When the Cannon Fodder Male Supporting Role Picks Up the Script - Chapter 129

From the moment Yun Zhuoran stepped out of Yun City, he felt his spiritual power gradually returning to his dantian, and his cultivation of half-step Great Ascension Stage slowly restoring. He knew everything he had done was right.

As the past Yun City faded away, what Yun Zhuoran saw was the old Yun City 28 years later. The sky and earth were dark, with only an endless white sea of fire. The silver-white Taiyin True Fire, faintly golden at its center, surrounded Yun Zhuoran and spread across the square. Thick, cold Yin energy swirled through the sky.

When Yun Zhuoran opened his eyes, he saw the heart demon holding him in his arms. 

The heavy stone hanging in his heart finally fell away as he lowered his head and leaned back on the heart demon’s shoulder.

It turned out the heart demon had hugged him tightly before the illusion began.

The heart demon opened his eyes at the same time. The scarlet blood in them dissipated, returning to their original dark and clear state. Yet he felt a weight on his shoulder, and his heart raced in fear. “Brother!”

“…Mm.”

Yun Zhuoran pressed his forehead, which ached slightly from the heart demon’s loud voice. He sighed quietly, withdrew from the embrace, stood up, and looked out at the sea of fire surrounding them.

The heart demon followed him anxiously. 

First, he carefully took Yun Zhuoran’s hands, and when he saw that they were smooth and unblemished — without the gruesome gashes from before — he froze in shock.”Brother’s injuries are all healed!”

Yun Zhuoran gently pulled his hands free, turned, and stretched out to the cold flames around them. 

Seeing him about to touch the Taiyin True Fire again, the heart demon’s breath caught. 

But as Yun Zhuoran’s hand neared, the flames moved on their own, separating a small ball that slowly wrapped around his hand, obedient.

“It’s okay.” Yun Zhuoran turned to smile at the heart demon. Seeing his continued worry, he reluctantly withdrew his hand and explained, “I just feel like I can control these fires.”

The heart demon saw the fires didn’t harm Yun Zhuoran, so he believed him. 

“So brother had to go through the illusion to reclaim the Taiyin True Fire?”

Yun Zhuoran hadn’t considered this, but nodded thoughtfully. 

Suddenly, the heart demon’s eyes widened as if he had seen a ghost.

Yun Zhuoran was puzzled. “What is it?”

The heart demon shook his head, then pointed at his forehead. “The fire mark is gone.”

Hearing this, Yun Zhuoran laughed. “It must have merged with the fire.”

The heart demon suddenly realized something and murmured, “Yun Tianqing and Yun Duo are gone too.”

At the mention of Yun Duo, Yun Zhuoran’s rare smile vanished. But just then, a spiritual light suddenly sprang from his hand. 

The frightened heart demon grabbed Yun Zhuoran and pulled back, but the light hovered not far above them. When its true form revealed itself, confusion returned.

“Is that the storybook?”

The storybook named The Emotionless Daoist had been picked up by the heart demon when he appeared. He didn’t know much about it, only that it had appeared when Yun Zhuoran was undergoing his lightning tribulation. By the time Yun Zhuoran reached the Nascent Soul stage and awakened from years of slumber, he had sensed Yun Peiran’s aura on the book and, in confusion, had read it while Yun Zhuoran was still in the tribulation. He’d been so angry afterward that he’d come out on his own to tell Yun Zhuoran, claiming it was a gift from Heaven — mainly because he feared Yun Zhuoran wouldn’t believe the truth.

Now, Yun Zhuoran was inevitably surprised to see the storybook suddenly appear. He glanced at the heart demon, who was equally confused, so he knew it wasn’t the heart demon’s doing.

The storybook radiated a golden-red aura and suddenly transformed into a small jade talisman.

Yun Zhuoran and the heart demon exchanged glances, neither daring to touch the strange jade talisman.

The heart demon whispered, “It’s Brother Peiran’s aura!” 

Yun Zhuoran also sensed the familiar aura from the talisman. As Yun Peiran’s younger brother, how could he not recognize it? 

Yun Zhuoran had been searching for Yun Peiran, and now, finding something left behind, he was hesitant to touch it.

“Brother?”

Hearing the heart demon’s quiet question, Yun Zhuoran took a deep breath and reached out to take the jade talisman.

The jade slip flashed a dazzling golden-red light between his jade-white, slender fingers. The moment he touched it, a faint figure slowly formed on the talisman — Yun Peiran, dressed in white.

It wasn’t the young Yun Peiran from the recent illusion, but the brother who had accompanied Yun Zhuoran for many years in his memories.

Yun Zhuoran looked up, dazed.

The figure formed by spiritual light was slightly unstable. When he looked down at Yun Zhuoran and the heart demon, his dark eyes shone. His eyebrows curved, and his smile was full of emotion.

“Little friend, long time no see.”

Hearing this familiar name, Yun Zhuoran’s eyes suddenly filled with a hazy watery light.

“Yun Peiran…”

The projection on the jade slip couldn’t hear Yun Zhuoran’s hoarse reply. There was no spiritual consciousness left in it, but Yun Peiran’s smile paused.

“Should I say it like this? Little friend, by the time you see this jade talisman, many, many years may have passed. I guess you’ve been looking for me for a long, long time. Because if I had come back alive, you definitely wouldn’t be seeing this jade talisman.”

Yun Zhuoran’s eyebrows tightened sharply. He opened his eyes wide and stared at Yun Peiran’s figure.

The meaning was clear — if Yun Peiran had not returned, he might already have fallen.

The heart demon looked at Yun Zhuoran worriedly. Wanting to comfort him but at a loss for words, he stepped forward and gently held his hand.

Yun Peiran shifted slightly, as if adjusting his position. After a moment, he continued, “You didn’t expect this, did you? The last time I saw you, I placed the jade talisman on you. Have you seen the storybook I wrote for you? Surprised? Well, you probably won’t like this storybook. But it doesn’t matter. As long as you see the storybook and receive the ocular technique I left behind—one that lets you see through others’ fate and your own blood ties—you’ll be able to discern the entanglement between you and Gu Shenshu’s apprentice. That senior brother of yours was never truly walking the same path as you. If I misjudged him and he never harms you in the future…” Yun Peiran paused, coughed lightly, and added, “My ocular technique shouldn’t misjudge a person. But if I really am wrong, at least I know your temperament—if he doesn’t harm you, you won’t harm him either. At most, you’ll just distance yourself. Enough about him. You must be wondering where I went, right?”

Yun Zhuoran froze again, raising his hand in disbelief to gently press his brow bone.

He suddenly understood that the storybook appeared at the same time he received Yun Peiran’s eye technique inheritance. That was why the heart demon had sensed Yun Peiran’s breath then, but it disappeared after he got the eye technique.

Yun Peiran’s voice continued. “I guess by now you’ve returned to Yun City and seen the Taiyin True Fire. Then you should also know from Yun Tianqing where I was going—Fengtian Temple. In fact, I don’t know Fengtian Temple well, but many years ago, after we left Yun City, the gods of Fengtian Temple came to me.” Yun Peiran lowered his eyes and said, “He taught me a lot and helped me grow step by step to who I am today. I respect him as a teacher, but Zhuoran, I will not kill you for him, nor do I want to be an enemy of Gu Shenshu for him. You are my brother, and Gu Shenshu is a good friend of mine. I won’t do this. So I went to see him. I also understood then that his purpose in approaching me was not pure, and he and the high priest are of the same kind. I may not be able to come back alive.”

Yun Peiran’s voice suddenly lowered, becoming heavy and depressed. “If I don’t come back, he will definitely attack you again for the sake of the Taiyin True Fire. So I sent you to Gu Shenshu. Gu Shenshu is very strong, and he is the only one in the world who can protect you. I still held on to a sliver of hope—what if I came back? Or what if we perished together? That’s why I made it so you would only see what I left behind once you broke through to the Nascent Soul stage, and only discover my whereabouts once you found the Taiyin True Fire”

“Of course,” Yun Peiran chuckled, “Fengtian Temple is not simple. If your cultivation isn’t high enough, you will only die if you go to them. I still hope I can solve this problem. I also believe that my brother Yun Zhuoran will not let me down. Perhaps you’ll only need ten, maybe twenty years to become another prodigy who reaches the Great Ascension stage before the age of a hundred.”

Hearing this, Yun Zhuoran bowed his head silently.

Ten years was too short. He had not reached the height Yun Peiran hoped for so long ago, and Yun Peiran obviously did not expect that Gu Shenshu, who protected his brother, would die shortly after he disappeared.

“If, when you see this jade talisman, the Fengtian Temple is still there, their gods are still there, and they are still entangled with you,” Yun Peiran said solemnly. “Zhuoran, don’t be afraid, just strike back without hesitation. Take care of yourself. Don’t force yourself to accommodate others. Live happily. No matter if your name is Yun Weiran or Yun Zhuoran, you are my only brother.”

The Yun Peiran from years ago, who had recorded this message, pressed his lips into a smile toward the empty air—as if encouraging Yun Zhuoran, yet also trying to put on the gentle demeanor of a good older brother—his acting was a bit awkward, but in the eyes of the Yun Zhuoran of today, it still made his own eyes grow faintly red as he watched.

The spiritual light on the jade talisman dimmed silently, and Yun Peiran’s figure disappeared. 

All that remained were a few brief parting words.

Yun Zhuoran lowered his eyes to hide the tears welling in them and carefully put the jade talisman—now completely inert and stone-like—into his arms.

The heart demon looked at him worriedly and wanted to speak but stopped.

“Brother…”

“I’m fine.” When Yun Zhuoran raised his eyes again, he had returned to his usual calm state, though his voice was a little hoarse. “It’s not the first time I’ve been separated from him.”

The heart demon grabbed his hand and pressed it to his chest. “But I feel so stifled inside.”

Yun Zhuoran looked away. “That’s you feeling sad yourself.”

He pulled out his hand and turned toward the sea of fire behind him, then glanced back at the heart demon once more.

The heart demon immediately understood and hugged him tightly. “Brother, I will always be here.”

Yun Zhuoran paused. “Little crybaby.”

The heart demon pursed his lips, not pointing out that it was Yun Zhuoran himself who was feeling sad but blaming it on him.

Yun Zhuoran silently let the heart demon hold him for a long moment, then patted his back to let go and turned to face the sea of fire ahead.

A cluster of silver-white flames with a faint golden glow slowly condensed on the sea of fire.

“This is the body of the Taiyin True Fire.”

The heart demon understood Yun Zhuoran’s meaning and quietly stepped back.

Yun Zhuoran looked back at his heart demon and smiled for some reason.

When he turned back, he slowly closed his cold eyes and made a gesture with his hands.

The small flame on the sea of fire seemed to sense this and slowly floated toward him.

Feeling the extremely cold breath approaching, the heart demon clenched his fists behind his back.

The small flame slowly landed on Yun Zhuoran’s brow. Suddenly, a hurricane rolled up over the sea of fire.

The flames around him burned more and more fiercely, and the temperature instantly dropped to freezing point.

When the heart demon saw Yun Zhuoran’s back trembling, he knew it wasn’t easy to reclaim the Taiyin True Fire.

But the wind also pushed the heart demon back, preventing him from moving forward.

Not only that, the strong wind kept pushing the heart demon further away from Yun Zhuoran.

He gritted his teeth and stood firm, but it only slightly slowed his retreat.

The small flame trembled and entered Yun Zhuoran’s brow, and the dazzling flames spread rapidly with a bang, wrapping tightly around his figure.

At the same time, the surrounding sea of fire began to boil, and the roaring hurricane pushed the heart demon far away.

The heart demon shouted, “Brother!”

However, Yun Zhuoran’s figure could no longer be seen in the cold sea of fire; only the still-burning flames remained. These flames instinctively avoided the Heart Demon, even showing signs of rejection.

The flames quickly formed a high wall, blocking the heart demon outside without leaving a gap.

Caught off guard, the heart demon was swept up by the hurricane and fell outside the fire wall. As he tried to get up, he suddenly felt an inexplicable pain in his body, though he was not injured. He quickly stood up and looked up at the sea of fire separating him in the distance.

Being Yun Zhuoran’s heart demon, he could naturally sense Yun Zhuoran’s pain at that moment. The more uncomfortable Yun Zhuoran felt, the more regretful the heart demon became. If he had known how difficult it would be to take back the Taiyin True Fire, he would never have let his brother touch it.

In a state of confusion and extreme anxiety, the heart demon could not think of a way to cross the solid fire wall. He pulled out a handful of hair, which fell to the ground and turned into black mist before dissipating.

If just sensing a fraction of his brother’s pain felt this unbearable, then how must his brother be feeling?

The heart demon’s eyes turned red with anxiety again, but suddenly the pain in his body eased. 

He was stunned for a moment, then looked up at the sea of fire ahead.

The solid wall of fire suddenly collapsed, leaving only a few wisps of flames on the flat ground. As the flames drifted away like smoke, a familiar red figure appeared before the heart demon. A gentle light golden flame flickered on his white eyebrows. His eyes were still closed, and at some point his black hair had fallen loose, stained with frosty white snow from roots to tips.

The heart demon was stunned, then rushed over. “Brother!”

Yun Zhuoran frowned, his expression confused and pained. The Taiyin True Fire had entered his body, reshaping his sea of consciousness and allowing him to recover forgotten childhood memories.

Memories from before the age of seven suddenly flooded his mind, and Yun Zhuoran seemed to experience them all over again. 

He realized that since he could remember, he had grown up under the love of his parents and brother. When his parents passed away, he and Yun Peiran moved out of the City Lord’s Mansion. Although his health was worsening, he lived happily.

Those fragmented, everyday moments were in fact precious—especially to little Weiran.

Because from a very young age, renowned divine doctors had diagnosed that he would not live past ten.

Later came the painful memories of little Weiran—Yun Duo’s deception and failure to save him, the cruel torture by the high priest, and the despair of seeing Yun Peiran and Yun Duo leave.

Until the Heart Demon appeared—bringing a glimmer of hope to the young Weiran who had been drowning in pain.

It turned out the first thing the Heart Demon had ever asked him was: You look like you’re in pain.

It also turned out that after the Taiyin True Fire was forced out of his body, it was actually the High Priest and Yun Tianfeng who were burned alive. The young Weiran, whose spine was dug out and nailed to the altar, was eventually reshaped by the Taiyin True Fire within him.

The Heart Demon, born to protect little Weiran, ended up being saved by him instead.

The Heart Demon was Weiran’s final lifeline, and when he saw the Heart Demon gravely wounded by the High Priest, Weiran completely broke—at last drawing the Taiyin True Fire into the open.

But with the flame forced out, the boy was powerless to reclaim it, so it hid deep underground. Over time, Yin energy covered this place, and no one dared to approach it.

After that, the heart demon fell into a deep sleep.

When Xiao Weiran woke again, he had lost all his memories, his temperament changed drastically, he no longer trusted others easily, and he almost completely closed his heart.

Since then, Yun Weiran had completely become Yun Zhuoran, another self that Xiao Weiran longed for in his heart—one who did not need anyone to protect him.

All these past events passed before his eyes. Yun Zhuoran held his forehead and opened his eyes. He was still a little dazed as he saw the heart demon coming toward him from a distance. 

He blinked slowly. Perhaps because he had reclaimed the Taiyin True Fire, the black-and-white clarity of his eyes seemed even more translucent, carrying a faint, crystalline shimmer.

“Brother!”

The Heart Demon finally reached him, staring up close at Yun Zhuoran in red robes with snow-white hair—so beautiful it was almost breathtaking—that he froze on the spot.

Yun Zhuoran only knew his headache was slowly disappearing. After the burning and reshaping of his sea of consciousness by the Taiyin True Fire, his cultivation was much higher than before. Through internal vision, he felt the increasingly pure spiritual power in his dantian. 

He opened his eyes in disbelief. “I seem to have broken through…”

From the late stage of Integration directly to the true Ascension stage, it only took this brief moment, without experiencing any thunder tribulation!

Yun Zhuoran couldn’t help but show a happy expression. He seemed to have underestimated the power of the Taiyin True Fire. No wonder the people of Fengtian Temple tried their best to get it.

He was about to tell the heart demon the good news but noticed the heart demon looking dazed as he looked up.

“Weiran, what’s wrong?”

The Heart Demon blinked, coming back to himself, and asked softly, “Brother… does it still hurt?”

Recalling how the Heart Demon’s first words to him had been that same innocent question, Yun Zhuoran couldn’t help but laugh. “It doesn’t hurt anymore. I even remembered everything from before I was seven.”

“Ah… really?”

Only then did the Heart Demon reluctantly look away from Yun Zhuoran’s face, his cheeks flushing. He had always known his brother was handsome, but he hadn’t expected that after the tempering of the Lunar True Flame, Yun Zhuoran’s beauty would soar even higher. The same features as before, yet all impurities seemed burned away—leaving only the purest, most luminous essence.

“Brother, you…” The heart demon hesitated for a long time, his mind full of Yun Zhuoran’s extremely beautiful face, and he didn’t know what to say.

Seeing the heart demon out of sorts, Yun Zhuoran’s joy gradually faded. “What’s wrong?”

The heart demon was still thinking about how to respond when he suddenly heard the sound of fighting in the distance. His eyes lit up, and with a flushed face, he reported to Yun Zhuoran, “Brother, Yun Tianqing and Yun Duo seem to still be nearby!”

Yun Zhuoran released his spiritual sense to check. His expression darkened abruptly as he grabbed the heart demon’s wrist.

“Let’s go.”

The moment the sea of fire disappeared, everyone originally trapped in the old Yun City was freed. They were not seriously injured because the Taiyin True Fire only blocked their escape route out of the city. 

When Yun Tianqing and the others came out of hiding, they happened to encounter Yun Duo, Young Master Yin, and their group.

Naturally, a fight broke out.

Without Yun Zhuoran, Yun Tianqing and the others could not defeat Ji Yan and Yun Duo, even with the help of the Demon Palace guardian Yun Fushuang brought along.

However, not long after, the Demon Palace guardian and the powerful Ji Wuwang were seriously injured by Ji Yan. Yun Duo sneered as she advanced toward Yun Tianqing and his sister. Yun Shaowei and Ji Ruo hurried to protect them.

“You’ve certainly raised a fine son,” Yun Duo mocked.

Yun Fushuang’s cultivation was not high; her talent meant she could reach at most the Nascent Soul Stage. Yun Tianqing’s cultivation was one level higher, but he was still in a wheelchair and could not use spiritual power. Despite this, Yun Fushuang insisted on sending the two children back and walked out expressionlessly.

“Yun Duo, don’t be delusional. Even if you kill us, you won’t get the Taiyin True Fire. I believe Xiao Weiran will definitely reclaim it. When he returns, it will be your end.”

Yun Duo could not stand the old people in Yun City comparing her to Yun Zhuoran. Her face darkened as a layer of light golden energy covered her hands. “You’re looking for death!”

Yun Fushuang snorted coldly and summoned a magic weapon, but a white light suddenly shot across from the opposite side.

The white light was headed straight for Yun Duo!

Yun Duo was shocked and quickly retreated but saw the white light chasing her closely. It exploded at her feet, spreading rapidly and trapping her in a circle. Silver-white flames with light gold flickered, rising to form a fire wall as tall as a person.

Yun Fushuang was surprised when she saw the flames falling from the sky. “Taiyin True Fire!”

Yun Tianqing and Ji Ruo were equally shocked.

Yun Duo was terrified and dared not force her way through the fire wall trapping her. She felt this Taiyin True Fire was stronger than before and shouted urgently into the distance, “Ji Yan! Come save me!”

Ji Yan frowned and flew over. 

“Why is it here again? Wasn’t it extinguished?” He complained nervously, shooting magic energy from a distance to strike the fire wall, managing to break a gap.

Yun Duo took the chance to escape through the gap. Ji Yan was about to stop but suddenly found the flames wrapping around him like vines. His eyes widened as he struggled desperately against the Taiyin True Fire.

Suddenly, Ji Yan was dragged by the fire, just like Yun Duo had been earlier.

Caught off guard, Yun Duo thought Ji Yan could still be useful and rushed to help him. Together, they pushed the Taiyin True Fire back a little. Ji Yan was relieved but still couldn’t free his hand.

“No!” Sweating heavily, Ji Yan gritted his teeth. “This Taiyin True Fire is much stronger than before!”

Yun Duo was struggling too. The Taiyin True Fire was terrifying; touching it would severely damage the soul. Even with the golden light protecting her body, she dared not get too close.

But how could this fire be so much stronger?

Yun Duo suddenly widened her eyes as a disliked name flashed in her mind. Before she could speak, a cold breath attacked from behind. She immediately withdrew her hands and retreated.

A ball of fire smashed into the spot she had just vacated, erupting into roaring flames.

Her sudden retreat left Ji Yan almost caught by a licking tongue of fire; he had no choice but to pour out his power to fend it off.

“Yun Duo, what are you doing!”

Yun Duo glared at him angrily, relieved that the Taiyin True Fire this time was not as relentlessly entangling as before. She retreated directly to the side of Master Yin and the others, then turned to look at old Yun City under the dark night sky.

Ji Yan was furious. “Fine, the Saintess’s intends to stand by and watch me die?!”

Yun Tianqing and the others looked confused.

“Even if she wanted to save you, she couldn’t.” A lazy voice sounded from a distance, drawing everyone’s attention.

Two similar red-clad figures appeared, approaching through the darkness. 

The shorter one laughed again. “Brother, our sister Yun Duo looks very scared.”

Hearing this unique name, Yun Tianqing’s tense face instantly relaxed. “They’re coming.”

Ji Ruo recognized the heart demon’s voice and was so surprised he almost jumped. “It’s Yun Zhuoran!”

Yun Shaowei and Yun Fushuang could no longer hide their joy.

Meanwhile, Yun Duo looked as if she had swallowed a live fly when she saw the two red shadows coming clearer and clearer. 

Shen Lingshu standing behind her looked even paler.