After My Death, the Female Lead Breaks the Heartless Path - Chapter 19

After that, Ai Yanran caused no further trouble, obediently leading her team from behind, though she occasionally cast glances toward Xu Jingqiu at the front.

Unsurprisingly, every one of those glances was intercepted by Yin Ruolan and Wen Banxia.

Naturally, Ai Yanran was furious about Wen Banxia’s “betrayal,” but to bring down Xu Jingqiu, she needed to win over Wen Banxia, as well as another person connected to Xu Jingqiu.

After traveling a while longer, they finally arrived at the entrance to the secret realm. The massive boulder that had once concealed it had been blasted open, revealing a fully metallic door with a distinct mechanical texture. At the center of the door, two crystals one black, one white were carved into the shape of a yin-yang Bagua diagram.

This was clearly a modern creation, and it even bore the dragon-head emblem of the Special Affairs Bureau.

Who had the time to create something like this? And it felt familiar. Xu Jingqiu examined it closely. Could it be Ye Shuran’s doing? But Ye Shuran didn’t seem capable of such a feat her ability was plant-related, not something like this.

Well, no matter. She’d investigate further once inside. Xu Jingqiu closed her eyes again for a brief rest. Yin Ruolan, however, found the door troubling. Among those present, only she and Ai Yanran could open it, but Xu Jingqiu’s current condition was clearly not ideal.

“Let me take her,” Wen Banxia said, reaching out to take Xu Jingqiu. “Why did you bring her along? This trip is bound to end badly.”

Yin Ruolan lowered her gaze and replied calmly, “I don’t want to delay. We might find a way to treat her inside the secret realm.”

Wen Banxia nodded in understanding and took Xu Jingqiu. Although Xu Jingqiu appeared to be sound asleep, she remained alert. For instance, when someone from Penglai approached, she immediately woke up and moved away, fixing her gaze on the newcomer.

With Xu Jingqiu no longer in her arms, Wen Banxia glared coldly at the person from Penglai, who grew uneasy under her stare but mustered the courage to ask, “What’s your relationship? If I recall correctly, you’re human, aren’t you?”

“I’m her sister, here to look after her. You may leave now,” Wen Banxia said dismissively, issuing a clear command to depart.

Seeing the demons closing in with hostile expressions, the spy hastily retreated. Ai Yanran, finding no useful information, withdrew her attention.

“Shall we begin? Weren’t you in a hurry earlier?” Yin Ruolan asked coldly.

Ai Yanran bit her lip and replied, “Yes, we can start. Just place your hand on the crystal at the center, and we’ll release our energy simultaneously.”

Dark energy gathered in Yin Ruolan’s hand. Feeling the tranquil power emanating from the contract mark on the back of her hand, she allowed a slight smile to touch her lips as she placed her hand on the black crystal.

Under the expectant gazes of everyone present, the door slowly rose, revealing a similarly metallic wall deep within.

Yin Ruolan beckoned to Xu Jingqiu. Once Xu Jingqiu approached, the two stood side by side, hand in hand, waiting until everyone else had entered before stepping inside. The door closed and vanished behind them.

No one inside panicked. It was common for the entrance to a secret realm to disappear upon entry; exiting usually required fulfilling specific conditions.

The room wasn’t very large, leaving only a little empty space after everyone had entered. Everyone was searching around, but the smooth walls revealed nothing.

Seeing something familiar again, Xu Jingqiu regained her spirits and joined the search for the door. Yin Ruolan and Wen Banxia stood guard on either side, like two door gods.

On the other side, Ai Yanran appeared to be searching but was actually conversing with the Heavenly Dao System, inquiring about the progress of its infiltration.

[Wait a little longer. I’m looking for a vulnerability in the firewall. It’s tightly sealed and difficult to breach, very much like the work of someone I’ve encountered before.]

“Fine, hurry up. We need to act before they find a way out, or it’ll be harder to take action later. If you can’t manage it, don’t expect my help anymore. I’m quite satisfied with my role as the Penglai Divine Maiden, so your conditions aren’t particularly important to me. You need to understand that. If I want to, I have many ways to deal with them.”

The Heavenly Dao System gritted its teeth in frustration. This was precisely why it had been accommodating Ai Yanran all along, unlike previous hosts whom it would abandon as soon as things went wrong, only to find a new one.

While they were talking, Xu Jingqiu made a discovery.

Driven by an inexplicable sense of familiarity, Xu Jingqiu quickly found the fingerprint lock hidden on the wall. Instinctively, she placed her hand on it. With a beep, the fingerprint was recognized, and the hidden door opened.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked into the dark passage beyond the door. Yin Ruolan was the first to act, stepping forward. “Let’s go. According to the agreement, the human and demon races will act separately. Either you go in first, or we will.”

Ai Yanran, having learned that the system hadn’t even found the door yet, had no choice but to brace herself and say, “Then you go in first.”

She heard Yin Ruolan snort derisively, her face burning with embarrassment, but there was nothing she could do. The energy in this place was hostile to the system, and she didn’t want to take the risk.

After entering, the two groups found themselves in separate rooms. At that moment, all the demons gathered together to observe their surroundings.

Metal walls, mysterious weapons, transparent barrier-like structures, a metal bed in the center covered with a white cloth, and various metal boxes placed beside it everything seemed unusual to them. But for Xu Jingqiu, this place was all too familiar.

For countless days, she had received treatment in such a place, relying on external means to forcibly suppress her deterioration. This room perfectly simulated the ward she had once stayed in.

Why would the builder of this place design the room like this?

Seeing Xu Jingqiu staring blankly at the metal bed in the center, Yin Ruolan felt a pang of discomfort. Guessing that Xu Jingqiu had spent a long time in such a place, she hugged her from behind, her heart aching with sympathy.

Caught off guard by the sudden embrace, Xu Jingqiu soon realized it was meant to comfort her. She patted Yin Ruolan’s arm and said, “It’s okay.”

But how had Yin Ruolan guessed that she was connected to this place?

Before Xu Jingqiu could ponder further, her thoughts were interrupted.

{Special attack detected. Defensive measures activated. Highest alert initiated.}

An emotionless electronic voice came from nowhere, then their vision was suddenly engulfed by a blinding white light, and everyone lost consciousness except for Xu Jingqiu, who was also the first to regain awareness.

After a moment, she recovered from the dazzling whiteness and surveyed her surroundings. Compared to where they had been before, this room was noticeably smaller and much emptier, containing only her and Wen Banxia. Just then, Wen Banxia slowly stirred awake.

“Xiao Qiu? What happened earlier? Are you alright? Where are the others?” Wen Banxia quickly rose and approached Xu Jingqiu, relieved to see that aside from reddened eyes, she had no visible injuries. “What happened to your eyes?”

Xu Jingqiu answered truthfully, “The light was too intense it stung my eyes, and I haven’t fully recovered yet.”

Wen Banxia chuckled softly, pulling a jar of ointment from her storage pouch and squeezing a bit onto her hand. “Close your eyes.”

Xu Jingqiu reflexively shut her eyes. The ointment felt cool as it was applied, and then she heard Wen Banxia say, “Don’t open them yet. I’ll tell you when it’s time. Who are you?”

Suddenly, a figure emerged from Xu Jingqiu’s shadow, holding a sword pointed at Wen Banxia perhaps refraining from attacking only because she was applying the ointment. Wen Banxia shielded Xu Jingqiu with one hand while drawing her own longsword with the other, eyeing the cultivator shrouded in demonic energy warily.

“She’s the personal guard Yin Ruolan assigned to me. We have a contract, so there’s no need to worry,” Xu Jingqiu quickly explained, having sensed Liu Ruichu’s presence with her spiritual sense.

Hearing this, Wen Banxia lowered her sword. Noticing the jade pendant on Liu Ruichu and realizing she was indeed a personal guard, she hadn’t expected Yin Ruolan to assign her own protector to Xu Jingqiu.

Seeing Wen Banxia lower her weapon and recognizing that Xu Jingqiu had been familiar with her all along, Liu Ruichu sheathed her sword and stood quietly behind Xu Jingqiu, as if blending into the shadows.

Wen Banxia suddenly recalled that during the earlier confrontation, she had sensed a fleeting, unfamiliar fluctuation from Xu Jingqiu barely noticeable and gone in an instant. Liu Ruichu paid no attention to Wen Banxia’s gaze; her only duty now was to protect Xu Jingqiu, and nothing else concerned her.

Turning her attention back to the strange room, Wen Banxia asked Xu Jingqiu, “Do you have any idea about this place?”

She couldn’t see any signs of an exit or mechanisms, the entire room was barren and empty.

Xu Jingqiu pondered briefly, then placed her hand on the wall, closed her eyes, and activated her unique ability to analyze the room.

After a moment, she withdrew her hand and stated with certainty, “This is a trap room, specifically designed to ensnare and attack intruders. It activates as soon as it detects danger or unauthorized entry.”

Moreover, she had built this herself the entire secret realm was crafted by her own hands, yet she had no memory of it.

When had she created this secret realm? And why had she constructed it?

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