Villain: After Slacking Off, The Protagonist Collapse

"It's her again!" Du Guyun's face stiffened. He had lost count of how many times he had encountered Yan Ruyu. Every time something crucial occurred, Yan Ruyu would always appear at the worst possible moment.

Like an ever-present shadow, she felt like his natural nemesis. Whenever the stakes were high, Yan Ruyu would intervene and throw everything into chaos.

"It's you again!" Du Guyun gritted his teeth, his eyes blazing with anger. In his heart, he wished he could tear Yan Ruyu into pieces. If looks could kill, she would already be riddled with holes.

"Why do I keep running into you? You're like an unshakable pest!" Yan Ruyu sneered first, playing the victim. She frowned with exaggerated disdain, glaring at Du Guyun.

Standing to the side, Jing Muyu's lips parted slightly, stunned by the scene. She couldn't help but think, Sister Ruyu, aren't you the one waiting for him on purpose?

Still, Du Guyun truly was pitiful. To be singled out by Sister Ruyu like this likely meant an unfortunate ending for him.

Meanwhile, Yan Ruyu made the first move, reaching out to claim the Heavenly Soul Flower. She couldn't let Du Guyun have it—it was far too precious.

"Put that down!" Du Guyun's expression shifted to panic as he saw Yan Ruyu reaching for the flower. The Heavenly Soul Flower was critical to reviving Cang Lao.

If she took it, his chances of reclaiming it were slim to none. The flower was incredibly rare, and missing this opportunity meant it might never be found again.

However, the gap between their strengths was immense. A hum resonated in the air. Yan Ruyu paid him no mind, her body emanating a divine light. Black and white energies intertwined like a true dragon, surging toward Du Guyun.

His heart tightened as he scrambled to evade, but the black-and-white light grazed his arm, exploding with a roar. Blood splattered across the sky.

A buzzing sound echoed in Du Guyun's mind as he was forcefully reminded of their disparity. How could someone at his mere Great Master Realm compare to Yan Ruyu?

She was a peerless prodigy, a Quasi-Saint who had slain Ye Qing, a supreme genius. With her Yin-Yang Holy Body, she was among the strongest talents in the Nine Heavens Realm, second only to Jiang Chen.

"Disciple, do not despair! I will help you!" Cang Lao's urgent voice echoed.

This might be his one and only chance to rebuild his physical body—he couldn't let it slip away. Even if it meant burning his divine soul, he would forcibly seize the Heavenly Soul Flower.

"Master!" Du Guyun's heart lifted with hope. If he wasn't capable of defeating her, surely his master could!

In an instant, Cang Lao took over Du Guyun's body. A powerful aura erupted, entirely different from before. Though faint, it bore the mark of the Saint Realm—a weak yet undeniable Saint's presence.

"Girl, hand over the Heavenly Soul Flower!" Cang Lao's voice was faint yet imbued with immense authority.

"A mere remnant soul dares to act arrogant?" Yan Ruyu remained indifferent, swiftly stowing the Heavenly Soul Flower away. She left Cang Lao with no opportunity to snatch it.

She could clearly sense that the aura enveloping Du Guyun was not his own. It belonged to someone else, likely the remnant soul of a strong cultivator. Although this gave Du Guyun a temporary boost to the Saint Realm, Yan Ruyu remained unshaken.

"The younger generation has no respect for the old these days," Cang Lao sighed. As his voice faded, the surrounding void trembled like waves surging in a storm.

A torrent of divine light burst forth, transforming into a myriad of weapons that hovered in the sky. These weapons gleamed coldly, cascading like a rainstorm, forming a deadly torrent of killing intent that shook the heavens.

Yan Ruyu's expression remained calm. With a slight hand gesture, the vast principles of the Yin-Yang Dao erupted around her. A Yin-Yang treasure vase suspended itself above her head, exuding an overpowering aura that swallowed the countless divine weapons in a tidal wave of power.

With a flick of her wrist, Yan Ruyu extended a slender hand, her delicate fingers glowing with an ethereal light. Though serene, her gesture contained boundless killing intent.

Cang Lao's face contorted with shock as the void trembled around him, his form shifting rapidly to evade her strike.

"Do you think you can escape?" A cold voice echoed as Yan Ruyu's jade-like hand pierced through the endless void like an inescapable claw, swatting at him as if he were an insignificant fly.

Crack!

The void shattered, and Du Guyun's body crumbled under the onslaught. Boundless Yin-Yang laws surged into the remains.

Boom!

Du Guyun's soul suffered a devastating blow, and he howled in agony.

Seeing this, Cang Lao's heart sank. If Du Guyun perished, the chances of his resurrection would become even slimmer.

At that moment, an ancient ring radiating faint light spiraled into the air. It enveloped their souls, tore through the void, and transformed into a streak of divine light that vanished into the endless expanse.

In the blink of an eye, they were gone without a trace.

Watching them flee, Yan Ruyu showed no interest in pursuing. "Let's go and look for other opportunities," she said, pulling Jing Muyu along as they departed.

"Alright." Jing Muyu nodded in response. She glanced back at the devastated battlefield, muttering to herself, To be targeted by Sister Ruyu… that guy is truly unlucky. He's probably going to end up crippled.

Meanwhile, in a remote wilderness, the void rippled as an ancient ring floated into the air, hovering silently.

An ancient and unadorned ring emitted a faint glow as two souls slowly emerged from it. Cang Lao's soul remained remarkably resilient. Once a Great Saint, his soul, though fractured, still possessed a steadfast vitality.

However, using his remaining power earlier had left his soul increasingly frail. Glancing at the weakened Du Guyun beside him, Cang Lao let out a weary sigh.

"We've suffered a great loss! The strength I painstakingly recovered over the years is gone in an instant!" His tone was filled with bitterness. Not only had he failed to secure the Heavenly Soul Flower, but his soul had also grown even weaker.

Beside him, Du Guyun looked equally pitiful.

At that moment, Du Guyun awakened. Upon seeing his condition, his face turned pale. "Master, I feel my cultivation has fallen, and I can no longer restore my body!"

At higher realms of cultivation, rebirth through a single drop of blood or even a soul alone is often possible. However, for cases like Cang Lao—reduced to a mere wisp of a soul—special methods were required to restore his foundation.

For someone like Du Guyun, who had reached the Grand Sovereign Realm, such abilities should have been achievable. Yet Yan Ruyu's relentless attack had obliterated a part of his soul, causing his cultivation to fall drastically.

He could no longer wield the power of a Great Master Realm cultivator. Now, Du Guyun had fallen all the way to the Soul Sea Realm.

The sharp decline in his cultivation left Du Guyun utterly devastated. His painstaking efforts over the years, the countless perils faced to regain his peak at the ninth stage of the Geat Master Realm, had all been rendered meaningless. Now, he was back to square one.

The frustration, the dangers endured, and the wasted years nearly drove him to madness.

"Aaaaah!" A gut-wrenching wail echoed as Du Guyun sank into despair and helplessness.

Cang Lao, witnessing this, hesitated to speak. He knew that any words of comfort would be futile. Unless Du Guyun could pull himself together, he would remain defeated, doomed to mediocrity.

Suddenly, Cang Lao's soul stirred. He retreated into the ring to investigate a looming sense of unease.