The Cannon Fodder Female Supporting Character Captured the Villainous Demon Venerable - Chapter 73

Chapter 73: If You Must Die, Don’t Die in Front of Me!

Luo Baozhu opened her eyes and took some time to confirm that she was not dead.

More accurately, she hadn’t died completely.

Ascending to the Great Ascension realm was equivalent to having one foot in the Immortal World, hence the name Half-Step Immortal. Immortals were not so easily killed.

However, although her soul hadn’t dissipated, having lost her physical body and spiritual roots, she only had her nascent soul left. If she couldn’t cultivate into a Ghost Immortal, she would eventually vanish completely.

Fortunately, cultivating into a Ghost Immortal was not difficult for a Great Ascension stage cultivator, as the soul and spirit had already merged. One only needed to willingly discard their Dao heart, replace it with obsession, and draw upon the resentment of ten thousand ghosts to reshape a spiritual body, thus achieving a body where ghostly energy wouldn’t scatter.

This was a state close to, but different from, an Immortal. It was immune to all attacks of the Metal, Wood, Water, Earth, and Wind attributes. Only Ice, Fire, and Lightning attributes, as well as killing intent infused with blood energy, could harm it.

I want to kill Yun Wushang! Kill Mo Xun! Kill Yun Qianchong! Kill Wen Yuchan! Kill all Great Ascension stage cultivators! If I can’t achieve immortality, none of you will either!

However, Ghost Immortals were not tolerated by the world. As soon as Luo Baozhu achieved this form, a pitch-black chain pierced through her shoulder, dragging her unceremoniously towards the City of Shadows.

The two people restraining her—one was entirely black, the other entirely white, their faces obscured, genders indiscernible, and it was hard to tell if the materials floating around them were cloth or mist.

Both emanated immortal energy that suppressed ghostly energy. Luo Baozhu was powerless to resist, watching helplessly as she was crudely dragged into a city that was unbelievably vast for humans.

The city gates, every house, and every pillar here soared into the clouds. Countless Ghost Immortals were all chained and confined through their bodies, crying out loudly.

Ghost Immortals felt no physical pain; they cried out from despair, for a future they could not see.

Two celestial beasts guarded the city gate, as tall as the gate itself, looking down at the newly arrived Ghost Immortal.

On the left was the Hellish Dark Phoenix, entirely black with three pairs of wings. On the right was the Mystic Ice Nine-Tails, entirely white with nine tails.

The two celestial beasts spoke in human language: “Since you are dead, why cling to obsession?” “Release your obsession and re-enter the cycle of reincarnation.”

Luo Baozhu: If I hadn’t died, I would definitely use you two for artifact refining!

Luo Baozhu couldn’t speak, only responding mentally. Ghost Immortals had no physical body, hence no senses. Luo Baozhu was entirely relying on her nascent soul to perceive everything around her.

However, the moment the black and white figures dragged Luo Baozhu into the City of Shadows, a huge boom came from within the city, causing the two celestial beasts at the gate to turn around in confusion.

A moment later, the Hellish Dark Phoenix spread its three pairs of wings and flew up: “Something has happened in the City of Shadows! Go quickly and inform the Immortal World!”

The Mystic Ice Nine-Tails lightly leaped onto its back: “Let’s go.”

Luo Baozhu didn’t know what happened, only that a few days later, she and all the other Ghost Immortals knelt before an Immortal.

That person said: “I intend to liberate the City of Shadows and occupy this realm. Does anyone have a suggestion?”

This coincided perfectly with Luo Baozhu’s thoughts. Luo Baozhu naturally wouldn’t miss this opportunity: “Responding to Master, I have a plan. The greatest threat to us is the Ice Heavenly Spiritual Root, and the person with this root happens to be the Demon Venerable. Why don’t we first let the immortal cultivation world fight amongst themselves, and then we strike?”

“Then, this matter is entrusted to you.”

Yun Qianchong rushed back to the Heavenly Mountain Immortal Gate at full speed, alone.

At late Great Ascension stage, maintaining maximum escape velocity, she could travel from the Water Moon Immortal Gate to the Heavenly Mountain Immortal Gate in less than three breaths.

Yet, she was ultimately one step too late.

The Heavenly Mountain Immortal Gate’s defensive array was broken, and the cultivators inside had suffered heavy casualties.

Yun Qianchong had a Metal Heavenly Spiritual Root. She couldn’t raise a Fire-attribute grand array, let alone in a short time.

She could only sacrifice her own blood to her sword, transforming killing intent into surging Killing Qi, and attack the Ghost Immortals with her sword.

However, the Heavenly Mountain Immortal Gate was the first target of the Ghost Immortals. The number of Ghost Immortals here was nearly double that at the Water Moon Immortal Gate.

Yun Qianchong had a limited number of swords she could sacrifice blood to, preventing her from exerting even one-thousandth of her original strength.

“You’re killing so slowly,” Yun Wushang said upon arrival. She released a blast of cold energy, instantly slaying over a dozen Ghost Immortals. As she killed, she couldn’t help but mock Yun Qianchong: “Where is the imposing aura of commanding tens of thousands of swords that you had when you were chasing me?”

Yun Qianchong ignored her, preoccupied with killing Ghost Immortals.

Yun Wushang was so angry that her demonic energy churned. Mo Xun quickly flew behind her to placate her: “I’m telling you, when talking to someone so rigid, you have to use the most straightforward approach, otherwise, she won’t understand.”

Yun Wushang: “…What do you think I was trying to say?”

Mo Xun used spiritual energy infused into her voice, shouting at Yun Qianchong: “Sect Master Yun, summon all your swords! I’ll have Wushang enchant them for you!”

Yun Wushang: ?

Yun Qianchong didn’t verbally respond, but after killing another Ghost Immortal, she obediently summoned all the swords she possessed. Tens of thousands of spiritual swords obscured the sky!

Mo Xun turned to Yun Wushang.

Yun Wushang turned to meet her gaze, her expression somewhat complicated.

Mo Xun blinked: “You’re not happy when someone helps with the work?”

Yun Wushang: “…Fair enough.”

Yun Wushang ceased all resistance, releasing a massive amount of her demonic energy, coating the surface of the ten thousand swords with a layer of cold ice.

Yun Qianchong immediately began commanding those ten thousand swords, slaying Ghost Immortals with full force!

With someone suppressing the Ghost Immortals, Mo Xun finally had the opportunity to work with Yun Wushang to set up the sect protection array.

However, the scale of the Heavenly Mountain Immortal Gate was significantly larger than the Water Moon Immortal Gate, and Mo Xun had already exhausted all her spirit stones and demonic crystals. So, the array the two eventually activated was smaller than the one at the Water Moon Immortal Gate and required continuous power supply.

After the array was erected, Mo Xun immediately organized the Heavenly Mountain Immortal Gate cultivators to supply spiritual energy to the array. She then circulated the True Demon Art, replacing Yun Wushang in providing demonic energy to the array and maintaining the Ice-element magic, allowing Yun Wushang to kill Ghost Immortals without any concern for support.

Yun Wushang thoroughly enjoyed the massacre above the array, and her cultivation level experienced a surge.

Sensing her increasingly powerful demonic energy as she fought, Mo Xun couldn’t help but reflect that demonic cultivators were indeed more suited to cultivate this way. Still, opportunities to fight unrestrainedly were truly rare.

Mo Xun then turned her gaze to Yun Qianchong and saw a scene highly similar to what she had foreseen.

The chilling black energy scattered in the air re-coalesced into several human figures.

Yun Qianchong simultaneously launched several swords, scattering them all again. Her expression was calm, but her lips were tightly pursed.

All her swords were coated with a layer of ice, emanating the demonic energy unique to Yun Wushang.

Suddenly, Yun Qianchong commanded her tens of thousands of swords to fly far away.

The Ghost Immortals near the Heavenly Mountain Immortal Gate had mostly been killed. Yun Wushang hesitated for a moment, ultimately pursuing Yun Qianchong in the direction she left, leaving a message for Mo Xun: “I’m going to see what scheme she’s planning.”

Mo Xun looked at the direction they left, frowning slightly.

That seemed to be the direction of the City of Shadows.

Could Yun Qianchong be trying to catch the king first? With just her, a Great Ascension stage cultivator?

Mo Xun let out a “Tsk,” momentarily paused supplying power to the defensive array, and let her nascent soul emerge. She quickly locked onto the nine eighth-grade fire-element artifacts in the nine directions of the Heavenly Mountain Immortal Gate. She guided the functional ones to her side, released spiritual energy, transformed the Wood spiritual energy into ninth-grade spiritual fire, modified a few array runes on them, and then used these artifacts to power the array.

Instantly, the ice on the Black Tortoise Array melted, replaced by a layer of scorching red light.

Having done this, Mo Xun flew into the air: “You all continue to power the array. Black Feather, come.”

Black Feather, who had been helping to repel the Ghost Immortals, acknowledged with a “Yes,” and flew onto Mo Xun’s shoulder. Mo Xun immediately used a spatial folding technique to pursue the two who were already a thousand miles away.

In fact, Yun Qianchong didn’t know the location of the City of Shadows; she hadn’t awakened the Eyes of Yin and Yang like Wen Yuchan.

The reason she suddenly left the Heavenly Mountain Immortal Gate was that she noticed a suspicious person.

The person herself was unremarkable: Great Ascension stage, Earth Heavenly Spiritual Root, emanating normal spiritual energy.

But the strange thing was that none of the Ghost Immortals would attack her.

It was as if she were controlling these Ghost Immortals.

Connecting this with the sudden breach of the defensive array, Yun Qianchong vaguely guessed the person’s identity.

The person sensed Yun Qianchong’s approach, turned, and fled. Yun Qianchong accelerated to catch up.

Finally, in a dense and gloomy forest, Yun Qianchong used an ice-coated sword to pierce the person’s shoulder, pinning her firmly to the ground!

The person was a female cultivator. Yun Qianchong had seen her face during the Immortal-Demon War, but they weren’t acquainted. Her voice also felt unfamiliar to Yun Qianchong: “Fellow Daoist, what are you doing? We have no grudge.”

“No grudge, yet you run?” Yun Qianchong asked coldly.

“You’re chasing me, of course, I must run,” the person replied.

“If you won’t talk, then die,” Yun Qianchong said, a second sword descended, pinning her other shoulder to the ground. Then a third sword aimed at her chest.

Just as the third sword was about to descend, the female cultivator finally panicked: “Yun Qianchong! You are so indiscriminate, you disgrace your title as Immortal Venerable!”

“Indiscriminate? What distinction is there in killing a Ghost Immortal?” As Yun Qianchong’s words fell, the third sword descended, plunging into the female cultivator’s chest without hesitation.

However, the ice on the sword receded. Even with her heart destroyed, the female cultivator could still speak: “I am the Treasure Saint Immortal Venerable! Yun Wushang and Mo Xun killed me. Why do you not seek revenge for me, but instead fight alongside them?”

Yun Qianchong let out a cold laugh: “I’d like to ask you, since you seized a new body, why don’t you seek revenge against them? Why destroy my defensive array and kill my sect disciples? What is your intention?”

Luo Baozhu: “Your defensive array? That array is mine! You, who can’t even avenge me, are unworthy to use my array! I sacrificed so much for the Heavenly Mountain Immortal Gate, what have you done for me? You don’t seek revenge for me, yet you comfortably enjoy the artifacts I refined—why?! Having also harmed Yun Wushang, I was tortured to death, yet you still live—why?! Answer me, why?! Yun Qianchong, I want you dead!”

Yun Qianchong expressionlessly looked down at the disguised Luo Baozhu at her feet, her eyes remaining frigidly cold throughout.

After a moment, she spoke a single sentence: “She cultivates the demonic path, and you cultivate the immortal path. Yet, she saves people, and you harm people. I should never have trusted you from the start.”

Having said this, tens of thousands of swords descended, stabbing the body possessed by Luo Baozhu until it resembled a sieve.

A wisp of black energy floated up from the corpse. Yun Qianchong was about to smear blood on her sword when a surge of cold energy swept in, freezing the black energy along with the corpse on the ground.

Yun Wushang flew down, landing ten steps away from Yun Qianchong. From a distance, she raised her hand and clenched her fist. The ice sealing the Ghost Immortal immediately shattered, scattering across the ground.

This time, Luo Baozhu was completely annihilated, not even a trace of a remnant soul remained.

Yun Qianchong retracted her swords and turned to leave.

She walked past Yun Wushang without stopping.

Yun Wushang acted as if she didn’t exist, letting her pass by in silence.

The closest distance between them was less than a fist’s width. Both could feel the other’s aura. Spiritual energy and demonic energy intertwined, stirring their respective Dao hearts and obsessions.

Yun Qianchong walked dozens of steps before suddenly stopping, opening her mouth without turning her head: “Yun Wushang, I have something to say to you.”

Yun Wushang stood with her back to her: “There is nothing left to say between you and me.”

She had asked everything she wanted to ask and received the answers. For her, things between her and Yun Qianchong were finished. Reconciliation was impossible, and returning to the past was out of the question.

The only reason she pursued her was truly just to see what scheme she was planning. Leaving the Heavenly Mountain Immortal Gate unattended and chasing after someone must have meant the target was important enough to risk everything.

As expected.

Fortunately, she pursued her, otherwise, she wouldn’t have been able to personally kill Luo Baozhu a second time.

Yun Wushang wanted to return to Mo Xun but was also curious about what Yun Qianchong wanted to say, so she feigned a move to leave.

Just as she took two steps, Yun Qianchong turned back, blocking her path with her body.

Yun Wushang narrowed her eyes at the woman in front of her: “Seeking death?”

“If you wanted to kill me, you would have done so during the Immortal-Demon War,” Yun Qianchong said. Her tone no longer held the hostility of before, carrying instead a hint of weariness.

“Back then, when I first learned that people of the same gender could love each other, I was too shocked and didn’t handle your situation well.”

Yun Wushang stopped listening halfway. What had already happened couldn’t be changed and didn’t need to be brought up again. Instead, she wanted to hear Yun Qianchong curse Luo Baozhu.

However, Yun Qianchong stubbornly blocked her, determined to make her listen: “I had prejudices against same-sex love, prejudices against demonic cultivators, leading to deep misunderstandings about you. Now that I think about it, the one who hurt you the most was not Luo Baozhu, but me, it was always me.”

“So what?” Yun Wushang thought Yun Qianchong was overly self-important, but these words didn’t sound like something Yun Qianchong would say. Curious about what she would say next, Yun Wushang paused her departure.

To her surprise, in the next moment, Yun Qianchong bent her knees, actually kneeling down to her!

Yun Wushang looked down in disbelief.

Yun Qianchong paid no attention to her reaction, kneeling before her, head lowered, expressionless, but her voice carried a slight tremor: “Mo Xun was right. I was indiscriminate and helped the wicked… I no longer have the face to call myself your Master. I’ll make this bow as the Sect Master of the Heavenly Mountain Immortal Gate and as the one who provoked the Immortal-Demon War.”

“Yun Wushang, I was wrong. I’m sorry.” Yun Qianchong solemnly bent down, pressing her forehead to the ground.

Yun Wushang: “…”

Yun Wushang’s expression was complicated. She tried to speak several times but couldn’t make a sound. And since she didn’t speak, Yun Qianchong didn’t rise.

The two remained in this stance—one standing, one kneeling—for a long time.

Yun Wushang was dressed in white today. Her snow-white robe was embroidered with silver flowers, making her look pristine, like a celestial being.

Yun Qianchong’s light gold robe was stained with blood—some from injuries inflicted by Ghost Immortals, some self-inflicted, and some splashed when killing Luo Baozhu—making her appear exceptionally distraught at this moment.

Mo Xun arrived nearby just then. Seeing the scene from afar, she wasn’t sure whether to rush to Yun Wushang’s side immediately or pretend she didn’t exist.

After an unknown duration, Yun Wushang finally spoke, saying calmly: “You will never learn to set up a restriction when discussing private matters.”

Unexpectedly, Yun Qianchong’s response was: “Back then, when you confided in me, I didn’t set up a restriction to protect you. So today, I have no right to set up a restriction to protect myself.”

Yun Wushang sighed deeply: “It’s too late… far too late.”

Yun Qianchong: “Yes, I missed the timing to change everything. I have no right to ask for your forgiveness. It’s just… the consequences of the actions I initiated must be resolved by me. Regardless, when one does something wrong, one must apologize. Back then, I stabbed you thirty-seven times. Today, I will stab myself thirty-seven times.”

As she spoke, she stood up and flew into the air. Thirty-seven swords rose with her, poised to pierce her body.

Yun Wushang instantly condensed an ice ball and smashed it into her face: “Don’t try that nonsense on me! If you must die, don’t die in front of me!”

After saying that, she turned and flew towards Mo Xun.

Mo Xun met her gaze and extended a hand to her.

Yun Wushang placed her hand in Mo Xun’s palm, letting out a silent sigh of relief, and asked: “How is the Heavenly Mountain Immortal Gate’s situation?”

Mo Xun: “I’ve helped them restore their previous sect protection array.”

Yun Wushang: “That’s good… Since that’s the case, let’s head back to Water Moon.”

Mo Xun acknowledged with an “Mm.” Just as she was about to enter the Dual-Polarity Nest with Yun Wushang, a powerful oppressive force suddenly descended from the heavens, crushing them both to the ground.

Immediately after, a voice rang out from the direction of the City of Shadows, echoing throughout the entire immortal cultivation world.

“Worthless! All worthless! If I cannot occupy this realm, then I shall destroy it! All of you, die!”