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

Deep within the cave, a ghostly blue light flickered intermittently, and a powerful surge of spiritual energy rushed in like a tide, sending chills down one's spine.

Ye Shuli and Jiang Ye exchanged a glance, a hint of excitement flashing in their eyes.

The treasure is within reach!

They cautiously ventured deeper into the area, their feet treading on slippery rocks, surrounded by a dense spiritual aura that seemed almost tangible.

A strange fragrance wafted through the air, invigorating all who smelled it.

"Wow, the spiritual energy here is so concentrated it's practically liquid!" Jiang Ye couldn't help but take a deep breath, feeling refreshed all over. "Li'er, we're about to strike it rich!"

"Don't get too excited yet," Ye Shuli said in a low voice. "Be careful, there's definitely some kind of guardian beast here."

No sooner had they finished speaking than a figure suddenly darted out of the darkness and blocked their way.

It was a small, snow-white beast, resembling a fox, but with a pair of enormous wings, and a pair of bright blue eyes that gleamed with wariness.

"Wow!" Jiang Ye exclaimed, recognizing the spirit beast guarding the spirit mine.

The guardian beast stared at them with icy eyes, emanating a powerful aura of a mid-stage Spirit Master, exuding an oppressive presence.

It let out a low growl, and a tense atmosphere immediately filled the air.

"This is troublesome..." Jiang Ye swallowed hard and gripped his sword tightly.

He was only at the early stage of the Spirit Realm, and the difference in strength between him and the Guardian Beast was too great; he was no match for it at all.

The guardian beast suddenly spread its wings, and waves of spiritual energy shot towards them like sharp arrows.

Jiang Ye hurriedly swung his sword to defend, but felt a powerful force strike him, making his arm go numb and forcing him to retreat repeatedly.

"Damn it!" Jiang Ye cursed under his breath. The guardian beast was far stronger than he had imagined.

"Don't panic!" Ye Shuli grabbed Jiang Ye and shielded him behind her.

She calmly watched the guardian beast's actions, a subtle smile playing on her lips.

Seeing that Jiang Ye was about to be overwhelmed, Ye Shuli's eyes flashed as she quickly analyzed the situation.

A direct confrontation is definitely not an option; we need to outsmart them.

She noticed that the guardian beasts were particularly interested in a type of ore in the vein that emitted a faint blue light. They had deliberately avoided these ores when attacking them before, as if they treasured them.

An idea came to her. Ye Shuli picked up a similar piece of ore and threw it forcefully toward the other end of the cave.

With a "whoosh," the ore streaked across the blue light and landed in the distance.

The guardian beast was indeed attracted, its azure eyes fixed on the ore. After hesitating for a moment, it suddenly spread its wings and flew over.

"Wow, Li'er, you're amazing!" Jiang Ye wiped the sweat from his forehead and breathed a long sigh of relief, as if he had escaped a disaster. "This little one is quite easy to fool!"

"Stop talking nonsense and hurry up and collect the spirit crystals!" Ye Shuli rolled her eyes at him and began to quickly collect the spirit crystals that were shining brightly in the mine.

Jiang Ye quickly followed, and the two of them were busy and happy, secretly rejoicing that they had escaped a disaster.

However, the good times did not last long.

Just when they thought they could collect the spirit crystals in peace, a gruff voice shattered the cave's tranquility: "Haha, the spirit crystals are mine!"

A burly man with a fierce face, wielding a giant axe, strode menacingly toward them.

This person was none other than Wang Meng, a rogue cultivator, notoriously greedy and belligerent.

He spotted the spirit crystals in Ye Shuli and Jiang Ye's hands at a glance, and a greedy glint flashed in his eyes.

"Boy, hand over the spirit crystal!" Without saying a word, Wang Meng swung his giant axe at Jiang Ye.

The axe blade sliced ​​through the air, producing a whistling sound, its momentum astonishing.

Jiang Ye quickly raised his sword to parry, but a loud clang made his hand go numb and he staggered backward.

He was only at the early stage of the Spirit Realm, while Wang Meng's strength was clearly superior to his; in a direct confrontation, he was no match for him.

"Li'er, be careful!" Jiang Ye gritted his teeth, barely managing to withstand Wang Meng's attack, secretly lamenting his predicament.

Seeing that Jiang Ye was about to be overwhelmed, Wang Meng grinned maliciously and raised his giant axe again, preparing to deliver a fatal blow.

Just then, Jiang Ye's legs suddenly gave way, and he staggered back a few steps, dropping his sword to the ground, looking utterly vulnerable.

"With such meager skills, you dare to try and steal spirit crystals from me?" Wang Meng became even more smug upon seeing this, his eyes filled with disdain.

He approached Jiang Ye step by step, a cruel smile spreading across his face...

“You…” Jiang Ye clutched his chest, his face pale, but a strange smile appeared on his lips.

Jiang Ye clutched his chest, his face pale, but a strange smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

"You...you just wait!" He pretended to be terrified, turned around and ran towards a narrow mine tunnel, his figure quickly disappearing into the darkness.

"Hmph, coward!" Wang Meng sneered disdainfully, thinking that Jiang Ye was scared, and strode after him.

The mine tunnel was narrow and low, only wide enough for one person to pass through at a time. Wang Meng, who was quite burly, found it difficult to move around inside.

He cursed as he cautiously observed his surroundings, fearing that Jiang Ye might be plotting something sinister.

"Kid, stop hiding, come out and face your death!" Wang Meng roared, his voice echoing through the mine tunnel, sounding particularly sinister.

However, he was met with an eerie silence.

A sudden unease rose in Wang Meng's heart, and he slowed his pace.

Just then, his footing gave way, and he plummeted downwards.

"Ah—" A scream echoed through the mine tunnel as Wang Meng fell heavily into a deep pit. The bottom of the pit was covered with sharp rocks, and he grimaced in pain.

"Damn it! What kind of place is this!" Wang Meng struggled to get up, but found that the pit walls were smooth and there was nowhere to get a foothold.

He then realized that he had fallen into Jiang Ye's trap, and was furious.

"You just wait, kid. When I get out of here, I'll tear you to pieces!"

Meanwhile, on the other side of the cave, Ye Shuli was busy with something.

While Wang Meng was chasing Jiang Ye, she quickly collected the shimmering spirit crystals from the vein. One by one, the crystal-clear spirit crystals fell into her pouch, making a pleasant tinkling sound.

"Li'er, how was the harvest?" Jiang Ye appeared behind her without her noticing, a mischievous smile on his face.

Ye Shuli shook the storage bag in her hand, raising her eyebrows triumphantly: "Guess?"

Jiang Ye peeked inside and exclaimed in amazement, "Wow, so many! Li'er, you're such a little rich girl!"

"That's right!" Ye Shuli snorted arrogantly, and the two smiled at each other.

“However…” Jiang Ye suddenly lowered his voice and said mysteriously, “I think I heard some unlucky guy yelling for help…”

Before Ye Shuli and Jiang Ye could even celebrate their victory, an angry roar came from afar.

The guardian beast returned, its azure eyes burning with fury. The spiritual energy around it was even more violent than before, clearly enraged by being tricked.

"Damn, this little guy holds a grudge!" Jiang Ye exclaimed, quickly picking up the sword that had fallen to the ground. "Li'er, it seems we won't be able to fool her this time!"

Ye Shuli's expression also turned serious. This guardian beast was already quite strong, and now, enraged, its strength had increased even more. They were probably really going to have a fierce battle this time.

The guardian beast roared and flapped its wings, unleashing countless wind blades that swept towards them like a torrential rain.

Jiang Ye hurriedly swung his sword to defend, but felt a powerful force strike him, making his arm go numb and forcing him to retreat repeatedly.

"Damn it! Has this little guy taken some kind of performance-enhancing drug?" Jiang Ye couldn't help but complain. The power of this wind blade was more than twice as strong as before.

Ye Shuli also felt the pressure. While dodging the wind blades, she quickly thought of a countermeasure.

A direct confrontation is definitely not an option; we need to find a way to restrain the guardian beast and then look for an opportunity to escape.

Just then, a violent surge of spiritual energy suddenly came from afar, several times stronger than the aura of the guardian beast, as if some terrifying being was approaching.

"What?! There's something even more amazing?!" Jiang Ye's expression changed drastically. "Li'er, did we forget to check the almanac before we went out today?"

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

This surge of spiritual energy made her heart pound; it seemed to be more powerful than any enemy she had ever encountered before.

The guardian beast also sensed this powerful aura. It stopped attacking, looked warily into the distance, and its azure eyes were filled with unease.

"They're here..." Ye Shuli said softly, gripping her weapon tightly.