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

Chapter 107 Amidst the Fog, a Difficult Exploration of the Truth

The cell was like a forgotten ice cellar, its damp, chilly air permeating the air. The pungent, musty smell was like countless sharp needles piercing straight into Dai Yao's head, causing her to wince in pain. She sat cross-legged on the pile of rotting hay, her anger burning like a raging fire, cursing the Blood Demon Elder from head to toe.

"That despicable old man is absolutely wicked! He's clearly trying to scam me on purpose. He can dream on!" Dai Yao was furious and kicked a stone in the corner. The stone seemed to sense her anger and rolled a long way away.

Fortunately, at the crucial moment, a mysterious person intervened and pulled her out of that hellhole. Dai Yao rubbed her sore buttocks, still shaken by the jailer's rough handling, and sighed, "My God, I almost lost my life! This demonic palace is a hundred times more terrifying than my crappy 996 company!"

"What should we do now?" the mysterious man asked with concern.

A glint of inspiration flashed in Dai Yao's eyes, and a brilliant plan instantly formed in her mind: "Hmph, since a direct confrontation won't work, let's take a roundabout approach! I'm going to the investigation department to retrieve the data. I refuse to believe I can't find any clues left by that traitor!"

The so-called investigation department of the Demon Palace was hardly a department at all; it was nothing more than a dilapidated, crumbling building. Inside, files were piled haphazardly, the papers yellowed and seemingly on the verge of turning to dust. Every step stirred up a stale, musty smell. Dai Yao and Ling Feng, these two poor souls, were like two lost boats adrift in a vast sea of ​​books, bewildered and helpless before the mountain of documents, feeling only that the road ahead was endless and they didn't know where to begin.

But that Shadow Assassin was as cunning as a fox, and his actions were meticulous, erasing all traces completely, as if he had been swept away by an invisible hurricane, leaving not a single clue.

"Sister Yao, we've been searching non-stop for three days and three nights, but we haven't found a single hair!" Lingfeng rubbed her eyes, which were so sore they felt like they were about to explode, her face full of exhaustion and helplessness, with tears glistening in her eyes.

Dai Yao was equally exhausted, every muscle in her body screaming with soreness, but her stubbornness made her refuse to give up: "Keep searching! No matter how cunning that guy is, he must have left some clues!"

Just then, Zi Ling burst through the door like an enraged lioness, her outstretched finger almost poking Dai Yao's nose, and shouted, "Dai Yao! How dare you still pretend to be all innocent here? You are that despicable traitor, you have completely deceived us all!"

“Ziling, you…” Dai Yao looked at her former friend in disbelief, her heart aching as if it were being pierced by a thousand steel needles. “How could you say such a thing?”

"Why not? You dare say that black jade pendant isn't yours? You dare say you haven't colluded with outsiders?" Zi Ling pressed on, her eyes filled with suspicion and resentment. "I trusted you so much all this time, and you're just an ungrateful wretch!"

"I..." Dai Yao was speechless, feeling as if she had countless mouths, yet she couldn't explain herself clearly. She could clearly feel that the spies hidden in the shadows around her were like cold, venomous snakes, scrutinizing her inch by inch with mocking and contemptuous eyes, making her feel extremely uncomfortable, as if she were being pricked by thousands of cold needles.

"Ziling, calm down..." Dai Yao tried hard to control her nearly out-of-control emotions, but was surprised to find that her voice was trembling violently.

Zi Ling sneered, her voice as cold as a winter wind: "Calm down? I can't calm down as long as I see you pretending to look through documents here! You're clearly just feeling guilty!"

Dai Yao took a deep breath, trying to suppress the surging, almost explosive anger within her. Each word seemed to be squeezed out from between her teeth: "I'll say it again, I'm absolutely not a traitor! I..."

Suddenly, Dai Yao stopped, her gaze sharp as she stared intently at Zi Ling. She keenly sensed a faint, yet strangely eerie, fluctuation of fortune emanating from Zi Ling, like a ghostly thread hidden in the darkness.

This feeling... is just like that nauseating, foul stench she felt when she was framed! Could it be...?

Without making a sound, Dai Yao activated her cheat ability, like a top hunter tracking its prey, quietly tracing the source of this aura. This aura was as thin as a hair, yet as tenacious as an ancient vine, tightly binding Zi Ling, impossible to break free from. Following this aura, Dai Yao was shocked to discover that it was intricately connected to the turbid energy that had previously framed her!

Dai Yao's heart jolted, as if struck by lightning. An ominous premonition spread rapidly through her heart: Zi Ling was very likely being used as a pawn and ruthlessly exploited!

"Ziling, calm down, let's talk this over." Dai Yao's tone instantly became gentle as water. The tense and explosive scene just now seemed to have been blown away by a gentle breeze, as if it had never happened.

Zi Ling was clearly taken aback, like a startled fawn, looking at her warily: "What trick are you trying to pull now?"

Dai Yao smiled slightly, her smile carrying a hint of sincerity: "I just want to help you in any way I can."

Taking advantage of Zi Ling's brief moment of distraction, Dai Yao's peripheral vision flashed like lightning, quickly catching sight of a slightly loose brick in the corner of the wall. Her heart skipped a beat. The aura emanating from that brick was exactly the same as Zi Ling's, as if they were carved from the same mold! Dai Yao's heart burst with joy, but she forced herself to remain calm, her face still composed, and continued to skillfully maneuver with Zi Ling: "I know you are full of resentment, but you must believe me. Even if I have to search every inch of the Demon Palace, I will find the real traitor and give you a just explanation!"

"Stop pretending to be a good person here!" Although Zi Ling's words were still tough, her originally aggressive aura weakened significantly, like a punctured balloon, and a barely perceptible wavering flashed in her eyes.

Dai Yao seized the opportunity and subtly pulled Ling Feng aside, pretending to organize the mountain of files. Step by step, like a hunter cautiously approaching its prey, she slowly moved closer to the loose brick.

“Lingfeng, take a close look at this file. To me, something seems off.” Dai Yao lowered her voice to a whisper, as if a mosquito were buzzing. At the same time, her fingers lightly brushed across the bricks like a dragonfly skimming the water.

Just as Dai Yao's fingers were moving the bricks, a crisp yet unusually abrupt "click" was heard. As if an invisible giant hand had torn the wall apart, a mysterious crack slowly appeared.

"Sister Yao, this is..." Lingfeng's eyes widened, her face full of astonishment.

Dai Yao quickly gave Ling Feng a wink, her eyes conveying a silent message. The moment their eyes met, they understood each other perfectly, everything unspoken.

While Zi Ling was still burning with anger and completely unaware, Dai Yao, like a ghost, grabbed Ling Feng and disappeared into the secret passage in a flash. Immediately afterwards, the gap closed up as if by magic, sealing itself tightly, as if everything that had just happened was just a dream.

Inside the secret passage, darkness, like thick ink, permeated everything, so thick that one couldn't see their own hand in front of their face, as if they were in an endless abyss, the surrounding darkness threatening to swallow them whole. Dai Yao reached out, feeling her way along the rough, cold walls, each step cautious, her heart pounding in her chest. Suddenly, she felt a strange sensation beneath her feet, as if she had stepped on something unknown hidden in the darkness.

"Lingfeng, be careful—" Dai Yao's voice suddenly rang out in the dark secret passage. However, before she could finish speaking, a chilling "crack" sound came from under her feet, as if it were the sinister laughter of a demon hidden in the darkness.

Oh no! In an instant, the floor of the secret passage seemed to be hollowed out by a mysterious force, collapsing with a roar. Countless sharp spikes, like a torrential downpour of poisonous rain, carrying the aura of death, shot towards the two of them from all directions.

"Oh my god!" Lingfeng was so frightened that his soul almost left his body. He panicked and waved his sleeves wildly, like withered branches dancing in the wind, trying to defend himself against the sudden attack that was like a storm.

Dai Yao's eyes flashed like lightning, and her reaction was swift, like a nimble cheetah. In an instant, she reached out and grabbed Ling Feng. At the same time, she lightly touched the ground with her toes, her figure as light as a willow catkin, nimbly weaving through the gaps in the spikes, easily avoiding the first wave of fierce attacks.

"Calm down, don't panic!" Dai Yao shouted, protecting Ling Feng like a mother hen protecting her chicks while her eyes were sharp as she carefully observed the trajectory of the spikes.

“This thing seems to follow some kind of pattern…” She narrowed her eyes, her brain working like a high-speed precision instrument, rapidly analyzing the mechanism’s operation.

The spiked attacks came wave after wave, growing faster and denser with each passing moment. Dai Yao, accompanied by Ling Feng, darted and weaved through the secret passage like two dancers gracefully teetering on the edge of death, narrowly avoiding one deadly attack after another.

Lingfeng was initially trembling with fear, like a fallen leaf in the cold wind. But seeing Dai Yao so calm and composed, he gradually calmed down and even felt an impulse to shout "666".

Finally, the attack of spikes receded like a tide and stopped.

Dai Yao and Ling Feng leaned against the wall, panting. Although they were not injured, their clothes looked like they had been torn by a pack of vicious dogs, with many holes in them.

"Sister Yao, your movement is absolutely amazing! So stylish!" Lingfeng couldn't help but exclaim in amazement.

Dai Yao raised her eyebrows smugly, a confident smile playing on her lips: "Basic stuff, don't be silly."

After a short rest, the two continued deeper into the secret passage.

At the end of the path, they found a small stone chamber. In the center of the chamber was a table with some broken letters scattered on it.

Dai Yao strode forward, bent down and picked up a fragment of a letter, her eyes sharp as she carefully examined the handwriting.

“Shadow Assassins…colluding with…external forces…” she muttered to herself, a sharp glint flashing in her eyes.

These fragments of letters are the key evidence she has been searching for!

Just as Dai Yao was about to carefully put away the fragments of the letter, a chilling voice, as if from the deepest hell, echoed from behind her: "Who are you people?"

Dai Yao's heart clenched, as if gripped tightly by an invisible hand: My God, is this for real?

She quickly stuffed the letter fragments into her storage bag—thankfully, most of them were salvaged!

She whirled around and saw a man in black standing like a towering iceberg at the entrance to the stone chamber. He was tall and imposing, radiating an aura of icy chill. His hood concealed his face, but the sharp lines of his chin revealed a jawline that was clearly that of a menacing figure.

Lingfeng's legs went weak with fear, like boiled noodles, and she hid behind Dai Yao, trembling: "Sister Yao, who...who is this person?"

Dai Yao patted his shoulder, her eyes conveying the message, "Stay calm, don't be impulsive."

On the surface, she appeared calm and collected, like a tranquil lake, but inwardly she was furious: This entrance... it has such a strong "professional villain" vibe! Is it some hidden boss again? System, come out here, let's have a serious talk about life!

The man in black approached step by step, his powerful aura like a tangible wave, making the surrounding air seem to freeze.

"Hand over the stuff." His voice was low and hoarse, like a demon from hell roaring.

Dai Yao sneered, her tone suggesting that she would obediently listen to her.

"Things? What things? What are you talking about? I don't understand at all." She feigned ignorance, her acting skills were superb, comparable to an Oscar-winning actress.

The man in black was clearly not buying it; a cold glint flashed in his eyes, like a shooting star streaking across the night sky.

"You won't listen to reason, so you'll have to suffer the consequences!" He suddenly attacked, his speed as fast as lightning, aiming straight for Dai Yao's throat.

"What?! Is this for real?!" Dai Yao exclaimed, quickly dodging to the side.

The man in black attacked fiercely and ruthlessly, each move aimed straight for vital points and each strike potentially fatal. Dai Yao could only barely parry, struggling to defend herself.

This strength is definitely beyond the Nascent Soul stage! When did such a terrifying powerhouse start hiding in this Demon Palace?

At this critical moment, a blinding white light, like lightning piercing the night sky, flashed past and blocked the attack of the man in black.

Dai Yao looked closely and realized it was that mysterious figure!

He was still wearing a mask, so his expression was not visible, but the powerful aura emanating from him was like a surging wave, and he was no less powerful than the man in black!

"Your opponent is me," the mysterious figure said coldly, his voice as still and calm as a deep pool.

The man in black seemed extremely surprised by his appearance, stopped his attack, and looked him up and down with sharp eyes.

"Who are you?"

The mysterious figure didn't answer, but moved with lightning speed, striking again and instantly engaging the man in black in combat. Their attacks were exquisite and varied, leaving Dai Yao and Ling Feng dazzled and overwhelmed.

Taking advantage of this excellent opportunity, Dai Yao secretly moved the letter fragments in the storage bag to another more hidden place.

However, the moment she finished transferring, an invisible and strange force, like an invisible demonic hand, suddenly appeared and swept away the letter fragments!

Dai Yao: "..." What's going on?!

The mysterious figure noticed something amiss, turned around abruptly, and his gaze, sharp as a sword, fell upon Dai Yao's empty hands.

“Fragments…” His tone carried a barely perceptible hint of anxiety.