the Ghost Moon behind, I was like a trapped wild beast, caught in a dilemma.

"Little girl, hand over the item, and I might consider sparing your life." Youyue's voice was gentle, yet carried an undeniable authority.

I sneered, "If you want what's mine, let's see if you have the ability!" While keeping an eye on Youyue's movements, I also paid attention to the Blood Demon's actions, my brain racing as I thought of a way to escape.

Seeing that I was distracted, the Blood Demon attacked again. He brandished his claws and struck me like a black lightning bolt. I quickly dodged, inwardly cursing my luck. The hall was shaking more and more violently, and I couldn't concentrate on dealing with the Blood Demon's attacks at all.

Just as the Blood Demon's claws were about to touch me, I had a sudden inspiration. I pushed off with my feet and flew backward, while simultaneously channeling the spiritual energy in my hand into another mechanism I had seen earlier.

With a deafening boom, the floor of the hall suddenly cracked open, and sharp stone spikes shot out from the ground, heading straight for the Blood Demon. Unable to dodge in time, the Blood Demon was slashed on the arm by a stone spike, letting out a painful roar.

I seized the opportunity to run towards the entrance of the passage, with Youyue's figure following closely behind like a ghost. "Trying to run? Not so easy!" The dagger in her hand sliced ​​through the air, aimed straight at my back.

I felt a sharp pain in my back and quickly dodged to the side. The dagger grazed my clothes, leaving a deep gash. I didn't dare linger and continued running forward.

Just as I was about to reach the entrance of the passage, Youyue blocked my way again. A cold smile played on her lips, and the dagger in her hand emitted an eerie glow. "You can't escape," she said, her voice icy, like a messenger from hell.

I took a deep breath, forcing myself to calm down. The situation was extremely unfavorable for me; I had to find a way to break the deadlock. I glanced at the Blood Demon behind me; he was clutching his injured arm, his eyes gleaming with rage.

Suddenly, a bold idea popped into my head… A cold smile crept across my lips as I looked at Youyue and slowly said, “You think you’re the only one who knows how to play dirty tricks?” I raised my right hand, and in my palm, a ball of black flame was burning fiercely… Youyue was clearly startled by the black flame in my hand; she involuntarily took a step back, a hint of fear flashing in her eyes. This black flame was no ordinary flame, but a hellfire I had refined using a special method. It was extremely powerful, and even a Golden Core cultivator wouldn’t dare to touch it lightly.

Of course, I wouldn't actually use Hellfire to attack Youyue; after all, that thing is far too dangerous, and if it gets out of control, we'll all be doomed. I just wanted to use it to scare Youyue away and buy myself time to escape.

Seeing Youyue retreat, I didn't dare to delay and immediately turned around and rushed towards the entrance of the passage. "Trying to run?!" Blood Demon's angry roar came from behind. He had obviously been tricked by me, and in his embarrassment and anger, his whole body emitted a blood-red light, and his aura surged.

Oh no! He's about to use a forbidden technique! I thought to myself, this is bad news. The Blood Demon's forbidden technique is extremely powerful, I must escape from here as soon as possible.

I ran towards the entrance of the passage with all my might, and behind me came the Blood Demon's sinister laughter: "You brat, you can't escape! You must die here today!"

I felt a powerful pressure coming from behind me, as if a mountain was pressing down on me, making it almost impossible for me to breathe. I gritted my teeth, endured the discomfort, and continued running forward.

The entrance to the passage was right in front of me, and a glimmer of hope ignited in my heart. However, the Blood Demon was faster than I had imagined. He transformed into a blood shadow and caught up with me in an instant, his blood-red claws slashing fiercely at me.

I dodged to the side, the sharp claws grazing my cheek and leaving a bloody gash. "Damn it!" I cursed under my breath. This blood demon was too fast; I had no way to dodge its attacks.

I raised my right hand again, the hellfire in my palm blazing fiercely, hoping to force the Blood Demon back. But this time, the Blood Demon was not frightened; his eyes flashed with a crazed light, as if he had lost his mind.

Ignoring the threat of the hellfire, he lunged at me again. "You think you can hurt me with such a small trick?" he grinned maliciously, his voice full of disdain.

My heart sank; I knew I was in dire straits. The Blood Demon's forbidden techniques had greatly increased his power, and I was no match for him. I could only desperately dodge his attacks and look for a chance to escape.

The shaking of the hall grew more and more violent, with stones constantly falling from above, making the entire maze seem like it could collapse at any moment. I had to dodge the Blood Demon's attacks while also watching out for falling rocks; the situation was becoming increasingly unfavorable for me.

Just when I was about to despair, I suddenly realized that although the Blood Demon's attacks were fierce, they had a fatal flaw... His legs, after using the forbidden technique, had become unusually slow, seemingly unable to move flexibly. He was like a fixed target, only able to attack using the strength of his upper body.

This discovery ignited a glimmer of hope within me. If I could exploit this weakness, perhaps there was still a chance of survival… I took a deep breath, my gaze fixed on the Blood Demon's legs, and a daring plan gradually took shape in my mind… “Blood Demon, your forbidden technique doesn’t seem to be perfect…” I said slowly, a cold smile playing on my lips.

The Blood Demon roared with laughter, "Little girl, still so stubborn even when death is near!" He swung his claws again, a stench so intense I could almost hear the whistling of his claws tearing through the air. I endured the overwhelming stench, my feet shifting rapidly, my movements as elusive as a ghost, targeting the Blood Demon's lower body. His upper body was incredibly fast, his attacks powerful, but I noticed his legs were as heavy as lead, moving sluggishly. That was his weakness!

I dodged the blood demon's attacks while searching for an opening. The hall trembled more violently, and stones rained down from above; the maze seemed poised to collapse at any moment. This made me more tense, but also more composed. I had to finish this quickly!

"Hellfire!" I shouted, and black flames ignited in my palm once more. This time, I didn't use it to scare the Blood Demon, but instead aimed at his legs and hurled it out.

The Blood Demon clearly hadn't expected me to attack his weakness, and before he could dodge, the hellfire stained his legs. The black flames spread rapidly like maggots clinging to his bones, emitting a sizzling burning sound, accompanied by the Blood Demon's painful howls.

"Ah—" The Blood Demon's screams echoed throughout the hall. He frantically tried to extinguish the flames, but found that the hellfire was impossible to put out; instead, it burned even more fiercely. His legs were charred black, emitting a pungent aroma of flesh, and his movements became even slower.

I seized the opportunity, gathered all my spiritual power, poured all my strength into the longsword in my hand, and fiercely stabbed it into the Blood Demon's chest.

"Pfft—" The longsword pierced the Blood Demon's chest, and blood gushed out, staining my clothes red. The Blood Demon let out a roar of unwilling anger, and its body collapsed with a crash, turning into a pool of blood and disappearing without a trace.

I staggered back a few steps, my chest heaving violently; the battle had almost exhausted all my strength. I dared not linger and quickly ran towards the entrance of the passage.

The passage was pitch black, so dark you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. I could only grope my way forward by the faint light of my spiritual energy. The walls on both sides of the passage were rough and cold, and I could feel cold wind blowing in from the cracks from time to time, making me shiver.

I don't know how long I ran, but finally I saw a glimmer of light ahead. Overjoyed, I quickened my pace and ran towards the light.

When I burst out of the passage, a breathtaking view opened up before me. I found myself in a dense forest, sunlight filtering through the leaves and casting dappled shadows on the ground.

I took a deep breath, savoring the fresh air, my heart filled with the joy of surviving a disaster. I had finally escaped!

However, before I could even catch my breath, I noticed something strange about my surroundings. A faint fragrance filled the air, a fragrance... I felt I'd smelled it somewhere before. I looked around, my gaze landing on a huge ancient tree. Strange symbols were carved into its trunk... I slowly approached, reached out, and gently touched the symbols. Suddenly, a strange sense of familiarity welled up inside me... These symbols... they seemed to be the same as the ones I'd seen in the maze.

"What...what exactly is going on?" I muttered to myself, my eyes fixed on the symbols, my fingertips unconsciously tracing lines...