I Am the Fated Villain
chapter-374

A few days had flown by in the blink of an eye.

The whole Upper Realm was in an uproar because of Gu Changge’s dispatch of such a huge force to search for possible remnants of Bandit Thirteen. People were discussing this matter every day in almost every Ancient City.

Bandit Thirteen was notorious for their evil deeds, such as arson, killing, robbing. They did all sorts of evil things. However, they were extremely difficult to hunt down because of the terrain of the Chaos Star Territory.

After attacking the passing caravans, they would rob the poor forces and caravans of their supplies before fleeing.

Moreover, Chaos Star Territory’s borders various Domains, and it was the only way to transport goods in or out of the Heavenly Arms Domain, which was famous for tool refinement. In other words, it was a place where every business had to pass by.

Bandit Thirteen had plundered many resources from the caravans of the Heavenly Arms Domain for millions of years.

After Bandit Thirteen was exterminated by Gu Changge, the resources obtained had made many forces jealous. Still, many knew that the force that Gu Changge had dispatched to wipe out Bandit Thirteen was already enough to wipe out ordinary forces. Still, Gu Changge’s force had suffered considerable losses as well. There were as many as a hundred ancient battleships damaged in this battle.

This was the reason many thought Gu Changge had sent such a new and terrifying force to completely wipe out Bandit Thirteen. It was a force so terrifying that it alarmed many. Not just individual cultivators but other forces as well. With this, they could no longer treat Gu Changge like any other young prodigy.

He had gradually become a full-fledged beast that could bear his sharp fangs in the Upper Realm.

Destroying Purple Mansion was just the start.

It served as a reminder, anyone who made an enemy out of Gu Changge would have to consider the terrible consequences they would have to bear.

After destroying Bandit Thirteen in the Chaos Star Territory, Gu Changge ordered the various Celestial Ancient Races to secretly dispatch experts from their respective clans to unify the other scattered bandits around Chaos Star Territory.

After all, one would have to be a fool to say no to all the goodies just laying there for the taking.

Gu Changge was far from being a good person. After he got rid of Bandit Thirteen, he planned to support a new force to occupy Chaos Star Territory. After all, Bandit Thirteen had been extremely wealthy these years. Regardless of which force it was, they all had high hopes for this piece of land. No one dared to say anything about it, but they were tempted to make a move on it.

Neither did they say much after Gu Changge secretly created this new force to take over the new vacuum left behind. However, bandits backed by power and a stand-alone bandit were two different things.

Chaos Star Territory was vast and wide. Between the borders of many Domains, countless caravans and cultivators came and went every day. Not to mention, the many teleportation arrays and ancient altars along the way. Any cultivators who wanted to pass through here would have to pay a fee.

It was only natural that if everything was cleaned up and kept safe, it would be a land of great wealth for any force. It even attracted Gu Changge’s eye. Fortunately, it wouldn’t be too troublesome for him to take control of the Chaos Star Territory.

Before this, apart from Bandit Thirteen, there were hundreds of bandits that formed big and small groups within a million kilometre of the area. They might be scattered, but there were a lot of them.

It would even be difficult for such groups to be subdued under Bandit Thirteen.

And this group of bandits were fierce and vicious people who had been in many life-and-death fights. Naturally, their strength far surpassed that of cultivators in the same realm.

Following the extermination of Bandit Thirteen, these bandits’ ambitions grew, and they all wanted to rise and dominate the surrounding area. However, their motivation was soon put to a stop when they were suppressed by the terrifying force Gu Changge had sent.

Gu Changge had given them a simple choice to make: obey or die.

With Bandit Thirteen as the precedent, these scattered bandits naturally didn’t dare to resist. That was how the many bandits in Chaos Star Territory eventually went from small groups to one massive one.

Even though the new group wasn’t as good as Bandit Thirteen at their peak, because it had Gu Changge behind them, the overall strength was countless times greater than the previous bandit group.

Naturally, many in Chaos Star Territory knew who was the mastermind behind the scenes, but they didn’t dare speak out. They could only silently pray that these bandits, under Gu Changge’s control, could restrain themselves a little bit and stop doing evil deeds like Bandit Thirteen did.

Gu Changge then arranged for Ji Qingxuan to take charge of the management there for the time being.

After spending some time to observe her, he had seen Ji Qingxuan’s ability and ambition. It just so happened that this newly combined bandit group could be used as a sharpening stone to hone Ji Qingxuan’s abilities.

Gu Changge could put up with having one or two women around him whose only purpose was to look pretty. Nonetheless, he still appreciated it more if she could help him, and was useful to him.

At the beginning, Ji Qingxuan didn’t expect Gu Changge to trust her so much as to let her take on this important task. She was nervous and uneasy for a while, but her inflated ambition and excitement eventually took over. She even swore to herself that she would never let Gu Changge down. After all, this was also an opportunity Gu Changge gave her to show her abilities. She must make good use of it.

After seeing Ji Qingxuan take his keepsake and leave Immortal Academy for Chaos Star Territory, Gu Changge finally focused on something else. He silently picked up the tea on the table, took a sip, and then picked up the Communication Rune.

On it was Yan Ji reporting the details about Xiao Ruoyin’s cultivation process during this period. Still, what Gu Changge cared most was whether Xiao Ruoyin had recovered her memory as the High Priestess of Destiny.

However, it now seemed that it would take a long time for Xiao Ruoyin to recover her memory. Other than that, Gu Changge didn’t care about her cultivation level.

Right then, a follower outside the hall suddenly came to give their report. “Young Master, there is news about the remnants of Bandit Thirteen. Do you want to arrest him?”

As he came back to his senses, he calmly asked, “Mm. Who is it?”

“The mysterious military advisor that runs Bandit Thirteen seems to be related to the commotion in the Demon World six thousand years ago,” the follower respectfully began. “According to the information we have inquired, it seems that the mysterious military advisor is related to the Solar Demon Overlord of the Demon World. He was then ordered to be killed by Empress Yao Xi, but he went missing after he escaped from the Demon World. No one had expected him to sneak into Chaos Star Territory and become the military advisor of Bandit Thirteen.”

[He is related to the Demon World? He is tied to my karma?] Gu Changge couldn’t help feeling somewhat startled after hearing those words, but he waved the follower off. “Got it. You can leave. Once there are traces of him, immediately send someone to arrest him.”

“Yes, Young Master.” The follower left promptly after.

Gu Changge thought for a moment before he picked up the calligraphy brush to write a letter. He had a feeling that this matter might have something to do with the returned Heir of the Demon Overlord. According to the information he had learned, there were six Demon Overlords in the former Demon World. Among them, the Solar Demon Overlord and Lunar Demon Overlord had the closest relationship.

The Heir of Solar Demon Overlord, Jun Bufan, was childhood sweethearts with Empress Yao Xi, who was now in charge of the Demon World. They were even betrothed to each other. However, the marriage contract happened six thousand years ago when there was chaos in the Demon World. Solar Demon Overlord’s children had died in the chaos, and the remaining five Demon Overlords had disappeared. Although Lunar Demon Overlord was the mother of Empress Yao Xi, she was rarely seen nowadays.

There were rumours about how she was in retreat, but no one knew for sure whether she was under house arrest by Empress Yao Xi, or if she had been killed long ago.

Nonetheless, Empress Yao Xi had had a bad reputation as early as 6,000 years ago in the Demon World. To many, such actions from her were to be expected.

Killing her fiancé, subduing and killing all the demons who resisted. Those in the Demon World who died in her hands were too many to count. She was so frighteningly cruel that there were even rumours that her voice could stop children from crying at night.

Gu Changge recalled the triggered prompt when he first entered Immortal Academy some time ago. It stated something along the lines of the ‘Heir of the Demon Overlord who had returned’. He had reminded Empress Yao Xi of it at that time, but he didn’t do much else. After all, he had something to do then.

[It seems that the Heir of the Demon Overlord has already amounted to something. Sure enough, it is a good opportunity for me to start harvesting, since this person is involved with the Fortuitous One, he must also carry a lot of Fortuity.] Gu Changge suddenly had such thoughts when he thought back on the image of the blind middle-aged man in his wheelchair.

“If that is the case, he is most likely to flee to the Demon World.” Gu Changge narrowed his eyes and called his followers again to tell them to always pay attention to the teleportation arrays going to the various Ancient Cities in the Demon World.

After he was done with the arrangement, he began to write letters, intending to find out Empress Yao Xi’s attitude towards him.

Even though he had flattered Empress Yao Xi the last time he met her at Immortal Academy, and even seemed like he had a good relationship with her, he knew that someone of her intellect wouldn’t give him her trust just like that. The most she felt for him was an admiration for an old acquaintance. Moreover, he didn’t know exactly how Empress Yao Xi felt towards her fiancé, whom she had poisoned. That was why it was necessary for him to decide the next plan according to how she views things.

If Empress Yao Xi still felt guilty towards Jun Bufan, Gu Changge didn’t mind helping her destroy such feelings.

…

In the Demon World, thick mist shrouded a splendid palace standing on the top of a mountain where a magnificent woman in a phoenix dress was writing something in front of a desk. She had beautiful facial features, and unlike her deep and calm eyes, the red makeup between her brows gave her looks a wicked touch.

Beside her stood four tall and slender women holding a calligraphy brush, ink, paper and inkstone. They each were charming despite their differences. With silky locks and beautiful faces, they were either gentle, aloof, cold or quiet.

“Your Majesty, here is a letter from the Young Master of the Gu Family from the Upper Realm. It was sent directly from the Immortal Academy.” A female official outside the hall respectfully came forward with a letter. Hearing this, the four female officials beside the woman in a phoenix dress seemed a little surprised. Among them, the woman with demure temperament came over, undid the letter, and presented it to the woman in phoenix dress.

The woman in a phoenix dress put down the memorial to the throne in her hands when she heard that. She, too, was surprised. “Gu Changge? Why did he write me a letter?”

As she spoke, she couldn’t help recalling what he said about her. Giving her credit as a brilliant Empress who took on scorn for the betterment of her people.

The memory of that brought a small, rare smile to her face, and she gently opened the letter to read its content.

The four female officials beside her all looked at this scene unfold in shock. As the closest female officials and confidants of Empress Yao Xi, they naturally knew the empress’ character very well.

Someone as stern and unfriendly as her actually smiled because of a man!

Of course, they knew who Gu Changge was. They were aware that he was the most popular, dazzling, and powerful young prodigy of this era.

Some time ago, he even destroyed one of the mightest forces. These women were shocked and terrified, and they found it unbelievable that this was something that someone in the younger generation was capable of. Even the most brilliant prodigy in the Demon World paled in comparison to him.

[When did Her Majesty know Gu Changge enough to contact each other through letters?]

“He has time to wonder about how I am doing now, hmm?” The smile on Yaoxi’s face deepened. Even the four female officials could tell that she was in a good mood.

This took them aback. It had been too long since they last saw her react this way. The last time she showed such an expression was probably the last time a minister, against all opinions in the court, agreed to her reforms, and even explained her intentions on her behalf.

Soon after, Yao Xi carefully read the contents of the letter again, and only then did her slender hand pick up the calligraphy brush next to her to write on the paper.

Her action further shocked the four female officials who were usually in charge of writing on Yao Xi’s behalf.

[Just how important is he to Her Majesty?] They were all suddenly curious to see for themselves what kind of a person the legendary Gu Changge was.

Yao Xi didn’t take long to finish writing the letter. She read through it again, and after showing a satisfied expression, she passed it to the female official next to her. “Have it sent to Young Master Changge as soon as possible.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.” The demure female official took the letter and left the palace quickly.

Yao Xi then calmly instructed the remaining officials, “Keep an eye on the teleportation arrays leading to the Upper Realm for the time being. The remnants from six thousand years ago are likely to recover again.”

The official with the cold face was startled when she heard that. “Your Majesty,” she asked, “is someone coming back to the Demon World?”

Yao Xi took a look at her. She trusted her female officials enough to not hide anything from them, and so she said indifferently, “Young Master Changge has wiped out Bandit Thirteen in Chaos Star Territory recently. One of the remaining evil-doers is Bai Kun, the Demon Master, who stood beside the Solar Demon Overlord six thousand years ago. Since he had offended Young Master Changge, there is no place for him in the Upper Realm. Young Master Changge speculates that Bai Kun will abscond and return to the Demon World.”

“To think it’s Bai Kun. I heard that he has the ability to discern the secrets of heaven and overturn the world.

“He was able to escape despite the relentless hunt six thousand years ago and he has been missing since then.

“To think that he had actually escaped to Chaos Star Territory.”

The female officers were shocked when they heard that.

Only the cold woman, who asked the question just now, had a slight change in her expression, as if she was a little nervous, but it was gone before Yao Xi, who was reading Gu Changge’s letter, could notice.

“Over the years, the remnants of the rebellion have shown signs of resurgence. There should be someone secretly leading the charge. Who could it be, I wonder?” Yao Xi frowned and started pondering over the problem mentioned in the letter.

She constantly felt regretful about how she and Gu Changge could not be there for each other. And so, she would always tell him everything in her letters whenever a problem arose.

When she met Gu Changge for the first time in Immortal Academy, she had paid attention to what Gu Changge said, and ordered a search for the remnants of the Demon Overlords when she returned to the Demon World.

Yao Xi had also been cautious by arresting people with the same name as her ex-fiancé in various places in the Demon World. She knew that this was tantamount to finding a needle in a haystack, but it was the only way she can think of at present. She knew Jun Bufan well enough to know that he would most likely continue to use his original name if he was not dead.

The reason she suspected he was alive was because she discovered that Jun Bufan’s tomb was empty, and at some point, his body had been stolen. Left with no leads, she could only hope to find a way to get to the bottom of this from Gu Changge.

Although Gu Changge was just a Junior to her, some of Gu Changge’s opinions and ideas had enlightened her. It was to the point she held his views in high regard.

…

[Heh, I knew it. The Heir of the Demon Overlord has grown considerably. I will have to find time to make a trip to the Demon World. I can’t possibly spit out the honey that is already in my mouth.] Inside the Immortal Academy, Gu Changge stood with his hands behind his back, and he had a faint smile on his face. He was not very surprised after reading Yao Xi’s letter.

In fact, he had already guessed the questions she was asking in the letter.

How could the returned Heir of the Demon Overlord repeat the same mistakes as he did six thousand years ago? As long as Jun Bufan was not stupid, he would choose to grow inconspicuously, show his face to Yao Xi as little as possible, and reduce the light shone on him as much as possible.

In the vast Demon World, it would be more difficult to look for the Heir of the Demon Overlord than finding a needle in a haystack. It was no wonder Yao Xi couldn’t find him. She might not even know whether Jun Bufan was dead or not.

[But the solution is simple. If we can’t go to him, make him come to us.] Gu Changge soon picked up his calligraphy brush and wrote another letter.

Since Yao Xi was looking for a solution from him, he could come up with plenty of them. In his opinion, Yao Xi was still not cruel enough.

He had many ways to make Jun Bufan show up on his own. If Gu Changge remembered correctly, Jun Bufan had a sister back then. His elder sister never participated in the chaos of the Demon World six thousand years ago. She even made her own land a forbidden zone in the Demon World, and no one dared to get near her territory throughout the last thousands of years.

…

At the same time, a young man in disguise was setting up a street stall on a remote street in an Upper Realm Ancient City.

The young man had many fragments of weapons stained with rust and dirt, and had many unrecognisable strange ores on display. They looked ancient, but seemed fresh as though they had just been unearthed. However, while he was setting up the stall, he would steal glances at the passing cultivators from time to time with flickering eyes. As he listened to their conversation, he felt his hatred and anger boil. [Unfortunately, neither Gu Changge nor the remaining members of Bandit Thirteen have anything to do with me now.]

The young man was Jiang Chen. If it weren’t for Gu Changge, he wouldn’t have been reduced to such a state where he needed to dig graves and sell grave goods to make a living. If luck was on his side, he could meet the owner of the tomb who died not long ago, and devour the remaining energy in their body.

But if he was unlucky, he would encounter corpses soaked in the essence of the universe. Bodies soaked in Sun and Moon Essense were highly likely to lead to a corpse transformation, and a gory disaster.

Because of that, he had to be extremely careful every time before he went into a grave, and he had to also watch out, lest he gets discovered by the family of the owner of the graves.

It had also been a long time since Black-Robed Elder showed up ever since he claimed he wanted to train Jiang Chen.

Not knowing where Black-Robed Elder was now, Jiang Chen could only look for hidden graves in mountains, and occasionally do the training Black-Robed Elder wanted him to.

He finally showed progress this time when he managed to open up his Spiritual Sea.

He had planned to go to the major squares and cities to gamble. However, he eventually gave up when he thought that he might not be able to leave once he won big. Thus, he gave up the thought.

And in the past few days, he happened to hear the news that there would be a new Ancient Divine Tomb. After hearing about this, he decided to go there to try his luck.