I Am the Fated Villain
chapter-534

Kun Mountain actually wasn’t far from Dark Kun City. In fact, one would be able to see the majestic, towering, Chaos-Mist-enveloped mountain range standing within the clouds if one overlooked from the top of the city wall.

The area was so misty that no one could get a clear visual of the mountain. If anything, it seemed like a mysterious and mighty ancient land that had existed before time, and one would even be able to sense the terrifying energy it emitted from far away.

Divine lights and divine rainbows traversed the sky from faraway lands one after another into Dark Kun City.

Lately, a surprising amount of prominent figures had arrived in Dark Kun City. In fact, one could throw a stone, and it might land on an Elder of an Immortal Sect.

Many cultivators even sensed fluctuations that came from powerful Dao Artifacts flash past the city, and it naturally shook the people up.

Of the Forces who had come to help the Ji Family, some had even brought Dao Artifacts, attempting to use it to storm Kun Mountain. The last time the Upper Realm sent an army to invade the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains, they had gathered the Forces of the entire realm, and now, they were gathering on Kun Mountain, A Life Forbidden Area.

As for the threats within Kun Mountain, it was still a mystery. After all, no living being who stumbled onto the true threats of the mountain had managed to leave the place alive.

This time, if the operation of rescuing the Prime Ancestor of the Ji Family succeeds, then it would be an unprecedented feat.

Right then, inside a stone-gambling hall in Dark Kun City, a young man in disguise and a monk would take glances at each other every now and then. They were seemingly discussing something.

The young man was handsome and tall, and he exuded a temperament that was unlike any other. As for the monk next to him, though the man looked amiable, the feeling he gave off was quite the opposite.

“Kind Sir Jiang, as the Successor of a Divine Source Master, you should know what’s hidden inside these mystical stones, right?”

The two men were none other than Jiang Chen and Monk Pu Du, and as the monk asked with a smile, his eyes shone brightly as he swept his gaze across the many mystical stones inside the building.

Jiang Chen, on the other hand, nodded composedly and steadily. “Naturally.”

The changes in heaven and earth, and the transformation of mountains and rivers, to name a few, were all within the scope of the Celestial Boat of Creation’s deduction and detection. He might not be able to directly see what was hidden within those stones, but he could sense how precious it was.

Furthermore, he and the Artifact Spirit of the Celestial Boat of Creation had become more and more in sync these days. In fact, he could even kickstart some of the Celestial Boat of Creation’s powers, and these stone-gambling halls seemed to be made specifically for him.

“That’s good. Later, I will pay for the stones while you choose them. We get an equal share of whatever is inside. What do you say?” Monk Pu Du couldn’t help but beam as he suggested after receiving Jiang Chen’s promise. His amiable look was arguably one-eighty to his usual attitude.

Meanwhile, Jiang Chen nodded in agreement without hesitation.

Since he and Monk Pu Du were considered old acquaintances, he naturally wouldn’t doubt the monk’s integrity. Of course, there was another reason. He was genuinely cash-strapped at the moment as he had spent most of his money on cultivation resources.

However, the stones here were costly. After all, they were from the nearby Kun Mountain. Hence, the price for each would naturally be beyond other stones within the city.

Followingly, the two squeezed through the cultivators in front of them and headed to a higher floor.

It was obvious that Monk Pu Du was a regular at the stone-gambling hall. He knew that there were barely any worthwhile stones downstairs. After all, these stones were from the outermost periphery of Kun Mountain.

In no time, the two arrived on the third floor, which was more spacious. The place was flowing with multicoloured mists that made it seem otherworldly, and the stones that were placed everywhere were also bursting with glows of various colours. In fact, there were even unusual fluctuations coming from some of these stones.

It was clear that the cultivators here were all notable figures, as their temperaments and cultivation levels were far beyond those who were downstairs. Jiang Chen even saw quite a number of Immortal Sect disciples on this floor. They were shrouded in powerful glows, and their temperaments were extraordinary.

“Feel free to pick whichever catches your fancy, Kind Sir Jiang.” A brilliant smile had been plastered on Monk Pu Du’s face since arriving on the third floor. Clearly, he had absolute faith in the young man.

Jiang Chen wasted no time either. Heavenly light laced his eyes as he chatted with the Artifact Spirit of the Celestial Boat of Creation in his head while searching for a fine stone.

<Pick that one. Yes, the one in the middle there. The largest one…> urged the Artifact Spirit of the Celestial Boat of Creation.

Jiang Chen nodded and gazed at the largest stone in the middle of the third floor. It was so massive that a few people would have to surround it in order to form a complete ring, and it looked pretty rugged. Worst of all, it looked far plainer than the other stones here that were glowing brightly.

“I want that one,” announced Jiang Chen plainly without hesitation while pointing at the massive stone.

Many directed their attention towards Jiang Chen after hearing his words, and their countenances were enveloped in peculiarity.

When Jiang Chen and Monk Pu Du first came in, they took a glance at the duo but made nothing of them since they were unfamiliar faces. If anything, they assumed the two would look around for some time before making their decision, but who’d have thought Jiang Chen picked the largest stone on the floor after taking just one look.

They were first dumbfounded before bursting into laughter. To them, Jiang Chen’s decision wasn’t only foolish, it was also the making of an amateur who knew nothing.

“Hey, does anybody know this idiot? Does he think he can bag a good deal by picking the largest one here? Not even Elder Mo can detect there’s something worthwhile inside, yet he wants it!” Someone ridiculed and shook their head at that.

The Elder Mo he mentioned was a renowned Source Master in the local stone-gambling square. As powerful as he was, not even he was certain what was in this stone. Hence, people gradually ignored it, and just like that, it sat there in the same spot for years.

That said, the manager in charge of the floor was pleasantly surprised. “Do you really want to buy this, sir?”

He didn’t care if Jiang Chen was knowledgeable in stone gambling as, to him, the young man was a sucker who offered himself on a silver platter. So why shouldn’t he cheat some money off the latter? [Finally, someone dumb enough to buy this thing. It has been here for years, and no one has asked about it.]

“Naturally,” monotoned Jiang Chen, who was composed the entire time, seemingly unsurprised that the crowd would react this way.

“How many Spiritual Stones will it be?” asked Monk Pu Du as he pulled out his storage ring. Sure, he was somewhat puzzled by Jiang Chen’s decision, but he had complete faith in the young man.

“Three hundred thousand Spiritual Stones,” answered the manager with a beam, leading a hint of ridicule to flash across Jiang Chen’s face. [You’re going to regret this later.]

Monk Pu Du, on the other hand, readily pulled out three hundred thousand Spiritual Stones and bought the stone.

“Let me warn you, sir, once you purchase it, whatever comes out of it has nothing to do with our hall, and you can’t go back on your decision,” the manager couldn’t help giving Jiang Chen a ‘friendly’ reminder. He was worried the latter would regret his decision and cause a ruckus.

“Enough talking. Just cut it open,” Jiang Chen urged plainly, looking quite restless.

Meanwhile, the others on the floor gathered around with great interest upon seeing so, surprised that Jiang Chen actually bought it.

[The dude doesn’t just look dumb, but he’s also rich as hell.]

Though many Sect disciples gathered here, barely any could pull out three hundred thousand Spiritual Stones at once.

“Three hundred thousand Spiritual Stones… Tsk, tsk, tsk…”

“If nothing comes out of it later, he’ll be sure to rue his decision.”

Many watched with great interest and hints of ridicule.

Followingly, the cultivator in charge of cutting stones carefully chipped off pieces of the stone layer by layer, and suddenly, mysterious and profound energy rippled across the hall.

The crowd’s expression shifted at this point, no longer as contemptuous and casual as before. Even the manager and some Elders’ gazes on the stone turned grave.

The next second, a thick scarlet glow and intimidating energy burst out from within.

“That’s… Blood King Ginseng… and at least a million years old…” someone exclaimed with wide eyes.

Million-years-old Blood King Ginseng… That was a heavenly herb that even a Sacred King Realm expert would lust over. It was something that could only be found by chance, and it was worth at least a few million Spiritual Stones.

The manager’s countenance turned awful at this point as he reeled in incredulity. Though it wasn’t to the point where he would literally cry out in regret, it still felt terrible.

“Three hundred thousand for a million-years-old Blood King Ginseng… It’s pretty worth it,” Jiang Chen commented plainly.

At this point, no one in the stone-gambling hall dared belittle Jiang Chen anymore. That said, there were some who were still unwilling to resign to fate and simply chalked it up to the young man’s win being just a fluke.

Just then, a group of young men and women with extraordinary temperament and aura, wearing outfits with the Skyward Schloss emblem, showed up at the stone-gambling hall.

“Hey, that’s a Blood King Ginseng. Has someone cut out a Blood King Ginseng from a stone?” pointed out a gorgeous young woman with luscious hair and fair skin. She had a pair of legs that were longer than most women, and the white dress she was wearing made her crisp and otherworldly, like a fairy.

Jiang Chen froze upon hearing the familiar voice, and the indifference on his face, too, disappeared quickly, replaced by disbelief as he turned around, landing his gaze on the young woman who walked over.

[Ruoyin? What is she doing here?] Excitement overcame Jiang Chen as he trembled slightly. Never had he thought that he would reunite with Xiao Ruoyin here on this day after so many days had passed.

That said, he was under a disguise right then. Xiao Ruoyin probably couldn’t make him out, and the notion saddened Jiang Chen. But he still calmed down as he knew this wasn’t the time to reunite with her.

“Have we met?” Xiao Ruoyin thought the young man staring at her was somewhat familiar. However, she couldn’t put her finger on it.

“No, this is the first time we’re meeting.” Jiang Chen shook his head with a smile.

Xiao Ruoyin didn’t bother herself with it and just looked at the Blood King Ginseng in Jiang Chen’s hand and asked, “Is this Blood King Ginseng yours?”

She remembered that Yan Ji’s cultivation level was in the Sacred King Realm. Thus, the Blood King Ginseng would be of great use to her.

“Yes. Since you and I hit it off so well, I can give it to you if you want,” Jiang Chen offered with a smile as though the Blood King Ginseng was a carrot sold on the streets.

He could tell Xiao Ruoyin badly wanted the Blood King Ginseng, and at this juncture, he decided to give the young woman the heavenly herb without talking it through with Monk Pu Du. [Well, Monk Pu Du is likely to not mind something like this.]

Meanwhile, the countenances of those on the third floor shifted slightly. After all, this was a Blood King Ginseng that was worth millions of Spiritual Stones, but Jiang Chen intended to give it to the young woman just like that!

Then again, she was indeed exceptionally gorgeous, like a fairy sent from above.

Monk Pu Du, too, frowned slightly, but he didn’t say anything at this time, as he believed he had seen the young woman somewhere and that Jiang Chen seemed to keep a constant eye out on her back at the Godly Illusion Tomb.

[They’re probably old acquaintances. But Jiang Chen has put on a disguise now, so she probably can’t tell it’s him.]

Xiao Ruoyin, on the other hand, was at a loss for words, surprised that the somewhat familiar young man actually intended to give her the Blood King Ginseng.

His intention was so obvious that her brows furrowed slightly. Given her current status at Skyward Schloss, she naturally had the Spiritual Stones to purchase the Blood King Ginseng from him.

“Thank you, kind sir. But I can afford to buy a Blood King Ginseng.”

Jiang Chen realised, too, that his actions earlier had been rude, and he rubbed his nose in embarrassment.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk, another one that wants to shoot beyond his league. I advise you to give up now. Junior Sister Ruoyin is one of Young Master Changge’s people!” The young men and women all couldn’t help ridiculing Jiang Chen after hearing his words. Clearly, this wasn’t their first time witnessing such a situation.

“Don’t say that, you guys. If Young Master Gu hears of it, he might laugh at me for being delusional.” Xiao Ruoyin couldn’t help giving her fellow disciples a dirty look as she blushed.

On the other hand, Jiang Chen’s countenance stiffened and blanched. His grip on the Blood King Ginseng tightened too.