The Female Supporting Role Shows Out - Chapter 1

Translator: NovelMultiverse | Editor: NovelMultiverse

Amidst thousands of roaring and chaotic purple flashes, a long-haired female cultivator pierced into the abdomen of a man with a sword. The male cultivator had blood in his mouth and his eyes were wide open. He was in disbelief at what had happened. But she lowered her eyes and looked at him indifferently before slowly pulling out the sword.

Flashes of lightning illuminated the night sky like daytime and made the man’s face look even paler. He said, “Lin Dan, it’s me…”

The female cultivator’s unwavering eyes quivered. She whispered softly, “Are you… not an illusion of mine?”

Indeed, the female cultivator was undergoing a heavenly tribulation. She had thought that the man was just an illusion born from her inner demon, but he was real. Lin Dan, the female cultivator, finally raised her head and gazed at the thunderous sky. She looked at the other cultivators who were either hovering in the air or wielding a sword somewhere not too far away. It was only then she remembered that it was the day of her wedding ceremony. The man before her was the companion she had pursued for and had been with her for thousands of years.

But did it matter? The endless wait, the fervent chasing, and the prolonged companionship could turn into nothing when a lady demon unintentionally glanced at the man. Even if a covenant was about to be made, as soon as the demon appeared and uttered a syllable from her thin red lips that sounded like a sob and a chuckle at the same time, it could immediately make the man lose his mind.

Two hours ago:

She understood completely when she saw that her companion was reluctant to make a cut on his fingertips and make the covenant. At that moment, when Lin Dan looked deeply into his eyes which was filled with hesitation and regret, she suddenly came to accept the harsh reality. She tore off her red gown, removed her gorgeous and heavy headdress, and left immediately.

There was no time for the attending guests or the families of both parties to react, as the starry sky was suddenly engulfed by the billowing clouds and flashes of lightning. With the wrath of heaven, the strong wind howled which made all cultivators shiver as though sharp knives were slashing their skins. This was the tribulation cloud and thunder. Is someone going through a heavenly tribulation at this moment, on this special occasion?

It was none other than Lin Dan who was undergoing the heavenly tribulation. She was cultivating the Infinite Tao of the Celestial Way. As the saying goes, there is mystery in all the three thousand ways of attaining Tao. The Infinite Tao was one of the most difficult ways of cultivation that focused on “the infinite ways of Taoism, the unsullied heart of Taoism, and the desireless body of Taoism.” Cultivators could only attain true Tao when they achieved these three aspects.

But for Lin Dan who always had someone whom she could not let go and forget, how was it possible for her to achieve the desireless state? Even though she was known as the prodigy of the cultivation world because she possessed the Body of Nine Yin and single-line celestial touch, she had been stuck in this tribulation for more than six hundred years.

Nevertheless, she was not in a hurry. The ladder of ascension in this world had somehow been destroyed. Even if she could overcome the tribulation, her soul would eventually dissipate in the realm between the heavens and the earth. Ascension would mean death for her. She was not afraid of death but was worried that she could no longer be with him.

She clearly knew that someone else was deeply etched in his heart, but it did not matter. She would never leave him whenever he was in trouble. She was always there for him whenever he was down. If his heart was the thousand-year frozen ice, she would be that fiery fire of the nine suns, vowing to melt his heart one day.

 She had always believed that she would eventually win his heart and love, until this moment…

 Everything had changed and nothing mattered anymore.

 She realized that when something that was once impossible to let go of was surrendered, she had only lost the obsessions and inner demons, but gained freedom and liberation. Lin Dan returned her companion to the demon lady who hurried over. Step by step, she walked out of the hall and into the dark tribulation clouds. The romance that she could not get over for hundreds of years was shattered in an instant and she would overcome the tribulation and ascend.

 Her inner demon was still struggling. Many sweet memories came to Lin Dan’s mind wrapped in poison and tried to hinder her footsteps, but they were all cut off by her sword. Since the ladder of ascension had been destroyed, death was the only outcome regardless of whether she had overcome the tribulation or not. But nothing mattered and she did not want to be involved with these people anymore. The world was filled with evil and the heavenly Tao was limitless. She must glide through the skies even if it meant that she would turn into a gust of air.

 But she did not understand what her companion was thinking. Why did he rush into tribulation thunder and sent himself to the tip of her sword after entering her illusion? He was also a great cultivator who was undergoing a tribulation and the top swordsman of the Southern land, after all, there was no reason he could not avoid her attack.

 “Lin Dan,” the male cultivator could not care much about his bloody abdomen. He clasped Lin Dan’s sword tightly and begged, “Don’t go.”

 “If I don’t…” Lin Dan slowly pulled out the sword from his palms and replied in a quavering voice, “…where else can I go?” Indeed, where else could she go if she had stayed? Continue to follow and chase after him persistently? She had been with him for thousands of years but finally realized that they had to take our own paths.

 At the thought of this, Lin Dan did not even want her sword anymore. She tossed it aside and it flew towards the broken ascension ladder. The man chased after it hurriedly but was one step too late because of his serious injuries. The sword cut open a big hole in the sky which swallowed Lin Dan and the tribulation thunder. When he arrived at the horizon, there was nothing left. The tribulation clouds, tribulation thunder, lightning, and his loved one had all disappeared like a bubble.

 “Lin Dan!” He shouted at the top of his lungs. His voice echoed for a long time in the dark and vast night…

• • ····

 “Welcome back.” Lin Dan opened her eyes and heard a lifeless voice. “You have entered the S-class world and successfully obtained the special item [Infinite Heart of Tao]. Do you want to redeem the points?”

 “Yes, and open my personal space.” Lin Dan said slowly.

In the blink of an eye, she entered a white space surrounded by smooth metal walls. There was only a bed placed in the center and nothing else.

 “You have earned a total of 9,990,000 points for this mission. I am pleased to inform you that your points have reached the maximum limit. You have two options: Unbind and return to the original world, or unbind and immigrate to a higher realm. What is your choice?” The cold mechanical sound rang in Lin Dan’s mind.

After her death, Lin Dan was bound to this auxiliary system for some reason and was forced to travel between countless small worlds to complete missions. She could only unbind herself after obtaining a certain number of points before she could freely choose her next destination. Lin Dan had a plan earlier, but she hesitated. She frowned and thought for a moment before muttering, “If I immigrate…”

“My apologies,” the system interrupted. “Your referee revoked the recommendation in the previous world. If you want to immigrate, please select another referee as soon as possible.”

I was right… Lin Dan shook her head and gave herself a self-deprecatory smile.

The approval of the system was insufficient and she would need a referrer from a higher realm to immigrate there. Lin Dan’s referee was none other than the man whom she thrust the sword into his abdomen. Lin Dan did not know his surname, name, or background, but she knew that he came from the higher realm and had more authority than the system, and even the main system.

It might be a great blessing for those who constantly travel between the various small worlds to be immortal, but Lin Dan knew how painful and miserable this journey was. The experiences and countless memories were like a pair of large hands that lived in her brain, dragging her deeper into the abyss. There was too much love, hate, and separation, too much helplessness, anger, pain, and despair… It filled her heart and she gradually lost herself.

For a long time, she had no idea who she was and where she came from. When she was on the verge of breaking down, she met that man in one of the mission worlds. He rescued her from the prison of complete darkness and taught her how to get out of trouble, how to defeat the enemy, and how to earn points. With his help, Lin Dan gradually found herself and willingly became his vassal, chasing after his footsteps in the various small worlds.

Lin Dan originally thought that meeting him would be her salvation, but she eventually realized that it was a futile pursuit. Fortunately, what he taught her was not all useless. She learned to be strong and independent, she gained self-esteem and self-love, and she also learned to let go.

It is said that if you fall in love with an outstanding person, you would become a better person even if you cannot win his heart. This is true for Lin Dan and she did not regret her dedication and patience. Without the thousands of years of pursuit, she would never learn about letting go and blossom into someone like herself today.

[Infinite Heart of Tao] Although the points were redeemed, the feelings had remained in her heart. She smiled relievedly and shook her head, “I guess he wants to be a referee for that woman instead?”

That woman was a charismatic lady who did not have to complete missions. He met her in one of the mission worlds and lost his mind, following her to multiple worlds just as Lin Dan did. The lady demon in the cultivation realm was one of the reincarnations of that woman. This is why he could never forget her and was so mesmerized with her that he would willingly become an enemy of the entire cultivation world.

No matter which world the woman reincarnated in, he would always find her using his great magical powers and protect her from any danger. After all, he was merely a lowly follower like Lin Dan. Even if that woman did not remember anything from her previous lives, he was willing to give her everything and bring her to the world where he lived.

 Lin Dan very much envied the woman and was even a little jealous, but she did not feel much anymore.

The system spoke in a slightly deeper voice which somehow sounded melancholic. “I can check that for you if you’re curious, but the other party has a higher authority than me and I may not be able to find what you want. My apologies, I’m just an auxiliary system that is programmed to issue auxiliary missions. I’m sorry you have to suffer all these years.”

The auxiliary system is only responsible for facilitating the development of the small worlds and fixing bugs. The hosts that were chosen by the system were merely a tool that can be sacrificed at crucial moments. To give a crude analogy, it was the same as filling the hole of a pot using a piece of scrap metal. Lin Dan was that piece of scrap metal that had no use other than throwing herself into the fire.

 Many of the missions she received were to help others at her own expense and some missions were even unreasonable, but did it matter? If she failed the mission, she would be obliterated by the system. This is why most of the hosts that were bound to the auxiliary system could not make it to the end. They either committed suicide halfway into the mission or fell into madness. Lin Dan was a rare host who could successfully complete every mission and earn a large number of points. This was all thanks to the man’s help, but it was also due to Lin Dan’s strong and tenacious character.

 Everything did not matter to Lin Dan anymore. She had no wants and desires and she did not care where she would be in her next destination. She opened the task panel and said decisively, “Never mind, cancel the immigration application and send me back to the original world.”

 “Sure. I also have good news. Since you are the first auxiliary host to earn the highest points, the main system has decided to reward you with 100 million points which can be exchanged into your original world currency at a rate of 1:1. Do you want to exchange them?”

“Yes.” Lin Dan nodded without hesitation, before giving herself another self-deprecatory smile. Was she an “auxiliary host” or just a dispensable supporting role? Anyhow, she had decided to be herself and live a wonderful life from now on.

“Sure, the system will exchange it for you. Please wait for a moment.”

It took about a minute to process all her points and deposits. After she was unbound to the system, the portal was activated and ready to send Lin Dan back to the original world. Lin Dan thought that she could retire in peace this time around, but a huge wave of energy unexpectedly hit the portal and disrupted the flow of time…