After My Death, the Female Lead Breaks the Heartless Path - Chapter 44

“…Hmm, so you’re saying the Demon Lord is now planning to purge the demon realm? No longer willing to tolerate things?” Qu Tao fiddled with the communication talisman, rubbing his chin as he pondered.

Chen Shang’s voice came from the other end of the talisman: “Exactly. If she succeeds, my influence in the demon realm will be greatly diminished, and your plans to establish your own power there will be out of the question. Are you still planning to wait and see?”

It was indeed not the time for hesitation. It was time to make a move and win someone over first. Although his senior had repeatedly warned him that Yin Ruolan was not a good choice to pursue, he remained confident.

As the Child of Destiny, winning over these supporting female characters was no challenge and the same went for the antagonist. If he could successfully win over the antagonist, it would greatly benefit his future endeavors.

Moreover, Yin Ruolan was the ruler of an entire realm. If he could win her over, wouldn’t conquering Penglai and becoming the master of the world be effortless?

“In that case, notify those demons to prepare to incite chaos,” Qu Tao said. “At the same time, you lead the siege on the palace. That should be when the palace’s defenses are at their weakest. Taking it down will be easy.”

“As agreed, I’ll provide you with some combat support.” However, this assistance came from his senior, making the demons more aggressive to further escalate the chaos.

All he needed to do was wait until Yin Ruolan was exhausted a few days later and then make a grand entrance, playing the hero to save the beauty. Winning her favor would be a piece of cake.

As for Chen Shang, this person was not trustworthy, far too cunning. Since he could betray Yin Ruolan without hesitation, he could just as easily betray him in the future. This was the perfect opportunity to eliminate him as well.

After receiving the message, Chen Shang ended the communication. Learning from the demons that their combat strength had suddenly increased significantly put him even more at ease, and he immediately ordered the attack to begin.

With things set in motion on that front, Qu Tao continued his duties as the leader of the rebellion, seizing merits on various battlefields. However, he couldn’t shake the feeling that things were becoming increasingly difficult.

This doubt vanished when he saw so many cultivators in the base drinking and playing finger-guessing games, but he paid it no mind. For one, he had promised them this indulgence, and secondly, the front lines were being held by the forces of Tianzhi, so there was no need to worry.

That day, Xu Tianya, the elder from the sect they had previously collaborated with, visited again. He sat across from Qu Tao with a smile.

“Leader, you may not be aware, but after learning of the rebellion’s great achievements, several more sects have expressed interest in joining us,” Xu Tianya said cheerfully. “However, with more people, resources have become somewhat scarce. Without sufficient resources, it will be difficult for us to keep up with the rebellion’s pace, don’t you agree?”

Was he eyeing the resources in his hands? Qu Tao’s expression darkened with displeasure. A servant nearby promptly poured him a cup of wine. Qu Tao took a sip before replying leisurely, “We don’t just accept anyone. There needs to be some evaluation first.”

Xu Tianya felt disgusted by Qu Tao’s attitude. Wasn’t he the one begging for their cooperation before? Now he was putting on airs?

Unlike Qu Tao, who made no effort to conceal his feelings, Chen Tianya maintained his smiling facade, though the smile didn’t reach his eyes. “I understand perfectly. Coincidentally, you can evaluate them in the upcoming battles.”

Even so, Qu Tao was still reluctant to dig into his own pockets. He didn’t want to, but the [Heavenly Law] understood the necessity of winning people over.

[Agree to it. After capturing Penglai, I have a way for you to gather all the spiritual veins. In comparison, this is just a small portion.]

All the spiritual veins? That was no small fortune. Qu Tao clinked glasses with Xu Tianya and took another gulp of wine, pretending to be magnanimous. “As long as they pass my test, resources won’t be a problem!”

Having gotten the answer he wanted, Xu Tianya’s smile widened. They clinked glasses a few more times, with Xu Tianya repeatedly praising the fine wine. Though Qu Tao hadn’t tasted much good wine in his life, he thoroughly enjoyed the feeling of being flattered. Both men left the meal in high spirits.

It wasn’t until a soldier arrived to report another battle, a critical one that the mood shifted. If they won this battle, they could advance deep into Penglai’s heartland.

Xu Tianya thought to himself that this was a stroke of luck and raised his glass to Qu Tao. “What a perfect opportunity. Why not give it a try, leader?”

Qu Tao also thought it was a good idea. If these people could work diligently, having them as subordinates wouldn’t be a problem. But if they were just there to slack off, he could always find an excuse to kick them out.

“Brother Tianya, would you like to join us in witnessing this historic moment? You could also lend a hand to the newcomers. What do you say?”

Xu Tianya nodded without objection. After all, those so-called “sects” were just actors he had hired, and he had already given them instructions. “No time to waste. Let’s set off.”

Both the Heavenly Order and Penglai had deployed large numbers for this battle. By the time Qu Tao and his group arrived, the scene was chaotic.

Just as before, when Xu Tianya brought the rebel forces in, they began slacking off and putting on a show, waiting for the Heavenly Order’s forces to withdraw so they could reap the benefits as usual.

But perhaps because the location was too crucial, the battle remained deadlocked and even spread to their position.

As more and more attacks landed around them, Qu Tao finally realized something was wrong.

Damn it! The Heavenly Order’s forces had vanished without a trace at some point!

What was supposed to be a test for the newcomers had now turned into a test for them. If they couldn’t win this battle, where would his pride be?

As if reading his mind, Penglai suddenly launched an all-out assault, one they were utterly incapable of resisting.

At that point, who cared about tests or pride? Before Qu Tao could even react, the rebel forces scattered and fled. Qu Tao was no exception; with the help of his senior’s buff, he was even the fastest runner.

As long as he could return to their base, reinforcements would be waiting. The number of casualties during the escape didn’t even cross his mind.

That hope was completely shattered when they arrived.

Facing the ruins of their base, Qu Tao was dumbfounded. When he regained his senses, he grabbed a disciple who had collapsed nearby, his eyes red with fury, and demanded, “What happened here?”

The disciple, nearly strangled and on the verge of passing out, had a bloodied chest that Qu Tao completely ignored. Seeing no one around to intervene, the disciple gasped weakly and said, “Penglai launched a surprise attack and then we lost.”

The key point was that the attackers were only a small squad just that handful of people had nearly annihilated the entire rear of the rebel forces. They truly were no match for Penglai.

“Worthless!” Qu Tao fumed, tossing the man aside and watching as he crashed into a pile of rocks, quickly losing his breath. Even so, his anger remained unabated.

The grand plan he had meticulously crafted for so long was now completely ruined! A bunch of incompetents so many of them couldn’t even hold the line! Worthless!

It’s fine, it’s fine. He still had some people he could rely on. Taking a deep breath, Qu Tao turned to Xu Tianya, who stood nearby looking somewhat disheveled. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, before a single syllable could escape, he heard Xu Tianya say, “Master Qu, perhaps we need to reconsider the terms of our cooperation. I must first assess the casualties my sect has suffered in this battle. I take my leave.”

With that, Xu Tianya gave a perfunctory salute and departed, making no effort to hide his desire to be anywhere else. The respect he had shown earlier had vanished without a trace.

This was only the beginning. Survivors began making excuses to leave in small groups, their eyes darting nervously. Qu Tao was on the verge of exploding. Ignoring whatever his “mentor” in his mind was saying, he drew his sword and mercilessly struck them all down.

“Mentor! What is happening? Am I not the Child of Destiny? Why did I fail?!” Qu Tao roared at the sky, his eyes bloodshot.

But there was no response. No one was left alive, and the “mentor” remained silent, leaving him alone to descend into madness.

Realizing there truly was no answer, Qu Tao let out a furious roar and slammed his fist into the ground. Then, he rushed toward the direction of the Demon Realm his last hope.

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