I Am the Fated Villain
chapter-368

As Gu Changge followed the tracks Jiang Chen left into the mountains, Jiang Chen finally encountered the cultivation opportunity that he so anticipated. The Artifact Spirit of the Celestial Boat of Creation was extremely confident in its abilities; after it had helped deal with the many arrays before him, the stone wall cracked open automatically to reveal a broad and unobstructed path. Further behind, an ancient bridge could be seen which was linked to an indescribably enormous palace. It shone majestically with golden light while exuding a powerful yet ancient energy.

<It really is the Palace of World Domination.> The Artifact Spirit sounded excited. Jiang Chen then noticed the words embellished in gold above the palace. They looked really old and seemed to possess some sort of great power which could bind the heavens. It wasn’t known who had left them but its grandness could be observed.

“What’s the relationship between the Palace of World Domination and the Tower of World Domination?” Jiang Chen muttered to himself, walking up the steps towards the great palace before him.

After arriving at the entrance, he looked to the left and right before opening the doors. It opened easily without any pressure or obstacle, and A great surge of purple fog suddenly swept out. It almost resembled a liquid as it reached his knees. As Jiang Chen entered the palace, a blinding light shone down and made him close his eyes instinctively.

[This…] Jiang Chen froze and his eyes widened. Clear and shiny Origin Stones as large as basins were littered all over the place, surrounded by different colours of the rainbow. The place looked like the sacred territory of a celestial sect. Jiang Chen could even see some strange beings, artifacts, jade scrolls, jade jars and so on preserved within some of the Stones.

The sight was shocking, as there were too many of these rocks and the purple fog had been due to the Origin Stones liquefying. The abundance of treasures here was far too astounding; it’s no wonder that the Artifact Spirit had said this was an opportunity specially prepared for him. He could detect the strong scent of pills in the air, which seemed to open up every pore and could make one turn into an Immortal. Further behind, there was an entire herb farm brimming with spiritual energy, which was enclosed in swirling fog and colourful light.

[There are too many cultivation opportunities here. There’s so much! Spirit grass, Origin Stones, jade scrolls, cultivation techniques, artifacts, and even preserved pills.]

Jiang Chen stared around at everything, breathing hard while his heart raced. It was the first time he had seen so many resources for cultivation. Even if he did not enter a Sect after leaving, these resources were already enough to last him a long time. He instinctively prepared to store everything.

<Don’t get so excited. These are just your mediocre; the best is further back. All of them are yours and no one can take them from you,> the Artifact Spirit interrupted his actions, sounding excited and smug yet feigning calm with Jiang Chen.

Jiang Chen nodded at that, also forcing himself to calm down. He knew that the Artifact Spirit would never lie to him; even if they were just the usual, that meant there were much more powerful objects further back. With that thought, he continued deeper into the palace.

…

[The beings here did not attack Jiang Chen, which is probably because of his special physique. He’s the vessel of the Celestial Boat of Creation but I’m not sure what surprise he will give eventually. It’s a pity he’s still young.] Gu Changge moved with his hands behind him with a relaxed demeanour. It was like he was taking a walk, with no one following him or any beings approaching him. Any beings who tried it had immediately turned into ashes, both their body and soul completely destroyed.

“Master.” The elderly man in black appeared not far from him and greeted him respectfully.

“Did he notice anything strange?” Gu Changge asked carelessly.

“No. Jiang Chen trusts me completely and hasn’t noticed anything strange when I was carrying out your orders. He’s become more and more trustful of me during this time,” replied the elderly man in black.

“That’s good.” Gu Changge smiled. “Jiang Chen must be satisfied with the guardian I have arranged for him.”

“Master, when are you going to deal with him?”

“That’s not urgent. His worth is far more than what little he has now. He should at least help me catalyse the ripening of the Dao Fruit.” Gu Changge gazed at the cave and walked towards it. He could now feel the all-encompassing power pressing down on him more acutely.

He tried sensing Jiang Chen’s location, realising he was not that far away. However, he would allow the Demonic Puppet to go there first since the elderly man in black robes was Jiang Chen’s guardian. Besides, he could know in advance if anything unexpected happened. Of course, he had other plans for Jiang Chen.

…

The palace was grand and ancient, looking unharmed except for part of the pillars which had collapsed. It was majestic and exuded a heavy pressure as if it had formed its own world. With the fog surrounding it, it resembled paradise.

Jiang Chen could see giant pillars standing in the palace as he walked, which seemingly supported the sky. Suddenly, he heard a faint sound in the distance, which sounded like a tall tower shivering or a giant bell ringing. It shook him to the core, deafeningly loud.

[What’s that?] His expression shifted slightly, feeling like his head had been pierced by a needle. The pain made him turn pale and he felt like his brain had been hit with a large bell. It rang loudly and his mind became static. For some reason, he could faintly sense a small golden tower standing within the palace which hovered in the air and exuded Chaos Qi.

[A golden tower.] His eyes widened in surprise. His pain went away as quickly as it had come, and now he could hear that sound clearly.

<That’s the Tower of World Domination calling to you. It has sensed your presence,> the Artifact Spirit of the Celestial Boat of Creation said excitedly. <Follow the sound and you will be able to find it.>

He understood immediately and seemed delighted. [Didn’t that mean I would soon possess the Tower of World Domination that Gu Changge had been looking so hard for?]

[He had worked so long but did not get any results; would he not get livid?] Jiang Chen became more anticipatory, heading towards the sound without pause.

*Boom!* The ancient sound of Dao seemed to ring out from the nine heavens. The deeper he went, the more he felt that the sound was deafening yet glorious. He couldn’t help but wonder if the sound would penetrate the walls and resonate within all the purple mountains. He could now faintly see a large tower glowing with golden light, making loud rumbling sounds. There were many heavenly Principles swirling around it, making it indescribably divine.

[I have the advantage in gaining the Tower of World Domination, and I will never let Gu Changge take possession of it.]

Jiang Chen’s gaze became determined, fists clenched as he marched towards the source of the sound. The palace was enormous but his path was free of any obstacles, so it wasn’t long before he arrived deep within the palace and finally saw that huge tower. It had a total of 9 storeys and was entirely golden in colour as if made from indestructible gold. It hovered in the air and resembled a hill.

There was also a platform below it, which seemed to be built from jade. It looked ancient yet natural, enclosed in interweaving red and golden light as well as the colourful mist which swirled around it. It emitted a loud rumbling sound, runes flickering around it as it hung above the platform. It seemed nearly able to bind everything.

It looked like there was something inside the platform which drew Jiang Chen in, but his attention was fully on the Tower of World Domination now. After some close observation of his surroundings, he realised that the sound which had been echoing inside his head had come from it.

<This is the Tower of World Domination,> shouted the Artifact Spirit of the Celestial Boat of Creation excitedly. <We need to think of a way to store it.>

[But I haven’t started cultivating yet. How am I going to store it?] He paced under it while frowning. All cultivators could take out artifacts and store them in their spiritual seas in preparation for battle, yet his spiritual sea hadn’t been opened up yet. Even if he acquired it, he could not store it. He hadn’t anticipated that the Tower of World Domination would be that big, more like an enormous pagoda instead of something which could fit in his palm.

<The Tower of World Domination is the one in charge of suppressing the potential power out of the Seven Tools of World Domination. It can suppress the world easily. Even the dead and living will not be excluded from its restrictive power. You can definitely store it. It called for you, which meant it approves of you,> the Artifact Spirit said assuredly.

Jiang Chen became serious after hearing the words, starting to experiment using whatever method he could think of. However, no matter what method he used or how he spoke, the Tower of World Domination did not budge. It remained standing as if it could never be moved in any way. This made him wonder if he had misunderstood the sound from before, and that the Tower hadn’t been calling to him. Otherwise, why wasn’t it reacting at all?

[Is there other tests for it? I can only get its recognition if I passed its test?] Jiang Chen looked confused.

<Impossible. You are the vessel of the Celestial Boat of Creation, so it’s technically impossible for it to not recognise you.> The Artifact Spirit sounded puzzled as well. It had also noticed that the familiar aura from before had become weaker here, which made it frustrated since its memory wasn’t complete and it could not remember many things well. Otherwise, it could have deduced which familiar figure that aura had belonged to.

<Let’s see what’s on the Celestia Jade Platform first.> The Artifact Spirit sighed.

Jiang Chen nodded before walking towards the Celestia Jade Platform. He hadn’t gone near it when the Tower of World Domination suddenly shook slightly, light falling from it and causing water-like ripples in the void. With a loud boom, heavy pressure came from above and there was suddenly a great weight on his body. He was now unable to move.

[What’s happening? Why is the Tower of World Domination preventing me from moving forward?] His eyes widened, unable to accept this. He gritted his teeth, face pale and forehead sweaty. However, no matter how much force he exerted, he could not continue forward like there was an invisible wall blocking his way. The platform was just a few steps away but seemed like it was far on the horizon.

[Why is this happening?] His teeth ground together and veins bulged from his forehead; it was clear he was already putting in the greatest force he could. He was unsatisfied since it was so close to him yet he could not approach it.

<That’s impossible. These things should belong to you, so why is this happening?> The Artifact Spirit of the Celestial Boat of Creation was stunned, failing to understand this. The Tower hadn’t reacted at all and now it was preventing him from getting closer to the platform. Why was this happening? In the next instant, a light flickered and the Bronze Celestial Boat appeared from between Jiang Chen’s eyebrows.

<Tower of World Domination, why are you stopping us?> The Artifact Spirit had materialised and an angry yet childlike voice began to demand an explanation.

Jiang Chen inhaled deeply and stopped his fruitless efforts, knowing that the Tower was stopping him. Without its recognition, he would never be able to approach the platform. Despite his frustration and rage, he chose to calm down and see how the Tower was going to answer.

According to the statements made by the Artifact Spirit, the Tower of World Domination was an artifact from the Immortal Palace, which had the potential to suppress the whole world. Like the Celestial Boat of Creation, it also belonged to the Immortal Palace. That meant that they could sense each other’s presence. Those beings around the purple mountains had ignored him and allowed him to enter its depths because he had the aura of the Immortal Palace. His Journey wouldn’t have been so smooth-sailing otherwise. Yet now, the Tower of World Domination was stopping him. [Why is this happening?]

As the Artifact Spirit made the demand, the giant golden tower above them seemed to react. It shook slightly and began to vibrate loudly within the void. After that, a blurry figure appeared within it surrounded by golden light which made it impossible to discern anything. It looked to be an ancient god.

<Tower of World Domination, you’ve finally appeared.>

The Artifact Spirit of the Celestial Boat of Creation sounded pleased. It was obvious that the gold-coloured figure was the Artifact Spirit of the Tower of World Domination since it was different to the other Tools of World Domination. The being who had made the Tower of World Domination had planned to use it to suppress all things, so they had purposefully chosen a different material and forging method to cultivate an Artifact Spirit within it. This figure before them was the aforementioned Artifact Spirit.

<Why are you stopping us?> the Artifact Spirit of the Celestial Boat of Creation demanded, unable to puzzle it out. They were technically on the same side and while it was understandable that the Tower of World Domination wouldn’t help Jiang Chen, it was stopping the Artifact Spirit as well!

“Wang Yue is dead.” To Jiang Chen and the Artifact Spirit’s surprise, the Artifact Spirit of the Tower of World Domination answered with something else.

[Wang Yue?] Jiang Chen frowned in confusion.

<Wang Yue is dead and the Immortal Palace has already collapsed anyway. No matter how long she lived, she will eventually die of old age.> The Artifact Spirit of the Celestial Boat of Creation froze before answering in a low voice. It seemed to have remembered something.

Seeing Jiang Chen’s confusion, it began to explain. Wang Yue had been the celestial beast responsible for carrying the Tower of World Domination. She was enormous and had a lifespan as long as that of the stars. There were even rumours that claimed she was transformed from the fallen moon god from the Nine Heavens. So, even if Wang Yue didn’t take a human form, she was still beautiful. Besides, her long lifespan had given her the nickname of a living fossil. In fact, she kept such a low-profile that hardly anyone knew about her.

[So that’s what the Artifact Spirit of the Tower of World Domination is talking about. What’s the link between that issue and stopping me from going near the platform?] Jiang Chen guessed that the late Wang Yue had been accompanying the Tower of World Domination for so long that they had a close relationship. The Tower might be unable to accept its death for that reason. However, he still couldn’t understand why the Tower had stopped him.

<I know that the way I am reassuring you isn’t right, but the indestructible Immortal Palace will collapse one day. This means that Wang Yue will die of old age eventually too. You must accept that fact and besides, it’s not a reason for stopping us. What’s inside the platform anyway? The responsibility of restoring the Immortal Palace’s glory now lies on Jiang Chen’s shoulders; I hope that you won’t trouble him since you were also from the Immortal Palace> advised the Artifact Spirit of the Celestial Boat of Creation.

In its opinion, there were definitely much better things within the platform since there were plenty of cultivation resources such as Origin Stones and spiritual herbs in the Palace of World Domination. After all, the Palace had been used to store a lot of things which was suppressed by the Tower of World Domination. It was impossible to have so few things present here.

Jiang Chen didn’t think it was appropriate for him to interrupt, but the words of the Artifact Spirit of the Celestial Boat of Creation made him feel that the abundant cultivation resources here were left here for him.

“There’s nothing else within the platform but the offspring of Wang Yue. I’ve promised her that I will raise her offspring.” The Artifact Spirit of the Tower of World Domination was quiet for a while before giving a reply which surprised both Jiang Chen and the Artifact Spirit of the Celestial Boat of Creation.

<What did you say? Wang Yue’s offspring is inside the Platform?> the Artifact Spirit of the Celestial Boat of Creation asked loudly in return, voice shaking with unsuppressed emotion.

Jiang Chen wasn’t sure how powerful Wang Yue was, but he could deduce it from the Artifact Spirit’s shaking voice. The value of the thing preserved within the platform was hard to estimate since anything linked to the Immortal World was not that simple. This made him excited and expectant. If Wang Yue’s offspring grew up, it would become a real celestial beast. If he had one, did that mean he could do anything he wanted in the Upper Realm without any hindrance? It would be easy for him to take revenge against Gu Changge too.

<If so, you definitely should hand over the child to us. Jiang Chen is the vessel of the Celestial Boat of Creation, and you should know what that means. Giving the offspring to him is the most appropriate move. Besides, if you follow us out of this place, you can still watch the child grow up. Isn’t that killing two birds with one stone?>

The Artifact Spirit of the Celestial Boat of Creation began convincing the Tower of World Domination once more, its tone urgent. It hoped to convince the Tower of World Domination into giving the child to them and leaving with them. Jiang Chen was filled with anxiety as well but remained silent, his expression calm.

“That’s impossible if it’s him. I promised Wang Yue to raise her offspring. He’s too weak to protect her offspring! Besides, he doesn’t have enough resources to ensure that Wang Yue’s offspring grows up well.”

The tone of the Artifact Spirit of the Tower of World Domination did not change. It wasn’t that it was underestimating him but was just speaking the truth. It didn’t matter what reincarnation Jiang Chen was nor what vessel he was, as long as he had the criteria to properly raise the child, the Artifact Spirit of the Tower of World Domination would have no qualms. If he couldn’t do that at all, why should it give the offspring to him?

<Jiang Chen may not possess these resources now, but that doesn’t mean he won’t have them in the future. He has great potential and the Palace of World Domination has plenty of resources too.> The Artifact Spirit of the Celestial Boat of Creation argued, refusing to let this rare opportunity pass. It would be a significant advantage for it as well as Jiang Chen if they had the offspring.