The Black-Lotus Male Supporting Character Is Hard to Conquer - Chapter 01:

Xue Tong Yun had never witnessed such a horrifying scene.

Dark clouds loomed over their head, thunder roared relentlessly, and black mist blanketed the world as though the apocalypse had descended.

She could barely see anything beyond two meters, only catching glimpses of the horrific scene in the square ahead when massive lightning bolts streaked across the sky.

To call it a scene from hell would be an understatement.

In the center of the square, countless corpses were piled into a mountain. Bleeding limbs and head remains lay scattered everywhere, the air thick with the stench of blood and decay. It was a nightmare made real, brutal, and terrifying.

In front of the small stream of blood pooling at the foot of the mountain made of corpses, numerous cultivators stood in silence, swords clenched tightly in their hands. None of them were unscathed—wounds marred their bodies, but the expressions on their face remained resolute. They were ready to charge into death’s embrace with a single command, determined to defend the path they believed in.

Across the sea of blood and corpses, on the other side of the square, a lone white figure sat suspended in mid-air. 

It was Xue Jing Zhou, the newly ascended Demon Lord.

His expression was indifferent, his gaze condescending as if he held all of creation beneath his feet. He radiated an aura of loneliness and unassailable strength.

Though he was alone, the overwhelming power he exuded was enough to crush the cultivators before him like ants. With just a simple lift of his hand, he could annihilate all of them.

The lightning vanished, plunging the world back into darkness. Waves of suffocating pressure surged in the air, threatening to force Xue Tong Yun to her knees. She clenched her fists and resisted, muttering a complaint to the system in her mind:
“How is he this powerful? This is way beyond anything I remember from the novel!”

The system’s response was panicked and equally clueless:
“I don’t know either!”

She groaned inwardly. The system was proving itself as unreliable as ever, but she couldn’t deny being thankful to its company. Without it, facing a scene like this immediately after transmigrating would have been completely overwhelming.

A few agonized screams reached her ears, and the metallic scent of blood in the air grew heavier. It seemed Xue Jing Zhou had killed again.

Xue Tong Yun shivered involuntarily. She didn’t know who had died, nor could she afford to care. The only thing she could do now was hasten the preparation of the Reversal Array.

Her hands moved swiftly, setting up the formation that was her only hope of surviving this nightmare.

A deafening crack split the sky as lightning struck again. Xue Tong Yun instinctively looked up—and her breath hitched when her gaze locked with a sharp, piercing pair of eyes.

It was Xue Jing Zhou! Had he spotted her?

Her heart raced wildly, and she screamed internally at the system:
“Ahhhhhh! The blackened Xue Jing Zhou is terrifying! I want to go home! Are you sure I really have to conquer him?”

The system scrambled to calm her down:
“You’re currently in stealth mode; he c-can’t see you! Just place the last spirit stone in the array core! Once the Reversal Array is activated, y-you’ll be transported b-back to a hundred years ago! At that time, he’ll o-only be an eighteen-year-old boy. You won’t have to be scared anymore!”

Hearing the system’s trembling mechanical voice, Xue Tong Yun felt oddly reassured.

The Reversal Array was a formation that harnessed the rules of time and space, borrowing a sliver of opportunity from the heavens to forcibly rewind time by a hundred years. However, it required the system to sacrifice half of its energy—currently their only viable solution.

After all, it was the system’s fault she had been sent to the wrong timeline in the first place.

Just a day ago, Xue Tong Yun had stayed up late to finish a cultivation romance novel called Moonlit Stream. When she finally dozed off, she woke up to find herself transported into the world of the story.

The system had tasked her with conquering Xue Jing Zhou, a minor villain in the book, and preventing his descent into madness. Only by succeeding in this mission could she return to her modern life.

But the current Xue Jing Zhou—now a fully blackened Demon Lord—was far from the pitiable young man she was supposed to handle. The contrast was enough to make her want to crawl into a hole and weep.

Still, she had no choice. Taking a deep breath to steady her nerves, she reached for the final spirit stone.

However, something had clearly gone wrong. She had arrived too late.

Not only had Xue Jing Zhou already blackened, but his strength had grown so immense that with a mere flick of his fingers, he had killed the male protagonist. If the female protagonist were to perish by his hand as well, this world would collapse without its core to sustain it.

With no other options, the system instructed her to lay down the Reversal Array to forcibly rewind the timeline by a hundred years. This would bring Xue Jing Zhou back to his youth and allow her to restart her conquest mission.

The moment she placed the final spirit stone in the array’s core, everything around her fell eerily silent. Fierce winds sliced across her face, sharp enough to draw blood. She watched in stunned disbelief as beads of crimson floated out from her skin, forming a line that danced before her eyes.

Time… had it truly stopped?

Her vision darkened, and Xue Tong Yun lost consciousness.

Early Spring.

The east wind carried a gentle warmth, and nature’s energy stirred anew. It was the season of rebirth. In this serene atmosphere, the Ten-Year Entry Trial of the Qianyuan Sect was underway.

Young talents from across the land had gathered to face the rigorous challenges set by the Qianyuan Sect, all vying for a chance to join its ranks.

When Xue Tong Yun opened her eyes to a clear blue sky, she exhaled deeply in relief. The blackened Xue Jing Zhou had been far, far too terrifying!

“System? Are you still there?”

“I’m here.”

Thank heavens! She had been worried that the system might malfunction after sacrificing half of its energy, leaving her utterly alone in this new world.

“So, we’ve already returned to a hundred years ago?”

“Yes.”

Xue Tong Yun nodded as she recalled the opening events of Moonlit Stream.

In the original story, Xue Jing Zhou had passed this very trial to enter the Qianyuan Sect. It was here that he first encountered the male and female protagonists, sparking the chain of events that would lead to countless disasters later on.

This was her chance to intervene. With a determined look, she dusted herself off and prepared to find the young Xue Jing Zhou.

She had to find him as soon as possible. Ideally, she could alter the course of events right from the beginning and nip the seedling of darkness in the bud…

Somewhere within an illusionary realm, a white-clad boy covered in wounds was kicked hard against a tree trunk. With a loud thud, he spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed to the ground, barely clinging to life.

The youth in purple, unsatisfied, walked over and gave him two more vicious kicks. His arrogant tone dripped with mockery:

“Tch, Xue Jing Zhou, down already? Is that all you’ve got? With that, do you think you deserve to enter the Qianyuan Sect? Why not pack up and go back to cleaning the chamber pots!”

He indulged in his twisted sense of satisfaction, oblivious to the fact that the boy on the ground, after fainting briefly, had reopened his eyes. His aura had shifted dramatically—now he exuded a chilling menace, like a ghostly specter from the depths of hell.

“ALL THREE OF YOU… STOP WASTING TIME!! Now that it’s just the four of us here, let’s finish him off,” said a youth in blue.

“Got it.”

The three of them drew their swords. The gleaming blades shimmered with a cold light as they pointed them toward the boy’s chest. Their intent to kill was unmistakable.

What they didn’t notice was the brewing storm in the boy’s eyes. While keeping an ear on their movements, his hand hidden within his sleeve began forming a series of seals. His entire body, taut like a predator poised to strike, radiated a lethal energy.

“Stop!”

A clear, melodious voice rang out unexpectedly. A figure appeared out of nowhere, her voice sharp and commanding:

“Who said there were only four of you here?”

An intruder.

The boy quietly withdrew his hand, the killing intent in his eyes fading away in an instant.

At the same time, Xue Tong Yun, who had just found her way into the illusionary realm, locked her gaze firmly on the boy.

Ahhh, my target! My strategy goal!

Even though she’d already read the detailed descriptions in the original novel and mentally prepared herself for this moment, seeing it unfold with her own eyes still sent her heart trembling. Blood seemed to rush straight to her head.

Just as the novel had depicted, the three Xue brothers had misused a magical artifact to drag Xue Jing Zhou into their illusionary realm, mercilessly bullying him until he was beaten half to death. In the end, they even tried to kill him and erase the evidence.

Thankfully, she’d arrived in time.

No—she hadn’t been quick enough.

Xue Jing Zhou’s white robes were already stained with blood, and his body was covered in wounds. He lay on the ground, his breath faint. Though she knew the plot ensured he wouldn’t die, her heart still ached. If she’d come a bit earlier, he wouldn’t have been hurt this badly.

When she first read the book, Xue Tong Yun felt indifferent toward most of the characters. Xue Jing Zhou was the only one who moved her. She even shed a few tears over his fate.

Perhaps, in some inexplicable way, it was destiny that had brought her here to save him.

Xue Tong Yun rushed over in a few swift strides, kneeling down to support Xue Jing Zhou and check his injuries.

“Xue Jing Zhou, how are you?” She quickly retrieved a pill from the storage ring given to her by the system. “Take this immediately.”

Xue Jing Zhou slowly sat up from the ground, casting a wary glance at Xue Tong Yun as he subtly widened the distance between them. However, he noticed no trace of malice in her eyes, and the pill she offered was indeed a top-grade restorative elixir.

He didn’t know who she was or what was happening, but given how dire his current situation already was, he had no desire to provoke yet another enemy. Suspicious yet pragmatic, he accepted her goodwill.

“Hey, who are you?” The youth in purple stepped forward, his expression a mix of doubt and curiosity.

Xue Tong Yun completely ignored him, her eyes fixed solely on Xue Jing Zhou, ensuring he swallowed the pill. Her voice was firm and resolute as she said, “Don’t be afraid. Focus on healing. From now on, I’ll protect you. No one who bullied you will get away with it.”

With that, she stood up and turned toward the three Xue brothers while shielding Xue Jing Zhou behind her. Leaning against the tree trunk, he sat cross-legged, meditating to recover. His head hung low, his eyes shadowed, lost in deep thought.

“What did you just ask? Say it again,” she said, placing her hand on the hilt of her sword, her brows furrowed with an imposing air.

“I said, who the hell are you?” the youth in purple repeated, though his confidence wavered slightly. Who was this woman? How had she managed to enter the illusionary realm they created?

Xue Tong Yun unsheathed her sword with a metallic clang and let out a derisive laugh. “I’m your father! You three better apologize to Xue Jing Zhou right now, sincerely and immediately, or don’t blame me for what happens next.”

She absolutely despised bullies like them—ganging up three against one like cowards. If this were the modern world, she’d expose them on social media, sending them viral and forcing them to endure a storm of online criticism until they had no choice but to disappear from the internet entirely.

But it didn’t matter. Before entering the illusionary realm, the system had upgraded her cultivation level. She wasn’t afraid of taking on five opponents, let alone three. Today, she was determined to seek justice for Xue Jing Zhou!

The youth in purple exchanged a glance with his two companions, then burst into mocking laughter. “Oh, so you’re here to defend that little bastard? Fine, show us how you’re going to be ‘unforgiving.’ We’re all ears.”

Three against two. And on top of that, the other one—Xue Jing Zhou—was a useless wreck. They were confident they wouldn’t lose, even with their eyes closed.

Hearing them call Xue Jing Zhou a “little bastard,” Xue Tong Yun’s fury boiled over. Gritting her teeth, she raised her sword and charged straight at them.

She had never formally studied swordsmanship in the cultivation world. Every swing of her sword was driven purely by instinct, lacking any semblance of technique. Yet, by sheer chaos, she managed to throw the three Xue brothers off balance, forcing them into a temporary retreat.

Unfortunately, it didn’t take long for them to notice her flaws and realize that her actual strength was nowhere near as intimidating as her initial bravado had suggested.

Once they gauged her limits, the strongest among them—the youth in blue—channeled his spiritual energy into his blade and swept it horizontally toward her.

With a sharp clang, Xue Tong Yun could only watch in dismay as her sword was sliced cleanly in two. The next moment, she felt a powerful palm strike slams into her chest, sending her flying through the air. By some twist of fate, she landed right next to Xue Jing Zhou.

For someone who had been pampered her entire life, adored by her grandparents, and shielded by her parents, Xue Tong Yun had never experienced pain like this before. It felt as though a giant hand was wringing her internal organs, leaving her curled up in agony, her delicate face contorted with pain.

An awkward silence descended over the scene.

Xue Jing Zhou, seated beside her, slowly opened his eyes, his gaze falling on the crumpled figure at his side. His expression remained unreadable, but the faint flicker in his eyes suggested a change in the calculations going on in his mind.