After My Death, the Female Lead Breaks the Heartless Path - Chapter 37

The two of them fell into an eerie silence once again. In the end, it was Ye Shuran who couldn’t hold back and broke the silence first: “Um! Xiao Qiu, by the way, has the matter of the seal here been resolved?”

Xu Jingqiu glanced at Ye Shuran and simply shook her head: “Not yet. We’re missing a key material. I don’t currently have the ability to assemble and materialize it, so we’ll likely need to find this material to complete the seal. For now, it’s just a temporary layer of sealing.”

“A key material?” Yin Ruolan also shifted away from the previous topic, a bit curious. “So even for things you understand, sometimes you can’t create them? Is that the limit of your ability?”

Xu Jingqiu nodded and took out another talisman, simulating a phone and projecting an image of a purple crystal. “Yes, if something is on the same level as an Outer God, it’s impossible to create. For example, this Primordial Chaos Crystal has a strong suppressive effect on Outer Gods skilled in mental attacks. The seal uses a large amount of this material. It’s the only substance the Institute has discovered so far that can counter Outer Gods. Usually, when we undertake missions against Outer Gods, we wear suppressors containing this material, like the ones I gave you earlier.”

“However, due to my personal circumstances, the ones I gave you are high-quality replicas. This material can suppress Outer Gods, so naturally, it can also affect humans. That’s why, aside from field agents on missions, no one else is allowed to wear them they can cause some harm to the user.”

After saying this, Xu Jingqiu added, “But the ones I gave you have been significantly weakened. You’ll recover quickly.”

Yin Ruolan wasn’t concerned about that. From the moment she decided to accompany Xu Jingqiu, she hadn’t expected to come out unscathed. The fact that she was fine now was entirely thanks to Xu Jingqiu. “So, have you been harmed by it before?”

Xu Jingqiu didn’t seem to mind, as it was something everyone experienced. “Yes, at most, it causes a loss of control over my power. For me, it just speeds up the process of corruption.”

Yin Ruolan wanted to say more, but Xu Jingqiu stopped her. “Because I have this power, I must bear the responsibility that comes with it. Although it still causes some harm, it’s much better than suffering from mental contamination. Let’s go back first. We can discuss the next steps later.”

Realizing it was pointless to press further, Yin Ruolan didn’t ask any more questions. However, on the way back, she was noticeably more cautious, as if afraid Xu Jingqiu might bump into something or get hurt.

Ye Shuran really didn’t want to walk with these two who were constantly flaunting their affection. She found an excuse, picked up the struggling Bai Yi, and left. Yin Ruolan was more than happy to see her go, and Xu Jingqiu, probably guessing as much, didn’t stop her, only reminding her to rest well.

With nothing urgent to attend to for the moment and needing to discuss some matters with Zero, Xu Jingqiu pulled Yin Ruolan to sit on the bed. “By the way, let me explain [Madness] to you in detail. Originally, the organization had a rule not to disclose this to unrelated personnel, as even mentioning the name of a deity-like existence could attract their attention. But now, you’re hardly an outsider, right?”

To Yin Ruolan, these words sounded like “she’s one of us.” The corners of her mouth unconsciously lifted into a smile. “Okay.”

“【Madness】 is an Outer God belonging to the category of mental pollution. It influences human consciousness, causing psychological contamination that drives people or other beings into a frenzied and aggressive state, ultimately triggering wars. The Primordial Crystal’s suppressive effect lies in its ability to block this mental corruption. The reason 【Madness】 is more troublesome than 【Heaven’s Law】 is its capacity to incite wars on a massive scale, then feed on the resulting hostility, bloodlust, insanity, and death to strengthen itself. Thus, it’s an Outer God capable of evolution.”

“However, what’s sealed in the Demon Realm is merely a remnant soul. No matter how powerful, it can’t be that formidable anymore.”

After speaking, Xu Jingqiu patted the bed and said with a laugh, “Since things have temporarily settled, let’s take a proper rest for a while. What do you think?”

After narrowly escaping the secret realm with her followers, Ai Yanran had been hiding nearby, using the power of another Outer God to conceal their presence.

Truth be told, she hadn’t wanted to bring so many people along they were nothing but dead weight. If not for that Outer God’s insistence that abandoning subordinates would violate the leader’s code and incur punishment, she wouldn’t have bothered.

Come to think of it, that self-proclaimed “Heaven’s Law” was utterly unreliable. Even with its true form present, it still failed and got dragged out. Fortunately, she had a backup plan.

Only after the Demon Realm’s forces departed did Ai Yanran emerge from hiding. Surveying the scattered remnants of her group, she declared, “Let’s go, back to Penglai.”

A female cultivator who’d clashed with her from the start stepped forward first, cupping her hands respectfully. “We do not belong to Penglai’s faction. We were merely following our master’s orders for this mission. Since the task is complete, we take our leave here.” With that, she departed.

Returning to her sect wasn’t an option those left behind had never intended for her to survive this expedition. Even if she could go back, it would likely mean certain death. Better to break away now and become a rogue cultivator.

Many shared this female cultivator’s sentiment, until only Penglai’s members remained.

Ai Yanran’s expression darkened, but with others still present, she held her tongue. She merely stated, “I will truthfully report to the Heavenly Venerable to distribute rewards to these sects,” and said no more. Whether what came later would be rewards or something else was no longer her concern.

Unexpectedly, however, as soon as those cultivators left, they were approached by figures bearing the emblem of the Heavenly Order on their chests.

The journey back was far from peaceful, marked by constant skirmishes large and small. Eventually, someone seemed to recognize her and charged forward with a raised blade.

Ai Yanran paled, instinctively hiding behind a celestial soldier nearby and shoving them forward. She watched coldly as the blade descended, cleaving the soldier in two, then seized the moment when most attention was diverted to the remaining Penglai forces to turn and flee, swiftly disengaging from the battlefield.

After all, someone had to die their deaths in exchange for her survival was a fair trade. In terms of value, a Divine Maiden far outweighed these common celestial soldiers; it was only natural they shield her.

Moreover, they had witnessed what just transpired. They no longer had any reason to exist.

When she arrived at the divine palace of Penglai, the number of people inside was unexpectedly large. The Celestial Venerable sat on the highest chair, furious as thunder, while those below hung their heads, not daring to speak. After hesitating for a moment, Ai Yanran chose to remain outside without entering.

“If there are no people or resources, go demand them from the sects!” The Celestial Venerable slammed the armrest of his chair in anger, causing cracks to appear. “Penglai has protected the mortal realm for so long, it’s time for them to pay their dues.”

The people below nodded in acknowledgment, but in their hearts, they were calculating how much benefit they could extract from the situation. To them, the lives of mortals were expendable, not worth much in terms of wealth.

The Celestial Venerable continued to speak at length, but it all boiled down to the same points: demand personnel from the sects and send them to the front lines; increase the annual stipends of the sects to cover the needs of the battlefield.

After venting his anger, the Celestial Venerable waved his hand impatiently, dismissing the remaining people, and only then did he turn his gaze to Ai Yanran, his voice dark and low. “Did you obtain the item? Where are the others?”

Ai Yanran took out the pre-prepared fake Soul-Devouring Grass, holding it with both hands as she bowed her head and replied, “The item has been obtained, but the Demon Queen used some method to gain control of the secret realm. Our people were all trapped and killed inside.”

The Celestial Venerable let out an irritated snort, snatched the Soul-Devouring Grass, and examined it carefully. After a long while, he finally said, “Forget it. If they’re dead, they’re dead. At least they made some contribution.”

Seeing that Ai Yanran was still standing there, he frowned impatiently. “Why are you still here? Do you have nothing to do? If you have no tasks, take some people and go suppress the rebels. Don’t waste time here.”

Ai Yanran was angered by his words, but bound by her status and the need to avoid an open confrontation for now, she could only lower her head and endure it. “Yes, I take my leave.”

It doesn’t matter. This old man won’t be able to act high and mighty for much longer. As for these so-called rebels?

Ai Yanran recalled the people she had seen on the battlefield, dressed in the red robes of the rebellion, and let out a soft, mocking laugh. They were nothing more than insignificant pests. Under the weight of the law, ants would always remain ants.

She had no patience for such trivial matters and simply delegated the task to her subordinates, leaving them to deal with the headache. She had far more important things to attend to.

Meanwhile, after Ai Yanran left, the Celestial Venerable carefully examined the grass in his hand. At first, he gave a slight smile, but it soon turned into arrogant laughter. “Good! Very good! The final piece is now in my hands. Yin Ruolan, what does it matter if you’re the Child of Fortune? In the end, you’re just paving the way for others.”

Holding the “Soul-Devouring Grass,” the Celestial Venerable vanished in a flash, reappearing moments later in a hidden chamber beneath the divine palace. The chamber was filled with various materials and a long dagger.

“Alright, it’s time for you to fulfill your promise. Forge the item,” the Celestial Venerable said, turning to the black mist beside him.

A pair of white eyes appeared within the mist, gazing at the array of rare treasures on the table before drawing them all into its form, igniting a fiery glow.

The Soul-Devouring Grass was fake. From the beginning, Ai Yanran had never intended to produce the real one this was something He had known all along. But it didn’t matter. He could use His authority to turn this Soul-Devouring Grass into a “real” one. Though it wouldn’t harm Yin Ruolan, it would be more than sufficient to deal with another.

Before long, a black dagger shrouded in dark energy materialized before the Heavenly Venerable. The Heavenly Dao spoke: “Remember your promise. Do not forget the contract binding us. Should you dare betray me, I shall reduce you to ashes.”

“Worry not,” the Heavenly Venerable stroked the blade, laughing with fervent obsession. “Soon, very soon, it shall begin. Your purpose and my grand ambition, both shall be fulfilled.”

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