After My Death, the Female Lead Breaks the Heartless Path - Chapter 57

The clock turned back to a time long before.

Xu Jingqiu’s emergence from seclusion was not as peaceful as she had imagined. The very moment she was ejected from the world rift, an unknown fluctuation was detected by the Celestial Lord and the [Heavenly Dao] high in the heavens.

Within a lightless, secret chamber, the meditating Celestial Lord slowly opened his eyes. With a wave of his hand, he lit the candles in the room, illuminating a chamber stained with blood.

The Celestial Lord glanced with some disgust at the desiccated corpse before him. The instant he stood up, the corpse turned to dust and vanished.

“Not enough nutrients. Humans are truly weak. So many of them, and I’ve only advanced to the mid-Mahayana Realm. I’m still far from Tribulation Transcendence, far from enough,” the Celestial Lord said, looking at the skeletons filling the room in great dissatisfaction.

He had been told that these people would be enough for him to advance to the Tribulation Transcendence Realm.

After a moment of silence, the [Heavenly Dao] spoke in the Celestial Lord’s mind. “It matters not. Another sect will suffice. However, we now have a better option.”

The Celestial Lord merely raised an eyebrow slightly. “Oh? Are you referring to that inexplicable power from just now?”

“That is the Origin of the World. Whoever holds it can become the master of this world. It is a power that surpasses even Tribulation Transcendence,” the [Heavenly Dao] continued. “In my original calculations, the Origin of the World was not supposed to appear this early. But its appearance is a good thing. It at least proves that our plan is effective, even perfect. This world is already nearing its end.”

Hearing this, the Celestial Lord could not help but look at his own hand. “Sacrifice an entire world to achieve godhood?”

Sensing a hint of hesitation in the Celestial Lord, the [Heavenly Dao]’s voice vanished for a moment before continuing, “What, are you having second thoughts?”

“No,” the Celestial Lord clenched his fist. “As long as I can achieve godhood, what does sacrificing an entire world matter? I have protected the Mortal Realm for so long. Now, it is their turn to offer their devotion.”

The [Heavenly Dao] laughed heartily. “Good, good, good. You are truly worthy of being my chosen one. Then, let us act quickly. Once we have the Origin in our hands, she will no longer be an obstacle to us.”

“As long as we have the Origin, you and I can become masters of the world. If she tries to hinder us then, we can simply expel her from this world.”

A glint flashed in the Celestial Lord’s eyes. He nodded in agreement. “Mm, let’s move then. We can use this interval to make some more preparations. My beloved disciple has been growing more and more disobedient lately.”

Meanwhile, in Ai Yanran’s palace.

The situation on the front lines was currently volatile, but as the commander-in-chief, Ai Yanran no longer needed to be on the battlefield herself. All she had to do was direct the war effort from Penglai Island.

In the center of the room was a sand table made of cloud-vapor, upon which soldiers materialized from spiritual energy were displayed. It was clear to see that the soldiers on one side were continuously dwindling.

But Ai Yanran showed no sign of panic. Instead, she asked nonchalantly, “What is the status of our reserve forces?”

A celestial attendant holding a fruit platter bowed her head. “They are still ample. It’s just that the major sects are no longer willing to send people to the front lines, so the reserve forces are now mostly mortals.”

Ai Yanran waved her hand impatiently. “Mortals will have to do. As long as they can fight, send them all up to hold the front.”

A drop of cold sweat trickled down the attendant’s head. She softly objected, “But mortals are no match for the demon race. Many have already been captured by them.”

Ai Yanran shot her a glance, her voice cold. “Are you questioning me?”

The attendant was startled and retreated several steps, stammering, “N-No, I wouldn’t dare. This servant just f-feels.”

With a cold snort, Ai Yanran reached out and hooked the attendant’s chin. “Feels what? That my decision is wrong? Who is the commander-in-chief here, you or I? Since you are my attendant, you should just obey. Don’t overstep, understand?”

The battle on the front lines was fundamentally meaningless, nothing more than a stalling tactic. “So what if people die? If the mortals are gone, don’t we still have the sects? The quotas are set. When they don’t have enough people, they’ll naturally have to send cultivators to the field,” Ai Yanran said languidly as she sat back in her original seat.

“It is said that some sects can no longer bear it and are about to rebel,” the person cloaked in a black mantle standing beside her suddenly let out a soft, mocking laugh. “So, what will the commander-in-chief do?”

Ai Yanran looked at the person standing next to her with displeasure and retorted sarcastically, “Do? Hasn’t your own personal experience already provided the answer? What can a disorderly mob possibly accomplish? They want to rebel? Perfect. The ‘nutrients’ are running low, after all.”

As if his sore spot had been hit, the man in the black mantle said, “You!” and then fell silent.

Ai Yanran sneered, no longer paying him any mind. She continued, “The focus has never been on the front lines. The time is now right. Send people to the Yao Realm for another surprise attack. As long as we can conquer the Yao Realm, the tide of the war will change decisively.”

The pieces on the sand table were constantly decreasing, showing a one-sided trend. With a wave of her hand, Ai Yanran dispersed the sand table. “As long as we can enslave the Yao race again, we can tie down the Demon Realm. No matter what, they can’t attack their former allies, can they?”

The celestial attendant: “Y-Yes, the Divine Maiden is wise!”

Ai Yanran sat back down again and picked up a piece of fruit to eat. The previous attendant went to issue her recent orders, while the man in the black mantle remained standing nearby, the pressure around him palpably low.

She had not been relaxing for long when someone else came to knock on the door.

“Enter,” Ai Yanran said with a frown. Why was someone else here?

The celestial attendant entered, bowed her head, and saluted. “Reporting. The Celestial Lord has summoned the Divine Maiden.”

“It’s about the energy fluctuation that appeared earlier. Go and see,” a voice urged in Ai Yanran’s mind.

Ai Yanran disliked being ordered around like this, but thinking of the voice’s identity, she suppressed her annoyance. She merely glanced at the man in the black mantle standing beside her and said snidely, “Let’s go. Isn’t this the chance to show your face that you’ve been longing for?”

The man in the black mantle ground his teeth fiercely. He seemed to want to say something but stopped for some unknown reason, finally letting out a cold snort and following behind Ai Yanran.

Along the way, people constantly turned to look. Every time someone passed, the man in the black mantle would instinctively cover his face and look away. But in a place like Penglai, where almost everyone wore white robes, his black mantle was far too conspicuous, making it impossible to hide.

Seeing this, Ai Yanran mocked, “If you knew this would happen, why did you have to provoke that lunatic back then?”

“Shut up!” Qu Tao finally lost his patience and roared.

Faced with Qu Tao’s fury, Ai Yanran just shrugged, unconcerned. If it weren’t for the [Heavenly Law]’s request, who would care about this bungler who was more of a hindrance than a help? Of all the people to pick a fight with, he just had to run straight into Yin Ruolan’s line of fire.

Even she hadn’t dared to force her way in after Yin Ruolan and Xu Jingqiu broke up; otherwise, her fate would have been just as miserable. Only this guy, with his inflated ego, had to get involved, claiming he was trying to “guide and comfort the villain.” And in the end?

In the end, he was naturally taught a lesson by Yin Ruolan, who was already in a foul mood. Xu Jingqiu was Yin Ruolan’s untouchable weakness. Even if he was trying to “guide” her, first, it wasn’t his turn, and second, he absolutely should not have done it at that time.

It was only because the [Heavenly Law] protected him that Qu Tao managed to keep his life. His face, however, could not be saved.

The Celestial Lord showed no reaction to the person who had suddenly appeared by her side. In his eyes, this was just a servant with a superficial cultivation base, posing no threat whatsoever. Thus, when he saw Ai Yanran bring this person along, the Celestial Lord didn’t even spare him a glance.

“I know the front lines are rather tense right now,” the Celestial Lord said with a sigh. “Normally, I wouldn’t call for you at such an urgent time, but this matter is of the utmost importance, which is why I have summoned you.”

Ai Yanran clasped her hands in a salute and said “respectfully,” “It is our sworn duty to devote ourselves to Penglai. The Celestial Lord may command as he wishes.”

The Celestial Lord was very pleased with Ai Yanran’s attitude, but as the matter was of great significance, he did not explain in detail. “Today, while cultivating, I sensed a strange power that could have a great impact on the world. This power appeared in the Mortal Realm. I need you to find it.”

He’s being rather vague, Ai Yanran thought with dissatisfaction, though she showed none of it. “Does the Celestial Lord have a more detailed description?”

The Celestial Lord squinted, scrutinizing Ai Yanran, but she kept her head bowed in a salute, revealing no abnormalities. He could only give up and say vaguely, “I do not. Whether you can find it will depend on your fate. Go to the Mortal Realm and see if you can find anything out of the ordinary.”

After a thought, the Celestial Lord added, “Do not act on your own. Report to me immediately if you find any sign of it.”

Ai Yanran nodded with a normal expression. “As you command.”

“The thing he’s looking for is the Origin, the Origin of this World. It’s no wonder he doesn’t want you to know what it is. In the face of the Origin, the title of ‘Celestial Lord’ is nothing.”

Ai Yanran snorted softly. “Of course I know. What can he possibly hide from me?” After speaking, Ai Yanran looked at Qu Tao again. “Keep up. Don’t dawdle.”

The [Heavenly Law] chuckled in Ai Yanran’s mind. “Not bad. It seems you’ve indeed learned a great deal now. Do you have a plan?”

Ai Yanran: “You already know, don’t you? Since I know such a thing exists, there’s no reason to give it up. What? Are you feeling soft-hearted? You don’t want it?”

The [Heavenly Law] feigned hesitation, then said in a lighthearted tone, “Not at all. Although I feel sorry for It, I really don’t want to pass up such a good opportunity. The blame lies with It for being too arrogant, trying to obtain something so important through the hands of others. In that case, It can’t blame me for being impolite.”

After Ai Yanran left, the Celestial Lord sat on his high seat, lost in thought. A moment later, he turned the dragon head on his chair, pressed it, and a secret door appeared behind the chair.

During this time, not only had that person with the authority disappeared, but even Yin Ruolan’s whereabouts were unknown.

Taking out the Soul-Devouring Blade he had previously crafted from a hidden compartment, the Celestial Lord weighed it in his hand and muttered to himself, “I must hurry and obtain Yin Ruolan’s body as soon as possible. This current body is still not good enough.”

As for the [Heavenly Dao]. The Celestial Lord scanned the room. This secret chamber was specially prepared to shield him from the [Heavenly Dao]. There were some plans he did not intend for the [Heavenly Dao] to know.

He had originally thought these outsiders from beyond the domain would have some skill, but now it seemed they were nothing special. In the end, it looked like he would have to rely on himself.

He hadn’t seen the [Heavenly Dao]’s promises come to fruition for a long time.

Now, it all depended on Ai Yanran’s side. He hoped she wouldn’t betray him. Otherwise, he wouldn’t mind letting her experience a fate worse than death.

He had no need for a subordinate who would defy him. If she wouldn’t obey, he would just turn her into a puppet. In any case, the Gu worm was still inside her body.

Elsewhere, Ai Yanran was still unaware that she was being watched. The [Heavenly Law], of course, had long since detected the existence of the Gu worm, but it had no intention of warning her.

What did that have to do with It?

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