A magical journey of a sharp-tongued woman and a goofy man

The strange noises coming from the depths of the cave grew clearer, like the heavy, slow breathing of some giant beast, echoing through the empty cave and sending chills down one's spine.

"What the hell is this?" Jiang Ye couldn't help but complain. "Something's not right. Didn't we just resolve a crisis? What is this thing?"

Ye Shuli frowned and looked around warily.

The cave was dimly lit, with only the torches in their hands casting a faint glow that illuminated a small area, adding to the eerie atmosphere.

"Don't panic," Ye Shuli said in a low voice, "Let's find out the source of the sound first."

Jiang Ye followed closely behind Ye Shuli like a loyal guard, gripping his weapon even tighter.

"Li'er, do you think this thing might be the guardian of the spirit crystals? With such a high drop rate for a hundred spirit crystals, there must be a powerful guy guarding it, right?"

Ye Shuli ignored Jiang Ye's rambling. She closed her eyes and listened carefully to the subtle changes in his voice.

Suddenly, she opened her eyes wide, a glint of light flashing in them.

"The sound is coming from above!" The acoustics knowledge I learned in modern times unexpectedly came in handy at this moment.

The delay and direction of the echo both pointed towards the top of the cave.

"Up there?" Jiang Ye looked up, but couldn't see anything in the pitch-black cave ceiling. "What could be up there? Does this boss think he can fly or disappear into the ground?"

"Stop talking nonsense and get out of the way!" Ye Shuli shoved Jiang Ye aside.

"What the heck..." Jiang Ye was about to speak when he saw Ye Shuli's expression suddenly change, and she shouted, "Watch out!" A huge rock, accompanied by the sound of wind, came hurtling down towards the two of them!

At the critical moment, Jiang Ye suddenly tackled Ye Shuli to the ground, narrowly avoiding the fatal blow.

"Holy crap! What's going on?!" Jiang Ye, still shaken, got up from the ground and dusted himself off.

The boulder hit the ground with a deafening crash, sending fragments of rock flying everywhere.

Even more surprisingly, the spirit crystals that were originally embedded in the stone wall fell off due to the sudden tremor, scattering like shining stars all over the ground.

"We're rich! Li'er, we're set for life!" Jiang Ye's eyes lit up, and he rubbed his hands together to pick it up.

"Never mind the spirit crystals for now!" Ye Shuli got up from the ground, dusted herself off, and stared sharply at the cave ceiling. "The danger isn't over yet. The most urgent thing is to find the source of the danger and eliminate it!"

"Oh dear, Li'er, there are spirit crystals scattered all over the ground. Let's pick them up first! What if another rock falls down and breaks all these treasures? What a loss!" Jiang Ye looked at the spirit crystals scattered on the ground with heartache, as if he could see countless glittering gold coins slipping through his fingers.

"Can you use your brain first? What if there's something even more dangerous up there? Is picking up spirit crystals more important than your life?" Ye Shuli rolled her eyes at him, annoyed. "If you really want to pick them up, then go ahead. I don't want to die here without knowing why!"

Looking at Ye Shuli's determined eyes, Jiang Ye finally backed down.

"Alright, alright, I'll listen to you, my wife is the boss!" He grinned and moved closer to Ye Shuli, gently taking her hand. "But, Li'er, you have to protect me, my life is in your hands!"

Ye Shuli felt a warmth in her heart, grasped his hand in return, and gave him a reassuring look.

The two cautiously approached the top of the cave, and finally, illuminated by the torches, they saw the enormous creature perched on the cave ceiling—a gigantic puppet beast!

This thing was made entirely of metal, gleaming with a cold luster. It was as big as a small mountain, and just looking at it inspired fear.

Even more terrifying, its eyes were flashing an eerie red light, as if it were about to devour someone at any moment.

"Holy crap! What the hell is this thing?! A robot?!" Jiang Ye couldn't help but swear.

Before Ye Shuli could answer, the puppet beast had already spotted them, letting out a deafening roar and waving its huge metal claws as it pounced on the two of them!

"Get out of the way!" Ye Shuli grabbed Jiang Ye, barely dodging the puppet beast's attack.

The enormous claws grazed their bodies, the force of the wind stinging their cheeks.

"That guy is so fast!" Jiang Ye exclaimed, still shaken. "Li'er, what do we do? We can't fight him head-on!"

"I'll give it a try!" Jiang Ye took a deep breath and activated a buff for himself. "Li'er, cover me!"

After saying that, he rushed out like a cannonball, his weapon turning into a streak of light, stabbing straight at the puppet beast's chest!

With a loud "clang," Jiang Ye's attack was actually bounced back by the puppet beast's metal shell!

The force of the recoil made his hands go numb, and he was thrown back, crashing heavily to the ground.

"Cough cough..." Jiang Ye spat out a mouthful of blood, his face pale. "This thing's defense is way too high!"

Seeing this, Ye Shuli rushed over to help him up. "Are you alright?"

Jiang Ye waved his hand, forcing himself to say, "I'm fine, I won't die! It's just that this thing is a bit hard, it'll be difficult to deal with..."

Ye Shuli frowned, her gaze fixed on the puppet beast, when suddenly her eyes lit up.

"I think... I've found its weakness..." Ye Shuli's gaze was fixed on the puppet beast. Its huge body and hard shell were indeed terrifying, but during high-speed movement and attacks, the joints were particularly fragile.

"Jiang Ye, attack its joints! Especially its knees and elbows!"

"Received, my dear wife!" Jiang Ye wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and jumped up from the ground with a somersault.

Although the puppet beast's defense is ridiculously high, as long as you find its weakness and exploit it, you are not without a chance of winning.

Jiang Ye moved nimbly, like a nimble monkey, darting within the puppet beast's attack range. Seizing the opportunity, his weapon transformed into afterimages, striking the puppet beast's joints with pinpoint accuracy.

"Crack!" A crisp metallic sound rang out, and the puppet beast's movements became noticeably slower. Its once fluid attacks became clumsy and awkward, like a drunkard.

"Li'er, it's done! This thing is about to give up!" Jiang Ye shouted excitedly, increasing the force of his attack.

"Don't let your guard down!" Ye Shuli reminded Jiang Ye while quickly collecting the scattered spirit crystals on the ground. Her mind raced; these spirit crystals could not only be used for cultivation, but also for...

"Got it!" A glint of light flashed in Ye Shuli's eyes. She arranged the collected spirit crystals in a specific position and muttered incantations. A simple trapping array gradually took shape.

"Jiang Ye, lure it into the formation!"

"Understood!" Jiang Ye understood, dodging the puppet beast's attacks while luring it into the array range set up by Ye Shuli.

The puppet beast clumsily stepped into the formation, and the next second, the formation shone brightly, trapping it firmly within.

"Done!" Jiang Ye clapped his hands excitedly and ran to Ye Shuli's side. "Li'er, you're amazing! This formation is absolutely incredible!"

Ye Shuli smiled slightly and dusted off her hands. "No problem, basic stuff, don't be surprised."

After dealing with the puppet beast, the two began collecting the spirit crystals scattered on the ground.

One, two, three...

"Ninety-seven...ninety-eight...ninety-nine..." Jiang Ye counted the spirit crystals, a look of joy on his face. "Just one more to a hundred! Li'er, we can finally..."

His smile suddenly froze. "Wait, only one hundred? Not one hundred and one?"

"One hundred and one?" Ye Shuli looked at him in confusion. "What nonsense are you talking about? We only need to collect one hundred spirit crystals."

Jiang Ye's face turned deathly pale. "But... I clearly remember..." He suddenly rushed to the spot where the puppet beast had fallen and began searching carefully. "Impossible, there should have been another one..."

Seeing Jiang Ye's anxious expression, Ye Shuli also felt a sense of unease...

"Jiang Ye, what's wrong?"