I Am the Fated Villain
chapter-696

Even if Yan Luo knew that the black mask was strange and suspicious, he couldn’t possibly decline. After a pause, he put on the black mask.

The next moment, a weird indescribable aura appeared around him as a faint black glow surrounded him, making him resemble a formidable War Immortal who had come from Hell.

“Greetings, master. I am Ah Er.” The change in aura was rapid and it took a mere breath of time before Yan Luo’s expression regained its calmness as he bowed respectfully to Gu Changge. It was such a completely different look from before that even his closest subordinates wouldn’t have thought this person was the Fourth Palace Lord, the second most powerful expert in Neraka, as well as the unrivalled Remnant Immortal which they served.

[Speaking of which, Ah Da is currently only at the Quasi-Nirvana Realm. There’s now plenty of scattered Sources around due to the collapse of this world. They would certainly help him make a breakthrough] Gu Changge smiled at Ah Er, who stood respectfully and stoically like a mountain behind him, and thought of Ah Da.

Ah Da had voluntarily pledged his loyalty at the bottom of the Demon-Burying Abyss; compared to Ah Er, Ah Da was born from a drop of True Blood from the Demon Lord, so Ah Da was close to being truly Immortal as long as Gu Changge didn’t die. Thus, Ah Da would never die and have no natural enemies.

There were plenty of advantages with that, but Ah Da’s progression through cultivation realms was still too slow since he was still stuck at the Quasi-Nirvana Realm. The siege on Neraka had resulted in the deaths of countless experts including several True Daoists. Coincidentally, the Sources scattered about the different worlds could help Ah Da break through.

Gu Changge sent a message via his divine sense to Ah Da so Ah Da could find the right time to attempt a breakthrough. With the appearance of Dark Heaven, it wouldn’t take much time and Gu Changge now lacked manpower. If the Palace Lords of the Neraka all became loyal to him, he could leave them alive and not erase their consciousness.

[The most powerful one in Neraka looks to be its extremely mysterious ruler, the Yin Emperor. But why hasn’t he shown up yet? What is he waiting for?]

Gu Changge looked down at the ruins of the world and stepped out before disappearing. The great ancient world had already collapsed during the battle between him and Yan Luo and was already submerged in Chao. Only several fragments of the world were floating in the void. It was clearly an annihilated barren world which had lost all of its vitality.

However, Gu Changge couldn’t understand something. Logically, Neraka had survived up to now and should have rich a foundation comparable to that of any Immortal Sect. Yet, he hadn’t seen any sign of such treasures when he invaded the Fourth Palace. A Remnant Immortal’s presence was already comparable to that of an unshakable foundation, yet the deserted Fourth Palace still gave Gu Changge an indescribable feeling of peculiarity.

[The Fourth Palace should be the most powerful out of the Ten Palaces, yet there is no Immortal Grade Artifact here. It was said that Neraka experienced a great tribulation countless years ago when they used the name Hell. They had to change their name to Neraka in order to avoid a universal taboo. Has their foundations been exhausted during that time?]

Gu Changge raised his eyebrow when he thought of the possibility. A pondering look appeared on his face. He did not ask Ah Er about it though since it was a taboo, which meant that it was something that couldn’t be said. There were far too many things in this world which shouldn’t be said, as if there was an obscure unknown force controlling everything secretly.

The Immortal Domain and the Upper Realm hadn’t been separated before the Forbidden Epoch, which was when the Immortal Palace reigned over everything while Immortals with an infinitely long lifespan looked down on everything from above, unable to die. Far too many remarkable beings had been born back then. However, that was not the case now. Immortals were no longer as commonplace as before due to the incomplete World Principles and the obscurity of the Great Dao.

True Daoists that wished to extend their lifespan had to think of a way to slow down the loss of Life Force over time. Though, in the dark, Principles from before the Forbidden Epoch were still secretly affecting the world.

In the depths of the ruined night sky, the remaining members of the Fourth Palace fled and went into hiding, attempting to head to the other ancient worlds to seek protection from the other Palace Lords. They all looked desperate and anxious because the Fourth Palace Lord had also been defeated without any clear indication of his survival or death.

Gu Changge’s strength far surpassed their imaginations and his terrifying aura still remained in their minds, frightening them.

“We are all too weak. We don’t even have the right to watch the battle, much less help the Fourth Palace Lord. The Fourth Palace no longer exists from today onwards…” Several Elders from the Fourth Palace looked desolate, having witnessed the ancient world being torn apart with one swipe from Gu Changge’s sword.

Countless meteors had fallen and destroyed everything in a fashion reminiscent of an apocalypse, with the myriad runes which had been inscribed into the Fourth Palace over its long history disintegrating and getting washed away. Gu Changge was far too powerful. A mere wisp of his aura could render everyone immovable to the point of collapse.

“It’s uncertain if the Fourth Palace Lord is alive or dead, so our only solution is to find the other Palace Lords and tell them about this. It will be too late if we wait until Gu Changge finds the other worlds.”

Several True Daoists who had sustained severe injuries looked into the distance behind them. They were ancient beings of the Fourth Palace, aside from the Fourth Palace Lord, who had similarly unfathomable power. Even so, their bodies had exploded and they bled profusely despite only getting grazed by the aftershocks of the battle. This made them shocked and terrified. Was there truly anyone comparable to Gu Changge in the Upper Realm?

Just as they were conversing, several beams of astounding energy rose from deep within the cosmos. Clouds of thick black fog rolled in from around them as several figures clad in black materialised around them.

“True Daoists…”

The remaining subordinates of the Fourth Palace Lord became hopeless and glanced at each other, discerning the worry and panic in each other’s eyes. Their Sources were damaged and so, they could not display their peak strength. Meanwhile, the might of True Daoists they were facing was comparable to their own at their peak. If a battle erupted now, they would definitely lose.

“The Fourth Palace Lord has already surrendered, so you should bind yourselves and follow us back if you don’t want to die. You may have a chance to survive.”

Just as the survivors were cautiously observing the situation, the True Daoists clad in black had already spoken, their voices cold and emotionless. These were the True Daoist Puppets Gu Changge had sent, which were more than capable of dealing with the runaways.