The Cannon Fodder Female Supporting Character Captured the Villainous Demon Venerable - Chapter 28

Chapter 28: Gone Mad.

“These demonic creatures are too strong! Can Nascent Soul cultivators really defeat them?”

“Sister, be careful! Dodge quickly!”

Inside the secret realm, two cultivators in red and white robes were forced into continuous retreat, utterly unable to fight back against a tiger-like demonic creature that was entirely black and had horns on its head.

Just as the demonic creature lunged at one of them, who was too late to parry, the other shrieked in panic. Suddenly, a figure flashed into existence in front of them.

The newcomer was a tall female cultivator with her long hair tied high.

She seemed to appear out of thin air, dressed in a white sect uniform with eye-catching cyan trims on her sleeves and waistband. A long, matching hair tie flew wildly with her high-ponytail.

She turned her back to the two cultivators. The moment she flashed over, she leveled the sword in her hand across her eyes, her other palm pressed against the blade.

“Defense Array, activate!”

Following this powerful declaration, spiritual energy surged, and an invisible restriction instantly activated, shielding her and the cultivators behind her.

The demonic creature’s claws viciously slashed down, heavily impacting the restriction, yet failing to cause any damage to it.

Mo Xun: This strength is far inferior to the heavenly lightning.

Before advancing to Nascent Soul, Mo Xun had not only merged the Black Tortoise Array and the Reflection Array into the Black Tortoise Reflection Array but also modified the Black Tortoise Array, which typically required time to set up, into an instant casting formation.

The Reflection Array was very useful, but unfortunately, it could only withstand spell attacks. If she couldn’t master an instant casting array that could withstand physical attacks, Mo Xun would be too anxious to continue her cultivation.

Thus, the Defense Array came into being.

When its first attack failed, the demonic creature immediately launched a follow-up attack, spitting out a mass of black-purple energy from its mouth.

Mo Xun didn’t know what it had spewed. In any case, she immediately let go of her sword, formed seals with both hands, and condensed two balls of water, which began to rotate in front of her.

“Reflection Array, activate!”

A black hole appeared, absorbing all the energy spewed by the demonic creature. Then, it condensed the energy and sent it back, striking the demonic creature directly in one eye!

The creature cried out in pain and retreated, letting out a sharp, low growl.

“Junior Sister Mo, well done! The rest is up to me!”

Following this voice, another figure appeared. The sword in her hand pointed directly at the demonic creature and almost instantly severed one of its arms, after which she proceeded to dismember it.

This figure was Chu Jiuqu.

The demonic creature’s body was destroyed, dissolving into demonic energy, leaving behind a fist-sized purple crystal.

“Keep the demon crystal with me for now. We’ll split it when we return,” Chu Jiuqu said to Mo Xun, storing the purple crystal in her Storage Pouch.

Mo Xun replied “Good,” and then turned to the two cultivators she had protected, asking: “Are either of you injured?”

The two female cultivators in red and white robes looked at her with admiration, finally regaining their voices after a long silence.

“We are unharmed. Thank you, Fellow Daoist, for saving us. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unthinkable.” One of them raised her hands in a respectful salute.

The other quickly followed suit: “Thank you, Sister! You are so cool!”

Mo Xun’s eyebrows twitched.

Perhaps sensing Mo Xun’s look, Yun Wushang let out a soft huff.

The female cultivator who called Mo Xun “Sister” then said: “Sister, you are both so strong! Can we travel with you?”

Mo Xun thought for a moment. Before she could answer, she heard Yun Wushang’s voice.

“As you wish,” Yun Wushang said, walking to Mo Xun’s side, her voice cold and indifferent. “Provided you hand over everything in your Storage Pouches, and all resources found from now on belong to us.”

“…” The two cultivators stared at her in silence for a while, then cast pleading glances at Mo Xun.

However, when Mo Xun met their eyes, she immediately looked away, pretending not to have heard anything.

The two cultivators showed disappointment, then bowed respectfully to the three again.

“Then we will head elsewhere… May we ask which sect the three of you belong to? We will visit to express our gratitude for saving our lives another day.”

“No need,” Yun Wushang replied flatly. “Just tell me your sect. If we ever need anything in the future, we will come to claim it ourselves.”

The two cultivators exchanged glances, but eventually revealed their sect: “Fire Burn Mountain, Crimson Flame Immortal Sect.”

“Let’s go,” Yun Wushang turned, speaking to Mo Xun.

Mo Xun answered “Oh” and followed her.

Chu Jiuqu looked like she wanted to speak but held back. She nodded to the two cultivators from the Crimson Flame Immortal Sect and continued to explore forward.

After walking for a distance, Yun Wushang spoke to Mo Xun: “You didn’t immediately agree to their request. That shows some sense.”

“Of course!” Mo Xun took it as a compliment. “I can’t just watch people die, but I haven’t forgotten that the sects are competitors. If they think the secret realm is too dangerous, they can just use their jade tokens to leave. Why follow us?”

Yun Wushang didn’t say anything more, seemingly satisfied with Mo Xun’s answer.

A moment later, Chu Jiuqu, walking in the lead, spoke without turning around: “Junior Sister Mo is kind-hearted, but next time before you act, please inform me so I can offer timely assistance.”

“Apologies for worrying Senior Sister, but the situation was urgent. I didn’t have time to think much,” Mo Xun replied. “Besides, I was the one who wanted to save them. I didn’t want to impose my will on Senior Sister.”

“What are you talking about?” Chu Jiuqu turned to look at her. “I am your Senior Sister. Your business is my business.”

“Alright, next time, I promise,” Mo Xun smiled at her.

Chu Jiuqu said no more and continued to scout ahead.

After another while, Yun Wushang spoke, again addressing Mo Xun: “I’m not against you saving people, but I hope you haven’t forgotten that if you die, I will have a huge headache.”

“I know. I’ll act within my abilities!”

Mo Xun responded, suddenly feeling that something was amiss.

Yun Wushang and Chu Jiuqu seemed to… only speak to her, not exchanging a single word with each other, treating the other as if they didn’t exist.

When did their relationship become so strained? Before, they at least maintained a facade of harmony.

Mo Xun hesitated, but finally tentatively asked: “Senior Sister Jiuqu, Junior Sister Wushang, is there some misunderstanding between you?”

Chu Jiuqu was the first to answer with four words: “No misunderstanding.”

Yun Wushang replied after a brief pause of distraction: “Nothing much. We just have incompatible personalities.”

“Oh,” Mo Xun replied, not asking further, but a suspicion arose in her heart.

Mo Xun: Did something happen while I was in secluded cultivation for my breakthrough?

She thought the System wouldn’t respond because her system was the Villain Strategy System, which almost exclusively answered questions related to cultivation and strategizing around Yun Wushang.

To her surprise, the System replied this time: “Rather than saying something happened, it’s more accurate to say nothing happened.”

With just this hint, Mo Xun realized.

Mo Xun: Yun Wushang didn’t undergo her tribulation…

Mo Xun: The reason Chu Jiuqu didn’t come to help when I underwent my tribulation was because she thought it was Yun Wushang. Yun Wushang is an anomaly ice spiritual root. Her cultivation talent should be higher than mine. She should have broken through to Nascent Soul and undergone the tribulation before me. But instead, it was me who underwent the tribulation, and Yun Wushang reached Nascent Soul without undergoing one, which raised Chu Jiuqu’s suspicion?

System: “Yes, but rather than saying it raised Chu Jiuqu’s suspicion, it’s more like…”

Mo Xun: It confirmed the suspicion she already had in her heart?

System: “Correct. As expected of the Host, you grasp things instantly!”

Mo Xun: Did Chu Jiuqu know from the start that there was a Demon Lord with an anomaly ice spiritual root?

System: “The original book didn’t mention it, but Chu Jiuqu’s entire family died at the hands of demon cultivators. She hates demon cultivators to the core and has been collecting information related to them. It’s not surprising that she knew the Demon Lord has an anomaly ice spiritual root.”

System: “Probably. In any case, in the original book, Chu Jiuqu didn’t investigate anything. She killed Yun Wushang simply because she was the Demon Lord.”

Mo Xun thought of the scene she saw during her tribulation again—the scene of Chu Jiuqu piercing Yun Wushang’s heart with a sword.

Mo Xun’s heart clenched in pain. She turned, her gaze landing on Yun Wushang’s profile.

Sensing her gaze, Yun Wushang turned her head to look at her, her expression aloof.

Their eyes met for a fleeting moment and then separated.

Mo Xun looked ahead, and Yun Wushang also looked elsewhere.

After exploring a few hundred meters further, a fork in the road appeared.

The side path was deep and filled with concentrated demonic energy.

Chu Jiuqu spoke: “I will go in to investigate alone. You two don’t have to wait for me. Continue forward.”

Mo Xun remembered this part of the plot.

In the original book’s plot, Chu Jiuqu entered the side path alone, passed the trial of the Underworld Phoenix, and transformed her water spiritual root into an anomaly yin-fire spiritual root.

It was also here that Yun Wushang, then a disciple of the Water Moon Immortal Sect, disappeared without a trace, and when she met Chu Jiuqu again, she was already the Great Vehicle stage Demon Lord.

Mo Xun was a little nervous but ultimately said “Good,” allowing Chu Jiuqu to disappear from her sight.

What must come will come. Fleeing now would only arouse Yun Wushang’s suspicion.

Yun Wushang continued to walk forward, acting as if she hadn’t heard Chu Jiuqu’s words or seen the side path.

Mo Xun caught up to her, feigning a relaxed demeanor: “It’s just the two of us again. Since you won’t call me Senior Sister, I won’t call you Junior Sister anymore. From now on, I’ll just call you Wushang. Is that okay?”

Yun Wushang’s dense, raven-black eyelashes fluttered slightly. She replied with two words: “As you wish.”

The words were spoken very softly, completely devoid of the hostility she showed to the two female cultivators earlier.

Hearing her voice, Mo Xun felt inexplicably relieved. She smiled and called out: “Wushang.”

Yun Wushang: “…”

Yun Wushang didn’t speak, but a blush rose on her cheeks, spreading all the way to her ears.

Her skin was very fair, a cold white that seemed untouched by the sun. Once flushed, it became very noticeable, even the white veil on her face couldn’t completely hide it.

As if aware of the reaction on her face, she sped up her pace, attempting to leave Mo Xun behind.

How could Mo Xun let her succeed? She followed closely.

Suddenly, a glimmer of light appeared in their sight.

Demonic energy permeated the secret realm. The sky was dark, the plants were dark; the entire environment was dim, making the glimmer of light exceptionally conspicuous.

Yun Wushang stared at the light for a moment, waved her hand, and shot a few shards of ice near it. Confirming there was no trap, she flew closer.

Mo Xun followed, curiously observing. She saw that the source of the light was a flower. Layer upon layer of snow-white petals enveloped a scarlet stamen, continuously emitting a faint glow in the dark environment.

She had seen a sketch of this flower in the Compendium of Herbs and didn’t expect to be lucky enough to see it in reality.

“Bone-Regeneration Lotus. If refined and absorbed with spiritual energy, it can regrow flesh and bones,” Mo Xun said. Just as she was about to get excited about encountering a rare herb, she suddenly realized…

Mo Xun: In the original book, did Yun Wushang rely on this to recover her injuries?

System: “The Host has deviated from the original plot, so I don’t know what will happen, but the Bone-Regeneration Lotus can indeed significantly heal Yun Wushang’s injuries.”

Mo Xun pursed her lips, watching as Yun Wushang used her spiritual sense to pick the lotus and guide it into her hand.

But just as Mo Xun was bracing herself to face Yun Wushang’s transformation, a killing intent struck:

“The Bone-Regeneration Lotus! Put the lotus down, and we’ll spare your life!”

Yun Wushang countered with a blast of cold energy, instantly dissolving the killing intent, freezing the incoming person’s shoulder, and knocking him to the ground.

However, the person was not alone. His two companions flew down. One checked his injuries, while the other tried to negotiate with Yun Wushang: “Apologies, we don’t mean to be your enemies, but we urgently need that herb. Please name your price, Fellow Daoist.”

Yun Wushang raised her hand, ready to attack. Mo Xun hesitated for a moment, but ultimately pressed down on her hand before she could strike, and whispered: “Aren’t your injuries ‘no longer a major concern’? Although the Bone-Regeneration Lotus is rare, if you don’t need it, you’ll just exchange it for spirit stones outside of here. Why not just name a high price and sell it to them?”

Yun Wushang’s face didn’t move. She turned her gaze to Mo Xun, giving her a cold glare.

Mo Xun felt a chill from her glare. Already feeling guilty, she immediately changed her words under the intensity of the stare.

She looked at the three cultivators: “The price we name is likely more than you can afford. If you could afford it, why not just seek help from the Benevolence Immortal Sect?”

She changed her words so quickly that the three cultivators were stunned for a long time.

After a few breaths, one of them said: “Don’t mention the Benevolence Immortal Sect! It’s impossible to know if their Sect Master is an immortal or a demon! If you won’t give it to us, we’ll take it by force! Three against two, you won’t be our match!”

Mo Xun: What a bold declaration of “We have the advantage”!

The three made up their minds and launched their attacks simultaneously! Mo Xun raised her hands to form seals. A Shifting Stars and Changing Constellations Formation instantly transferred herself and Yun Wushang ten steps away. Then, she immediately erected eight wooden stakes in her eight directions.

“Black Tortoise Reflection Array, activate!”

The three chased after them. All their attacks landed on the array, failing to cause any damage to the two people inside.

Yun Wushang looked at Mo Xun’s back and asked: “Why protect them?”

Mo Xun sighed: “Three lives. We have no prior enmity. Isn’t it awful to kill them just like that?”

Yun Wushang: “If I don’t kill them, they will kill us.”

Mo Xun: “Then just knock them unconscious.”

Yun Wushang: “They won’t be grateful for your mercy. They will only resent us for taking what they want, and they will seek us out again in the future, leading to another battle.”

Mo Xun: “We’ll deal with that when it happens.”

Yun Wushang: “Are you determined to save them?”

Sensing a hint of anger in Yun Wushang’s tone, Mo Xun answered internally, “It’s not that I must save them,” but said nothing out loud, meeting the question with silence.

Actually, at this point, Yun Wushang could have completely ignored the fight, sat down behind Mo Xun, refined the Bone-Regeneration Lotus on the spot, and fully recovered her injuries.

Mo Xun wouldn’t leave her alone, and Yun Wushang knew this.

However, for some unknown reason, Yun Wushang suddenly moved closer to Mo Xun, wrapping her arms around Mo Xun’s waist from behind, pressing her entire body against her.

Mo Xun: ?

Before she could react, Yun Wushang’s kiss landed on the back of her neck, sending a shiver down her spine.

In an instant, her spiritual energy went out of control, her spiritual veins ruptured, and the array broke.

The three cultivators’ swords pierced through the broken array, aiming for Mo Xun.

Yun Wushang released Mo Xun’s waist, spun around, and stepped in front of her, shielding her from the blades with her back.

Mo Xun’s gaze landed on her upturned lips. That arrogant yet desolate smile was identical to the illusion.

Mo Xun: She’s gone mad.

There was no time to deploy the Shifting Stars and Changing Constellations Formation. The Defense Array couldn’t be activated behind Yun Wushang, and Mo Xun wasn’t confident in dodging the attacks while holding Yun Wushang.

There was only one choice left for Mo Xun.

Killing intent surged into her sword, piercing the three through the heart.

The three collapsed simultaneously, their swords falling to the ground.

Mo Xun stood in a daze for a moment, then raised her hand to slap Yun Wushang, but stopped just before her palm made contact.

Yun Wushang stood motionless, allowing the gust of air from the near-slap to reach her face and ruffle the hair at her temple.

She lowered her gaze and finally spoke after a while, her voice very soft: “Hit me. Why didn’t you hit me? I forced you to kill them.”

Mo Xun stared at her with red eyes for a while, then averted her gaze, unable to look at the three corpses on the ground: “…You didn’t force me. I chose to kill them myself. But why?”

She didn’t understand why Yun Wushang took such action.

“Why would you put yourself in the path of someone else’s sword? If I hadn’t acted, what was your plan?”

Yun Wushang remained silent for a moment, then replied, still looking down: “At worst, death.”

Hearing this answer, Mo Xun’s carefully controlled emotions instantly broke loose again!

She whipped her gaze back to Yun Wushang’s face and said in a cold voice: “Try saying that again?”

If Yun Wushang dared to repeat that sentence, Mo Xun would definitely slap her across the face!

Has she gone crazy!

As the Demon Lord, she understood her killing anyone who displeased her, but when Mo Xun told her not to kill, she would put herself in the line of fire to die?!

This action made Mo Xun, who was desperately getting stronger to live alongside Yun Wushang, look like a complete joke!

Yun Wushang looked like she wanted to speak but stopped, eventually deciding not to challenge Mo Xun’s patience.

After a tense silence, she uttered two words: “I apologize.”

Then, she explained in a softer tone: “I just wanted… to let you know that outside the immortal sects, no one cares whether you or I live or die. Why should you care about their lives? In the end, it’s just self-pity. They intended to kill us from the very beginning. Even if we had reached a deal, they would still seize an opportunity to kill us and reclaim the exchanged items the moment we showed weakness.”

Yun Wushang had encountered this situation before.

People who were willing to talk reason wouldn’t resort to violence initially.

Those who started with violence would inevitably betray them, regardless of negotiations or conditions.

A mere Nascent Soul cultivator couldn’t kill her; this was just a ploy to gain sympathy.

But Yun Wushang never expected Mo Xun to be stronger and more decisive than she thought.

Mo Xun hadn’t even given her a chance to be injured, killing the three instantly.

Yun Wushang’s emotions were very complex now.

Guilt? Touch? Shock? She couldn’t tell…

She should have suppressed these emotions and prevented them from breaking her state of mind.

But now, she let them swell unchecked deep in her heart.

For the first time since becoming a demon, she felt an urge to explain something to someone, yet she couldn’t articulate it clearly.

Yun Wushang: How will she see me? She must think I’m crazy, right?

Yun Wushang: Will she still like me after knowing I’m a lunatic?

Yun Wushang: Forget it. I don’t deserve anyone’s love.

Mo Xun took a deep breath, composed her emotions, and then spoke calmly: “I understand. They deserve to die. Next time, be clear. I have enough patience to listen to you. If I don’t understand, I’ll listen a few more times. In short, don’t ever do this again… Do you understand?”

Yun Wushang looked up, staring blankly at Mo Xun.

Mo Xun wasn’t looking at her but at the empty space.

After calming down, she was shocked that she had almost slapped the Demon Lord, but even if the slap had landed, Yun Wushang would have deserved it.

Why can’t she just speak normally instead of resorting to such dramatic, life-threatening actions? That’s why she became a demon.

Mo Xun still didn’t think the three deserved to die. She believed they would have left on their own once they realized they couldn’t break her array.

However, since they were already killed, she wouldn’t regret it.

She blamed them for having such strong killing intent, for not stopping their swords even when Yun Wushang made such a suicidal move, and for showing no flicker of hesitation in their eyes.

“I…” Yun Wushang looked at Mo Xun, blinking.

Mo Xun was still somewhat angry and interrupted her without mincing words: “Less nonsense. You only need to answer me: Do you understand or not?”

“I understand,” Yun Wushang replied, her tone surprisingly compliant.

Mo Xun turned to leave: “Take your Bone-Regeneration Lotus. We continue forward.”

Yun Wushang “Mhm’d,” and obediently followed her.

But before catching up, she raised her hand. Three Storage Pouches flew out from the three corpses and landed in her hand.