The Substitute Female Supporting Character Sees the Bullet Screen

The wisp of sword energy in his spiritual consciousness had come from Bright Sky Peak, more precisely, from Xiao Ling.

Before Xiao Ling's suspicions were cleared, An Huai had no goodwill whatsoever towards this wisp of sword energy that originated from her, and he was extremely wary of it.

The first thing he wanted to do was to separate the sword energy, but the sword light clung to him stubbornly, refusing to let go. An Huai had no choice but to isolate that wisp of external spiritual consciousness and seal it within a piece of spirit stone he held in his hand.

On his way back to Hengding Peak, the wisp of sword energy suddenly surged violently, causing his spiritual consciousness to resonate with a buzzing sound. In the moment An Huai was distracted, the spirit stone containing his spiritual consciousness shattered into dust, and the sword energy rushed into his spiritual platform.

The sect's assigned sword beneath his feet inexplicably snapped, and An Huai plummeted from high in the sky. If not for a senior brother passing by who quickly rushed over to catch him, An Huai might have met his end right then and there.

The sword's roar that circled in his spiritual platform echoed loudly, making his head buzz. From the sword energy came an overwhelming surge of anger and grievance, constantly calling out to him. An Huai clutched his head, his temples throbbing with pain, "Shut up!"

The senior brother was startled, "What's wrong with you, Junior Brother An? What happened?"

An Huai's pupils were unfocused as he turned his head to look at the other person. It was a familiar face. He swayed slightly, and suddenly, his vision went black. He was knocked unconscious by the sword's roar in his mind.

A quarter of an hour earlier, within Bright Sky Peak, shortly after An Huai had left, Xiao Ling felt the fluctuation of the underground secret realm's fragments. She quickly strode through the courtyard and into the room. Before activating the transmission array to head to the underground cave, she hesitated for a moment and asked, "Zhu Yan, are you there?"

No one answered her from within her spiritual platform. Xiao Ling uneasily retracted her hand and stood still in the room. Her current cultivation was far too low. Without Zhu Yan accompanying her, venturing into the underground cave would be too risky. If anything unexpected happened, she would have no means to defend herself.

"Zhu Yan?" Xiao Ling called out again, "The underground secret realm fragments are acting up. I don't know if I should go in and take a look."

After a long while, Zhu Yan finally responded to her. His voice sounded somewhat weary, "Go in."

Xiao Ling calmed down and activated the transmission array, stepping into it. The array's light had not yet dissipated when the biting cold and dampness of the cave hit her face, making Xiao Ling shiver.

"Don't move," Zhu Yan warned her.

Xiao Ling immediately stopped, standing close to the transmission array. The little white bird huddled in her arms. In such a place full of restrictions, she dared not release her spiritual consciousness carelessly.

On the cave walls, the layers of restrictions set by Sang Wumian had all been activated, making the entire cave as bright as daylight. A violent sword energy charged around the cave, sometimes dissipating into mist, sometimes condensing into the form of a dragon.

Zhu Yan mused, "When you touched the fragments earlier, did you send your spiritual consciousness into them?"

Xiao Ling immediately shook her head, "How could I be so reckless?" Nie Yinzhi and the Demon Ancestor were still in the Mountain of Knives and Forest of Swords, so why would she provoke them?

"Extend your spiritual consciousness to touch it," Zhu Yan suggested, "and see if this sword energy is aimed at you. If it keeps crashing into the fragments, they might scatter, and that would be a waste." After saying this, he noticed Xiao Ling's hesitation and chuckled lightly, "Don't worry, I'm in your spiritual platform. It won't hurt you."

The little white bird looked at the secret realm fragments on the spiritual vein stream. The fragment leading to the Mountain of Knives and Forest of Swords was shaking violently due to the sword energy, and it indeed seemed like it might scatter.

If the fragment was gone, she would not be able to enter the Mountain of Knives and Forest of Swords, and would have to rely on that dull Ruyi Sword for her cultivation.

The spirit swords in the Mountain of Knives and Forest of Swords were products of the Instrument Sect a thousand years ago, completely incomparable to the current ones.

Xiao Ling bit her lip and made up her mind. She extended a wisp of her spiritual consciousness to touch the rampaging sword energy. As soon as she made contact with the sword light, a fierce surge of anger rushed into her spiritual consciousness, almost tearing it apart.

"Zhu Yan..." Before she could finish, a shadow burst out from her eyes. Ferocious blood energy condensed into a massive monster silhouette, which lunged at the sword light and bit down. The dragon-like sword energy let out a hiss, and the sword light shattered.

Xiao Ling emerged from the underground cave and sat down in a chair. Her thin shoulders trembled slightly, her face pale from the shock, her lips devoid of any color, looking fragile and pitiful.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

She looked dazed, her fingers unconsciously gripping the hem of her skirt. There was still a trace of unwillingness in her heart, and she murmured, "Is it... Nie Yinzhi's sword energy? Is that dragon a sword spirit?" Why was she always so lucky.

Zhu Yan, whose spiritual consciousness resided in Xiao Ling's spiritual platform, flowed out from her eyes and materialized into a shadowy figure. He reached out, lifting her face with a gentle touch, "It's just a water dragon, not some top-tier sword spirit."

Xiao Ling frowned and turned her head to avoid his touch.

Zhu Yan chuckled, grabbing her chin and turning her face back towards him. He pulled off the white veil covering her eyes, forcing her to look at him, "This is the face you painted yourself. You should like it, so why won't you look at me?"

"Zhu Yan, now is not the time to talk about this..." Xiao Ling lowered her eyes for a moment, finally turning unwillingly towards him.

After the miasma poison was purged, the terrifying spots around Xiao Ling's eyes gradually faded. Under the nourishment of spiritual medicine, her eyes had returned to normal, looking no different from ordinary people.

However, her pupils were dull, her irises like two dark wells, always shrouded in a layer of gloom, unable to see anything. But Zhu Yan liked her these gray, lifeless eyes, especially when they filled with reluctant tears, like a dusty treasure, evoking pity.

Zhu Yan's thumb pried open her lips and leaned in to kiss her. Tears welled up in Xiao Ling's eyes. Zhu Yan laughed as he leaned over her, "Xiao Ling, I love you most in this... unwilling state."

His laughter suddenly stopped, and he fell silent for a moment before letting her go. "Now really isn't the time. That water dragon spirit has hooked up with your good junior brother, and even Yan Yi has been startled."

Xiao Ling's eyes, devoid of any light, turned towards him in surprise, "An Huai?"

Zhu Yan laughed in frustration, "He really should be killed." He had yet to break into Yan Yi's spiritual platform, but he was close to infiltrating it. However, the current situation couldn't wait.

Yan Yi would likely soon investigate Bright Sky Peak.

Due to An Huai's unexpected interference, the water dragon spirit seeking its master caused the sword energy to continuously leak from the fragments, colliding with the restrictions set by Sang Wumian. Although the restrictions held, the fragment leading to the Mountain of Knives and Forest of Swords was on the verge of being shattered by the furious sword spirit.

Either Xiao Ling had to enter the Mountain of Knives and Forest of Swords before the fragment dispersed, but that would mean they would have to face the Demon Ancestor alone.

Or, they could hand over the secret realm fragment and enter the Mountain of Knives and Forest of Swords together with Yan Yi, using them as a shield against Gu Jiang and taking the opportunity to fish in troubled waters. The secret realm fragment required abundant spiritual energy to sustain, and they lacked the ability to divert the spiritual vein, making it impossible to move the fragment in a short time. They would have to hand it over.

"See, this is the result of your softness," Zhu Yan sighed, caressing Xiao Ling's pale lips, "What will you choose?"

Meanwhile, after An Huai fainted, the sword's roar in his mind finally subsided. He didn't remain unconscious for long and soon woke up. As soon as he opened his eyes, he found a row of elders standing by his bed.

Besides Yan Yi, there was also Elder Qiu from their Hengding Peak, the elder who had succeeded Jing Chongshan in the medical hall, and behind Yan Yi stood the senior brother who had caught him.

All of them had grave expressions.

An Huai was just an ordinary inner-door disciple of Hengding Peak, rarely having the chance to see Elder Qiu. Yan Yi only knew his name because of the day Jing Chongshan went mad. An Huai had forcibly broken into the quiet meditation hall of the medical hall, which was when Yan Yi took notice of him and took him under his wing for a period.

This lineup was far too grand. An Huai was so startled that he instinctively pressed his hand to his head. The sword energy in his spiritual platform was now quiet, but he had almost been killed by it earlier. An Huai's face turned ashen, "Great Elder, am I about to die?"

Even if he were to die, it shouldn't warrant so many elders surrounding him, should it?

Yan Yi chuckled, "Die? What are you talking about? You're in great shape. This is a stroke of luck from the heavens, something others would beg for. Let me ask you, where did the sword energy in your spiritual platform come from?"

An Huai didn't answer but cautiously asked, "Great Elder, does this sword energy have a problem?"

Yan Yi shook his head, "This sword energy is a sentient sword, most likely from the Sword Mountain and Blade Forest of the Instrument Sect. It is a sword that resonates with your soul, which is why it pierced into your spirit platform. Don't worry, it won't harm you."

Sword Mountain and Blade Forest? How did Xiao Ling end up with sword qi from there? Nie Yinzhi and the demon are also in the Sword Mountain and Blade Forest. Is there a connection? Regardless, Xiao Ling must be secretly up to something.

An Huai's mind raced with thoughts in an instant. Just as he was about to speak, the sword qi in his spirit platform began to hum with his awakening, louder than a funeral suona.

He felt the increasingly intense summons from the sword spirit, clutching his head in pain. Yan Yi immediately asked, "What's wrong?"

An Huai endured the headache and said, "Elder Yan, this sword qi comes from Bright Sky Peak, from Xiao Ling."

At the same time, Yan Yi received a message from Ye Jing, "Senior Brother, come quickly to Bright Sky Peak."

Yan Yi had a few guesses in his mind. He pressed his hand on An Huai's shoulder and said, "The spirit sword is not with you now, so you can't resonate with it. Try to calm it down first."

An Huai took a deep breath and nodded with difficulty. The sword qi in his mind became even more turbulent, almost turning his brain into mush. He didn't know what it was experiencing, but the sword qi was filled with anger and defiance.

Yan Yi ordered Elder Qiu to protect An Huai and then immediately rushed to Bright Sky Peak.

Ye Jing and Xiao Ling were waiting on Bright Sky Peak, leading him directly into the inner hall. As they walked, Ye Jing said, "Sang Wumian has secretly opened a hidden chamber beneath Bright Sky Peak, diverting a branch of the main spiritual vein through the underground of Bright Sky Peak. This branch holds five secret realm fragments, one of which is the Sword Mountain and Blade Forest fragment, though it's currently very unstable."

Yan Yi stepped into the room and said, "Let's take a look inside."

Xiao Ling activated the teleportation array and explained, "This was left by..."

The past Xiao Ling was already dead. She now had a new identity and no longer needed to call Sang Wumian her master. Xiao Ling quickly corrected herself, "This was left by the former sect master, Sang Wumian. My spiritual power was too weak before to open it. Only after the spiritual veins recovered did I remember to check it. It was just that An Huai arrived, so I delayed a bit before informing you, Master."

Yan Yi glanced at her, nodded slightly, and said nothing more. The group stepped into the array.

The sword qi in the hidden chamber was no longer as turbulent as before. A slender golden stream hung in the room, with five secret realm fragments scattered along this branch of the spiritual vein. The Sword Mountain and Blade Forest fragment was being violently shaken and was on the verge of dissipating.

Hiding the secret realm fragments so secretly and diverting the spiritual veins to nurture them, Sang Wumian, the former sect master, certainly knew how to plan for himself. It's understandable that peak-level cultivators are always seeking ways to advance further.

If it were before, this would undoubtedly be a great piece of news.

But now, Gu Jiang is still inside the Sword Mountain and Blade Forest. This secret realm fragment won't be able to sustain itself until Gu Jiang leaves. Yan Yi isn't foolish enough to face the demon ancestor alone.

After exiting the hidden chamber, Yan Yi extracted the Sword Mountain and Blade Forest secret realm fragment and sent messages to the major sects. Soon, the large teleportation array at Cloud Scripture Sect lit up.

-

That Jiaoling was causing trouble again. It looked like a fresh, transparent water spirit, but its temperament was very stubborn. Even when completely suppressed by the Honghu, it never stopped struggling.

Nie Yinzhi was woken up by the commotion from these two sword spirits. She looked at the sunlight outside the gauze curtain, feeling a bit disoriented, unsure of what day it was. With the demon around, day and night seemed to lose their meaning.

But he wasn't sleeping by choice; it was forced upon him.

Nie Yinzhi gently moved, wanting to lift his arm and get up.

Gu Jiang immediately woke up, "What's wrong?"

"That Jiaoling is causing a lot of trouble," Nie Yinzhi said. "I think they might be about to come in."

Gu Jiang withdrew his arm, turned over, and sat up, his face dark with a clear "morning temper."

He hadn't slept for long.

Yinzhi: He's not sleeping by choice; it's forced upon him. He's so pitiful, missing out on so much fun.

Gu Jiang: ??? He just likes to sleep.