Which one do you think is more pitiful?
A villain who once had everything, living a life countless people envied, only to clash with the protagonist and lose it all?
Or maybe… the readers, waiting desperately for the next chapter to drop so they can find out what happens after a cliffhanger?
Or even the Author, scratching their head furiously, trying to write something worth reading?
The answer might vary depending on who you ask, but for Mo Zhiran, it was quite clear.
From the moment he arrived in this world, it was clear as day.
And now, with a foot-long object thrust deep into him forcefully from behind, it couldn't be clearer.
'Ugh… haha, being an extra in a novel is so pitiful.'
Mo Zhiran spat out a mouthful of blood, clutching his stomach, crimson liquid gushing between his fingers where the sword had pierced clean through.
"Dare to offend the Sun Demon Court? Your brother is really seeking death."
A hoarse voice filled with killing intent suddenly came from behind, followed by the appearance of a man in a dark cloak, hiding his figure.
The only thing noticeable was the glaring emblem of the Sun Demon Court, a black burning sun.
'Peak Golden Core realm!'
As soon as Zhiran felt the aura on the figure, he understood his realm immediately.
'No wonder I was caught off guard!'
He thought with a bitter frown on his face, already realizing that this time his end was near. After all, he was just at the Early stage of the Golden Core realm and wasn't a match.
'Such bad luck!'
Zhiran cursed angrily and glared at the familiar silhouette ahead; the fleeting figure of a boy darting between trees and rocks with an unconscious girl in his arms.
"Brother Zhiran, Yueqin is unconscious… Please, help me delay the guy behind."
This was the exact word he heard when he was walking around the secret realm, minding his own business.
And before he could understand what happened, he was impaled directly from behind with a long sword, followed by the cold voice filled with killing intent.
It was already as clear as a day what had happened to him.
"Tch…poor guy. You seemed to have been betrayed by your brother for a girl."
Even the black-robed guy already understood what had happened here and couldn't help but mock Zhiran.
Although he felt a little pity for the guy who told him to be his brother?
The man showed no mercy to Zhiran, using his spiritual energy to twist the sword ruthlessly inside him.
"Ugh… fuck!"
Zhiran cursed, feeling the searing pain rushing through his whole body, the river of blood spilling from his abdomen, and the sickening grind of torn flesh around the blade.
"But, no matter what, it seems he succeeded in his decoy. After all, you did manage to delay me, right?"
Although the figure could clearly kill him right here and catch his so-called brother, Mo Tianyu, he didn't do that.
Instead, he was busy mocking Zhixian as if taking pleasure in his misery.
"Hehe… don't worry. There's another elder from the Sun Demon Court up ahead. Though only at the late Golden Core stage, he's more than enough to kill that brat."
Seeing his expression, the elder revealed his backup plan, only to make Zhiran roll his eyes in anger.
'This fucking plot again?'
After hearing his so-called plan, he was so mad at this stupid guy that he spat another mouthful of blood.
Without even thinking, Zhiran already knew what was going to happen to Mo Tianyu now.
It was nothing more than him defeating that late-stage Gold Core realm elder with his middle-stage strength in a life and death battle.
Maybe, he would even break his realm to the late stage, taking advantage of this chance.
How many times did Zhiran see this plot again and again in this life?
How many times did he see Tianyu defying common sense, trampling on his enemy with his low strength, and being victorious?
Wasn't this also why Zhiran hated this clan brother of his to the core?
Not just because he was betrayed today, but because Tianyu was the righteous protagonist, and he was just a side character, an extra.
And, no, not a normal one at that.
He was an extra that was destined to become a fuse, a side element to introduce his awesome plot.
Just like now, he would be sacrificed here randomly while Tianyu would save the girl in his arms, in the meantime, gaining recognition.
'Fuck, heaven is so unfair.'
Zhiran cursed, his Qi and blood churning violently, already feeling dizzy with weakness.
'Even when I left the clan, I didn't get close to that bastard Mo Tianyu; I am still used as a foil today. How unlucky.'
No matter what he did, he never seemed able to get rid of his destiny.
It was as if heaven itself wanted to sacrifice him to further the path of his clan brother.
It was like that before, and it was like that now, too.
"Hehe… you seem to be in a rage? Are you angry that you were betrayed? Do you want to take revenge?"
The Sun Demon Court elder clearly saw Zhiran's anger and smiled faintly in amusement.
"How about this? If you willingly lend me your soul and become a demon in my ghost banner, I will allow you to take revenge on that brother of yours. What do you think?"
He asked, finally revealing his true intent while taking out a ghastly black banner.
The moment he took it out, shrieks and pitiful pleas suddenly echoed throughout the forest, as Zhiran saw countless demonic spirits writhe in torment and agony.
Just the aura alone made Zhiran shiver in dread.
'No wonder this guy stopped here. He wants to make me his ghost general.'
He belatedly realized how deep in the shit he was. He realized even death didn't seem able to free him from this misery at all.
"Hehe… don't worry, it isn't painful. You will be able to take your revenge soon."
Zhiran saw the Sun Demon Court elder extending his hand toward his head while increasing the force of his sword, trying to distract him with pain.
After all, the ghost banner required a living soul sacrifice at the Gold Core realm to generate a ghost general.
"Haha… Heaven, is this how you want me to save your protagonist?"
Seeing the situation he was in, instead of being afraid, Zhiran suddenly laughed.
His laugh was so unrestrained and loud, filled with endless anger and extreme helplessness.
Now that the elder in front had already decided to include him in the ghost banner, Zhiran had only one choice, and that was to explode his Gold Core and die together.
After all, he already felt that he could no longer use his spiritual energy, let alone defend himself. If he didn't act, he might become a ghost, neither dead nor alive.
So, he could only do one thing: die together with a secret technique he got in a so-called fortuitous encounter.
"Is he going mad or what?"
The elder frowned at Zhiran's sudden laughter, puzzled, yet his hand never slowed, still reaching out to seize his head and rip out his soul by force.
But before he could succeed, Zhiran's laughter suddenly ceased as his cold gaze landed directly on him.
"Want to make me a ghost general? In your dreams."
He scoffed in extreme hatred, not even caring to stop the blood flowing out of his chest.
"Old man, in your next life, try to be a little smart. Stupid villains like you make us side characters suffer a lot."
He said, totally confusing the shit out of the elder.
However, before the elder could make heads or tails of the situation, he saw Zhiran suddenly close his eyes, drawing inward forcefully as all the spiritual energy gathered in his dantian.
"What… what are you doing?"
The elder was shocked and confused, but Zhiran didn't give him time to react.
He just shut his eyes and pushed the secret technique to its limits, causing the golden energy from his core to spiral violently in his dantian and fill the air with suffocating pressure.
Then—
KABOOM…!
He directly detonated the golden core inside his body ruthlessly.
The force of the explosion was so immense that it tore through the surroundings, hurling the elder across the ground, his body battered and scorched as dust and blood filled the air.
While Zhiran, who was at the center of the explosion, was already shredded in the wrong way.
His clothes burned to tatters, his body fractured and wounded in countless places, while golden blood oozed from his dantian, marking the end of his path in cultivation and even life.
But before his vision went dark, Zhiran, trembling and barely able to stay upright, let out a faint, cold whisper, utterly devoid of emotion,
"If I get another chance… I will swallow this Heaven."
The voice was filled with such hatred that even the heavily injured elder shivered unconsciously on the ground.