From a loser to an immortal sage

Chapter 121 Encountering a Traitor and Learning of a Shocking Secret

The demonic energy surged, threatening to engulf me. Wen Chen's hand gripped mine tightly, the warmth of his palm penetrating the layers of demonic energy, offering a sliver of solace amidst the suffocating fear. The white light surrounding him was our only barrier in this darkness, our only hope.

"Yao'er..." Wen Chen's voice was low and tense. I followed his gaze and saw a blurry figure appearing and disappearing in the thick demonic energy. It seemed to sense our approach and slowly turned around.

My heart leaped into my throat, and I instinctively gripped my sword tighter. But the moment I saw the figure clearly, I froze. It wasn't a demon, but a woman. She was slender, her purple robes almost blending into the surrounding demonic energy. If Wen Chen hadn't been alert, I probably wouldn't have noticed her at all.

The woman seemed to have noticed us too. She hesitated for a moment, then slowly walked towards us. As she drew closer, I could see her face clearly. It was a delicate face, with a faint trace of sorrow between her brows, and a pair of bright eyes that shimmered with complex emotions.

"You... are you here to stop the Black Flame Demon King?" Her voice was soft, trembling slightly, as if afraid of being overheard by the surrounding demons.

Wen Chen and I exchanged a glance, both seeing confusion in each other's eyes. The sudden appearance of a woman in this perilous, demonic cave was truly bizarre.

"Who are you?" Wen Chen's voice carried a hint of wariness.

The woman took a deep breath, as if she had made an important decision. "My name is Zixuan," she paused, looking at us with a firm gaze, "I am a... traitor from the Demon Realm."

"Traitor?" I was startled; the word carried a particularly heavy weight in this context.

Zi Xuan nodded, a hint of pain flashing in her eyes. "The Black Flame Demon King is searching for an ancient, evil power. If he obtains it, the consequences will be unimaginable. His strength will become even greater, and no one will be able to defeat him."

Her tone was urgent, as if she couldn't wait to tell us something. "I know you're looking for a way to control demons. I can help you. I know the secret of the Black Flame Demon King..."

Wen Chen frowned, clearly doubting Zi Xuan's words. "Why did you betray the Demon Realm? Why did you help us?"

I tugged at Wen Chen's sleeve, signaling him to let Zi Xuan finish speaking first. Although Zi Xuan's appearance was too abrupt, and her identity was questionable, in this desperate situation, any glimmer of hope was worth trying.

Zixuan seemed to sense my thoughts. She gave me a grateful look and continued, "You can't even imagine the brutality of the Black Flame Demon King. He's willing to sacrifice the entire Demon Realm for power. I can't just stand by and watch all this happen..."

Before she could finish speaking, the surrounding demonic energy suddenly surged violently. The demons that had been attacking us frantically now seemed to be provoked, surging towards us even more frantically. Zi Xuan's face instantly turned deathly pale. "They...they've found me..." she said, gripping my arm tightly, her voice trembling. "Run..." Wen Chen pulled me behind him, his longsword gleaming brightly...

The demonic energy surged even more violently, like a gigantic black monster, baring its fangs and claws, ready to devour us. The white light surrounding Wen Chen became even more dazzling, yet also appeared thinner, as if it might be swallowed by the darkness at any moment. "Her words cannot be entirely trusted," Wen Chen's voice came from beside me, deep and firm.

I understood his concerns; in this perilous den of demons, the sudden appearance of a "traitor" was indeed hard to believe. However, looking at the genuine fear on Zixuan's face, I had a nagging feeling that she might not be lying. "Wen Chen, let's hear what she has to say first." I gripped his hand tightly, feeling the warmth of his palm, trying to calm myself down.

"It's too late!" Zixuan exclaimed, pointing to the surging demonic energy in the distance. "They've spotted me!" Sure enough, the demons that had been attacking us frantically were now even more violent, surging towards us like a black tide. I could even feel the bloodthirsty hunger emanating from them, which was terrifying.

"Master Qingfeng, strengthen the formation!" Wen Chen made a decisive order. Master Qingfeng waved his whisk, and a golden light flashed. The defensive formation, which was originally on the verge of collapse, became much more stable. The golden light flowed, protecting us inside.

"Let's go too!" Wen Chen said, his longsword shining brightly, and sword energy, like swimming dragons, weaved through the demons, accompanied by mournful roars. I didn't hesitate at all, drawing my longsword and fighting alongside Wen Chen.

Zi Xuan wasn't idle either. She chanted obscure incantations, her hands forming hand seals, and beams of purple light shot from her fingertips, striking the demons. To my surprise, her magic seemed to have a special effect on these demons; the struck demons emitted puffs of black smoke, then rapidly withered and eventually turned to ashes.

The battle was incredibly fierce, with demons attacking relentlessly, seemingly endless. My sword swung again and again, but I felt increasingly powerless; demonic energy eroded my body, causing waves of dizziness. Wen Chen's situation was also dire. Although he was powerful, facing such a vast number of demons, he was gradually showing signs of fatigue.

Large beads of sweat appeared on Master Qingfeng's forehead; maintaining the formation had clearly consumed a great deal of his spiritual energy. Only Zixuan, though pale-faced, continued to unleash her sharp attacks; streaks of purple light, like the scythe of death, reaped the lives of demons.

"This can't go on!" I gasped for breath, saying to Wen Chen, "We have to find a way to break through!" Wen Chen nodded, his gaze sweeping across the surroundings, seemingly searching for a breakthrough. Just then, I sensed the surrounding demonic energy suddenly become even denser, and the attacks of the demons became more organized. They no longer blindly charged forward as before, but began to consciously attack the weak points of the formation. My heart sank, a bad premonition washing over me… Wen Chen's expression also became unusually grave, "They… have changed…" He gripped my hand tightly, his voice low and firm, "Yao'er, hold on tight to me…"

A flash of sword light, and a demon fell at my feet, its black blood splattering onto my face, carrying a nauseating stench. I wiped my face, only to find my hands also covered in a sticky black liquid, and waves of nausea washed over me. The demons all around seemed endless, one wave falling only to be replaced by another, relentlessly attacking our defensive formation. The golden light flickered, as if it might shatter at any moment.

I felt my strength rapidly draining away, each swing of my sword becoming incredibly difficult. Just then, a demon caught me off guard, its sharp claws slicing across my arm, the intense pain causing me to groan involuntarily. Wen Chen noticed my distress and immediately flashed to my side, shielding me behind him. "Yao'er!" He anxiously examined my wound, the worry in his eyes warming my heart.

"I'm fine," I said through gritted teeth, enduring the pain. "It's just a minor injury." I knew this wasn't the time for sentimentality; we had to focus on fighting these monsters.

Wen Chen didn't say much, but simply held my hand tightly. His palm was warm and strong, giving me immense strength. He wielded his longsword with even greater ferocity, unleashing a torrential downpour of sword energy that slayed the approaching demons one by one.

However, the demons seemed to have received orders from the Black Flame Demon King and began to change their attack strategy. They no longer attacked blindly, but concentrated their forces on the weak points of the formation. I saw that the beads of sweat on Master Qingfeng's forehead were becoming increasingly dense; maintaining the formation was clearly at his limit.

"Not good!" Master Qingfeng exclaimed in alarm. Suddenly, the light in one corner of the formation dimmed, and several demonic creatures took the opportunity to rush in. Wen Chen immediately swung his sword and killed them, but even more demonic creatures surged forward.

"This won't do, the formation won't hold for much longer!" I said anxiously.

Wen Chen's gaze swept across the surroundings, seemingly searching for a breakthrough. Suddenly, his eyes fell on Zi Xuan. "Zi Xuan, do you know the weaknesses of these demons?"

Zixuan was slightly taken aback, then nodded. "I know some things, but..." She hesitated for a moment, as if she had something she couldn't say.

"Now is not the time to keep secrets!" I said urgently. "Tell me your ideas quickly!"

Zi Xuan took a deep breath and said, "The source of the Black Flame Demon King's power is related to the Dark Valley deep within the Demon Realm. If we could destroy that place..."

"Dark Valley?" Wen Chen frowned. "Do you know how to get there?"

Zixuan shook her head. "I only know the general direction, but as for the specifics... I'm not too sure."

Wen Chen's gaze deepened. He gripped my hand tightly and said, "Yao'er, hold on tight..." Before he finished speaking, he pulled me away in one direction, with Daoist Qingfeng and Zixuan close behind. The demons chased after us frantically, their roars deafening. I held Wen Chen's hand tightly, feeling the warmth of his palm, my heart filled with unease. Dark Valley... what awaits us there...? Suddenly, a huge rift appeared ahead, a dark aura emanating from it, sending chills down our spines... Wen Chen stopped, his gaze fixed intently on the rift, and slowly said, "This is it..."

The dark aura surging from the crack was like a greedy maw, trying to devour all the light. I gripped Wen Chen's hand tightly, the sweat from my palms soaking his sleeve. Fear surged into my heart like a tide, but I struggled to control it, not letting it consume my reason.

"Are you sure this is the place?" Wen Chen's voice was low and calm, as if the horrifying scene had no effect on him at all.

Zi Xuan's face was pale, and her lips trembled slightly: "I...I'm not sure. I only know that Dark Valley is nearby, and the source of the Black Flame Demon King's power is there..." Her words were intermittent, clearly affected by the dark aura.

"Whether it is or not, we must go in and take a look." Wen Chen's eyes were firm and resolute. "Master Qingfeng, how much longer can you hold on?"

Master Qingfeng's face was grave, and beads of sweat rolled down his forehead like raindrops: "This humble Taoist...this humble Taoist can only hold on for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn..."

One stick of incense! Time is of the essence!

"Yao'er, let's go!" Wen Chen no longer hesitated, grabbed me, and leaped into the bottomless crevice. Daoist Qingfeng and Zixuan followed closely behind, jumping into the dark abyss.

As I plummeted, I felt as if I were in a bottomless vortex, surrounded by complete darkness, so dark I couldn't see my own hand in front of my face. The howling wind mingled with the angry roars of monsters, filling me with terror.

After what seemed like an eternity, we finally landed. The feeling of my feet touching solid ground brought me a little peace of mind, but the surrounding darkness grew even denser, as if it were about to swallow us whole.

"Watch out!" Wen Chen's voice rang in my ears, and at the same time, I felt a powerful force pull me behind him.

"Roar—" A deafening roar came from the darkness, followed by a pair of scarlet eyes that lit up in the darkness like two will-o'-the-wisps, sending chills down one's spine.

"It's a demon!" Master Qingfeng's voice trembled slightly.

I pressed myself tightly against Wen Chen's back, gripping my sword firmly, ready for battle at any moment. The longsword in Wen Chen's hand emitted a dazzling light, illuminating a small area around us.

By the light of the sword, I saw a gigantic monster rushing towards us. It was larger than any monster we had encountered before, and its body exuded a suffocating aura of darkness.

Wen Chen was fearless. He brandished his long sword, and streaks of sharp sword energy shot out like silver snakes, striking the demon.

"Roar—" The monster let out a painful roar, but its attack did not weaken at all; instead, it pounced on us even more frantically.

"Its power...is even greater than we imagined!" Master Qingfeng exclaimed.

Wen Chen's expression also turned serious. He wielded his longsword even faster, unleashing a torrential downpour of sword energy that forced the demon to retreat several steps.

"Zixuan, do you know how to deal with it?" I asked anxiously.

Zi Xuan shook her head, her face as pale as paper, her lips trembling slightly: "I...I don't know...I've never seen such a powerful demon..."

Just then, the longsword in Wen Chen's hand suddenly made a crisp sound, and a small crack appeared on the blade.

"Oh no! My sword..." Wen Chen's expression changed.

The monster seemed to sense Wen Chen's unusual behavior, letting out an excited roar as it pounced on us again...

"Wen Chen!" I exclaimed, reaching out to grab him, but only managing to grasp a piece of his clothing...