Chapter 1: Faking death and escaping, the protagonist is not a dog

In a certain secret realm within the Azure Firmament Mountain Range.

Pfft!

Sword shadows raged and sword light flashed, successfully tearing the ferocious beastly silhouette ahead into pieces.

“Yay! We did it! We succeeded! The treasure in this secret realm is ours.”

Seeing the demonic beast that had been entrenched here successfully eliminated, a figure who had been hiding to the side happily ran up to Xiao Yu and cheered.

Xiao Yu drifted to the ground and skillfully sheathed the immortal sword in his hand. He looked up at the sound, and a brilliant red figure, as dazzling as a meteor, entered his eyes.

She was a very beautiful woman, with fair skin as white as snow. Her eyes were spirited and lively, revealing an air of pride and passion. Her head was tilted slightly up, revealing a small section of her snowy-white neck, like an arrogant great white goose.

Even though she wasn’t very tall compared to Xiao Yu, a full head shorter than him, she puffed out her modest chest, giving one the feeling that she was looking down on them. This arrogant demeanor and condescending attitude did not leave a good impression.

Especially since she hadn’t contributed in the slightest during the battle just now, only causing trouble for Xiao Yu. To protect her from being injured by the demonic beast, Xiao Yu had taken many hits he could have otherwise dodged.

She was practically a carbon copy of a Nuisance Pear. If she weren’t the female lead, Xiao Yu really would have wanted to kick her.

“Hey! I didn’t expect an Inner Sect Disciple like you to be so capable. Ahem… In that case, I’ll reluctantly call you Senior Brother.”

Arriving before Xiao Yu, Li Yunshang coughed a few times, feigning seriousness.

Unsure of what came to her mind, she looked at the handsome Xiao Yu before her, and her small face flushed a faint red as she shyly lowered her head.

Xiao Yu, noticing this, knew that Li Yunshang had already developed quite a bit of affection for him. His arduous journey had not been in vain. According to the novel’s plot, after a crisis, the feelings between the male and female leads were bound to deepen. This meant that Li Yunshang was now more or less conquered.

‘Sigh! It wasn’t easy. As expected, not just anyone can be the protagonist.’

Though he sighed inwardly, his face remained expressionless. Just as he was about to speak with her, his body suddenly stiffened as if he had received some information, and a smile unconsciously graced his once-calm face.

“This way, with the treasures from the secret realm, I can finally start cultivating. It really hasn’t been easy!

Senior Brother, thank you so much. If it weren’t for you, I probably would have died on the way here. Looking back now, it was truly a long and arduous journey. Um, I have something I want to say to you…”

As she spoke, Li Yunshang, contrary to her usual self, began to stammer. Her face was bright red, and her lips were pursed, looking as if she wanted to say something to Xiao Yu.

At this moment, however, Xiao Yu failed to notice this deviation from the original novel’s plot. Instead, he also let out a sigh and said, “It certainly hasn’t been easy!”

He reached out a hand to cup the side of Li Yunshang’s face. The smooth and delicate sensation that came from it couldn’t help but stir one’s imagination, but Xiao Yu didn’t think much of it. He looked at the beauty before him, his eyes shimmering with a gentle light.

“Ah… Senior Brother… Mmm.” The young lady’s face burned hot from his gaze, but she couldn’t help but close her eyes, her small mouth puckering slightly as if in anticipation of something.

With a beauty before him, her eyes slightly closed, any young man would find it hard to resist such a scene.

However.

“You can go die with this demonic beast!”

Caught completely off guard, Xiao Yu delivered a premeditated uppercut, twisting the young lady’s youthful face. Her body flew uncontrollably into the air, spun 180 degrees, and then fell stiffly to the ground, motionless and unconscious.

Finally, he could vent his frustrations!

Xiao Yu knelt on the ground, his arms stretched towards the heavens like the redemption of Shawshank in the rain.

Who could know how difficult his journey had been? Although the protagonist in a novel is bound to encounter a lot of trouble, she was the source of practically all of it.

Never mind her aimless wandering on the road that attracted bandits, but she could even attract the covetous eyes of demonic cultivators while staying at an inn.

The most absurd part was… who gets lured to the Great Black Mountain to mine ore with a single stick of candied hawthorn?!

It could be said that every time they arrived at a new place, any trouble that arose was caused by her. When Xiao Yu tried to advise her a little, telling her not to run around and to stay by his side…

The result? “Hmph! I’m angry now. What right does a mere Inner Sect Disciple have to lecture me?” After saying that, she hid in her inn room to sulk. This made Xiao Yu, who was anxious to advance the plot, spend three days coaxing her before she finally relented. In the end, they almost missed the secret realm because they ran out of time.

From a reader’s perspective, one might find her cute in a silly, sweet way. But for Xiao Yu, the one experiencing it, he just felt he was being troubled to death.

If she weren’t the female lead, Xiao Yu would have wanted to hit her a few more times. However, he didn’t have to worry about that anymore. He could leave this mess for the original owner to deal with. He, the imposter, was due for retirement.

That’s right, Xiao Yu was a transmigrator, and he wasn’t the protagonist, but a temporary substitute. A so-called stand-in.

For some unknown reason, after Xiao Yu transmigrated into this world, he discovered that the protagonist’s parents were not yet adults. The protagonist wouldn’t be born for another thirteen years. However, all the other characters in the novel had already made their appearance early on; only the protagonist was missing.

This had the Heavenly Dao of this world spinning in anxiety. It couldn’t just conjure someone out of thin air, could it? Even if it skipped the stages of meeting and falling in love and directly drugged the protagonist’s parents and threw them into bed, they still couldn’t produce a child. After all, they were just two kids who didn’t know anything.

It was then that she discovered Xiao Yu, a transmigrator who bore a striking resemblance to the protagonist, Ye Feng. A bold idea was born.

Under threats and enticements, for the sake of world peace, for love and justice, Xiao Yu “voluntarily” agreed to temporarily take the protagonist’s place, holding the position until the original grew up enough to be swapped back in without anyone noticing.

And today, Xiao Yu had received the notice that he no longer needed to pretend to be the protagonist. Thus, the scene above unfolded.

****

In the Heaven Beyond Heavens, above the white clouds, within a magnificent palace, a very special celebration banquet was underway.

“Cheers!”

～(￣▽￣)[]””[](￣▽￣)~

“Hey! I really have you to thank this time, you Demon from Beyond the Heavens! Really, anyone else would not have been able to play the protagonist for so long without anyone finding out. Come! This one’s on me. You’ve been a huge help!”

Across from Xiao Yu sat a petite woman with black hair and cyan eyes, her skin like snow, naturally graceful and clever. She wore an extremely loose, cyan-and-black Daoist robe and was relaxing in her chair. One slender, well-proportioned leg extended out, her delicate white foot swinging casually in front of Xiao Yu. At this moment, she raised her wine cup and eagerly clinked it against Xiao Yu’s.

This person called herself Dao, one of the agents of the Heavenly Dao. One could say this world was currently under her jurisdiction, making her Xiao Yu’s direct superior.

A crisp clinking sound rang out as the wine in their cups sloshed. Xiao Yu raised his cup and downed it in one go.

“But of course, I’m a professional,” Xiao Yu said after finishing his wine, casually picking up a banana from the table, peeling it, and eating it slowly.

“Mhm! A professional indeed. Good thing I discovered this loophole in time and had you fill in. After Ye Feng was born, I immediately took him to a special Grotto-Heaven Blessed Land. Time flows differently there compared to this world. After thirteen years passed, both sides are now more or less aligned. And with this swap, hey! No one will be the wiser!”

Dao leaned back in her chair, which swayed back and forth as she spoke with self-satisfaction. With a wave of her slender hand, a screen appeared before her and Xiao Yu.

On it, a man and a woman were exploring a secret realm. The man had just slain a demonic beast, and the woman who had been hiding to the side ran out gleefully. Suddenly, the image paused, lingering on Li Yunshang’s beautiful face.

This was an illusion Dao had created for Ye Feng, with the content based on Xiao Yu’s experiences, making it feel as if he had gone through it himself. It was also to facilitate a smoother handover between Ye Feng and Xiao Yu. After all, Xiao Yu had triggered all the preceding plot points; if Ye Feng knew nothing, his cover would be easily blown.

Looking at the graceful and exceptionally stunning Li Yunshang, Dao cast a pitiful look at Xiao Yu. “Tsk tsk, that face, that aura. I must say, she truly is one of the women destined to be with the Son of Providence!

What’s wrong? Feeling sad? After all, you worked so hard to conquer her, and now you have to hand her over. Even I feel bad for you. How about I delay things a bit for you? We can swap you back after you have a one-night stand with her?”

“Don’t! Please don’t.”

Xiao Yu waved his hand with a look of disgust, hastily refusing.

“I am not worthy of such a blessing. You have no idea how much trouble she is. When I was advancing the plot, I wanted nothing more than to knock her out and carry her on my back, just to stop her from running around and causing so much trouble. I don’t want to see her ever again.”

“She is, after all, a young lady who grew up in the sect and has rarely ventured out. It’s her first time outside, so she’s bound to be a little excited. Try to be a bit more understandi—” Before Dao could finish, she saw Xiao Yu raise the third finger of his left hand—his middle finger—at the image of Li Yunshang, his face filled with disdain.

“Alright, it seems you have a very strong opinion of her.” Dao shook her head. She glanced at Ye Feng in the image and couldn’t help but remark, “I have to say, it’s quite a coincidence. You and this Ye Feng look so much alike. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were twins! No wonder those people didn’t find out.”

“Hah! It should be that he looks like me. But it’s understandable. After all, handsome men always have something in common. As the protagonist, it can’t be helped that he looks like me!” Xiao Yu said with a shrug, grabbing another banana from the table.

Dao was speechless. “…”

“Anyway, everything is more or less settled now. There are just a few loose ends to tie up, and I’ll need your help for that.” Dao clapped her hands with a smile, her tone shifting as she looked at Xiao Yu, a clear light flashing in her pale cyan eyes.

“What loose ends?” Xiao Yu asked nonchalantly as he peeled his banana.

“Getting rid of you.”

As the words fell, Xiao Yu froze, and the banana in his hand involuntarily dropped.

The peeled banana fell to the floor, but Xiao Yu had no time to feel sorry for it. He found that he couldn’t move his body and simultaneously realized something:

The wine was poisoned!

“What’s wrong? Can’t move your body? Don’t forget, you are a Demon from Beyond the Heavens, not under the control of the Heavenly Dao. You’re a variable, and variables have always been meant to be nipped in the bud.

If I hadn’t secretly concealed the heavenly secrets surrounding you, you would have been discovered and eliminated by the Heavenly Dao long ago. It was because I hid you from the Heavenly Dao that you were able to live so freely. For that, you should thank me. But now, you have no more use.”

As she spoke, Dao, holding a small knife, strolled leisurely over to Xiao Yu. The cold back of the blade slid across his cheek, sending a chill straight to his mind.

“You’re burning the bridge after crossing it!” Xiao Yu forced his body to remain upright, his face contorted as he glared at Dao.

“I have no choice, Xiao Yu! I’m forced to do this. Don’t worry, your death will be worthwhile. A dead man’s lips are the tightest.

Back then, after Tian left, it was my first time managing the Hongtian Chessboard. I accidentally set the protagonist’s birth date wrong, making him more than ten years later than the heroine. If Tian were to awaken and find out, I’d be finished.

Thankfully, I had you, Xiao Yu. After you die, no one will know that I messed up the protagonist’s birth date. I’ll still be flawless and perfect, and I can continue to slack off and goof around.”

Dao’s gaze towards Xiao Yu was filled with gratitude.

“So this was all your fault!” Xiao Yu’s eyes widened, a look of final understanding on his face.

“Hehe… The Hongtian Chessboard was always managed by Tian before. It was my first time handling it, so it’s normal to make a few mistakes. Ehehe!” Dao tilted her head and tapped it with her fist, feigning innocence to get away with it.

Xiao Yu was speechless. “…”

“Although secretly shielding a Demon from Beyond the Heavens also carries a hefty punishment, it’s still better than being found out and severely disciplined by Tian. To thank you, my great benefactor, I’ll try to make it clean and quick. I won’t cause you any pain. Well then… let’s start from here.”

The slender, jade-like hand holding the knife’s hilt gradually moved lower, coming to a stop at Xiao Yu’s groin.

‘Hey, hey, hey… this is no laughing matter.’

“For my sake, go die, Xiao Yu. On the anniversary of your death, I will remember you well.”

Puchi~

The cold blade entered his body, and Xiao Yu felt a chill spread from the wound to every corner of his being.

“This is a small knife forged from fragments of law. Even a former deity would die if touched by it, let alone a mere Baopu realm cultivator like you. It is your honor to die by such a divine weapon.”

Under Dao’s cold gaze, the color quickly drained from Xiao Yu’s face. He opened his mouth as if to say something.

But in the end, he only managed to utter the word “You…” before his life faded away.

“Hoo~”

Dao took a deep breath and glanced at Xiao Yu’s corpse. Her cyan-and-black eyes flickered, her thoughts unknown.

Soon, Xiao Yu’s corpse dissolved into a pile of scattered ash, disappearing completely from this world.

This was the effect of the Godslayer Sword fragments within the small knife. Dao was unconcerned, not at all surprised.

But what she failed to notice was a faint speck of spiritual light quietly departing from Xiao Yu’s corpse.