I Am the Fated Villain - Chapter 354

Chapter 354: Attack until the sun, the moon, and the sky change to a new face. I am the retribution of the purple mansion

“Is there only one?”

Gu Changge observed the scene before him on the ancient warship. Though a faint smile graced his lips, his expression betrayed a deep contemplation.

“If the Purple Mansion had dispatched only one quasi-empire realm powerhouse, rescuing the Zi Yang Heavenly King from him would have been impossible. Did they come all this way for naught?”

“The Purple Mansion wouldn’t be foolish enough to act so recklessly.”

“There must be someone lurking in the shadows, biding their time for the opportune moment to strike.”

Initially, Gu Changge had doubted the Purple Mansion’s audacity to risk everything. They had mobilized all their power to save the Zi Yang Heavenly King, demonstrating their unwavering determination. Yet, it appeared he had underestimated them.

The Purple Mansion’s aspirations now rested solely on the Zi Yang Heavenly King. Despite their army appearing downtrodden and retreating, Gu Changge discerned their true intentions.

Their purpose was transparent—to lull him into complacency and exploit any lapse in his guard.

“Fascinating. It appears that the Purple Mansion has mobilized all its reserves to this moment, poised to rescue the Zi Yang Heavenly King before swiftly retreating. Their frontier sects should now resemble mere hollow shells.”

“The various prestigious sects are converging, yet it seems they’ll leave empty-handed.”

Gu Changge’s gaze narrowed at the thought, prompting a wave of his hand. Behind him materialized several quasi-supreme beings, ancient ancestors of the immortal clans emanating formidable auras, dominating the nearby void.

“I wonder what orders the master has?” The group inquired respectfully, opting to remain aboard the ancient warship to safeguard Gu Changge rather than join the fray.

“Eliminate all the young disciples within the Purple Mansion’s army. Leave none alive. Focus on those with exceptional potential; the rest can be disregarded for now,” Gu Changge impassively stressed the point.

His mercy wasn’t out of kindness but rather a strategic consideration. Disciples with average potential held little value in the grand scheme of things. Since the Purple Mansion chose to play dirty, Gu Changge saw no issue in demonstrating that he could extinguish their final embers.

Given the Purple Mansion’s recent calamity, they would undoubtedly seek to preserve their lineage by protecting disciples with promising qualifications. Under the current circumstances, these disciples were likely mingled within the Purple Mansion’s army, engaging in battle with the ancient immortal beings.

“Yes, young master!”

Upon receiving their instructions, the quasi-supreme powerhouses refrained from questioning the rationale. Their figures blurred as they swiftly descended upon the army before them, ready to execute their orders.

Rumble!

Divine light surged, a colossal palm overshadowed the sky, and amidst the chaos, cultivators fell in droves, too numerous to count. The addition of the quasi-supreme powerhouses drastically shifted the battle’s momentum.

The Purple Mansion’s army, already teetering on defeat, now utterly helpless, was forced to retreat further. The air was thick with the sounds of killing and roaring, shaking the heavens. Blood and bones littered the battlefield, and the stench of blood wafted far, sending shivers down the spines of onlookers.

In the midst of this, Chu Hao and Qin Wuya, locked in combat, were momentarily separated by the scene unfolding around them. Qin Wuya aimed to take advantage of the turmoil between the Purple Mansion and Gu Changge, intending to rescue the Zi Yang Heavenly King amid the chaos.

Meanwhile, Chu Hao had descended into madness. He witnessed the destruction of the Vermilion Bird Ancient Kingdom—the collapse of its boundaries, the ruin of its mountains, and the devastation of its cities. Centuries of heritage were obliterated in an instant.

“Ahhhhhhh… Gu Changge, only one of us can survive this!” Chu Hao screamed, his eyes bloodshot with fury.

Realizing his dire situation, Chu Hao knew that he would share the same fate as the Vermilion Bird Ancient Kingdom if he didn’t escape now.

Today, within the imperial capital, the air was thick with panic and despair. Cultivators, grasping the gravity of the situation, began to flee. However, many who couldn’t escape in time were caught in the fluctuations descending from above, disintegrating into ashes and smoke instantly.

This was the greatest catastrophe for the Vermilion Bird Kingdom, the doomsday.

A cold smile played on the corner of Qin Wuya’s lips, devoid of sympathy. He glanced at Tang Wan, who still appeared dazed as if recalling something important. Then, swiftly, he left, using a transmission talisman to summon the ancient being from Reincarnation Lake to join him in rescuing the Zi Yang Heavenly King.

“It’s all coming to a head after all…” Tang Wan quickly gathered herself, casting a complex look at Chu Hao. Her expression turned cold as she fled in another direction, seemingly neglecting to care about him.

In her eyes, Chu Hao was no longer worth her concern, having shown himself self-serving and unworthy of her previous devotion.

….

“Is this the cruelty of the cultivation world?” Xiao Ruoyin muttered, walking over with a pale face. It was her first time witnessing such a brutal and immense war. Her legs nearly gave way, and she struggled to stand straight.

The cultivators and beings engaged in the deadly combat were each a million times stronger than she was, yet they lost their lives in an instant. They crumbled and exploded, becoming a rain of blood, with both their bodies and spirits utterly destroyed.

Xiao Ruoyin couldn’t suppress the churning in her stomach. She forced herself to look directly at the carnage, knowing she would have to survive in such a world in the future. But after a few glances, she felt her strength ebbing away. In the face of such a colossal battle, human life seemed insignificant. Tens of thousands of lives could be turned to ashes with a mere snap of the fingers.

“Young Master Gu faces such a war, yet his expression remains unchanged…” Xiao Ruoyin’s heart swelled with admiration for Gu Changge. Simultaneously, she felt a faint awe and fear that she couldn’t fully comprehend.

Before this, Gu Changge had given her a sense of transcendence and handsomeness. But now, his deep and cold demeanor, seemingly indifferent to all beings, evoked a sense of fear and unease in her.

“Young Master Gu, have you ever seen such a war?” Xiao Ruoyin forced herself to calm down, walking to Gu Changge’s side, but she couldn’t help but ask.

“It’s the first time I’ve seen such a war too.” Gu Changge glanced at her sideways, revealing a familiar smile that reassured her.

Xiao Ruoyin’s beautiful eyes widened in surprise. “I thought that Young Master Gu had already witnessed such things.”

“Not really. If it weren’t for the Inheritor of Demonic Art, I wouldn’t want to start this cruel war. But if we don’t stop the actions of the Purple Mansion, many more cultivators and living beings will perish because of it.” Gu Changge shook his head, his voice carrying a light sigh.

Xiao Ruoyin nodded. Although she didn’t fully understand, it was clear to her that Gu Changge had initiated this war to save more people.

“As expected of Young Master Gu, his heart is righteous. It seems the Purple Mansion is not a good thing either,” Xiao Ruoyin thought, her expression regaining calm. She had already learned from others that the purple-robed man imprisoned ahead had conspired with the Inheritor of Demonic Art, brutalizing countless beings. Many cultivators had died at his hands. Death was indeed too lenient a fate for such a scourge.

“Junior!”

As Xiao Ruoyin’s mind buzzed with thoughts, a cold hum echoed violently from the front, jolting her back to reality. Her delicate body trembled, her face turned pale, and she felt like her ears were about to shatter. If Gu Changge had not dispelled the sound for her, she would likely have been obliterated on the spot.

“So terrifying…” Fear welled up in Xiao Ruoyin’s heart. How terrifying was this power?

They were so far away from each other, but just a sound was enough to make the nearby stars explode.

“Is the old thing planning to bully the young?” Gu Changge said indifferently, taking a step forward. His robe fluttered, his hair crystalline, and multicolored divine light flickered in his eyes. He looked as though he was about to ascend to immortality. He gazed into the distance, his body emanating a colorful haze that transformed into various laws, rules, and runes.

From this haze, many divine weapons materialized—axes, hooks and forks, swords, spears, and halberds—emitting a terrifying aura.

“Junior, are you provoking us with this?” A magnificent figure emerged from the depths of the Purple Mansion army, its eyes like two sharp swords that could cleave the sky and shatter the earth, exuding astonishing sword intent. Surrounded by an endless flow of divine light, its body was shrouded in chaos.

Endless ritual chants and kowtowing sounds echoed around it, vast and boundless as if it had existed since the beginning. All who gazed directly at it felt an intense tingling, nearly shedding tears, their hearts gripped with horror.

This was a quasi-emperor realm existence!

In this era, supreme beings rarely appeared, and the quasi-emperor was invincible. The appearance of such a powerhouse left many Dao systems and cultivators secretly observing the battle utterly shocked.

If this battle were to occur outside this realm, it would be earth-shattering. It had to be said that the Purple Mansion was truly terrifying, causing many hearts to palpitate with fear.

One must consider that this army was dispatched by the Purple Mansion despite facing desperation from all sides. They had broken through space passages to descend and rescue the Zi Yang Heavenly King. While this demonstrated how highly the Purple Mansion valued the Zi Yang Heavenly King, it also revealed their current madness.

Had they reached the end of their road? They had spared not even their sect in their efforts to save the Zi Yang Heavenly King. But why? Was it truly worth it?

Many cultivators were puzzled and shocked. Could there be something special about the Zi Yang Heavenly King that justified such extreme measures? The Purple Mansion did not hesitate to go to war with many Dao lineages for his sake, even if it meant risking their destruction. To many, this seemed an irrational move.

Among the mighty Purple Mansion’s army, three Supreme beings emerged. Their faces were obscured by chaotic mist, and their dharma bodies stood tall as if under the starry sky. With a wave of their hands, terrifying chains of laws pierced through the void as they advanced, clashing with the quasi-supreme beings of the ancient immortal clans.

At this moment, the vast auras emanating from their bodies swept in all directions. Their eyes, cold and unwavering, locked onto Gu Changge from afar. Moments ago, they witnessed Gu Changge escorting the Zi Yang Heavenly King away and daringly challenging them to try and save him. Such provocative words now left them with grim expressions.

In the long river of time, they had never been ridiculed like this as supreme beings. However, the three did not dare to act rashly. They remembered all too well the fate of the Supreme who had come to rescue the Zi Yang Heavenly King last time—slain by the hidden Emperor Realm expert beside Gu Changge.

Standing in the sky, the three Supreme beings turned their hands into colossal hands that covered the heavens. They seemed to transform into a universe, boundless and immense, targeting the ancient immortal army before them. Their intention was clear: to obliterate these forces first.

The faces of the three Supreme beings grew increasingly grim. They realized that some of their hidden protégés within the army were being slain. Gu Changge clearly saw through their plan. His actions amounted to a ruthless massacre aimed at eradicating their last vestige of hope.

A golden brilliance suddenly appeared within the Ancient Immortal Army at this critical moment, as dazzling as the radiant sun.

“Provoke you? At this point, don’t you still understand?” Gu Changge’s smile remained indifferent as he unveiled something. It was a golden decree inscribed with an unknown divine script, complex and ancient. It manifested in the virtual space, exuding a chilling aura.

Everyone witnessed the golden decree transform into a colossal golden sword entwined with billions of golden clouds. It threatened to descend from the heavens, shattering the sun and moon, bursting the stars. This was a power unmatched, transcending the scope of the Supreme realm.

“This is… an Emperor’s decree?”

“It seems that Young Master Changge had anticipated all of this. But even with his strength, using the Emperor’s decree might not be enough to contend with a quasi-emperor!” whispered a cultivator, secretly observing the unfolding events, their voice trembling slightly with shock.

Although the power of the Emperor’s decree was not equal to that of a genuine emperor’s weapon, it contained the full might of an emperor’s blow.

Even if the three Supreme beings joined forces, they stood no chance against the might of the Emperor’s decree. However, with the addition of a quasi-emperor, the situation became delicate.

“Junior of the Gu family, you are nothing but a false leader of the righteous path. Your sanctimonious facade belies your true intentions. You have framed the descendants of my Purple Mansion and committed countless atrocities. It is unforgivable,” the three Supreme beings spat out, their eyes cold with hatred.

“At this juncture, you still try to smear my name. How shameful,” Gu Changge responded calmly, a slight smile on his lips. “But since the Purple Mansion insists on self-destruction, do not blame me.”

With that, the golden decree behind him surged upward, enveloped in an endless golden mist, as if it hailed from a distant era where ancient divine techniques flourished. Gu Changge’s body radiated a dazzling brilliance. Even his hair seemed to glow. With a vast aura, he activated the decree, unleashing its most formidable power.

Finally, the word “annihilation” appeared in the sky, a force capable of overwhelming entire eras. It was a sight too horrific to put into words.

The expressions of the three Supreme beings changed drastically as they activated their weapons, shrouding the universe as if even the heavens and earth could be contained within it. Their aura swept across the sky and ground, creating waves in the void that, if they collided, would cover the starry sky and universe, causing countless creatures and cultivators to kneel in horror.

As the war erupted with a loud bang, terror gripped those caught in its wake. Sects within a million-mile radius were swept away by the overwhelming aura, leaving everyone trembling on the ground, feeling like extinction was imminent. Even beings of the sacred realm dared not intervene, knowing it would lead only to certain death.

The ensuing explosion of endless brilliance was beyond description, each supreme technique displaying power beyond the comprehension of ordinary cultivators. It was as if the fabric of reality was torn apart, with various Dao laws being interpreted and rules and orders intertwining and shattering.

The sky trembled, stars crumbled, and the echoes of countless battles resounded throughout the heavens. Such battles of immortality were exceedingly rare occurrences, witnessed or participated in by very few cultivators throughout history.

The territory of the upper realm was boundless, with each immortal sect or Dao lineage boasting numerous affiliated forces that were intertwined and interdependent. It was extremely difficult to destroy a Dao lineage; no force dared to act rashly unless one possessed overwhelming power.

This was because once a battle for immortality commenced, it meant endless death for one side of the Dao lineage, destroying hundreds of millions of miles across the ocean. The very fabric of the sun, moon, and universe would undergo a transformative upheaval. Even in the best-case scenario, both sides would suffer losses. Other cultivators would merely sit on the sidelines, reaping the benefits of the conflict.

After all, even the most prudent Dao lineage, aware of enemies lurking and coveting in the shadows, risked significant damage by engaging in warfare with other factions.

The Purple Mansion faced imminent destruction, besieged by numerous Dao forces. Many speculated whether the Purple Mansion would survive or if Gu Changge would perish in the attempt to rescue the Zi Yang Heavenly King.

“Attack!”

The command reverberated across the battlefield, signalling the start of a terrifying conflict that shook all who witnessed it. In the skies above, millions of troops clashed relentlessly, blood flowing like rivers.

Divine light streaked across the heavens, weaving intricate patterns of order and colliding with myriad laws.

The resounding boom echoed for thousands of miles, causing the sky to tremble and the stars to shatter. No cultivator could stand safely under such fluctuations; their legs grew weak, their backs chilled, their souls trembled, and they longed to flee this place.

From the shadows, the observer watched the battle unfold with celestial vision, witnessing the three Supreme beings coughing up blood. Though Gu Changge’s current cultivation level was inferior to theirs, after activating the Emperor’s decree, its power stretched as vast as the sky, causing the Supreme beings to cough up blood instantly, and their bodies nearly burst apart. They were swept away like leaves in the autumn wind, crashing to the ground.

The drops of the Supreme Being’s blood, suspended in the sky, were crystal clear and pulsated with terrifying energy. Their weight felt as heavy as ten thousand pounds, and with a thunderous crack, the void shattered, turning tens of thousands of miles of land into ashes.

In the center of the battle between the two armies, the ancient Vermillion Bird country crumbled like a piece of crisp paper, as expected by all the cultivators beforehand. The entire country was reduced to ashes in the aftermath of the battle. Even the distant stars couldn’t bear the weight of the conflict, trembling and threatening to fall from the sky at any moment.

Neither the ancient immortal army nor the Purple Mansion’s forces cared about the fate of the small ancient Vermillion Bird country. To them, it was nothing more than an insignificant ant beneath their feet. Amid the battle, who would spare a thought for the fate of an ant inadvertently crushed underfoot?

Boom!

The golden decree illuminated the sky, its power sweeping down upon the three Supreme beings. They coughed up blood, their bodies akin to porcelain on the verge of collapse.

“At this juncture, don’t you plan to take action?” Gu Changge stepped into the virtual space, his handsome face serene, his robes billowing with an incomprehensible detachment. The ancient immortal army parted before him, blood pooling and bones stacking in his wake. Yet, his attire remained pristine, whiter than snow, evoking horror among the watching cultivators.

Above his head, alongside the golden decree, floated a supreme vessel, vast as mountains and seas, serene and boundless.

“Junior, your deceit knows no bounds! Retribution will find you sooner or later!” The quasi-emperor powerhouse from the Purple Mansion, who had yet to intervene, now surveyed the devastation befalling his faction. His face darkened with a chilling menace.

“Retribution? I am the retribution of your Purple Mansion,” Gu Changge’s voice remained calm amidst the chaos.