The Villainous Supporting Character Ended Up with the Female Lead - Chapter 17

Yun Weiyan carefully studied Yi’an as she approached. Yi’an still wore her jet-black cloak, its hood drawn tightly to conceal her dazzling white hair.

Her beauty was neither as cold and ethereal as Yun Hanmian’s nor as bright and captivating as Ye Yazi’s.

Yi’an possessed a unique allure, a subtle seductiveness that lingered in the corners of her eyes and the curve of her lips. Her radiant gaze and snow-white skin gave her the air of a noble, aloof feline.

Yet when provoked, she could be a hundred times more ruthless than Yun Weiyan herself.

The two Demonic Cultivators had forged a bond of mutual appreciation, their shared depravity drawing them together.

Every morning and evening, I will manipulate the black mist to extract pure spiritual power from her body, then channel it from your rooftop into your meridians, Yi’an explained meticulously. I discovered this method in an ancient scroll. It hasn’t been tested before, so you may endure some suffering.

Yun Weiyan nodded, indicating she understood the risks involved.

Only then did Yi’an’s stern expression soften. She waved her hand, dispersing the black mist shrouding the barrier, and took Yun Weiyan’s hand, leading her to stop just an inch away from the Jade Rainbow Sword.

As the thick black mist gradually dissipated, Yun Weiyan finally saw the condition of the person within the barrier.

Yun Hanmian lay suspended in mid-air, sleeping peacefully, her naturally drooping skirt ribbons swaying gently.

Seeing this elder sister, who had lingered in her childhood memories, stirred mixed emotions in Yun Weiyan’s heart.

Yun Hanmian had been kind to the original owner of her body and possessed impeccable personal virtue.

When Yun Weiyan first transmigrated, she couldn’t understand the original owner’s hatred for Yun Hanmian. Now, she found herself resenting her as well.

Though not consumed by hatred, she viewed Yun Hanmian as her sole rival.

Yun Weiyan had heard enough high-sounding justifications and dismissed the Righteous Path’s gilded rhetoric with disdain.

Ultimately, cultivation in the Cultivation World boiled down to each person’s own abilities.

Weiyan, Yi’an murmured, gently scratching Yun Weiyan’s palm with her fingertip. A faint smile curved her lips as she said with unwavering conviction, I’ve always believed you will achieve Ascension.

These seemingly casual words brought tears to Yun Weiyan’s eyes.

For a fleeting moment, she felt an overwhelming urge to confront Yi’an, to demand whether she truly meant what she said.

Yun Weiyan had endured countless rejections—from Yun Clan disciples, sect elders, and even passing strangers.

Yi’an, one of the few people she considered a friend, deserved her sincerity.

Yun Weiyan pressed her lips together and glanced sideways at Yi’an beside her. After a long pause, she suppressed her emotions and forced a few awkward laughs.

You’re just teasing me. No one has achieved Ascension in millennia. The Cultivation World is overflowing with talent—I wouldn’t stand a chance.

Yi’an shook her head silently, gesturing for Yun Weiyan to sit near the barrier. With a wave of her hand, a wisp of dark mist swirled around Yun Weiyan.

We’ve finally captured her. Don’t let your guard down.

Before the words had even faded, Yun Weiyan felt streams of refined spiritual power surging into the depths of her dantian. Her eyes widened as she stared blankly at Yun Hanmian within the barrier.

This familiar spiritual power…

It really could transfer the Primordial Chaos Spirit Body’s energy to her!

Yun Weiyan couldn’t resist the temptation. Following Yi’an’s instructions, she began absorbing Yun Hanmian’s spiritual power.

The excessively pure spiritual power surged through her parched meridians again and again, igniting a searing pain within her body.

Meanwhile, the Dual Spirit Root in her dantian devoured the vast influx of spiritual power like a ravenous beast.

This Dual Spirit Root was the finest and most compatible Spirit Root Yun Weiyan had ever encountered. Unlike previous attempts, it showed no signs of rejecting her original body.

Yun Weiyan slowly closed her eyes, calming her mind and entering a meditative state.

She didn’t know how much time had passed. When she opened her eyes again, the sun blazed high in the sky, and Yi’an had vanished without a trace.

Yi’an?

Yun Weiyan called out tentatively.

Her voice echoed through the empty bamboo forest, but there was no response.

What’s going on? How can someone just disappear in broad daylight?

Yun Weiyan muttered to herself, pondering the strange situation. She immediately dismissed the possibility that Yi’an had left without a word she knew her temperament well enough to know she wouldn’t do such a thing.

Then where had she gone?

As Yun Weiyan pondered, completely unaware, the Jade Rainbow Sword at her feet began to stir. The blade slowly slid out of the ground.

Host!

The System shrieked in her Divine Sense.

Behind you!

Yun Weiyan whirled around to see a razor-sharp blade, radiating overwhelming killing intent, plunging into her chest.

Reacting instantly, she formed hand seals and chanted incantations, ignoring the crimson bl00d gushing from her wound. Countless talismans flew from all directions, adhering to the barrier’s surface.

Yun Hanmian! Still trying to kill me? Yun Weiyan sneered, channeling more spiritual power to reinforce the barrier. Keep dreaming your pipe dreams!

Her natal sword had been destroyed a decade ago, and the treasured blade gifted by Xu Yue had been shattered by the Heavenly Dao Lightning Tribulation.

Now, she was utterly unarmed.

But so what?

A bone-chilling glint flashed in Yun Weiyan’s eyes as she reversed her hand seal, activating the Love Gu to force Yun Hanmian into submission.

Your end has come.

Yun Hanmian, barely resisting the Love Gu’s corrosive influence, spat out these words with cold detachment. She shattered the barrier and lunged toward Yun Weiyan.

As the foremost sword cultivator in the world, Yun Hanmian possessed peerless talent, exceptional aptitude, and extraordinary intelligence.

Having been caught off guard by Yun Weiyan’s ambush once, she had learned from her mistake and would never repeat it!

Without hesitation, Yun Hanmian gripped her sword hilt and thrust the blade savagely into Yun Weiyan’s body.

Empowered by her Shizun’s assistance the previous night, Yun Hanmian’s spiritual power had surged dramatically. Even the Late-Stage Mahayana realm, which had long confined her, now showed faint signs of loosening.

With her other hand, Yun Hanmian aimed at Yun Weiyan’s chest, her fingers curled into claws, poised to rip out her heart.

Weiyan!

Yi’an clutched her chest with one hand, gripping the bamboo beside her with the other. Her lips were deathly pale, and she gasped for breath, as if on the verge of collapse.

Yun Hanmian, you can’t obey your Shizun and kill her!

As Yun Hanmian’s fingers sank halfway into Yun Weiyan’s chest, Yi’an’s eyes burned with fury, black bl00d trickling from the corners of her mouth.

With a desperate resolve, she flung aside the bamboo she had been using for support and transformed into her true form, flying to Yun Weiyan’s side.

Nine massive, fluffy tails unfurled before Yun Hanmian.

Several tails coiled tightly around Yun Hanmian’s hands, while the remaining tails swept Yun Weiyan toward Yi’an’s position.

A Nine-Tailed Fox?

A flicker of surprise crossed Yun Hanmian’s usually impassive expression. In the Cultivation World, humans were the dominant race, with spirit beasts rarely cultivating to high levels.

Most spirit beasts perished during the Heavenly Dao Lightning Tribulation when attempting to break through to the Transformation God Stage.

Yet here was a spirit beast who had cultivated to the Late-Stage Mahayana realm.

This realization raised Yi’an’s standing in Yun Hanmian’s eyes.

No… absolutely not…

Yi’an murmured, her eyes glazed over. Yun Hanmian, I thought you still held some affection for Weiyan. I never imagined you could be so ruthless…

Yun Hanmian, unable to understand Yi’an’s words, advanced step by step toward Yi’an and Yun Weiyan, her expression as cold and impassive as ever.

Yi’an frantically tried to stop Yun Weiyan’s bleeding, the crimson bl00d staining her snow-white fur. Despair welled up in her heart.

She bitterly imagined that if Yun Weiyan were to die again, she would have no face left to live on.

Due to her constitution, Yi’an was extremely weak at midday, her cultivation even dropping to the Foundation Establishment stage.

If Yun Hanmian truly intended to kill Yun Weiyan, Yi’an would be powerless to stop her.

Just as the tip of the Jade Rainbow Sword pointed directly at Yun Weiyan, a thunderous roar suddenly shook the heavens.

Clusters of lightning coalesced above Yun Hanmian’s head, making it clear she was about to undergo the Thunder Tribulation of the Five Declines of Heaven and Man.

Yun Hanmian froze, startled by the sudden arrival of the Thunder Tribulation. She hadn’t yet managed to extract Yun Weiyan’s heart.

The rumbling thunder circled above them, as if pressuring Yun Hanmian to make a choice.

She glared resentfully at Yun Weiyan and Yi’an before mounting her sword and flying into the distance to prepare for her Tribulation Crossing.

Yi’an, her limbs trembling, clutched Yun Weiyan tightly in her arms. Retracting her nine tails, she vanished with Yun Weiyan into the depths of the bamboo forest.

When Yun Weiyan awoke, she found herself lying on a stone bed with something warm and furry resting on her abdomen.

She reached down and touched it—soft and fluffy, like a young fox.

She glanced around but couldn’t find Yi’an anywhere. Finally, her gaze settled on the bamboo forest outside the cave entrance.

More precisely, it was drawn to the faint, silvery-white butterfly perched on a narrow bamboo leaf.

Its wings, bathed in the bright sunlight, were nearly transparent. Instinct told her there was something peculiar about this butterfly.

In the Cultivation World, there was an ancient legend.

It was said that after Ascension, Immortals could use a soul-splitting technique to send fragments of their souls into the mortal realm to undergo trials and reincarnation.

When these soul fragments achieved great success in their cultivation paths and returned to the original body, the Immortal’s power would ascend to even greater heights.

Host, do you suspect…?

The novel had abruptly ended after Yun Hanmian’s Ascension, avoiding any mention of Immortals to prevent triggering the Heavenly Dao’s scrutiny of the Host. The System ultimately dared not utter the word.

Yun Weiyan sat up, gently stroking the fox curled on her lap, while privately discussing the matter with the System through her Divine Sense.

I’m afraid the mastermind behind all this is exactly who we suspect, she sighed. If it’s really him, do I stand even a chance?

This world felt far less reassuring than her original one, teeming with hidden powerhouses among the older generation and an endless stream of rising talents.

Who could swear they didn’t desire Ascension?

Anyone who embarked on the path of Cultivation could never truly ignore the pursuit of greater power.

Humans are inherently greedy. After breaking through Foundation Establishment, they crave the Golden Core. Having barely survived the near-fatal Thunder Tribulation to form their core, they yearn even more to attain the Nascent Soul stage.

Each realm signifies greater strength. Though the Great Dao is said to be impartial, who can truly claim to know the original purpose of their cultivation?

The world’s longing for enlightenment and eternal life—isn’t that just a more refined form of desire?

Host…

Having been with Yun Weiyan for a century, the System sensed her deep-seated unease and anxiety through her Divine Sense. It scoured its database but found no way to comfort her.

System, I think I’m already exhausted.

You can detach from me once your mission is complete, but I might not be able to return. I have no other options. I can only force myself to adapt to this world, to follow its rules…

Her eyes blurred, as if she couldn’t see the path stretching before her.

Tell me, System, what level of cultivation truly counts as cultivation? Sometimes I think about giving up—at worst, I’d just become a handful of dust. But I can’t bear to let go.

I’ve walked such a long path, endured countless hardships, and stained my hands with bl00d. Am I destined to be nothing more than a stepping stone for Yun Hanmian? To be the one she tramples on to reach her glory?

The System remained silent for a long time before finally delivering Yun Weiyan the most inescapable answer

She is the female lead.

These four words struck Yun Weiyan’s chest like a heavy hammer, instantly filling her heart with boundless resentment and desolation.

[ You must acknowledge that Yun Hanmian is the sole protagonist,  the System coldly stated.

No.

Yun Weiyan gazed at the bamboo forest outside the cave, rejecting the System’s assertion without hesitation.

She laughed self-deprecatingly, yet her eyes burned with a fierce light.

Clutching the warm Little Fox in her palm, Yun Weiyan’s expression hardened as she declared to the System, each word deliberate

I refuse to accept fate.

No one is born to be a supporting character, and no one remains the protagonist forever.