Rebirth of the Scumbag and the Retribution of the White Lotus

Zhao Shufang and Lu Lingyuan swiftly passed through crack after crack. The darkness around them seemed endless. With each trek, they felt further and further away from their goal of the "core," yet it seemed as if they would never reach it. An oppressive atmosphere hung in the air, and the roars of the monsters grew increasingly distant, yet a new crisis seemed poised to strike at any moment.

"How long have we been walking?" Lu Lingyuan asked in a low voice, his eyes still alert, but he clearly noticed that Zhao Shufang's steps began to hesitate.

Zhao Shufang took a deep breath and slowly replied, "About half an hour has passed, but I haven't felt any signs of a breakthrough. The space here is unpredictable. We may have entered some kind of complex cycle."

"A complicated cycle?" Lu Lingyuan frowned. "Are you saying that we've been walking the same path over and over again?"

"It's very likely," Zhao Shufang pondered for a moment. "I sense we haven't strayed too far from the core of this dimension, but I can't be sure which direction we're heading. Every time we walk a little longer, the surrounding environment subtly changes, as if this space itself is trying to trap us."

She stopped and stared at the seemingly endless cracks ahead, her eyes flickering. Suddenly, she waved her hand, and the magic weapon in her hand drew a streak of light in the air, stirring up ripples in the air.

"Magic weapon?" Lu Lingyuan frowned. "What do you plan to do with it?"

"This is a magical instrument that can sense the changes in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth," Zhao Shufang said calmly, "I want to use it to sense the surrounding spatial structure. Perhaps I can find some way out."

The instrument flickered with a faint light and spun rapidly, forming a tiny point of light that slowly expanded. A subtle vibration passed through the air, and Zhao Shufang raised her eyebrows before retracting the instrument.

"Got it." She looked at Lu Lingyuan, a hint of excitement in her eyes, "This is the core's aura, we are very close to the goal!"

"Really?" Lu Lingyuan breathed a sigh of relief, but still looked around cautiously, "Then how long will it take us to arrive?"

Zhao Shufang's eyes were firm: "It shouldn't be too long, but next, we may encounter stronger enemies."

Before he finished speaking, the air around him suddenly solidified, and a powerful pressure instantly pressed down from all directions, as if the entire space had suddenly turned upside down. Zhao Shufang and Lu Lingyuan's breathing became unconsciously rapid, and every nerve in their body was on alert.

"Get ready." Zhao Shufang whispered, her eyes became clear and calm, and she already held another talisman in her hand.

Suddenly, the space in front of him was greatly distorted, and accompanied by violent vibrations, a huge crack extended from the air, releasing scorching rays of light, rushing towards him with a breath of destruction.

"They are coming!" Lu Lingyuan roared. He instantly protected Zhao Shufang behind him, gripping the hilt of the sword tightly with both hands, his eyes as sharp as a knife.

A horde of monsters of various shapes emerged from the cracks. Some were covered in sharp scales, emitting a metallic sheen; others had creepy, long tentacles, their bodies twisted and distorted, emitting an extremely strong stench. Their eyes were filled with anger, and it was clear they would not let the two pass easily.

"Could this be the final test of the trial?" Lu Lingyuan said coldly.

"Very likely." Zhao Shufang's expression became more serious. "They are very powerful, far more powerful than the monsters before. We must deal with them as soon as possible before we can move on."

At that moment, a monster suddenly pounced on Zhao Shufang, its sharp claws almost tearing through her clothes. Zhao Shufang was quick-witted and instantly cast an aura shield to block the monster's attack, but her hands could not help but tremble slightly, obviously surprised by the impact of the force.

"These monsters aren't just a physical threat; their spiritual energy fluctuations are also extremely strong," Zhao Shufang quickly analyzed. "It's difficult to defeat them with sheer force. We must find their weaknesses."

"Weakness?" Lu Lingyuan took a deep breath. "What should we do?"

Zhao Shufang's eyes flashed with wisdom. "They have special energy fluctuations. As long as their energy source is destroyed, they can be completely destroyed."

"Energy source?" Lu Lingyuan pondered for a moment, then suddenly understood. "You mean, they might have something like a core hidden inside them?"

"That's right," Zhao Shufang nodded. "Think about it, these monsters are so powerful not only because of their size and strength, but also because they contain powerful energy. If we can find this energy source before they attack, we can defeat them in one blow."

Lu Lingyuan's eyes became sharp. He gripped the hilt of the sword tightly and quickly approached one of the monsters. His spiritual power quickly condensed on the sword.

"You go and lure that one away, and we'll find their energy source together!" Zhao Shufang commanded calmly.

"Understood!" Lu Lingyuan responded and rushed towards the monster as fast as the wind. With the sword flashing, he began to attack the monster's vital points at an extremely fast speed.

Zhao Shufang quickly condensed her spiritual energy and set up a strange talisman array in the air. Her eyes were fixed on the monster, trying to find a flaw in it.

At the moment the monster attacked, Zhao Shufang instantly released a powerful spiritual wave, impacting the monster's body. At the same time, Lu Lingyuan's sword light also precisely cut into the monster's weak spot, with lightning speed making the monster unable to react at all.

With a deafening roar, the monster's body trembled violently and fell to the ground. Its energy source was completely destroyed, and its body began to rapidly disintegrate, turning into a ball of ash and disappearing into thin air.

"Well done!" Zhao Shufang's eyes flashed with approval, and she immediately rushed towards the other monster, "Keep going!"

Lu Lingyuan followed closely behind, and the two of them worked in perfect harmony, attacking while searching for the energy source within the monsters. Gradually, they began to master the rhythm of the battle, and all the monsters quickly collapsed under the combined power of the two.

In the end, there was only one monster left. After seeing all its companions fall down, it let out several shrill roars, as if it was planning to make a final counterattack.

Zhao Shufang and Lu Lingyuan didn't give it a chance to counterattack. Without a word, they quickly unleashed their strongest attack wave. At that moment, the monster's body exploded and completely disappeared into the air.

"Finally... I got rid of them." Lu Lingyuan let out a long breath and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"Okay, let's move on." Zhao Shufang didn't show any sign of slacking off. She immediately turned around and walked forward, her eyes still firm.

Their goal is still waiting ahead.