When the Cannon Fodder Male Supporting Role Picks Up the Script - Chapter 34

The last rays of the setting sun are obscured by clouds and mist, turning the sky dark gray. A gust of malicious wind suddenly sweeps through the valley, and black clouds gather overhead. The heart demon, who is a hundred times more sensitive to evil spirits than anyone else,’s eyes brighten. He grabs Yun Zhuoran’s hand with his claws and pokes his head out. Yun Zhuoran knows that Ji Ruo has made his move.

Shen Xi, panting as she catches up, glares at Yun Zhuoran, her anger growing with each passing moment.

“Hey, what’s your name?! Which peak master of the Tiandao Sect are you a disciple of?!”

Shen Man, who has followed from behind, rolls her eyes in secret. Shen Xi is so rude that it’s a wonder anyone pays attention to her. Furthermore, if she hadn’t just lost her temper and issued orders in such a domineering manner, her immortal rope would have likely been untied by now.

Shen Man conceals the disdain in her eyes, takes a deep breath, and is surprised to notice that Yun Zhuoran’s appearance is particularly striking. Just one glance at him sends ripples through her heart.

She suddenly thinks of something and looks at Yun Zhuoran with newfound tenderness. “Senior Brother, do you know Yun Zhuoran? I heard he’s the most handsome man in the Tiandao Sect.”

Shen Xi scoffs, “Nonsense! Yun Zhuoran is nothing but a locked-up criminal! My brother is the most handsome man in the Tiandao Sect!”

Shen Man ignores her, her gaze still focused on Yun Zhuoran as she asks softly, “What do you think, brother?”

Yun Zhuoran, who is focused on using his spiritual sense to assess the situation at the valley entrance, responds curtly, “Shut up.”

Shen Man’s face turns pale, then flushes with embarrassment. She forces a smile and retreats, thinking to herself that this man, who lacks any manners, better not be Yun Zhuoran, or once she’s got him hooked, she’ll make sure to teach him a harsh lesson!

While Shen Man is upset, Shen Xi is pleased. Her gaze toward Yun Zhuoran softens slightly, and she hurries over a couple of steps. “Help me untie this rope, and I won’t report you to my brother… Hey!”

Yun Zhuoran walks past her without a glance, as though she doesn’t even exist. Shen Xi is furious, but Yun Zhuoran moves too quickly. In the blink of an eye, he’s already three feet away.

What speed! Shen Xi is shocked for a moment, glancing at the Immortal Binding Rope in her hands. She stomps her foot and shamelessly chases after him.

Shen Man, exhausted, curses under her breath and trots to catch up.

In truth, Yun Zhuoran doesn’t let Shen Xi and Shen Man keep up, but both of them know that the situation is dangerous, and following Yun Zhuoran is the safer option.

When Yun Zhuoran arrives at the mouth of the valley, Ji Ruo has already made his move. Opposite him stand Shen Lingshu, Lu Qi, and three monks Yun Zhuoran doesn’t recognize. Hurricanes wrapped in groups of Yin Qi swirl between them. In the air, there is an evil spirit surrounded by demonic energy—its skin pale and cold, its eyes blood-red, and its lower body completely dissolved into the black mist.

Yun Zhuoran is slightly puzzled. Ji Ruo hasn’t set up the same formation as before, so it would be difficult for him to let the heart demon devour the plague monster without attracting attention.

Shen Xi and Shen Man, who have followed him the entire way, turn pale when they see the plague monster. Shen Xi takes a step back in fear, but upon seeing the people in the battle, her expression changes to one of joy.

“Brother!”

Ji Ruo is startled when he hears the voice, stunned to see that these two women have been saved!

Especially when he sees Yun Zhuoran, Ji Ruo subconsciously pinches the string of magic beads around his neck.

Yun Zhuoran notices the movement and counts—there are still three magic beads.

Perhaps his gaze is too intense, for Ji Ruo suddenly feels uneasy. “What are you staring at! Useless things, you can’t even keep watch over one person! Since you’re going to die, don’t blame me for being ruthless!”

At that moment, the plague monster lets out a shrill, beast-like howl—excruciatingly loud. Ji Ruo turns around in alarm, only to see that the plague monster has been severely wounded by the golden light emitted from a female cultivator’s treasure mirror!

Yun Zhuoran raises an eyebrow in surprise. The quality of the mirror is nearly as good as that of an immortal artifact.

Ji Ruo then realizes that, in addition to Shen Lingshu and Lu Qi, one of the other two men and one woman is at the Yuanying stage, while another is at the late Jindan stage. Coincidentally, the female cultivator at the late Jindan stage holds a powerful magic weapon, and she has actually managed to trap the plague monster—whose cultivation is strong enough to crush everyone—within the golden light array.

Ji Ruo panics.

The strength of the plague monster is far inferior to that of the phantom demon, and it is only at the out-of-body stage. Since acquiring the phantom demon, Ji Ruo hasn’t used the plague monster again. However, he doesn’t dare summon other magical beasts. With his current cultivation, he wouldn’t be able to control them if they are stronger than the phantom demon.

Now that Shen Xi and the others have emerged and Shen Lingshu has support, Ji Ruo glances at Yun Zhuoran and the others, then at the trapped plague monster.

When the female cultivator traps the plague monster with the golden light array, Shen Lingshu and the others breathe a collective sigh of relief.

This plague monster is indeed hard to handle, with all of its attacks being poisonous. Thankfully, the female cultivator has a powerful magic weapon.

Shen Lingshu nods gratefully at her before turning to Ji Ruo.

“Master Ji, we should have no past grievances. I don’t know why you’ve tried to kill me multiple times, even kidnapping my junior brother and sister to threaten me. I have no intention of being your enemy,” Shen Lingshu says. “Take your people and leave the Ten Thousand Beasts Forest. If we meet again, I will not let you go easily.”

Shen Lingshu’s words are quite clever. Ji Ruo is the Young Master of the Demon Palace, and in recent years, the Demon Palace has had no direct conflict with the Tiandao Sect. If Shen Lingshu lets him go, the Demon Palace would owe him a favor.

Furthermore, the Demon Palace Master is the most powerful figure in the Demon Dao, and Ji Ruo cannot be killed.

Everyone knows that Ji Ruo likely has more deadly moves in reserve. Using the plague monster to force him to leave the Ten Thousand Beasts Forest is the only viable solution.

Since Ji Ruo has even allowed Shen Lingshu and the others to capture his pet, what else can he say? But he is reluctant to accept it. Subconsciously, he pinches the magic bead on his pendant, his eyes shifting to Yun Zhuoran and Shen Xi nearby.

He releases the magic bead and says to Shen Lingshu, “Then you’ll have to release my plague monster first!”

Shen Lingshu has anticipated this demand. Smiling, she shakes her head slowly. “When Master Ji leaves the Ten Thousand Beasts Forest, I’ll persuade my seniors to return the plague monster to the Demon Palace.”

Ji Ruo retorts, “If you give my plague monster over to those people, can it really be returned?”

Shen Lingshu replies, “Master Ji, do you know that there’s a Penglai Immortal stationed outside the Ten Thousand Beasts Forest? That person is a half-immortal in the Great Ascension stage? Why not guess, does the senior Penglai Immortal know you are here?”

Yun Zhuoran hadn’t expected Shen Lingshu to use the Penglai Immortal to threaten Ji Ruo. From what he knows, the Penglai Immortal and Shen Lingshu don’t get along.

“You’re threatening me!” Ji Ruo is clearly enraged, but as he looks at the plague monster writhing in pain beneath the golden light from the female cultivator’s treasure mirror, he hesitates for a moment before gritting his teeth and saying, “Fine, I promise you, I will—”

Before Shen Lingshu can respond, Ji Ruo suddenly flashes and appears next to Shen Xi. No one expects him to act personally, especially since he has relied so much on his magic pets. But now, Ji Ruo’s strength is evident. A ball of powerful magical energy appears in his white hands, and it is about to strike Shen Xi’s neck!

Shen Lingshu’s expression changes dramatically, and she rushes forward.

Just then, Yun Zhuoran comes up with a quick plan. He rushes forward and pushes Shen Xi out of the way.

In the next moment, Ji Ruo’s hand strikes Yun Zhuoran’s shoulder blade. Ji Ruo pauses in surprise, then seizes the opportunity to grab Yun Zhuoran by the neck. No matter what, at least one is caught. What frustrates him is that Yun Zhuoran, who is half a head taller than him, completely blocks his view.

Ji Ruo’s cheeks flush beneath his mask as he curses inwardly, then grabs Yun Zhuoran and retreats.

By the time everyone reacts, Ji Ruo has already seized Yun Zhuoran by his neck’s spiritual vein.

No matter how fast Shen Lingshu is, she only has time to save Shen Xi, who was pushed away by Yun Zhuoran. Seeing Yun Zhuoran being caught, she summons the spirit sword again and says coldly: “Master Ji, you don’t want your magic pet anymore!”

“You are so naive.” Ji Ruo is not afraid at all at this time, and says with a smile: “Look carefully, is my magic pet really trapped? If it is so useless, why do I keep it?”

As Ji Ruo says this, he mutters the word “Return,” and the plague demon suddenly vanishes under the magic mirror, transforming into a strand of demonic energy that flies back into the magic bead pendant he wears. Ji Ruo then pretends to be surprised.

“How about that? Surprised? Unexpected?”

The captured person, Yun Zhuoran, only realizes at this moment that Ji Ruo has to stand on tiptoe and stick his head out when talking behind him, so Ji Ruo’s grip on his neck is a bit too tight, making it uncomfortable, but he patiently cooperates with Ji Ruo, bending slightly while suppressing his heart demon, trying not to act rashly. Suddenly, he notices a faint purple thread on Ji Ruo’s hand.

It looks like a bloodline thread.

Yun Zhuoran follows the line downward.

This thread… is connected to himself?

At this moment, Ji Ruo laughs a few times, raises his hand to cut a black gap in the air, and pushes Yun Zhuoran in, leaving only one sentence for everyone:

“If you want to save him, wait for the next life!”

Yun Zhuoran, caught off guard, is sent into the seam, and the surrounding environment changes drastically. When he looks up, he finds himself in a familiar cave, or the Leishi Cave Mansion he had just left, which turns out to be a teleportation array.

Ji Ruo follows closely and crawls out of the black gap. Yun Zhuoran hears the footsteps and tilts his head. He sees Ji Ruo is almost caught by the rapidly disappearing teleportation array, his hair now disheveled.

The heart demon laughs, “How stupid.”

Ji Ruo doesn’t hear the inner demon’s mocking, but the moment he sees Yun Zhuoran’s gaze, he feels a sense of embarrassment, anger rising in his chest as he snaps, “What are you looking at? Don’t even think about escaping. You won’t get away!”

Yun Zhuoran doesn’t intend to escape. He is focused on the faint purple bloodline thread between himself and Ji Ruo and wonders if he was mistaken earlier—perhaps the purple line is not a bloodline thread after all?

Could it be that Yun Peiran secretly gave birth to a son before he disappeared? That couldn’t be the young master of the Demon Palace… Yun Zhuoran begins to doubt for the first time. It turns out that besides Yun Peiran, he has other relatives?

The more Ji Ruo thinks about it, the angrier he gets, and he feels a bit uneasy about Yun Zhuoran’s eerily calm and cold gaze. It also seems like Yun Zhuoran is a bit stronger than him…

Ji Ruo cautiously takes a step back, gripping the magic bead on his chest tightly. A strand of demonic energy drifts out and lands behind Yun Zhuoran, and in an instant, a murderous aura fills the air. Without thinking, Yun Zhuoran knows the plague demon was released.

“Don’t think you’re stronger than me by just a little bit…” Ji Ruo gestures with his thumb and index finger, glaring at Yun Zhuoran as he says, “You can never defeat the plague demon, don’t think about escaping!”

When he turns around and sees the gloomy face of the plague demon, Yun Zhuoran suddenly comes to his senses and stops thinking about the bloodline thread. No matter who Ji Ruo is, his magic pets will definitely be eaten by the heart demon, not just the plague demon.