I Am the Fated Villain
chapter-862

The River of Time churned with tumultuous waves, but all of a sudden, the river quietened down. All was calm again.

Gu Changge stood on the other side of the River of Time with a thoughtful look in his eyes. The fog swirled around him, shrouding everything. His gaze stretched into the distance.

“Perhaps it is best for you two to see this side of the truth,” he murmured. Two Fragments of Time danced before him. Chan Hongyi and Tao Yao could be seen in different segments of time.

Although the scenes they saw were different, they were within the same timeline.

Gu Changge did not interfere. The truths that Chan Hongyi and Tao Yao saw were both true to that period of time.

That being said, what they saw was not the whole truth. Many things had been specifically presented that way.

In the past, Gu Changge had said that life as they knew it back then had merely been a game.

Because he had interfered back then, the second world-ending Great Purge was going to come ahead of time before the Forbidden Epoch. The Mountains and Oceans True World could not withstand the Tribulation and was bound to be wiped out.

They had no choice. As the True Spirit of Mountains and Oceans True World, Qingyi discussed it with Gu Changge and the two of them decided to fool Heaven. They did this by pretending to have a falling out, turning into enemies.

He, as the Demon Lord, destroyed the Mountains and Oceans True World. Thus, the world came to an end and returned to nothingness before the Great Purge even began. This was the reason why Mountains and Oceans True World’s Fortuity fell so drastically, and they were able to avoid the second world-ending Great Purge.

For their act, Chan Hongyi was designated as the main reason why he and Qingyi turned against each other.

To ensure that the act was flawless, the stage was set even before Chan Hongyi was born.

This meant that Chan Hongyi was destined to be a pawn right from the very beginning.

Her birth, becoming his disciple, embarking on her journey of cultivation, and leaving the mountain…

Everything had been planned even before her birth. She was simply unaware of it.

Over time, he, her Master, would end up developing feelings for his disciple with whom he spent all his waking moments.

Qingyi, whose relationship with him trod the line between confidant and Dao Partner, would understandably grow dissatisfied, eventually becoming jealous and resentful.

She would pretend to be Gu Changge and send bandits to massacre Chan Hongyi’s village, along with the girl’s parents.

Naturally, Gu Changge would have a hard time dealing with this. It would not be right for him to stand on either one’s side. Thus, he would choose to hide the truth from Chan Hongyi and cut all ties with Qingyi.

Dissatisfied with his choice, Qingyi would attempt to kill Chan Hongyi, thereby ensuring that she and Gu Qingge turned into enemies.

Their enmity would later lead to the destruction of Immortal Palace, the collapse of the world, and the end of the epoch.

This so-called truth was forever buried in the Forbidden Epoch. Not a single being in all of Mountains and Oceans True World would ever be able to guess the truth. They would be thunderstruck and think it was too unbelievable.

Naturally, everything had been conspired by the two right from the very beginning.

It was all for the sake of making that catastrophic battle seem believable without leaving any room for doubt or speculation.

Even those from the Source Realm who stood at the pinnacle of cultivation could not find anything unusual about the situation.

This was the only thing Qingyi could think of to let Mountains and Oceans True World avoid the second Great Purge. This was the only way they could leave behind a safe and peaceful era for future generations.

Even if the price of such an act was the decline of the True World’s Fortuity, leading to an incredibly long period of recovery and the absence of all former glory, it was worth it.

While doing so, they also had to guard against all kinds of danger, including the danger of being swallowed up by the other True Worlds.

When Mountains and Oceans True World flourished, many Heavenslayers rose from it and attacked the Source Realm.

“Everything seems to have been planned from the start, even you, Qingyi. You’re also just part of the game without knowing it.” Gu Changge’s eyes were deep and calm as he quietly sighed.

In Qingyi’s eyes, he was the Heavenslayer who once took part in the battle to lay siege to the Source Realm, as well as the one who saved her when her life was in danger.

Therefore, Qingyi was never suspicious of him.

Meanwhile, after seeing the scenes in the fragment from the River of Time, Chan Hongyi would most likely stop suspecting him too. She would even feel remorseful due to the many things that had occurred.

*Rumble* Gu Changge’s eyes were calm, and with a wave of his hand, the River of Time began to churn with massive waves again.

The fog shrouded the entire place, sealing off Chan Hongyi and Tao Yao’s path back to the present.

“Still, for the sake of my upcoming plans, I can’t let you return right now,” Gu Changge murmured.

As the waves crashed about, the Celestial Boat of Creation appeared at his feet and took him away from the River of Time.

Inside the Sanctum of Destiny, a hazy silhouette of the River of Time appeared and Gu Changge stepped out from it.

He glanced at Xiao Ruoyin, who had been waiting here this whole time and asked, “How much time has passed?”

“It’s been half a month,” Xiao Ruoyin replied.

She was a little startled as she took the Celestial Boat of Creation from Gu Changge. For some reason, she saw a trace of weariness between his brows.

She could not believe that something like that would ever be seen on Gu Changge’s face. To her memory, Gu Changge had always been calm and composed. He always exuded a confidence that made one believe he had everything under control. It was as if he could do anything. Even if the sky fell and the world was reduced to dust, his expression would remain unruffled and unchanged.

So, that begged the question, [what did he encounter in the River of Time that made him like that? Is he emotionally tired?]

Xiao Ruoyin did not see any sign of Tao Yao or Chan Hongyi, so she wondered if something had happened to them. Were they buried in the River of Time for good?

She stayed quiet. She did not know what to say at a time like this.

“Only half a month?” Gu Changge thought the amount of time he spent in the River of Time would end up being several years in the present. Due to the many things that occurred, the River of Time grew hazy. Even he could not tell exactly how much time had passed.

When making his way back to the present, he saw millions of light specks floating along and scattering across various parts of the River of Time. Some were even drawn in by hazy paths of light and lost within.

“Divine Lord, are you returning to the Divine Palace?”

Xiao Ruoyin could not help but ask softly as she stared at Gu Changge who was staring out at the sky with a gaze she could not understand.

The sky was dark outside, but the Sanctum of Destiny was near the vast sea of stars so it was impossible to tell day from night.

“I won’t return to the Divine Palace tonight.”

Gu Changge snapped out of his reverie and massaged his temple. He wanted to drop by Peach Village and visit Gu Xian’er, but after giving it some thought, he decided against it.

Even though this was Gu Xian’er’s third life, she most likely had not regained the memories of her first life yet.

Knowing her, she might not even want to accept the memories from her first life.

Just like the way she chose to give up on the memories of her second life as Dao Xian.

As the Upper Realm and the Immortal Domain became connected once again, the change in the environment quickened. Gu Changge had a feeling that the things Qingyi set up in advance would start to emerge.

The ones who lost their lives in the Great War Against Heaven would most likely choose to be reincarnated in the present era. They were the heroes of the past. They were the experts who re-entered the cycle of reincarnation.

Perhaps some of those around him would regain memories related to this, and the path of reincarnation that had been hidden all this while would stir again.

“I will help you get ready for bed then…” Xiao Ruoyin’s cheeks flushed as she took off Gu Changge’s outer robe.

Gu Changge withdrew from his thoughts and eyed the beautiful woman beside him with an unreadable gaze.

A night of passion ensued.

In the years to come, just as Gu Changge predicted, the Upper Realm’s Fortuity soared.

Great talents were born across the various worlds and ancient universes.

As the World Principles came closer to completion, the young prodigies of the world seemed to gain a second wind in their cultivation. They were able to break through the shackles and restraints of their cultivation and soar to new heights.

The young prodigies who were once from the same generation as Gu Changge such as the Phoenix Lady and Jun Yao, the King with Six Crowns, also became Sacred Emperors.

Some were even working to reach the Quasi-Nirvana Realm by following the Path of the Primordial Nirvana.

Gu Changge remained in the Divine Palace and watched on as Gu Xian’er left Peach Village and went down to seek this Path. He saw other familiar faces from the past as well.

It included Ye Langtian, who was once the Successor of the Ancient Ye Family and now the Head of the Family, as well as his Sister, Ye Liuli.

The Ancient Ye Family had long since allied themselves with the Divine Empire. They held a powerful and important position in court.

Ye Langtian chose to go down this path in the hopes of finding his opportunity to reach the Nirvana Realm.

The Divine Empire had the Immortal Selection List, which was a shortcut for many cultivators to become Immortals of the Divine Empire.

However, many young prodigies were too proud to accept such shackles and rely on external influences for their cultivation.

After all, if they did that, they would be akin to a floating plant without any roots. If the Divine Empire were to fall someday, their cultivation would vanish into thin air as well.

There were many others like Ye Langtian, including some who called themselves young prodigies. They lived at the same time as Gu Changge, but due to his existence, they were greatly overshadowed. Some even chose to seal themselves up and wait for a better era. However, they were now leaving their seals and embarking on the journey to reach the Nirvana Realm.

Gu Changge remained in the Divine Empire and watched as many familiar faces went down this Path.

This included those who were once his followers, such as Lan Ji and Hei Yanyu.

Even the ruler of the Demon World, Empress Yao Xi, who had been given the title of Demon Consort, was attempting to find her key to reach the Nirvana Realm from this Path.

It was a long and dangerous journey to make. Many died halfway through, but some of them were able to further their cultivation after surviving the numerous dangers.

Gu Changge simply watched in silence as the Fortuity of this world changed while he refined the Sources he devoured during his previous trip to the Immortal Domain.

The cultivation classifications within the Immortal Realm consist of: True Immortal, Immortal King, and Immortal Emperor. Transcending above the Immortal Emperor Realm were more cultivation realms.

The divide between a True Immortal and an Immortal King was akin to an ant and a True Dragon. They could not be compared against each other. Meanwhile, the divide between an Immortal King and an Immortal Emperor was even more terrifying. It could not even be described in words.

One could rely on Dao Abilities, time, and talent to slowly become an Immortal King. However, they could not do the same to become an Immortal Emperor. That cultivation realm remained far out of reach.

Even unparalleled young prodigies whose talents elevated them above those of numerous eras would still be stumped by that barrier.

An Immortal King could emerge after a hundred epochs, but only one in a hundred Immortal Kings had the opportunity to even attempt to become an Immortal Emperor. That alone showed how terrifying and dangerous this opportunity was.