The Substitute Female Supporting Character Sees the Bullet Screen

Nie Yinzhi had gone through so much trouble, but for the moment, she couldn't think of a way to interfere with the original plot and recreate the ending. Rebuilding the Ten Thousand Demons Cave wasn't difficult, and she could even use a substitute talisman to create a fake Xiao Ling. However, the Divine Maiden's blood couldn't be forged again.

This time, she delayed for a while longer before using Gu Jiang's heart blood to return her consciousness to the past.

Practice makes perfect. Nie Yinzhi regained her consciousness faster and faster. As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw a flurry of sword lights coming at her. Instinctively, she wanted to dodge, but then she remembered that nothing here could harm her. Moreover, the person wielding the sword was only at the Golden Core stage, so she didn't move. Instead, she turned her gaze to look for Gu Jiang, wanting to make sure he was safe.

When their eyes met, the corners of his eyes curved slightly, and he gave her a faint smile. Then, he stepped forward, swinging his blade to deflect the incoming sword energy.

This misstep of his completely disrupted the favorable situation. The battle, which had been clearly one-sided, once again became a stalemate.

"What is Gu Jiang doing? He clearly dodged earlier. Why did he step back again?"

"Maybe he's running out of energy? His fighting style probably consumes more energy than Senior Brother Qi's."

"If this drags on, it will only get worse for him. The last spot to Long Hidden Island will belong to our Rising Sun Sect!"

Nie Yinzhi was shielded behind Gu Jiang. She quickly scanned the surroundings with her spiritual sense, piecing together the current situation from the murmurs of the onlookers.

The ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‍area was packed with people, all focused on the arena. The arena was surrounded by a barrier, and its surface was inscribed with strict rules.

Both Gu Jiang and the opposing swordsman bore injuries of varying severity, and their spiritual energy was nearly depleted. This wasn't a friendly sparring match; it was a life-and-death struggle for a single spot.

The spectators wore robes from different sects. The person who had shouted about the Rising Sun Sect was wearing the same uniform as the opponent.

But shortly after that shout, the battle came to an end. Just before his spiritual energy was completely drained, Gu Jiang drove his blade through the opponent's spiritual core. A token shot over and landed in Gu Jiang's hand.

The crowd erupted in chaos. Before anyone could react, Gu Jiang pocketed the token and leapt off the arena without a moment's hesitation, sprinting into the crowd.

Nie Yinzhi followed closely by his side. Within the range of her spiritual sense, dozens of figures were closing in on him from all directions. Gu Jiang was riding on his spiritual blade, but his energy was nearly exhausted.

"Are all these people chasing you from the Rising Sun Sect?" Nie Yinzhi wished she could act, wanting to cut them all down. "They lost, so why are they trying to take it back by force?"

"This is normal. Numbers are a form of strength too." Gu Jiang had clearly anticipated this. He skillfully dodged and hid, rushing into a dense forest. From his sleeve, he pulled out a spirit stone and flicked it with his finger. The stone embedded itself into the trunk of a thick tree, activating a teleportation array. Just as the pursuing cultivators closed in, a sword energy grazed past him, and he crashed into the teleportation array.

He must have calculated this carefully beforehand. The crude, small-scale teleportation array was just enough to handle him alone. The spirit stone's energy was drained in an instant, and the array flickered out. A talisman fell from the tree trunk, burning to ashes.

This was only a short-distance teleportation talisman, but its destination was a safe spot he had prepared in advance.

The talisman transported them to an abandoned city. During turbulent times, such deserted cities were common. The teleportation array lit up in a hidden room of a residence within the city. Once the light faded, the room was plunged into complete darkness.

As soon as Gu Jiang arrived, the smell of blood on him overpowered the musty, decaying scent of the surroundings. He lit a candle, took out a bottle of energy-replenishing pills from a shelf, and swallowed a few. He sat cross-legged, absorbing the spiritual energy from the pills into his dantian, gradually recovering from the exhaustion in his meridians.

Finally, he tore off a piece of his robe and poured various medicinal ointments onto his wounds. He sat down on the ground, leaning against the wall. "Why do you always appear when I'm in such a sorry state?"

"When will you stop being so pitiful, then?" Nie Yinzhi had been silently watching him until he finished. She leaned closer, gently blowing on his wounds, even though she knew it was unnecessary. "It looks so painful."

Seeing that Gu Jiang's meridians had recovered and he had reached the Golden Core stage again, she didn't need to ask to know that many years had passed since her last appearance.

"Soon." Gu Jiang's shoulders tensed slightly, as if he could feel her breath. He smiled. "It doesn't hurt."

His appearance now was almost the same as it would be in the future, though he still lacked the weight of countless years. He was still a young man, fresh and full of life.

Nie Yinzhi wanted to wipe the blood and sweat from his face. "You should know that swordsman couldn't harm me. You didn't need to protect me." Because of that, he had suffered a few more injuries.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

"I only remembered after I did it." Gu Jiang took out the token. "It's fine, as long as the outcome remains unchanged."

Nie Yinzhi whispered "idiot" into his ear. "I'm stronger than you now. You should prioritize protecting yourself."

Gu Jiang chuckled. "Alright."

"What's going on now? What is this token for?"

Gu Jiang flipped the small jade token in his fingers. The token was inscribed with the character "Hidden," and a faint glow flowed across its surface. "The era of the four great sects has passed. Now is an extremely chaotic time. Every day, new sects rise while others fall. However, some powerful upper-tier sects remain standing. Over the past few centuries, too many resources and techniques have been lost. Cultivators and sects are constantly at odds, and the conflict between the righteous and demonic factions is fiercer than ever."

"Long Hidden Island," Gu Jiang tapped the token with his fingernail, producing a crisp sound, "is a secluded place. It opens once every hundred years to admit fifty disciples. Those who hold this token can enter Long Hidden Island. Whether they succeed or fail depends entirely on their own efforts..." He paused, sounding somewhat resigned, "and their master's mood. Some people go through great hardships to reach the island, only to be kicked out before they can even say a word."

"In any case, very few manage to stay on the island for a full hundred years."

Nie Yinzhi asked, "So that's where you trained? Does that mean I'll get to meet your master?"

Gu Jiang pressed his fingers to his temples, looking pained. "You'd better not meet him." He looked at Nie Yinzhi carefully for a long time, as if using her to reinforce his determination to go to the island.

Nie Yinzhi laughed. "Is your master really that terrifying? How long did you stay on Long Hidden Island?"

Gu Jiang replied with a tone of utter despair, "A hundred years."

Nie Yinzhi said, "Your master must have liked you a lot." The way he spoke about Long Hidden Island was different; it was clear he had fond memories of the place.

Gu Jiang took a deep breath and opened his arms to her. "Come into my spiritual sea and comfort me properly. Otherwise, I'm afraid I might lose control and try to change the past."

"While you're awake? Won't that interfere with your past self? Shouldn't we wait until his consciousness falls asleep?" Nie Yinzhi asked curiously. "If there are two consciousnesses in one spiritual sea, both belonging to you, wouldn't they fight? Is your past self usually dormant?"

"He's awake," Gu Jiang said, making a motion as if to flick her forehead. "Two consciousnesses can't coexist in one spiritual sea for long. After all, we're the same consciousness; it's just that my consciousness has over a thousand years of experience. Once I enter the spiritual sea, my consciousness merges with my past self."

Nie Yinzhi touched her forehead. "So that means your past self is experiencing all of this with you too." Her eyes sparkled. "Will he see me as well?"

"You don't belong to this timeline. When my consciousness leaves, it will take your traces with it."

Nie Yinzhi immediately deflated. Gu Jiang leaned closer, his forehead almost touching hers. The corners of his eyes were still stained with blood, but his gaze was as soft as a large dog waiting for its owner's affection. "A-Yin, come in quickly."

Even across the river of time, Nie Yinzhi could feel her heart racing.

"Then beg me," she said, tilting her chin up slightly and brushing her lips against his in a phantom kiss.

Gu Jiang laughed softly and obliged. "I beg you."

"That was so half-hearted," Nie Yinzhi pouted, but she obediently slipped into his spiritual sea. The moment she entered the dark expanse, she was tightly enveloped.

She could sense the exhaustion in Gu Jiang's consciousness. He was not only wrestling with the plot but also had to remain vigilant to ensure his self-awareness didn't interfere with his past self.

Experience and changes in perception sometimes led to subconscious actions, like how he instinctively shielded her in the arena. Suppressing these ingrained habits was incredibly taxing.

Since the last time she fell asleep in Gu Jiang's spiritual realm and was sent back upon waking, Nie Yinzhi was determined to stay awake this time. Through their closely connected consciousness, she conveyed some of her thoughts to him.

She wanted to do something in the present to disrupt the plot and see if it could break the current stalemate.

Gu Jiang hummed in acknowledgment, "It's possible, but don't push yourself. It won't hold on much longer."

【Why is it still so dark? Ugh, when will I reach the Nascent Soul stage and finally have some light?】

【This isn't so bad. We get to see the Demon Lord's past and how he grew up.】

【Begging you to come in or something... I hope next time you say it under different circumstances.】

【But it shouldn't be Gu Jiang saying it. Nie Yinzhi is so mean!】

【I hope the Demon Lord holds a grudge and pays her back in kind next time.】

【What's this about Long Hidden Island? The current plot isn't even mentioned in the original novel's background. How are they generating data for something the original work didn't cover? Is the AI company making up their own story? It makes you wonder if the production team planned to replace the female lead from the start.】

【That's why the story is falling apart so badly, and the production team isn't doing anything about it. The characters are even mentioning the word "plot" in their dialogue. It's been a while, and there's still no official statement.】

【If that's really the case, it's incredibly disrespectful to the original author.】

【I'm too engrossed in the drama to care about any statements.】

Gu Jiang didn't stay in the secret chamber for long. After holding Nie Yinzhi and resting for a while, he sat in meditation to replenish his depleted spiritual energy. Once his true essence was restored to about seventy or eighty percent, he left and headed for Long Hidden Island.

He had to reach the teleportation array on Long Hidden Island on time. The token in his possession was the key to activating the array. If he missed the deadline, the key would become useless, and even with the token, it would be of no help.

The duel in the arena wasn't over yet. Until he boarded the ship, there was still a chance someone could snatch the token from him. It wasn't truly his yet, and the journey ahead was bound to be arduous.

Nie Yinzhi stayed this time for a long while, right up until he stepped into the teleportation array.