The Unlucky Author Becomes a Substitute

High atop a towering mountain, I was bound at the center of a Soul-Gathering Formation. The fierce winds howled, and I smiled faintly at him. "Zhong Lijing, I'm a vessel you created. You can have my life back now." His black robes flapped in the wind. His red eyes darkened as he looked at me. "Is there nothing you want to say to me?" I smiled. "I'm the finest of the five hundred vessels you made. Now that the woman you love is about to return, aren't you going to do it?" At the mention of the woman he loved, his gaze turned ice-cold. He used a blade of ice to cut open my spiritual palace and ground my three souls and seven spirits to pieces, scattering them throughout the world. My body remained perfectly intact. A golden light descended, and the heroine, Meng Tianqi, returned from the dead like a phoenix. She smiled at Zhong Lijing like a celestial maiden. "Xiao Jing, I'm back." His tears fell like drops of blood and coalesced into a divine pill, which rolled down the mountainside. Suddenly, he unleashed a powerful blow that shattered the entire Soul-Gathering Formation. Without looking back, he left to search the mountains and plains for my scattered soul. I knew nothing of this. I am Ye Meng, the author of the novel Immortal Through a Hundred Torments. A year ago, I transmigrated into my own story as a vessel. To stay alive, I dutifully played the part of a substitute, until I heard that Zhong Lijing planned to erase my consciousness and resurrect the heroine, Meng Tianqi. I used half my blood to draw a talisman, creating a perfect illusion for him, then escaped from the Hehuan Sect. I'm the author, the unseen god of this world. After leaving him, I was content and happy. But when I ran into him again, this supposedly cold-hearted, stone-faced leader of the Hehuan Sect seemed to have gone mad. He lowered his eyes and begged softly, "You're leaving, aren't you? Take me with you." [Notes] 1. The character designs on the cover were gifted by Bishui Gugu. Thank you~ 2. Cover design by Tian Bubu. Theme: Even when faced with adversity, strive to change your fate