The Passerby Female Supporting Character – Chapter 65
by Little PandaHong Ye is here?
[Refresher: Cultivation Levels: Qi Refining > Foundation Establishment > Golden Core > Nascent Soul > Divine Transformation > Integration > Great Ascension > Tribulation Transcendence]
Realizing she was about to enter the core area and would immediately run into Ye Tingran, Song Linlin abruptly stopped running forward and yanked back Chi Qianning, who was still pulling her along in their escape.
Pulled back like this, Chi Qianning also stopped running. She turned her head and looked at Song Linlin in confusion, not understanding why the other girl would grab her at a time like this. There was a Beast Tide chasing them from behind! Wasn’t Song Linlin usually the most afraid of dying? In fact, at the very beginning, it was Song Linlin who had been dragging Chi Qianning along to escape.
“What’s wrong?” Chi Qianning asked.
Song Linlin was still a bit dazed, but her instincts screamed at her not to continue towards the core area. She hadn’t forgotten that in this iteration of the Profound Yin Realm, a ruthless villain named Hong Ye, who killed without batting an eye, would appear. When that happened, the disciples in the core area would be mostly slaughtered by her; only some who were far away from this area would survive.
Originally, Song Linlin had deliberately wandered only around the periphery of the secret realm precisely to avoid danger. But now, by a strange twist of fate, she had ended up coming to the core.
“Um… can we not go to the core area right now…? Can we go back to the periphery?” Song Linlin stood rooted to the spot, asking weakly.
Chi Qianning: ???
Chi Qianning stared at Song Linlin, question marks practically appearing above her head, unable to comprehend the other girl’s way of thinking. She retorted, “There are demonic beasts everywhere behind us right now. How are you supposed to get back to the periphery?”
“Er…”
Song Linlin was rendered speechless by the question. It was indeed a very big problem. The Beast Tide behind her contained numerous demonic beasts. When everyone was fleeing, they had passed through the middle zone, and the demonic beasts there had clearly been stirred up by the Beast Tide as well. She estimated that except for the core area, which was still relatively calm, everywhere else was surely in a state of chaotic mess.
Seeing Song Linlin unable to answer after a long pause, and with the Beast Tide behind them drawing ever closer, Chi Qianning grabbed Song Linlin’s hand again and pulled her forward, continuing their run. At the same time, she said, “Alright, let’s head to the core area first for now. With such a huge commotion, Elders will definitely rush over later to control the situation and prevent the demonic beasts in the core area from rioting.”
“Even if you want to go back to the periphery, you should wait until the Xuanyun Sect Elders have stabilized the situation first. Besides, standing here foolishly won’t solve anything. Everyone else is running away; if we just stand still here, it will attract suspicion and make us look suspicious.”
After hearing Chi Qianning’s analysis, Song Linlin couldn’t find any point to refute. So, she nodded and said resignedly, “Okay, let’s go to the core area first then.”
Song Linlin was afraid of encountering the villain Hong Ye, but of course, she was also afraid of this Beast Tide. Moreover, that villain hadn’t even appeared yet, but the Beast Tide was tangibly right behind her. If they didn’t run faster, they would be caught by those demonic beasts. She couldn’t possibly get trampled to death by the hooves of those demonic beasts before even meeting the villain…
The two followed the crowd into the core area. Someone directed the group to hide further back first, but they couldn’t run too far, or else they might trespass into the territory of certain demonic beasts, which would be terrible.
Most of the people in this fleeing crowd were originally disciples from the periphery. As they ran through the middle zone, they caused demonic beasts there to riot, so many disciples who had been staying in the middle zone also joined the fleeing group.
“Those with energy remaining can come help resist the Beast Tide! Those without strength should go rest at the back first and replenish some stamina. We’ve already sent people to request help from the Elders. Everyone, hold on a little longer! Once the Elders arrive, this Beast Tide can be completely resolved!” a man with a loud voice shouted.
Song Linlin didn’t have the strength to help. After running to a safe spot, she plopped down on the ground, not caring if it was dirty. Supporting herself with her hands behind her, she wished she could just lie down and rest for a bit. Unfortunately, there were too many people around. Sitting was fine, but unless she moved closer to the battle zone between the others and the Beast Tide, there was simply no space to lie down.
“I’m dead tired…” Song Linlin gasped for breath. This was the first time in her life she had run such a long distance. Her arms and legs were already weak, and she probably couldn’t even stand up.
Chi Qianning sat beside Song Linlin. She still appeared relaxed and composed, not even breathing heavily. She sat quietly cross-legged on the ground, but at this moment, her brow was slightly furrowed. She turned her head, her eyes fixed intently in one direction – the location of the Tongyou Fruit.
In the periphery, the scent emanating from the Tongyou Fruit into the air wasn’t very obvious, just a few wisps. But upon reaching the core area, that alluring scent suddenly intensified several times over.
Others probably couldn’t smell it, but to someone with Chi Qianning’s keen sense of smell, the air was filled with a subtle fragrance. The scent was sweet and tempting; just smelling it almost made her lose control and her eyes turn into vertical pupils.
Suppressing the urge to disregard everything and rush over to snatch that Tongyou Fruit, Chi Qianning quickly turned her head back, not letting Song Linlin notice her staring blankly in a certain direction again. If it happened too many times, Song Linlin would definitely become suspicious again, and then another long-winded explanation would be unavoidable.
At this moment, Song Linlin’s gaze was fixed on the people resisting the Beast Tide not far away. The teams daring enough to explore and hunt in the core area were certainly not simple. Facing at least a thousand demonic beasts, the figures of those few people seemed exceptionally small.
However, just these thirty or forty people had actually managed to halt the advance of the demonic beasts coming from all directions, preventing the horde from entering the core area.
Watching the intense battle scene, Song Linlin silently swallowed a mouthful of saliva in lingering fear. Only then did she turn her head and ask Chi Qianning worriedly, “Do you think they can successfully hold back the Beast Tide? Nothing bad will happen, right?”
“Don’t worry, the Elders stationed in the core area will be here soon. It’s not a problem for them to hold out for a little while,” Chi Qianning said.
“That’s good.” Song Linlin felt slightly relieved, and her whole body relaxed along with it. Having run for so long under high tension earlier, her body had consumed too much energy. She really needed to rest properly.
Now that she was safe, Song Linlin finally had some mental space to think about other things, primarily the main storyline event where the villain comes to snatch the Tongyou Fruit. The Profound Yin Realm had already been open for seven days. The book didn’t specify which day Hong Ye would arrive, but as time passed day by day, Song Linlin grew more nervous.
For the past few days, she had been carefully hiding in the periphery, trying to lie low and get by. Today, she was forced to flee to the core area, which was a very dangerous move. This Beast Tide would be resolved by the Elders, but at the earliest, she probably wouldn’t be able to leave the core area and return to the periphery until tomorrow.
This was a very bad situation. What if Hong Ye came to snatch the Tongyou Fruit right now? Wouldn’t she be doomed? She wouldn’t even be able to escape.
Song Linlin’s mind was a chaotic mess, her thoughts running wild. After a while, the person who had run off earlier to ask for help from the Elders finally returned. At the same time, ten Deacon Elders arrived.
With Deacon Elders joining the ranks resisting the Beast Tide, the pressure on the thirty or forty disciples at the forefront eased considerably. Many of the injured chose to withdraw. Continuing to stay on the front line might hinder the Elders’ actions; it was better to take this opportunity to retreat early and recuperate in the rear.
“Everyone, don’t be nervous! The supervising Elder for this event has already sent a message to the Sect! The Sect will open the secret realm entrance soon, and more people will come in to quell this Beast Tide! The demonic beast riots in the periphery and middle zones will surely be resolved quickly too!” The disciple who had gone to seek help stood among the crowd and announced loudly.
His words made everyone around completely relax their worried hearts. They were all ordinary sect disciples; in their eyes, the Sect Elders were the most powerful existence. An unprecedented situation had occurred within the Profound Yin Realm this time. Although they couldn’t handle it, as long as the Elders took action, it would surely be a trivial matter.
Song Linlin also felt much more relieved after hearing this. She originally thought this matter wouldn’t be completely resolved until tomorrow. Now, with people from the outside joining, the Beast Tide was nothing to fear. She estimated she could start heading back to the periphery by evening.
Every extra moment spent in the core area made Song Linlin’s heart pound with panic. Being able to return early was naturally for the best.
“Thank goodness, we won’t be delayed here for too long,” Song Linlin sighed softly.
Suddenly, Song Linlin thought of something and fell silent again. Wait, did that person just say the secret realm’s entrance would be completely opened?
Doesn’t that mean anyone can enter this Profound Yin Realm soon?!
As Song Linlin figured this out, the expression on her face immediately froze.
The more she thought about it, the more she felt that the current situation was chaotic. The people guarding the Tongyou Fruit had been partially diverted to resist the Beast Tide. Later, some people would surely come in to quell the demonic beast riots. Since there weren’t even any demonic beasts exceeding the Nascent Soul Stage in the middle and periphery zones, the reinforcements sent wouldn’t be the sect’s elite forces; at most, there would only be one or two Nascent Soul Stage cultivators overseeing things.
With the secret realm’s main gate completely opened, if that Hong Ye wanted to enter, she could totally take advantage of this moment to blend into the crowd about to enter the Profound Yin Realm, then head straight for the core area and snatch the Tongyou Fruit. There was no one here who could withstand her attack.
Previously, one needed an identity token to enter, making it more troublesome for her to sneak in unnoticed. But now, if the sect wanted reinforcements to enter, they had no choice but to open the secret realm’s entrance.
Song Linlin now just wanted to fiercely “greet”1 the person who triggered the Beast Tide. This person had truly caused great harm! Setting aside causing such massive turmoil in the Profound Yin Realm for the first time ever, just indirectly allowing a dangerous individual to infiltrate the secret realm and potentially go on a killing spree was enough to brand that person a sinner of the sect.
Especially since, due to the Beast Tide’s influence, all the disciples within the Profound Yin Realm were now gathered in the core area. Wasn’t this practically setting them up to be wiped out entirely…
The more Song Linlin thought about it, the more panicked she became, her face turning pale as dirt. Honestly, the current situation, no matter how you looked at it, was the perfect opportunity to strike.
Internal chaos, weakened defenses around the Tongyou Fruit, the secret realm entrance opened wide, allowing large numbers of personnel to enter… anyone with a brain could see this was the optimal time to make a move. After all, if they waited any longer, the secret realm entrance would be closed again, and getting in then would require other, more troublesome methods.
Time ticked by, second by second. Song Linlin sat there, completely restless, yet there was absolutely no path for her to escape.
“What’s wrong with you?” Chi Qianning, beside her, noticed Song Linlin’s unease and asked.
Song Linlin’s throat felt dry. She silently swallowed a nervous gulp of saliva, then turned her head to look at Chi Qianning, her expression grave. “I have a really bad feeling that it’s very dangerous right now. The person coming to snatch the Tongyou Fruit might appear soon.”
Hearing this, Chi Qianning frowned, pondered for two seconds, then nodded. “The situation inside the secret realm is chaotic right now. It is indeed a very good opportunity to strike.”
Song Linlin had actually hoped Chi Qianning would say something to refute her. But instead, the other girl nodded in agreement with her assessment, which meant Chi Qianning also felt the probability of someone making a move now was highest.
“Ai…”
Letting out a long sigh, Song Linlin could only silently pray in her heart that the person wouldn’t charge in right now. Otherwise, the casualties would be too great. With so many people gathered in this one area, wouldn’t it be like letting a ferocious wolf into a sheep pen? There would be no way to resist.
Chi Qianning, however, still didn’t seem particularly worried. She took Song Linlin’s hand, only then realizing the other girl’s palm was covered in sweat. Wiping the sweat away, Chi Qianning patted the back of her hand. “Don’t worry. Even if someone really comes to snatch the Tongyou Fruit, they definitely won’t be anyone particularly formidable.”
“Mm…” Song Linlin responded listlessly.
Song Linlin now only hoped that even if Hong Ye really was coming to snatch the Tongyou Fruit, she wouldn’t choose this moment. It would be best if she came after the Beast Tide was resolved.
But the possibility of that hope coming true seemed rather slim…
At the entrance of the secret realm.
The Elder guarding outside the secret realm received the information transmitted from within. He didn’t dare delay and immediately reviewed it. After understanding the course of events, even he, an old man who had been with the Xuanyun Sect for so many years, couldn’t help but be astonished. A Beast Tide had actually occurred inside the Profound Yin Realm! The tide originated from the periphery, was later led towards the edge of the core area, and directly caused a demonic beast riot in the middle zone.
Fortunately, however, several disciples had successfully held back the Beast Tide near the core area. Otherwise, if the demonic beasts in the core area had rioted, it was likely that most of the disciples inside the entire secret realm would have died or been injured.
After learning what had happened, he immediately said to the two people behind him, “You two, gather the guards stationed nearby and lead them quickly into the Profound Yin Realm. A Beast Tide has occurred inside, and there’s also a beast riot in the middle zone. Quell this incident in the shortest possible time. I will open the secret realm entrance so you can enter without identity tokens.”
Upon hearing about the events inside the secret realm, the two people behind him couldn’t control their shocked expressions either. But the situation was urgent, leaving no time for detailed inquiries. Thus, they both nodded and quickly began assembling the guards.
Once the personnel were gathered, the Elder holding the key to the secret realm then completely opened the entrance.
Meanwhile, not far away, several people were lying in ambush in a hidden location. Seeing the originally heavily guarded secret realm entrance suddenly descend into chaos, with large numbers of personnel gathering, seemingly preparing to enter the secret realm, the eyes of the leading woman lit up.
They were members of the Wenxin Cult2, a force recently active in the Demonic Realm. The leading woman was none other than Tan Bixuan3, the biological daughter of the Wenxin Cult Leader. She was being pursued by a Righteous Path force and had fled into Xuanyun Sect territory. Hearing that the Xuanyun Sect’s inner disciples were about to open some secret realm, Tan Bixuan, who naturally loved causing trouble, acted on impulse and went to great lengths to infiltrate the Xuanyun Sect.
As long as she could sabotage the Xuanyun Sect’s affairs, news of such an event spreading would surely horrify the entire Cultivation World. Just thinking about it made Tan Bixuan feel it was worth it. Her father had many children, and it was uncertain who would inherit his position in the end.
But if this matter succeeded, her prestige would surely surpass that of her other siblings, earning her father’s special favor.
Unfortunately, her imagination had been wonderful when she arrived, but once Tan Bixuan actually infiltrated the Xuanyun Sect, she discovered this wasn’t something easily accomplished.
She had indeed successfully infiltrated, but Tan Bixuan had arrived a bit late. By the time she got here, the disciples had already entered the Profound Yin Realm, and entry required an identity token!
Moreover, breaking through the space was not something someone at Tan Bixuan’s cultivation level could achieve. Besides, breaking the space would cause a significant disturbance, and with so many people guarding the surroundings now, it would be impossible not to be discovered.
Thus, Tan Bixuan found herself in a very awkward situation. She wanted to enter the secret realm to cause trouble but couldn’t. Yet, having gone through so much effort to get in, she was unwilling to leave just like that.
And now, it seemed, things had taken a turn.
“Looking at the situation now, could it be that some trouble has occurred inside the secret realm?” Tan Bixuan muttered under her breath.
Then, Tan Bixuan saw the Elder who clearly held the highest status take out something, then cast a spell. The barrier at the secret realm entrance distorted like ripples spreading across a calm water surface.
Afterward, the spatial entrance that had been giving Tan Bixuan such a headache actually opened!
“Young Mistress, what a great opportunity! Should we take the chance to go in?!” one of her subordinates asked.
“Go! Of course, we go!”
Tan Bixuan nodded. This was the golden opportunity she had waited seven painstaking days for. If she didn’t enter now, she probably wouldn’t get another chance to enter the secret realm later.
Taking advantage of the current chaos was undoubtedly the best chance to sneak in.
Tan Bixuan thought about her plan for a moment where she stood. In the end, she decided against bringing her subordinates in with her. Her own strength was the greatest; she could strike quickly after entering the secret realm, and her escape speed was naturally incomparable to these subordinates.
“You few, go lie in ambush at our pre-arranged retreat point. After a quarter of an hour has passed, immediately strike and eliminate the guards stationed there to clear the obstacles for my retreat,” Tan Bixuan ordered.
“Yes! Young Mistress!”
…
Tan Bixuan had long prepared a Xuanyun Sect uniform. Now, taking advantage of others’ inattention, she quickly slipped into the crowd. Tan Bixuan activated a cultivation technique4 to minimize her presence and used an illusion technique to influence the memories of those around her, making herself seem like a familiar companion.
Just like that, Tan Bixuan successfully blended into the team about to enter the Profound Yin Realm. Her strength was at the Divine Transformation Stage; unless the Elder directing from high up personally came down to inspect her, no one else would discover anything amiss.
As soon as she entered the secret realm, Tan Bixuan sensed several unusual wisps of energy. She cultivated a demonic technique leaning towards the Yin attribute, so she was naturally very sensitive to forces like Yin Qi. In her perception, the concentration of Yin Qi throughout the Profound Yin Realm was much higher than outside, especially considering she was currently only in the periphery.
Moreover, there was a faint fragrance in the air. Just smelling it made Tan Bixuan unconsciously want to seek out the source of this scent.
“What is emitting this smell? Could it be that this secret realm really hides some good treasure?” Tan Bixuan thought to herself.
Fortunately, the route this team was taking was heading straight towards the core area, which perfectly overlapped with the route Tan Bixuan wanted to take. She wasn’t in a hurry to alert the enemy right away.
As Tan Bixuan continuously drew closer, the surrounding Yin Qi concentration also steadily increased. Such an environment made Tan Bixuan feel like a fish in water. Especially as that fragrance grew stronger, she was shocked to discover that the Yin Qi contained within this scent was extremely pure. Unfortunately, the scent was diluted, preventing her from studying it carefully. This only made Tan Bixuan even more curious about what was emitting this fragrance.
Along the way, the advancing team constantly encountered demonic beasts. The demonic beasts inside the secret realm seemed to have swallowed gunpowder kegs; they attacked almost immediately upon seeing humans. Tan Bixuan vaguely guessed that a demonic beast riot might have occurred within the secret realm.
Then she saw massive numbers of demonic beasts gathered together, clearly forming a Beast Tide. The number of demonic beasts was immense, likely several thousand gathered together.
So, it was a Beast Tide. No wonder they completely opened the secret realm entrance.
Tan Bixuan had no intention of helping the Xuanyun Sect people resolve the Beast Tide. Possessing the strength of the Divine Transformation Stage, she directly concealed her figure and moved rapidly through the numerous demonic beasts, heading straight for the innermost core area of the secret realm. The fragrance originated from there, and her intuition told Tan Bixuan that there was definitely an unexpectedly good item there!
Because the Deacon Elders needed to fight the Beast Tide, Song Linlin and the others were forced to move again. They could no longer stay so close to the Beast Tide. An Elder led the crowd directly into the innermost core area. Song Linlin sat on the ground, and with just a turn of her head, she could spot the group guarding the Tongyou Fruit not far away.
Those Deacon Elders and some guarding personnel surrounded the very center. Song Linlin was quite a distance away from them, only able to see many people standing guard there, but unable to clearly make out what the Tongyou Fruit inside looked like.
Although it was safe here, Song Linlin couldn’t feel happy at all.
Why did we have to come to this kind of place!!!
This place will clearly be the very center of the battle! When the fighting really starts, what should we do?!
Song Linlin felt numb. Leaning against a large rock, she wore an expression of someone who had lost all will to live.
“Good news, the reinforcements from outside have already entered! I just ran into them. Not only have people been sent to the front of the Beast Tide, but I heard there are also people controlling the situation behind the Beast Tide,” a disciple who had just returned from the front line shouted loudly.
This news made Song Linlin feel slightly happier. These people had entered so quickly, meaning this Beast Tide could also be resolved faster.
She just hoped the person coming to snatch the Tongyou Fruit wouldn’t come at this time…
Song Linlin had just finished silently praying in her heart when, not far away, a woman’s voice suddenly sounded.
“There’s actually a Tongyou Fruit hidden here?!” Tan Bixuan was still some distance from the Tongyou Fruit, but her eyesight was excellent, and she recognized what it was at a glance.
Realizing what she had discovered, Tan Bixuan was almost ecstatic. Originally, she just wanted to come cause some destruction, but she hadn’t expected to encounter a treasure that only existed in ancient times.
If she consumed this Tongyou Fruit, she might even be able to directly catch up to her father’s strength! At that time, not only the Cult Leader’s position, but she would surely become famous throughout the world.
At this distance, Tan Bixuan no longer chose to remain hidden. If she got any closer, that guarding Elder would be able to discover her. It was better to just reveal herself and have a big fight.
Tan Bixuan’s figure appeared abruptly. By this time, she had already shed the uniform, wearing her own clothes underneath.
Her appearance quickly attracted everyone’s attention. Song Linlin’s eyes had originally been fixed on the direction of the Tongyou Fruit, so naturally, she immediately noticed a woman suddenly appearing.
Song Linlin’s breath caught, and her face instantly started to turn pale. She tugged Chi Qianning’s sleeve and whispered, “Crap, she’s here…”
Chi Qianning had noticed this person the moment Tan Bixuan entered the core area; she didn’t need Song Linlin’s reminder at all. At this moment, her eyes narrowed slightly as she stared at Tan Bixuan’s figure, instantly seeing through the other person’s details.
Tsk, Divine Transformation Stage. Not that impressive.
The author has something to say:
Identity reveal tomorrow (most likely)
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