After Being Struck By The Love Gu, I Reached A Happy Ending With My Frail Best Friend - Chapter 12

The blocked acupoints abruptly opened, and the stagnant cultivation barrier shattered in an instant.

Rumor had it that on the path of cultivation, only reaching Golden Core could truly be considered crossing the threshold.

Whatever the case, Shen Fangzhou had finally, completely stepped into the Golden Core realm!

Spiritual power hundreds and thousands of times more turbulent than that of Foundation Establishment surged through her. The thirteenth restraint naturally melted away and vanished into her dantian.

With the restraints enhancing her strength, her previously unstable power finally soared to the middle Nascent Soul realm.

The heavy Chenshan Sword hummed deeply.

The flexible Cangze Sword waited, ready to strike.

There was no time for Shen Fangzhou to think.

She did not know why Cheng Che had sacrificed her life and soul to help her, but matters had already reached this point. Only by seizing this narrow chance at survival could they break free from the encirclement!

The two-handed cross strike of the Nine Songs Sword Art appeared once more.

Chenshan and Cangze left their sheaths simultaneously!

Shen Fangzhou raised both swords and pulled upward with all her strength. The two swift blades sliced through the black mist as effortlessly as cutting paper.

A rapid series of cracks immediately rang out.

The shapeless black mist fractured like glass.

Boom—

A thunderclap erupted from the ground, drowning out the clamor of countless weapons!

The instant the explosion surged outward, Shen Fangzhou abruptly opened her eyes. Her amber irises shone with dazzling brilliance.

There was no time to consider anything.

A moment before the black mist could escape, Shen Fangzhou drove both swords straight into its center!

The black mist shattered instantly.

Unable to bear such vast spiritual power, the illusion began to collapse.

The ancient battlefield between immortals and demons, existing only within memory, also began breaking apart. Brilliant colors transformed into pure streams of light and gradually faded away as the gray-white hues of reality spread across the world once more.

They had returned to Two Realms Mountain.

As the illusion disappeared, Shen Fangzhou crashed heavily to the ground.

She struggled upright, supporting herself with Cangze, then spat out a mouthful of clotted blood.

Without pausing to rest, she anxiously searched for her companions.

But when she raised her head, she found herself staring directly at an overly familiar face.

Ning Ruyue stared blankly back at Shen Fangzhou. With a confused yelp, she tentatively asked,

“…You died too?”

Shen Fangzhou’s boiling emotions immediately went cold.

Equally bewildered, she asked,

“Was I supposed to die?”

The system replied flatly,

“You certainly deserved to.”

Shen Fangzhou and Ning Ruyue stared at each other like two foolish dogs.

Before their rusted minds could begin functioning again, the saber cultivator beside them opened her eyes, threw herself at Ning Ruyue, and burst into tears.

“Waaah! Xiaoyue, you’re not dead! You tricked me into crying!”

The team had gone from grief to joy so abruptly that they nearly lost their breath.

After staring blankly for a moment, Shen Fangzhou suddenly understood.

She had been mistaken from the beginning.

Sect Master Xie had failed to hear her question, and Shen Fangzhou had not pursued the matter further.

What Xie Guiwan had sacrificed her hearing to obtain was not merely the healing of Shen Fangzhou’s chest wound.

It had been a slim chance of survival for every soul dragged into the illusion.

Their souls had entered, but their bodies had not.

Everything had been empty and illusory, like bubbles and shadows.

After all those twists and turns, it truly had resembled a game.

Unfortunately, although Ning Ruyue had died inside the illusion, her life remained intact in reality.

But Cheng Che, whose body and soul had both shattered, was completely and irrevocably dead.

Shen Fangzhou finally relaxed.

She simply lay back on the ground and breathed heavily, feeling that nothing beneath heaven and earth could ever be predicted.

The original novel had mentioned Cheng Che only briefly, yet it had clearly stated that she eventually became the city lord of Huizhou Pass.

But in this real world, Cheng Che had chosen to attack Shen Fangzhou while they were carrying out a mission together.

Then, when everyone was trapped in mortal danger, she had sacrificed both body and soul to win them a single chance at survival, leaving no possibility of revival.

Shen Fangzhou sighed.

She had come to change the predetermined fate of the main characters, yet somehow, she had witnessed another person’s ending being rewritten instead.

But what had Cheng Che meant by her final words?

It made sense that she had asked Shen Fangzhou to save Ning Ruyue. Perhaps, at the moment she destroyed herself, she had realized that this world was an illusion.

But what had she meant by saving more people?

Their other companions?

Cheng Che’s sudden betrayal was impossible to explain.

Her final decision was equally baffling.

The entire matter felt extraordinarily strange.

Shen Fangzhou frowned.

Her gaze swept across the corpses of Golden Core demon generals scattered over the ground. They had probably died at the outer edge when the killing intent of the black mist erupted.

Yet she vaguely felt that the matter might not be as simple as it appeared.

The system, however, sounded perfectly relaxed, even carrying a trace of joy at having survived.

“All right, Zhouzhou, stop thinking about it. This place appeared only once in the main story of The Heavens Where Cranes Soar. According to the unwritten rules of transmigration stories, there’s nothing to worry about.”

“With that time, you should check on the female lead!”

Right.

Before they left the illusion, the protective formation had suddenly collapsed. Shen Fangzhou had no idea what kind of backlash Xie Guiwan might have suffered.

As though awakening from a dream, she turned and searched the dark border of the demon realm for the familiar figure.

“Zhouzhou.”

A quiet voice came from beside her.

Shen Fangzhou abruptly looked over.

Xie Guiwan appeared as calm and unruffled as always.

Beside her right hand, however, stood Zhou Xu, immobilized by a Body-Fixing Talisman.

Shen Fangzhou hurried forward without sparing Zhou Xu a glance.

“Sect Master, where did you go just now? Hurry and let me see whether you’re injured.”

It was too dark for Xie Guiwan to read exactly what Shen Fangzhou was saying.

But the woman before her displayed every thought openly on her face.

Xie Guiwan guessed the general meaning and stopped Zhouzhou’s approaching hand with a soft hum.

“I’m not seriously injured. There seems to be a scratch on my back, though. I may have to trouble you to apply medicine for me tonight.”

Shen Fangzhou agreed without the slightest hesitation.

She then began asking question after question about Xie Guiwan’s hearing loss, making Zhou Xu, who stood beside them, call out twice in irritation, her head filled with question marks.

Zhou Xu: Could you two stop flirting long enough to remember that I’m your prisoner?

“Oh, I nearly forgot about Your Highness.”

Shen Fangzhou returned to her senses, her smile frank, open, and perfectly righteous.

Zhou Xu gave a cold snort and prepared to adopt a heroic expression declaring that she would never agree to anything they demanded.

Instead, Shen Fangzhou simply reached out and unceremoniously removed the storage pouch from Zhou Xu’s waist.

Zhou Xu: “?”

Shen Fangzhou declared self-righteously,

“Your Highness, a prisoner should possess the awareness expected of a prisoner.”

Very few people placed locks on their storage pouches, much less the demon realm’s young princess.

Shen Fangzhou opened it effortlessly and let out an appropriately timed sound of surprise.

Then, under Zhou Xu’s livid gaze, she took out half of a feather.

Zhou Xu’s expression changed dramatically.

Through gritted teeth, she enunciated each word.

“Shen Fangzhou, I advise you not to set your sights on the Crane Feather. Otherwise, whether it is Qi Yu or the so-called Hidden Immortal Yun Biechen, no one will be able to protect you.”

The Crane Feather?

Shen Fangzhou examined the perfectly ordinary half-feather in her hand and poked the system in disbelief.

“This is the legendary treasure of the demon race, the Crane Feather?”

The system glanced at it with extreme disdain.

“It’s useless. According to legend, an immortal who ascended from this world a thousand years ago left it behind.”

“At the time, the Sword Pavilion Master gifted it to the demon realm as a symbol of friendship between the two realms.”

“Forget half a feather. Even an entire one can only be used as a souvenir.”

“All right.”

Shen Fangzhou sighed.

Despite saying that, she still stuffed the Crane Feather into her pocket without hesitation.

Then, under Zhou Xu’s murderous glare, she continued shamelessly,

“Your Highness needn’t look at me like that. No matter how you put it, I saved your life.”

Zhou Xu sneered.

“If you had not come, this calamity would never have appeared in my fate.”

Unable to fool her, Shen Fangzhou cleared her throat guiltily before asking with curiosity,

“There is one other matter I wish to ask Your Highness. Is the Demon Lord planning to personally lead an expedition against Huizhou Pass?”

Zhou Xu’s expression did not change.

“No. Where did you hear such a rumor?”

“Then she is.”

Shen Fangzhou nodded knowingly.

Holding the storage pouch in one hand, she smiled brilliantly.

“In that case, I won’t trouble Your Highness to travel with us.”

“With the Crane Feather in my possession, the Demon Lord will probably be too busy to visit Huizhou Pass.”

Zhou Xu finally lost her composure, her face turning livid.

“Shen Fangzhou, I warn you. You may take anything else inside the storage pouch, but the Crane Feather—the Crane Feather—mmph?!”

Xie Guiwan casually placed a Silencing Talisman on her.

Then she said leisurely,

“You possess extraordinary confidence in your present circumstances.”

No longer paying attention to Zhou Xu, Shen Fangzhou walked away while weighing the storage pouch with interest.

It contained numerous heavenly treasures and rare materials.

In addition, there were many poisons and antidotes, enough to use in an emergency.

“Buzhanyi, Heaven Without Cure… Huh? What’s in this bottle?”

Curious, Shen Fangzhou took out an unlabeled jade bottle and shook it.

Something felt wrong.

Xie Guiwan examined it and frowned.

“It appears to contain Gu poison. Zhouzhou, you should put it away.”

“Compared with Buzhanyi, the Gu poisons of the Demon Palace are the truly incurable and terrifying ones.”

Shen Fangzhou obediently nodded.

The Body-Fixing Talisman would remain effective for twelve hours. Since they did not need to worry about Zhou Xu immediately retaliating, they tossed her aside and quickly regrouped with the other nine team members.

Ning Ruyue was still lost in confusion over Cheng Che’s sudden death.

Only after seeing Shen Fangzhou did she wipe her eyes and casually turn to practical matters.

“Shen Fangzhou, where are we going next?”

“We originally came only to abduct Zhou Xu and draw the Demon Lord’s attention.”

“But compared with Zhou Xu, I found a much better ‘hostage.’”

Shen Fangzhou nodded as she explained.

Her gaze swept across the group, all of whom bore bloody wounds, and her voice softened.

“My next destination may remain within Two Realms Mountain, or I may enter the demon realm.”

“But the road ahead is obviously filled with danger. You should return first.”

“Leave the rest to me.”

With the Crane Feather in her possession, Shen Fangzhou alone would be enough.

Ning Ruyue frowned.

“The demon realm? Shen Fangzhou, don’t be too arrogant.”

“You may have reached Golden Core now, but Zhou Han possesses the strength of the Tribulation Transcendence realm.”

“Are you planning to play cat and mouse with her? Will you return to Huizhou City as a corpse?”

Shen Fangzhou handed Ning Ruyue a blood-red stone and smiled.

“I won’t need to flee for long. The Immortal Alliance’s people will reach Huizhou City within three days at the latest.”

“What is this?”

“A Teleportation Stone.”

Shen Fangzhou winked and lowered her voice.

“I stole it from Zhou Xu. Judging from the density of its spiritual power, it will probably dissipate in another half month.”

“It would be a waste not to take advantage of it.”

Ning Ruyue’s eyes widened, and she nearly threw the stone away.

“Are you serious?”

Teleportation Stones were among the most powerful divine artifacts on the entire continent.

The immortal, demon, and mortal realms were all vast beyond measure. Even a great cultivator at the Tribulation Transcendence realm required a long journey to cross from east to west.

A Teleportation Stone, however, could directly break through spatial restrictions.

They came in pairs.

When the holder crushed one stone, they would immediately be transported beside the other.

Unfortunately, these objects had also been passed down by the Sword Pavilion’s founding ancestor.

They were condensed from the purest spiritual energy of heaven and earth and had become exceedingly rare.

Worse still, improper preservation could cause them to disintegrate on their own, making them valuable yet frustratingly impractical.

“Why would I lie to you?”

Shen Fangzhou explained,

“When the time comes, I’ll need you to give it to my senior sister.”

“Once I crush the other Teleportation Stone, I’ll be able to return directly to her side.”

“Your senior sister… Sword Master Zhaoshuang, Bian Yingxue?”

Shen Fangzhou nodded.

Only after Ning Ruyue safely put away the Teleportation Stone did Shen Fangzhou turn toward Xie Guiwan.

She hesitated before saying,

“Sect Master, the path ahead offers nine deaths and one chance of survival. Ning Ruyue is at the peak of Foundation Establishment.”

“Perhaps you should return to Huizhou City with them?”

Xie Guiwan lazily tilted her head.

Her luminous autumn eyes rested upon Shen Fangzhou as she raised an eyebrow in feigned confusion.

“I didn’t hear what you said.”

Shen Fangzhou: “Fine.”

However, she had already reached the early Golden Core realm.

Considering the additional restraints she could now use, Shen Fangzhou did not reject the female lead’s decision.

Besides, her life was already tied to the female lead.

Keeping Xie Guiwan beside her would ultimately be more reassuring.

Shen Fangzhou looked toward Yaodu, the supreme city of the demon realm in the distance, and felt an inexplicable surge of anticipation.

She was about to play hide-and-seek with Zhou Han, the strongest person in both realms.

She was about to make fools of the demon race before everyone’s eyes—

Shen Fangzhou licked her lips.

Sometimes, transmigrating into a novel was not entirely a bad thing.

From this moment onward, she and Xie Guiwan would begin leading Demon Lord Zhou Han in circles.

They only needed to endure for three days.

Then everything would be over.

At that point, the first plot arc would conclude.

Huizhou’s formation would remain safe, and Xie Guiwan would not lose any of her lifespan.

It would be exactly the most perfect storyline Shen Fangzhou had envisioned.

With the decision made, Shen Fangzhou looked at the nine companions who had fought beside her day and night.

Emotion suddenly rose in her heart.

She cupped her hands solemnly.

“Everyone, I’ll see you in Huizhou City.”

“We’ll meet again in Huizhou City. Come back alive.”

Ning Ruyue put away her playful expression and spoke softly as she watched Shen Fangzhou and Xie Guiwan.

Dawn gradually approached.

A thin line of pure white appeared in the distant east.

Against the hazy morning light, one green figure and one white figure disappeared into the far distance, as though everything had been a dream.

Yet no one noticed the barely visible crack forming across the pure white jade bottle inside the storage pouch.

Two tiny Gu insects quietly crawled out.