VILLAINS AREN'T STEPPING STONES!C46: Bond
Chapter 46: Chapter 46: Bond
Luo Mingye and Xia Mengyao ventured deeper into the labyrinthine side chambers of the palace, their footsteps echoing softly until they arrived at a hall that shimmered with an oppressive, metallic brilliance.
The room was a breathtaking display of martial history. Hundreds of artifacts—swords that pulsed with elemental energy, spears that seemed to hum with the sound of wind, and armor plated in dragon-scale patterns—were displayed with a meticulous, reverent order.
Each weapon rested atop a small, glowing rock that hovered in mid-air, rotating slowly to show off every curve of the smith's work.
On the base of these floating pedestals, glowing inscriptions detailed the artifact's rank, its name, and the legendary master who had forged it.
"Wow~!" Mingye's eyes widened to the size of saucers, the reflection of a dozen high ranking artifacts dancing in her pupils. "Sister Mengyao, there are so many! Let's split the room in half! You take the left, I take the right!"
But her excitement was cut short by a sharp, playful thwack to the top of her head.
Mengyao sighed, withdrawing her hand as she shook her head. "I told you, Mingye. Call me 'Brother' while I am in this form. The walls have ears, and my disguise is not just for show."
"Owie~," Mingye pouted, rubbing her head and playfully glaring. "Brother Mengyao, that hurts! You're getting meaner!"
"Is that so? I thought you had a special physique that turned pain into pleasure?" Mengyao smirked, throwing her own words back at her.
"Why would I feel pleasure from that? It's not like you're Young Master Shen," Mingye countered with a huff, crossing her arms.
Mengyao paused for a second, her lips twitching as she leaned in and whispered under her breath, "As expected... it really is a special kink."
"Hey! What is a 'special kink' anyway? I've been asking since earlier!" Mingye demanded, stomping her foot.
"And I told you, I have no idea," Mengyao lied smoothly, already walking toward the far end of the hall where the spiritual pressure felt densest.
Mingye followed close behind, her fleeting annoyance replaced by a happy hum as she bypassed Rank 5 and 6 artifacts without a second glance, only stopping for a brief moment to admire rank 6 and rank 7 artifacts.
At the very end of the chamber, they found the centerpiece: a grand silver altar etched with celestial runes, and above it, two swords—one as white as a winter moon, the other as black as a starless night—hovered in a perfect, rotating embrace.
Mengyao stepped forward to read the ancient script carved into the silver base. "... this is the language from Exlipse Emperor Era that ended 33 thousand years ago."
"Can you read it?" Asked Xueli.
Mengyao nodded as she read, "Gan Jiang and Mo Ye: The Married Swords representing Yin and Yang."
"Why does that sound like someone's name? Not like a name you'd give to a sword." Said Mingye.
Mengyao ignored her friend as her voice grew solemn as she read further. "Forged by the great artificer Gan Jiang during the Eclipse Emperor Era. It reached Saint Grade through human sacrifice, with his wife jumping into the furnace in front of the man she loved to meld the Essence of the Five Mountains and the Metals of the Six Heroes."
Mingye's eyes grew serious. This artifact that uses human sacrifice already borders on being a demonic artifact.
Probably the only reason why this artifact didn't give off demonic aura was because the human who sacrificed herself loved her husband so much it completely erased any trace of demonic aura that would've formed when the forging had happened.
She continued, "Individually, they are Rank 9 Saint-Grade Artifacts. However, if used together by two individuals, their resonance allows them to reach the power of a Rank 10 Saint-Grade Artifact."
"Holy shit!" Mingye exclaimed, her heart racing.
A Rank 10 Saint-Grade weapon was nearly an Imperial Grade artifact; it was a treasure that could sustain a Second-Rate sect for ten thousand years.
Their Luo Clan doesn't have one, and in the entire Blue Wind Kingdom, only the Royal Family has one, an Imperial Artifact passed down since the founding of their kingdom.
"Brother Mengyao, what do you say? We can't just leave them here. Let's take one each!" Suggested Mingye. "We're best friends, we can totally bring out its full power!"
"Alright," Mengyao nodded, her own heart thumping with anticipation. "I'll take the black sword, Gan Jiang as it matches my cultivation path."
"I'll take Mo Ye then! It's so pretty," Mingye said, reaching out.
Simultaneously, the two of them grasped the hilts of the hovering blades.
But the moment their fingers closed around the grips, a massive, glowing Yin Yang symbol erupted above their heads, bathing the entire armory in a blinding black-and-white radiance.
The swords didn't stay in their hands, but actually dissolved into pure spiritual light and surged into their bodies, settling directly into their respective Dantians.
However, the transformation didn't stop there as a shimmering, ethereal Red String of Fate appeared, winding around Mengyao's wrist and stretching across the space to bind itself tightly to Mingye's hand.
"What the-!?" Their eyes widened in shock.
The strings glowed with a brilliant crimson light for a few seconds before fading into invisibility.
Suddenly, their minds were flooded with memories that didn't belong to them.
Mengyao saw Mingye's childhood—her tantrums, her secret lessons, her first crush.
While Mingye saw Mengyao's life—the burden of being a "Heaven's Chosen," the secrets of her gender, the loneliness of the Flower Mountain Sect.
Through the karma of the swords, their souls had been permanently linked.
"W-What was that!?" Mingye shrieked, clutching her wrist as if she could still feel the thread. "That red string... did those swords just... marry us!?"
Mengyao's face was pale.
She ignored Mingye's shouting and began to frantically circle the altar, looking for any further messages left behind by whoever placed these swords here.
Finally, she found it. Carved in tiny, cheeky script on the very back of the silver base was a final note; so small it can barely be seen.
"The only way to take these swords is for two people to touch them together. But be warned: the swords will bind the two people together for eternity, effectively marrying them off in the eyes of the Heavens. So make sure to bring your Dao Companion with you! ✌️"
Mengyao felt her cheek twitch, and the "Peace Sign" at the end of the message was specifically, and incredibly annoying.
"What the hell!? Why is such an important message written at the back where nobody can see it!?" Mingye screamed, reading over Mengyao's shoulder.
"I guess the Bright Silver Emperor was a bit of a troll," Mengyao sighed, rubbing her temples.
"Troll? How is the Emperor related to those ugly, barbaric creatures from the northern swamps?" Mingye asked, genuinely confused.
"Ah, not that kind of Troll. A 'troll', well, just think of them as people who enjoy watching others make fools of themselves. People who set traps just to hear the snap," Mengyao explained, her voice dripping with exhaustion.
"Oh." Mingye nodded, her eyes welling with tears. "Then this Emperor is a massive troll!"
Mengyao sighed, looking at her hand. "Well, there's nothing we can do about it now. The bond is sealed in our Dantians."
"No! No! We need to do something!" Mingye wailed, her panic reaching a crescendo. "You can feel it, right? If we try to marry someone else, or if we betray this bond, the swords will riot inside us and cripple our cultivation! I don't want that! I'm not interested in girls, Mengyao! I want to get married to a handsome man! I want a wedding!"
She began to cry pitifully, the reality of being "spiritually married" to her best friend sinking in.
Mengyao watched her for a moment, her mind racing through the logic of the bond.
If the swords required a "pair" to function and demanded loyalty to the "unit"... then the only solution was to ensure their future was tied to the same destination.
"Then..." Mengyao suggested, her voice hesitant but calculating, "how about we just... marry the same person?"
Mingye paused, her eyes widening by the second.
"...huh!?"
"Hear me out!" Mengyao raised her hand, "Technically speaking, if we both marry the same person, then we wouldn't be betraying the bond, we're just adding another person into our lives...right?"
"...That makes so much sense I'm speechless." Said Mingye.
Mengyao straightened her back, "That's why, if you have any suitors, or if you have someone you like, bring them to meet me first. I'll just if they are worthy of the two of us."
Mingye scratched the back of her head, "But Sister Mengyao, you're literally the most talented person in Central Region, and my granpa is the best Zither Arts Practitioner in Central Region! Who even in the Central Region can be worthy of the two of us?"
"...perhaps those from the Imperial Capital?" Mengyao frowned, deep in thought.
"...like young master Shen?" Asked Mingye.
The two immediately went silent.
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VILLAINS AREN'T STEPPING STONES!C47: Worth
Chapter 47: Chapter 47: Worth
"So, what's the best thing you managed to snatch?" Jin Pei asked, his voice echoing through the vaulted corridors as he walked side-by-side with Ao Long.
And despite his injuries, his eyes held a glimmer of satisfaction. "I got a Grand Tier Heavenly Grade Battle Technique: Falling Heaven Palm."
In the intricate systems of the cultivation world, a distinction was always made between Cultivation Techniques and Battle Techniques.
While the former allowed a practitioner to gather Qi, expand their meridians, and step further into the path of immortality, Battle Techniques were the "expression" of that power—the means to shape and manipulate Qi into devastating physical and elemental effects.
Both, however, followed the same hierarchy of quality: Spirit, Earthly, Heavenly, and Supreme.
Ao Long adjusted his torn robes, his expression thoughtful. "Well, I secured a High Tier Heavenly Grade Defensive Array. Although it isn't quite as valuable as the manual that thief made off with, it is a foundation-level treasure. It's enough to ensure my kingdom can be protected from any foreign threats for ten thousand more years."
Defensive Arrays, or rather, arrays themselves, can be considered as Battle Techniques of nature, personally formed and crafted by Formation Masters.
However, if Battle Techniques were a single blow, Arrays were a dense, spiritual mechanism.
Formation Masters used mystical runes to tap into the natural Qi of the environment, turning the very landscape into a weapon or a shield within a specific, governed area.
"Nice," Jin Pei said, giving a thumbs up. "But don't let that thief get away. A High-Tier Cultivation Technique is pretty much the highest level of treasure we can get in Central Region, not counting the Imperial Capital. If he manages to slip through your fingers, you can be damn well sure that I'll be the one to hunt him down and take that manual for myself."
"Hm," Ao Long nodded coldly. "Unfortunately for you, you won't get the chance. I will not let him escape Blue Wind alive."
The two princes finally arrived back at the Great Hall, where the massive staircase led toward the altar of the Emperor.
They looked up and saw Shen Haoran, seated in a meditative posture on the 999th floor, bathed in a terrifying, golden-purple light.
The two immediately fell silent, and at this moment, their rivalry, their greed, and their pride vanished in the face of that sovereign aura.
They cupped their hands, bowed deeply in a show of absolute respect to the heir of the Shen Clan, and then turned to leave.
They had emptied out every side chamber they could find; there was no reason to linger in the presence of a dragon.
Not to mention Ao Long still needed to find Yun Li, and more importantly, he needed to return home and inform his father that the political landscape of the Eastern Region was about to be set ablaze.
He had actually searched the nearby halls for the "trash heir," but the boy was nowhere to be found, so he assumed that Yun Li must've already fled the realm to hide his spoils.
As the sound of their footsteps faded, Shen Haoran suddenly opened a single golden eye, observing their retreating backs for a fleeting second before closing it again, returning to the depths of his cultivation.
And just like that, time flew by, and a few minutes later, the silence was broken by the arrival of Luo Mingye and Xia Mengyao.
Both women—one still disguised as a man—had flushed faces, their breaths slightly hitched from the strange and intimate conversation they had just shared in the armory.
They stood at the base of the stairs, their eyes traveling upward until they rested on Haoran.
They observed the way his blonde hair caught the silver light, gently swaying from the rhythmic flicker of his golden purple Qi, and also the way his robe fluttered, giving him an even more majestic feeling.
They were utterly mesmerized, caught in the gravity of his presence.
"Go ahead and paint me; it'll last longer," Haoran said suddenly, his voice smooth and teasing.
"Ah!" The two jumped, startled by the sudden break in the silence.
They began to stammer, their faces turning various shades of crimson as they tried to construct coherent excuses that wouldn't come.
Haoran opened both eyes, staring down at them with an amused gaze. "Do the two of you need something? Or did you just come back to admire my presence? If it's the latter, then I don't blame me. Admire me as much as you like."
Although he doesn't usually show it, but Haoran had always, and absolutely believed, that his body was more perfect than even the most perfect diamond.
This belief is so absolutely that he once walked around the Imperial Palace completely naked after having some fun with a neglected Imperial Princess.
He didn't mind other people's gaze, nor was he feeling shame, after all, there is nothing shameful about his body.
"N-N-N-Nothing!" Mingye stuttered, her face as red as a sun-ripened tomato.
Mengyao facepalmed internally.
'With a response like that, you make us look even more guilty,' she thought, her heart racing.
Then, to save her friend from embarrassing herself further, she steeled herself as she stepped forward. "Young Master Shen... there is something I wanted to know. Is it alright if I ask a question?"
Haoran offered a small nod of permission.
"It's about our... condition," Mengyao said, her voice dropping. "Is it possible to have someone from the Shen Clan examine us? You see, something unexpected happened in the armory..."
Haoran's eyes suddenly narrowed before it glowed with a brilliant, piercing gold.
Mengyao and Mingye immediately felt a sudden chill, as if their very souls were being stripped naked and laid bare under a microscope.
This was Clairvoyance, one of the core skills of a Seer.
Though Haoran only possessed a rudimentary grasp of the Six Great Professions, his innate talent made his "dabbling" more effective than most people's life work.
And through this, he saw the crimson thread and the way their fates had been knotted together by the twin swords of Gan Jiang and Mo Ye.
"Your fates are intertwined," Haoran said, his eyes returning to their normal golden hue. "This bond is absolute. Unless both of you reach the Heavenly Saint Realm and sever the karma yourselves, it is impossible to break without causing a total collapse of your cultivation foundations. No one in the Shen Clan, not even our Elders, can help you with this."
Of course, his clan's powerful Seers and Supreme Emperors can sever this, but it's too much trouble for two little girls that for him, doesn't have as much worth as Xueli.
"As expected..." Mengyao sighed, her shoulders slumping in helpless resignation.
"No..." Mingye groaned, clutching her head. "Am I really going to be single for the rest of my life because of a sword?!"
Haoran raised an eyebrow, a playful glint in his eyes. "If you're so worried about being single, just marry the same person. That would solve the karmic conflict and satisfy the bond of the swords."
"Then, Young Master Shen! Please marry us!" Mingye blurted out.
The silence that followed was deafening.
Mingye's eyes widened to the size of saucers as she realized she had just let her truest, most hidden thought escape.
Mengyao stared at her friend in absolute shock, stunned by her sheer, reckless boldness.
Haoran's expression shifted, a slow, playful smile spreading across his face. "Hoh? Then tell me... why should I do that?"
'Damn it, the arrow is already in the air. I have to bite the tip,' Mingye thought desperately. "Um... although we aren't on the level of the geniuses from the Imperial Capital... I think we are still qualified to be called geniuses in our own right! Not to mention... we are considered peerless beauties!"
Silence reclaimed the hall for several agonizing seconds.
Then, Haoran began to laugh.
"Hahahaha! Ah, it's been a while since I laughed that hard." He wiped a stray tear from the corner of his eye, his gaze sharpening once more. "Geniuses? So what? Peerless beauties? And then? In my world, those are as common as grains of sand, and in my eyes, you both are currently nothing more than ordinary people.."
His face turned deathly serious. "As long as the two of you do not possess any qualities that I find interesting, you will remain nothing more than a pair of skin and bones. Leave now. You currently possess nothing that interests me."
Mingye went quiet, her head bowing low as she felt a bitter, dejected sting in her chest.
'You kept a woman from this Desolate Region by your side...' she thought, thinking of Xueli. 'How is she better than me?'
"Then... you're saying there is a chance? Is that it, Young Master Shen?" Mengyao asked, her voice steady as she patted her friend's shoulder.
Haoran looked at her, his smile unreadable. "Maybe."
With that, he closed his eyes, the conversation over.
"I see." Mengyao nodded respectfully. She turned to Mingye. "Stop moping around. Let's go back."
"O-Oh." Mingye's liveliness returned in a flash as she processed his last word.
A chance! He said maybe!
But she remained silent, hopping in joy as she walked beside her friend.
And as they walked back through the silver corridors, Mingye couldn't help but whisper, "I didn't know you also wanted to marry Young Master Shen, Sister Mengyao."
"I don't," Mengyao sighed, her voice weary. "But... haaa. Now I have to find a way to explain to my junior brother that I can't be with him. The swords won't allow it."
Mingye blinked. "Err... are the two of you Dao Companions?"
"No," Mengyao shook her head. "But we made a promise and I told him that once he made a name for himself and caught up to me, we would get married. It was a goal for him."
"This... I'm so sorry," Mingye said, feeling a genuine pang of guilt.
"No need to worry," Mengyao said, forcing a small chuckle. "Although I care for my junior brother, it was always platonic on my end. I was just swept up in the moment when he made that promise to me and I agreed. This bond... it simply makes the choice for me."
"Still... I'm sorry for dragging you into this," Mingye whispered.
"Hey, don't be like that," Mengyao said, bumping her shoulder. "At least this way, we can be like real sisters. Always together, right?"
Mingye offered a small smile, but she remained silent, her mind already drifting back to the golden-haired youth sitting at the top of the world.
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VILLAINS AREN'T STEPPING STONES!C48: Outside
Chapter 48: Chapter 48: Outside
Yun Li staggered out of the silver gate, his chest heaving as the crisp, cold air of the Ten Thousand Beast Mountain Range filled his lungs.
He looked around, and the landscape he had arrived at was now unrecognizable.
Where once towering peaks and ancient, impenetrable forests had stood, there was now a sprawling wasteland—a massive chunk of the mountain range had been completely flattened by the war between the guardian of the youths and those old rouge cultivators, which literally opened a path from the secluded Eastern Region to the vast world beyond the Empire's reaches.
"Young Master!"
Just then, a blurred streak of white light landed before him.
It was Old Hao, the guardian Yun Li's father had assigned to him.
The old man's white hair and beard were matted with dirt and dried gore, his robes shredded by the shockwaves of the war that had raged outside.
But despite his battered state and the aura of exhaustion clinging to him, the sheer pressure of a Nirvana Rebirth Realm expert still rippled from his body.
Yun Li surveyed the area. The grand war had largely concluded, and many of the Profound Arks had already departed, and those who remained, a handful of elders and weary youths, were frantically packing their belongings, eager to put distance between themselves and the Shen Clan's shadow.
Or perhaps, they found some hidden treasures inside and were eager to leave and hide.
"Young Master Yun," another voice called out.
Turning his head, Yun Li noticed someone familiar, it was Old Hei, the guardian of Ao Long.
He stepped forward, his eyes searching Yun Li's face with desperate intensity. "May I ask... how is the Crown Prince doing now? Why has he not emerged?"
Yun Li looked at him, remembering the humiliation he felt in that hall and cupped his hands with a practiced, respectful dip. "Elder, the Crown Prince is still searching for treasures within the side chambers. The Heir of the Shen Clan has... essentially claimed the main inheritance. He threatened to slaughter anyone who dared to compete for the core legacy. Your Prince, being wise, decided to focus on the other rewards instead."
A shadow flickered at the distance, but not one seems to have noticed.
"The Shen Clan's heir?" Old Hei's entire body trembled before he let out a long, ragged sigh that seemed to age him a decade. "Ah, forget it... forget it. The moment that person appeared, this outcome was already written in the stars. To survive his presence is already a blessing."
Yun Li raised an eyebrow, his eyes narrowing.
He had actually intentionally framed his words to gauge the reaction of a veteran like Old Hei, hoping to see a spark of resentment or a desire for rebellion, yet there was none.
It was understandable, as had only been in this world for a year and has yet to quite grasp the power structure of this world, and so to his "transmigrator" mind, the Shen Clan was just one family.
In the stories he knew, and even in history itself, many powerful empires were toppled by alliances.
Surely a group of Kingdoms working together could suppress a single clan?
But as he looked around, he saw no anger.
He saw only the helpless, hollow expressions of men who had seen a god and realized their own insignificance.
Even his own guardian, Old Hao, stood with his head slightly bowed.
'Are the Shen Clan really that powerful?' Yun Li wondered, a cold chill settling in his stomach. 'What is the Imperial Family of this damn empire doing? How can they allow a single clan to grow so dominant that their name alone silences these old monsters?'
He couldn't understand. The Blue Wind Kingdom suppresses their Yun Clan after they grew a little stronger, so how come the Shen Clan are still okay even though they are that powerful?
No, maybe the Imperial Family is far more powerful than the Shen Clan are? Yes, that is the most logical explanation.
It makes no sense otherwise.
Yun Li was already convinced by his reasoning.
However, what he didn't know was that the Imperial Family weren't afraid of Shen Clan growing even stronger not because they are even more powerful, but simply because they knew that the Shen Clan, who are focus on their goal of once again reaching for Immortal Path, couldn't be bother to chain or entangle themselves with the Imperial Luck.
"Forgive me, Old Hei, but the trials were arduous and I am very tired. I wish to return to our clan and report to my father," Yun Li said, cupping his hands.
Old Hei nodded, "Hmm. I'm sure you must be tired. I won't take up much of your time, then. Go on."
Yun Li nodded and turned towards his guardian, "Old Hao, let's go.
Old Hao didn't waste a second as he immediately summoned a sleek, white Profound Ark from his storage ring.
The vessel hovered silently, its hull inscribed with defensive runes as he led Yun Li inside, and with a sudden, violent crack of displaced air, the ark vanished into a streak of white light, heading toward the Yun Clan's territory.
But seconds after they departed, the gate flickered once more and two princes, Jin Pei and Ao Long emerged, looking like survivors of a shipwreck.
Although they already healed themselves with pills, their torn and bloodied robes still tells the harsh battle they had.
"Crown Prince!" Old Hei cried out in pure, unfiltered joy, rushing toward Ao Long. "Welcome back! How was your—
"Old Hei!" Ao Long didn't offer a greeting; he let out a guttural scream of rage as he cut Old Hei off, "Tell me! Did that trash Yun Li already leave?! Did you see him?!"
Old Hei blinked, taken aback by the sheer venom in the Prince's voice. "Y-Yes... you just missed him, Crown Prince. His ark departed only moments ago."
"Quick! Hurry! We have to follow them!" Ao Long urged, grabbing Old Hei's arm. "Take out the royal ark now! He has something that belongs to the Blue Wind Kingdom! We cannot let him reach the Yun Clan!"
"O-Okay!" Old Hei, sensing the urgency, summoned the Blue Wind's primary ark.
Ao Long leaped onto the deck before the ramp was even fully lowered, with Old Hei following close behind.
The ark's runes then glowed to life, and with a streak of azure light, it vanished in hot pursuit.
Nearby, Jin Pei's guardian stepped forward. "Crown Prince, you must have gained much from this adventure, no? You seem... different."
Jin Pei wiped a smudge of dirt from his face and let out a hearty laugh. "Yeah. I got treasures, sure. But more than that, I found a rival and a friend. As expected, you can't be a real Cultivator without a rival to push you!"
N
The old man smiled, seeing the growth in the boy's spirit. Back then, Jin Pei was incredibly egocentric, believing himself to have no equal, but now, it seems he had finally matured.
The King can now rest assured, the Kingdom finally has a true heir.
"Alright, let's go. I want to sleep."
The old man said no more and directly summoned their ark and led Jin Pei inside, the Sun Bird Kingdom's vessel taking flight toward the horizon.
There was silence outside the gate, broken only by the howling of the wind.
Then finally, a few minutes later, the silver mist parted one last time for Xia Mengyao and Luo Mingye.
And as they stepped onto the flattened earth, two powerful women, both radiating the aura of the Nirvana Rebirth Realm, standing on the sky immediately came sown to greet them.
"Young Miss, how was your trip? Did you find anything you needed?" one of the women asked Mingye, her tone doting.
"Yep. I think I might've gained a husband, and a sister wife if all things go well." Mingye said nonchalantly, her eyes drifting toward the clouds.
"Huh?" The guardian froze, her mouth agape.
Meanwhile, the other woman turned to Mengyao. "Young Master... the Madam is now asking you to return at once. She is quite furious that you sneaked out without her permission. She has been pacing the halls of the Sect days and has become quite irritable."
Mengyao offered a faint, tired smile. "I know. I'll apologize and take whatever punishment she deems fit. Let's go."
The two girls bid each other a lingering farewell, their gazes reflecting the secret bond that now tied them together.
They then boarded their respective arks, taking one final glance at the stone gate before they vanished into the distance.
The wasteland immediately fell silent, the howling of the winds the only sound to be heard.
But at the entrance of the gate, where the silver light pulsed one last time before going dormant, a shadow flickered.
It was a silhouette that didn't belong to any of the youths, a lingering presence, standing guard, as if waiting for something, or someone, to return.
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VILLAINS AREN'T STEPPING STONES!C49: 2 Years, Huo Yue
Chapter 49: Chapter 49: 2 Years, Huo Yue
Two years.
It has been two years since the silver gates of the Bright Silver Emperor's tomb first groaned open, and in that time, the Eastern Region has been remade in fire and blood.
The fragile peace that once held the desolate lands together has shattered, replaced by a landscape of shifting loyalties and escalating war.
The catalyst for the chaos had occurred exactly one year ago, during the finals of the Youth Regional Battle Tournament where the world watched in horror as one of the members of the renowned Ogre Academy was exposed as a reincarnated Demonic Beast.
And that revelation was met with cold, clinical brutality; the "student" was slaughtered on the spot, her essence refined into pills and her bones forged into artifacts.
In the ensuing madness, Tang Shan, the leader of the Ogre Seven, tried to save her and had even revealed himself as a survivor of the Tang Clan—the former strongest power of the Eastern Region.
But it was for naught.
If his father, Tang Mao, was still alive, perhaps things would've been different. But unfortunately, he died in the hands of Qinq'er.
So Tang Shan was suppressed and was about to be killed as well, but just as the executioner's blade was about to fall, the hidden remnants of the Tang Clan staged a daring rescue, whisking him away into the shadows.
Enraged by the presence of "monsters" and "rebels" in her domain, the Queen of the Spirit Kingdom, who doubled as the Supreme Pope of the Spirit Hall, issued a decree of absolute extermination.
The Ogre Academy was razed to the ground.
Those who remained loyal were slaughtered while those who fled were scattered like dust in the wind, forced to seek refuge in the dregs of lesser academies.
Angered by the overbearing tyranny of the Spirit Hall, the remaining Kingdoms and Sects formed the Grand Allied Front to wage war against the Pope.
Truthfully, they expected a swift victory through sheer numbers, but they had underestimated the depth of the Spirit Hall's foundations.
It was during this war where the Pope unleashed twenty Spirit Ascension Realm experts—monsters who swept through the battlefield like a force of nature, suppressing the Allied Front at every turn.
The Allied Kingdoms turned to the Seven Great Clans, said to possess strength comparable to the Spirit Hall when combined, but the response was bleak.
Two had already knelt to the Spirit Hall.
The Tang Clan, the strongest of the Seven remained in hiding and were hunted down by the Spirit Hall for harboring Tang Shan.
And the Ning Clan—the richest of the seven—clung to a precarious, profit-driven neutrality.
Only three clans joined the Front, leaving the war in a brutal, grinding stalemate where only the cultivators bled, while the common folk watched from the sidelines in terror.
Amidst this geopolitical storm, far away in the scorching expanse of the Great Tao Desert, a figure walked across the shifting dunes.
She was an incredibly beautiful woman with hair as red as a sunset, her silhouette obscured by a heavy brown cloak.
Strapped to her back was a weapon that defied logic: a massive, obsidian-and-crimson ruler that seemed to pulse with a low, volcanic heat.
This girl was Huo Yue.
Two years had transformed the girl into a woman, her cultivation, once stunted and "trash," had surged forward with a terrifying momentum, reaching the 7th Stage of the Core Refinement Realm—a speed that dwarfed her previous reputation as a child prodigy.
"Master, are you absolutely sure there is a Heavenly Flame located in this furnace of a place?" Huo Yue asked, wiping a bead of sweat from her brow.
Just then, her ring pulsed with a soft, ethereal light as a voice echoed in her mind. "Of course! Centuries ago, I discovered the aura of the 'Blue Lily Earth Flame' in a hidden ruin buried beneath these sands. Since I already possessed my own Heavenly Flame at the time, I left it as a gift for a future fated one."
"You better be right," Huo Yue muttered, her eyes scanning the horizon. "I don't want to damage my skin with all this dry heat. What if Haoran doesn't want me anymore because I look like a piece of sun-dried leather?"
"You..." Fairy Liu, the remnant spirit hidden within the ring, was left momentarily speechless. "You are already a Rank 4 Alchemist! Forging Beauty-Retaining Pills or skin-soothing elixirs is as easy for you as breathing! Why are you worrying about such trivialities?"
"Eh? But then I won't be all-natural! What if Haoran dislikes artificial beauty?"
"You... You unfilial disciple...!" Fairy Liu retreated into the depths of the ring, refusing to dignify the comment with a response.
Huo Yue hummed a cheerful tune as she continued her trek.
Despite her constant teasing, the bond between her and her master was the bedrock of her strength.
Every step she took was for her own ascent, but every breakthrough was a tribute to the man and woman who had set her on this path.
BOOM!
A massive explosion erupted from the far eastern side of the desert, sending a pillar of sand and fire screaming into the violet sky.
Huo Yue stopped, her hand instinctively drifting to the hilt of the red-and-black ruler, her expression turned thoughtful. "Master, should we go check it out? That didn't sound like a natural sandstorm."
"...That is up to you, child. But where there is conflict, there is often opportunity," the voice replied tiredly.
"Let's go!" Huo Yue grinned, her eyes flashing with a predatory excitement.
She had a feeling that whatever—or whoever—was causing that commotion would definitely be more interesting than counting grains of sand.
*
*
*
Deep in the eastern expanse of the Great Tao Desert, where the shifting dunes hold secrets of both life and death, a desperate hunt was nearing its end.
Zhu Ziyan sprinted across the scorching sands, her breath coming in ragged, shallow gasps.
Her long black hair, streaked with subtle strands of purple, whipped behind her, and her feline ears twitching frantically to catch the sounds of her pursuers.
Her black, skintight bodysuit was torn and soaked with crimson; a deep gash along her side bled heavily, painting the golden sand with her life's essence.
Behind her, six men followed with the relentless persistence of desert jackals, with all of them being seasoned cultivators at the 4th and 5th stages of the Foundation Establishment realm, their auras flared in a sickening display of predatory greed.
Zhu Ziyan gritted her teeth as she thought about how she ended up in this situation.
Two years ago, she had been a rising star of the Ogre Seven, one of the most talented youths in this era, but when the Spirit Hall's shadow fell over Ogre Academy, she had be the first to flee the academy.
Her fiancé, Tai Yuhao, had pleaded with her to stand and fight for their "honor", and she had only looked at him like he was a madman before turning her back on the academy forever.
'What a joke,' she thought, clutching her bleeding side.
She had never stayed with Tai Yuhao because of love; she stayed because his strength was like a shield, but when that shield cracked, she will flee.
Loyalty was a luxury for the dead, and she never wanted to die.
Facts proved that she was correct as Tai Yuhao and the fools who remained at the academy were now nothing more than fertilizer for the Spirit Hall's ambition.
In the two years since, she had lived a shadow's life.
Rejected by every reputable institution for her past associations, she had joined the Grand Order, a mysterious ancient mercenary guild.
Then, with the constant life-and-death struggle, she had been tempered her into a weapon and had surged from the 9th Stage of Qi Gathering to the 7th Stage of Foundation Establishment at just twenty years old.
But her luck finally had run out.
During a high-risk mission, she had secured a mysterious, ancient map, and word had leaked, and now, the jackals had caught her scent.
"Give it up, Zhu Ziyan!" one of the men roared, his voice distorted by the desert wind. "You can't run forever in this heat!"
"Give us the map and we might give you a quick death!" another screamed, his eyes gleaming with malice.
Ziyan remained silent, her jaw set, and just as she crested a dune, a sharp twang echoed behind her.
"Ah!?" An arrow, infused with wind-attribute Qi, whistled through the air and pierced her thigh as she let out a sharp cry of agony, her legs giving out as she tumbled down the sandbank.
She tried to crawl, her fingers digging into the hot sand, but a heavy boot suddenly slammed down on her hand, crushing her fingers into the grit.
"Hehehe, if you had just handed it over, you wouldn't be suffering like this," sneered the leader of the group, grinding his heel into her hand.
The others caught up, surrounding her in a circle of filth.
Just then, one of the men licked his lips, his gaze wandering over the curves of her tattered bodysuit.
"Hehehe, Boss... look at her. She's a real beauty, isn't she? How about we have our way with her before we finish the job?"
"Oh, I heard about that fiancé of hers, Tai Yuhao," another mocked, his voice full of lewd suggestion. "He was a famous womanizer, always had a different girl on each arm. Such a pervert must have trained you quite well, right? Why don't you show us the skills you learned from him?"
Ziyan gritted her teeth, her eyes cold even in her despair. In fact, she prepared to bite her own tongue, ready to end her life before her chastity and dignity was stripped away.
One of the men crouched down, holding a jagged knife in his hand. "Let's see what you're hiding under this tight suit. With breasts this huge, that Tai Yuhao probably enjoyed himself every night, didn't he?"
But as he reached out to rip the fabric, a crisp, clear female voice rang out from above, cutting through the heavy atmosphere like a blade of ice.
"Hey! A bunch of creeps ganging up on a wounded girl... have you no shame at all!?"
The men spun around, startled.
There, standing on the crest of a nearby sand hill, was a woman bathed in the golden glow of the setting sun.
Her long red hair flowed like a river of fire, and in her hand, she gripped a massive, intimidating black-and-red ruler.
It was Huo Yue, she stared down at them, her eyes narrowed with a killing intent that made the air temperature drop.
"Fuck off, brat! This is Grand Order business! It's none of your concern!" the leader barked.
"That's right! Get lost if you don't want to be the next one we play with!"
Huo Yue didn't respond with words, but her grip tightened on the ruler, and her 7th Stage Core Refinement aura erupted like a volcano.
"You want something to play with? Fine, I'll give you" she whispered.e swung the massive ruler in a wide, horizontal arc. "Wave Splitting Flame!"
A colossal, crescent-shaped blade of dark crimson fire roared forth.
It traveled with such speed that the men didn't even have time to scream as the flames sliced through five of the pursuers, bisecting them instantly before the intense heat reduced their remains to gray ash blowing in the wind.
The only survivor was the one who had been crouched over Ziyan, but he shrieked in terror, falling back onto his buttocks, his crotch dampening as he stared at the charred earth where his comrades had stood a second ago.
Huo Yue leapt down from the hill, landing softly in the sand before she walked toward the trembling man, the tip of her heavy ruler leaving a smoldering trail behind her.
She pointed the weapon at his throat.
"Scum like you... you don't really deserve the air you breathe," she said, her voice devoid of mercy.
Without hesitation, she brought the flat of the ruler down, and the impact cracked the man's skull like an eggshell, killing him instantly.
Zhu Ziyan lay in the sand, staring up at the majestic, red-haired figure of her savior in a daze.
The setting sun silhouetted Huo Yue, making her look like a goddess of war descended from the heavens.
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VILLAINS AREN'T STEPPING STONES!C50: 2 Years
Chapter 50: Chapter 50: 2 Years
"Oh, so you're a former member of the Ogre Seven?" Huo Yue asked, her tone casual as she maintained a steady pace through the cooling evening sands. "You guys reached the finals two years ago and have a high chance if winning if it wasn't for that girl."
Ziyan nodded, but her lips remained pressed in a thin line as she trailed a half-step behind Huo Yue, her eyes constantly scanning the red-haired woman's silhouette.
This woman... Ziyan thought, her heart still racing from the display of power she had witnessed.
Huo Yue looked to be no older than herself, yet she was already a Core Formation expert—a realm that felt like a distant mountain peak to most.
This level of talent, not to mention the Ogre Seven's leader, Tang Shan, perhaps even in the gilded halls of the Central Region, such a person would be hailed as a peerless genius.
No, she definitely will!
"Now that you mention it, I think I heard the name Zhu Ziyan during my travels..." Huo Yue began to muse, tapping her chin as she searched through the library of rumors she'd gathered over the last two years.
Was it from some rumors?
Did someone with similar name offended her previously?
He couldn't really remember, but that name was truly familiar.
Just then, on her fingers, the ring pulsed as a telepathic message was sent to his brain.
"It's the name those twins from that hotel in the border city kept mentioning," Fairy Liu reminded her with a dry chuckle. "The ones who tried to poison your tea out of sheer bitterness."
"Aha!" Huo Yue slammed her fist into her palm, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "You are that 'thieving cat' those twins said stole their man! Zhu Ziyan of the Ogre Academy! Hahaha! Did you really steal their man? For someone who looked so cold, you are actually quite bold huh?"
Ziyan's ears flattened slightly against her head, and she let out a weary, helpless sigh. "In my eyes, they were the ones who stole my fiancé. But there is no need to dwell on the past. Tai Yuhao is dead, and the 'man' they fought over is now nothing more than a ghost."
"Oh? Your fiancé must have been quite the womanizer then. I've met a lot of women across these two years who cursed and hated your name because of that man," Huo Yue chuckled, completely unfazed by the scandal.
In truth, Huo Yue held no real prejudice against men who had many women, provided they weren't complete assholes about it.
Her own father had married two wives at the same time, and after her biological mother passed away, she had been raised with nothing but love by her stepmother.
She had seen firsthand that a home could be harmonious even with multiple partners.
Besides, she was fairly certain Haoran was a bit of a womanizer himself—or at least, he had the aura of a man who would take whatever he absolutely fancied without asking the heavens for permission.
Truly the epitome of pride and greed.
She actually knew a lot about men in general, after all her older half-brothers, terrified that their precious sister would be tricked by some bottom-tier scumbag, had spent years drilling "the nature of men" into her.
They'd taught her the subtle signs of a liar, how to spot a man who actually had the spine to protect what was his, and even have her memorised those Bro Codes or something.
They actually looked oddly suspicious then, as if they are sneaking in some contraband.
"I don't want to talk about him," Ziyan muttered, her gaze dropping to her boots.
"Alright, alright. I won't pester you," Huo Yue shrugged, adjusting the heavy weight of the black-and-red ruler on her back. "Anyway, there's a small trading town a few days up ahead. Once we've arrived and you've patched up those wounds, let's go our separate ways."
Ziyan remained silent, staring at Huo Yue's back.
A beat later, her curiosity got the better of her. "Hey.. do you mind if I ask what you plan to do? The Spirit Hall is tightening its grip and the allied forces are struggling to escape. Are you going to join the war? With your talent and potential, the Allied Front would pay a king's ransom for your loyalty."
"Hmmmm?" Huo Yue trailed off, looking up at the first stars appearing in the desert sky. "Depends on my mood, I guess. My hometown is tucked away in a pretty secluded corner of the outskirts; the war probably won't reach those old mountains. For now, I just want to finish exploring the Eastern Region. Once I'm bored here, I'll head to the Central Region."
Ziyan's voice was barely a whisper. "Central Region... as expected. You certainly have the talent to stand out even in a place like that."
"Maybe," Huo Yue chuckled softly, her thoughts drifting to a certain golden-haired youth who was likely waiting for her somewhere in those distant lands.
"....By the way," Ziyan said, her voice regaining some strength. "I've told you my name, and I'm curious about yours. Is it alright to ask? If you don't mind me asking of course, you can refuse if you want."
"No, it's fine. My name is Shen Huo," Huo Yue lied smoothly.
"Divine Fire?" Ziyan muttered. The name was incredibly domineering, even for a high-level cultivator.
It sounded less like a name and more like a title of a goddess.
"Yep. Pretty cool, huh?" Huo Yue praised herself internally for the quick thinking. It was a perfect blend of Haoran's surname and her own.
Suddenly, Ziyan stopped walking.
Huo Yue paused and turned back, raising a confused eyebrow. "What's wrong? Tired? We can rest if you want. We've still got two days of sand-walking until we hit the town, and you're still bleeding a bit."
"Sister Shen," Ziyan spoke, her voice devoid of its previous hesitation as dhe looked up, her feline eyes burning with a sudden, sharp determination. "Can you... can you allow me to accompany you on your journey?"
Huo Yue blinked, her mouth hanging open slightly.
"Come again?"
*
*
*
At this moment, within the sacred stillness of the Bright Silver Emperor's inheritance realm, the air atop the 999th step suddenly thickened, turning into a pressurized vortex of golden and purple energy.
BOOM!
A thunderous resonance erupted from Shen Haoran's chest, the sound of a spiritual gate being blown off its hinges as the Dragon Core within him spun with frantic, celestial speed, pulling in the ambient silver starlight and refining it into the domineering Qi of the Shen Clan.
In that singular moment of enlightenment and compression, his cultivation surged, breaking through the bottlenecks to reach the 5th Stage of the Golden Core Realm.
He stood up slowly, his every movement radiating a calm, supreme grace as he patted the invisible dust from his white-and-gold robes, his eyes scanning the silver mist.
He could feel the law of diminishing returns taking hold; the crushing pressure of the Imperial Steps, which had once acted as a magnificent forge for his Infinity Dragon God Divine Physique, was now little more than a mild weight.
His body had already gained a permanent resistance to this level of gravity.
This training was now no longer useful, but still, it did help him increase his strength, the Heaven Dou Academy is truly way too generous right?
"Congratulations once more, Young Master," the spirit of Lei Yin appeared, his spectral form slightly more stable but still bowing his head in a gesture of profound, involuntary respect. "To advance two stages within the Golden Core realm in such a short timespan... your talent is truly a calamity for your enemies."
Haoran ignored the praise, his gaze fixed on the center of the altar. "How much longer until she finishes inheriting your legacy?"
He was staring at Xueli. She was suspended in the air, curled into a protective fetal position, her body was wreathed in a cocoon of silver light, making her look more regal.
The powers of the Bright Silver Emperor was weaving her body together, reconstructing her meridians and soul into something the Eastern Region had never seen before.
"It should be within this week, Young Master," Lei Yin replied, his voice a melodic whisper. "The reconstruction of her bloodline is almost complete, and she is now currently in the final stage of soul-tempering."
"I see," Haoran murmured, his golden eyes reflecting the swirling silver light. "Then I shall wait for one more week."
He didn't mind the delay. For a cultivator of his caliber, a week was but a blink of an eye, a moment of meditation in the grand river of time.
He settled back onto the summit, not to cultivate, but to observe, watching the birth of a new power.
And for Haoran, the investment of time was worth every penny; he was not just waiting for a follower, but for a weapon that he had personally helped forge.
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VILLAINS AREN'T STEPPING STONES!C51: Awakening
Chapter 51: Chapter 51: Awakening
I'm floating.
That was the only thought Xueli could grasp as her consciousness drifted away from the physical world.
I feel... lighter.
It was a sensation she had never known—the absence of the heavy, suffocating pressure that usually accompanied the life of a cultivator in the Eastern Region.
For a long time, she felt as if she were floating aimlessly in a vast, dark void.
It was a place of profound coldness and infinite loneliness, a vacuum that should have terrified her.
But surprisingly, she didn't feel any of that.
The fear that once defined her, the fear of being weak, of being left behind, of being ordinary, had simply evaporated.
Instead, she felt cool. It was as if her entire being was submerged in a deep, hidden spring of celestial water.
This was the process of the Bright Silver Emperor's legacy taking root, and unlike the violent, bone-breaking breakthroughs she had experienced before, this was an act of profound refreshment.
The silver light of the inheritance began to wash through her meridians like liquid moonlight.
Every impurity left behind by the crude "Spirit Contract" methods of her ancestors was gently dissolved and flushed away.
Her very cells were being bathed in the essence of the stars, and she felt the ancient, jagged fragments of her soul being smoothed out and polished until they shone like mirrors.
The Star Forging Bright Silver Cultivation Technique— a High Tier Supreme Grade Cultivation Technique and the cultivation technique of the Bright Silver Emperor— began to hum within her sea of consciousness, its complex verses unfolding like a blooming lotus.
It wasn't just power being handed to her, but more of a fundamental reconstruction as she felt her bloodline being rewritten, becoming denser and colder, infused with the silent majesty of the night sky.
The Core that is forming on her chest began to thump with rhythmic harmony with the Emperor's soul, acting as a bridge that made the transition as smooth as glass.
Just then, darkness of the void began to retreat, replaced by a soft, shimmering brilliance.
It didn't burn like she imagined, instead it was very soothing.
It felt like the first breath of spring air—crisp, clean, and invigorating.
Her mind became sharper, her senses expanding until she could feel the vibration of every silver mote in the room.
Finally, the cooling sensation reached its peak and her eyes snapped open.
The silver cocoon shattered into a million sparkling fragments that were instantly pulled into her pores, and as her feet touched the ground of the platform, a massive aura erupted from her, silent but incredibly dense.
Within those two years of deep, starlit slumber, her power had undergone a terrifying leap.
She was no longer at the Foundation Establishment realm, instead her aura settled at the 9th Stage of the Core Formation Realm, standing just a single step away from the Golden Core.
Xueli looked at her hands, which now possessed a faint, pearlescent glow and couldn't help feel the strength that was calm, deep, and absolute, as if she could crush mountains and split the seas.
She looked toward Haoran, who was standing just a few meters away from her, and a confident, radiant smile breaking across her face.
At this moment, the "Little Witch" was gone and in her place stood the Bright Silver Succesor.
"I kept you waiting," she said, her voice now carrying a silver resonance that made the air hum.
Haoran stepped forward, his movements languid and effortless despite the residual pressure of the platform and stood before Xueli, his golden eyes sweeping over her new, radiant aura.
"It's been two years," he said, a faint, amused smile playing on his lips. "You really took your time. I was beginning to wonder if you'd decided to hibernate for a century."
Xueli let out a melodic laugh, the sound carrying a crystalline resonance that hadn't been there before. "You did say you would wait for me, Haoran. A gentleman shouldn't complain about a lady making him wait."
"Indeed," Haoran nodded, though his gaze turned critical as he assessed her 9th Stage Core Formation aura. "Although, it's a shame you couldn't break through to the Golden Core Realm even after two years of total immersion. I guess this legacy is really just a second-rate inheritance at most. It lacks the 'punch' of the Central Region's supreme arts."
"Hey!"
Just then, a silver mist swirled violently as the phantom of Lei Yin manifested, his spectral face flushed with indignation. "That is because most of the energy that was supposed to be fed to her was redirected to fixing her horribly damaged foundation! If I hadn't spent eighteen months meticulously reconstructing her meridians and purging those local impurities, the most she could ever hope to reach was the Profound Saint Realm, maybe Earthly Saint if she was lucky and had a mountain of resources to burn."
Xueli turned to the spirit, her expression softening with genuine gratitude. "Senior, don't listen to him, he's just spoiled by the treasures of the Imperial Capital. I think your legacy is incredibly powerful. Especially this Star Forging Bright Silver Technique. From the description, once I practice it to perfection, it can basically transform all my cells into microcosmic stars and my body will become a living galaxy."
Haoran raised an eyebrow, his interest piqued. "Transforming cells into stellar anchors? That's actually pretty impressive for a technique from this region."
"Isn't it?" Xueli smiled, her pearlescent skin shimmering.
"Hmph! Of course it is!" Lei Yin huffed, crossing his spectral arms with a spark of pride. "That is the Cultivation Technique I spent my entire life, and a portion of my soul, creating and perfecting! Just because I chose to spend my final days in the Eastern Region doesn't mean my accomplishments are any worse than those Supremes in the Central Regions who hide behind their clan walls!"
"I admit," Haoran said, conceding with a slight tilt of his head, "you do have a certain level of ability."
Lei Yin smirked, ready to deliver a witty retort, before he suddenly paused as he looked down at his translucent hands, noticing that they were starting to dissolve into formless silver motes.
"Senior? What's... happening?" Xueli asked, her voice tinged with alarm as she reached out, her hand passing straight through his fading arm.
Lei Yin gave a casual shrug, though his eyes held a serene, tired peace. "It's nothing, lassy. Because I've already passed on the core of my legacy, the last of the energy stored in this remnant body has been transferred to you. Now that you have inherited my legacy, I'm starting to disappear."
"..." Xueli could only stared at him shocked.
He turned toward Xueli, who looked genuinely saddened, and offered a gentle, paternal smile. "Don't be sad. I've been dead for tens of thousands of years; I'm just a lingering soul that finally found someone to help him pass on. At least I can move on peacefully now, knowing that my life's work wasn't buried in the sand."
"Senior..." Xueli muttered, her throat tightening.
"Don't pull a long face. I knew this moment would come since before your ancestors were even born," said Lei Yin, letting out a final, booming laugh. "Although you aren't the 'Fated One' the stars originally pointed to, I've got to say, I am incredibly satisfied with you, lassy. You have a fire that no prophecy can predict."
He then turned his gaze toward Haoran, his expression becoming solemn and heavy. "Heir of the Shen Clan, I have something important to say to you before I pass into the afterlife."
Haoran raised an eyebrow, his posture straight and attentive.
"The Seer who told me about the future... he didn't just predict about my successor and the coming of the great era," Lei Yin whispered, his voice echoing as if from a great distance. "He predicted that in this Great Era, the old powers, the pillars that have stood for eons, will be flipped upside down and buried as a new order will form from the ashes. There will be countless geniuses born with 'Heavenly Luck' who will shake the very foundations of not just the Tian Yuan Empire, but the entire Prime Origin Realm."
Haoran simply smirked, his golden-purple aura flickering with a hint of disdain. "Old powers will be buried? With just those people? If it were that easy, the Shen Clan wouldn't have stood at the pinnacle and remained unshaken since time immemorial."
Haoran knew exactly what the Seer was referencing.
The Anomalies.
The world was entering a cycle where the Heavenly Dao would vomit out "protagonists" like a desperate gambler throwing his last dice.
But what's there to be afraid of? he thought. Just a bunch of nobodies relying heavily on the care and love of the Heavenly Dao. Take that luck away, strip them of their 'plot armor,' and they are nothing more than rabid dogs barking at the sun.
Lei Yin stared into Haoran's eyes, seeing a darkness and a certainty that even the Seer hadn't described.
He nodded slowly. "Very well. Perhaps you are the variable the stars couldn't see."
He turned his gaze back to Xueli one last time and smiled, his form now nearly transparent. "Farewell, my successor. Reach the apex... for both of us."
And with that final wish, his entire body dissipated into a cloud of silver starlight, leaving the summit of the 999th step in a profound, ringing silence.
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VILLAINS AREN'T STEPPING STONES!C52: Return
Chapter 52: Chapter 52: Return
The Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain Range, once a jagged landscape of impenetrable peaks and ancient forests, had been scarred into a hollow memory two years prior.
It had become a battleground of such catastrophic intensity that the common folk whispered not even a blade of grass would grow there for a century.
But nature is indifferent to the wars of men.
Two years were enough for the world to begin hiding the jagged traces of that day; wild grass had begun to carpet the scorched earth, emerald vines and thick moss clung to the shattered boulders, and hardy tree saplings were already sprouting from the silt.
The only permanent scar was the massive, unnatural plain—a literal erasure of several mountains that had once acted as a barrier.
Now, the Eastern Region sat exposed to the vast, lawless wilderness outside the empire, a gateway for both opportunity and ruin.
At the center of this silence stood the mossy, weathered gates that had served as the entrance to the Supreme Inheritance, and in front of it, Qing'er waited there.
She had remained perfectly still, a silent sentinel who had not moved a single step since the gates closed.
With her eyes closed and her arms crossed over her chest, she had become so much a part of the landscape that songbirds had nested in the nearby ruins and perched atop her head and shoulders, sensing no malice or movement from the Profound Saint.
Suddenly, the air hummed, and a beat later, the stone archway of the gate pulsed with a rhythmic, silver light.
Sensing that, Qing'er suddenly moved, her eyes snapped open, a sharp golden glint reflecting in her pupils and as she lowered her arms, the startled birds took flight in a flurry of feathers.
The gates glowed with a blinding brilliance before the space buckled and dissipated, revealing the figures of Shen Haoran and Ning Xueli.
Qing'er immediately dropped to one knee, her head bowed low in a display of absolute fealty. "Welcome back, Young Master."
"Hm." Haoran offered a curt nod, his gaze sweeping the horizon.
Qinq'er noticed that he looked taller, his presence more domineering than before. Is this the effects of awakening his divine physique? She wondered.
Naturally, as a genuine Saint rank expert, she felt the awakening of Haoran's physique, especially when she was so close to him.
"Qing'er, tell me how is the situation in the outside world?"
"The Eastern Region has been plunged into a total war, Young Master," Qing'er reported, her voice clinical. "The Allied Forces of the various kingdoms are currently being dominated by the Spirit Hall. The balance of power has shifted significantly in your absence."
"W-What!?" Xueli's face turned pale, her starlight aura flickering with agitation. "My father! How is my father, Miss Qing'er!? What happened to the Ning Clan?"
Qing'er shifted her gaze toward the girl, her expression softening only slightly. "No need to worry, Young Miss. Your father and the rest of your clan have maintained absolute neutrality. They have closed their borders and refused to be involved in the conflict. For now, they remain untouched by the flames of war."
Xueli breathed a long, shuddering sigh of relief, her hand clutching her chest.
Haoran turned to her, his expression unreadable but his voice firm. "Go and see them."
"I—Is that alright?" Xueli asked, surprised by the sudden dismissal.
Haoran nodded. "I also have someone I want to meet. After all, it's been two years, so go and reunite with your parents; deal with your family affairs while I attend to my own business."
"Then... alright. Thank you, Haoran," Xueli said softly, a trace of warmth in her silver eyes.
Haoran turned back to his guardian. "Qing'er, take her to the Ning Clan."
Qing'er's eyes widened, a rare flash of panic crossing her stoic features. "Young Master, I couldn't! I am responsible for your safety! I cannot, and will not, leave your side in a region currently infested with war and desperate cultivators!"
"Just do it," Haoran's voice dropped an octave, carrying a draconic weight that brooked no argument. "Or are you disobeying my direct command?"
Qing'er bowed her head even lower, her voice trembling slightly. "I dare not. But..."
Haoran sighed, the tension in his shoulders relaxing slightly. "You don't have to worry. I am only going to meet Yue'er. With my newly awakened physique and the artifacts I carry, no one in this backwater region has the strength to harm me. And if you are still worried, simply find me the moment you have dropped her off at her clan's gates."
After a long moment of agonizing hesitation, Qing'er finally nodded.
Although she was his mother's servant, and her orders must be prioritised, but she also knew that the Mistress was incredibly doting on the young master, and would agree to whatever he desires.
Not to mention that the Mistress has already given her to Haoran, so she has to prioritise Haoran's order more now.
So she knew the Young Master's will was absolute. "I understand. I shall deliver the Young Miss with the utmost speed and promptly return to your side, Young Master."
Haoran turned back to Xueli, his gaze lingering on her for a moment. "We leave for the Central Region in three days. Do not be late."
Xueli nodded solemnly, her determination returning. "I understand. I will say my goodbyes to my father and prepare the clan for my departure."
Haoran offered a final nod to Qing'er as the Saint immediately stood up and placed a hand on Xueli's shoulder.
Then, with a sudden ripple of distorted space, the two women vanished as if they had never been there.
Haoran stood alone in the silence of the massive plain for a moment, the wind whipping his golden hair across his face.
After a few moments, he reached into his spatial ring and withdrew a pristine, white sword.
Without hesitation, he tossed it into the air, where it hummed and expanded until it was several meters long, hovering a few feet above the mossy ground.
He jumped onto the blade with practiced ease and within an instant, the sword accelerated with a thunderous crack, leaving only a streak of white light behind as he vanished toward where his fiancée was currently located.
*
*
*
At this moment, the golden dunes of the Great Tao Desert were currently being kicked up into a massive, trailing sandstorm as Huo Yue and Zhu Ziyan sprinted frantically across the horizon.
"What did you do!?" Ziyan exclaimed, her usual cool and aloof demeanor completely shattered and her feline ears were pinned back against her head, and her breath was coming in sharp, panicked gasps.
"Nothing! I just stole their Queen and their Heavenly Flame!" Huo Yue shouted back, letting out a wild, adrenaline-fueled laugh that bordered on manic.
"You what!?" Ziyan's voice hit a frequency of shock she hadn't reached in years.
She risked a glance over her shoulder and felt her blood run cold, as emerging from the shifting sands like a nightmare was an entire army of Lamias— an all female desert-dwelling race of creatures with the slender upper bodies of humans and the long, powerful lower bodies of serpents.
In the Eastern Region, Lamias were the stuff of campfire horror stories. Why? Because they were infamous for their predatory nature and a diet that favored human cultivators.
Yes, they apparently eat humans!
Not to mention because of their unique physiology, their physical strength was vastly superior to humans; a Lamia at the Foundation Establishment level could easily crush the ribs of a human Foundation Establishment expert with a single coil of their tail.
More terrifyingly, their ruler, Queen Medusa, was whispered to be one of the three great powerhouses of the entire Eastern Region— a genuine 9th Stage Spirit Ascension Realm expert.
Rumors had it that she was already on the verge of breaking through Nirvana Rebirth!
If the Eastern Region wasn't plunged into a war, the kingdoms would've united to suppress the Lamia Tribe.
After all, a Nirvana Rebirth Lamia, who is said to hate and eat humanity, is far too dangerous of an existence for the Eastern Region.
Unfortunately, humanity are so busy with their war that they didn't pay any attention to the Lamias.
"How did you even do that!?" Ziyan asked, her mind reeling at the logistical impossibility of kidnapping a regional powerhouse and her most precious treasure.
"I'm very lucky!" Huo Yue answered, though her internal monologue was far less confident.
'Master! Your dearest disciple can no longer hold this! My legs are going to turn into jelly! Aren't you going to help me!?' Huo Yue screamed in the privacy of her mind.
A weary, long-suffering sigh echoed from the ring on her finger. "You always find the most troublesome nests to poke, child."
Suddenly, the air around Huo Yue changed.
Her red hair began to glow with an intense, ethereal fire, and her eyes shifted from their warm amber to a piercing, crystalline blue.
Within a heartbeat, Fairy Liu took full control of the body.
Huo Yue's arm shot out, grabbing Ziyan by the waist before the girl could protest, and with a sudden burst of flame that turned the sand beneath them to glass, the two of them shot into the sky in a blinding streak of crimson light.
"No! Give us back our Queen! Return the Flame!"
"You bastards!"
The Lamia army roared in collective fury, their voices Hissing and echoing across the dunes.
They lashed their tails and threw obsidian spears, but it was a futile effort.
After all, true, sustained flight was a luxury enjoyed only by those who had touched the laws of the Spirit Ascension Realm.
The strongest Lamias in this pursuit group were merely at the Nascent Soul Realm; they could leap great distances, but they could not chase a streak of light into the heavens.
"Hurry back and inform the Elders!" the lead Lamia commander hissed, her eyes slitted in rage as she watched the crimson light dwindle into a speck. "Mobilize the vanguard! We must take the Queen back at all costs, or the desert will run red with human blood!"
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VILLAINS AREN'T STEPPING STONES!C53: Reunion(1)
Chapter 53: Chapter 53: Reunion(1)
Great Tao Desert, a massive desert located between the Eastern Region and Southern Region.
It is under the control of Spirit Hall, with various desert cities serving as trading hub between the East and the South.
And the only thing separating these two regions was the Yellow Earth Mountain Range.
This mountain range was a jagged spine of scorched sienna and burnt orange, carved into bizarre, skeletal shapes by millennia of abrasive desert winds.
And at this moment, hidden within a narrow fissure that looked like nothing more than a trick of the shadow, Fairy Liu, still navigating through Huo Yue's weary body, slipped inside a cave.
The interior of the cave was cool, the air smelling of dry dust and ancient mineral, providing a stark contrast to the oppressive, shimmering heat of the Great Tao Desert outside.
Just then, the ethereal blue glow faded from Huo Yue's eyes as Fairy Liu retreated back into the ring, leaving the young woman to collapse against the smooth sandstone wall.
Huo Yue breathed heavily, her chest heaving as she wiped a streak of grime from her forehead, but she couldn't help but grin as her heart was drumming a frantic, joyful rhythm against her ribs.
"That was... incredibly thrilling!" she managed to wheeze out, her voice echoing in the cavern.
"No! No, it's not!" Ziyan snapped, her usual cool and aloof demeanor completely shattered.
The cat-eared mercenary glared at Huo Yue with a mix of terror and disbelief before sliding down the opposite wall and closing her eyes, her feline ears twitching at every phantom sound from the tunnel.
"I really thought that I was about to die. I could practically feel those serpent tails coiling around my neck."
"But we didn't! And look at what we got for the trouble," Huo Yue countered, her eyes sparkling with a mischievous light.
She then sat up straight, ignoring the ache in her muscles, and began to rummage through her spatial storage. "Anyway, let's lay low here for a while. The Lamias might be fast, but even they can't track us through the air after ma—...my little stunt."
With a flourish, she began to pull items out of her ring, and the cave floor was soon covered in a staggering display of wealth; glistening spirit stones, carved jade boxes, and bundles of fragrant, glowing herbs.
"Here," Huo Yue said, pushing a massive pile of the loot toward the stunned Ziyan. "Let's each have half. You were a great help distracting those guards back there. It made it easier for me to steal these things."
Ziyan stared at the fortune before her, her throat bobbing as she swallowed hard.
"Thank you," she whispered, her voice regaining some of its composure as she nodded to Huo Yue, gathered her portion of the treasures, and walked deeper into the shadowy recesses of the cave to find a private spot to cultivate and mend her wounds.
Once Ziyan was out of sight, Huo Yue's composure broke, and she began to smile like a thief who had just pulled off the heist of the millennium.
She hugged herself, rocking back and forth on her heels. "Fufufufu~! I'm rich! Rich! So filthy rich! Haoran won't believe how much dowry I've gathered!"
Once she calmed down a little, she began to take a frantic, joyous inventory, and the grin wouldn't leave her face as the haul was nothing short of legendary.
There were a total of 3 million medium-grade spirit stones, a sum that could buy a small city in the outskirts.
Then there were the ten thousand Bone-Chilling Spring Pearls, rare artifacts harvested from the deepest subterranean aquifers; they were invaluable for a fire cultivator, as they increased heat resistance and stabilized the volatile nature of one's internal flames.
The pile continued with mountains of Rank 4 and 5 pills, followed by countless Rank 4 and 5 spirit herbs, with the occasional shimmering leaf of a Rank 6 herb that radiated a potent, medicinal aroma.
And this was only one of their treasury! There are dozens more she couldn't open because she lacked the time! She wondered just how rich the Lamias really were.
But the crown jewel of the heist was the Blue Lily Earth Flame!
Huo Yue opened her inner world, feeling the intense, sapphire heat pulsing within her Dantian.
This was her second Heavenly Flame, ranked 18th in the Heavenly Flame rankings.
According to her master, this flame can only born under the pressure of the earth, and receiving tempering after tens of thousands of years.
Once it fully blooms, this flame has the ability to cause volcanic eruptions, and summon magma from the ground.
Integrating it during their frantic heist had been a gamble, but it had paid off.
The flame had not only evolved her Imperial Flame Transformation Technique into the Grand Tier Spirit Grade, but the sheer influx of pure elemental energy had forced her cultivation to skyrocket, pushing her directly into the 9th Stage of the Core Formation Realm.
And also...
Hisss~
A soft, rhythmic hissing sound vibrated against her skin, and from the sleeve of her tattered brown cloak, a small, elegant head emerged.
It was a snake no longer than a forearm, covered in shimmering scales that shifted through every color of the rainbow like a prism held to the sun.
"Oh, Xiao Mei, are you hungry already?" Huo Yue swooned, her voice turning high and motherly at the sight of the cute creature.
She opened her palms, and a lily-shaped blue flame appeared, hovering just above her skin.
Although the heat was intense, the snake seemed like it didn't mind at all, "Come, come, eat. You need your strength if you're going to keep being my lucky charm."
The snake, whom Huo Yue had dubbed Xiao Mei, slithered onto her palms and began to "eat" the flame, drawing the essence of the Blue Lily into its tiny body.
"I can't believe that terrifying Queen Medusa was this cute," Huo Yue mused, poking the snake gently on its head and began petting it as it ate.
It was the ultimate irony, actually. This tiny, docile creature was indeed the terrifying Queen Medusa, the undisputed sovereign of all Lamias and a genuine 9th Stage Spirit Ascension Realm powerhouse.
The reason she had been reduced to this vulnerable state was a tale of ambition and tragedy.
She had been attempting to purify her ancient bloodline using the Blue Lily Earth Flame she found and the flame that Huo Yue stole, to breakthrough into the Nirvana Rebirth Realm.
She had succeeded in the evolution, but the process had been too violent and the backlash had thoroughly damaged her soul, forcing her into a deep slumber and regressing her body into this infantile, primal form.
It was actually because of that incident that Huo Yue had the chance to steal the flame, if not, she can only dream of stealing something that a Spirit Ascension Realm Expert possessed.
"Don't be fooled by her appearance," Fairy Liu's voice suddenly rang in Huo Yue's ears, sharp and warning. "Although she looks small and harmless now, that snake is the infant form of a Rainbow-Scaled Divine Serpent, a genuine Rank 10 Demonic Beast."
"What!? Rank 10!?" Huo Yue's jaw dropped.
In the hierarchy of the Prime Origin Realm, a Rank 1 Demonic Beast is equivalent to a Qi Gathering Realm, while Rank 10 is equivalent to a Heavenly Saint.
As for the equivalent of Body Refining Realm, well, beasts of that level doesn't have Beastial Qi, so they couldn't technically qualify as a Demonic Beasts, so some people merely referred to them as "Fierce Beasts", or just beasts.
And as for the Demonic Beasts that are the equivalent of Supreme Emperor, they are referred to as Supreme Beasts or Emperor Beasts.
They are terrifying creatures that can swallow the moon and stars.
"You're telling me I'm holding a future Heavenly Saint in my hands?" Huo Yue whispered, her eyes wide as Xiao Mei licked her thumb with a forked tongue.
"I am telling you that once she wakes up, she might decide to swallow you whole for kidnapping her," Fairy Liu retorted. "Anyway, once the both of you have fully rested and stabilized your Qi, you must set off immediately. Those Lamias won't let you off for taking away their Que—"
Fairy Liu's voice suddenly cut off, replaced by a sharp intake of spiritual breath. "Not good! They are already here!"
BOOM!
The entire sandstone mountain shuddered, as dust and pebbles rained from the cave ceiling, and the cool air was suddenly replaced by a dry, suffocating heat that smelled of venom and ancient sand.
"HUMAN THIEF! GIVE US BACK OUR QUEEN OR BE GROUND INTO THE DUST!"
A thunderous, multi-layered voice echoed through the fissure. It wasn't just one voice; it was the synchronized roar of hundreds, led by a powerhouse whose aura made the sandstone walls groan under the pressure.
The Lamias had found them, and they hadn't come for a negotiation.
Huo Yue stood up, her 9th Stage Core Formation aura flaring to life, her black-and-red ruler already in her hand.
"Well, Xiao Mei," she muttered, her eyes hardening as she looked toward the cave entrance. "It looks like the thrill isn't over yet."
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