I walk sideways in the game world

Chapter 177: Approaching the Secret Treasure, Encountering Many Obstacles

Ren Xiaoyao and Xia Lin exchanged a glance, ignoring the restless crowd behind them as they were the first to step onto the ancient stone bridge. The bridge looked dilapidated, but it was incredibly sturdy. Ren Xiaoyao took each step with a steady and powerful force, as if he could sense the ancient power hidden within.

"Xiaoyao, be careful!" Xia Lin reminded in a low voice. She could feel an invisible pressure around her, as if there was some prehistoric beast hidden under the abyss, which might wake up at any time.

Ren Xiaoyao nodded slightly, his eyes swept across the bridge, and noticed that there were some strange runes carved on the railings on both sides of the stone bridge. These runes were flashing with faint light and seemed to blend in with the surrounding environment.

"These runes... seem to have been seen somewhere before..." Ren Xiaoyao's heart moved, and he recalled quickly in his mind, but he could not grasp that ray of inspiration.

"Brother Xiaoyao, look!" Xia Lin suddenly pointed forward, and saw that at the end of the originally empty stone bridge, there were transparent barriers. These barriers were rippling like water waves, emitting a dangerous aura.

"Barrier?" Ren Xiaoyao frowned slightly. It seemed that the road to the secret treasure was not that simple.

"Hahaha, Ren Xiaoyao, let's see where you can escape this time!" The proud voice of the Emei nun came from behind. She brought several Emei disciples and followed slowly. "This is the unique formation of my Emei sect. No one can pass without my permission!"

It turned out that Master Emei had secretly instructed her disciples to set up obstacles in the passage, hoping to hinder Ren Xiaoyao's progress so that she could take the opportunity to seize the secret treasure.

Taoist Xuanfeng's expression changed slightly when he saw this, but he didn't say much, only giving Nun Emei a deep look. The head of the Qingcheng Sect, the Poison King, and the others were delighted, clearly happy to reap the benefits.

"Hmph, a mere trifle!" Ren Xiaoyao snorted coldly, swung the sword in his hand, and a sharp sword energy slashed towards the barrier.

However, when the sword energy hit the barrier, it was like a drop in the ocean, without causing any ripples, but instead bounced back.

"This..." Ren Xiaoyao was shocked. This barrier was so powerful!

"Hahaha, don't waste your energy!" Nun Emei laughed proudly, "This is my Emei Sect..."

"Shut up!" Ren Xiaoyao interrupted her impatiently, scanning the surrounding environment with his eyes like lightning. He knew that brute force could not break the barrier, and he had to find its weakness.

"Brother Xiaoyao, look at those runes!" Xia Lin suddenly pointed at the runes on the stone bridge railing and said, "The light of those runes seems to be brighter than before!"

Upon hearing this, Ren Xiaoyao immediately turned his gaze towards the runes. As expected, with the appearance of the barrier, the light of the runes became even more dazzling, and seemed to faintly echo the aura of the barrier...

"I understand!" A gleam of light flashed in Ren Xiaoyao's eyes. He grabbed Xia Lin's hand and whispered, "Follow me!"

He pulled Xia Lin with him, and instead of rushing directly towards the barrier, he ran quickly along the edge of the stone bridge. Seeing this, Nun Emei and the others were all stunned, not understanding what Ren Xiaoyao was up to.

"What does he want to do?"

"Are you trying to escape?"

"Impossible, this is my territory!"

Nun Emei was confused, but she did not dare to delay and quickly took her disciples to chase after him.

Ren Xiaoyao pulled Xia Lin along, running all the way until they finally stopped at the corner of a stone bridge. He carefully observed the runes before him. The order in which they were arranged seemed to hold a hidden meaning...

"This is it!" A flicker of determination flashed in Ren Xiaoyao's eyes. He took a deep breath and slowly channeled the Qi within him into the rune before him... Qi surged from Ren Xiaoyao's fingertips, like wisps of green smoke, slowly pouring into the rune before him. With the infusion of Qi, the previously dim rune suddenly erupted with dazzling light. The light intertwined, forming mysterious paths that eventually converged at the center of the stone bridge, connecting with the transparent barrier.

"Om-"

The barrier trembled violently, like a stone dropped into calm water, sending ripples ripple through it. Nun Emei and the others were horrified upon seeing this, stopping in their tracks and staring at the scene in disbelief and uncertainty.

"What's going on?" Nun Emei's face turned pale. She could feel that the barrier she had set up was being disintegrated by a powerful force.

Ren Xiaoyao ignored the crowd's surprise. He concentrated on controlling his Qi and directing the power of the runes to attack the barrier. He knew that the barrier was closely related to the runes on the stone bridge. As long as he found the right method, he could use the power of the runes to break the barrier.

"break!"

Ren Xiaoyao let out a low shout, and the true energy from his fingertips suddenly burst out and poured into the rune.

"boom!"

With a loud bang, the barrier in the center of the stone bridge shattered and turned into starlight that dissipated into the air.

"Success!" Seeing this, Xia Lin showed a happy smile on her face.

Ren Xiaoyao didn't have time to breathe a sigh of relief. His face was slightly pale. Breaking the barrier had cost him a lot of energy. He took a deep breath, suppressed the surging energy and blood in his body, and pulled Xia Lin to continue walking forward.

"Want to leave? It's not that easy!"

A cold snort came from the front, and Taoist Xuanfeng, holding a long sword, blocked Ren Xiaoyao's way. Beside him, the head of the Qingcheng Sect, with a hint of a sneer on his face, formed seals with his hands, and suddenly sharp spikes emerged from the ground, blocking Ren Xiaoyao's retreat.

"Master Xuanfeng, what do you mean?" Ren Xiaoyao fixed his eyes and asked in a deep voice.

"Young Master Ren, I'm sorry." Taoist Xuanfeng said calmly, "This secret treasure is something I'm determined to obtain."

As soon as he finished speaking, he swung the sword in his hand, and a sharp sword energy attacked Ren Xiaoyao. At the same time, the head of Qingcheng also launched an attack. The sharp spikes on the ground stabbed towards Ren Xiaoyao's legs like poisonous snakes.

Ren Xiaoyao snorted coldly, unsheathing his sword with a flash of light, blocking all incoming sword energy and spikes. However, the combined attack by Taoist Xuanfeng and the head of the Qingcheng Sect was clearly premeditated, with sword energy running rampant and traps woven everywhere, putting Ren Xiaoyao and Xia Lin in a difficult position.

"Brother Xiaoyao, be careful!" Xia Lin exclaimed, and she swung the long whip in her hand, knocking away several sneak attacks of sword energy.

Ren Xiaoyao's eyes flashed as he scanned the surroundings. He realized that he and Xia Lin had fallen into a circle of sword energy and traps. Taoist Xuanfeng and the head of Qingcheng Sect, one on each side, had trapped them. This was clearly a premeditated plan.

"Want to trap me? That won't be that easy!" A cold light flashed in Ren Xiaoyao's eyes. He took a deep breath and swung the sword in his hand suddenly, releasing a dazzling sword light...

The sword beams and sword energy collided, emitting a deafening roar. A powerful gust of wind swept through, rustling everyone's clothes. Ren Xiaoyao and Xia Lin used this gust of wind to retreat violently, barely avoiding the sharp attack controlled by the Qingcheng Sect Leader.

However, before they could gain a firm foothold, Taoist Xuanfeng and the head of Qingcheng Sect launched another attack. Sword energy rained down like rain, and traps were set everywhere. Ren Xiaoyao and Xia Lin could only dodge with difficulty in the narrow space...

"This won't do. I have to break through as soon as possible!" Ren Xiaoyao thought to himself. He glanced around and suddenly, his eyes fell on a stone wall. There, something seemed to be flickering with a faint light...

"Charlene, come with me!"

"Xia Lin, follow me!" Ren Xiaoyao growled, pulling Xia Lin with him as they rushed towards the stone wall. Taoist Xuanfeng and the head of the Qingcheng Sect saw this and naturally wouldn't let them break through easily. Their sword energy followed them like a shadow, with spikes bursting out of the ground and rushing towards the two men frantically.

Ren Xiaoyao's gaze was blazing, and his sword danced out a dense, impenetrable web of swords, blocking every incoming attack. However, two fists were no match for four, let alone the combined attack of two top-tier masters. Ren Xiaoyao's body quickly became covered in wounds, his clothes stained red with blood.

"Brother Xiaoyao!" Xia Lin was extremely anxious upon seeing this, but she knew she couldn't panic and had to trust Ren Xiaoyao. She swung her whip with impenetrable force, knocking down all the hidden weapons attempting to attack her while also keeping a careful eye on her feet to avoid stepping on any traps.

"Hehe, Young Master Ren, stop struggling in vain and just surrender!" The sinister voice of the Qingcheng Sect Leader came from behind, his tone full of pride.

Ren Xiaoyao ignored him, his eyes fixed on the front. There, the light on the stone wall became brighter and brighter, as if guiding the direction they were going.

"Brother Xiaoyao, be careful!" Xia Lin suddenly exclaimed, and saw a ball of dark green poisonous fog appeared around them at some point, spreading rapidly and enveloping them.

"Haha, you are now infected by my poisonous fog, so just wait for death!" The Poison King's arrogant laughter came from the poisonous fog, which was creepy.

Ren Xiaoyao only felt his vision blurred and his breathing became rapid. He knew that this was a sign of poisoning.

"Brother Xiaoyao, hold your breath, I'll find a way!" Xia Lin said, taking out a fragrant pill from her arms and stuffing it into Ren Xiaoyao's mouth.

The pill melted in his mouth, turning into a cool breeze that flowed throughout his body. Ren Xiaoyao immediately felt refreshed, and the symptoms of poisoning were alleviated a lot.

"This is……"

"This is the antidote pill my master developed. It can temporarily suppress the toxicity," Xia Lin explained. "We must get out of this poisonous fog as soon as possible!"

"Okay!" Ren Xiaoyao took a deep breath, suppressed the remaining poison in his body, pulled Xia Lin and rushed forward.

However, the poisonous fog seemed to have life, constantly surging towards them, blocking their way. Ren Xiaoyao swung his sword, but it was like cutting into cotton, with no effect.

"It's useless. My poison fog is pervasive. You can't escape!" The Poison King's voice echoed in the poison fog like a ghost.

Seeing this, a hint of determination flashed in Xia Lin's eyes. She quickly formed seals with her hands and muttered something. A strange power surged out of her body, turning into breezes and blowing towards the surrounding poisonous fog.

"Hmm?" The Poison King seemed to have noticed something was wrong, and his voice was filled with surprise. "What kind of technique is this?"

Blown by the breeze, the surrounding poisonous fog gradually dissipated, revealing a narrow passage.

"Brother Xiaoyao, hurry up!" Xia Lin seized the opportunity, pulled Ren Xiaoyao and rushed towards the passage...

Ren Xiaoyao felt his fingertips touch something cold, carrying an ancient and mysterious aura. He suddenly opened his eyes, only to be greeted by a flash of golden light. A sword hovered quietly in mid-air, emitting a sharp aura that made it difficult to look directly at it. All around them, masters from various sects had already surrounded them.

Ren Xiaoyao, oblivious to everything else, grasped the sword before him. A powerful force instantly surged into his body, and he felt as if his meridians were about to burst under the force. But he gritted his teeth and persevered, circulating his inner Qi, striving to control the violent force. The sword uttered a clear, melodious cry, as if responding to his resolve.

At the same time, the pressure around them suddenly increased. Masters from various sects had already surrounded them, their eyes gleaming with greed. Ren Xiaoyao and Xia Lin stood back to back, warily watching the crowd around them, watching eagerly.

Taoist Xuanfeng held a whisk in his hand. Despite his sage-like appearance, he couldn't hide the greed in his eyes. He was the first to speak: "Young Master Ren, put down your sword. I can take care of it and let you leave safely."

"Hmph, that sounds nice, but who knows if you'll go back on your word?" Ren Xiaoyao sneered. He knew that these people came for the secret treasure, so how could they let him go so easily.

The head of the Qingcheng Sect said sinisterly, "Young Master Ren, a man who knows the current situation is a hero. Why do you have to make an enemy of us? If you hand over your sword, I promise that no one here will harm you in the slightest."

The Poison King smiled strangely and said, "Yes, Young Master Ren, you don't want your beautiful confidante to die because of you, do you?"

A cold light flashed in Ren Xiaoyao's eyes, and the sword in his hand hummed, as if responding to the anger in his heart. He looked around and said in a deep voice, "If you want the sword, come and get it with your ability!"

The air suddenly froze, the atmosphere tense to the extreme. Everyone's eyes were focused on Ren Xiaoyao, their eyes filled with greed, fear, and murderous intent...

Nun Emei snorted coldly and took the initiative to attack. She flashed in front of Ren Xiaoyao in an instant. The long sword in her hand turned into a cold light and pierced Ren Xiaoyao's heart. "Boy, you are so arrogant!"