The Heroine Must Die

Briar leaned forward, staring at the plate with fascination.

“So this,” it said slowly, “is how humans absorb nutrients?”

Wayne cut off a small piece and placed it onto Briar’s plate. “If you eat it like this, can you absorb anything?”

Briar poked the meat with a chopstick and nodded. “A little spiritual energy.”

Wayne brightened. “Then you should eat meat like this from now on.”

Briar immediately shook its head. “No, no. It’s too troublesome. And too slow.”

Wayne blinked. “Slow?”

“Yes. Chewing each bite for ages only gives a tiny bit of nutrition. It’s inefficient. If I relied on this every day, I don’t know when I’d ever return to my peak.”

Wayne chewed thoughtfully. “What were you like at your peak?”

Briar straightened proudly.

“At my peak, I was lush and verdant. My branches and leaves covered valleys for thousands of miles.”

Wayne’s eyes widened. “That’s amazing.”

“Of course,” Briar said smugly.

It basked in Wayne’s admiring gaze for a moment before suddenly leaning closer.

“Hey, Wayne. I have something for you.”

“What?”

“Do you have an empty bottle? A small one.”

Wayne rummaged through his storage pouch and produced a white jade vial.

“Will this work?”

“Yes.”

Briar took the vial. It slowly removed its gloves. Bright green hands were revealed beneath. With a resolute expression, it bit its own finger.

A bead of milky-white sap welled up and dripped into the jade bottle. The instant the drop fell inside, a strange fruity fragrance filled the room—fresh and clean, like a forest after rain.

Wayne’s eyes widened. “What is that?”

Briar quickly capped the bottle and handed it back.

“It’s my sap. Back then, even though I was infamous, countless cultivators risked their lives hunting me down for this.”

“What does it do?”

“If you consume it during advancement, you will be immune to poison, illusions, and inner demons. No matter how many tricks your enemies use, they won’t be able to corrupt your mind.”

Wayne didn’t fully understand—but it sounded incredible. “Should I drink it now?”

“Absolutely not,” Briar snapped. “You’re too young. If you take it now, you won’t grow.”

Wayne froze. “Won’t grow?”

“You’ll stagnate. Permanently. Eat it when you’re grown.”

“…Oh.”

Wayne carefully tucked the jade bottle back into his pouch.

“Thank you, Briar.”

Briar looked away shyly. “I’m glad you don’t mind.”

“Mind what?”

“That I’m… not human.”

Wayne grinned. “I don’t.”

Briar hesitated. “I only gave it to you. Don’t tell anyone.”

“Okay. I won’t.” Wayne held out his little finger. “Pinky swear.”

Briar hooked its finger with his.

“Pinky swear. Don’t go back on your word.”

Wayne pushed the plate closer. “Eat. It took effort to get this.”

Briar picked up a piece and chewed carefully.

“…It’s troublesome,” it muttered. Then, after swallowing— “…But it’s delicious.”

.....

The next morning, Edmund stirred.

He slowly opened his eyes and turned his head.

Lauren was sitting cross-legged beside him, meditating. She sensed the shift in his aura and opened her eyes immediately.

“You’re awake. How do you feel?”

“Not bad.” He sat up, rolling his shoulders slightly. “You fed me those inner cores.”

“Yes. You were in hibernation. I didn’t know how long you’d stay that way.”

He gave a small nod. Then she leaned forward.

“By the way—what exactly did you do to Leader Ulysses? He clearly knew he was going to die. You basically dragged him back from the brink.”

Edmund replied calmly, “I didn’t do much. I just gave him a blessing.”

“A blessing?”

“Yes. Gods can bless lower beings and clear karmic obstacles for them.”

He paused. “Though in my current state—with my divine soul incomplete—it’s not ideal for me to do so.”

Lauren frowned slightly. “Did it cost you a lot?”

He nodded once. “It’ll be fine once the seal is broken.”

She let out a breath. Then her curiosity surged back.

“And what did you see? Leader Ulysses said you all probably already knew. He spun the Gossip Plate like he was risking his life so you could see it.”

Edmund fell silent. After a moment, he nodded faintly. “Yes. It was for me.”

Lauren leaned forward immediately. “What did you see?”

They sat facing each other in the quiet of the inner space, the air between them heavy with unspoken tension.

Edmund’s expression grew solemn. He looked upward, as if staring through layers of sky. Then he gave a crooked smile.

There was no point hiding it anymore. The disturbance in this world had already been noticed. Someone had descended. The real war wouldn’t be far behind.

…And the problem was— He looked at Lauren. She was still too weak.

Lauren frowned when she saw his expression. “Why are you looking at me like that? Don’t tell me you think I’m going to die.”

“…You’re too weak,” Edmund said bluntly. “I’m genuinely worried you’ll die.”

Lauren went silent for a second.

I’ve already tried my damn best, she thought. If this still counts as weak, what more do you want from me?

Out loud, she snorted. “When soldiers come, we’ll meet them head-on. When the water rises, we’ll build a dam. If you don’t have strength, you use your brain. Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Grind an iron rod long enough and it becomes a needle.”

She jabbed a finger at herself.

“I’m the protagonist now. Even if there’s only a one-in-ten-thousand chance of success, I’ll make it a hundred percent.”

Edmund had been feeling a rare flicker of discouragement.

After hearing her, he paused. …She wasn’t wrong. She looked harmless. Soft. Even naive.

But she was clever. Resourceful. Calm under pressure. When things went to hell, she didn’t freeze—she calculated.

More than once, she’d turned the impossible into reality. Perhaps this time wouldn’t be any different.

She leaned forward. “Stop circling around it. What did you see?”

Edmund exhaled slowly. “To prevent massive immortal energy leakage when newcomers ascend, they block ascension entirely. Every few thousand years, they send someone like Indiana to eliminate promising geniuses while they’re still weak.”

Lauren’s eyes sharpened.

“They’ve made preparations,” Edmund continued. “But the world is vast. There are always a few who see through the scheme. Like your master.”

Lauren nodded slowly. “So intercepting geniuses isn’t enough. They’ve added more layers.”

“Yes.”

She thought for a moment. “Is it the Ascension Tribulation?”

“It’s not just that. Drake’s inability to ascend is partly due to their manipulation of the Ascension Tribulation. But he has a lightning spiritual root. Lightning tribulations are his advantage. Yet he still cannot break through. Why?”

“How the hell would I know?” she snapped. “Just tell me.”

“They reinforced the Boundary Force barrier,” Edmund said quietly. “Even if someone survives the enhanced lightning tribulation, they still cannot break the Boundary Force.”

The tribulation had been strengthened. The Boundary Force barrier had been thickened.

Even someone born to withstand lightning had limits. Under both pressures, no one could ascend.

Lauren drew in a sharp breath.

Layer upon layer. Meticulous. Relentless.

It wasn’t that they simply didn’t want cultivators to ascend.

They were terrified of what would happen when the Heavenly Gate opened—terrified of immortal energy spilling downward.

They weren’t guarding against mortals. They were guarding against the dragon.

Her thoughts clicked rapidly into place. “They strengthened the tribulation. Reinforced the Boundary Force. Sent puppets down to suppress geniuses.”

She smiled faintly. “That means their ‘double insurance’ isn’t actually secure.”

Edmund raised a brow.

“If it were airtight, they wouldn’t need so many contingencies,” she said. “There must be weaknesses in both the tribulation and the barrier.”

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!