When the Cannon Fodder Male Supporting Role Picks Up the Script - Chapter 16

It is widely known that in Shengjing, there is a remarkable person, born with a Dao bone, who at just twenty has already transcended the Deity Transformation. One day, he experiences a sudden enlightenment, relinquishes all his cultivation, and abandons his position as the head of the Gu family to establish an unprecedented sect.

That person is Gu Shenshu, the master of the Tiandao Sect.

Throughout history, many in the cultivation world worship the Way of Heaven, but no one is as fervent as Gu Shenshu, who creates the first sect in the cultivation world dedicated to it. He resolutely gives up his Transformation God cultivation and his status as the head of the Gu family in Shengjing, starting from scratch to cultivate a self-created Dao technique. He quickly ascends to the peak of cultivation, achieving what no one expects. In just a century, the name of the Tiandao Sect became known throughout the nine provinces.

Before encountering him, Yun Zhuoran has never seen anyone so nearly mad in their belief in the ethereal and illusory Way of Heaven. He believes those inspired by Gu Shenshu are undoubtedly brainwashed by him.

The North Mountain Cloud Pool, where the incident occurs, is not only Gu Shenshu’s place of meditation but also the only altar of the Tiandao Sect, built by Gu Shenshu himself. Only a few people in the inner sect of the Tiandao Sect know that Gu Shenshu actually builds an altar on this mountain.

Yun Zhuoran is one of them. He speculates that due to Gu Shenshu’s fervor for the Way of Heaven, he must have been offering sacrifices to it. However, this altar, engraved with complicated magic arrays, has never activated.

No one expected that 20 years after Gu Shenshu’s death, the magic array of this altar would actually start by itself. But unlike when Gu Shenshu was alive, this place, once the fairyland closest to the sky, is now infected by evil spirits. Black evil spirits continue to emerge from the blood-red array, and a young man in white lies in the center.

When Yun Zhuoran arrives, Gu Qiuming is lying motionless in the formation, with a cut on each wrist, and scarlet blood flows into the groove on the ground, continuing to flow into the huge formation in the center of the altar.

The evil spirit of the formation is extremely strong, and the pressure makes Yun Zhuoran subconsciously feel awed and dare not approach. At the same time, he notices a group of dark monsters lurking around the formation, their blood-red eyes hidden in the black fog. If anyone dares to approach, these monsters will undoubtedly tear him apart on the spot.

Gu Qiuming’s blood spreads from the inside to the outside of the groove of the three-meter-circle formation beneath him. The blood gathers into thin lines, like small snakes, and continues to spread forward, intensifying the evil spirit in the formation.

The heart demon is attracted by the evil spirit gushing out of the formation, but when he arrives, he also feels a deep-seated pressure that awakens him instantly. He turns to stare at the monster guarding the formation. Since it appears, the heart demon feels terrified for the first time. The power overflowing from this magic circle is too overwhelming, making him uneasy. “Brother, it’s very dangerous here.”

“I know.”

Yun Zhuoran stares at the magic circle, puzzled as to why Gu Shenshu’s place of meditation has become like this. Moreover, the power surging from the magic circle suddenly feels familiar.

Yun Zhuoran says, “I want to take a look.”

The heart demon pauses and floats in front of Yun Zhuoran. “Then I’ll eat that monster.”

The heart demon is evidently not as strong as the power surging from the formation. After pondering for a moment, Yun Zhuoran raises his hand to rub the heart demon’s head, a gesture of encouragement that lifts the heart demon’s spirits.

With wide eyes, it turns around and excitedly floats toward the demonic creature, saying, “Wait for me, brother! I’ll be right back!”

Yun Zhuoran watches the black ball’s body slowly swell as it drifts away, takes a deep breath, and walks forward. As he approaches the magic circle, there is a loud bang, and the monster guarding the circle suddenly jumps up and roars.

However, the heart demon rushes past the obstruction faster, allowing Yun Zhuoran to move smoothly to the front of the magic circle. Gu Qiuming’s weak cry for help emanates from the array. The boy’s face is as pale as paper, and his blood is almost completely drained by the magic circle.

Yun Zhuoran stops outside the blood-colored barrier created by the magic circle. The familiar feeling intensifies, and an answer is on the verge of surfacing in his mind. He tentatively raises his hand to touch the translucent barrier. When his palm makes contact, a dazzling red light envelops his face, causing Yun Zhuoran to close his eyes unexpectedly.

When he opens them again, Yun Zhuoran finds himself amidst white clouds. The sun sets in the west, casting brilliant colors across the sky, and golden light spills over the blue water flowers, creating a dreamlike scene.

Yun Zhuoran sits in a pavilion, gazing down at a jade ring in his hand, his expression dazed.

The jade ring is clear and round, with a faint aura; it is a storage magic tool. Yun Zhuoran peers inside and is immediately stunned by the various magic tools and spiritual stones piled up like mountains.

“This is all my wealth; I’m giving it to you. Now I’m really penniless,” the person opposite him sighs, as if speaking directly to him. “Don’t be moved to tears; who makes you my brother?”

Yun Zhuoran gently rubs the jade ring with his finger, clearly feeling the characters “Penglai” engraved on the inner wall. He remains somewhat stunned, silently lifting his gaze to the opposite side, only to be dazzled by the sunset glow reflected from the bald head across from him. He hastily raises his hand to shield his eyes, momentarily forgetting what he’s about to do, his mind blank.

“Why… are you giving this to me?”

The man opposite chuckles softly, dressed in a snow-white monk’s robe but sitting casually. With the light behind him, all Yun Zhuoran can see is his extremely white skin, and his teeth gleam white when he smiles.

“Actually, it was originally yours, but I wanted it, so I took it first.” He shows no signs of embarrassment, adding, “You’ll have to keep it yourself from now on.” He takes a sip of tea, his laughter somewhat subdued. “I just happened to pass by to take a look; don’t tell anyone that I’ve been here, not even anyone with the surname Gu.”

Yun Zhuoran feels a strong sense of familiarity in his heart. He stares at the corner of the man’s snow-white robe in a daze and asks involuntarily, “Where are you going?”

“To… participate in a gamble?” The man glances at the sunset, his voice soft as if murmuring. After finishing his words, he smiles, suddenly stands up, and waves his hand. “I’m leaving.”

Before Yun Zhuoran’s hazy consciousness can fully awaken, he finds himself rising alongside him, feeling a strong sense of unease surge within.

He calls out the man’s name. “Yun Peiran!”

The white-robed man outside the pavilion turns back helplessly. “Keep your voice down; Gu Shenshu will hear it.”

Yun Zhuoran is momentarily stunned, feeling that Yun Peiran shouldn’t have turned back… But looking at the face that resembles his own by seventy percent, yet is filled with rebelliousness and defiance, he tightens his grip on the jade ring and quickly chases after him. When he stands in front of the man, he ponders for a moment before asking, “Where exactly are you going? When will you come back next time?”

Yun Peiran chuckles, “You never asked this before.”

Yun Zhuoran insists, “I want to know.”

“You little rascal, why are you so inquisitive this time?” Yun Peiran seems a bit troubled as he rubs his shiny bald head, sighs lightly, and extends his hand toward Yun Zhuoran, the corners of his mouth curling up in a teasing smile. “Alright then, if you want to know, come with your brother to have a look. I can’t say when I’ll be back next time. Are you coming?”

Yun Zhuoran is suddenly taken aback. “Brother…”

Yun Peiran seems to be in a hurry, glancing at the setting sun with anxious eyes. Yet, he is always kind to Yun Zhuoran. “Little boy, don’t you want to go with your brother? Time is running out.”

Hearing this, Yun Zhuoran’s fingertips tremble slightly. He grabs the hand that is about to withdraw, locking his gaze onto Yun Peiran’s face. Yun Peiran raises his eyebrows, shaking his head with a laugh. “Then um…”

Suddenly, Yun Peiran’s eyes widen, and he slowly lowers his head to look at the hand piercing his chest. His expression freezes in disbelief, and a chaotic black fog fills his heart.

No blood. Yun Peiran looks up, meeting Yun Zhuoran’s cold gaze.

“I am your brother…”

Yun Zhuoran’s eyes are icy. “You are not worthy.”

Yun Peiran stares in shock, but his disguise has already been exposed. The black mist spills from his heart, and he begins to dissipate rapidly. His cold, strikingly similar face is quickly engulfed by black ash.

Watching him vanish before his eyes, Yun Zhuoran’s frosty expression falters momentarily, but in the blink of an eye, it returns to normal.

As the black mist dissipates, the sky fills with the afterglow of sunset, and the ground is covered in blue water flowers. All the images freeze and slowly turn to ashes.

At that moment, in the Tiandao Sect’s North Mountain Cloud Pool, Yun Zhuoran has been standing in front of the formation for a quarter of an hour. His eyes light up with golden-red spiritual light, finally awakening. Before him is still the blood-red barrier; he has never left the North Mountain.

At the same time, the anxious voice of the heart demon comes from behind. “Brother!”

Yun Zhuoran steadies himself. “I’m fine.”

He takes a breath and turns around, only to realize that the heart demon has been fighting the dream demon for a while. The heart demon is putting in great effort; even against a dream demon that is several times larger than it, it shows no signs of weakness. The dream demon, which had been roaring angrily in front, begins to flee. Its body, covered in black mist, looks as if it has been chewed by a dog, shrinking to half its size and appearing quite pathetic.

Seeing this rather comical scene, the heaviness in Yun Zhuoran’s heart quickly turns into a sense of helpless amusement. If he isn’t mistaken, this dream demon is the culprit that lures him into a dream; its strength isn’t weak.

After observing for a moment, Yun Zhuoran guesses that this dream demon’s power is vaguely at the stage of integration.

Could this be the monster that leaves a mark on Ji Chen and harms others while possessing them in Xianyun Hall?

The heart demon, previously distracted by Yun Zhuoran, now relaxes since Yun Zhuoran is fine, allowing it to focus entirely on chasing the dream demon. It even finds time to talk to Yun Zhuoran. “Brother, look at me!”

Meanwhile, Gu Qiuming’s blood continues to seep into the grooves of the magic circle.

The blood-red light of the formation brightens, and dense black evil energy erupts from the center, blocking all prying eyes.

The blood-red barrier gradually fades.

Yun Zhuoran glances back at the sound.

The massive black mass halts in mid-air, its claws resting on its “waist.” Its small black eyes stare at the dream demon, and it suddenly shouts, “Ugly thing, come back here!”

The dream demon isn’t foolish; sensing that this little creature is too strange, it tries to flee. However, it fails to notice the heart demon behind it opening its bottomless black mouth. A powerful suction force suddenly emerges, pulling the dream demon backwards uncontrollably. Initially stunned, it looks back only to see a black vortex.

“…Help!”

The dream demon is slow to react and screams in terror, but in an instant, it disappears into the vortex created by the heart demon. The heart demon, now satiated, closes its mouth with a gulp and then lets out a satisfied burp.

Yun Zhuoran, who witnesses the entire scene, is left speechless.