Stepping in for the Heroine to Crush the Protagonist Group [Transmigration] - Chapter 42

For the next month, Hu Li and Gu Sheng spent their days soaking in medicinal baths.

Hu Li transferred the majority of her spiritual power into Gu Sheng’s body. After more than half a month, she finally managed to draw all the Demonic Qi from Gu Sheng’s Spiritual Meridians into her own.

Meanwhile, Min Xiuhe and Shang Miaoyun explored every corner of the Underground City, uncovering all the hidden gems—from the most entertaining spots to the most delicious treats.

Ye Qingtang, on the other hand, remained immersed in her herbal studies, transforming herself from a Demon Cultivator into something resembling a Medical Cultivator.

During this brief, peaceful month, the five companions tacitly avoided mentioning their departure from the Demon Abyss. It wasn’t until everyone’s injuries had fully healed that they finally convened one night to finalize their plan to storm the City Lord’s Manor.

Outside the City Lord’s Manor, a red lantern flickered and turned white.

Simultaneously, a beam of white light descended from the sky, landing before the manor’s gates. Moments later, the five figures emerged from the radiant glow.

Shang Miaoyun, having used the Teleportation Array, positioned herself beside Ye Qingtang, both women dutifully hiding behind the three figures in front, careful not to hinder the others.

Min Xiuhe stood at the vanguard, her Jade Sword gleaming in her hand. With each swift strike, she cut down the first wave of Shadow Demons foolish enough to approach.

Behind her, Hu Li stood ready, three talismans clutched in each hand. The simplified portrait of Min Yaxing on the talismans glowed faintly.

******

These were the greeting gifts Min Yaxing had given Hu Li earlier. Originally, Hu Li had planned to save them for later, but she never expected to use them at this critical moment.

Still, using them here was definitely getting more than their money’s worth.

Hu Li smiled and channeled Spiritual Power into the Talismans. Six crimson lights shot into the air, transforming into a squadron of bombers.

[Seeing Hu Li pull out the Talismans, my first thought was: “Some kind of formation or spell? I’ve seen it all before.”]

[Then Hu Li conjured bombers: “……Okay, I definitely haven’t seen that before.”]

[Bombers? Huh? Bombers? How did she get bombers?]

[Was the censored chapter about the origin of these bombers?]

[First grenades, now this? Another explosive weapon!]

[Old man, subway, phone meme.jpg]

[Using bombers in a cultivation novel? That’s a new one!]

[What you thought Soul Swapped Hu Li would be: A complete weakling.]

[What Soul Swapped Hu Li actually is: Bombers.]

The bombers circled overhead, their droning engines filling the air with a thunderous roar.

The City Lord, lurking in the shadows and watching Hu Li’s group, adjusted the Fiend Mask on his face and sneered. “These little brats think a few birds can stop me?”

*******

The steward beside him flattered, “Your Lordship is mighty! You could bring down those birds with a flick of your finger.”

The City Lord cracked his knuckles, rose to his feet, and was about to tell the steward, “I could blow those birds down with a single breath,” when a deafening BOOM shook the ground. His rear garden had been blasted to smithereens.

The City Lord: …

The City Lord: ?!

Beneath his mask, his featureless face instantly crumpled into a ball, the four words utter disbelief written all over it.

“Wh-wh-what’s going on?!” he stammered, his voice trembling with shock.

The steward, equally stunned, took a deep breath to steady himself. He was about to say, “That little brat must have used a High-Grade Explosive Talisman,” when a torrential downpour of bombs whizzed into the City Lord’s Manor, flushing out the Shadow Demons and Faceless Demons lurking in the shadows, who had been lying in wait to ambush Hu Li’s group.

The steward gasped, thinking, Even a High-Grade Explosive Talisman isn’t this terrifying!

The City Lord finally grasped the gravity of the situation. He ducked back into the bushes, his voice low and menacing. “They… they’re trying to force me out of the Manor?!”

Within the City Lord’s Manor, he was absolute ruler, everything under his control.

*******

Outside the City Lord’s Manor, though countless Shadow Demons swarmed, the City Lord couldn’t maintain complete control of the situation.

Tch, these little vixens are truly vicious, the City Lord cursed inwardly. In the next instant, a bomb landed squarely at his feet and detonated.

The City Lord: …

The searing pain of his body being torn apart in an instant would haunt him for the rest of his life.

[Before the explosion: Just a few birds. Nothing to worry about.]

[After the explosion: I think I just saw my great-grandmother in the haze.]

[No matter how well the City Lord hides, he can’t escape indiscriminate attacks.]

[The City Lord’s original plan was to lure them into a trap. Now, the entire trap has been destroyed.]

Reading these comments, Hu Li knew that half of her plan had already succeeded.

She continued to pilot the bomber, circling above the City Lord’s Manor. Every quarter of an hour, she unleashed another barrage on the barrier-encased manor.

After some time, Ye Qingtang, standing behind, noticed a figure darting across the eaves of the outer perimeter of the City Lord’s Manor. She quickly pointed it out to Gu Sheng, who was standing nearby.

Gu Sheng followed Ye Qingtang’s gaze. Her Fox Clan’s exceptional vision allowed her to instantly discern the figure’s silhouette and the Fiend Mask covering their face.

“It’s the City Lord,” Gu Sheng murmured, her eyes narrowing as she recognized him immediately.

*******

With a practiced flick of her wrist, she swiftly channeled her Demonic Power into her palm, shaping it into an arrow. With a whoosh, the arrow shot toward the City Lord.

The City Lord had just been resurrected for the second time. He and his recently revived Steward were cautiously crawling along the eaves.

Just as he reached for the ladder propped against the eaves, an arrow pierced his shoulder. The arrow dissolved into a beam of light, transforming into an Immobilization Array that trapped him.

Seeing this, the Steward reached out to help the City Lord. But the moment his hand touched the array, a luminous arrow shot from within, piercing his hand and pinning him to the white wall at the other end of the eaves.

The Steward and the City Lord exchanged helpless glances, unable to assist each other.

Hu Li noticed the commotion on the eaves. She exchanged a glance with Min Xiuhe, who swiftly decapitated all the Shadow Demons before her.

Simultaneously, Shang Miaoyun, who had been observing the battle, seized the moment Hu Li glanced back at her. She performed a hand seal and chanted an incantation, summoning a Teleportation Array that transported the group onto the eaves.

“He’s the City Lord,” Ye Qingtang declared as she stepped onto the eaves, her gaze locking onto the Fiend Mask.

*******

Having seen the City Lord several times and possessing an excellent memory, Ye Qingtang quickly recognized him.

But when the City Lord heard Ye Qingtang’s words, he waved his hands frantically, denying, “Little girl, you’ve mistaken me. I’m not the City Lord. I’m just the steward of the City Lord’s Manor.”

As he spoke, he pointed to another steward on the opposite wall, saying, “That’s the City Lord over there.”

The steward met the City Lord’s threatening gaze and fell silent, speechless.

[Steward: I’ve got a great boss that’s always throwing me under the bus when things go wrong.]

[Steward: Must have committed terrible sins in my past life to deserve this miserable job.]

[Steward: The epitome of a worker getting betrayed.]

[Suggestion: Steward should sell out the City Lord and take his place.]

[Steward wouldn’t dare sell out the City Lord for these reasons: 1. Faceless Demons, like Shadow Demons, are pure Demonic Qi constructs and can’t truly die. 2. The City Lord is the strongest being in Evernight City; the Steward stands no chance in a fight.]

[Conclusion: The City Lord’s position is a secure job.]

Hu Li’s gaze drifted from the Comments to the City Lord, who was still clinging to his false identity as a steward. She said coldly, “Stop pretending. Tell us how to leave the Demon Abyss now, or don’t blame me for ending you with a single strike.”

******

With a swift flick of her wrist, the Red Jade Hairpin transformed into a longsword, its tip pressing against the City Lord’s throat.

The City Lord glanced sideways at the blade that had grazed his neck, realizing Hu Li hadn’t been fooled. He dropped the act, scoffing lightly, “Little girl, you’re too green to kill me.”

As he spoke, he leaned closer to the sword in Hu Li’s hand, declaring, “I cannot be killed,” before drawing the blade across his own throat.

The City Lord’s corpse dissolved into wisps of dark Demonic Qi, which coalesced and surged toward the City Lord’s Manor.

Gu Sheng glanced at the swirling energy, then swiftly released Little Coal Ball from her sleeve, tossing it into the Demonic Qi mass.

Little Coal Ball opened its mouth wide, rapidly sucking up the Demonic Qi. Once finished, it held the energy in its mouth and flew to the roof’s edge.

The City Lord reformed inside Little Coal Ball’s mouth. The creature spat him out onto the roof, where Gu Sheng immediately immobilized him with a second Immobilization Spell.

“Tell me, how do we leave the Demon Abyss?” Gu Sheng demanded, her gaze locked on the City Lord’s eyes.

Having suffered a humiliating defeat in his demonic existence, the City Lord turned his head away, avoiding Gu Sheng’s gaze. He clenched his jaw, snarling, “I don’t know.”

Hu Li stood behind the City Lord.

*******

Hearing this, Hu Li silently turned the City Lord’s head toward her and pointed to the bombers still circling overhead. “If you don’t want your City Lord’s Manor reduced to rubble,” she threatened calmly, “you’d better start talking.”

The City Lord remained silent.

He hated being threatened more than anything, especially by a mere girl.

So, when Hu Li spoke, he merely scoffed and refused to divulge the method for leaving the Demon Abyss.

Hu Li, however, had always lived by the principle of “saying what she meant and meaning what she said.”

Thus, after a few seconds of the City Lord playing mute, she demonstrated her promise right before his eyes—she blew up the City Lord’s Manor.

Even after the explosion, she couldn’t resist adding helpfully, “I found an account book in your study. It said you spent a million Spirit Stones building this place.”

A million Spirit Stones?! The City Lord’s breath hitched at the number, and his gaze toward Hu Li burned with fury.

But then he remembered the source of those Spirit Stones and his urgency faded. “The Spirit Stones for this Manor came from the dowries of all the wives I’ve married over the years,” he said. “I don’t care if it’s gone.”

******

The dowry… Hu Li recalled the Fudi Demon’s gruesome death, and a suspicion surged in her heart.

“Did you kill all your wives?” she asked.

The City Lord raised his gaze to meet Hu Li’s, his voice dripping with sinister defiance. “So what if I did?”

Hu Li’s grip tightened on her sword, and she plunged it through the City Lord’s body.

The City Lord’s pupils constricted as pain erupted from his chest, spreading like wildfire through his body. For the third time, he revived, only to be frozen in place by Gu Sheng’s Immobilization Spell.

He opened his mouth, intending to mock Hu Li’s fury.

But before he could utter a single word, Hu Li stabbed him again.

Gu Sheng and Little Coal Ball watched the familiar scene unfold. They silently mourned the City Lord for three seconds before cooperating with Hu Li, helping him revive again and again, only to be stabbed repeatedly.

After about an hour, the City Lord had been driven mad by Hu Li’s relentless attacks. He had lost count of how many times she had stabbed him, knowing only that if this continued, even if he didn’t die, he wouldn’t want to live anymore.

In agony, he grabbed the sword as Hu Li lunged at him again, wailing, “I’ll let you leave! My Lady, I’ll let you leave!”

Hu Li glanced at his hand gripping the sword, slowly withdrew her blade, and then, the moment the City Lord lowered his guard, stabbed him again without hesitation.

*******

The City Lord stared in disbelief. He really will thank me.

In the end, Hu Li spared the City Lord, who, for the first time, eagerly sent people away from the Demon Abyss.

He opened the gate connecting the Demon Abyss to the outside world and watched Hu Li, the last to leave, disappear. Relief washed over him as he collapsed against the eaves.

The next day, he stood in his study, rummaging through the bottom shelf of his bookcase until he found a small booklet. He recorded: “Demon Abyss, Year 886. The City Lord activated the Demon Abyss Teleportation Array, releasing five individuals: two Demon Cultivators, one Fox Demon, and two Sect Disciples.”

“Among them, one Sect Disciple wore a crimson dress and possessed a presence rivaling the King of Hell. Upon encountering her, remember to flee—as far as possible! Under no circumstances should you allow her to capture you!”

As he wrote this, his emotions surged, nearly tearing through the page.

But before he could dwell on his agitation, the Steward rushed in, reporting that the relatives of the late City Lord’s Wife had somehow learned of his plot to harm his newlywed bride and seize her dowry. They had raised an army in revolt.

Suddenly, he had no time for emotional turmoil.

Support Stepping in for the Heroine to Crush the Protagonist Group [Transmigration]