Female Lead, Something's Not Right (GL) - Chapter 28

When Gu Shiyan and Zhou Manzi launched a pincer attack on the Core Formation cultivator, the cultivator showed no sign of panic.

“Senior Brother Zhou, he’s a Ghost Cultivator! Be careful!”

As she got closer, Gu Shiyan stared at the Core Formation cultivator, who looked to be over a hundred years old. His shriveled, emaciated body was unnaturally long, and his murky eyes held a spirit not fitting for his age.

The Core Formation old man snorted, an expression of disdain in his gaze. “You two ants still think you can profit from the fishermen! Even with only one arm today, it’s more than enough to deal with you two worthless shrimps.”

Zhou Manzi was wary of the old man’s next move. As the saying goes, a starved camel is still bigger than a horse. Although this Core Formation old man had just survived a fierce battle, he must have life-saving methods from his years of accumulation.

“Senior, we mean no harm. We want to exchange spirit stones for the Ganoderma in your hand. Not much, just a small piece will suffice,” Gu Shiyan decided to try a polite approach first. If that failed, she would resort to aggressive means.

A sharp glint flashed in the old man’s eyes. “Sure, how many spirit stones do you have?”

Zhou Manzi was overjoyed and pulled out his storage bag. “As long as Senior is willing to part with it, I will find every way to raise the spirit stones.”

“No need for such trouble. Both your lives and your spirit stones must be left behind!” The Core Formation old man shook his hand, and a top-grade spiritual artifact, a Soul-Summoning Banner, appeared.

“A Natal Artifact!” Gu Shiyan was shocked. This Core Formation old man didn’t even bother to conceal his intentions, immediately bringing out his Natal Artifact. It seemed he was intent on killing them.

The Soul-Summoning Banner was pure black, fluttering with white funeral ribbons. Black, distorted ghostly faces struggled and howled, the sound piercing straight through their eardrums into their brains.

“Ah!!” Zhou Manzi couldn’t withstand the power, covering his ears and kneeling in resistance.

Gu Shiyan was not much better. She pulled Zhou Manzi up and instantly tried to flee, but ghosts blocked them from all directions.

“Who exactly are you! The vengeful ghosts on your Soul-Summoning Banner are not masterless rogue ghosts; they are righteous cultivators!”

Gu Shiyan was on full alert. Ghost cultivation was a path where cultivators refined harmful, vengeful spirits to gain spiritual energy and ascend. When she saw that the ghosts appearing on the banner all had spiritual roots, it could only mean that the Core Formation old man before them was brutally killing fellow cultivators to forcefully absorb their cultivation and spiritual energy to rapidly increase his own power.

“I didn’t expect a little Qi Refining girl to recognize the principle behind refining this artifact. Then let me give you a good experience. An alchemist and a body cultivator—what a great tonic!” The Core Formation old man looked at the two greedily, as if they were a meal on a plate.

“Since I’m going to die anyway, I’ll fight you today, old man!” Zhou Manzi swallowed an elixir. His spiritual power instantly surged, enveloping him in golden light. He then charged toward the Soul-Summoning Banner, with the ghosts moving forward to block him.

Hehehe.

Sinister and eerie laughter came from the mouths of the ghosts.

“Vajra Fist!” Zhou Manzi delivered a set of body-cultivation punches, fast as afterimages. The ghosts dissipated and instantly reformed, wrapping tighter and tighter around Zhou Manzi.

The Core Formation old man appeared confident, but his hands, clutching the Soul-Summoning Banner, were subtly trembling—a detail Gu Shiyan keenly noticed.

That’s it!

Why did the old man immediately bring out his Natal Artifact and so desperately want to kill them? It wasn’t because he didn’t care, but because he was fundamentally injured and couldn’t hold on for long. He was afraid they would discover his weakness and become wary, which is why he resorted to this desperate measure.

Realizing this, Gu Shiyan quickly took out a Blasting Pill and detonated it toward the Core Formation old man, then took the opportunity to launch a sneak attack with her short sword. For a moment, the Core Formation old man, who was already missing an arm, was besieged and gradually exposed his weaknesses. The physical forms of the ghosts floating from the Soul-Summoning Banner became increasingly unstable.

Zhou Manzi forcefully broke through the ghost formation, lunged at the Core Formation old man, and slammed him to the ground, pinning him down.

Seeing her chance, Gu Shiyan flipped her short sword and plunged it straight into the old man’s heart.

“To think that I, Gui Ming, who dominated for so many years, would capsize in a gutter at the hands of you two little scraps today!” Gui Ming stared grimly at Gu Shiyan and Zhou Manzi, then suddenly burst into laughter.

“Step back quickly!” Gu Shiyan knew something was wrong. A soul body drifted out of the old man’s body and flew into the Soul-Summoning Banner. The banner expanded greatly, and a shroud of black cloth enveloped both of them.

The ghosts bit and tore at Gu Shiyan’s flesh, trying to swallow her whole.

In that moment of extreme peril, the sky above Medicine King Valley suddenly saw hundreds of birds soaring, circling, and wailing in sorrow. The Medicine King Valley Master, who was speaking with Lu Ran, was greatly shocked.

“Something has happened to the Phoenix!”

“Awoo!”

A furious Dragon’s Roar echoed through the heavens, a golden-red ring of energy spreading out from above the Medicine King Valley, extending for thousands of miles. All the great powers of the Qianmeng Continent were shaken, all beasts fearfully bowed down, and secluded ancestors prematurely broke their seclusion to gather and discuss the matter.

A person from the Divine Realm has descended!!

This divine light arrived just in time to rescue Gu Shiyan. The Soul-Summoning Banner, refined through dark arts, was instantly shattered. The unconscious Gu Shiyan was thrown into a nearby rapid river and swept away by a whirlpool.

••••

The Dragon’s Roar originated from the Phoenix Pool underground.

Bai Su, her silver hair fluttering, stood on the sacrificial altar. She plunged the cold dagger deeper into the Phoenix’s body. The Phoenix gave a sorrowful cry, its feathers messy and stained, and the light in its eyes slowly faded.

The scalding Phoenix Blood dripped through the hollow tube of the cold dagger into the groove of the sacrificial stone platform. At the end of the groove was a massive deep pool. The water was violently churned by a pitch-black Divine Dragon, a chaotic clash of red and black.

“Bai! Su! As the successor of the Medicine King Valley, you would kill the guardian divine beast Phoenix for selfish desire! Are you not afraid of the retribution of the Heavenly Dao!”

Bai Su paid no heed. She lightly stepped toward the water’s edge, gazing with infatuation at the Black Divine Dragon whose claws were locked in chains at the bottom of the pool and was fiercely trying to restrain itself.

“I read through the ancient texts in the valley’s scripture pavilion. The first generation of Divine Venerables were all transformed from Divine Beasts of Heaven and Earth, and they are androgynous. Once a Divine Beast in heat chooses a mate, they only ever have one, and only then can they bear Divine Realm offspring. I killed the Phoenix and took its divine blood just to barely unseal your Divine Seal. This heat period is naturally a hundred times more intense in the lower realm. Continuously suppressing it will only damage your heart meridian, and you will completely lose your reason. True Monarch, do you want to force yourself into that state?”

Bai Su’s soft, boneless, pale fingertips gently played with the water surface. She gazed affectionately at Shen Shu, who had transformed into her dragon form and was trying desperately to control herself.

“To be frank, True Monarch, ever since you saved me last time, I have secretly fallen for you. For so many years, I have strictly disciplined myself and diligently cultivated just so I could stand before you like this. I never thought you would be a person from the legendary Divine Realm. As long as we unite, you will forever belong only to Su Su from now on.” Bai Su waded into the pool, caressing the hard, cold scales.

The dragon tail twitched in displeasure, its reverse scale instantly rising and slicing a deep cut into Bai Su’s wrist.

“Shen Shu, I truly like you. In any case, Su Su is willing to serve you. What more concerns do you have?”

“Why won’t you look at me?” Bai Su lightly undid her clothing. Garments of shimmering light fell to the ground until the silver-haired girl stood naked before Shen Shu, her proud chest exposed. “True Monarch… just look at me~” Bai Su deliberately tempted her.

Shen Shu’s body was throbbing. The heat period, suppressed for a hundred years, surged up in a short time. Her reason was about to be overwhelmed by the bestial desire, but the forcefully broken Divine Seal prevented her from recovering her full divine power in time, leaving her trapped by this inferior top-grade immortal artifact.

“Aah!” Shen Shu thrashed in pain in the pool. In the last moment before her reason completely vanished, a small figure of Gu Shiyan suddenly appeared in her mind.

Shen Shu’s heart jolted. She felt the drop of heart-blood she had placed in Gu Shiyan nearing.

Wanwan!

Shen Shu immediately used her faint divine power, flicking her tail to slap Bai Su out of the pool and set up a barrier around the water’s edge.

Bai Su beat against the barrier in frustration but couldn’t advance another step. She screamed unwillingly, “No one can resolve your heat period! How long can you hold out!! Shen Shu! You will beg me!”

“You will beg me!!!” Bai Su screamed hysterically.

Suddenly, a wisp of white mist rose from the barrier. Only a vague silhouette could be seen in the pool. Bai Su’s eyes widened as she saw the Black Dragon fiercely plunge into the bottom of the pool, and its dragon tail pulled an unconscious, soaking wet girl from the ground.

“Wanwan…” Shen Shu’s hot, heavy dragon breath sprayed onto the unconscious girl’s face. The surging affection completely overwhelmed her last shred of reason.

At this moment, the Divine Dragon’s bestial desire took over.