When the Cannon Fodder Male Supporting Role Picks Up the Script - Chapter 36

Breaking through in the Ten Thousand Beasts Forest is unrealistic. When Yun Zhuoran leaves the valley, the spiritual power in his dantian overflows and surges uncontrollably. To stabilize it, he needs to find a demon-infested forest and expend the excess energy by slaying demon beasts.

This also serves as a good opportunity to hone his skills. Since Gu Shenshu’s death, Yun Zhuoran has remained low-key, training in the Tiandao Sect for twenty years. While his cultivation improves significantly, his lack of combat experience remains a critical weakness.

However, the scope of this trial only covers the outskirts of the Ten Thousand Beasts Forest. In one day and one night, Yun Zhuoran encounters only one 6th-level demon beast that barely provides him with a challenge. Its strength is roughly equivalent to the late Nascent Soul stage, which is still too weak for him. After defeating it and collecting its demon core, he feeds the beast to his Heart Demon. The demon beast’s flesh, though lacking its core, tastes the same, but it isn’t very filling. Yun Zhuoran then hunts several low-level demon beasts to fill the Heart Demon’s hunger.

Once his spiritual power stabilizes, Yun Zhuoran counts the demon cores he has accumulated over the past two days. There are six cores from fifth-rank beasts and more than a dozen from below fifth rank, all piled up into a colorful, rounded heap, large and small.

A fifth-rank demon beast’s strength is comparable to that of a Nascent Soul stage cultivator. The highest rank for demon beasts is the ninth rank, which is extremely rare. It is said that deep within the Forest of Ten Thousand Beasts lies a ninth-rank Jade Qilin, comparable to a cultivator in the Great Ascension stage.

Despite sharing the same origin, demon beasts and demonic cultivators follow entirely different paths of cultivation. Most demon beasts possess extremely low intelligence, and some have not even awakened their spiritual wisdom. A ninth-rank Jade Qilin, however, would be the king of the Forest of Ten Thousand Beasts, holding a revered status in the cultivation world. Yet, the Jade Qilin has not been seen for hundreds of years.

Noticing the Heart Demon eyeing the demon core greedily, Yun Zhuoran picks up a water-red core that barely reaches the threshold of level 5. His jade-like white fingers pinch the core delicately. “Want to try it?”

The Heart Demon, a small black orb, trembles with excitement and lunges forward to hug Yun Zhuoran’s hand.

“Brother, you’re the best!”

Yun Zhuoran shakes his head with a faint smile, nudging the core toward the Heart Demon before storing the remaining cores. These are reserved for the Heart Demon in case future opportunities to hunt become scarce.

After organizing everything, Yun Zhuoran carries the Heart Demon and walks toward the edge of a cliff.

Atop a mountain peak several hundred feet high, the fierce mountain wind billows his robes.

The Heart Demon sits in Yun Zhuoran’s palm, carefully nibbling on the demon core, savoring each bite.

Below the cliff stretches an endless, thousand-foot jungle. The air is thick with demonic energy mingled with faint spiritual energy. Yun Zhuoran whispers to himself, “Where should we go next?”

The Heart Demon doesn’t know. As long as there is food and its brother by its side, it is content. Yun Zhuoran can only release his spiritual sense to probe the surroundings. Within a hundred miles, there are no beasts worth their attention, but faint demonic energy seeps from a canyon several hundred miles away. It reminds Yun Zhuoran of the mirage dragon that took Gu Shenshu, though the energy is too faint to confirm its presence. It might have been a trace left behind or simply a place the dragon passed through.

Despite his uncertainty, Yun Zhuoran decides to investigate. Using the Shrinking Earth into an Inch technique, he reaches the valley in no time.

The Heart Demon, more attuned to demonic energy than Yun Zhuoran, grows wary. Yun Zhuoran soon notices the valley is cloaked in a barrier of demonic energy. Outside, black-robed demon cultivators move about, their clothes adorned with ominous demonic patterns. There is more than one of them.

Among them, Yun Zhuoran recognizes Ji Ruo but also senses other demon cultivators in the Ten Thousand Beasts Forest. Unsure of their affiliations, Yun Zhuoran carefully sends a sliver of divine sense through the barrier and is surprised by what he finds. Nearly twenty righteous cultivators are trapped in the canyon, including disciples from various sects and even some from the Tiandao Sect. One of them is Cheng Yu, a friend of Gu Qiuming.

Suddenly, movement from the bottom of the hill catches Yun Zhuoran’s attention. He quickly hides in the woods.

Moments later, two black-robed demon cultivators emerge, dragging a bloodied man across the ground. They show no concern for the sharp stones that tear further into the injured man’s battered body.

The two demonic cultivators chat as they walk, their voices low but audible to Yun Zhuoran through a simple spell. They complain about the Kunwu Sword Sect disciple they are dragging behind them, blaming him for escaping from the barrier and forcing them to chase after him.

“These righteous cultivators are so annoying! Why not just kill him with one strike? That would be so much more satisfying!” one of them grumbles.

The other quickly hushes his voice. “The Young Master won’t allow it. This guy has to stay alive; he’s still useful. Our Young Master has plans for him.”

“I heard that Young Master Ji is here as well. Do you think he’s also here to investigate the mirage dragon? The Young Master’s been tracking it for so long—after all the effort we’ve put into finding traces of it—”

“Young Master Ji is not someone to mess with,” the second mutters uneasily. “If he really shows up, who knows who’ll end up with the mirage dragon…” He pauses before whispering nervously, “Don’t let the Young Master hear you say that!”

The two demon cultivators fall silent after that, no longer daring to mention Young Master Ji’s name.

Once they are far enough ahead, Yun Zhuoran steps out of the shadows. From their conversation, he pieces together that these demon cultivators have also discovered traces of the mirage dragon and are actively searching for it. They might even have valuable information.

Initially, Yun Zhuoran has no intention of entering the canyon or rescuing anyone. But as he watches the three figures fade into the distance, his thoughts shift. His eyes narrow slightly.

The two demon cultivators remain unaware of him as they continue forward, dragging their captive along. As the canyon entrance comes into view, they spot their companions patrolling nearby and visibly relax. However, they fail to notice the water-red mist suddenly appearing ahead of them. Walking straight into it, their bodies freeze momentarily. When they regain their senses, they turn around together and see a man in white standing silently behind them.

Confused but not suspicious, the two cultivators casually toss the bloody Kunwu Sword Sect disciple toward Yun Zhuoran.

“Here’s another one. Let him carry this guy for us—we’re exhausted from dragging him all this way!” one of them says.

A faint smile flickers in Yun Zhuoran’s eyes. He has implanted a suggestion in their minds, making them believe that this Kunwu Sword Sect disciple has encountered a junior sectmate while fleeing, and the two have been captured together.

In the demon cultivators’ eyes, Yun Zhuoran wears the robes of the Kunwu Sword Sect. Though his face is indistinct, they assume he looks unremarkable and don’t question him further.

Yun Zhuoran glances at the bloodied man lying at his feet without saying a word. Mimicking the demon cultivators, he grabs the man by the ankle and drags him forward carelessly, letting him bump against the stones on the ground.

Guided by the two demon cultivators, Yun Zhuoran successfully enters the canyon. Once inside, the situation is far grimmer than he had anticipated. The spiritual veins of all the prisoners have been sealed. Those who are injured can only rely on the pills they carry to manage their pain. The man Yun Zhuoran has dragged in is in the worst condition. Before entering, Yun Zhuoran secretly transfers a bit of spiritual energy to him to keep him alive.

The two demon cultivators lead Yun Zhuoran to a rocky area in the canyon and leave. As soon as they are gone, the imprisoned cultivators gather around the bloodied Kunwu Sword Sect disciple. Some feed him elixirs, while others rip strips of cloth to bandage his wounds. Over twenty people huddle together, frantically tending to him.

Yun Zhuoran quietly steps back and squats in an empty corner, observing. After some time, the group finishes tending to the injured man and turns their attention to Yun Zhuoran.

“Are you also from the Kunwu Sword Sect? How did you get captured?” one of them asks.

The speaker is Cheng Yu. Yun Zhuoran recognizes him—he had once been a clean, bright-faced boy. Now, his dusty and disheveled appearance is a stark contrast. Embarrassed, Cheng Yu straightens his tattered robes as he introduces himself.

“I’m from the Tiandao Sect. My name is Cheng Yu,” he says, his face tinged red.

Yun Zhuoran nods slightly, acknowledging the introduction.

Cheng Yu looks at him expectantly. Yun Zhuoran realizes what he is waiting for and adds, “I was passing by and got caught as well. Just bad luck.”

Cheng Yu sighs deeply. “My fellow sect brothers and I were captured in the same way. These demon cultivators are unreasonable—they grab anyone they come across. Daoist friend, you don’t know that the one who was brought back with you just now was someone we worked hard to send out after several days of planning. I didn’t expect him to be captured again in less than two hours.” His face carries a mix of disappointment and faint hope. “I don’t even know if he managed to spread the news. When will someone come to rescue us?”

Yun Zhuoran responds curtly, “Oh.”

The conversation hits a dead end. Cheng Yu tries to speak a few more times, but his knowledge of the demon cultivators’ activities is limited. Yun Zhuoran, initially indifferent, eventually stops responding altogether. Crestfallen, Cheng Yu returns to his spot and sits down quietly.

Most of the other imprisoned cultivators share Cheng Yu’s mood. They have been held by the demon cultivators for a long time, their escape attempts repeatedly failing. A pervasive sense of despair hangs over them, mixed with a fragile hope that someone from the outside world might come to save them. But that hope is futile—any news of their plight has been tightly sealed off.

Yun Zhuoran stays in a corner, observing the others for a while. His gaze then shifts to the demon cultivators watching them from a distance, clearly waiting for their leader to arrive.

Night falls silently in the Ten Thousand Beasts Forest, and the dark canyon is lit by two bonfires. Yet the leader of the demon cultivators has not appeared.

As the hours pass, the exhausted righteous cultivators begin leaning against each other, closing their eyes to rest.

Seeing this, Yun Zhuoran forms a hand seal and connects to a strand of divine sense attached to his puppet doll.

This is a unique art from Penglai, taught to him by Song Shao when he gifted the puppet. With this technique, by attaching a strand of divine sense to the specially crafted Penglai puppet doll, Yun Zhuoran can remotely control it from a thousand miles away and see the situation on Shen Lingshu’s side through its eyes.

At that moment, the Heart Demon notices a faint golden-red light flicker in Yun Zhuoran’s black eyes. It resembles the reflection of the distant bonfire but also seems as if he is gazing through it at something far away.

“Brother?” The Heart Demon’s tone is curious and confused.

Yun Zhuoran says nothing, merely placing a palm on the Heart Demon’s head.

The Heart Demon’s eyes suddenly light up as he, too, sees the scene transmitted by the puppet from hundreds of miles away.

It is an empty, dark cave. On a stone bed lies “Yun Zhuoran,” eyes closed, appearing to be in deep slumber.

The Heart Demon asks, “Brother, what is this?”

Yun Zhuoran calmly explains that it is the puppet doll’s current state. The Heart Demon’s eyes gleam with excitement. “Brother, can you control that puppet?”

“Yes.”

The Heart Demon grows even more animated. “Like the puppets Song Shao brought?”

Yun Zhuoran chuckles softly. “Something like that.”

“Wow!” The Heart Demon’s admiration is evident.

As they speak, a figure appears in the cave on the puppet’s side. A girl in a yellow dress approaches quietly, her movements cautious. It is either Shen Xi or Shen Man.

Soon, her face becomes clear—it is Shen Man. She moves closer to the puppet, staring at it for a long time with a concerned expression. Then, her lips suddenly curve into a sneer.

“So, you’re Yun Zhuoran,” she murmurs. “If only I’d known earlier—I’ve wasted such a great opportunity.”

The Heart Demon tilts his head. “What is she doing?”

“I don’t know,” Yun Zhuoran replies calmly.

On the other side, Shen Man continues to stare at the puppet’s face. The longer she looks, the more satisfied she seems. “You may not know how to cherish women,” she mutters to herself, “but at least you have a good-looking face. Shen Lingshu and Lu Qi treat you well enough, but that old fool Shen Fu? He’s dreaming. Once I get what I want, why would I give it to him? I’ll use it myself.”

Her voice is low, but her tone carries disdain. As she speaks, she suddenly reaches out and pinches the puppet’s cheek, her lips curling into a smirk.

The Heart Demon exclaims in shock, “Brother! She’s touching you!”

Yun Zhuoran replies helplessly, “I’m right here.”

The Heart Demon looks up at Yun Zhuoran, then back at the scene transmitted from the puppet.

Shen Man isn’t content with just pinching the puppet’s cheek—she pinches it hard, leaving a visible red mark on its otherwise fair face.

Still harboring resentment from the last time Yun Zhuoran told her to shut up and embarrassed her in front of Shen Xi, Shen Man smirks with satisfaction at the puppet’s reddened cheek. “You’d better not offend me again. Otherwise…”

The Heart Demon’s eyes burn with anger. Even if it is just a puppet being bullied, it is still his brother, and he can’t tolerate it!

He instinctively lunges forward, intending to bite Shen Man’s hand, only to snap at empty air. Realizing the physical distance between them—hundreds of miles apart—he freezes, visibly frustrated.

After a moment’s pause, the Heart Demon turns to Yun Zhuoran and asks, “Brother, how do you control the puppet?”

Yun Zhuoran’s expression turns slightly cold as he looks at the Heart Demon. He hadn’t expected this question. The cold light in his black eyes softens, replaced by a faint smile. “Weiran wants to learn?”

The Heart Demon nods enthusiastically. “I want to learn!”

“Alright.”

Without hesitation, a flash of spiritual light appears in Yun Zhuoran’s palm, enveloping the Heart Demon’s head. The Heart Demon blinks as a set of spells and techniques enters his mind. For a moment, he is stunned by the sudden influx of knowledge, but he quickly recovers and begins practicing, his excitement evident.

Meanwhile, in the cave hundreds of miles away, Shen Man is still venting her anger by repeatedly pinching the puppet’s face.

Suddenly, the puppet’s eyes snap open—cold and pitch-black.

Shen Man gasps, her face draining of color. Startled, she stumbles backward with a scream.

“Ah!”

Her guilty conscience and panic cause her to fall to the ground, her backside landing hard on a sharp rock. Pain distorts her expression as she clutches at her bruised body.

The Heart Demon claps his little paws, laughing gleefully. “Brother, the puppet doll is so much fun!”

Yun Zhuoran gently holds the laughing little black ball in his palm, his dark eyes filled with indulgent affection.

“As long as you’re happy,” he says softly.