The Villain Marked the Protagonist's Fiancée (Through the Book) - Chapter 48

Fang Zhiluo saw Yun Xiao’s wavering resolve but remained silent, trusting Yun Xiao to make her own decision.

Yuheng hesitated repeatedly before transmitting his thoughts: “Fellow Daoist Yun, we absolutely cannot let this Demonic Cultivator, who threatens the lives of all living beings, go free. It would be like releasing a tiger back into the mountains.”

Yun Xiao’s actions were unpredictable. If she ever grew dissatisfied with the Four Great Sects or failed to gather the three pieces of Breathing Earth in time, she might resort to extreme measures.

Human hearts are fickle, and he dared not gamble.

Yun Xiao glanced sideways at Yuheng but ignored him, turning to Jin Yuanzi. “My answer depends on your sincerity.”

Having endured brutal torture, Jin Yuanzi dared not provoke Yun Xiao further. He stammered, “Our Master gave us a Divine-grade talisman. Activating it will allow us to steal all the Luck from this realm.”

Seeing Yun Xiao’s skepticism, he urgently explained, “It’s true! Every word I speak is the truth. The talisman is on Old Qiu. Unlike Hong Gu Yun and me, he arrived in this realm with a Nascent Soul cultivation.”

He clenched his fist, his eyes bloodshot. “The Luck Hong Gu Yun and I stole will ultimately be used by him.”

It was precisely because he had guessed this that he had repeatedly stalled for time.

The cultivation technique they practiced allowed them to convert stolen Luck into Cultivation. If Old Qiu wanted to seize their Luck, he could only absorb their Cultivation. This meant that the Cultivation they had painstakingly accumulated over centuries of fear and anxiety would ultimately serve as Old Qiu’s wedding gown.

With his parents’ lives held hostage by their Master, he had no choice but to follow this path to its bitter end, even knowing it was a dead end. He could only pray that Old Qiu would show mercy in the end, sparing his life so he could return home to see his parents.

Centuries had passed, and he had thought he had come to terms with the prospect of his soul being scattered. Yet Yun Xiao, this Orthodox Path cultivator, proved to be even more ruthless than he, a Demonic Cultivator.

Yun Xiao retreated to a nearby chair and sat down, her expression impassive. “Where do you come from? And who is this ‘Master’ you speak of?”

I hope it’s not what I think it is.

Having already revealed too much, Jin Yuanzi saw no point in withholding the truth. “Hong Gu Yun and I are from the Heavenly Net Domain. If you consider the Heavenly Origin Realm a mid-tier realm, then the Heavenly Net Domain is a high-tier realm.” He unconsciously clenched his fists, lowering his head. “Unfortunately, Hong Gu Yun and I have flawed Spirit Roots with low aptitude.”

Yuheng, impatient with the rambling, interrupted, “Get to the point.”

“My Master has placed a restriction on us,” the servant said. “I cannot speak of anything concerning him.”

Yuheng scoffed. “Stubborn fool! Fuyao, tell the innkeeper to prepare a cauldron of boiling oil.”

Jin Yuanzi frantically turned to Yun Xiao, pleading his case. “I’ve already told you about the crucial matter of how to steal Luck. There’s no need for me to lie about something like this.”

Yuheng remained convinced Jin Yuanzi was stalling and was about to expose him when Yun Xiao suddenly spoke.

“You don’t need to speak, just nod or shake your head. Is he from your Domain?” Yun Xiao didn’t believe Jin Yuanzi’s words; rather, she understood that stealing Luck was a clandestine act, even for Demonic Cultivators. No one would openly admit to such a thing.

Taking precautions to conceal one’s involvement was only natural.

Jin Yuanzi shook his head.

Yun Xiao’s heart tightened. If he wasn’t from the Heavenly Net Domain and could casually produce Divine-grade talismans, he was almost certainly from the Immortal Realm.

After the Heavenly Dao was injured, it hadn’t sought help from the Immortal Realm but had chosen to save itself. There were only two possible explanations:

Either the mastermind had blocked the Heavenly Dao’s attempts to seek aid, or the Heavenly Dao had called for help, but no one had responded.

The former suggested the mastermind possessed extraordinary cultivation, while the latter implied the mastermind held a high position within the Immortal Realm.

If it were the latter, her troubles would be far greater.

Yun Xiao suppressed her thoughts and placed a talisman on the critically weakened Jin Yuanzi. Under Yuheng’s astonished gaze, she sealed him inside her Spirit Beast Pouch.

She patted the pouch lightly. “Don’t worry, he won’t escape.”

Yuheng cleared his throat, his expression peculiar. “Fellow Daoist Yun, you truly are… unconventional.”

Who would stuff a person—no, a Primordial Spirit—into a Spirit Beast Pouch?

Spirit Beast Pouches were meant for contracted Spirit Beasts, after all.

Compared to Yuheng, Fang Zhiluo remained composed. After all, five centuries ago, she had witnessed Yun Xiao stuffing living cultivators into his Spirit Beast Pouch.

This was merely a Primordial Spirit, sealed with a Soul-Fixing Talisman. Escape was truly impossible.

Turning to the matter at hand, Yuheng earnestly advised, “Demonic Cultivators are cunning. Fellow Daoist Yun, you must not agree to his request.”

Yun Xiao saw through Yuheng’s intentions immediately. “Then tell me,” she countered, “how should I deal with him?”

Yuheng stroked his chin thoughtfully. “Once he’s completely lost his value, let his soul be scattered.”

He would have preferred Yun Xiao to destroy Jin Yuanzi immediately, but that required Yun Xiao’s cooperation.

Fang Zhiluo interjected, “Martial Ancestor, Jin Yuanzi and his group failed their mission. The mastermind behind them will surely investigate. Keeping him alive is our best chance to uncover the mastermind’s identity quickly.”

Yuheng frowned deeply and asked in a low voice, “Do you suspect the mastermind is from the Immortal Realm?”

He immediately dismissed the idea, “Impossible. If the mastermind were truly from the Immortal Realm, they would never be tolerated there.”

Yun Xiao ignored the surprise in her heart, shifted her posture, and chuckled softly, “The Heavenly Origin Realm is full of hypocritical cultivators. Besides, who said only Demonic Cultivators can practice Demonic Cultivation techniques?”

Ordinary Demonic Cultivators couldn’t withstand the Heavenly Dao’s Heavenly Lightning unless they had already reached a significant level of cultivation.

Once a Demonic Cultivator had reached such a level, the likelihood of them changing their cultivation methods was extremely low.

If the mastermind had been practicing such techniques from the beginning, they couldn’t have concealed it from the rest of the Immortal Realm for so long. Therefore, the possibility of the mastermind being a Demonic Cultivator was extremely slim.

Yuheng choked on his words, pacing back and forth anxiously.

The matter of repairing the Heavenly Ladder was still uncertain, and now they knew someone with formidable cultivation was waiting to trap them like sheep entering a tiger’s den. Was there still any point in Ascension?

Sensing the instability in Yuheng’s Dao Heart, Yun Xiao shouted, “Knowing the path of cultivation is fraught with hardship, you still chose to embark on it! So what if he’s strong? We can become even stronger!” At worst, they’d just return to the days of hiding and fleeing from five hundred years ago.

She didn’t finish her last sentence, fearing it would shatter Yuheng’s Dao Heart.

Fang Zhiluo’s eyes filled with concern as she advised: “A’Xiao is right. The Immortal Realm is vast; there will always be a place for us.”

Yuheng absorbed their words. The turbulent Spiritual Energy around him gradually calmed, and he said with shame, “I was possessed by a demon. As cultivators, we must advance fearlessly, never bolstering our enemies’ resolve while diminishing our own.”

Fang Zhiluo breathed a sigh of relief. If Yuheng’s Dao Heart had collapsed in front of Yun Xiao, she might have borne the karmic consequences.

Knowing Yuheng’s fragile temperament, Yun Xiao refrained from speaking carelessly. She retrieved the Soul-Suppressing Bottle, removed its seals, and remarked casually, “Jin Yuanzi told me everything. Your Master gave you a talisman. If I’m not mistaken, that talisman is merely a vessel.”

During her five centuries in the Small World, she had read countless books in her spare time, yet she had never encountered a talisman capable of storing Luck.

Thus, rather than saying the talisman could contain Luck, it would be more accurate to say it could transmit Luck.

Old Qiu feigned composure, though a hint of urgency crept into his voice, even he didn’t notice. “You believe the words of a worthless wretch? Hahaha! It seems you’re not as clever as I thought.”

Yun Xiao’s lips curved slightly. “It seems I was right. If your cultivation couldn’t activate that talisman before, it certainly can’t now.”

It was a Divine-grade talisman, after all. Even with the “Pseudo” prefix, ordinary cultivators couldn’t unleash its full power.

This was the real reason Old Qiu had hesitated to act after seizing Xie Yunfan’s Luck.

To further agitate him, Yun Xiao added, “Your mission is doomed to fail. Not only will everything your Master promised you vanish like bubbles, but your family will suffer eternal damnation because of your choices.”

“Shut up! I haven’t lost yet! I still have a chance!” Old Qiu roared. “No, this shouldn’t be happening! Even those old fogies at the Heavenly Evolution Sect never detected me. How could you, with only Divine Transformation cultivation five hundred years ago, have discovered me?” He cursed his earlier reliance on Jin Yuanzi; he should have simply absorbed Jin Yuanzi’s cultivation directly.

According to his plan, Yun Xiao, having discovered their trail and learned their purpose, would have captured Hong Gu Yun sooner. By then, he could have absorbed both Hong Gu Yun’s and Jin Yuanzi’s cultivation, potentially breaking free from the Soul-Suppressing Bottle’s restraints.

Everything was ruined, all thanks to that idiot Jin Yuanzi.

Hearing this, Fang Zhiluo and Yuheng turned to Yun Xiao, awaiting her response.

Before being forced to glimpse the Heavenly Secrets, Yun Xiao might have had to concoct some elaborate lies. But now, she could simply blame everything on the Heavenly Dao.

Raising a finger skyward, she flashed what she considered a perfect smile. “Why don’t you ask him?”

If her guess was correct, even the so-called “transmigration” originated from the Heavenly Dao’s machinations.

Old Qiu scoffed. “Impossible! Zhi is merely dormant. He couldn’t have awakened so soon.”

Yun Xiao’s eyes lit up. Jin Yuanzi had been right—Old Qiu’s status indeed surpassed his and Hong Gu Yun’s. This meant Old Qiu might know how to find Hong Gu Yun.

After devouring two more top-grade spirit fruits, she activated the Soul Piercer to attack Old Qiu within the Soul-Suppressing Bottle.

Unlike Jin Yuanzi, she used seventy percent of her power this time, aiming to force Old Qiu into submission.

“You think such paltry tricks can make me yield? You’re dreaming,” Old Qiu retorted defiantly.

Yun Xiao couldn’t tolerate defiance. She immediately increased her power by another ten percent.

After a moment’s thought, Yun Xiao glanced at Fang Zhiluo.

Fang Zhiluo understood and channeled Spiritual Power into the Soul-Suppressing Bottle.

Almost immediately, Old Qiu’s muffled groans of pain echoed through the room. Even without activation, the bottle constantly weakened his Divine Soul. Now that it was activated, this weakening intensified, combining with the Soul Piercer’s attacks to inflict unbearable agony.

Yuheng remained vigilant, wary of any sudden developments.

Outside the door, Wuwei, Shangqing, and Yunhua had gathered, drawn by the intense fluctuations of Spiritual Energy.

A barrier prevented them from entering.

Shangqing stared anxiously at the door, grumbling, “Fellow Daoist Yun is being so stubborn. What’s so great about Yuheng anyway? Am I not more reliable than him?”

Noticing Wuwei’s darkening expression, he quickly added, “I mean, who’s better than Yuheng? You or me?”

After a long silence, Wuwei declared with certainty, “They’re interrogating the Primordial Spirit.”

Yunhua stirred the pot, saying, “Looks like the Limitless Sect has allied with Yun Xiao too.”

Shangqing’s brow furrowed deeply. “Shut up!” he snapped. “I’ll tell Fellow Daoist Yun what you said later.”

He still resented Yun Xiao’s exclusive treatment of Yuheng.

Even so, he refused to be manipulated by Yunhua.

After half an hour, the barrier in front of the trio was lifted. Shangqing, unable to contain his impatience, immediately asked, “Fellow Daoist Yun, may we enter?”

“Come in.”

As soon as they entered the room, Shangqing urgently signaled Yuheng with his eyes, asking what useful information he had obtained.

Yuheng turned away, ignoring Shangqing completely.

With Yun Xiao’s permission, Fang Zhiluo summarized the key points for the trio.

After hearing her account, the three wore varied expressions, all deeply troubled by the fact that they had already made a powerful enemy despite not yet ascending to the Upper Realm.

Yun Xiao, having refined the top-grade spirit herb and replenished her depleted Spiritual Energy, swept her gaze across the trio and said meaningfully, “Want to abandon ship? Too late. Of course, you could always betray me and turn me in.”

Her gaze lingered on Yunhua as she spoke.

Among those present, only Yunhua harbored a personal grudge against her and was most likely to stab her in the back.

“What do you mean by that?” Yunhua retorted indignantly. “I want to kill you with my own hands, but you’re not even worth the traitor’s label.”

Yun Xiao calmly shifted her gaze away, remarking casually, “Why so defensive? I didn’t say it was you.”

Before Yunhua could respond, she continued, “I’ve learned from Old Qiu how to expose Hong Gu Yun, so I won’t stay here waiting for the massacre of the town. Oh, and I’m a reasonable person.”

She deliberately emphasized the word “reasonable,” implying that if there was no concrete evidence proving the Demon Clan had slaughtered the town, she would unhesitatingly side with the righteous party.

With that, she turned and walked away.

Fang Zhiluo hurried after her. “Can I come with you?”