I Am the Fated Villain - Chapter 238

Chapter 238: I know who you are, an incomparably desperate Human Ancestor

In the vast expanse of the lotus body, the chaotic aura cascaded down like a new world unfolding. Gu Changge sat cross-legged amidst it all, his gaze brimming with intrigue as he observed Jiang Yang stepping into this realm.

His robe, adorned with star-like lights, billowed around him, exuding an incomprehensible power. The earth shook, the heavens quaked, and darkness enshrouded the sun and moon. In this moment, every cell in his body seemed to transform into an ancient, expansive universe, echoing with a thunderous roar.

The Nirvana Green Lotus had been completely refined by him, merging with the essence of his demonic heart. Its chaotic origins had become harmonized, almost unnaturally so. Despite the surrounding demonic energies, he radiated an imposing aura.

A glimmer of light emanated from him, as though he were immortal, capable of withstanding the collapse of the world with his very flesh. These were the physical transformations wrought by the Nirvana Green Lotus.

Outside, strands of chaotic mist interwove, isolating all aura fluctuations from this space. Jiang Yang felt a chill run down his spine, his scalp tingling with unease. He had entrusted the Immortal Lun Seal to Zhao Yi, leaving him with only the seal of reincarnation as his last resort.

Gu Changge’s presence here, awaiting his arrival, sent Jiang Yang’s heart plummeting into a deep trough. It was the first time in his numerous reincarnations that he had encountered such a perilous situation.

He had believed Gu Changge to have perished in the Netherland Heavenly Pond, his demise orchestrated by a carefully laid trap. To Jiang Yang’s shock, Gu Changge appeared unscathed, now occupying the Nirvana Green Lotus that had once been his.

It seemed Gu Changge had been here for an unknown duration, perhaps manipulating the phantom everyone had seen from the outside world to deceive them all, including Jiang Yang.

Realizing he had been outmaneuvered by Gu Changge, Jiang Yang’s mind raced. Despite his long life and vast experience, he had been kept in the dark, unaware of the elaborate machinations unfolding around him.

Jiang Yang forced himself to calm down, understanding that he couldn’t afford to be flustered in this moment.

“I’ve been waiting for you for a long time, Human Ancestor,” Gu Changge’s words reverberated with interest, causing Jiang Yang’s pupils to involuntarily shrink.

It felt as if his skull had been lifted, cold water pouring in, sending waves of chilling sensations through his limbs, nearly causing him to shiver uncontrollably.

“You know who I am… how is that possible… When did you realize?” Jiang Yang’s voice trembled faintly, his expression undergoing a drastic change.

Gu Changge’s revelation that he had been awaiting Jiang Yang for some time struck him like a thunderbolt. It meant that Gu Changge had been aware of his true identity all along, yet had chosen not to confront him.

With a sudden blankness in his mind, Jiang Yang realized the implications—Gu Changge had been playing a role, pretending not to know, while seeing through his every move.

The realization left Jiang Yang trembling, his hands shaking uncontrollably. How had he failed to notice any signs before? He had regarded Gu Changge as nothing more than an ordinary individual from the upper realm, dismissing any cause for concern.

“Who would have guessed that he was the one with the deepest secrets,” Gu Changge remarked casually, his voice carrying an air of indifference. “When? Does it matter? What’s wrong? You seem surprised. I thought you already knew, Human Ancestor. Your reaction disappoints me.”

He paused, observing Jiang Yang’s astonishment with a faint smile. “Shouldn’t you be as self-confident and arrogant as before?”

As Gu Changge rose, a tide of terrifying power swept forth, causing the monstrous gray fog outside to roar like a mountainous tsunami, shaking the very foundations of the world. Even the stars beyond the realm trembled, reduced to ashes by Gu Changge’s mere breath.

Meanwhile, Yue Mingkong watched in fear, unable to comprehend the source of Jiang Yang’s changing and weakening aura.

In her perception, Jiang Yang vanished into the deepest part, undoubtedly targeting the Nirvana Green Lotus. However, faced with this terrifying figure, she couldn’t intervene.

“Is something amiss with Jiang Yang? He doesn’t seem very composed. The weakening of his aura might be an accident,” Yue Mingkong mused, her brow furrowed with concern. “Jiang Yang was so confident, setting up numerous backhands here, but now it seems beyond his control.”

“Why does this increasingly resemble Changge’s handiwork? This peculiarly familiar feeling… Did he truly shadow her without anyone knowing?” Her suspicions deepened. With a graceful wave of her jade hand, she instructed her followers to remain vigilant, ensuring no unwanted intruders slipped in at this critical juncture.

Gu Changge’s words only added to Jiang Yang’s frustration. From contempt at the outset to outright mockery now, it stoked his anger further. Yet, he found himself powerless to act.

Back in the Immortal Lun Sect, he had believed that Gu Changge dared to act because he was unaware of Jiang Yang’s true identity. Little did he know that Gu Changge had been aware all along, merely toying with him.

“Who are you?” Jiang Yang’s voice, though calmer now, resonated with an underlying strength. His confidence remained unshaken, bolstered by the presence of his ultimate trump card, the reincarnation seal.

“It doesn’t matter who I am,” Gu Changge replied casually, his smile carrying an air of assurance. “What matters is that today is your last day.”

“But before you meet your end, I can offer you the chance to utter a few final words,” he continued, aware of Jiang Yang’s thoughts. Gu Changge didn’t mind letting Jiang Yang wallow in despair. After all, desperation often heightened the success of stealing one’s luck.

In Gu Changge’s eyes, Jiang Yang’s luck was rapidly diminishing, particularly as his protector and Yaoyao engaged in battle, reaching its nadir. With Yaoyao’s departure, his last bastion of support crumbled, leaving Jiang Yang vulnerable.

In the Heavenly Star Realm, many of Jiang Yang’s safeguards had been nullified by Gu Changge’s machinations, leaving him with little to rely on. How much luck did Jiang Yang have left? That was the question looming over them both.

He lamented Jiang Yang’s foolishness in destroying his own stronghold, the Immortal Lun Sect. Jiang Yang’s arrogance and folly were evident, leaving Gu Changge feeling almost sorry for the countless lifetimes he had lived.

Despite this, Gu Changge refrained from taking direct action against Jiang Yang in front of Yaoyao and the onlookers outside. Doing so would shatter his carefully crafted image as a master, undermining his authority. Instead, he bided his time, waiting for the opportune moment to intervene. He would feign entrapment and pinpoint the perfect moment to make his move.

Furthermore, with Yue Mingkong observing from outside the Netherland Heavenly Pond, Gu Changge used his divine instincts to warn her against interference, ensuring she wouldn’t disrupt his plans.

Gu Changge believed that Yue Mingkong might even suffer a significant loss if she confronted the human ancestor within the Netherland Heavenly Pond. With this in mind, Gu Changge had completed what he needed to do, leaving him to close the net and execute his final steps.

“Last words? You’re the first to dare speak them to me… Since you know my identity as the human ancestor, you should understand that you can’t kill me.”

“No matter how many times you kill me, I’ll reincarnate and return.”

Jiang Yang’s expression became remarkably calm as he spoke, resigning himself to his fate. Though this marked a stain among his many reincarnations, he didn’t anticipate suffering a major loss at the hands of Gu Changge and meeting his end here. Nevertheless, it no longer mattered; he planned to break the reincarnation seal and vanish into the cycle of rebirth once more. When he awoke in his next life with memories intact, he would ensure Gu Changge understood the meaning of regret. As the human ancestor, his capabilities were not to be underestimated.

“At this juncture, you’re still pretending.”

“Did you forget what I told you earlier? Young men should avoid pretense, especially in my presence.”

Gu Changge snorted at Jiang Yang’s words, unsurprised by his defiance. He extended his hand forward, runes shimmering, laws and regulations descending, forming a massive, sky-encompassing hand that slammed down toward Jiang Yang with thunderous force.

Puff!

“Damn it…” Jiang Yang grimaced, attempting to dodge backward, but it was too late.

The devastating force crashed down upon him, causing him to cough up a mouthful of blood, his internal organs rupturing as half of his body exploded.

Gu Changge restrained himself, opting not to let Jiang Yang die so swiftly.

The notion that the children of luck always possessed an innate and inexplicable confidence, and Jiang Yang’s unwavering belief that he couldn’t be killed? It was simply absurd.

“Even if you kill me now, I’ll still return when the time comes. No one can stop that,” Jiang Yang declared defiantly, his eyes dark and filled with bitterness.

Covered in blood and unable to stand, he lay on the ground, yet his pride remained unbroken.

“You may reincarnate countless times and return, but don’t you feel rather middle-aged?” Gu Changge quipped with a light smile, speaking a word Jiang Yang couldn’t decipher. It was evident that it wasn’t a word of praise, and despite his current predicament, Jiang Yang’s spirit remained unyielding.

Rumble!

Yet, Gu Changge didn’t afford him the chance to speak.

This time, it was even more straightforward—he simply snatched Jiang Yang up in the palm of his hand, as if seizing a mere mole attempting to scurry away.

“Just kill me. Even if you obliterate my true spirit, it won’t make a difference,” Jiang Yang asserted boldly. “My immortality lies in the reverence of countless beings across the heavenly realms!”

“You’re still too green to think your tactics can end me!”

Convinced that Gu Changge was irritated and inclined to crush him on the spot, Jiang Yang allowed a hint of mockery to flicker across his face. It was the only semblance of confidence he could muster in the face of Gu Changge’s overwhelming power.

So what if he was being manipulated?

Even if this life ended in death, what did it matter?

He possessed a long history of resilience and would not yield!

“Now, you’re behaving like a fool,” Gu Changge countered with a serene smile. “Don’t you want to know who I am?”

“Even as you face death, you still cling to hope? How foolish can you be?”

As Gu Changge spoke, Jiang Yang’s brow furrowed, his mocking expression faltering as he sensed something amiss.

Rumble!

Yet, Gu Changge didn’t afford him the chance to speak.

This time, it was even more straightforward—he simply snatched Jiang Yang up in the palm of his hand, as if seizing a mere mole attempting to scurry away.

“Just kill me. Even if you obliterate my true spirit, it won’t make a difference,” Jiang Yang asserted boldly. “My immortality lies in the reverence of countless beings across the heavenly realms!”

“You’re still too green to think your tactics can end me!”

Convinced that Gu Changge was irritated and inclined to crush him on the spot, Jiang Yang allowed a hint of mockery to flicker across his face. It was the only semblance of confidence he could muster in the face of Gu Changge’s overwhelming power.

So what if he was being manipulated?

Even if this life ended in death, what did it matter?

He possessed a long history of resilience and would not yield!

“Now, you’re behaving like a fool,” Gu Changge countered with a serene smile. “Don’t you want to know who I am?”

“Even as you face death, you still cling to hope? How foolish can you be?”

As Gu Changge spoke, Jiang Yang’s brow furrowed, his mocking expression faltering as he sensed something amiss.

He suddenly realized: had he misjudged the situation?

Was Gu Changge truly this confident?

Could he actually possess a method… to end his life?

Jiang Yang refused to believe it.

Buzz!!!

But in the next instant, his countenance contorted violently, his eyes threatening to burst from their sockets, his expression morphing rapidly from disdain to sheer horror and disbelief.

A dense, dark light emanated, accompanied by pulsating dao laws cascading down, forming a breathtaking spectacle akin to a waterfall.

Hovering in Gu Changge’s palm was a Dao treasure bottle, bobbing up and down.

As the dark light shimmered, it seemed capable of engulfing heaven and earth!

“The Great Dao treasure bottle…”

“How is this possible…”

“You’re actually a practitioner of demonic arts?”

Jiang Yang couldn’t help but tremble, his voice betraying unmasked fear and dread, experiencing terror for the first time in his existence.

Why did he pursue the inheritor of demonic arts in each lifetime? To supposedly restore peace to the world and create a harmonious environment for living beings to thrive? It was all a facade.

Because the treasure bottle was the ultimate nemesis of his reincarnation abilities, his sole adversary!

Thus, he couldn’t allow the inheritor of demonic arts to mature and pose a future threat.

For the sake of the world’s inhabitants? That was all a lie!

His true motive was to eliminate any potential threat before it could grow into a danger!

“Now you understand who I am…”

Gu Changge maintained his usual light smile as the Great Dao Treasure bottle descended with a hum, enveloping Jiang Yang.

A dreadful aura surged forth, akin to a dark divine light shrouding the universe.

“How can this be… You’re truly an inheritor of demonic arts…”

Jiang Yang’s face turned deathly pale, overtaken by horror.

The confidence that he had just moments ago was gone, the belief that he could still return from reincarnation.

For the first time, he felt the specter of death looming over him, never expecting Gu Changge’s true identity to be that of the Inheritor of Demonic Arts.

It seemed that the terrifying figure that appeared outside was also the universal transformation of the demonic body that Gu Changge performed.

Now, Jiang Yang understood why Gu Changge had been plotting against him from the outset, aiming to kill him.

“How is this possible… The inheritor of demonic arts in this world, how could they be so powerful…”

Jiang Yang’s voice trembled slightly, still grappling with disbelief.

None of the inheritors of demonic arts he had encountered were as formidable as Gu Changge, so potent that even he couldn’t resist.

“No, it’s you who are too feeble.”

Gu Changge’s voice remained light as he brought his foot down, instantly subduing Jiang Yang beneath him.

“No… Impossible, you can’t be the inheritor of demonic arts…”

Jiang Yang resisted fiercely, his eyes erupting with a burst of multicolored divine light.

However, in his current state, he struggled even to speak, let alone contend.

Under the overwhelming suppression, numerous mysterious rays of light emanated from the seal of reincarnation.

But with the pressure from the Great Dao Treasure bottle, the light of the reincarnation seal began to fade, cracks appearing as if it were on the brink of collapse.

“This is the authentic Great Dao treasure bottle, not just a replica condensed from the cultivation method…”

“I get it.”

“I understand.”

“So that’s the deal.”

“I know who you are…”

Jiang Yang focused on the treasure bottle enveloping him, suddenly flashing a wry smile, as if he had just grasped something.

His expression shifted from unwillingness and disbelief to a resigned acceptance.

Everything seemed to fall into place, leaving him calm and ready to embrace it all.

“As expected, you never perished.”

He smiled bitterly, a sense of despair in his tone.

“Why would I have perished?”

Gu Changge raised an eyebrow, unperturbed by Jiang Yang’s words, maintaining his faint smile.

Although Jiang Yang was puzzled, he also realized that the presence of the Great Dao treasure bottle was linked to his origins.

After all, many memories could be sealed by him in the past.

Even he didn’t know when or what would resurface.

What the human ancestor implied was that the Great Dao treasure bottle he possessed was a genuine artifact, imbued with endless divinity and an immortal essence.

At this point, Gu Changge couldn’t be bothered to explain anything further.

“It seems that the descendants of the human ancestor hall in this life have also fallen into your hands…” Jiang Yang’s bitter smile persisted, his desperation evident.

He recalled everything that happened since he left Immortal Lun Sect.

The mysterious aura of the Human Ancestor Hall he sensed then was evidently Gu Changge’s doing.

“Oh, are you going to tell her that?” Gu Changge’s smile remained light as he waved his hand.

Space in front of him cracked open, and Jiang Chuchu emerged from the evolved inner universe, where she had been cultivating on a bluestone.

During this time, she had felt uneasy, sensing that something might have happened to the human ancestor’s reincarnation.

But she couldn’t be certain.

Each day felt like torment, as a myriad of complicated emotions swirled within her, leaving her uncertain about the future.

Now, suddenly released from the inner universe by Gu Changge, Jiang Chuchu’s expression was still marked by confusion.

With eyes as clear as a lotus, Jiang Chuchu gazed at Gu Changge beside her, her expression questioning whether he was truly showing mercy and letting her out.

“Gu Changge…”

Jiang Chuchu began to speak, ready to ask for clarification.

But Gu Changge beat her to it, wrapping his arms around her waist and offering a faint smile. “You’re about to meet the ancestor you’ve longed to see. This will be your first and last encounter with him.”

“Don’t say I never gave you the chance.”

Hearing this, Jiang Chuchu’s expression froze, disbelief evident as if she needed confirmation.

Then she glanced at Jiang Yang, suppressed by Gu Changge, bloodied and unable to reveal his face. She found it hard to believe.

Could this person, humiliated and trampled by Gu Changge, actually be the reincarnation of the human ancestor?

“He… he is the human ancestor…”

Jiang Chuchu’s voice trembled uncontrollably, unable to find calm.

In the teachings of the Human Ancestor Hall, the human ancestor was revered as a mighty being, praised for countless achievements.

The image hanging in the Human Ancestor Hall, depicting a towering figure with a back turned to the world, seemed to suggest that no one in this world was worthy of his attention.

And yet, was this figure now being crushed under the foot of this great devil, unable to lift his head?

As a descendant of the Human Ancestor Hall, practicing its teachings, the person before her had to be the reincarnation of the human ancestor.

There could be no mistake in their origin.

Jiang Chuchu felt like her world was crumbling around her.

She had assumed that even if Gu Changge had the upper hand, the human ancestor wouldn’t be so easily defeated. After all, he had numerous contingency plans and had been reincarnated multiple times.

In terms of strength and strategy, how could Gu Changge possibly match up to him?

But reality proved to be the opposite of her expectations.

Gu Changge was so overwhelmingly powerful that not even the human ancestor could stand against him, crushed under his might.

“How… how is this possible…” Jiang Chuchu murmured, her expression frosty as if struck by lightning.

She had contemplated rescuing the human ancestor, but if even he couldn’t match Gu Changge, what hope was there for her?

Jiang Chuchu felt a sense of despair wash over her.

“Why wouldn’t it be possible? He’s merely a rooster, and I haven’t even stepped on him yet.”

“Your Human Ancestor Hall, the very people you’ve placed your trust in, are now under your very nose.”

“But… do you have the courage to save him?”

Gu Changge regarded her with a casual smile.

Jiang Chuchu’s face paled, her body trembling. If not for being encircled by Gu Changge, she might have collapsed to the ground.

At that moment, Jiang Yang caught sight of Jiang Chuchu.

She was the true descendant of the Human Ancestor Hall!

She must have been the one protecting him in this life, but now, seeing her appearance, it seemed she had already been subdued by Gu Changge.

She wasn’t even safe.

This realization filled Jiang Yang with despair, grievance, and resentment…

“You…” He was about to scream before losing consciousness.

It was then that Gu Changge’s eyes narrowed slightly, sensing that the time was ripe.

“There will be no reincarnation, no second chance,” he said softly.

Buzz!

In the next moment, the Dao treasure bottle quivered and began its descent, the terrifying black light cascading down, engulfing Jiang Yang’s body in an instant.