The Cannon Fodder Female Supporting Character Captured the Villainous Demon Venerable - Chapter 45

Chapter 45: The Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets is Too Good at Business!

Yun Wushang couldn’t tell Mo Xun that what she truly hated wasn’t a specific artifact refiner, but the artifacts themselves.

Because of something that happened in the past, seeing any artifact made her feel completely uncomfortable.

Of course, she also hated that artifact refiner.

But now, she seemed to hate artifacts less.

Mo Xun returned to the Artifact Refining Immortal Sect, stepping into her room, intending to sit on the bed and cultivate for a few days to restore her stamina, spiritual qi, and divine sense. Then, she would go to the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets to receive Heavenly Secret Guidance and attend the auction.

However, before she could enter a state of meditation, she suddenly realized something and broke out in a cold sweat.

The auction is in five days?

At Chu Jiuqu’s Great Perfection Nascent Soul stage escape velocity, it would take two days to travel from the Water Moon Immortal Sect to the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets without stopping.

In other words, the Integration stage artifact refiner would intercept and kill her within these two days!

Good news: The time hasn’t arrived yet, the event hasn’t happened yet, and Chu Jiuqu is still alive!

Bad news: Two or three days are definitely not enough to refine a Grade 5 protective artifact.

But she was only at the Early Integration stage and might not be the opponent’s match. If I could call Yun Wushang…

The moment that thought flashed through her mind, Mo Xun lowered her head and pressed her lips together.

Thinking of Yun Wushang immediately whenever she encountered difficulty was not a good sign.

Could it be that without Yun Wushang, she truly is helpless and incapable of doing anything?

Thinking back now, although Yun Wushang’s attitude towards her was erratic and she was stubbornly resistant in daily life, she never failed to act when needed.

Saving Chu Jiuqu from her death calamity was something Mo Xun wanted to do, and it had nothing to do with Yun Wushang. Therefore, she couldn’t involve Yun Wushang.

With this thought, Mo Xun only cultivated for one day, restoring her stamina, spiritual qi, and divine sense to 60%, and then rushed to the Water Moon Immortal Sect using the Space Folding Technique.

She was unaware that Yun Wushang, who had played a ten-day chasing game with her, already knew the range of her divine sense intimately. Yun Wushang constantly watched her from just outside her detection range. Seeing her leave the Artifact Refining Immortal Sect, Yun Wushang immediately took out a Thousand-li Divine Travel Talisman from her storage pouch, placed it on herself, and pursued her.

Chu Jiuqu, having reached a bottleneck in her Great Perfection Nascent Soul stage cultivation, decided to go to the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets to receive Heavenly Secret Guidance, hoping to achieve enlightenment and break through in one go.

After bidding farewell to her Master, Bai Muqing, she left the Water Moon Immortal Sect and flew towards the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets.

As the auction was approaching, she encountered people with the same destination along the way.

In the cultivation world, where there are people, there are conflicts. Soon after Chu Jiuqu set off, she encountered two cultivators in brown robes attempting to intercept and kill a female cultivator in a pink skirt. All three were at the Great Perfection Nascent Soul stage.

The female cultivator in the pink skirt was a disciple of the Hundred Flowers Immortal Sect. Since the Hundred Flowers Immortal Sect and the Water Moon Immortal Sect had been allies for a hundred years, Chu Jiuqu couldn’t stand idly by. She immediately unfolded her Infernal Phoenix Wings and rushed over at an extremely high speed to help her kill the two pursuers.

The pink-skirted female cultivator sighed in relief and bowed to Chu Jiuqu: “Thank you, Fellow Daoist, for saving me.”

“It’s nothing,” Chu Jiuqu put away her sword. “Are you also going to the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets?”

“Yes.”

“Then let’s go together.”

“Good.”

The two traveled side by side, but after only a few hundred li, they were blocked by an Integration stage cultivator.

The newcomer wore a gorgeous orange-yellow long dress, light yellow as the base with dark blue delicate borders. Intricate flowers adorned the wide sleeves and skirt, radiating a vibrant orange-yellow hue.

This clothing resembled the brocade garments of royalty more than the sect robes of any immortal sect.

The newcomer spoke, directing her target straight at Chu Jiuqu: “Infernal Phoenix of the Underworld, Grade 8 Spiritual Beast. Refining an artifact with your blood will surely allow me to forge a Grade 8 artifact!”

Hearing this, Chu Jiuqu hadn’t even reacted when the female cultivator from the Hundred Flowers Immortal Sect beside her turned and ran, not looking back!

Chu Jiuqu: “…”

In the next instant, the Integration stage cultivator attacked, summoning a Grade 6 spiritual sword that rushed straight towards Chu Jiuqu!

The attack from the Integration stage cultivator was swift and fierce. Chu Jiuqu had no time to dodge and could only use her Infernal Phoenix Wings to block it, hoping that the Infernal Phoenix Demonic Fire could burn through the sword body.

Just at this critical moment, a female cultivator flashed in front of her, and eight wooden stakes appeared simultaneously in eight directions around the two of them.

“Black Tortoise Counter-Injury Array, open!”

With this familiar command, spiritual qi fluctuated, a defensive shield quickly formed, completely enveloping the two. A Black Tortoise giant beast then appeared on the shield, letting out an angry roar!

The tip of the Grade 6 spiritual sword collided with the Black Tortoise’s shell, causing a violent spiritual qi oscillation. Not only did it fail to break the defensive shield, but the sword qi on the sword was reflected back towards the attacking Integration stage cultivator.

The Integration stage cultivator was startled. She hastily summoned a protective artifact to block the sword qi, frowning as she looked at the female cultivator who had suddenly appeared between her and her prey.

The newcomer wore simple coarse cloth clothing, her long hair tied up high, and her eyes held undisguised killing intent as she looked at the cultivator.

Early Integration stage, one realm lower than me, but this powerful array formation, and this killing intent…

The Integration stage cultivator couldn’t gauge the opponent’s combat power. She withdrew her sword and retreated: “So it was a cultivator, not a spiritual beast. A misunderstanding. I bid you farewell.”

After saying this, she didn’t give the two women a chance to respond. She turned and fled, quickly disappearing from sight.

Mo Xun looked at her departing figure. Although she was reluctant to let her go, she didn’t pursue, considering her own weakness in offensive power.

She turned to meet Chu Jiuqu’s gaze and asked: “Senior Sister, are you injured?”

Chu Jiuqu recognized Mo Xun the moment she used the Black Tortoise Counter-Injury Array. Hearing the question, she shook her head and said “No,” then couldn’t help but exclaim: “Junior Sister Mo, in the time we’ve been apart, you’ve already broken through to the Integration stage…”

As she spoke, her eyes revealed a hint of distress: “You must have been through a lot recently.”

Mo Xun smiled: “I have indeed been through a lot, but I haven’t suffered any grievances, Senior Sister, so you don’t need to worry.”

Chu Jiuqu only thought she was pretending to be strong. Thinking that she, as a Senior Sister, could neither protect her Junior Sister nor had her own life saved by her Junior Sister, the internal frustration suddenly materialized into an illusion that spread all around.

The desire for strength, the obsession with protecting important people, and the yearning for higher heights—all intertwined into a towering sky ladder.

Spiritual qi surged, ruffling both their robes. Chu Jiuqu hovered in the air in meditation, achieving the Three Flowers Gathering at the Summit and the Five Qi Flowing toward the Origin, soul and spirit merging, achieving a breakthrough on the spot!

Mo Xun: ?

In any case, by the time Mo Xun reacted, she was already using the Black Tortoise Counter-Injury Array to help Chu Jiuqu block the heavenly lightning.

Chu Jiuqu’s heavenly lightning was of normal Integration stage tribulation intensity, and it harmlessly struck Mo Xun’s shield.

Chu Jiuqu hid inside Mo Xun’s shield, doing nothing but acting as the atmosphere creator, praising continuously:

“Junior Sister’s array formation talent is truly outstanding, unmatched by any cultivator in the same realm!”

“Although Junior Sister has dual spiritual roots, her cultivation speed is in no way inferior to a Heavenly Spiritual Root. Her future is boundless!”

“I, Chu Jiuqu, am incredibly fortunate to have a Junior Sister like you. I will repay your kindness today with my life in the future!”

“But, why did Junior Sister suddenly appear here? Are you returning to the sect for something?”

Hearing this question, Mo Xun pondered for a moment and gave this answer: “The twenty-year auction at the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets is about to be held. I wanted to return to the Water Moon Immortal Sect to invite Senior Sister to go with me. I didn’t expect to run into Senior Sister halfway.”

Chu Jiuqu: “I see. I was already on my way to the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets.”

Mo Xun: “That’s wonderful. Once Senior Sister finishes her tribulation, we can travel together.”

“Good,” Chu Jiuqu replied. After a while, she asked curiously, “Where is Yun Wushang? Why isn’t she with you?”

“To pick you up, I am enough alone,” Mo Xun replied.

The implication: I have indeed been with her all along.

Yun Wushang, who was watching from afar, didn’t understand why Mo Xun had to hide her trip to the Water Moon Immortal Sect to pick up Chu Jiuqu from her.

Does even Mo Xun think that as the Demon Venerable, she has nothing to do with the Water Moon Immortal Sect anymore?

Yun Wushang turned away in frustration and flew toward the location of the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets.

As a Mahayana stage cultivator, she was already fast, and with the Thousand-li Divine Travel Talisman, she quickly caught up with the orange-yellow-robed artifact refiner. Then, she raised her hand and shot a blast of cold qi towards her!

The Integration stage cultivator’s protective artifact automatically defended its master, shattering immediately upon impact with the cold qi!

The Integration stage cultivator turned to face Yun Wushang in disbelief, and despite the other being a demonic cultivator, she respectfully bowed: “May I ask, Senior…”

She wanted to ask how she had offended the other party, hoping there was a misunderstanding.

However, before she could finish, Yun Wushang interrupted her coldly: “This Venerable is in a bad mood and is too lazy to talk to you. Die.”

As her words fell, more cold qi surged towards the opponent, instantly freezing her into an ice sculpture.

Yun Wushang passed by the ice sculpture and shattered it with her sleeve, then flew towards the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets without looking back.

Mo Xun and Chu Jiuqu traveled together. When they arrived at the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets, the auction was about to start.

Upon arrival, Mo Xun immediately sought out Yun Wushang’s aura and, as expected, found her in a corner, disguised as a Nascent Soul cultivator with reversed meridians.

“Why are you here too?” Mo Xun came up to Yun Wushang, asking the obvious while gently taking her hand to heal her damaged meridians through palm-to-palm contact.

Yun Wushang let her treat her, but she avoided looking at Mo Xun, and her expression was extremely cold, as if she were angry.

“What’s wrong?” Mo Xun asked softly.

Yun Wushang didn’t want to expose the fact that she had been following her, so she said: “You came to the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets. Why didn’t you tell me?”

Mo Xun: “I said I was coming five days ago.”

Yun Wushang: “You said it five days ago. You didn’t have to say it again before leaving?”

Mo Xun thought: I’m not your subordinate. Why do I need to report to you?

But ultimately, sensing Yun Wushang’s displeasure, she sighed helplessly and admitted her mistake: “I apologize. Next time, I definitely will.”

Yun Wushang: “You’re placating me.”

Mo Xun: “No, I’m serious. I’ll definitely tell you next time.”

Yun Wushang: “Did you come with Chu Jiuqu?”

Mo Xun: “…Yes.”

Yun Wushang: “Why?”

Mo Xun: “I just happened to run into her…”

Yun Wushang: “You’re lying.”

Mo Xun: “…”

Mo Xun was indeed lying about this matter, because she couldn’t help but lie. If she didn’t lie, how could she explain that she knew in advance that Chu Jiuqu was about to face a death calamity?

However, she finally knew why Yun Wushang was in a bad mood.

Since that was the case, the truth wasn’t important. What was important was to let Yun Wushang know that her worries were unnecessary.

With this thought, Mo Xun deployed an array, setting up an anti-scrying restriction in this remote corner. Then, she placed one hand on the wall next to Yun Wushang’s ear, leaned in close to her other ear, and whispered: “Even if only Senior Sister Jiuqu and I were left in this world, my body and soul would belong solely to you.”

Hearing this, and sensing Mo Xun’s close proximity, Yun Wushang’s face instantly turned red, and her ears were flushed bright red.

She lowered her gaze, frowned, and responded: “Why say that? I’m not jealous.”

Mo Xun completely ignored her stubborn denial, asking on her own accord: “Can I kiss you? It’s been a long time, and I’m a bit eager.”

Yun Wushang hesitated, then finally closed her eyes resignedly, her tone softening: “You talk too much.”

Mo Xun understood her to mean, “Don’t ask, hurry up and kiss me,” and couldn’t help but smile. Then, she confidently cupped the back of Yun Wushang’s head and kissed her lips.

It started with a tentative touch. Confirming that the other party wasn’t resisting, she gradually deepened the kiss, becoming more intense and rapturous.

As if to compensate for the blank months, Mo Xun kissed her with total devotion and self-abandonment. The kiss was not rough, but gentle and prolonged.

It wasn’t until Yun Wushang gasped and raised her hand to press against Mo Xun’s chest that Mo Xun came back to her senses, ending the kiss and holding Yun Wushang close, suppressing her actions: “Not here. We’ll continue later.”

Yun Wushang allowed Mo Xun to hold her. Once her breathing was steady, she responded: “Where are we going back to?”

“Wherever you want, but I still need to stay at the Artifact Refining Immortal Sect for a while, after all, I still need to refine a Nine-Grade artifact for you.”

“Hmph.” Yun Wushang rested her chin on Mo Xun’s shoulder, feeling simultaneously dissatisfied with the unresolved issue and satisfied that the emptiness had been filled.

She wanted to know why Mo Xun had hidden her trip to the Water Moon Immortal Sect to pick up Chu Jiuqu from her, but she knew that unless she confessed to following her all the way, Mo Xun wouldn’t reveal the reason.

Never mind, I’ll just assume she was simply thinking of her fellow sect member.

There was still some time before the auction began, so Mo Xun decided to go and receive the Heavenly Secret Guidance first.

She and Yun Wushang arrived outside the room of the Pavilion Master of Heavenly Secrets, just as Chu Jiuqu was coming out. Mo Xun asked curiously: “Senior Sister, did you gain anything?”

Chu Jiuqu glanced at Yun Wushang. Her expression didn’t change, and she answered frankly: “The Pavilion Master suggested I stay at the Artifact Refining Immortal Sect for a few years and learn artifact refining. This suits me perfectly.”

Yun Wushang frowned slightly but ultimately said nothing.

Chu Jiuqu didn’t have many spirit stones, so she decided not to attend the auction. She said goodbye to the two of them and headed to the Artifact Refining Immortal Sect.

Following the guidance of a Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets cultivator, Mo Xun entered the Pavilion Master’s room alone. Inside the spacious room, a female cultivator in purple robes was sitting behind a chessboard, obscured by a purple translucent veil along with the chessboard, making her appearance unclear.

This must be the Pavilion Master of Heavenly Secrets, Lin Xuan’er.

Mo Xun was about to bow to her. Just as she raised her hand, she heard the person’s youthful voice: “Junior Mo Xun, my junior family member has been taken care of by you.”

Mo Xun: “…I’m ashamed.”

The “junior family member” the other party referred to was clearly Lin Lanyue, who had the Variant Wind Spiritual Root, confidently competed with her in escape technique, and lost a pair of demonic beast tusks to her.

“It’s nothing. A gamble is meant to have winners and losers,” the person laughed.

Then, before Mo Xun had a chance to bow, she continued: “Actually, you don’t need to come and ask me. You have already arranged everything. However, I should give you a warning, though you may not heed it.”

Mo Xun: ?

Mo Xun was struggling to process this highly informative statement when the other party continued: “Do not stay long in the Artifact Refining Immortal Sect.”

Mo Xun forced her brain to restart and asked the question she thought was most pressing: “How long is ‘long’?”

The Pavilion Master chuckled twice before saying: “Who knows? Perhaps a year, perhaps a day. Anyway, I have given you the warning. How you act is up to you.”

Mo Xun guessed this was related to the Integration stage cultivator who wanted to use the Infernal Phoenix’s blood for refining.

But if she really attacks me, Yun Wushang should intervene… so, it shouldn’t be a big problem?

Speaking of which, I came to the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets to receive Heavenly Secret Guidance, but I didn’t want this kind of guidance!

Mo Xun was unsure if further questions would cost her money, but ultimately, to advance her realm and refine a Grade 5 artifact as soon as possible, she tentatively asked: “Actually, I came because I encountered a bottleneck in my cultivation. I used Grade 5 materials and Nine-Grade spiritual fire but only refined a Grade 4 artifact. I don’t understand the reason, so I thought…”

“Oh, you want to know about that?” The Pavilion Master realized and immediately laughed. “Isn’t that simple? Being too fixated on one thing will result in being restricted by it. Break free from that restriction, and everything will become clear.”

Mo Xun carefully pondered this sentence in her heart.

Is she too fixated on one thing? Is she referring to the Evil Warding Barrier?

Because in the original story, the artifact that helped Chu Jiuqu overcome the death calamity was the Evil Warding Barrier.

But if I don’t forge the Evil Warding Barrier…

The Pavilion Master spoke again: “Protective artifacts, protective artifacts. It’s not just about opening a defensive barrier to protect oneself, right?”

Mo Xun: !

Mo Xun understood! That’s right! When facing an attack, defense is not the only option. Evasion is possible too!

Similarly, for combat artifacts, they don’t necessarily have to be focused on strong offense. They can also focus on control!

“I understand. Thank you, Pavilion Master,” Mo Xun bowed towards the Pavilion Master.

The Pavilion Master smiled and asked her: “What do you understand?”

Mo Xun replied: “Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. To achieve greater success, one must leverage one’s strengths and minimize one’s weaknesses.”

Pavilion Master: “Very good. Go.”

Mo Xun bowed again to the Pavilion Master and left the room.

Mo Xun: Worthy of being the Pavilion Master of Heavenly Secrets. She does have something special!

She exited and met Yun Wushang’s gaze. Just as she was about to go to the auction with her, she suddenly heard the Pavilion Master’s voice: “The person who came with Mo Xun, won’t you come in for guidance?”

She was referring to Yun Wushang.

Yun Wushang lowered her eyes and contemplated for a moment. Finally, under Mo Xun’s slightly uneasy gaze, she walked past her and entered the Pavilion Master’s room.

Inside, Yun Wushang had no need to hide and spoke directly: “I have already used up my free session. Even if you want to guide me, I don’t have the spirit stones for you.”

Yun Wushang paused, then pressed her lips together and remained silent for a moment. Then, she asked softly: “Is it Mo Xun?”

“Is it?” The Pavilion Master intentionally kept her guessing, but ultimately didn’t tease her and answered properly: “No one knows the answer to that question better than yourself. That is all I have to say. Go, Demon Venerable.”

Yun Wushang turned to leave.

The Pavilion Master sighed behind her: “I wonder when we will meet again.”

“Don’t pretend we are familiar. Including this time, we have only met twice,” Yun Wushang said without turning back, opening the door and exiting the room.

As soon as she stepped out, she met Mo Xun’s worried gaze. Yun Wushang’s expression softened involuntarily. She walked up to Mo Xun and uttered two words calmly: “Let’s go.”

Mo Xun said “Good,” hesitated as if to speak, but ultimately didn’t ask anything and followed her to the auction.

Before entering the venue, Mo Xun consigned the pills and the Grade 4 artifact she had.

The Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets cultivator who received the artifact asked Mo Xun: “Senior, what is the name of this artifact?”

“Name?” Mo Xun hadn’t thought about it. “Let’s just call it the Defensive Bracelet.”

The Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets cultivator couldn’t help but chuckle at the perfunctory name, then said: “Senior, this must be your first time consigning an artifact, correct? A special name helps to sell it at a high price. I see that the array pattern on this artifact resembles the Black Tortoise Array and must have evolved from it. How about ‘Black Tortoise Universal Barrier,’ Senior? What do you think?”

“Universal… Aren’t those two characters too grand?” Mo Xun felt a pang of guilt. She felt the artifact she refined didn’t deserve such a grand name, as it was only Grade 4.

However, the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets cultivator said: “Grand is good. Grand is what people want to buy. Senior, consider this: your artifact can only defend against attacks from Early Nascent Soul cultivators. The people who need it will definitely be below the Nascent Soul realm. To them, your artifact is already powerful enough. The grander the name, the more secure they will feel, and they will feel it’s worth every spirit stone!”

Mo Xun: “…That makes sense.”

Mo Xun: The Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets is too good at business!

“Then the name of your artifact is settled,” the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets cultivator said with a smile. “As for these pills, because of the variety and large quantity, we need some time to assess their value. Please wait for a moment, Senior.”

“Good,” Mo Xun nodded.

The Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets cultivator turned away with the storage pouch and began to assess the value with several other cultivators. Exclamations of surprise occasionally sounded:

“All pills are Grade 6, Superior Grade. Unbelievable…” “Such stable quality, far from the ceiling.” “This quantity, its value is far more than a million…”

After some time, the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets cultivator who helped Mo Xun name the artifact returned to her and said: “The artifacts and pills together are valued at 5 million spirit stones. The Heavenly Character Private Room, please.”