The Side Character Who Wins by Doing Nothing

Lu Sangjiu forced herself to pull her attention away from Xie Ningyuan and looked at the others. "All of you, hurry and get some rest. I’ll keep watch."

Everyone knew a little about Xie Ningyuan’s situation, so there was no need for any special explanations.

Still, they were all a bit worried. Luo Linlang lowered her voice, "Little Junior Sister... will he be okay?"

The others looked over as well, their eyes filled with concern.

Lu Sangjiu looked at the group and managed to force a smile. "Don’t worry. He’ll definitely make it."

For some reason, her words put everyone a little more at ease.

Luo Linlang thought for a moment and said, "I’d better recover quickly. Maybe when a critical moment comes, I can use my Word Spirit Technique to help him out."

Lu Sangjiu didn’t argue, but deep down, she knew it was pointless. ’Xie Ningyuan is at the Body Integration Realm, and he’s facing a Heart Demon. Luo Linlang’s Word Spirit Technique will be useless.’

’If she really tried to force it, she’d likely be drained dry before she could even save Xie Ningyuan.’

But she didn’t say anything so discouraging at a time like this. She just nodded and said, "Right. Everyone, go and get some rest."

After she spoke, Lu Sangjiu turned, walked to the spot closest to Xie Ningyuan’s Barrier, and sat down.

’Even if I can’t help... it’s still good to be here with him.’

Gu Jue sat not far away, watching the scene unfold, his eyes filled with worry.

He was worried for Xie Ningyuan, and for Lu Sangjiu as well.

He was the only one there who knew that Xie Ningyuan was enduring not just a Heart Demon, but also a backlash from his Cultivation Technique.

He didn’t know if the backlash would affect his fight against the Heart Demon, or if he would be able to overcome it in the end.

He could tell from their journey together... he wasn’t sure if Lu Sangjiu herself realized it, but he was certain she had fallen for Xie Ningyuan.

He was different from everyone else in her eyes.

’Mutual love... If Xie Ningyuan weren’t a Buddhist Practitioner, the two of them would surely make for a beautiful love story.’

’But now, even if Xie Ningyuan overcomes his Heart Demon, the deeper his love for Lu Sangjiu grows, the more severe the backlash from his Cultivation Technique will become.’

’Given his level of cultivation, he might not even survive it in the end.’

’Their love is his death warrant. When the time comes, how could Lu Sangjiu bear to watch him suffer so much because of her?’

In the past, Gu Jue had been plagued by insecurity, feeling dejected whenever Lu Sangjiu and Xie Ningyuan were close.

But now that he could clearly see they loved each other, he had come to terms with many things.

Mr. Lu was still someone he admired and cherished from the bottom of his heart, but that was his own private matter.

He wouldn’t burden her with his feelings, and he would sincerely wish for her happiness.

So, as he watched Lu Sangjiu worry over Xie Ningyuan, he didn’t let his own feelings of loss take over. Instead, he was genuinely worried about her future.

’After we get back,’ he thought, ’I have to do everything I can to find a solution for Xie Ningyuan. Maybe... he doesn’t have to die.’

Meanwhile, Xie Ningyuan, the focus of everyone’s concern, was lost within his own Heart Demon Illusion Realm.

It was as if he had returned to several hundred years ago, when he was accidentally taken to the Moon Palace and witnessed the daily lives of the Demon Cultivators.

The Heart Demon clearly replicated every Demon Cultivator he had ever met in the Moon Palace, even those he himself had long forgotten.

He saw them laughing, joking, and arguing with their friends. He saw them eating normal meals, not the flesh and blood of humans.

They took no pleasure in torturing others, nor did they use Evil Techniques to harm living creatures...

They were just ordinary humans, the only difference being that they cultivated Demonic Qi instead of Spiritual Energy.

Then he saw Gu Huang trade the Domination Map Blade to save him. He saw her guarding him day and night by the Medicine Spring, waiting for him to awaken.

He saw with perfect clarity every kindness Gu Huang had shown him, and each act was magnified infinitely, making it impossible for him to avoid or ignore them.

Then he was back at the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect, recounting the truth of his so-called "capture" to the Abbot Elder and the others.

But they claimed he was too naive, that he had been deceived and bewitched by the demoness.

A conflict grew in his heart as they announced to the world that the demoness had ruined his cultivation, calling upon all Cultivators to launch a crusade against the Western Demon Realm.

After that, the Immortal Demon war began, and the land was plunged into misery and death.

He saw the Demon Cultivator who had once brought him meals at the Moon Palace decapitated. He saw the Demon Cultivator who had laughingly told him amusing stories about the Moon Palace burned to ash.

He heard others slander and curse Gu Huang, treating the slaughter of Demon Cultivators as a glorious feat to be flaunted.

He wanted to stop it all, but he was frozen in place, unable to speak or act.

The source of all his pain and confusion was recreated and magnified here.

All the things Xie Ningyuan thought he had long since moved on from could still so easily stir his soul.

A loathing and disgust for this world festered and grew deep within his heart.

He saw Gu Huang standing before him, her voice imbued with a Magic Power that could lure one into the abyss.

"This world is so vile. What you believe to be good is not good, and what you believe to be evil is not evil... You cannot save this world, so why do you insist on struggling?"

"If you want to change this world, you must have enough power to establish a new order."

"Do you want power? If you just follow your true nature and stop suppressing your desires, you can become this world’s God."

’A God... a new order?’

Xie Ningyuan’s eyes filled with confusion, yet deep in his heart, a part of him was tempted.

Just as he was about to agree, a familiar face suddenly flashed across his mind.

She had walked toward him through despair, enduring an agony akin to a thousand cuts, just to pull him from the mire.

She had said, "I need you to live."

In that instant, his mind became perfectly clear.

"Little Jiu..."

He whispered her name, her bright, passionate smile filling his mind.

Word by word, he spoke, as if echoing her from his memories.

"As long as our hearts remain true... what is there to fear in the future?"

Xie Ningyuan gazed at the woman before him, who looked identical to Gu Huang, his resolve firmer than ever.

"My original intention was to eliminate the divisions and misunderstandings between Immortals and Demons, to prevent the needless suffering and death caused by unnecessary conflict."

"Perhaps you’re right that absolute power could establish a new order, but... if I did that, wouldn’t I become the very monster causing all that suffering and death myself?"

"That path may be the easiest, but it is absolutely not the one I want."

A look of fury appeared on "Gu Huang’s" face. "Then what about me? Did I just die for nothing? What about the guilt you feel for me? Don’t you want to avenge me anymore?!"

Xie Ningyuan looked at her for a long moment, then chuckled softly. "I do still feel guilty toward her... but you are not her."

The world before him shattered, piece by piece. "Gu Huang" roared in defiance, but she could only turn to ash before his eyes, along with the rest of the Heart Demon’s world.

Dawn broke. Xie Ningyuan slowly opened his eyes, meeting Lu Sangjiu’s joyous and surprised gaze.

Her smile was as radiant as he remembered, so brilliant that even the rising sun seemed to pale in comparison.

Xie Ningyuan gazed at her, a smile slowly spreading across his face. "It’s been a long time... Senior."

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