I Am the Fated Villain
chapter-634

While the entire Profound Sword World was busy searching for the World’s Will, Lin En was far away, treading his way toward the Boundless Valley with furrowed brows.

Just as the name implied, Boundless Valley stretched beyond the horizon, and one would feel as though being in a foggy sea. A kind of ethereal and thick white fog enveloped the place as many foothills were scattered around the place. Strange gusts of wind blew through as well. They seemed to come from the faraway shore on the opposite side.

Other than the top of some mountains, the rest of the place was immersed in an endless fog. It was practically impossible to find the entrance.

Along Lin En’s journey, he saw far too many eerily white and slightly shiny bones interred in the valley outside. Some beasts’, some cultivators’; who knew just how long they had lain to rest there?

Legend had it that the Profound Sword World’s deepest secret lay hidden within the Boundless Valley.

Hence, many great cultivators would come and try their luck when they were on their last legs, seeing if they could find a way to prolong their lives. Alas, only one result would come of their search—dying a miserable death outside of Boundless Valley, for they couldn’t even find the entrance to traverse deeper into the place.

As for Lin En, it was thanks to the tattered page he once read that he could come so far, as the page showed him the path ahead. Other than that, it would be because his high cultivation level helped him avoid many disasters.

“The Shu Sect has been obliterated, and Master’s death remains uncertain… This is a vengeance I must take,” mumbled Lin En as he closed his eyes a little and perked his ears up slightly.

Through the ears and eyes outside Boundless Valley, he could learn almost everything that was going on in the outside world. Never did he expect such grave news from the Shu Sect while he was away.

Not only was his Master, the Old Sword Immortal, sold out by the Shu Sect, but even the Sect itself ceased to exist. The place was now in ruins, no longer as glorious as it once was.

“Boundless Valley contains the power of absolute detachment. Once I succeed, I’ll be able to kill Gu Changge and avenge Master,” Lin En swore icily before turning around, gradually fading into the fog.

Days later, Lin En found a path following the tattered page’s instructions where the fog dispersed to the sides, revealing a stone forest.

At that, he entered and advanced for a little over fifty kilometres before finally seeing a magnificent land.

Fortunity enveloped the place, cranes soared, and various rare beasts resided secludedly. It was a beyond magnificent sight. Arguably, this place was night and day to the outside world, as there were no signs of human habitation. In fact, it looked to be a paradise, and it made Lin En widen his eyes with shock and incredulity.

“Is this what Boundless Valley actually looks like? These are all divine beasts that can only be found in ancient books. To think there are so many of them…” Lin En marvelled, gradually calming down as he slowly walked further in.

The inside of the valley was paradise-like and wreathed with strips of heavenly light from the sky while various spiritual trees and ancient medicinal herbs grew in abundance.

The entrance of the valley was connected to the stone forest, and at the entrance stood a stone tablet with a carving pf ‘Boundless Immortal Valley’.

It was a land of serenity and fortune, and scents of various medicinal herbs lingered in the air while the living beings here feared no human. There was not another place in this world as peaceful as this.

In fact, Lin En could evidently feel that his hostility had vanished since arriving here, no longer as outraged and uneasy as before. It was as though the place could resolve all worldly troubles.

“To think the Ancient Sword Faith Tree that had long only resided in ancient records grows abundantly here!” Lin En exclaimed with shock as he looked in front, where thin celestial mists intertwined with the grove of ancient trees, each giving a crisp scent that could travel all the way from there.

The branches on every single tree entwined like a horned dragon, as if they had been carefully cultivated, and the most interesting thing about the trees was the flowers that they produced. They were crystal clear and shaped like miniature Divine Swords. They sparkled too. It was incredibly fascinating.

And just as Lin En was sizing the place up with bewilderment, a hoary, gentle voice rang from deep within the fog suddenly. “Looks like you’re the Destined One I have been waiting for.”

Lin En looked in the direction of the voice with shock, only to find the fog in front parting by itself, revealing a path that seemed to lead somewhere.

“May I know who you are?” Asked the young man warily instead of approaching the path immediately.

“I am the one you seek.” The hoary, gentle voice rang out again.

“The one I seek?” Lin En’s heart skipped a beat. Though baffled, he was no longer as weary as a second ago and approached the path.

He found a very simple thatched cottage at the end of the path. It was surrounded by a fence, and many plants and trees were grown in the yard. There was a spiritual pool aside as well, where a few fishes darted around.

The place was incredibly serene and poetic, with the spring water gurgling and streaming down beneath a small stone arch bridge. The tranquil scene washed away so much of Lin En’s worries that he became entirely detached, as though he could turn into an Immortal and leave aside all worldly affairs.

Just then, an aethereal Elder in white with grey hair and a beard came out chuckling from the thatched cottage and greeted Lin En. “You’re here, Destined One…”

“I’m sorry. You are…” Lin En’s heart skipped a beat in response. He couldn’t believe he had failed to sense the Elder’s presence at all. It was as though the man had already become one with this place.

The Elder was everywhere but at the same time nowhere. It was an incredibly mystical phenomenon, one with the world.

“I am but nobody who has been waiting for the Destined One to show up, and it seems that you’re the one I’ve been waiting for,” said the Elder in white with a chuckle while waving his hand.

Seeing Lin En was totally baffled, he cut to the case and told the young man he was from a line of guardians of the Profound Sword World dedicated to waiting for the Destined One in Boundless Immortal Valley to arrive.

Every time the Profound Sword World encountered a catastrophic disaster, a Destined One would be born, and they would be responsible for saving the world and the people in it.

The way the Elder saw it, Lin En was the one he had been waiting for, for only the Destined One could find this place.

“I am the 3000th descendant of the lineage of guardians, tasked to look after the Heavenly Dao Sword.” At that, the Elder in white turned grave. “The Heavenly Dao Sword is the Profound Sword World’s artifact of gathering Fortuity. It is of the same level as the Heavenly Dao Authority, and it contains immense power.”

“The Heavenly Dao Sword? Is this the Boundless Immortal Valley’s greatest secret!?” Lin En exclaimed with shock, and there was only one thought left in his head after hearing the Elder’s words—obtaining the Heavenly Dao Sword.

[The same level as the Heavenly Dao Authority… Won’t it mean the Profound Sword World contains incredible power!? All all of it is here!? This means I can defeat Gu Changge easily, can’t I?!”

“Senior, how can I obtain this Heavenly Dao Sword you speak of? The outside world is in shambles now. With the Otherworldly Sky Demons’ invasion, the Thirteen States have begun falling. The entire Profound Sword World would be completely taken over very soon. The Heavenly Dao Sword is our only way to end this disaster and return this land to its former peace,” Lin En asked gravely, feeling another weight had been rested onto his shoulders.

“In the middle of a disaster, huh? You indeed need the Heavenly Dao Sword to resolve it,” said the Elder in white as admiration laced his face. “As expected from the Destined One I have waited for a long time. Such courage is indeed beyond that of the common men.”

While speaking, his palm glowed, and slivers of World Principles entwined with each other, forming a key.

“This is the key to the Heavenly Dao Sword,” explained the Elder while handing the key to Lin En. “Take this and find the sword in the depths of Mirror Lake. The sword had been sealed within it since the beginning, and only this key can unlock the seal.”

“Mirror Lake? Isn’t it the legendary lake that buried Sword City? The lake vanished, too, after the city had been submerged in it. How am I going to find it?!” Lin En was incredibly shocked, for the Mirror Lake was a mysterious place in the Profound Sword World.

The lake got its name because its surface could reflect the surroundings, and many cultivators attempted to seek it, wanting to use the substance in the water to forge a sword. Because of it, a city named Sword City was built near Mirror Lake, and during its golden age, it produced many notable swords. Even the present Shu Sect was incomparable to it.

The legend had been passed down for tens of millions of years, and there had never lacked people from the Thirteen States searching for the Mirror Lake. However, all returned empty-handed. With time, Mirror Lake and Sword City became a story of fables.

“Worry not. The Mirror Lake has never disappeared. It’s just that very few were ever able to find it. Since you possess the key to unlock the Heavenly Dao Sword, you’ll naturally be able to locate the lake,” said the Elder in white with an affable smile.

“Got it.” Lin En nodded. He knew this was very important, and failure wasn’t an option. It turned out that a sword of this level actually existed in the Profound Sword World; it had just been sealed up in the depths of Mirror Lake.

“Is there anything else I should know, Senior?” he asked while sweeping his gaze across the surroundings. The place looked incredibly serene and otherworldly. However, he couldn’t shake off the feeling that he might be hallucinating.

The Elder in white shook his head and said, “My job is to wait here for the Destined One and hand him the key. There’s nothing else for me to tell you. Now that I’ve completed my job, I can rest in peace too…”

“What?! Senior, you—” Lin En couldn’t believe his ears. [Is this mysterious Elder going to die very soon?!]

However, the Elder in white didn’t answer him. Instead, he smiled, flung his arm out, and sent Lin En out of Boundless Immortal Valley. “We will meet again if fate allows it. Now, off you go.”

“Senior—” Lin En still had many things to say. However, he disappeared in the blink of an eye, and by the time he came to his senses, he returned to the stone forest.

Such incredible and profound power shook Lin En to his core. [This Elder’s powers are certainly far beyond the Earth Sword Immortals. Unfately, I couldn’t ask him to come with him…]

“What a shame. He might actually be able to defeat Gu Changge. But first, the Heavenly Dao Sword.” A flying sword appeared beneath Lin En’s feet as he took a step out, and very quickly, he disappeared from the place.

Meanwhile, inside Boundless Immortal Valley, the Elder in white’s serene countenance disappeared following Lin En’s departure and turned into one of impassiveness.

At that, he flung his arm again, and the many scenes before him were disillusioned. The thatched cottage disappeared, the water and bridge turned into dust, and everything else exploded and turned into dust with a boom. In a split second, the place turned into a barren valley with nothing but ancient, ivory, incomplete skeletons.

“Energy merged from the two worlds. What a wonderful body for me to use…” mumbled the Elder in white as he slowly shifted his gaze onto the unconscious Tuo Ba Xiao Yao as blood began oozing out of his eyes. However, the next second, he furrowed his brows, and his countenance shifted.

The space in front crumbled all of a sudden, and a large hand interwoven with Chaos Qi and multicoloured divine light reached toward him. Stars gathered at the palm, and the hand seemed to be attacking him from a faraway space.

“How did he locate me!?” The Elder’s gaze turned profound in a snap, and he finally realised he had been followed when he saw the burly silhouette that had disappeared from the void. However, he didn’t have time to attack the silhouette, for he knew the latter’s incredibly troublesome Master was coming over.