The Substitute Female Supporting Character Sees the Bullet Screen

Chapter 56

"Return, Mystic Soul!"

The protective formation of the Cloud Scripture Sect trembled violently, and the ice-blue sword that had guarded the sacred mountain for centuries transformed into a streak of white light, soaring away. The sword light within the formation, now without its core, scattered chaotically into the earth below.

Amidst the mountains, two figures chased each other, one ahead and one behind. The serpent spirit darted through the treetops, its tail smashing the falling sword light into pieces. It crashed into an ancient tree ahead, its form dissipating momentarily before reappearing as a sword-light serpent, blocking Xiao Ling's path. Its sharp claws swept past her face.

Xiao Ling twisted her body sharply, raising her Ruyi Sword to block. The sword, already shattered once, bore spiderweb-like cracks that glowed with a faint greenish demonic light.

The Ruyi Sword, like her body, was broken yet held together by threads of rejuvenating demonic energy.

The shattered blade clashed with the serpent spirit's claws, producing a resonant clang. The Ruyi Sword shattered once more, breaking into countless tiny fragments. Xiao Ling flicked her fingers, and all the fragments transformed into a swarm of sharp light, surging toward the serpent spirit.

If not for the absence of the crimson sword light, it might have resembled the cherry blossom spirit sword she had once longed for in the forest of blades.

The serpent spirit was pierced by countless sword fragments, exploding into a mist of water. Xiao Ling forced a stiff smile, charging through the mist. "You can't kill me."

As soon as the words left her lips, her body stiffened. The mist she inhaled flowed down her throat, igniting a faint talisman light within her.

Xiao Ling fell from the sky, hearing a sharp whistle behind her. She twisted her body hastily in the dissipating mist, but it was too late to dodge. A sword light pierced her, pinning her to the trunk of a large tree with a dull thud.

The translucent blade pierced through her chest, the sealing talisman on the sword deeply embedded in her flesh. Xiao Ling felt the rejuvenating demonic energy within her meridians rapidly dissipating.

She reached out in vain to pull the sword from her chest, but after a moment, her hand fell limp.

An Huai stepped forward, standing a short distance away, watching her struggle coldly. The once reckless youth had matured in a short time, his face now devoid of smiles, his clear eyes frozen over with a layer of ice.

In his eyes, Xiao Ling saw pure hatred. She had seen this look many times before, from the disciples who had watched her on the execution platform.

At some point, she had grown accustomed to such gazes.

Xiao Ling suddenly felt exhausted. She no longer wanted to struggle. Her soul detached from her brow, drifting upward toward the treetops. An Huai frowned and followed closely behind.

The sky was filled with chaotic sword light. Without the protection of her physical body, her soul was directly exposed to the sword light, pierced by countless beams. This act was no different from seeking death.

"What? Is this also your atonement?" An Huai asked coldly.

Xiao Ling ignored him. Her fragmented soul eventually drifted toward Bright Sky Peak. This peak, once bustling with activity, had been a place where disciples would go out of their way to greet her, their senior sister. Even during the mountain's closure, someone had diligently tended to it, planting clusters of blooming flowers at its base.

Now that its former master had returned, the mountain had reopened, yet it was eerily desolate.

Her soul continued to dissipate as she stumbled through the familiar corridors. An Huai followed closely behind, determined to witness her soul's complete destruction.

Xiao Ling stopped before a closed door, her gaze seemingly penetrating the crack to see the portrait inside. The figure in the painting wore the azure robes of the sect, her long hair tied high. She held a sword, her eyes reflecting the warm spring sunlight melting the snow, her entire being radiating light.

Perhaps she had been wrong from the beginning. She shouldn't have returned here. If she had died when she was swept into the spatial rift, it would have been better. If she had died, she would have remained forever as the radiant senior sister in the painting.

Xiao Ling did not enter. She turned her head for one last look at the sky before her soul completely dissipated.

Her body, pinned to the tree trunk, withered rapidly as the rejuvenating demonic energy was devoured by the sealing talisman. It turned to dust, leaving only bones. The sword withdrew from her chest, returning to An Huai's hand.

He lingered at the door for a moment, showing no curiosity about Xiao Ling's final obsession. He turned and left.

An Huai pulled out a handkerchief from his robe, one he had retrieved from beneath a tree in the medical hall. It was the same handkerchief he had once used to wrap a lovewood hairpin.

In truth, revenge brought no joy. Jing Chongshan was dead, and Xiao Ling was dead. Even if all those who deserved to die were gone, it wouldn't bring back the memory of that crisp voice calling him "annoying."

---

"Gu Jiang!" Nie Yinzhi's legs went weak for a moment, and before she could even feel anger, a wave of unease threatened to overwhelm her.

What was Gu Jiang planning?

She pushed open the palace doors, shattering the tranquility within. The rolling thunder outside rushed into her ears. Nie Yinzhi paused for a moment, then quickly ran to the top floor, where she saw a figure standing on the balcony.

"Feng Hanying, where is Gu Jiang?"

Feng Hanying turned at her voice, just as a bolt of lightning struck. The blinding light tore through the darkness of the Ten Thousand Demons Cave, illuminating everything around them. His eyes gleamed with excitement as he tilted his chin upward, signaling her to look up.

Nie Yinzhi ran onto the balcony. Above her, thick clouds churned. The old demon-sealing seal over the Ten Thousand Demons Cave had shattered, and demons were pouring out like mad. The first wave of demons collided with hidden formations in the air, activating them one after another. The demonic energy from the demons was rapidly drained, transforming into spiritual energy that surged out from the other side of the formations.

The spiritual energy spread through the air, activating even more new demon-sealing seals. They densely covered the sky above the Ten Thousand Demons Cave, almost completely enveloping the area.

As the first wave of thunder rumbled past, another followed closely behind. Lightning and talisman light intertwined, and the spiritual energy from the demons formed pillars of light that spiraled into the sky. Chaos reigned both above and below.

Nie Yinzhi realized the benefits of being at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage. Under such heavenly might, she would have been crushed to the ground in the past. But now, facing the lightning, she could clearly see the figure above the clouds. It was Gu Jiang.

"These righteous cultivators are truly despicable," Feng Hanying sneered, leaping into the air, intending to charge toward the demon-sealing seals.

Nie Yinzhi slapped him back, her voice sharp, "What is Gu Jiang planning?"

Only then did Feng Hanying realize that he could no longer gauge Nie Yinzhi's cultivation level. He was utterly shocked. "Peak Nascent Soul?" Damn it, once he got out of here, he was going to capture a cultivator and drain them dry! But then he thought, to achieve such a leap in cultivation, the only one worth draining would probably be his master.

Feng Hanying shuddered, horrified by his own blasphemous thoughts, and quickly suppressed them.

Nie Yinzhi grabbed his collar and thrust her wrist in front of him. "What's going on?"

Feng Hanying pushed her hand away, covering his nose as he took several steps back, creating a barrier between them. He swallowed hard, "You smell even more delicious now!"

If he hadn't seen with his own eyes how Gu Jiang was dissolving like smoke, the uncontrollable Blood Moon Shadow demonic energy continuously draining away, Feng Hanying might not have been able to stop himself from devouring her on the spot.

Gu Jiang was ultimately meeting the same fate as the other demon ancestors—beginning to weaken and collapse.

Nie Yinzhi looked up at the figure in the clouds, suppressing the urge to rush to his side. She knew nothing. What if she became a burden to him? What exactly was Gu Jiang planning?

Feng Hanying glanced at her expression and curled his lip, "I don't know what Master is planning either. You should understand the nature of the Symbiotic Curse better than anyone."

Yes, she understood the Symbiotic Curse better than anyone.

She had once told Gu Jiang that the main curse was on her. If she bound someone else, her death would mean his death, but if he died, she would survive.

So, Gu Jiang thought he might die, which was why he had used himself as a furnace to elevate her to the peak of the Nascent Soul stage. That was why he had bound someone else to her while she was unaware.

In the blink of an eye, Feng Hanying saw Nie Yinzhi suddenly step onto the balcony railing, without any spiritual protection, and lean forward to fall.

Feng Hanying was horrified. He shattered the barrier and jumped after her, "Nie Yinzhi, have you gone mad? Gu Jiang isn't dead yet! Why are you in such a hurry to die with him?!"

If you two are going to die, why drag me down with you!

Nie Yinzhi's pupils were unfocused, her expression blank. The fierce wind sliced at her like blades, but an invisible force scattered it. After several clashes, Nie Yinzhi suddenly raised her hand, like a marionette, and cut her own wrist. Blood sprayed out, the sweet metallic scent lingering, carried by the wind to every corner of the Ten Thousand Demons Cave.

The demons in the cave stirred, swarming toward the central Blood Moon Tower.

The Blood Moon Tower's barrier flickered incessantly as demons crashed into it. Feng Hanying, overwhelmed by the scent of blood, was struck by a drop of blood on the vermilion mark between his eyebrows. The blood seeped into his skin almost instantly, burning him so fiercely that his soul nearly left his body. He was momentarily dazed in the spiritual mist that enveloped him.

By the time he regained his senses, the Blood Moon Tower's barrier had collapsed, and Nie Yinzhi was buried under a sea of demons.