Chapter 188: The Protagonist 26

Seeing her junior sister Xue Yingying, her martial aunt Lang Qingyue, her close friend Mu Yiling, and now even Wen Xunzhen all gathered here, Gongxi Yue was no longer surprised when Tu Hongying showed up too.

In the “future” she had seen, if Xiao Shou fancied himself the male lead and she was the so-called female lead, then Tu Hongying would be the second female lead.

Gongxi Yue and Tu Hongying—one the pride of the Yunyin Immortal Sect, the other the young mistress of the Demon Realm—were natural-born rivals by status alone.

Their personalities were also strikingly similar: fiercely competitive and unwilling to be outshone.

At the once-in-sixty-years Immortal-Demon Convention, Gongxi Yue had narrowly defeated Tu Hongying by a single move. From that moment on, they became mortal enemies.

Over the years, Tu Hongying had challenged Gongxi Yue to countless duels. Wins and losses were split evenly. They’d beaten each other to the brink of death, crawling on the ground, blood boiling with every clash, their grudge growing deeper with each encounter.

When they weren’t face-to-face, things were fine. But the moment they met, a fight was inevitable.

Gongxi Yue would occasionally consider the bigger picture, but Tu Hongying? She didn’t care about any of that. Once she decided to fight, no one could stop her.

Now, meeting in the Ninth City, Tu Hongying had barely said a word before leaping from the carriage shaft, ignoring the Demon Generals behind her. Her long halberd appeared in her hand, and she launched herself straight at Gongxi Yue, aiming for her head.

The western side of Ninth City was already in ruins, several streets destroyed. If they fought here, the entire city might be reduced to rubble.

Gongxi Yue sprang into the air, swinging her leg to kick the descending halberd with force.

The halberd shot off like a meteor toward the mountains outside the city. Gongxi Yue flashed through the air, shifting to a new position.

Before chasing after her, Tu Hongying shot a warning glare at the Demon Generals.

“Stay put. Don’t move. Don’t interrupt my duel with Gongxi Yue.”

The ever-perceptive Lust Demon quickly responded, “Rest assured, Young Mistress. We wouldn’t dare ruin your plans.”

They landed outside the city, watching from afar as Gongxi Yue and Tu Hongying faced off on a nearby mountain.

Gongxi Yue drew her sword. “Same rules as always?”

Tu Hongying gripped her halberd. “Of course.”

As longtime rivals, they shared an unspoken understanding. No need for explanations.

Their cultivation levels had always been neck and neck. Whenever one broke through, the other would soon catch up. Every fight was a close match.

Ten years ago, Tu Hongying had fought Gongxi Yue while she was still in the Nascent Soul Stage.

In just a decade, as they clashed again, she suddenly felt herself struggling.

She had a vague sense that Gongxi Yue was on the verge of breaking into the Void Glimpsing Stage—almost a whole realm above her. But how was that possible?

“What kind of miracle pill did you take? How did you break through so fast?”

Tu Hongying’s halberd flicked off Gongxi Yue’s hair tie, slicing away a lock of hair.

Gongxi Yue’s sword slashed across Tu Hongying’s thigh, drawing a bloody gash and cutting off half her long skirt.

“Ready to admit defeat?”

Of course, Gongxi Yue wasn’t about to tell her it was thanks to the indirect boost from her daughter’s System.

“Don’t get cocky! The fight’s not over yet!” Tu Hongying wasn’t intimidated—in fact, she fought even harder.

A nearby mountain peak was nearly leveled. From the dead of night to the first light of dawn, the battle raged on until a victor finally emerged.

In the end, Gongxi Yue stood triumphant.

Tu Hongying lay on the ground, covered in wounds. Gongxi Yue wasn’t much better off, looking far more disheveled than usual.

She moved her sword away from Tu Hongying’s neck and said, “I win. Now talk—what is the Demon Realm doing here?”

True to her word, Tu Hongying accepted defeat. She sat up and licked the blood from a cut on her arm.

“The High Priest received a prophecy from the heavens. A Son of Heavenly Mandate will gather immense fortune and break through the barrier of this world, ascending to godhood.”

“No one has ascended in thousands of years. Once the prophecy came out, my father took it seriously and sent people to search. According to the prophecy, he’s somewhere near this border.”

Gongxi Yue’s expression turned icy as her thoughts immediately went to Xiao Shou.

“And once you find him, then what?”

Tu Hongying’s face darkened too. Her father had actually said that such a child of destiny only appeared once every few thousand years. If she could bond with him, she might benefit when he ascended.

But in Tu Hongying’s eyes, if someone really had that much fortune, why not just devour him? Maybe she could ascend herself!

“If we find him, he’ll either be my man… or my meal,” Tu Hongying said coldly.

Gongxi Yue had never seen any prophecy about the Demon Realm in that future, but what she saw had only been fragments. It was entirely possible it was real.

She had once thought Tu Hongying would fall for Xiao Shou simply because she was used to competing with “Gongxi Yue”—if Gongxi Yue liked someone, she had to snatch him away.

That’s why, among all of Xiao Shou’s potential conquests, Gongxi Yue had been least worried about Tu Hongying.

As long as she didn’t show any affection toward Xiao Shou, Tu Hongying would never be interested in a man her rival had rejected.

But if the Lord of the Demon Realm had given orders, and there was a prophecy from the High Priest, Gongxi Yue couldn’t be so sure anymore.

They were enemies, not friends. Gongxi Yue had no intention of saving Tu Hongying—but if Xiao Shou came out on top, she would lose everything.

Wait!

A sudden thought struck Gongxi Yue. “You’ve already found this so-called child of destiny?”

They had fought for so long, yet the Demon Realm’s forces had obediently waited outside the city, not taking the chance to attack Lang Qingyue and Mu Yiling, who had stayed behind.

Part of it was their fear of Lang Qingyue’s Demon-Devouring Grass. But more importantly, they weren’t here for them at all. Tu Hongying’s role was to keep Gongxi Yue occupied—so she wouldn’t interfere.

“Quick on the uptake, aren’t you?” Tu Hongying laughed. “We couldn’t locate him for a while, but just recently, the priest finally saw through the veil and pinpointed his location. So, they should have already found him by now.”

“As for me, I’m just here to fight you.”

…

Inside a wooden cabin at the foot of Maozhou Mountain, Xiao Shou lay paralyzed, unable to move. A priest of the Demon Race gently propped him up and fed him a potion.

Wen Xunzhen was held to the side by a Demon General, her arms broken and twisted behind her back.

“I’ll go with you to the Demon Realm,” Xiao Shou said after hearing the priest’s words, his mind turning quickly. He tested the waters. “But I have one condition!”

One of the accompanying Demon Generals scowled with impatience. So this so-called Child of Fate was just a weak little worm? What a joke.

The Demon Lord had personally ordered the priest to bring him to the Demon Realm—he should be groveling in gratitude, not making demands.

But unlike the general, the priest, whose face was covered in strange markings, lifted Xiao Shou with a gentle demeanor. “What’s your condition? Speak.”

Seeing his attitude, Xiao Shou felt more confident. “I want you to kill Gongxi Yue’s daughter.”

Wen Xunzhen, still held by the Demon General and hanging her head, stirred slightly.

“Very well,” the priest agreed without hesitation.

“That’s a small matter. Come with us to the Demon Realm first, and I’ll make sure someone takes her life for you.”

Xiao Shou insisted, “No. I need to see that child die right now.”

He knew full well—Gongxi Yue had opposed him time and again because of that other System Host.

Wen Xunzhen’s change in attitude toward him was also because of that little brat. She was the real threat. No matter what, he had to eliminate her first.

“Priest, don’t listen to him! Just knock him out and drag him back!” the hot-tempered Demon General barked.

The priest cast him a light glance. The general immediately shut up and stepped back.

“Very well,” the priest said. “The Young Lord is currently keeping Gongxi Yue busy in the Ninth City. Let’s pay a visit to the Yunyin Immortal Sect’s outpost in the Twelfth City.”

As they prepared to leave, the Demon General holding Wen Xunzhen asked, “What about this woman? Kill her now?”

Xiao Shou looked at Wen Xunzhen, remembering the torment she’d put him through these past days.

No matter how gently he pleaded or how furiously he raged, this madwoman ignored him completely, keeping him trapped like a useless invalid.

Fury surged in his chest, but he forced it down.

If it weren’t for the fact that her affection meter hadn’t maxed out yet, and abandoning her now would ruin everything, he would’ve killed her just to vent.

But it would be a waste to kill her now. Once the strategy was complete, that would be her death day. Her unique blood and flesh could even be used for alchemy.

“Don’t kill her. Bring her too,” Xiao Shou rasped.

At the Yunyin Immortal Sect outpost in the Twelfth City, the night was quiet. The injured disciples had long since gone into meditation to rest. Xue Yingying was upstairs keeping Qian company.

The child slept during the day and turned into a little demon at night—jumping, shouting, and wreaking havoc.

She’d torn apart a perfectly good flying boat model, turning it into a pile of jade shards in the blink of an eye.

And it wasn’t just the destruction—after she’d dismantled it herself, she pouted and cried, demanding the original, intact version back. Xue Yingying had no choice but to help her reassemble it.

They worked into the night and barely managed to piece together a small portion.

Qian was eager to help, but her “help” only made things worse. She kept trying to jam the wrong jade pieces into the model.

Xue Yingying was assembling and disassembling so much her head throbbed. She wished a strong gust of wind would just blow this accursed toy away.

And then, as if summoned by her thoughts, a sudden demonic wind burst through the room. The closed window slammed open, and the half-finished model scattered all over the bed again.

Xue Yingying: This is not what I asked for.

Sensing danger, she grabbed the sword beside the bed with one hand and scooped Qian into her arms with the other.

“Who dares trespass in the Yunyin Immortal Sect’s outpost?!”

The two Demon Generals and the priest who entered paid her no mind.

The priest glanced at the child in her arms and said, “This kid’s carrying quite a few treasures.”

High-grade defensive artifacts, no less. If activated, even he would have to strike several times at full strength to break through.

But she was just a clueless child, clearly well protected. No matter how sharp the blade or sturdy the shield, she wouldn’t know how to use them.

Killing her would be easy.

“Do it!” Xiao Shou urged impatiently.

The priest reached out. Xue Yingying tried to stop him, but was instantly blasted away, crashing to the floor below and losing consciousness.

All that was left upstairs was a plump, helpless little lamb, surrounded by predators.

“Ahh!” one of the Demon Generals suddenly cried out in pain.

He had been holding the unconscious Wen Xunzhen, but now he was frantically shaking his hands. Blisters bubbled up on both arms, and within moments, his flesh was torn and bleeding.

A strange, intoxicating scent wafted from his wounds, causing everyone present to falter for a moment.

Wen Xunzhen lunged forward, grabbed Qian, and crashed through the window in a desperate escape.

The priest snapped back to his senses almost immediately and chuckled. “A futile struggle.”

He didn’t consider Wen Xunzhen a threat—her cultivation was too low, and a bit of poison wouldn’t harm him.

The enraged Demon General, his arms ruined, charged after them with the priest close behind.

Wen Xunzhen gritted her teeth through the pain and reached toward Qian’s chest. The child, sobbing, clung to her neck and whimpered, “Zhenzhen… Auntie… they’re gonna kill me!”

“No, they won’t. Don’t be scared,” Wen Xunzhen soothed her, fingers finally finding the jade pendant around Qian’s neck.

During her time with Gongxi Yue and Qian, she had grown closer to the child than Gongxi Yue had realized.

Qian had told her everything—what defensive artifacts she carried, and that the jade pendant on her chest concealed a sword strike from Lingzhao Sword Immortal.

But the Sword Immortal’s power was immense. To activate the strike required Qian’s blood—and someone to guide her spiritual energy.

It wasn’t just an attack—it was also a signal. Once triggered, Lingzhao Sword Immortal would know, even from thousands of miles away, that the child was in danger.

“Ow!” Qian cried as her finger was pricked and pressed against the jade pendant. Wen Xunzhen gripped her hand, guiding her energy.

Suddenly, a terrifying sword aura erupted.

The priest, leading the charge, was the first to be struck. That earth-shattering sword strike nearly cleaved him in two.

Even the Demon General who had merely followed behind and hadn’t faced the full brunt of the attack was injured, blood seeping from wounds all over his body. Only the one supporting Xiao Shou had managed to dodge in time and escaped serious harm.

“Priest!” The Demon General was shocked at the sight of the priest’s mangled body. Without a second thought, he rushed over and tried to piece together the priest, who was nearly torn in two.

“Quick… go back… back to the Demon Realm…” the priest’s lips, now part of a bisected face, trembled with effort.

Xiao Shou leaned against the wall nearby, his face twisted with rage and frustration.

He desperately wanted the Demon General to chase after Wen Xunzhen and that child, to hunt them down and kill them. But he knew it was impossible. The priest was barely clinging to life and had to be taken back immediately—there was no time for anything else.

If he said the wrong thing now, he might even become the target of their wrath.

Before leaving, the heavily wounded Demon General couldn’t hold back his fury. With a single strike, he demolished the entire row of houses in a fit of rage, then vanished in haste.