When a Yandere Cannon Fodder Meets a Dark, Twisted Villain - Chapter 63

Having gained the support of her beloved, the last flicker of hesitation in Shi Yining’s heart quietly vanished. She slowly reached out, firmly taking the floating Crimson Spirit Jade Pendant into her hand.

She understood that this was more than just a gift; it was a form of recognition.

“Thank you, Senior,” Shi Yining said. Her voice wasn’t loud, but it was clear and solemn, every word steeped in sincerity.

Seeing her accept the gift, Shu Rong’s lips curved into a faint arc. She nodded with a smile but said no more.

Not far away, Zhao Jing, the Sect Leader of the Qishan Sect, cleared her throat and paced forward slowly.

Her steady gaze swept over everyone, lingering for a moment on Shi Yining and Shu Mo, her expression gradually turning grave.

“Congratulations to all. The resolution of the grievances between our two sects is truly a blessing for the righteous path. Now that young friend Shi and young friend Mo have returned safely, it is a double joy. However, regarding the joint strategy we discussed earlier to purge the Demon Realm—I wonder if we shall proceed as planned?”

At the mention of this, the gratified smile on Qin Wu’s face—brought about by her disciple’s return—faded slightly.

“Until the Demon Lord and his minions are eliminated, the Canglan Realm will never know true peace. In my view, there is no reason to halt this plan.”

Her gaze shifted toward Shu Rong. “What does Sect Leader Shu think?”

“It must continue, naturally!” At the mention of their enemy, a cold light flashed in Shu Rong’s eyes. Her chin tilted slightly, her tone resolute. “If not for the chaos caused by the Demon Realm, Mo’er and young friend Shi would not have faced such danger or remained missing for so many days. This debt must be repaid!”

Zhao Jing nodded slightly, her eyes falling once more on Shi Yining and Shu Mo.

“You two personally stepped into that perilous land and escaped the Demon Realm unscathed. You must have an understanding of that mysterious Demon Lord far beyond our own. If you could share a detail or two, it might aid our purging plan.”

Shi Yining subconsciously looked at Shu Mo. In the instant their eyes met, warmth was palpable; they understood each other’s hearts without needing words.

She turned back to the assembled cultivators and spoke clearly: “The Demon Lord is an incarnation of a sliver of evil intent born from the Heavenly Dao, influenced by the Underworld treasure, the Mirror of Nine Serenity Reincarnation. His goal is to replace the Heavenly Dao of the Canglan Realm.”

“What?!”

The truth, like a massive stone dropped into a vast ocean, instantly sent shockwaves through everyone’s hearts.

Aside from Shu Mo, who had known for some time, everyone present paled, their eyes filled with undeniable shock.

This answer far exceeded their imaginings, bringing them close to despair.

Yu Shang’s face turned deathly pale. “The Heavenly Dao… an incarnation of evil intent…” Her voice carried a tremor of helplessness. “Facing such an existence… do we really… have a chance of winning?”

“Of course we do,” Shi Yining’s voice was filled with conviction. “The Demon Lord is not omnipotent, nor is he invincible. Otherwise, it would have been impossible for Mo’er and me to escape the Demon Realm under his control.”

Zhao Jing keenly caught a key point in those words. Suppressing the shock in her heart, she asked softly: “Young friend Shi said ‘at the time’? Could it be… that your departure from the Demon Realm was not a recent event?”

“Correct.” Shi Yining nodded frankly, hiding nothing. “As early as half a month ago, I performed a sect secret technique to open the Taixuan Dao Realm and brought Mo’er inside to hide. It was only today, when the technique’s duration ended, that we were transported back to the Canglan Realm by the power of space.”

“So that was it…” The shock in Qin Wu’s eyes had not faded, but it was now joined by uncontrollable surprise and pride.

“The secret techniques regarding the Taixuan Dao Realm are profound and mysterious, with extremely harsh requirements for execution. Even after years of study, I have never truly found the opportunity to perform it. I did not expect Ning’er to have already successfully mastered it!”

Zhao Jing offered her congratulations with a smile. “Congratulations, Sect Leader Qin. Since young friend Shi’s return, her cultivation has progressed so much that the student has surpassed the master. The stronger the power of the Daoist gates, the greater our certainty of victory when we march upon the Demon Realm.”

Her words implied that she now viewed Shi Yining as a key figure capable of influencing the entire situation.

“Since young friend Shi knows the Demon Lord’s origins, do you have a method to deal with him?”

Shi Yining met her gaze, her expression calm as she nodded solemnly: “Before leaving the Taixuan Dao Realm, Mo’er and I consulted with Seniors Ruo Ying and Ruonian, as well as Hu Ying of the Fox Clan. We came to two conclusions. First, find the legendary Red Lotus Karmic Fire to purify the evil intent. Second, travel to the only two Buddhist sects in the Canglan Realm to seek the aid of Buddhist Dharma to reform the evil intent. As long as the evil intent ceases to exist, the Demon Lord will dissipate.”

After listening, Qin Wu pondered for a moment before saying slowly: “The Tianyin Gate of Mount Jiuhua and the Thousand Buddha Sect of Mount Yuanzhao have both been in seclusion for many years and have no contact with us. In fact, before attacking the Demon Realm, Sect Leader Shu, Sect Leader Zhao, and I all sent people to visit the two sects. However… we have received no reply.”

Zhao Jing added, “I sent Junior Sister Yang. She departed three days ago, but to this day, I have not received any transmissions from her. I tried to contact her, but the transmission could not be sent, as if blocked by a mysterious power.”

Hearing this, Shi Yining’s eyes narrowed slightly. “To think such a thing happened. Did Master and Sect Leader Shu encounter the same situation?”

Qin Wu nodded. “The personnel we sent were all the same. However, their soul lamps show no abnormalities, meaning they are not in danger. Since you and young friend Mo had not returned, we did not continue sending more people, focusing all our efforts on attacking the Demon Realm.”

Shu Mo walked to Shi Yining’s side and gently took her lover’s jade-like hand, her gaze tender and full of affection.

But when she scanned the crowd, she had regained her usual coldness.

“In recent years, the two Buddhist sects have established a new layer of the ‘Illusion of Falsehood’ around their territories. This realm is a trial of the heart constructed with Buddhist Dharma. If outsiders cannot see through the delusions, they will be trapped within. From what I know, it takes at least seven days and at most half a month; once the illusion deems them unable to pass, they are transported back outside the entrance. There is no danger to their lives, but it also means they cannot reach the Buddhist sects.”

A flash of realization crossed Qin Wu’s eyes. “So that was the secret. The two sects have been secluded for so long that we neglected them and failed to grasp such changes in time. It was our oversight…”

She pondered for a moment, then looked at Shu Mo. “In your opinion, young friend Mo, should we send more people to the Buddhist sects?”

Shu Mo shook her head slowly. “Ning’er and I plan to go personally.”

They had experienced the perils of the Demon Realm, knew the Demon Lord’s origins, and were the very people the Demon Lord most wanted to deal with. It was only fitting that they go.

Shu Rong, who had been listening intently, shifted her gaze toward Shi Yining, a trace of hidden astonishment flickering in her eyes.

“Just now, young friend Shi mentioned that in the Taixuan Dao Realm, you discussed methods to deal with the Demon Lord with Ruo Ying and Ruonian… But Junior Sister Ruonian… didn’t she pass away many years ago…?”

As soon as these words were spoken, Qin Wu, Zhao Jing, and Yu Shang were all startled.

Earlier, they had been focused entirely on the matter of the Demon Lord and had overlooked this point. Now that Shu Rong brought it up, doubts instantly rose in their hearts.

Ruonian’s fall was a well-known tragedy from years ago.

How could someone long dead… appear again?

Facing the suspicious gazes of the crowd, Shi Yining looked at Shu Rong calmly and gave a definitive answer.

“For all these years, Senior Ruo Ying has been attempting to use a ritual to resurrect Senior Ruonian. Not long ago, she… succeeded. Senior Ruonian has returned to life.”

“A ritual… resurrection…” Shu Rong repeated in a low voice. For a moment, various thoughts raced through her mind, eventually turning into a long sigh.

“Junior Sister Ying… she actually did it.”

The impact of this news was no less than hearing about the origins of the Demon Lord.

Qin Wu’s mind was sharp, and she quickly recalled past events.

The demonic disaster at the Nine-Layer Abyss was Ruo Ying’s doing, and that woman had once attacked Ning’er. If that was the case, then that mysterious resurrection ritual…

In that instant, a chilling suspicion suddenly surfaced in her mind.

Qin Wu stared directly at her disciple, her voice carrying a trace of imperceptible tension.

“Ning’er, tell your Master the truth. Was the crucial sacrifice needed for that so-called resurrection ritual… you?”

She asked bluntly, and for a moment, the surrounding air seemed to freeze.

Shi Yining knew that concealment was futile. Meeting her Master’s eyes—which were sharp enough to pierce through any facade and were currently clouded with a mixture of worry and burgeoning rage—she nodded truthfully.

“Master’s suspicion is correct. Senior Ruo Ying’s ritual… indeed used me as the catalyst.”

Despite having anticipated this, hearing her disciple confirm the fact sent a violent tremor through Qin Wu’s heart. An uncontrollable surge of fury and retrospective terror instantly bubbled up.

A ritual capable of bringing the dead back to life was predictably perilous; the slightest error would result in the sacrifice’s soul being completely extinguished.

At this thought, Qin Wu’s expression darkened. Her usual easygoing and elegant demeanor was instantly replaced by a piercing, wintry chill.

“If I ever encounter Ruo Ying in the future, I will make sure she pays the appropriate price!”

Shi Yining understood that her Master was only this enraged out of love for her. After a moment’s hesitation, she reached out and gently grasped Qin Wu’s sleeve. “Master, please lower your anger. After I regained consciousness, I reached a reconciliation with Senior Ruo Ying. In the Taixuan Dao Realm, both Seniors Ruo Ying and Ruonian helped me quite a bit.”

Qin Wu’s brows remained tightly knit, her anger far from dissipated.

“Ning’er, you are kind-hearted by nature, but this is no small matter. The price for forbidden arts that reverse death is never trivial, and the original intent of the caster is easy to guess… I have heard of Ruo Ying’s reputation in the past; she has always been unscrupulous in achieving her goals. When she used you as a sacrifice and dragged you into that ritual, there is no way she intended for you to come out unscathed!”

“I understand everything Master says. But Senior Ruo Ying… in the end, all the madness she committed was only to resurrect her sister. This obsession is certainly extreme, but its root is not pure evil, and she is not beyond redemption. Now, we have an enemy we must face together. For the sake of the bigger picture, I believe… we can let go of past grievances.”

Shi Yining raised her eyes, her clear gaze meeting her Master’s lingering resentment as she continued, “Senior Ruo Ying has already sworn a heavy oath never to harm the innocent again. Master, could you give her a chance to turn over a new leaf?”

“Ning’er, you…” Qin Wu sighed softly, the anger on her face finally beginning to fade.

Seeing her Master’s stance soften, Shi Yining’s lips curled into a slight smile. She added a touch of a daughter’s playful pleading, “Master~ just agree with me this once, okay? Please~?”

This rare moment of acting spoiled instantly shattered the last of Qin Wu’s resolve.

Looking at her disciple’s expectant eyes, she shook her head and laughed helplessly.

“Ning’er is always so soft-hearted… Since you have thought it through, your Master will follow your wishes.”

That said, she made a mental note to keep a close watch on Ruo Ying’s movements. If the woman truly turned toward the path of good, the past would be forgotten; but if news of her harming others surfaced again, Qin Wu would settle the debt personally.

To the side, Shu Mo stood as still as a bamboo stalk, her face maintaining its immortal-like coldness. However, her heart was churning with a thick wave of jealousy.

Her Ning’er was showing such unguarded closeness and dependence toward someone else.

Even if that person was the Master Ning’er respected—the elder who provided her with protection and guidance—this level of intimacy was still an eyesore in Shu Mo’s eyes.

She showed nothing on the surface, but her fingertips, which held her beloved’s jade-like hand, twitched almost imperceptibly.

Shi Yining’s eyes were still crinkled with joy over her Master’s compromise when she suddenly felt as if a feather had brushed against her palm.

This sudden, overtly intimate little movement instantly snapped her attention back.

She instinctively turned to look at Shu Mo.

The moment their gazes collided, Shi Yining was caught off guard by a pair of eyes as deep as the ocean.

In those dark pupils, her reflection was clearly mirrored, along with an intense, undisguised possessiveness that threatened to pull her under.

No words were spoken, yet the eyes seemed to say: Look at me.

Shi Yining felt her heart skip a beat, and a faint heat crept up to the tips of her ears.

She understood Mo’er’s gaze… it was saturated with the jealousy born from her closeness with her Master.

The itching sensation in her palm lingered, as if scratching directly into her heart, sending a wave of numbness through her…

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