I Am the Fated Villain
chapter-380

Jiang Chen, for some reason, felt a terrifying pressure from this amazingly attractive girl. Her expression was mild but he could feel a murderous aura from her.

He braced himself and laughed dryly. “The-the light purple engraved stone…”

He pointed at the cracked stone in Gu Xianer’s hands meaningfully.

“This is yours?” she asked lightly in a cool voice, looking down at the engraved stone closely. It was incomplete and ancient, yet seemed to contain a kind of strange energy as it emitted unique vibrations. The worn-out ancient runes looked mysterious as well, and she hadn’t expected the stone, which had fallen at her feet to be anything special.

Jiang Chen was speechless at that, shaking his head instead. There were plenty of cultivation opportunities here which belonged to no one. He might have noticed and pursued it all the way here first, but it was now in the hands of this girl. He couldn’t just demand it from her. Besides, he could sense that her cultivation level was very high, meaning that he couldn’t win against her. If he accidentally offended her, he might end up dead.

“I saw a beam of light shooting towards me and thought it was something good, so I chased after it. I didn’t know that it was just a broken engraved stone.” After some thought, Jiang Chen smiled drily, a hint of pity and regret in his voice. He hoped that the girl had just picked it up out of curiosity and did not know what she was looking at. That way, he could simply pick it up when she abandoned it.

“Really? This stone doesn’t seem that simple to me.” Gu Xianer glanced at him as she had already seen through him.

“Hong, what do you think of this?” She waved the stone before the bird on her shoulder meaningfully. It nodded frantically, a human-like excitement in its eyes, before looking at Jiang Chen with distaste. It could sense that this man, with a weak cultivation level, was planning to take the treasure from them.

Gu Xianer let out a chuckle, her expression scornful. “You tried to lie to me. Did you think I won’t know?”

His heart thumped. [Damn it! I’ve underestimated her.]

His mind spun quickly, trying to think of an excuse to explain.

<Run! She is planning to kill you; Perhaps she thinks you have gotten yourself some treasure and plans on taking them,> the Artifact Spirit of the Celestial Boat of Creation frantically warned.

[What?] Jiang Chen’s expression became stricken, instinctively activating his Qi to run away. At the same time, he drew a broken weapon from his sleeve, which transformed into light, trying to stop her from closing in on him.

[You want to steal something of mine and dare attack me? How dare you!] Gu Xianer was pondering whether or not to attack when she saw the light shoot towards her. She froze, not expecting the weaker man to be brave enough to attack her. Her expression became furious from being slighted by someone this weak.

*Rumble!* The void vibrated as she withdrew a shiny jade sword from her sleeve. Principles wove around it, the blade was surprisingly sharp as it cut through the void and attacked the fleeing man. Even if he had fled in advance, he was still vastly inferior to her. Almost instantly, the powerful jade sword had sliced through the air and reached its destination. A coldness swept over him as the sword was about to kill him; he turned deathly pale as fear encompassed him.

[Why is she so powerful!?] He became desperate. Just in time, a golden spear shot down from the sky, infinitely long and powerful, and blocked the attack.

[So useless. How can you let your treasure get stolen by someone else?] The golden-haired youth from the Godly Illusion Clan landed on the ground. His eyes were gold, and even the ends of his hair shimmered brightly with the colour. His sharp gaze lingered on him coldly before landing on Gu Xianer.

Jiang Chen, after narrowly escaping death, was bathed in a cold sweat as he collapsed on the ground while panting. He hadn’t expected this ethereal-looking girl to behave so violently and even attempted to kill him. If Jiang Ming had come a moment later, he would have died instantly. He didn’t mind the mocking words as he was too traumatised to be bothered by it. However, he became calmer while looking at the murderous-looking girl. He knew exactly how powerful the Godly Illusion Clan was, so this mysterious girl wouldn’t continue her attack if she knew better.

“So you are the one who stole his treasure.” Jiang Ming studied Gu Xianer carefully, a look of amazement crossing his features. His Clansmen all consisted of attractive men and women, but this was the first time he had seen such otherworldly beauty on a young girl no less. His tone, however, remained cold and haughty.

Gu Xianer ran up from behind, her skirts fluttering while her hair fell around her face like a waterfall. Her expression was frigid when she glanced at him after hearing him speak. This youth was extremely strong. She could tell he was partially in the Quasi-Sacred Realm, and was close to a breakthrough to the Sacred Realm. Nonetheless, she didn’t care about that though; she didn’t mind killing anyone who stood in her way.

Jiang Ming’s expression darkened when he saw that she was ignoring him. He was a young prodigy of the Godly Illusion Clan and his sister, Jiang Luoshen, was extraordinarily strong. He hadn’t been so underestimated before.

“If you know what’s good for you, hand it over and I will let you live. Otherwise, no one can save you,” Jiang Ming said coldly. His terrifying spear shimmered with bright golden runes. He had seen that she was alone even though she was in the dangerous tomb, which meant she wouldn’t did not possess a grand status nor background.

“You sure are so egotistical and reckless.” Gu Xianer frowned, thinking that this youth was very proud. The way he was looking at her made her uncomfortable as well. However, since he was so bent on dying, she shouldn’t be blamed for this.

She attacked immediately and forcefully, a frightening aura appearing around her. Her jade-white fist, delicate as it was, crossed the space between them to hit Jiang Ming. It made a loud thump as it shattered the void, and light exploded around them. The vibrations spread into the surrounding land, causing mountains to collapse and trees to become ash. The cultivators fighting each other for treasures looked simultaneously towards the direction it had come from.

“You dare attack me!? You must be suicidal!” Jiang Ming hadn’t expected her to attack so quickly. He became enraged and a vicious expression showed on his face as he retaliated. A golden light wove around him to form a frightening golden demeanour which rose into the sky. He then whipped his spear with the strength of a million tonnes towards Gu Xianer, glowing golden as it moved.

*Bang!* Her expression didn’t change, remaining as cold as ever while she countered the spear attack with her jade fist. She looked slender and delicate but her strength was formidable. Her aura and vitality were strong, and there seemed to be a blood dragon surging from the top of her skull.

Many cultivators some distance away looked stricken by fear as they sensed the aura from the fight. Their souls seemed shaken by it. It even caused a few Sect Masters to frown.

*Boom!* A loud explosion rang out as the ground cracked and the world turned upside down. Infinite Principles and runes interwove and eventually condensed before a figure flew backwards. His hair became mussed while blood dripped from the corner of his mouth.

“IS that all you’ve got? Disappointing.” Gu Xianer walked towards him, her voice light while her clothes fluttered around her. She looked as ethereal and otherworldly as a goddess from the Nine Heavens, yet her abilities and strength shocked those near them.

“Impossible!” Jiang Ming turned pale, retreating without stopping. He had become weaker after just one attack and his arm felt numb. He couldn’t believe that while she had used her body to block his weapon, it had been his weapon which made a cracking sound, as if it was about to shatter. [Just how tough is her body!?]

He became even more shocked and frustrated since she was younger than him.

[I refuse to believe I cannot take her down!] He gritted his teeth and planned to attack once more. He was unrivalled among his peers in the Godly Illusion Clan, so how could this random girl he had just met in the tomb possess such power?

His body glowed with a terrifying golden light, making him look like a golden deity while exuding power over a five thousand kilometre radius. The void blurred due to the power he exuded, ready to melt under the temperature. This was an ability unique to the Godly Illusion Clan. It was the Godly Illusion Flame. It was ranked among the highest in the Heavenly Flames of the Upper Realm because of how potent it was.

[Now, let’s see how you’re going to fend against me now.] Jiang Ming, having displayed his ability, sliced his spear towards her. The void exploded from the force, emitting light as blinding as exploding stars as he attacked. At the same time, his eyes glowed with a bright golden light while the Godly Illusion Flame transformed into a golden dragon and descended from the sky. It burned everything in its path, sending fear through everyone nearby.

[These two are so formidable. The aftershocks from their battle can kill me many times over.] Jiang Chen was aghast at the display, running further from them as he was scared of being involved.

However, Gu Xianer’s expression did not change when Jiang Ming wielded his ability. As she raised a hand, millions of Sword Qi materialised like a flower blooming. Each petal of the flower glittered like jade and contained a chilling murderous aura which swirled and billowed in the void, and each one could easily cut through the void.

This was an extremely potent Divine Sword Technique with a frightening murderous aura. The ground shook violently, causing mountains to collapse and old trees to crack. Those fighting over the treasure became scared and fled in every direction, away from the epicentre. The other young prodigies watched on in shock, but the light emitted from the fight was too bright for anything to be discerned through close observation.

The Sect Masters looked on with intrigue, clearly having recognised that the golden heavenly flame was the Godly Illusion Flame from the Godly Illusion Clan. This meant that one of the Clans young prodigies was involved.

Meanwhile, the young prodigies of the Immortal Academy witnessed this with varying reactions.

“The young prodigy from the Godly Illusion Clan is surprisingly strong. I don’t know who his opponent is, though,” one of the Unranked Disciples commented, his gaze fixed upon the scene.

“This aura… it’s Xianer.” Yue Mingkong raised her eyebrows, having sensed the hidden vibrations from the void. She watched from a distance, unconcerned about Gu Xianer since she already knew the outcome.

[What’s Jiang Ming doing? I told him to protect Jiang Chen but he’s fighting with someone?] Jiang Luoshen was watching the change within the ancient palace closely, and her brows furrowed when she noticed the vibrations from the fight. A hint of frigidness flashed across her cold features but her attention remained mostly on the ancient palace, and the crack emitting multicoloured light. She was confident in Jiang Ming’s ability and wasn’t worried that he would get wounded.

A sudden scream then rang out. It scared the young prodigies and cultivators closely observing the fight. As the golden light faded away, they could see Jiang Ming pressing a hand against his arm with a furious and disbelieving expression. His technique had been neutralised! His weapon had also been shattered into pieces by the young woman. This was something which he couldn’t believe.

“Impossible! Our cultivation levels are nearly the same! How is this possible!?” His voice shook and his face drained of colour. Everyone watched on flabbergasted, seeing that he was gravely injured. Half of his body had been blasted open and was covered in blood, while the young woman’s expression remained cold. Drops of blood had landed on her pale skin which obviously did not belong to her.

“There’s nothing impossible. You’re just suicidal.” Gu Xianer’s voice held no inflexion as she struck again. Jiang Ming coughed up blood as his body was blasted once again. She looked ready to kill him.

[Where did this mysterious young woman come from!? How is Jiang Ming weaker than her!?] Jiang Chen’s eyes widened, his back cold from fear. If Jiang Ming hadn’t shown up and rescued him, he would have been killed by her just now.

“It’s her!” Monk Pu Du exclaimed, sounding completely taken aback. He had concealed his movements well and appeared once again beside Jiang Chen to watch the fight.

“Who is she?” Jiang Chen looked towards him in confusion. Monk Pu Du frowned deeply and did not answer, choosing to look towards a frigid-looking Jiang Luoshen.

“We may have gotten ourselves entangled into massive trouble.” He sighed.

“The young prodigy from the Godly Illusion Clan’s opponent is her of all people?”

“Guess things will not end so easily now….”

The prodigies from the Immortal Academy recognised her too, and their expressions filled with shock.

“You dare kill me? I am from the Godly Illusion Clan.” Jiang Ming, coughing up blood violently, watched her attack once again with disbelief. His expression became shocked and desperate since she dared to attack him in front of everyone. [Don’t you know who I am!?]

“So what?” There was still no change in her expression as she prepared to kill him with her powerful abilities.

“Enough.” Jiang Luoshen, who was standing above the golden clouds, looked irritated. She hadn’t expected Gu Xianer to continue her attack after knowing who Jiang Ming was and not caring about their Clan’s reputation whatsoever.

Her voice sounded cold. “You dare attack someone from the Godly Illusion Clan?”

*Bang!* As she finished speaking, a golden figure marched from behind her while exuding a powerful aura. It was in the Peak Sacred Lord Realm. This aura settled on the area thousands of kilometres around Gu Xianer, and Chaos Qi began to appear. A palm then reached out from the sky in preparation to save Jiang Ming.

“To think it’s someone in the Peak Sacred Lord Realm. Someone strong enough to be a Sect Master…” The onlookers turned pale, shaking to their core. They were ready to prostrate themselves towards such a display of power. Even the expressions of the important figures among them froze slightly as they became wary. There was nearly nobody who could rival a Master from the Godly Illusion Clan in the same cultivation realm.

“Hmph. You dare protect someone who the Gu Family wants dead?” Everyone watched on in shock as an Elder with cold features walked out from among the members of the Immortal Gu Family. As his sleeve moved, the sky seemed to cloud over as the power was all-encompassing. Another Peak Sacred Lord Realm power surged out to counter the cultivator from the Godly Illusion Clan.

“The Immortal Gu Family.” Jiang Luoshen’s expression shifted slightly, not expecting the young girl to be from the Immortal Gu Family. It wasn’t surprising that they could care less about them. Her face darkened. While there weren’t many forces that the Godly Illusion Clan was wary of, the Immortal Gu Family was definitely one of them.

“The Immortal Gu Family, She’s a member of the Immortal Gu Family!?” Jiang Chen, astounded, asked Monk Pu Du with disbelief in his voice.

The Monk nodded, voice grave. “You may not know the woman if I tell you about her background, but you definitely know her cousin.”

Jiang Chen’s heart stuttered, fear sweeping over him.

“Is it Gu-Gu Changge?” he asked in a shaking voice. The name scared him yet ignited hatred inside him.

The Monk’s voice wasn’t loud but Jiang Luoshen could hear him clearly when he replied seriously, “This woman is named Gu Xianer and is Gu Changge’s cousin. He spoils her rotten and she’s considered the princess of the Immortal Gu Family.”

He hadn’t expected Jiang Ming to start a fight with Gu Xianer, nor him to nearly die at her hand. Offending her wasn’t the scary part; Gu Changge was far more frightening. Any force who had some sort of background knew of her as well as her relationship with him. Only those forces who rarely showed up in the outside world, like the Godly Illusion Clan, knew little about them.

Jiang Luoshen’s head began to hurt after hearing this, while Jiang Chen looked cold after knowing she was Gu Changge’s cousin. It was no surprise that she was so cruel then.

The young prodigies from different Sects as well as the important figures watched on with interest as the Sacred Lord Realm Masters from the Godly Illusion Clan and the Immortal Gu Family confronted each other. Their auras dominated the air around them. Both forces each contained a large amount of power, passed down for a very long time. The Immortal Gu Family, in particular, was clearly mysterious and strong. Now that the two had clashed, the other forces would be happy with whatever the outcome might be.

Jiang Luoshen, having considered this, felt embarrassment rise to her cold face. She didn’t know how to retreat from such a situation.

“Sister, save me.” Jiang Ming was also stunned by the fact that this unassuming young woman was the princess of the Immortal Gu Family. Why had she acted alone instead of with the other members of her family then? He felt like cursing loudly right now, but he still had to think of a way to survive this. He didn’t want to die so humiliatingly here.

“Let Jiang Ming go. We can talk about this.” Jiang Luoshen frowned. If Jiang Ming died here, she wouldn’t be able to explain this to her uncle. Thus, her tone became softer compared to the forceful one she had used.

Gu Xianer stared at Jiang Ming coldly. She preferred going around alone and didn’t plan on letting her family get involved in such an issue. If she killed him now, she could temporarily relieve her fury. However, that would also lead to a clash between the Immortal Gu Family and the Godly Illusion Clan, while the other forces reaped benefits in delight.

After some thought, she felt a little unwilling but… planned to not kill him and let him go.

“What happened just now?” Meanwhile, Jiang Luoshen coldly looked at Jiang Chen and asked. In her opinion, he had a part to play in this, and she needed details of how things transpired to settle this mess.

“This thing happened like this…” Jiang Chen, knowing that it was not the right time to be hiding anything, disclosed what had happened, while being prepared for any possible repercussions.

Jiang Ming took action because of the cracked stone. Jiang Cheng stressed that it had nothing to do with him. After all, if it had not been obtained by Gu Xianer, then it would have fallen into his hands and eventually to Jiang Ming’s.

After listening to the whole story, Jiang Luoshen could not help but frown. She now knew that her brother was in the wrong, and this whole mess was caused by him.

Though they were close, she could still tell right from wrong.

She immediately spoke up, willing to compensate Gu Xianer as an apology. Naturally, it was only under the premise that she would release Jiang Ming.

“I’ll admit, that we are the ones who are in the wrong for this. To show our apology, we wish to compensate you. But, that is under the premise that my brother is released.” Jiang Luoshen spoke, she held onto the curtain of clouds around her, sounding a lot softer than usual. It was unusual for someone as aloof as her to speak in such a manner.

Hearing this, Gu Xianer’s eyebrows creased. She was about to release Jiang Ming when she though, [Why do I feel like this? After hearing what she had said, it makes me feel more indignant. It is as if I lack money and seek their compensation. What’s worse, if I agree to it, won’t that make me seem weak? It is also as though I am afraid of the Godly Illusion Clan…]

Just when Gu Xianer was pondering over things, finding it difficult to make a decision, a faint voice resounded from high up in the sky. “Kill him.”