Miss Cannon Fodder Wants To Escape Death Flags - Chapter 322
Chapter 322
Night had fallen, and the setting sun faded in the west.
The skies over the ravine were rarely clear, but tonight the wind and sand lay unusually still. As demonic energy gradually descended, one could faintly see the bloody afterglow of the sunset in the distance.
Like blood seeping into mist, a vast red spread across the horizon.
“Master!”
In the sandy cave, someone rushed forward to report: “Pei Ji has tracked the demonic energy to this location. We must activate the Soul-Confusing formation at once… he’s on a rampage!”
Huo Qiao nodded and glanced at the demon cultivator beside him.
The latter understood his intention and bowed, saying softly, “The puppet is ready.”
“Then go find him.”
He showed little emotion, a mask of sternness that was at odds with his youthful face.
His voice was hushed: “Whether our people can break free from their shackles… it all hinges on this.”
Their plan wasn’t particularly grand.
With the demon clan in its current weakened state, they could not hope to achieve anything earth-shattering.
All the strongest warriors of the demon realm had perished in the great battle, leaving behind mostly low-level cultivators unfit for major tasks.
Though both sons of demon lords, Huo Qiao and Pei Ji had led entirely different lives.
Huo Qiao’s parents were both demons, deeply bonded, and eventually perished together on the battlefield, leaving him behind as an infant.
Shortly afterward, the demons faced relentless defeat, and the cultivation world erected the Two Element Dust Formation.
By the time he was old enough to understand, the demon realm had been completely isolated, cut off from the outside world.
It was called the “Demon Realm,” but it was more like an inescapable prison.
Each day was like the last: the sky was dark and gloomy, yellow sand blowing everywhere.
His people lived without hope or vitality, with no purpose or future in sight.
Survivors from the great battle told him that the world outside the Demon Realm wasn’t like this.
Once he set foot in the outside world, he would see blue skies and white clouds, towering pavilions rising above, hidden among distant green mountains and wisps of chimney smoke.
Huo Qiao, having grown up in the Demon Realm since birth, wasn’t particularly bright and found it hard to imagine the scenes others described.
All he could do was stand each day at the edge of the barrier, staring at the yellow sand swirling in the ravine.
But now, finally, there was hope for them to leave.
Deep within the Demon Realm, many demon gods lay dormant.
One day, three of them awoke simultaneously, their surging demonic energy breaking through the formation and leaving a crack in the Two Element Dust Formation.
The crack was small but just large enough for someone to escape through.
Because of the formation’s powerful spiritual pressure, only demons at the Golden Core stage or higher could barely make it through. Thus, the main problem they faced was how to expand this crack further and weaken the formation.
To break the formation, the only known method was to harness the explosive power of demonic energy.
And apart from himself, the only one possessing such a bloodline was Pei Ji.
They hadn’t considered Ning Ning at first.
After all, Pei Ji was a loner who had severed almost all ties with the outside world.
What they needed to do was to sever this last connection completely, turning him into an outcast despised by all, an island of solitude, sinking deeper into self-hatred and world-weariness until he became a fallen demon, offering himself as a sacrifice.
The first step was to implant demonic energy into the puppet, disguise it as a disciple of the Immortal Sect, and enter the Xiaochongshan secret realm, bringing demonic energy into the ancient tree and causing it to erupt as Pei Ji approached.
In this way, a demonic outburst in the forest of ancient trees would cause heavy casualties among the disciples of various sects, and the source of the disaster would inevitably be traced back to Pei Ji.
After all, only he bore demonic energy, and only he could corrupt the ancient tree and harm countless innocent disciples.
But the plan failed.
A sword cultivator named Ning Ning ventured deep into the forest, risking her life to fight the ancient tree. Pei Ji, who was supposed to be unconscious, awoke halfway through and slew the demonic tree, emerging as a hero who saved the forest.
With the plan foiled, they devised a new one: replacing the healing elixir Pei Ji used with a deadly poison.
Once he consumed even a small amount, the demonic energy would seep into his bloodstream with the poison. When he entered the Demon Refining Tower, he would be overwhelmed by thousands of demons, and in the thick of the demonic energy, he would inevitably fall prey to his inner demons and become an enemy of the righteous sects.
But that plan also failed.
The one who disrupted everything was still Ning Ning.
She was like a thorn, tearing apart their carefully crafted scheme.
Now, with the Xuanxu Sword Sect’s group sensing something amiss and arriving at the Tianhe desert, it was the perfect opportunity to draw Pei Ji into madness.
According to their plan, they should ignite the Demonic Incense to send the demonic energy in Pei Ji’s body into chaos, then have the puppet take his form and kill one of the disciples.
This would create the illusion that Pei Ji had succumbed to demonic influence and attacked his own comrades.
But the success rate wasn’t high.
Thanks to Ning Ning, Pei Ji was no longer the isolated figure he once was.
For him, Tian Xianzi and the others were sure to show favor and trust.
So they came up with a better plan.
An infallible way to push Pei Ji to the brink.
Though Ning Ning had escaped, she hadn’t reunited with Pei Ji.
As long as they killed a puppet resembling her in his presence—
The young man in white sighed silently, gazing at the flickering firelight in the sand cave, his eyes filled with resolve.
Huo Qiao said, “Let’s go.”
=====
Pei Ji was already near the cave entrance, following the demonic energy.
Any demons he encountered were swiftly decapitated, leaving a bloody trail behind him, staining his black clothes with blood.
“This kid… is he insane?”
In the dark, smoke and sand mixed with blood, sending a chill down Qing Heng’s spine. He paused briefly, then turned to Huo Qiao.
“The Soul-Confusing formation is set, and the puppet is ready.”
As he spoke, a figure emerged from the shadows beneath the dune.
The girl looked exactly like Ning Ning, her cheeks even bearing fresh bloodstains from an earlier attack.
Yet, lacking self-awareness, the puppet moved with blank eyes and a stiff face.
“Finish this quickly,” Huo Qiao said without hesitation.
“Don’t let him sense anything amiss.”
He spoke, his gaze fixed on the blood-stained figure of the young man in the distance.
The young man was like a drawn blade.
Pei Ji was tall and thin, his black robes barely visible in the night.
He radiated an intense aura of killing intent and sword energy.
Amid the layers of bloody mist, he looked less like a righteous cultivator and more like an asura from hell.
Sensing the sudden surge of demonic energy behind him, Pei Ji drew his sword and turned.
His gaze turned pitch-black with killing intent, but as he took in the scene, he faltered.
At the foot of a distant dune stood several figures.
At the forefront was a tall, burly man, holding a blade to Ning Ning’s throat.
…Ning Ning.
His heart pounded violently, his pupils contracting as a surge of demonic energy filled him.
No.
“It’s time.”
Huo Qiao’s gaze darkened as he flicked his fingers.
“Begin.”
At his command, a sudden gust of evil wind swept across the desert, and from all directions, hordes of monsters and demon cultivators emerged.
They had been lying in ambush, and now, upon receiving the order, they swarmed forward to attack Pei Ji.
“You’ve made it here alone—quite impressive,” the burly man laughed loudly, lowering his blade until it touched the girl’s fair skin, drawing drops of blood.
“Let me guess… you came here for her, didn’t you?”
In the cacophony of monstrous howls, his voice was like a grain of sand in the vast desert, barely noticeable.
Yet Pei Ji, with bloodshot eyes, fixed his gaze on the man, slashing through the surrounding demons as he fought his way desperately toward the dune.
The swarm of monsters seemed endless—a relentless tide.
Pei Ji moved with haste and ferocity, but under the onslaught, his body was covered in wounds.
Only sheer willpower kept him conscious.
The man beneath the dune continued speaking: “You’ve killed so many of my kind… shouldn’t I… return the favor?”
No.
Please, no.
Pei Ji wanted to shout, but blood filled his mouth.
He tried to press forward, but killing intent surrounded him from all sides. Demon sword cultivators, talisman cultivators, body cultivators, music cultivators, and layers upon layers of demons swarmed him.
He swung his sword in vain, his hands trembling violently.
“Pei Xiaoji!”
Cheng Ying shouted in panic, “Your body is at its limit! You’re—”
It hadn’t finished speaking before a flash of blade lit up the dune.
The scene felt like a dream.
