After the Villainess Awakens

With the five hidden tails of the Five-Tailed Dragon swaying like dead branches, the disciples realized they had unknowingly stepped onto the dragon's tail.

Everyone scattered. They had never seen such a beast in their lives. The Five-Tailed Dragon, after revealing itself, exuded the pressure of a high-level demon beast, making the disciples feel suffocated and wanting to prostrate themselves on the ground.

This was the suppression from a higher level of the soul. Without anyone saying anything, the disciples could feel that against this Five-Tailed Dragon, they had no chance of survival. Their survival instincts made them flee in all directions. The fear from their souls made them unable to rationally obey the orders of their sect leaders to stay put and form a defensive formation.

This beast had been hiding in this forest, concealing its form and aura, to avoid the pursuit of the Shadow Sect cultivators.

It had been besieged by the Shadow Sect cultivators for a long time. Unwilling to die, it awakened its spiritual consciousness at the moment of fatal injury and directly advanced to a higher level. It took advantage of the advancement to break free from the restraints and flee desperately, which is how it broke through the barrier formation.

It had been hiding here for a long time, concealing its form and demonic energy, not daring to show its face, for fear that the Shadow Sect cultivators, those annoying flies that were impossible to shake off, would find it.

But it was injured and had just advanced, and now it was covered in wounds and starving. The disciples stepping on its tail at this moment were simply like pieces of meat delivered to its mouth.

A beast's natural ability is to perceive whether it can defeat its opponent, and the Five-Tailed Dragon had confirmed through perception that these small pieces of meat were not even enough for it to crush with one claw.

All the hatred it felt for the Shadow Sect cultivators was transferred to these disciples. After it revealed itself, it violently swung its five tails on the spot. The gale brought by its demonic power, wrapped in the destructive force of decay, directly swept the forest into flat ground.

As for the disciples who fled in all directions, none were spared. They were knocked into the air. Some disciples who were too close to the dragon's tail were even cut in half by the strong demonic power, just like trees.

Screams, cries, bloody limbs, and the earth-shattering roar of the Five-Tailed Dragon intertwined in the forest, composing a chilling prelude to death.

Even You Zishu and Ni Hanyan, who were wielding Snow Spirit and the Bone Whip at the front, forming a shield in this crisis, were directly swept away by the dragon's tail. Their shields shattered, their weapons flew out of their hands, and they crashed into the collapsed bushes, vomiting blood.

With just one sweep of the Five-Tailed Dragon's tail, there were few living or dead things left on the field. The disciples who were not affected ran in the opposite direction without looking back. But some of them had not run a few steps before they were caught by the Flesh-Winged Demon Hawks circling in the air of this high-level training ground, their sharp claws piercing their shoulders, and they were carried away.

The peace and the joy of surviving were completely shattered. The disciples who were still joking a moment ago were now lying on the ground, their limbs incomplete, blood flowing from their seven orifices.

Leng Mushi was pushed to the ground by Xiao Mian right before the dragon's tail swept over. A large tree, thick enough to be hugged by two people, was ripped off by the dragon's tail and flew dangerously close over their heads.

It was at this moment that everyone truly realized what it meant to be caught in a chaotic battle with demons, what it meant to be as insignificant as ants, crushed with a single blow.

You Zishu was the first to stand up with Snow Spirit in hand, but the bloodstains on his collar were bright red, indicating that he was not lightly injured either.

The Five-Tailed Dragon turned around, already holding a disciple, whose head had been smashed and died instantly, in its mouth. It raised its head and swallowed the disciple whole.

The flesh and blood stimulated its taste buds and awakened its ferocity. It had tasted the sweetness and began to lower its head towards the unconscious disciples on the ground, opening its mouth full of fangs.

At this critical moment, a pitch-black object suddenly flew over from mid-air.

The object, as if alive, quickly entangled the wide-open, bloody mouth of the Five-Tailed Dragon. The next moment, a man dressed in pure black appeared in mid-air, holding the source of the pitch-black object in his hand. It was a whip, as black as his entire body.

It was unknown what material the whip was made of, but it seemed to be crackling with electricity. The black-clad man pulled the whip hard, and the Five-Tailed Dragon, which was opening its mouth at the disciples, was like a vicious dog whose mouth was tied up. It let out an angry and violent dragon roar from its throat, but its mouth could not open.

"It's the Shadow Sect!" a disciple shouted.

Seeing the black-clad "flies" of the Shadow Sect cultivators again, the dragon's eyes turned blood red. It abruptly raised its neck, its front claws leaving the ground to grab the Shadow Sect cultivator who was holding the whip that bound its mouth.

But before the dragon's claws could touch him, the Shadow Sect cultivator disappeared on the spot and appeared above its head in the next moment.

The black whip was still bound to the dragon's mouth, but he was already stepping on the dragon's eyelid. He pulled out a long sword, also completely black, its blade not reflecting a single ray of light, from somewhere unknown. Without hesitation, he stabbed the sword straight into the dragon's left eye.

"Woo - Woo -"

The Five-Tailed Dragon let out a muffled groan of pain from its throat and swept its tail randomly, instantly flattening another area of the forest behind it.

It grabbed its left eye with its front claws regardless of everything else. This time, the Shadow Sect cultivator did not dodge in time and was directly sent flying by the dragon's sharp claws.

He didn't even have time to retract his only two weapons, leaving them in the dragon's body.

Even though the dragon had gained intelligence, it was still a fool no better than a child. Its two front claws scratched randomly on its face, but it could neither pull out the long sword stuck in its eye nor break free from the black whip bound to its mouth.

It rolled on the ground in a frenzy, crushing one forest after another. Taking advantage of this gap, the injured and uninjured disciples of the three sects had already helped each other and gathered together again.

The disciples finally became rational in the face of the cruel reality. Running around alone meant death, so at this time, no one needed to shout, and they spontaneously gathered together.

The three sects retreated to a huge stone hollow adjacent to the forest and opened a protective barrier.

But in fact, if the Five-Tailed Dragon really came over, this seemingly safe stone hollow would only be a matter of a single sweep of its tail.

The disciples huddled together, all of them in a sorry state, no longer as lucky as before. Some of the seriously injured disciples were surrounded in the middle, blood flowing non-stop, the smell of blood permeating the air, and their cries of pain were endless. You Zishu looked back and his face was solemn, his brows furrowed.

The Shadow Sect cultivator who had been fighting the Five-Tailed Dragon alone was directly thrown onto the cliff by its claws. After falling, he lay on the ground, struggling to get up with his arms, but vomited a mouthful of blood.

All this happened in a few breaths. By this time, Leng Mushi was helped up from the ground by Xiao Mian. The Five-Tailed Dragon was still scratching its head frantically, and small puppet beasts had already rushed over to fight it.

But the Five-Tailed Dragon was indeed too powerful. Even though its mouth couldn't open and one eye was blind, those puppet beasts condensed from spiritual energy were constantly being destroyed by its claws and tail sweeps, their spiritual energy dissipating.

Xiao Mian protected Leng Mushi and ran quickly towards the stone hollow where the disciples were taking shelter. The dragon's long tail still swept across the forest from time to time. Leng Mushi and Xiao Mian ran stumblingly among the broken trees and potholes on the ground.

"You go in quickly, I'll go help that Shadow Sect cultivator," Xiao Mian pushed Leng Mushi into the stone hollow. Leng Mushi grabbed his hand and stuffed a handful of pills into his hand. "Phantom Pills, refined with the Phantom Fox Illusion Technique!"

Xiao Mian took the pills, turned around and ran towards the Shadow Sect cultivator who was lying on the ground, unable to get up even after propping himself up with his arms twice.

Leng Mushi watched as the Five-Tailed Dragon finished off the puppet beasts and even scratched its own face randomly, actually managing to claw off the pitch-black long sword stuck in its left eye. At the same time, its own face was covered in bloody marks from its own claws.

It was completely enraged. Although its mouth still couldn't open, its roar still made one's heart tremble, a continuous, muffled sound.

The next moment, with its only remaining good eye, it saw Xiao Mian, who was helping the Shadow Sect cultivator. Its five tails suddenly parted behind it, then it swung its body sideways, sweeping fiercely towards the spot where the Shadow Sect cultivator was leaning.

If this blow landed, not to mention the Shadow Sect cultivator, even Xiao Mian would not survive!

Leng Mushi ignored the gale brought by the dragon's tail and rushed out of the protective shield. She directly opened her storage bag and poured out all 742 Soul Control Pills she had refined in Le Tan Town.

In broad daylight, dead souls appeared in the mortal world!

"Please!" Leng Mushi scattered all the Soul Control Pills. An army of dead souls, which should not have appeared during the day, wrapped in a gloomy black mist, went straight towards the Five-Tailed Dragon.

Dead souls were even more elusive than Shadow cultivators. Leng Mushi watched as countless dead souls, baring their teeth and claws, held back the dragon's tail that was sweeping towards Xiao Mian and the Shadow cultivator. Every one of them was familiar to her, every one of them was a resident of Le Tan Town who had fought alongside them, victims of the Balo Bone. Her heart settled down, and she also ran towards them.

"Where are you going!" Xiao Mian shouted, his eyes wide with fear as he saw Leng Mushi following the dead souls towards the Five-Tailed Dragon.

Leng Mushi glanced at him, then was immediately helped by a dead soul beside her to step onto the tail of the Five-Tailed Dragon.

"Follow me!" This dead soul was one of the Le Tan Town guards from a hundred years ago, named Chang Sa, who was best at stealth and scouting. Leng Mushi trusted him as much as she trusted herself.

Leng Mushi followed him, jumping and running on the Five-Tailed Dragon's body, until he successfully led her to the back of the dragon's head. The Five-Tailed Dragon, entangled by these dead souls, went berserk and turned its head violently, almost throwing Leng Mushi off its head.

However, the steps she had practiced while entangled with demonic beasts in the Cang Sheng Academy were not in vain. She arched her back and twisted her waist at an incredible angle, like a snake that couldn't be thrown off. Just as she was about to fall off the dragon's head, she grabbed onto a protruding scale.

The scales were as sharp as knives, and Leng Mushi's hands were immediately cut. The pain made her grimace, but she clung on tightly, refusing to let go. She exerted force from her waist and, like a snake raising its head, pushed herself back onto the back of the dragon's head.

Then, without hesitation, she stood up, stepped on the scales, and continued to run upwards. At the same time, her bloodied hands grabbed a handful of Phantom Pills from her storage bag and slapped them all onto the Five-Tailed Dragon's forehead.

"Dream on --"

With this blow, Leng Mushi shattered the Phantom Pills with her spiritual energy. The orange-yellow illusion magic shattered on top of the Five-Tailed Dragon's head, and was directly driven by Leng Mushi's spiritual energy into the dragon's Tianling Gai (acupuncture point).

The Five-Tailed Dragon let out a muffled groan, raised its front claw, and swung it fiercely. Leng Mushi was hit by its sharp claws, vomiting a mouthful of blood, and fell towards the ground like a kite with its string cut.

Leng Mushi was, after all, a Pill Cultivator, and could not attack and dodge as freely as other cultivators. Her waist was hit hard again, and there was a crisp tearing sound. It was the sound of the protective light of her disciple's uniform breaking and her clothes being ripped apart by the Five-Tailed Dragon's claws.

Then, Leng Mushi's entire waist felt burning hot and ice-cold, and she quickly lost consciousness, falling rapidly from mid-air.

Just as she was about to hit the ground headfirst, she tried to turn, but the angle at which her spine and waist had been twisted was too great, and she had been hit too hard by the Five-Tailed Dragon, causing her to lose consciousness for a short time…

She wrapped her arms around her head, protecting it with spiritual energy. It didn't matter if her face hit the ground, at worst she could wear a veil in the future. She just prayed that her neck wouldn't be broken and she wouldn't die looking too ugly.

But just as she was about to land, she saw something flash past out of the corner of her eye. The next moment, instead of landing headfirst, she fell firmly into someone's arms.

Her light feet touched the ground.

At the same time, the disciples who had been dodging the dragon, those who were not injured, all swarmed up and, together with the hundreds of dead souls and other puppet beasts that had rushed over, pounced on the Five-Tailed Dragon, which had begun to sink into an illusion.

You Zishu and the other disciples from the three sects, along with the Shadow Sect cultivator, used their natal spiritual weapons to draw Beast Trapping and Evil Slaying formations. Runes like countless invisible threads descended from mid-air, firmly pinning the Five-Tailed Dragon to the ground, unable to raise its head.

The disciples used whatever they had in their hands to attack it. It was briefly immersed in the illusion and was awakened by the pain, but it was already powerless. It was covered in wounds from the countless disciples and dead souls, blood flowing like a river, and it was about to bleed to death.

It let out a mournful cry and completely lowered its five tails.

Leng Mushi was being held in Xiao Mian's arms, so tightly that she could hardly breathe. His whole body was trembling violently, so scared that his breathing and internal energy were in complete disarray.

Leng Mushi had never felt so truly cared for by someone. She hadn't acted rashly just now. She had a plan, helpers, confidence, and also the courage.

As long as her head wasn't broken and she didn't die on the spot, she still had the Five Elements Pill refined by Hua Yanyue to save her life. She wouldn't joke about her own life and overestimate herself.

She was just taking advantage of the opportunity when the dragon's tail was restrained by the army of dead souls to use the Phantom Pills to make it fall into an illusion. In addition, its mouth was still tightly bound by the Shadow cultivator's black whip. The disciples were holding back their anger and waiting for an opportunity to strike, just like now, when they were able to subdue it.

But she didn't expect Xiao Mian to be so frightened. Leng Mushi was being held so tightly that she lost feeling below her waist, but she opened her mouth several times, not knowing what to say.

All around the disciples, many puppet beasts had gathered, all of them rushing over to protect them after hearing the commotion. The Five-Tailed Dragon was completely dead, and they were completely safe.

But Xiao Mian seemed to be still trapped in the nightmare of Leng Mushi being struck by the dragon, unable to pull himself out as he hugged her and trembled.

"I'm fine…" Leng Mushi finally raised her hand and hugged Xiao Mian's neck, gently pinching the back of his neck, and whispered in his ear with helplessness, "Xiao Gege, I'm really fine, my waist hurts… ouch."

She deliberately cried out in pain as she spoke. In fact, the injury on her waist was only a flesh wound. Although it was still burning hot and looked hideous, it was actually nothing serious.

Nothing was broken, everything was fine.

Hearing this, Xiao Mian finally let go of her. There were no tears on his face, but his eyes were bloodshot red. Leng Mushi was startled when she saw it, but Xiao Mian quickly averted his gaze and lowered his head to check on her injuries.

"Give me the Five Elements Pill." Xiao Mian frowned as he looked at the wound on Leng Mushi's waist. The disciple's uniform there was torn open, a long gash from her back to her lower back, making Xiao Mian's eyes almost bleed.

Leng Mushi couldn't help but laugh, "You're using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. This little injury of mine will be almost healed after I meditate for a while. There's no need to waste a Five Elements Pill."

Xiao Mian looked at Leng Mushi with a cold face. Unable to argue with her, he could only take off his outer robe with trembling hands and drape it over Leng Mushi.

Leng Mushi's storage bag opened wide, and dead souls continuously returned to it, transforming back into pills. But after all, it was not suitable for them to be out in the open as their bodies were severely burned by the sunlight. After Leng Mushi put away all the dead soul pills, she began to think about where to find some Yin energy to nourish them.

The disciples were guarded by puppet beasts, so they didn't bother moving and simply meditated on the spot to heal their injuries.

The Shadow Sect cultivator was the leader of the Shadow Sect. Leng Mushi had overheard him talking to You Zishu and the others. All the other Shadow Sect disciples who had entered the training ground were dead, leaving only him. Before the disciples forced the Five-Tailed Dragon to reveal itself, he was still searching for it everywhere.

He was more seriously injured than anyone else. His black clothes didn't show anything, but up close, one could see that they were already soaked in blood.

You Zishu and Bu Jin, whose spiritual roots were compatible with his, were channeling spiritual energy into him to heal his wounds. However, his gaze passed over many people and landed on Leng Mushi.

Leng Mushi was currently sitting on a tree trunk that had been broken by the Five-Tailed Dragon, draped in Xiao Mian's outer robe.

The other broken tree trunks were all unevenly broken, perfect for poking one's bottom. This tree trunk was carefully chosen by Xiao Mian. It must have been eaten by insects before being broken by the Five-Tailed Dragon, so the break was exceptionally neat, suitable for sitting on. Even the sunlight shone directly on it, warm and comfortable.

She circulated her spiritual energy to heal her wounds. Xiao Mian was going around helping other disciples.

A total of more than ten disciples from the Huan Xi Sect, Tai Chu Sect, and Zhen Wu Temple had died this time, and more than thirty were injured. Sitting on this open space that looked like it had been ravaged by a hurricane, they were truly experiencing the joy of surviving a disaster. Some disciples, touched by the experience, advanced in their cultivation on the spot.

Leng Mushi's wounds were almost healed. Sitting here, watching these disciples, she couldn't help but sigh in her heart. The path of cultivation was just so cruel and real.

Some people died, their souls scattered, while others advanced and gained enlightenment. To be alive was the root of all possibilities, and the ultimate victory.

Fen Lian and Xiao Mei went to dig out the Five-Tailed Dragon's inner core. For them, there was nothing more nourishing than this. Leng Mushi's gaze swept past Leng Tian Yin, who was leaning against Yi Tu with the fox demon in her arms, and finally landed on Xiao Mian.

Xiao Mian had helped several lightly injured middle-level disciples settle the more seriously injured disciples before finally letting out a sigh of relief. His gaze followed Leng Mushi's.

Leng Mushi noticed that there seemed to be a tear in the clothes at his lower back. Seeing Xiao Mian coming over, she asked, "Your clothes are torn at the back, are you injured? Come here and let me see."

Xiao Mian straightened up, wiped the sweat from his face, and quickly turned his head slightly, frowning. Then he turned back. "No, it was scratched by a branch."

He walked to Leng Mushi's side and squatted in front of her. At this time, the sun was right above their heads. After taking care of the disciples, there were some bloodstains on his fair face, which were particularly striking and vivid against his sweat-drenched skin.

"Are you hungry? I still have some food, but there are too many disciples. You have to come with me to a place where there's no one to eat." Xiao Mian's voice was very low as he lowered his head and straightened the clothes he had draped over Leng Mushi.

Leng Mushi couldn't see that the back of the outer robe she was wearing also had a tear, even bigger and clearer, as if it had been grabbed by something.

But at this moment, her attention was completely drawn to Xiao Mian. He looked so gentle and beautiful. Such a living person in front of her, why was he only a wisp of consciousness?

Leng Mushi pulled on a corner of his sleeve and raised her hand to wipe the bloodstains on his face.

Xiao Mian's breathing hitched, and his heart instantly ached again. The pain in his chest and lower back seemed to be pulling together. But he was so happy that he almost cried.

"You're willing to talk to me again." Xiao Mian gently, tentatively, held Leng Mushi's hand and simply pressed her hand against his face.

"I was scared to death, you really know how to scare me." As he spoke, he licked his chapped lips. The words of reproach reached his mouth, but he couldn't bear to say them. He only said, "Don't scare me like that again."

He didn't need to elaborate, Leng Mushi knew he was talking about her going up against the Five-Tailed Dragon. Leng Mushi had never been someone who could be controlled, but at this moment, facing Xiao Mian's watery and forbearing gaze, she couldn't help but nod obediently and say dryly, "Okay."

Xiao Mian held her hand with some force, struggling to restrain himself from looking at Leng Mushi, afraid that the intense emotions in his eyes would scare her. He could only lower his head, cupping Leng Mushi's hand in his, and very lightly and quickly, for fear of angering her, brushed his dry lips against her palm.

"And don't suddenly ignore me," Xiao Mian said, "If I do something wrong, just tell me directly, don't be cold to me, I can't stand it."

He choked back a sob as he spoke, almost making Leng Mushi's nose sting with tears. Fortunately, Xiao Mian quickly regained his composure and simply lowered his head, not saying anything more.

Leng Mushi pursed her lips, just as she was about to say something to him, a shadow suddenly fell beside them, blocking the sunlight from both of them.

"You Zishu said you refined this?" The person spoke, his voice hoarse but pleasant to the ear.

Leng Mushi and Xiao Mian turned their heads at the same time. Xiao Mian stood up and sniffed, turning his head to the side.

Leng Mushi didn't stand up. She looked at the black-clad Shadow cultivator standing against the light and didn't answer. Instead, she said, "You're blocking my sunlight."

The Shadow cultivator was stunned for a moment, then moved his feet slightly. Leng Mushi was bathed in the most comfortable and sunny spot that Xiao Mian had found for her. Only then did she turn her head to look at the Shadow cultivator.

"Did you refine this?" The Shadow cultivators were not known for their rambling, especially the one in front of Leng Mushi. But he rarely asked again, his tone devoid of impatience.

Leng Mushi nodded. "Yes."

"Why do you have this?" Xiao Mian saw the Phantom Pill in the Shadow cultivator's hand and touched his storage bag, only to realize that it was leaking.

"I picked it up from the ground while you were busy playing the hero and saving the beauty," the Shadow cultivator said to Xiao Mian. "Your senior brother is calling for you."

Xiao Mian glanced at Leng Mushi, then at the Shadow cultivator, before turning and walking towards You Zishu. The Shadow cultivator spoke to Leng Mushi again, "My name is Yin Yi, and I want to make a deal with you."

As everyone knew, Shadow cultivators never got close to other sects. They always kept to themselves and walked alongside kings and nobles in the mortal world. They were the cultivation sect that interacted with the mortal world the most.

And now he actually said he wanted to make a deal with Leng Mushi.

"I know you're from the Hua Yanyue lineage of Tai Chu Mountain," Yin Yi said, toying with the Phantom Pill in his hand. "I need a batch of special pills, and I hope you can cooperate with the Shadow Sect and personally refine them."

As he spoke, Yin Yi handed the Phantom Pill to Leng Mushi. "You can extract the demonic power of the Phantom Fox to refine pills, and you can also control dead souls, yet there's no trace of demonic cultivator energy. Your methods are unorthodox, I believe you can refine the pills that the Shadow Sect needs."

Leng Mushi had been silent. Seeing how certain he was, she couldn't help but look up at him. His face was tightly wrapped in a mask, revealing only his eyes. Leng Mushi met his dark eyes, which were filled with a certain excitement that made her frown slightly.

Leng Mushi said, "I am a disciple of the Tai Chu Sect. The pills I refine are only for the use of Tai Chu Mountain disciples. If other sects want to request them, they need to send someone to formally…"

"I can get you anything you want in exchange," Yin Yi said, "As long as it exists in this world, the Shadow Sect can find it."

Leng Mushi almost blurted out a long list of things she needed, but she resisted with great effort and was about to refuse.

Yin Yi added, "Your lover has demonic energy in his meridians. I'm afraid he's about to succumb to it. I have a way to suppress the demonic energy."

Leng Mushi's heart skipped a beat, and her relaxed posture instantly straightened.

ʕ•́ᴥ•̀ʔっ

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