When the Cannon Fodder Male Supporting Role Picks Up the Script - Chapter 155

“This is…” Penglai Immortal frowned at the blood formation. “Yun Zhuoran, the formation you asked me to investigate in Yun City — it’s from the same lineage as this one. This is a sacrificial formation.”

Xu Zhichun’s blood-rimmed eyes turned toward them. “Can the Young Island Master break it?”

Penglai Immortal recognized the design at a glance. 

Yun Zhuoran, having witnessed a sacrificial formation once before, immediately saw its resemblance to the one set up by the old High Priest of Yun City. But as he studied the blood array beneath Yun Duo, his expression grew grave.

“Back then,” Yun Zhuoran said quietly, “old Yun City almost perished to the High Priest’s sacrificial array. Everyone trapped inside was demonized — their minds stripped away, turned into killing puppets — and in the end, all were incinerated by the Taiyin True Fire. Their souls were erased completely. The formation only collapsed after the High Priest’s death, but by then nearly ten thousand were gone.”

Ten thousand may have sounded few for a city — yet that was nearly the whole of Wu City.

Xu Zhichun trembled, voice hoarse. “How… could this happen?”

Yun Zhuoran could not answer. He had never imagined that the same array which nearly destroyed Yun City more than twenty years ago would reappear here — recreated by Yun Duo, once the High Priest’s disregarded student.

“These Wu Clan children are already demonized,” Yun Zhuoran said. “Even Yun Cheng, who saw it before, couldn’t undo it. And this time, the one being sacrificed is Yun Duo herself — and she’s grown far stronger.”

All eyes lifted. Yun Duo hovered above the array, her aura flaring as the blood mist coiled around her, fusing with violet spiritual energy.

“This woman is vile… she deserves death,” Ji Ruo hissed through clenched teeth.

Even Lu Yu and Wen Jianxian, veterans of countless battles, could not breach the formation. Yet Lu Yu grasped one truth at once.

“If we kill her… will it stop the sacrifices?”

No one needed the rest explained.

Realizing the deception and unable to save their children, the Wu Clan had already turned their hatred toward Yun Duo — but she was wrapped in blood mist no one could penetrate, not even Lan Ge, leader of the Black Moon Tribe.

And it was already too late.

The transformation came instantly. The children trapped inside lost consciousness and twisted into small monsters with blood-red eyes, tearing at one another. A stench of blood spread through the hall as the adults outside screamed and pounded helplessly on the barrier.

Yun Zhuoran stood silent, the truth bitter on his tongue. 

The heart demon clutched his hand, whispering, “Brother… have you thought of anything?”

Yun Zhuoran shook his head. “Strange. In Yun City, anyone near the array was dragged in. Here, only the children are affected.”

“It’s the elixir,” said Yan Changtian hoarsely. He knelt, staring at his son being mauled by the demonized children, his voice breaking. “During the past two blood transfusions, the Saintess gave each child an elixir… and this time was no different…”

The group fell silent.

Lan Ge was hurled back, crashing to the ground. Wounded, she seized his longbow and rose again, charging forward. 

Many Wu Clan members followed, desperate to reach their children. 

Passing Yan Changtian, Lan Ge’s anger erupted. She seized the clan leader by the collar, shouting, “It’s already too late, and you still stand there like a fool! Don’t you care about your son?”

“It’s too late… far too late…” Yan Changtian’s face twisted with despair. He covered his eyes, choking on his sobs. “It’s all my fault — the Wu Clan is finished!”

Lan Ge’s eyes burned. “If we’ve failed, then we’ll make amends! Stop groveling and fight! If we can’t save them, we’ll drag the Fengtian Temple down with us!” She threw Yan Changtian aside. 

The staff clattered to the floor. 

Without another word, Lan Ge charged into the blood array. Several others followed.

Seeing this, Yun Zhuoran called to Lu Yu and Penglai Immortal, “The statue and the array are feeding Yun Duo power. We can’t let her absorb any more. Weiran and I will attack her — you two find a way to break the formation.”

They nodded at once.

Yun Zhuoran and Weiran exchanged a glance, then stepped beyond Lu Yu’s barrier, rising toward the storm of blood-red clouds. 

Wen Jianxian signaled his disciples to guard the others and joined them.

As frost-white sword light and jade energy cut through the air, black mist followed close behind. The three broke through the barrier encasing Yun Duo. 

She was forced to halt her absorption and focus on defense, her expression tight.

Penglai Immortal and Lu Yu struck the array itself — but it held firm. Their spiritual force rebounded, and Penglai Immortal was nearly sucked into the mist before Lu Yu yanked him back. Even proximity risked being pulled under.

Several Wu Clansmen who rushed forward met the same fate. Lacking strength, they were dragged in at once. Within, the hundred demonized children turned on them.

The adults were swallowed by the array like stones into water. A thunderous roar shook the temple. The children paused only briefly — then descended on the adults. The wet, crunching sound of tearing flesh filled the hall. Moments later, a pool of blood and a heap of stripped bones were all that remained.

The children were no longer human — only beasts driven by hunger and madness.

The remaining clansmen froze in horror.

Why had this happened? That single question gnawed at every heart — heavy with regret, anger, and despair.

It was the Fengtian Temple and the Saintess who had promised salvation — and delivered ruin. Their own blindness had doomed them.

Many collapsed, wailing. Others stood hollow-eyed, their fight gone. The statue’s endless reservoir of faith and the array’s sacrificial energy fed Yun Duo, making her even more formidable. Even with three cultivators besieging her, she slipped free again and again.

Looking at the blood-slick bones, Yun Zhuoran’s expression darkened. His gaze fixed coldly on Yun Duo, standing radiant in the golden light beneath the statue — the High Priest’s disciple, and the one he had underestimated most.

Unable to break the formation, Penglai Immortal and Lu Yu rejoined Yun Zhuoran. The surviving Wu Clansmen, abandoning all hope of salvation, silently aligned themselves beside him.

The blood mist coiling around Yun Duo made her beauty eerily cruel.

“It seems you all wish to play the savior,” she said mockingly. “Brother Zhuoran is merciful. Even when the Wu Clan defied you, you acted like Xu Zhichun — pretending righteousness before the gods. Very well. If you’re so forgiving, I won’t keep these children caged. Consider this my final gift to you.”

Yun Zhuoran’s voice was ice. “What do you mean?”

“You’ll see soon enough, brother.” Yun Duo laughed twice, raised her hand — and the blood array dissolved. The scarlet mist surged into her body, her pallid face flushed with beauty edged in menace. 

Yun Zhuoran’s heart clenched in warning. “Get away from the children!”

The array vanished, but the children remained demonized. The moment they sensed life, hunger flared. Blood-red eyes gleamed with predatory light.

“Everyone, leave the temple!” Yun Zhuoran shouted.

Some fled instinctively toward the gates; others hesitated, reaching toward the children they had once cradled. 

But those small, once-frail figures moved with terrifying speed. Before the adults could react, the children pounced, teeth sinking into flesh. 

Screams echoed as kin turned upon kin.

“Idiots!” Lu Yu cursed, seeing panic scatter the crowd.

The freed Wu children — more than a hundred of them — spread through the temple, attacking anyone nearby. The chaos made it impossible for Yun Zhuoran’s group to shield everyone at once.

Before they could regroup, a translucent barrier flared at the temple gate. The first wave of demonized children crashed into it and were repelled, clawing futilely as other Wu Clansmen escaped through narrow gaps. At the same time, another large formation appeared beneath their feet, its light flickering erratically.

Everyone turned.

Meng Ye stood at its center, gripping a cracked formation disk, his teeth clenched in pain. The disk shattered with a sharp crack, its glow extinguishing. Blood ran from his mouth as Xu Zhichun caught him.

“No…” Meng Ye gasped, face pale. “The temple’s formation… someone tampered with it. It’s out of control.”

Understanding struck them all at once. Meng Ye could normally command the temple’s array — but only if it hadn’t been altered. The one who changed it so he couldn’t intervene could only be Yun Duo.

The trapped children lunged again, attacking anyone in reach. Smaller ones darted up the pillars and walls, escaping through the shattered roof.

Seeing this, Yun Zhuoran made his decision. “Seal the temple! Don’t let any of them out!”

As he spoke, a small shadow streaked toward them. Yun Zhuoran reached out — but a tall figure stepped in front of him.

It was Yan Changtian.

The child leapt, sinking its teeth into his arm. Yan Changtian grunted but didn’t resist, letting it tear free and scramble away. When the child turned back, Yun Zhuoran saw why he had blocked them — and the chill of understanding struck him.

The child was Yan Changtian’s son.

Yan Changtian whispered the boy’s name, but the child, eyes red and blank, fled clutching the bloody flesh in his mouth.

“Do you like my gift?” Yun Duo’s laughter rang through the collapsing temple. 

Seeing the Wu Clan wounded yet unwilling to strike back, her smile widened in delight. Then her face hardened.

She flew at Yun Zhuoran, golden-white light blazing in her hand, entwined with the violet and blood-red aura swirling around her. “Don’t forget—your opponent is me!”

Yun Duo struck again, clearly intent on preventing any seal from forming. 

Yun Zhuoran and the heart demon met her blow head-on, forcing Penglai Immortal and Lu Yu to rejoin the fray.

The clash of Great Ascension-level power split the heavens. Spiritual energy erupted in violent waves, shaking the temple apart.

Yet the demonized children were untouched — creatures of pure instinct, heedless of pain or fear.

Already weakened, the Fengtian Temple crumbled under the onslaught. With the walls collapsing, the blood-born creatures spilled out like a flood, chasing the fleeing clansmen through the city streets.

Yun Zhuoran and his allies were locked in combat with Yun Duo’s growing power. Xu Zhichun, Li Jianming, and the wounded Meng Ye, whose cultivations were weaker, could only defend the civilians nearby. 

Meng Ye’s injuries forced Xu Zhichun to heal him first, while helping others repel the few stragglers that broke through Lu Yu’s barrier.

Seeing the blood gushing from Yan Changtian’s arm, Xu Zhichun stepped forward. A touch of his hand sent warmth through the wound, the pain easing instantly.

Yan Changtian turned to him, stunned, and whispered hoarsely, “I… I’m sorry, Great Wuzhu.”

Xu Zhichun stopped the bleeding and withdrew his hand. “Apologies can wait. We must trap the children first. If they reach the city, it will be a massacre.”

Even demonized, the Wu children were deadly. Over a hundred loosed upon Wu City could slaughter thousands — ordinary people first, and cultivators soon after.

Beneath the shattered temple, the passageways were nearly empty. Even without the demonized children chasing them, the Wu clansmen could no longer remain. 

Bloodied and weary, Lan Ge glanced back once before gripping her longbow and following the others out.

Yan Changtian took a steadying breath, retrieved his fallen staff, and turned to Xu Zhichun, his expression solemn. “I understand, Great Wuzhu. Rest assured—I won’t make the same mistake again.”

He bowed deeply, then resolutely followed after Lan Ge.

“What are you going to do?!” Xu Zhichun called after him, alarmed.

Yan Changtian didn’t look back. 

Xu Zhichun’s face darkened. He turned to Li Jianming. “Ming’er, I can’t assist the Young Island Master or your master now. Wu City must already be in chaos. I’ll go aid the clan leader and retrieve those children!”

“Godfather!” Li Jianming and Meng Ye shouted at once, but Xu Zhichun had already gone. 

Meng Ye, ignoring his injuries, hurried after him.

Li Jianming raised his sword to follow, but Pei Heng stopped him. “I’ll go with you,” Pei Heng said quietly. “Your cultivation is too low. If you go alone, you’ll only die with them.”

Not far off, Yun Shaowei and Ji Ruo exchanged a glance, then looked toward the distant battle raging above the ruins.

“Our Young Island Master has already set aside grudges to help,”  Song Shao said firmly. “We can’t just stand here.”

With Song Shao and Song Yun already heading out, Yun Shaowei and Ji Ruo followed, unwilling to stay idle.

Only five figures remained in the collapsed temple: Yun Zhuoran and his heart demon, Lu Yu, Penglai Immortal, and Wen Jianxian.

After a final burst of spiritual force, the temple’s last walls crumbled. 

Dust blanketed the air. Only the colossal statue by the hillside remained—its form glowing with pale golden light, sacred and untouchable—continuing to feed faith into Yun Duo.

The statue’s power was immense, far beyond that of a mortal formation. Yet Yun Duo’s refusal to fully devour the sacrifices had delayed her advantage. 

They had tried striking the statue, but its divine light was impervious. Forced to turn their blades on Yun Duo herself, Wen Jianxian was the first to feel the backlash of its divine drain.

Barely two weeks had passed since their last encounter, yet Yun Duo’s strength had multiplied—proof of the power granted by the sacrificial formation. 

Wen Jianxian couldn’t understand why the sacrifices were only Wu children, not adults. Perhaps there was something unique in their bloodline or curse.

His brief hesitation was fatal. Yun Duo’s whip-like sleeve lashed out, knocking his spirit sword aside. 

Lu Yu caught him by the arm, dragging him back.

“Don’t lose focus,” Lu Yu said coldly. “One more strike and this ends.”

Wen Jianxian nodded, ashamed, and rejoined the fight.

Amid the chaos, Yun Duo’s movements sharpened with desperation, her once-ethereal calm turning jagged. She had realized Yun Zhuoran had yet to unleash the Taiyin True Fire—the weapon she feared most.

Her confidence cracked, giving way to dread. She could tell he was restraining himself, and the thought terrified her.

Even if she could kill them, she would never escape. She judged the red-clad man beside him—the Little Island Master—as the weakest link. Yet his strength, strange and formless, was more unpredictable than Yun Zhuoran’s own. 

The true weak point, ironically, was Wen Jianxian himself: half a step into Great Ascension, but already one of the few who could stand against late-stage sword cultivators.

Yun Duo’s eyes darted between them, suspicion flashing. 

If Yun Zhuoran was holding back, then surely Lu Yu, Penglai Immortal, and Weiran were concealing their strength as well.

They couldn’t see her exhaustion—but she felt it keenly. The blood array’s power was fading. If she relied solely on the statue’s faith energy, she would soon fall behind.

Her mind raced. What should she do?

Her focus faltered. In that instant of distraction, Wen Jianxian’s natal spirit sword pierced through the swirling mist. The blow tore open a gap in her defenses, slicing away the blood veil around her.

The heart demon’s eyes flashed red. In the next moment, his body dissolved into shadow. Black mist swept down from above, enveloping Yun Duo completely. 

Her vision darkened—her blood mist being devoured from within.

She realized their plan too late. 

The black fog retreated to Yun Zhuoran’s side and condensed again into the red-clad youth. 

The blood mist surrounding Yun Duo was gone.

Her pulse thudded with fury.

Yun Zhuoran smiled faintly. “It’s time.”

Lu Yu and Penglai Immortal shifted into formation. By then, all five had surrounded her completely.

“Let’s finish this!” Lu Yu shouted, excitement flashing in his eyes.

Seeing their coordination, Yun Duo’s heart sank. 

Without her blood mist, she couldn’t resist the combined strength of four Great Ascension cultivators. Pleading for mercy was useless.

Once the Little Island Master had swallowed the last remnants of her power, Lu Yu and Penglai Immortal renewed their attack, fierce and unrelenting. 

Wen Jianxian, regaining his composure, joined them. 

The Little Island Master intercepted the golden light pouring from the statue, absorbing part of it to weaken her even further.

It burned and seared his form, but he endured.

With her faith supply disrupted, Yun Duo’s power faltered. Stripped of the blood mist, she fought on borrowed strength. Panic flickered in her eyes.

Yun Zhuoran watched coldly, spiritual energy rising around him. His restraint fell away.

“Fall back!” Lu Yu ordered. 

Penglai Immortal retreated at once, moving to Yun Zhuoran’s side. The heart demon shifted first, dragging Wen Jianxian back with him. 

Wen Jianxian caught a glimpse of Yun Duo’s face—ashen, eyes wide with disbelief.

Too late.

The Taiyin True Fire—its pale golden flame—ignited. It spread like dawn across the ruins, drowning the statue’s fading light.

Yun Duo’s breath caught. That flame, cold as moonlight yet absolute, swallowed everything it touched. She could not run.

She stared at Yun Zhuoran, her trembling lips curling into a bitter smile. The face before her—eerily like Yun Peiran’s, but sharper, colder, and merciless—was the last thing she saw.

“Why must you always stand against me?” she screamed. “Why must you take everything I have?”

“Nonsense.” Yun Zhuoran’s reply was quiet but cutting.

Like a flower blooming in shadow, the Taiyin True Fire flared and consumed her violet robes.

The battle was over.

The golden radiance of the statue dimmed. Silence descended upon the ruins.

Yun Duo fell amidst the debris, clutching her chest as she coughed blood. 

No one pitied her. No matter her beauty or the divine glow still clinging to her, all saw only cruelty and ruin.

“Even if you kill me,” she rasped, blood running from her lips, “the god will never appear…”
A twisted smile curved across her face. “Yun Zhuoran… I regret letting you live long enough to grow. But don’t dream too much. Even if I die, you’ll never see the god of Fengtian Temple again.”

The heart demon muttered, “Pervert.”

Lu Yu rubbed his chin.

 Wen Jianxian stared, still shaken by the Taiyin True Fire. 

Penglai Immortal, visibly furious, growled, “I don’t care who you are—you’re not allowed to insult little Zhuoran again!”

Yun Duo gave him a faint glance before fixing her fading gaze on Yun Zhuoran. 

He met her eyes without emotion. “If the deity of Fengtian Temple isn’t here,” he asked, “then where is he?”

Yun Duo forced herself upright but avoided his gaze. “I brought you to Wu City to kill you. If the deity hadn’t stopped me, I would’ve ended you years ago at Tiandao Sect.”

“Why did he stop you?” Yun Zhuoran asked.

She sneered weakly. “Of course… to help you draw out the true Taiyin True Fire.”

Yun Zhuoran could tell she was stalling, her breath already shallow. She had no intention of revealing the deity’s whereabouts. 

His voice hardened. “I heard Yun Peiran came to see this god years ago. Where is he now?”

Her mocking expression faltered. Shock flickered across her pale face. “You said… Brother Peiran was here?”

Yun Zhuoran’s tone remained cold. “Where is that god?”

“He… was here?” she stammered.

Realization struck him. “He wasn’t here for you. He came for that god. Yun Duo, I’ll ask once more—where is he?”

Her lips parted, but no words came. Her eyes unfocused, muttering faintly to herself—then froze.

The statue, silent until now, suddenly blazed with golden light.

“Brother!” the heart demon shouted, dragging Yun Zhuoran back as a torrent of power burst forth.

Lu Yu and Penglai Immortal instantly raised barriers. 

The divine pressure crashed over them like a mountain. Even layered shields cracked under its force. Wind howled through the ruins, sharp enough to tear flesh. 

The barriers shattered one after another.

Yun Zhuoran extended his own, reinforcing the last layer. 

Slowly, the tempest receded.

The golden light gathered above the ruins, pulsing within the clouds.

“That’s him,” Lu Yu breathed. “That’s the god.”

The power was overwhelming—far beyond Yun Duo’s, beyond anything mortal.

Before they could recover, Penglai Immortal shouted, “Look—the statue!”

The massive figure shimmered again, its divine features becoming clear. 

The face was one they all recognized.

Yun Zhuoran’s eyes narrowed.

The heart demon whispered, trembling, “Brother… it’s Gu Shenshu.”

Yun Zhuoran looked up wordlessly. 

High above, through the fading light, a familiar figure appeared—Shen Lingshu.

He gazed once at the statue, then at Yun Zhuoran, before turning away. Gathering the divine cloud beneath his feet, he rose and vanished into the sky.

The heart demon clenched his fists, voice rising with disbelief. “It’s him again!”