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

Chapter 144 Searching for the Mastermind

The setting sun, like blood, dyed the horizon a crimson red.

Ye Shuli and Jiang Ye's figures were stretched long, like two lonely ghosts wandering in the wilderness.

"The trail has gone cold." Ye Shuli kicked a stone at her feet in frustration, her tone full of disappointment.

"The mastermind behind this is incredibly well hidden! They're even better at hiding my secret stash of money than I am!"

Jiang Ye shrugged, offering a relaxed reassurance: "Calm down, calm down, Your Majesty. This is nothing! Back in the day, I was trapped in an escape room for three days and three nights, but I still managed to escape thanks to my amazing wit. This is nothing!"

Ye Shuli rolled her eyes at him and said irritably, "You call that amazing wisdom? You were only released because the staff brought you lunch and you were crying and begging to leave!"

Jiang Ye awkwardly touched his nose. "Ahem, don't worry about the details. What matters is the result, the result!"

The two continued their bickering as they searched for clues.

However, fate seemed to be deliberately working against them.

They stumbled into an ancient forest, where the surrounding trees were twisted and grotesque, like menacing demons.

There was a strange smell in the air, which made people feel creepy.

Suddenly, the surrounding scenery began to distort, and the ground began to shake.

Before Ye Shuli and Jiang Ye could react, they were sucked in by a powerful force.

"Holy crap! What's going on?" Jiang Ye exclaimed.

When they opened their eyes again, they found themselves in a completely unfamiliar place.

An eerie light flickered around them, and all sorts of strange runes floated in the air, emanating an unsettling aura.

"What...what kind of place is this?" Ye Shuli exclaimed.

Jiang Ye swallowed hard, his voice trembling slightly, "If I'm not mistaken... it seems we... have stumbled into a formation..."

Before he could finish speaking, a chilling laugh echoed through the air.

"Welcome to my world, little guys."

Elder Wang's figure slowly appeared before them, a sinister smile on his face.

"Long time no see, Ye Shuli."

Ye Shuli's heart sank, a chill running from the soles of her feet to the top of her head. Oh no, she'd fallen for a trap!

Jiang Ye clenched his fist and stood in front of Ye Shuli. "Old man, what do you want to do?"

Elder Wang sneered, "Of course... we'll send you to meet the King of Hell!"

Ye Shuli took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down.

Panic won't solve anything; it will only put you in a more dangerous situation.

She closed her eyes, sensing the flowing spiritual energy around her, trying to analyze the structure of the formation.

This formation is strange and unpredictable; the runes writhe like tadpoles, radiating a chilling power.

"Your Majesty, don't be afraid, I've got your back!" Jiang Ye's voice rang in her ears, trembling slightly, but unexpectedly giving her a sense of strength.

Ye Shuli opened her eyes, a cold smile curling at the corner of her lips.

"You? I think you should protect yourself first!" Although she said it with disdain, a warm feeling welled up inside her.

She carefully observed the patterns of the formation, her mind racing with various knowledge about formations.

Modern scientific knowledge collides with the mystical forces of this world, sparking new inspiration.

Wait, this rune...

It looks a bit like...

Number system code?

Ye Shuli's heart stirred, and a bold idea formed in her mind.

"Jiang Ye, cover me!" Ye Shuli shouted, conjuring a dazzling ball of spiritual energy in her hand.

She infused her spiritual power into the core of the artifact, making its light even more dazzling, illuminating the entire formation like a small sun.

Although Jiang Ye didn't understand what Ye Shuli was trying to do, he still stood in front of her without hesitation, adopting a "I'm the best in the world" attitude, and shouted at Elder Wang: "Old man, come at me if you dare!"

Elder Wang snorted disdainfully and was about to make a move when he suddenly felt a powerful force emanating from the formation.

His expression changed, and he exclaimed in surprise, "What's going on?"

Ye Shuli concentrated the power of the divine artifact on a single point and fiercely bombarded the weak point of the formation.

A flash of bright light appeared, and the entire formation trembled violently, as if an earthquake had struck.

"Crack!" With a crisp sound, a crack appeared on the formation.

"It's done!" Jiang Ye shouted excitedly, hugging Ye Shuli tightly. "Your Majesty, you're amazing!"

Ye Shuli was a little stunned by his sudden hug, but she quickly reacted, pushed him away, and said with disgust, "Don't touch me like that, it's so cheesy!"

Although she said that, a faint smile appeared on her face.

Jiang Ye took out some dry food and water from his storage bag and handed them to Ye Shuli, saying, "Your Majesty, you've worked hard. Please replenish your energy first."

Ye Shuli accepted the dry food and water, a warm feeling welling up in her heart.

In this perilous world, it's wonderful to have such a partner by my side.

The two ate in silence, and the oppressive atmosphere around them eased somewhat.

Suddenly, Ye Shuli sensed a powerful killing intent...

"Looks like the show is about to begin," she said in a low voice.

Jiang Ye gripped his sword tightly, his eyes resolute: "I'll fight to the bitter end!"

"Hahahaha, Ye Shuli, you think you can escape alive just by breaking my formation? You're too naive!" Elder Wang's sinister laughter echoed through the valley, like a vengeful ghost seeking death.

As soon as he finished speaking, a group of men in black emerged from all directions and surrounded Ye Shuli and Jiang Ye.

They all exuded a powerful aura and had sharp eyes; it was clear at a glance that they were well-trained assassins.

"Just surrender obediently! Otherwise you'll suffer!" shouted one of the men in black.

"You bunch of worthless scoundrels?" Jiang Ye curled his lip in disdain. "Don't you even know your own limitations!"

"You're asking for death!" The man in black roared in fury, brandishing his weapon and attacking Jiang Ye.

Although Jiang Ye was not as strong as his opponent, he was better at agile movements, as slippery as an eel.

He dodged left and right, skillfully avoiding attack after attack, and occasionally uttered a few sarcastic remarks, which infuriated the man in black.

"This kid's got some skills!" the henchmen hiding in the shadows whispered among themselves. "His movements are so agile, he's practically like a monkey!"

"Yeah, looks like there's going to be a good show today!"

A tense atmosphere permeated the valley, as if the air had frozen.

Ye Shuli ignored the henchmen and kept her gaze fixed on Elder Wang.

She knew that the real threat came from this old man.

Elder Wang sneered, condensing a powerful ball of spiritual energy in his hand and blasting it towards Ye Shuli.

Ye Shuli didn't take the hit head-on; instead, she dodged behind a rune.

"boom!"

The spiritual energy struck the rune, producing a loud bang.

However, the rune did not shatter; instead, it reflected the spiritual energy back!

"What?!" Elder Wang's expression changed drastically, and he quickly dodged.

The rebounding spiritual energy struck the other men in black, causing a chorus of screams.

"Your Majesty, that's amazing!" Jiang Ye shouted excitedly, "That move was absolutely brilliant!"

Ye Shuli ignored Jiang Ye's praise and launched another attack while Elder Wang and the others were in a panic.

She infused the power of the divine artifact into the formation, manipulating its power to counterattack.

In an instant, the entire valley was filled with the sounds of explosions and screams.

Elder Wang and his group were suppressed by the power of the formation and were forced to retreat in defeat.

They never imagined that the trap they had carefully set would become their own burial ground.

"Damn it! Just who is this girl?!" Elder Wang roared in exasperation.

Ye Shuli sneered, "Want to know? Go ask Yama, the King of Hell, in hell!"

Just then, Ye Shuli suddenly noticed a subtle movement from Elder Wang...

A slight smile played on her lips. "I see..."

Out of the corner of her eye, Ye Shuli caught Elder Wang secretly pressing a mechanism, and a playful smile appeared on her lips.

"So that's how it is, old man, still trying to play dirty tricks?" She sneered inwardly, her fingers twitching slightly, causing the divine artifact to shine even brighter.

"Jiang Ye, watch this!" Ye Shuli shouted, concentrating the power of the divine artifact into a single point and slamming it down at Elder Wang's feet.

With a loud "boom," a huge crack instantly appeared in the ground, and Elder Wang, along with several men in black beside him, fell through.

"Ah!" "Help!" The screams rose and fell, sounding particularly jarring in this eerie forest.

"Your Majesty, you're amazing!" Jiang Ye jumped up excitedly, like a husky on steroids, waving his arms and cheering. "That was so satisfying! Those bastards finally got what they deserved!"

Ye Shuli ignored Jiang Ye's praise. She felt the power surging within the artifact and was lost in thought.

This old guy was definitely not the mastermind behind it all.

"Let's get out of here!" Elder Wang scrambled out of the deep pit in a disheveled state, and fled with his remaining men without looking back.

"Tch, is that all?" Jiang Ye gave them the middle finger with disdain. "A bunch of useless bastards!"

"Don't be too happy yet," Ye Shuli said calmly. "The real mastermind hasn't shown up yet."

Jiang Ye was taken aback, scratched his head, and asked, "So what should we do next?"

Ye Shuli looked around. A faint smell of blood filled the air, and the strange runes gradually disappeared, as if nothing had happened.

But she knew that the danger had only just begun.

The two continued deeper into the forest, the last rays of the setting sun casting long shadows on them, making them look like two lonely travelers.

Just then, they received a mysterious telepathic message.

"Your journey ends here. Ahead, even more powerful enemies await you." The voice was deep and hoarse, carrying an undeniable air of authority.

"What the hell is going on?" Jiang Ye frowned, looking around warily as if unknown dangers were lurking all around him.

Ye Shuli closed her eyes, sensing the flowing spiritual energy around her, and her heart sank.

"Who...is he talking about?" she murmured to herself, but then noticed that Jiang Ye's face also held an unprecedented solemnity.