When a Yandere Cannon Fodder Meets a Dark, Twisted Villain - Chapter 44

As she fell into that warm and familiar embrace, the chaotic emotions in Shi Yining’s mind settled into an extraordinary calm.

A crisp, cold fragrance lingered at the tip of her nose, carrying with it a nostalgic longing buried deep within her memories, gradually dispelling the unease in her heart.

Pressed so closely together, she could clearly feel Mo’er’s rapid heartbeat.

In her past life, she had sought this in vain; in this life, they shared a deep, mutual understanding…

Though many mysteries remained unsolved, in this life, she truly felt the sincerity of Mo’er’s feelings for her. For the first time since waking from that long dream, Shi Yining experienced a rare moment of peace.

But this peace did not last long.

She suddenly recalled the words Ruoying once spoke… that there was a Demon Lord in the Demon Realm. Though she had never met this person, someone who could command the awe and respect of a person as rebellious as Ruoying must be a terrifyingly powerful existence.

Although Mo’er’s strength had increased significantly, she had ultimately broken into this place alone. Once the Demon Lord sensed her presence…

This thought caused Shi Yining’s newly stilled heart to tighten again, a chill creeping silently up her spine.

“Mo’er,” she looked up urgently, her eyes filled with worry, “The Demon Realm is too dangerous, you must leave quickly!”

The embrace around her tightened instantly. Shu Mo’s fingertips gently brushed the hair at her temples. “I am happy that Ning’er worries for me.”

Her voice was soft, yet carried an unshakable resolve. “But Ning’er’s soul is currently damaged, and you cannot pass through the Demon Realm’s barrier. That being the case, how could I leave alone? We will wait until you have recovered, and then we shall leave together.”

As soon as those words fell, an indescribable pressure suddenly surged forth like a tidal wave.

The air froze in an instant, making even breathing difficult.

In the center of the hall, wisps of dark red mist appeared out of thin air.

At first, it was just a thin layer, but as time passed, it grew thick as blood, sketching out the blurry silhouette of a human figure. After a moment, it finally solidified into the tall, slender figure of a woman.

“Those who trespass in the Demon Realm…” A voice rang out from all directions, devoid of emotion, each word striking the heart like a heavy bell, “…shall be executed!”

As the final words fell, the entire Crimson Flame Hall began to tremble.

The demonic runes on the hall’s pillars lit up with circles of dark light, and cracks split across the floor, gushing with even denser demonic energy.

The blood-colored figure formed from the mist slowly raised a hand and pointed lightly forward.

In an instant, space itself buckled and collapsed.

Shu Mo reacted almost instinctively, slashing her sword toward the enemy while simultaneously shifting her position to pull Shi Yining behind her, moving so fast she left only an afterimage in the air.

At the same time, her left hand quickly formed a seal. A defensive barrier shimmering with spiritual light was constructed instantly, barely withstanding the first wave of the spatial collapse.

However, the force of the impact was too terrifying. The defense held for only a few breaths before shattering inch by inch. Shu Mo let out a muffled groan but did not retreat a single step, using her entire back to firmly shield her beloved.

Pressed tightly into her embrace, Shi Yining could clearly hear that increasingly rapid heartbeat and the faint sound of bones creaking under the heavy pressure.

Warm breath brushed against her forehead.

A muffled groan reached her ears, carrying suppressed pain, yet beneath it lay an unspeakable determination.

“Don’t be afraid,” Shu Mo’s voice sounded above her head, low and raspy yet gentle. “I am here; I won’t let anything happen to Ning’er.”

She knew that the one who had appeared was the Master of the Demon Realm. She had put ten-tenths of her power into that strike just now, launching it at the critical moment of the enemy’s spellcasting; even if it couldn’t kill her, it would likely wound her severely and stall her subsequent actions.

The force twisting the space grew even stronger.

The sisters Ruonian and Ruo Ying each used their own means to resist, but before that formidable pressure, their efforts were futile.

The sound of snapping chains echoed in succession as eight dark red chains suddenly burst through the air, precisely binding everyone’s wrists.

The moment the chains touched their bodies, an icy, piercing power flooded into their meridians like a tide. Wherever it passed, spiritual power vanished instantly.

Shi Yining felt her dantian go empty as her spiritual energy dissipated at high speed. She tried to circulate her cultivation technique, but was met only with dead silence… the chains had sealed her entire cultivation in an instant.

Before she could think further, a sudden warmth covered her lips.

A round pill was gently passed into her mouth, carrying that familiar crisp scent.

The moment the pill entered her throat, it turned into a warm current that surged through her limbs and bones, dispelling the bone-deep chill and gradually restoring her sealed spiritual power.

However, there was no joy on Shi Yining’s face.

She could clearly sense that the aura surrounding Mo’er had suddenly diminished by more than half.

That exquisite face was turning pale at a rate visible to the naked eye, even her lip color fading, as if her life force was draining away along with that pill.

A terrifying realization exploded in her mind like a thunderclap.

The Nine-Turn True Profound Pill… the legendary “Life-Substituting Golden Core.” It was formed from a cultivator’s entire lifetime of cultivation. When consumed, it could cure any ailment in the world; however, for the one who condensed the pill, it meant the dissipation of their own core and spirit.

Tears welled up in her eyes without warning and rolled down her cheeks.

Shi Yining opened her mouth but could not make a sound. She could only reach out with a trembling hand, wanting to touch the other woman’s pale cheek.

Just as her fingertips were about to touch, they were gently caught by a cool, jade-like hand.

“Don’t cry…” Shu Mo’s voice was low, yet still gentle. “I said I would protect Ning’er.”

She even managed to pull a faint smile, as if what she had exhausted wasn’t her entire life’s cultivation, but merely an insignificant external possession.

Watching this, Shi Yining felt her heart ache even more.

“Mo’er…” A call, laden with sobs, as tears fell even faster.

She had countless things to say, but all her words were stuck in her throat, turning into scalding tears that splashed one by one onto their joined hands.

A cage silently formed around the perimeter of the shattered space.

Beyond the cage lay endless darkness. The sisters Ruonian and Ruo Ying were now also bound by chains. Ruo Ying tried to circulate her demonic qi to resist, but the chains suddenly tightened, making her turn pale with pain; Ruonian, meanwhile, had calmly given up resistance.

The other ends of the eight chains vanished into the void, seemingly without end.

Shi Yining’s spiritual power was now fully restored, the residual power of the medicine lingering in her dantian—a constant reminder of how heavy Mo’er’s affection was.

Whether it was when she was trapped by Ruo Ying or now, it had always been Mo’er protecting her.

Now, it was her turn to protect Mo’er.

Spiritual power silently began to circulate from her palm, settling onto the chains.

In the next instant, a harsh scraping sound rang out. The dark red chains shook several times, but they did not break.

“Don’t waste your energy,” Ruonian’s voice echoed in the cage, calm as if she had long anticipated this. “These are the Soul-Anchoring Locks of the Demon Realm, specifically designed to seal spiritual power. Unless the Demon Lord releases them personally, we can only be imprisoned here, slowly regressing into mortals until we die in this bone-chilling cold.”

Ruo Ying gnashed her teeth and hissed, “Why would the Demon Lord lock us in here as well?”

Ruonian looked at her sister. “Don’t you understand yet, A-Ying? From the very beginning, the Demon Lord’s goal was clear: to use your hands to weaken the strength of the cultivation world. Shu Mo and Ning’er are both the cream of the crop among the younger generation of the Three Sects—talents of a caliber rarely seen in a thousand years. By eliminating them, the connection to the world’s providence would be severed, effectively crippling more than half of the future of the Yuehua and Xuanqing Sects. Now that her goal is nearly achieved, we have naturally lost our value.”

Ruo Ying, who had been struggling, was stunned into silence by these words.

“Does Sister… know the origin of the Demon Lord?”

Ruonian nodded slightly. “Originally I did not. But since my resurrection, influenced by that secret method, many secrets buried by time have naturally surfaced in my consciousness.”

She paused, her gaze shifting toward the other end of the cage. “If I guess correctly… Fairy Mo should know as well.”

Where her gaze fell, the powerless Shu Mo was leaning in the embrace of her beloved.

Her head was bowed slightly, her black hair cascading over her shoulders. A few stray strands were damp with cold sweat, clinging to her pale cheeks. Shi Yining held her gently, not daring to use too much force, treating her like a fragile treasure as her trembling fingers wiped away the cold sweat from her brow.

Shi Yining had no interest in the identity of the Demon Lord right now; her only thought was to get Mo’er out of here.

She did not believe there was truly a bond in this world that could not be broken. Cradling the woman in her arms with utmost care, she forcibly suppressed her surging emotions. She focused her mind, rapidly searching the depths of her memory for every ancient text she had ever read and every secret sect technique her master had ever taught… Pages of text and lines of mantras flashed through her sea of consciousness.

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration sparked within her mind.

The founding ancestor of the Xuanqing Sect had left behind a mystical technique called the Tai-Xuan Dao Realm.

It was an ancient art nearly lost to time, said to contain a trace of the fundamental laws of space. When cast, it could instantly carve out a brief, independent space within the physical world. The original intent behind its creation was lost to history; all that was known was that the cultivation process was exceptionally dangerous. The slightest error would result in a violent backlash from the chaotic power of space. For this reason, her master had strictly forbidden her from ever touching it.

But now, this might be their only chance at survival.

With this thought, a look of grim determination flashed in Shi Yining’s eyes.

A spark of spiritual light ignited at her fingertips. At first, it was merely a glimmer, like a firefly, looking insignificant in the dim cage. But as she circulated the technique, the thin essence of the world around her began to converge toward her.

The light grew brighter. Upon closer inspection, one could see countless tiny runes swirling around her, flickering in and out of existence, radiating a profound and mysterious aura.

Shi Yining’s face turned pale at a rate visible to the naked eye, and cold sweat broke out on her forehead. Performing a mystical art that far exceeded her own realm took a massive toll on her. One slip-up, and she would face a powerful backlash, resulting in her death and the dissipation of her soul.

Seeing that her spiritual energy was nearing its limit, she grit her teeth and pointed her finger firmly forward. “Tai-Xuan Dao Realm, Open!”

There was no earth-shattering explosion, only a strange, high-pitched hum. Wherever the light touched, the surrounding space rippled like a stone thrown into a pond.

The dark red chains bound around them let out an overburdened creaking sound. Web-like cracks rapidly appeared on their surface until, after a brief moment, they shattered into dust.

Looking around, the indestructible cage seemed as though it had been sliced by an invisible blade, silently opening a gap wide enough for several people to pass through. The other side of the gap was not endless darkness, but the entrance to the Tai-Xuan Dao Realm—another world filled with vitality.

In the distance, Ruo Ying watched this scene, speechless with shock. She never expected that, in a moment of absolute despair, the person who would save her would be the very one she had tried to harm so many times.

Ruonian’s calm expression shifted slightly, equally surprised by the strength Shi Yining had displayed. A dead end that offered no hope of survival had been forcibly overturned by her hand.

The moment the technique succeeded, Shi Yining looked down. Her eyes met Shu Mo’s upward gaze; the two shared a smile, a thousand words passing between them in silence.

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