Chapter Fifty-Three: The Escape Succeeds

Ning Xianyu stood at the mouth of the passage, clutching the enormous Blood Source Stone, looking like a walking billboard. She even glanced back at the pursuing demonic cultivators. She appeared so confident, so ostentatious, so… utterly infuriating! This despicable human cultivator—she was provoking them.

The demonic cultivators, enraged, surged forward one after another, intent on capturing Ning Xianyu and grinding her bones to dust. Ning Xianyu trembled as she hugged the Blood Source Stone. She was terrified; the passage was right behind her, she wanted to flee, she could almost smell the fresh air of the human world beyond.

Xuan Yuan Tunhan turned to look at Yi Tianling, shouting angrily, “Why haven’t you left yet?”

Yi Tianling replied with determination, “I’ll stand with my elders, come what may.”

He was full of heroic fervor, like a champion. But Xuan Yuan Tunhan, thoroughly annoyed, snapped, “Enough nonsense, get out of here!” With that, he shoved Yi Tianling and Akali together into the passage.

Yi Tianling, holding Akali, had no choice but to run through the passage, his mind blank. The system spoke, “I told you to leave sooner…”

Yi Tianling remained silent, but a strange feeling stirred within him. He had thought himself a hero, torn over whether to stay and help, but in the end, they didn’t need him at all.

His presence only dragged them down. It would have been better if he’d left earlier.

“I’m too weak,” he thought.

Because of his weakness, he didn’t even have the authority to decide whether to abandon his companions. Because he was so weak, all he could do now was run; he could do nothing else.

Even those he wanted to help had to be saved by others.

He must grow stronger. He had to.

Xuan Yuan Tunhan repelled the demonic cultivators once more, and the ten demon lords arrived. Ning Xianyu, shaking with fear, wondered how they would battle it out.

The demonic cultivators, eager for a fight, readied themselves to challenge him to the death. Such a powerful human cultivator would surely withstand their blows—beating him would be exhilarating.

But at that moment, Xuan Yuan Tunhan suddenly turned and dashed into the passage.

Ning Xianyu was still at the mouth of the passage, hugging the Blood Source Stone. She turned to see the protagonist and the great demon lord fleeing as well. What was happening? Why were they escaping while she, mere cannon fodder, was left behind?

The system laughed heartily: “This is the value of cannon fodder.”

Ning Xianyu was on the verge of tears, feeling utterly miserable. She really was cannon fodder. Thinking of all the delicious food and drink in her storage bag she hadn’t enjoyed yet, regret gnawed at her.

The blades of the demonic cultivators were upon her; she stood trembling, clutching the Blood Source Stone, clueless about what to do.

Suddenly, a force wrapped around her waist and yanked her away. She flew backwards into the passage, still holding the Blood Source Stone, and Xuan Yuan Tunhan’s disdainful voice echoed behind her.

“Are you an idiot? Don’t you even know how to run?”

Was this woman insane, standing dumbly at the passage entrance without fleeing?

Ning Xianyu protested, “You didn’t tell me to run, you only told Yi Tianling to hurry.”

Without an order, she didn’t dare move.

Xuan Yuan Tunhan had intended to scold her further, but hearing that, he felt a strange sensation within. This woman… really had something wrong with her head.

“Next time, if you want to run, just do it. What do you think you’ll accomplish by staying?”

Ning Xianyu breathed a sigh of relief, but habitually tried to ingratiate herself: “I’m using your body, with all this spiritual power—I’m sure I can do something.”

After a while, Xuan Yuan Tunhan muttered softly, “Fool.”

Fools don’t live long.

Though he knew her words were meant to please him, they still struck a chord. From birth until now, no one had ever stood by him in times of danger, let alone in front of him. Even if it was a lie, no one had ever said such things.

They raced through the passage, the demonic cultivators not daring to pursue. Zhuti stopped them.

This was someone else’s passage—if they rushed in and it closed, they would be banished to the Nether Realm, perhaps never to return.

Moreover, they were demonic cultivators; entering the human world would alarm the cultivation world and provoke a war between the two sides.

Zhuti restrained the group but suddenly struck into the passage. His attack transformed into a fire dragon, roaring as it surged deep into the corridor.

Ning Xianyu, at the rear, was the first in its path. Seeing the fire dragon hurtling toward her, she shrieked, holding the Blood Source Stone in front of her.

The fire dragon, blazing hot, drew near, but as its flames touched the Blood Source Stone, they were absorbed, not leaving even a trace of heat.

Ning Xianyu discovered this benefit and was overjoyed. This stone was truly remarkable—absorbing anything.

“I wonder if it can absorb garbage?”

She considered testing it with some trash.

The system urged excitedly: “Try it, quickly, quickly!”

Ning Xianyu used spiritual power to pull a fruit pit from her storage bag and tossed it onto the Blood Source Stone.

The fruit pit shriveled, but wasn’t absorbed.

What was that about?

“It can’t be used as a garbage bin.”

Ning Xianyu grumbled, feeling the stone wasn’t as useful as she’d hoped.

Xuan Yuan Tunhan, still running, felt like abandoning her after hearing this. This woman—what did she take the Blood Source Stone for?

They ran through the passage for half an hour before finally seeing light ahead.

Yi Tianling waited anxiously at the entrance, and saw the two emerge, one after another: first Elder Ning, then Elder Xuan Yuan, both carrying the enormous Blood Source Stone, as big as a small mountain.

How the Blood Source Stone managed to pass through the corridor remained a mystery.

Once they landed, Yi Tianling hurried to seal the passage.

“Are you alright?” he asked.

Xuan Yuan Tunhan said he was fine and told them to quickly bring the Blood Source Stone into the town.

Yi Tianling asked anxiously, “Are we going to let the villagers absorb the demonic energy now?”

But Akali was exhausted from the ritual.

Xuan Yuan Tunhan directed them to hurry. When they reached the array imprisoning the villagers, he released it.

It was daytime in the human world; the villagers were still unconscious.

Ning Xianyu, shouldering the Blood Source Stone like a laborer, found her spirits lifted by the blue sky and white clouds. She truly preferred the human world—it was far more interesting than the demon realm.

Yi Tianling still held Akali, unsure of what to do next.

Xuan Yuan Tunhan promptly pulled Akali down, grabbed Ning Xianyu’s hand, and channeled his spiritual power, guiding her to place her other hand on Akali.

Ning Xianyu complied, feeling her spiritual energy being drawn forth and transferred into Akali’s body.

Akali soon awoke, looked around, and seeing Yi Tianling, happily embraced him.

“We’ve escaped! Wonderful, Brother Yi, we made it out!”

The two were caught in their excitement, but Xuan Yuan Tunhan forcibly separated them.

“Stop hugging, get to work—quickly! The demon realm’s people will arrive any moment.”