The Villain Marked the Protagonist's Fiancée (Through the Book) - Chapter 39

Bai Mofeng strode forward, crouched down, and used his Divine Sense to examine Meng Jiang’s body. Frowning, he said, “No internal injuries, but his Sea of Consciousness is severely damaged.” He turned to Yun Xiao. “I can’t detect his Primordial Spirit within his Sea of Consciousness.”

Wuwei immediately withdrew his Spiritual Energy and approached Meng Jiang, carefully probing his Sea of Consciousness with his Divine Sense.

Yun Xiao cast another seal to prevent the Primordial Spirit from escaping in the chaos.

She spread her Divine Sense, sweeping through the hall inch by inch, but found no trace of the Primordial Spirit.

Fang Zhiluo handed Meng Jiang over to Wuwei, rose, and stood beside Yun Xiao, his expression grave. “To prevent the Primordial Spirit from fleeing, I activated the Soul-Locking Formation Disk earlier. The disk hasn’t been triggered since.”

Yun Xiao’s gaze shifted between Bai Mofeng, who was feeding Meng Jiang a Medicinal Pill, and Wuwei, who was cradling Meng Jiang in his arms. She transmitted telepathically, “Protect your Seas of Consciousness and check yourselves thoroughly.”

Without questioning her, Wuwei and Bai Mofeng complied.

They shook their heads, indicating they found no trace of the Primordial Spirit on their bodies.

Yun Xiao glanced at Fang Zhiluo, who also shook his head.

That left only one possibility: the Primordial Spirit was still hidden within Meng Jiang’s body.

She could imagine Wuwei and Bai Mofeng had already considered this. They had placed a restriction on Meng Jiang’s Sea of Consciousness, and at Wuwei’s signal, Bai Mofeng began searching Meng Jiang’s body.

Suddenly, Yu Hui’s voice echoed from outside the hall.

“What’s happening? Why is Heavenly Lightning striking Guangcheng?” Unable to enter and seeing Meng Jiang in distress, Yu Hui frowned and demanded, “Fuyao, did you bring her back to the sect?”

Fuyao was the Daoist name she had bestowed upon Fang Zhiluo, meaning “to soar to great heights.”

“Yes,” Fang Zhiluo replied, stepping forward to explain. “A Primordial Spirit that drains Luck is hiding in Meng Jiang’s Sea of Consciousness. It has already left her Sea of Consciousness and is now concealed within this hall.” The unspoken message was clear: It’s not a good time for you to enter.

Yu Hui scoffed. “Fabrications! If such a Primordial Spirit existed, the Azure Cloud Sect would have been in chaos long ago.”

Fang Zhiluo hesitated, then said, “Martial Uncle Guangcheng had similar doubts, and the result was…”

Yu Hui’s brow furrowed deeply. “If I recall correctly, Yun Xiao knows Thunder techniques.”

Yun Xiao picked at her ear and remarked to Wuwei, “She thinks you’re an idiot.”

Sensing Wuwei’s rising anger, Yu Hui immediately fell silent, her resentment toward Yun Xiao reaching its peak.

After completing his search, Bai Mofeng rose and shook his head at Yun Xiao, indicating he hadn’t found Jin Yuanzi.

Yun Xiao used her telekinetic ability to retrieve the Soul-Suppressing Bottle. Under the puzzled gazes of Wuwei and Bai Mofeng, she activated the bottle, this time channeling fifty percent of her spiritual energy into it.

Sensing the soul trembling within, Wuwei finally grasped the true power of the Soul-Suppressing Bottle.

Bai Mofeng’s reaction was the most pronounced. He felt as if his six souls were about to tear free from his body.

Hidden within Meng Jiang’s body, Jin Yuanzi, lacking a physical form, suffered the most. He let out a tortured scream: “I’ll kill you all!”

Yun Xiao rolled her eyes. “So powerful, yet you’re still hiding like a coward?” she mocked.

When Jin Yuanzi didn’t respond, she continued, “You’re just like those rats in the sewers—afraid of the light. Hmph, a bunch of vermin trying to steal the Heavenly Origin Realm’s Luck? Keep dreaming.”

“Shut up! What do you know?” Jin Yuanzi snarled, his Primordial Spirit dimming bit by bit. “Once I drain the Luck from you arrogant elites, the entire Heavenly Origin Realm will be ours!”

At this rate, it wouldn’t take even fifteen minutes—just the time it takes to drink a cup of tea—for his years of painstaking efforts to be utterly destroyed.

He threw out the bait: “If you release me, I’ll tell you how to ascend to the Upper Realm.”

Yun Xiao laughed. “Like snakes and rats in the same nest—even your tricks are identical.” Her tone shifted, becoming grave. “You three vile rats are the ones who severed the Ascension Ladder of the Heavenly Origin Realm.”

At her words, everyone except the unconscious Meng Jiang stared in shock.

Wuwei was the first to react, realization dawning on his face. “No wonder! No wonder no one has ascended in all these years! The Heavenly Ladder was broken!”

Remembering his years of waiting, his anger surged. Ignoring how well Jin Yuanzi had concealed himself, he lunged to seize him.

Jin Yuanzi was no less astonished than Wuwei. It seemed the Heavenly Dao had been conserving its strength all these years, even choosing a Chosen One.

Though he narrowly evaded Wuwei’s attack, the Soul-Suppressing Bottle locked onto his Primordial Spirit. He exerted every ounce of his power, but not only could he not escape the bottle’s pull, his Primordial Spirit began to tremble violently.

Before he could devise a plan, he was sucked to the bottle’s mouth.

Seeing Jin Yuanzi trapped inside, Yun Xiao sealed the bottle with a triumphant grin. “This is where you belong now.”

Bai Mofeng collapsed to the ground, his Magic Robe soaked with sweat.

If this had gone on any longer, they might have had to trouble Martial Aunt Fang and the five Martial Ancestors to retrieve their scattered souls.

Outside the main hall, Yu Hui’s condition was only slightly better than Bai Mofeng’s. She had been desperately clinging to her composure to maintain her dignity.

Now, the color had completely drained from her face, her Divine Soul injured.

Fang Zhiluo, still wounded herself, had been forced to focus solely on guarding her own Divine Soul. Assuming Yu Hui outside the hall was unaffected, she had concentrated entirely on maintaining her mental fortitude.

It was only when she caught a glimpse of Yu Hui’s ashen complexion that she realized her mistake. She quickly retracted the Formation Plate, dispelled the barrier, and rushed to support Yu Hui, reproaching herself, “I’m sorry, I overlooked you.”

Yun Xiao, belatedly realizing the trouble she had caused, guiltily rubbed her nose and tossed a bottle of Medicinal Pills to Bai Mofeng. “Here, for your Divine Soul. Don’t say I’m not generous.”

With that, she tossed another bottle to Fang Zhiluo. “Give her these.”

This person’s words were as grating as Guangcheng’s, but since Yu Hui had been injured because of her, she couldn’t just ignore it.

Still, this incident had unlocked another use for the Soul-Suppressing Bottle. If she ever faced an opponent she couldn’t defeat, she could activate the bottle, launch a Divine Sense attack, and secure an easy victory.

Fang Zhiluo caught the bottle, retrieved two pills, and administered them to Yu Hui.

Seeing Yu Hui’s complexion improve, Yun Xiao immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

Yun Xiao clapped her hands. “Alright, I’ve said what needs to be said. The rest is up to the Four Great Sects. I’m leaving now.” Before she finished speaking, she had already taken a step forward.

Bai Mofeng, who had recovered somewhat, rose to his feet and pleaded, “Senior Yun, both the matter of Primordial Spirits draining Luck and the breaking of the Heavenly Ladder are of paramount importance to the Heavenly Origin Realm.” He clasped his hands in a respectful bow. “As the first to discover these truths, your presence would lend greater credibility to our claims.”

Yun Xiao stopped in her tracks, tilted her head, and gazed at Bai Mofeng. “Are you certain my presence would enhance credibility rather than diminish it?”

Bai Mofeng cleared his throat and spoke frankly. “To be honest, I plan to invite the Sect Leaders of the other Three Great Sects for consultation. We would greatly appreciate your guidance in resolving our doubts.”

What doubts?

Naturally, whether the Heavenly Ladder could still be repaired, and if so, how.

Bai Mofeng cast a pleading glance at Fang Zhiluo, hoping she would persuade Yun Xiao.

A bitter taste rose in Fang Zhiluo’s mouth. Five hundred years ago, her words might have carried some weight, but now… it was uncertain.

Despite her reservations, Yun Xiao spoke up. “With the Heavenly Evolution Sect’s incident and our Sect’s subsequent actions, they’ll surely realize how dangerous it is to let Primordial Spirits hide within their Sects. As far as I know, none of the Four Great Sects possess the means to suppress such entities. They’ll likely need to borrow your Soul-Suppressing Bottle again.”

Recalling the thunder that had struck at her feet, Yun Xiao decided to stay.

How naive I was, she thought. The moment the Heavenly Dao showed me those visions, there was no turning back.

She even suspected the Heavenly Dao had orchestrated her possession of the Soul-Suppressing Bottle. Otherwise, what are the odds that only I would have a Spirit Treasure capable of containing Primordial Spirits?

A new question arose: If the Heavenly Dao could strike Guangcheng so decisively, why hadn’t it simply eliminated the three Primordial Spirits directly? Why go through the trouble of involving her?

Is it because the Heavenly Dao cannot harm the innocent, or is there some hidden reason?

She leaned toward the latter.

It feels like the Heavenly Dao is playing a grand game of chess, and I’m just one of its chosen pieces.

Wuwei handed Meng Jiang over to Bai Mofeng and hurried after Yun Xiao. “Young Friend Yun, do you happen to have any spiritual medicines that can restore the Sea of Consciousness? Rest assured, both I and the Meng Clan will offer you generous compensation.”

As one favored by the Heavenly Dao, Yun Xiao’s Luck naturally far surpassed that of ordinary people. If even she lacked such a remedy, repairing Meng Jiang’s Sea of Consciousness would be exceedingly difficult.

Yun Xiao had already guessed why Wuwei had sought her out, and she inwardly marveled at his keen intuition.

Raising an eyebrow, she asked, “Tell me, how ‘generous’ is this ‘generous’ reward you speak of?”

If Meng Jiang hadn’t resisted so fiercely from the start, none of this would have been necessary.

Moreover, she had no deep ties with either Wuwei or the Azure Cloud Sect that would compel her to give away top-grade spirit herbs for free.

So, there is something.

Wuwei breathed a sigh of relief and retrieved a treasured Magic Artifact from his Storage Ring: “This is the Stellar River Compass. It can guide you across the stars.”

Does this mean I can finally find my way back to the modern world?

Suppressing her elation, Yun Xiao calmly produced a top-grade spirit herb capable of repairing Divine Sense and handed it to Wuwei.

Top-grade spirit herbs were invaluable, but the Stellar River Compass Wuwei offered was equally precious. Combined with the reward from the Meng Clan, this deal was a guaranteed profit for her.

Wuwei accepted the spirit herb, left the Stellar River Compass behind, and hurried to the Pill Sect to have it refined into a Medicinal Pill.

Though Meng Jiang’s Cultivation would progress more slowly without the aid of his Primordial Spirit, his innate talent remained. With focused training, he might still ascend the Ascension Ladder.

Fang Zhiluo stepped forward and said gently, “Let’s go. I’ll show you the way.”

Yun Xiao didn’t want to be alone with Fang Zhiluo and retorted sharply, “Are you really that bored?”

Fang Zhiluo forced a smile. “For you, I always have time.”

Yun Xiao chuckled softly. “Time truly is a remarkable thing. Not only can it make someone dedicated to cultivation slack off, but it can also conjure feelings that were once deemed unnecessary.”

Five hundred years ago, her heart and mind had been completely consumed by Fang Zhiluo, and she had first learned what it meant to love someone.

Every word and action of Fang Zhiluo had clearly revealed her feelings for Yun Xiao.

This was precisely what Yun Xiao found most absurd. Five hundred years ago, Fang Zhiluo had believed Xie Yunfan, that deceitful little man, and had angrily tried to kill her. Yet now, not only did Fang Zhiluo not blame her for deceiving her, but she had even developed feelings for her?

What, then, had been the meaning of the sword strike, the palm strike, and Cangwu’s essence bl00d?

As these thoughts raced through her mind, a cold glint flashed in her peach-blossom eyes. She closed in on Fang Zhiluo and spat venomously, “Fang Zhiluo, you’re truly despicable.”

Fang Zhiluo’s shoulders twitched slightly, her eyes welled with tears, and she bit down on her lower lip. She met Yun Xiao’s gaze, which was filled with mockery and disgust, with stunned disbelief.

Fang Zhiluo’s hand tightened involuntarily within her sleeve, her nails digging into her flesh without her noticing. Did Yun Xiao despise her affection? Or did she loathe her very being?

She turned away in a panic, tears spilling from her eyes. Releasing her clenched lower lip, she choked out, “You’re right, A’Xiao. But…” She pressed a hand to her chest, her voice trembling with difficulty, “I can’t control it.”

Yun Xiao had every right to scorn her. Hadn’t Fang Zhiluo herself spent decades refusing to acknowledge Yun Xiao’s presence in her heart? She had believed that by denying it, she could erase Yun Xiao from her soul.

But it was futile. The more she tried to forget, the clearer Yun Xiao’s smiling face became in her mind. She hated herself for her weakness, for pursuing what she knew was impossible.

Yun Xiao’s heart ached as if pierced by a needle. She stared blankly at Fang Zhiluo’s broken, despairing profile, regret flickering in her peach-blossom eyes. Her hand rose involuntarily, inching closer to Fang Zhiluo’s still-trembling shoulder.

Two voices clashed endlessly in Yun Xiao’s mind:

甲: You call her vile? You’re even more despicable. Have you forgotten how she pushed you off that bottomless Broken Cliff?

乙: You’ve already repaid her with that sword strike and palm strike. What more do you want?

A: What about Cangwu’s essence bl00d? Don’t forget, if Cangwu hadn’t forced out her essence bl00d for you, even if you’d survived, you would have been left with hidden injuries, and you’d never have achieved your current cultivation.

B: But she didn’t know the Broken Cliff was so deep, nor that there was such dense miasma at the bottom.

A: She didn’t know then, but what about afterward? Xie Yunfan knew you possessed Heavenly Treasures obtained from the Black Heaven Giant Python. Would he really not send Fang Zhiluo down to find you?

B: …

A: Belated affection is worth less than grass. If you were in her place, after delivering a fatal sword strike, would you have thrown her off a cliff into unknown depths?

Yun Xiao’s outstretched hand curled into a fist, gradually lowering.

The palm strike she’d returned to Fang Zhiluo that day had only used fifty percent of her strength, and at the last moment, she’d deliberately angled the sword strike away, piercing only shallowly.

Forcing a bitter smile, she turned her head and said coldly, “Anything uncontrollable should be excised.”

With those words, she used the Light Body Technique to depart.

The words were meant for both Fang Zhiluo and herself.

If this heart would never obey her, why keep it?

Fang Zhiluo’s tears overflowed like a broken dam. Yun Xiao truly loathed her affection.

She might never reclaim the Yun Xiao who once saw only her.

The pain in her chest made it difficult even to stand. Glancing sideways, she spotted a distant figure and immediately teleported back to her Cave Abode.

Her strength seemed to have been drained away. She leaned weakly against the wall, feeling utterly helpless, even breathing became labored.

Yun Xiao’s final words echoed in her mind. Gathering Spiritual Energy in her palm, she slowly raised her hand, bringing it down toward her heart.

For some reason, Yun Xiao felt a sudden, overwhelming panic, as if she were about to lose something precious.

Could something have happened to Cangwu?

She hastily retrieved a Communication Talisman and contacted Xiangyun, who was in seclusion with Cangwu.

When Xiangyun assured her that everything was fine, the panic only intensified.

What could be wrong?

Seizing a fleeting thought, she grabbed a passing Azure Cloud Sect disciple and asked for Fang Zhiluo’s residence.

Learning that Fang Zhiluo lived in the Forbidden Zone of the Back Mountain, she hesitated briefly before teleporting inside.

The Forbidden Zone of the Back Mountain was as vast as the main peak. Yun Xiao, unaware of Fang Zhiluo’s exact location, followed her instincts.

When she caught a scent identical to Fang Zhiluo’s, she knew she was on the right track.

“Fang Zhiluo, come out!” she demanded sharply.