Transmigrated into the villain? Watch my epic comeback in the ethereal fairy realm!

"I am the guardian of this spirit array."

The figure finally spoke, its voice deep and ancient, with a metallic quality.

Dai Yao then realized that the person standing in front of her was not human, but an energy body composed of countless runes, shimmering with a faint golden light.

"Array spirit?" Dai Yao blurted out subconsciously.

The spirit nodded slightly, acknowledging her guess.

"Being able to break through the outer restrictions shows that you have some understanding of the Way of Runes, but the real test has just begun."

Dai Yao stepped into the space at the end of the passage and found herself in a huge rune array.

Countless runes shimmered like stars, weaving together into a dense net that emanated a chilling energy fluctuation.

The energy fluctuations were like tangible ripples, spreading out in circles throughout the space. Each fluctuation was like an invisible hand gently tugging at Dai Yao's clothes, making her truly feel the power and danger of this runic array.

"Holy crap, are they going this far?" Dai Yao couldn't help but exclaim. This wasn't something someone with a little experience could handle; they were clearly trying to kill her!

Each rune was like a small, independent world, containing immense energy. The slightest misstep could trigger a restriction, unleashing a devastating attack. Dai Yao seemed to see miniature storms hidden within those runes, ready to erupt at any moment.

Dai Yao tried to decipher the runes, but their power surged into her mind like a tidal wave, giving her a splitting headache.

"Hiss... This thing is even harder to understand than advanced mathematics!" Dai Yao thought to herself. "However, since I've made it this far, I must have a way to crack it. There must be some pattern to these runes, and the books I read in the Demon Palace's library will definitely come in handy."

Dai Yao took a deep breath, suppressing her mental discomfort, and began to carefully observe the arrangement of the runes. She had previously read many books about formations in the Demon Palace's library, although only superficially, but they came in handy now.

“Wait, this arrangement… looks a bit like…” Dai Yao squinted, trying hard to recall the array diagrams she had seen before.

"Doesn't it look like... a Sudoku puzzle from elementary school math olympiad?!"

She closed her eyes, and a giant Sudoku board seemed to appear in her mind, with runes like numbers on the board, flashing with different lights.

Her fingers moved lightly in the air, each gesture like placing a chess piece on a chessboard. As she moved, the surrounding runes began to flash rhythmically, as if responding to her actions.

She began to deduce the permutations and combinations of runes based on the solution methods of Sudoku. With each rune she solved, a surge of pure energy flowed into her body, nourishing her soul and making her more clear-headed and quick-witted.

"It's done!" As the last rune was deciphered, the entire magic array emitted a buzzing sound, and a dazzling light shot into the sky. The light was like the rising sun, not only dazzling but also carrying an ancient and mysterious power, instantly illuminating the entire space.

Before Dai Yao could even feel happy, she sensed a strong sense of crisis. She turned around abruptly and saw a figure sneaking around behind a huge stone pillar, its eyes staring at her greedily.

"Heh, little brat, you've got some skills..." The figure emerged from behind the stone pillar, a sinister smile on his face. It was Lingfeng, one of the explorers they had encountered outside. Yingyue followed him out, glancing at Lingfeng and nodding slightly, as if indicating that they could begin.

Lingfeng rubbed his hands together and chuckled sinisterly, "Little girl, you're quite lucky! But that's enough." Before he finished speaking, he and Yingyue attacked at the same time.

Lingfeng unleashed a dagger emitting a ghostly green light, aiming straight for Dai Yao's back; Yingyue, on the other hand, swung out a black chain, attempting to bind Dai Yao.

Dai Yao was prepared. She dodged the dagger with a graceful movement and at the same time summoned an ancient bronze mirror to block the chain attack.

"Heh, is that all?" Dai Yao curled her lips provocatively, with a contemptuous expression that said "that's all."

Enraged by their failed sneak attack, the two intensified their assault. Daggers and chains rained down like a storm, and Dai Yao dodged left and right, narrowly escaping death.

"Tsk, so annoying!" Dai Yao dodged the attacks while her brain raced, trying to come up with a solution.

"These two guys are really persistent. I need to find a way to get rid of them completely, otherwise being attacked like this can't go on."

“We definitely can’t win by fighting head-on, we need to think of a way…” Her gaze fell on the shimmering runes around her, and a bold idea emerged in her mind.

Dai Yao deliberately revealed a flaw to lure Ling Feng and Ying Yue closer.

Just when the two thought they had succeeded, Dai Yao suddenly activated her spiritual power, turning the surrounding runes into action.

"Rebound!" Dai Yao shouted.

From Lingfeng's perspective, he watched as the dagger he was about to thrust at Dai Yao shone with a ghostly green light, about to pierce Dai Yao's back.

But in an instant, Dai Yao seemed to have eyes in the back of her head, and dodged it in a flash.

Before he could react, Dai Yao summoned a bronze mirror to block Yingyue's chain attack.

Immediately afterwards, Dai Yao's lips curled into a sly smile, and the surrounding runes suddenly burst forth with intense light, which rushed towards him and Yingyue like a surging tide.

He stared in horror, feeling as if his attack was being grabbed by an invisible force and then flying toward him at an even faster speed.

"No!" He only had time to let out a scream before he was hit by his own attack, and he fell to the ground in a sorry state like a kite with a broken string.

Shadow Moon was also hit by the rebounding attack, and the two of them let out a scream and fell to the ground in a sorry state.

"Holy crap! What kind of operation is this?!" The other explorers around were all shocked when they saw this.

Bai Shuang frowned, a hint of apprehension flashing in her eyes, while Ling Feng's companion muttered quietly, "This Dai Yao is not someone to be trifled with."

Dai Yao clapped her hands, a "basic operation, don't be silly" expression on her face, and slowly walked up to the two of them, looking down at them and saying, "Next time you launch a sneak attack, remember to weigh your own strength first." The corners of her mouth turned up slightly, revealing a sly smile.

"Trying to steal the fruits of my labor? No way!"

Zi Yun looked at Dai Yao, her eyes flickering, and softly uttered, "I see..."

Zi Yun gazed at Dai Yao, a hint of admiration flashing in her eyes.

"Interesting. She can actually use runes to reflect attacks. She's a clever girl." She coughed lightly a few times, and a sickly blush appeared on her pale face.

“Young lady, I am willing to lend you a hand.” Zi Yun clenched her fist slightly, a hint of determination flashing in her eyes. She thought to herself, “Although Dai Yao seems a bit arrogant, her ability to decipher runes is not to be underestimated. The knowledge of rune restrictions passed down in my family has never been able to be fully utilized in my hands. Perhaps by following her, I can truly realize my value and explore more of the mysteries of runes.”

Dai Yao raised an eyebrow and looked Zi Yun up and down, who looked frail and delicate.

"You? You think you're just going to be a hindrance?" Although she said it with disdain, Dai Yao thought to herself, "This Zi Yun looks frail, but she comes from an ancient family. She might actually have some skills. It's always better to have one more person to help than none at all."

Zi Yun smiled slightly, not taking it to heart.

"Everyone has their own expertise. My family has studied rune restrictions for generations, so perhaps we can offer some help."

"Alright, having more helpers is better than having none." Dai Yao shrugged, indicating her agreement.

The two huddled together and began to study the complex rune restrictions.

As expected of a rune expert, Zi Yun immediately pointed out several key points. Dai Yao's eyes lit up, and she was secretly delighted: "This Zi Yun is really capable. It seems there is hope of breaking the restriction this time."

Under Zi Yun's guidance, Dai Yao's speed in deciphering the runes was as if she had a cheat code, and she made rapid progress all the way.

This scene was utterly intolerable to Xuan Yuanpo!

Xuanyuan Po was the pride of a certain sect, and was always flattered by the people in the sect, which fostered his arrogant personality.

"Outrageous! The treasures in this spirit array are mine!" Xuan Yuanpo roared, his spiritual power surging, and he charged towards Dai Yao and Zi Yun like an arrow released from a bow. The surging spiritual power was like a tsunami, threatening to engulf Dai Yao.

He brandished his longsword, and a sharp sword aura shot straight at Dai Yao.

"Watch out!" Zi Yun exclaimed, trying to push Dai Yao away.

Dai Yao remained motionless, a confident smile playing on her lips.

She was like a small boat in a raging storm, her movements incredibly agile. The confident smile on her lips never faded, and every turn and dodge was perfectly timed, as if she had already anticipated every attack trajectory of Xuan Yuanpo.

Dai Yao thought smugly to herself, "This Xuan Yuanpo is just an arrogant guy who thinks he can snatch treasures just because he has high spiritual power. I won't let him succeed."

When Xuan Yuanpo's sword energy was only a hair's breadth away from her, she moved like a ghost among the runes. The sword energy whistled past her clothes and then accurately struck the rune restriction.

With a loud "Boom!", the rune restriction erupted with powerful energy, reflecting Xuan Yuanpo's attack back.

Caught off guard, Xuan Yuanpo was struck by his own sword energy, staggering back a few steps, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.

Xuan Yuanpo struggled internally: "How can I lose to this little girl? I am a late-stage Nascent Soul expert, the future hope of the sect. If I lose here today, how can I face my fellow disciples when I return? No, I must get this treasure, even if it means resorting to any means necessary!"

"That's it? You dare call yourself an expert?" Dai Yao mocked, her eyes filled with disdain.

"Trying to steal from me? You'll have to train for a few more years!"

Xuanyuan Po's face turned ashen, a sinister glint flashing in his eyes.

He clutched his chest, gritting his teeth as he said, "You...you just wait!"

Just then, the spirit's voice suddenly rang out: "The core of the restriction has been activated; the final trial is about to begin..."

The runes flashed, like falling stars, and the last barrier shattered under Dai Yao's skillful manipulation.

As the smoke and dust cleared, a passage leading to the core of the spirit array appeared before everyone, shimmering with a mysterious light, as if leading to another world.

"It's done!" A look of joy appeared on Zi Yun's pale face, and her gaze towards Dai Yao was full of admiration. "You're amazing!"

Dai Yao casually flicked her sleeves and said nonchalantly, "Basic procedure, don't make a fuss, everyone sit down." Although she spoke lightly, Dai Yao secretly breathed a sigh of relief. If it weren't for Zi Yun, the rune expert, she really might not have been able to break through these complex restrictions so quickly.

Xuan Yuanpo clutched his chest, staring at Dai Yao with a gloomy expression and eyes full of resentment.

He never imagined that he would be outsmarted by a seemingly insignificant little girl!

"Hmph, so what if you break the seal? The final treasure will still be mine!" Xuan Yuanpo sneered, a glint of greed flashing in his eyes.

Bai Shuang, Ling Feng, Ying Yue, and the others also stared intently at the entrance to the passage. Bai Shuang said to Ling Feng, "What do we do now? Just watch them go in?" Ling Feng gritted his teeth and said, "Let's see how things go first." The atmosphere immediately became tense.

Just then, a powerful voice rang in everyone's ears: "Trespassers, halt!"

A tall figure slowly emerged from the depths of the passage, radiating a powerful aura, like a god descending to earth.

It is the spirit that guards the core of the spirit array!

The spirit, clad in ancient armor and wielding a halberd, coldly surveyed the crowd before finally settling on Dai Yao.

"You carry an aura of another world..." The spirit's voice boomed like a great bell, making everyone's eardrums ring. "You are not allowed to enter!"

Dai Yao was startled; she hadn't expected that the spirit of the array could actually tell that she was a transmigrator!

It seems that entering the core of the spirit array is no easy task.

She took a deep breath, a sly smile spreading across her face: "Hey, sir, let's talk this out. Look, we've overcome so many obstacles to get here, we can't just leave empty-handed, can we?"

The spirit of the formation remained expressionless, its tone icy: "These are the rules, and they cannot be changed." It slowly raised its halberd, pointing it at Dai Yao. "Leave, or you will be killed without mercy!"

Dai Yao narrowed her eyes, quickly calculating a strategy in her mind. "This array spirit is difficult to deal with, but I can't just give up like this. There must be some way to persuade it or get through." It seems a fierce battle is inevitable…

Zi Yun tugged at Dai Yao's sleeve and whispered worriedly, "Yao Yao, what should we do?"

Dai Yao patted her hand to reassure her.

She looked up at the spirit array, a playful smile playing on her lips: "Since that's the case... then... let's give it a try!" A dagger crackling with lightning suddenly appeared in her hand, its cold light gleaming...