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

The earth shook and the mountains trembled, and sand and rocks flew everywhere.

The guardian beast roared to the sky, its size suddenly increasing. Its originally furry body was now covered with a layer of hard scales, gleaming with a cold, eerie light.

His scarlet eyes were locked on Ye Shuli and Jiang Ye, and his intense killing intent was almost tangible.

"Holy crap! What kind of stimulant did this kid take? The buffs are stacking way too much!" Jiang Ye couldn't help but complain, gripping his longsword tightly, his palms slightly sweaty.

Ye Shuli's expression was solemn. The pressure emanating from this guardian beast was far beyond that of a mid-stage Spirit Realm cultivator, and had probably reached the late-stage Spirit Realm!

"Stop talking nonsense, prepare for battle!"

The guardian beast pounced suddenly, its speed as fast as lightning, its sharp claws whistling through the air as it aimed straight for Jiang Ye.

Jiang Ye dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding a fatal blow, but his arm was still scratched by the claw wind, and blood instantly stained his sleeve.

"Hiss..." Jiang Ye gasped, "This little thing is really ruthless!"

Upon seeing this, Ye Shuli's heart tightened, and she quickly threw out a defensive talisman to block the guardian beast's next attack.

"Are you alright?" Her tone carried a hint of barely perceptible concern.

"It's just a minor injury, Li'er, don't worry. Your husband is a veteran of countless battles... Ouch!" Before Jiang Ye could finish speaking, he was struck by the guardian beast's tail again, sending him flying and crashing heavily to the ground.

Ye Shuli cursed "idiot" in her heart, while quickly chanting incantations. Spiritual power surged in her hands, and attack talismans shot towards the guardian beast like locusts.

Although the guardian beast's strength had greatly increased, it was still struggling to withstand such a dense attack, letting out angry roars.

Jiang Ye struggled to his feet, spitting out a mouthful of blood, his face pale.

He watched Ye Shuli fight fiercely, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes.

"Li'er..." he murmured, "I...I seem to be...holding you back..."

Hearing his words, Ye Shuli felt a pang of pain in her heart. She turned to look at him, but forced herself to remain calm, saying, "Stop talking nonsense! Get up and help! Otherwise... when we get back I'll..."

Before she could finish speaking, a sudden inspiration struck her, and her gaze fell upon the spirit crystal in her hand.

“Wait…” she said softly, “I think I have… thought of a way…” Ye Shuli’s lips curled into a sly smile as she took out a handful of spirit crystals from her storage bag and quickly arranged them in her hand.

"My second-grade elementary school knowledge is finally coming in handy!" she murmured, placing the spirit crystal at a specific angle. The energy contained within the spirit crystal interacted with the sunlight, refracting countless rays of light and forming the phantom of the guardian beast in the cave.

For a time, the cave was filled with the figures of guardian beasts, making it difficult to distinguish the real from the fake.

The once menacing guardian beast was suddenly stunned, its scarlet eyes filled with confusion. It seemed unable to distinguish which was the real enemy, and its attacks became chaotic.

"Wow, Li'er, that's such a nasty trick, but I love it!" Jiang Ye couldn't help but laugh out loud when he saw this.

The guardian beast roared furiously, its huge claws flailing wildly, but it only shattered one illusory shadow after another.

It seemed to finally realize that it had been tricked, and angrily locked onto Ye Shuli, letting out a deafening roar.

Its massive body transformed into a blur, hurtling straight toward Ye Shuli.

"Li'er, be careful!" Jiang Ye's expression changed drastically, and he rushed forward without regard for anything else, standing in front of Ye Shuli.

The longsword in his hand burst forth with dazzling light, barely managing to withstand the guardian beast's attack.

With a loud "boom," Jiang Ye was blasted away, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

"Cough cough... Li'er... hurry... hurry up and go..." He struggled to stand up, but found that his body was numb and his spiritual power was almost exhausted.

The guardian beast drew closer step by step, its eyes gleaming with ferocity.

Looking at Jiang Ye's weak appearance, Ye Shuli felt a tightness in her heart, and a sense of panic she had never felt before surged into her mind.

"Jiang Ye!" she roared, tears welling in her eyes.

At this critical moment, Ye Shuli's gaze fell on the remaining spirit crystals in her hand, and a bold idea emerged in her mind.

"Jiang Ye, hold on!" she shouted, placing some spirit crystals on the ground...

Ye Shuli arranged the spirit crystals into a peculiar pattern and chanted, "Spiritual energy of heaven and earth, heed my command, absorb!" The spirit crystals shone brightly, and a powerful suction force appeared out of thin air, frantically devouring the surrounding spiritual energy.

"Holy crap! Li'er, what kind of crazy move is this now?" Jiang Ye was dumbfounded.

The guardian beast, which was originally fierce and menacing, was drawn by the sudden suction force and involuntarily walked towards the spirit crystal array.

It seemed to sense a hint of danger, yet it couldn't resist the allure of the spirit crystals, its eyes filled with greed and desire.

"Now!" Ye Shuli shouted, her spiritual power surging as she poured all the remaining spirit crystals into the formation.

The suction force surged instantly, and the guardian beast let out a terrified roar as its massive body was sucked into the formation. No matter how much it struggled, it could not escape.

"It's done!" Ye Shuli clenched her fist excitedly, her eyes gleaming with victory.

Seeing this, Jiang Ye breathed a sigh of relief and weakly smiled, "Li'er, you're a genius! That move was absolutely amazing!"

"Stop talking nonsense and let's go!" Ye Shuli grabbed Jiang Ye and the two quickly left the cave.

Behind them, the roars of the guardian beast grew weaker and weaker, eventually fading into silence.

They returned to the small valley and counted the full bag of spirit crystals.

Ye Shuli picked one up, held it up to the sunlight, and a smug smile appeared on her lips.

"One hundred..." Jiang Ye had just finished counting when he suddenly sensed something was off about the air around him. He abruptly looked up at Ye Shuli, his eyes filled with shock. "Li'er, you..."

Back in the valley, Ye Shuli and Jiang Ye collapsed to the ground, the joy of surviving the ordeal overshadowing their exhaustion.

Jiang Ye exhaled dramatically, "My goodness, Li'er, your move was absolutely amazing! It was even more effective than my ancestral sword technique!"

Ye Shuli rolled her eyes at him: "Stop talking nonsense and count your spirit crystals."

Jiang Ye chuckled and began counting his spoils. One, two... ninety-nine...

"Ninety-nine! Just one more!" Jiang Ye wailed, feeling his hope shattered.

Ye Shuli smiled and took out a sparkling spirit crystal from her bosom: "Here, the hundredth one."

"What the heck! Li'er, you have a secret stash?!" Jiang Ye exclaimed in shock, then put on a fawning expression. "Li'er, look how handsome and dashing I am, can you share half with me?"

Ye Shuli sneered, "Dream on! These spirit crystals are the result of my hard work..."

Suddenly, Ye Shuli's voice stopped abruptly. She looked up sharply into the distance, her eyes filled with vigilance.

Jiang Ye also noticed something was wrong, and immediately stood up, gripping his long sword tightly.

"What's going on?" Jiang Ye asked in a low voice.

Ye Shuli did not answer, but slowly stretched out her hand and pointed to the sky.

Jiang Ye followed her finger and saw that the once clear sky had been covered by dark clouds, with faint flashes of lightning within the clouds.

"This...this is..." Jiang Ye's expression changed drastically, and an ominous premonition rose in his heart.

"Heavenly Tribulation," Ye Shuli said, each word deliberate and emphasizing the seriousness in her voice. "It seems someone is about to break through to the Spirit Venerable realm."

Jiang Ye gasped in shock. Breaking through to the Spirit Venerable realm?

!

This is a big deal!

Spirit Venerable level experts are extremely rare, even on the entire continent.

"Who could it be?" Jiang Ye murmured to himself, his heart filled with doubt.

Ye Shuli didn't speak, but stared intently at the dark clouds in the sky, her eyes flashing with a complex light.

She always felt that this sudden calamity was somehow connected to them...

Suddenly, a dazzling golden light shot out from the dark clouds and soared into the sky.

Immediately afterwards, a deafening dragon roar resounded throughout the heavens and earth, and a golden dragon emerged from the dark clouds, majestic and awe-inspiring, looking down upon the world.

"A dragon?! It's a dragon!" Jiang Ye exclaimed, his eyes filled with shock.

Ye Shuli frowned, a sense of unease rising in her heart.

This dragon gave her a strange sense of familiarity, as if...

I've seen this somewhere before...

Suddenly, the golden dragon's gaze fell on Ye Shuli, and it let out a low roar.

Ye Shuli felt a chill run down her spine and subconsciously took a step back.

"Li'er, be careful!" Jiang Ye grabbed Ye Shuli and pulled her behind him.

The golden dragon circled in the air a few times before slowly descending and stopping in front of Ye Shuli and Jiang Ye.

Its enormous body blotted out the sky and exuded a powerful pressure that made it almost impossible for the two of them to breathe.

"Humans," the golden dragon spoke in a deep and majestic voice, "where did you obtain the spirit crystals in your hands?"