I Really Am A Villain

Blood scattered through the air as Nocturne was cut cleanly in half.

Even split in two, his body still twitched and squirmed, slowly beginning to heal.

“You dare kill me within the Ghost God Collegium?” Nocturne forced down his panic and growled.

“You dared to do it first, why shouldn’t I?” Xu Zimo replied calmly.

He slowly raised Shadow Tyrant, the saber gleaming as it lifted above his head.

“Chancellor! Save me!” Nocturne shouted desperately toward the sky.

“Young Master Xu, please, stay your hand,” came Wu Daozi’s voice.

A moment later, a giant spectral hand tore open the heavens, and Wu Daozi’s misty form descended from above.

“When did Chancellor Wu develop a habit of spying on people?” Xu Zimo asked with a half-smile.

“I just arrived, Young Master Xu. Don’t misunderstand,” Wu Daozi’s expression stiffened, though he quickly recovered with a polite smile.

“Oh? What is it, then?” Xu Zimo asked.

“Nocturne acted recklessly. I’ll apologize to you on his behalf,” Wu Daozi said. “But he cannot be killed.”

“And why can’t he?” Xu Zimo asked.

“Because this is the Ghost God Collegium,” Wu Daozi replied.

“The Ghost God Collegium might be impressive, but unfortunately, it really doesn’t scare me,” Xu Zimo said, still smiling.

“Young Master Xu,” Wu Daozi said, his smile fading, “I advise you to think carefully before you act. This is a favor you will give, whether you wish to or not.”

As he spoke, Wu Daozi waved his right hand.

The entire academy trembled as a mysterious power spread outward. Waves of energy pulsed toward the heavens.

The sky responded to his call, winds howled, clouds gathered, and the world fell eerily still.

“Red, yellow, blue, green, black…”

Colors intertwined, swirling upward into the sky, merging into a luminous, fluid painting that shone like watercolor.

Though beautiful, the sight carried an immense and terrifying power.

Beneath that boundless sky, Wu Daozi stood tall, his eyes fixed sharply on Xu Zimo.

“If you strike him down,” he said, “the Ghost God Collegium will fight you to the death.”

Wu Daozi raised his right hand again, revealing a stone ring.

“This is the Nine Ghost Ring. If I crush it, it will send a signal directly to the Nine Ghost Gods. Are you certain this is what you want?”

Xu Zimo smiled faintly. “Go on, then, crush it.”

Wu Daozi’s eyes narrowed. He hesitated for a long moment… then crushed the ring in his palm.

With a sharp crack, the ring shattered, and a torrent of ghostly energy burst skyward.

It shot through the clouds like a pillar reaching into the heavens, vanishing from sight.

Far away, high above the skies, a stairway of jade floated in the void.

At its peak stood nine masked figures.

Behind each figure spun a circular gear, turning slowly, as though the fates of all living beings were reflected within.

Their faces were hidden behind masks, their bodies wrapped in dark robes. They radiated mystery and power.

When the ghostly energy from the Nine Ghost Ring reached this realm, it landed upon the jade steps.

The once-white stairs turned pitch black.

For a long while, all was silent, until one of the masked figures spoke.

“The Ghost God Collegium is calling for aid?”

His gaze turned downward, piercing through his mask, through space and time itself, until it reached the academy far below.

“What’s going on?” asked another figure, his voice rich and deep, yet edged with sharpness.

“It’s that man again,” one of them said coldly.

“It seems Abyssal-Chimera has suffered quite a bit at his hands,” another chuckled softly.

“If you’re so confident, why don’t you go test him yourself?” Abyssal-Chimera replied flatly.

“So, how should we handle this?” one of the figures asked.

“Whoever wants to deal with it may go,” Abyssal-Chimera said. “But that man has three Saint Sovereigns guarding him. Not one of us could defeat him alone.”

“So you’re saying the nine of us would have to go together?”

“That’s not the point,” Abyssal-Chimera answered. “We have been given strict orders, anything involving that man is not to be interfered with.”

“What does that mean? As long as he doesn’t destroy the Ghost God Collegium, we turn a blind eye?”

“Ask the End of Calamities yourself. I don’t dare interpret his words carelessly.”

The nine masked figures murmured among themselves, their voices echoing through the void.

After some quiet dispute, they finally reached a reluctant consensus.

Back at the Ghost God Collegium, Wu Daozi knelt in the air, waiting for the Nine Ghost Gods to appear.

But no one came.

After a long wait, the space before him merely cracked open, and a message scroll floated out.

Wu Daozi hesitated, then took it.

As his eyes scanned the words, his pupils contracted sharply. He stood silent for a long time before finally calming himself.

“So?” Xu Zimo asked casually. “Where are your nine great lords?”

“Chancellor Wu…” Nocturne looked at him in desperation.

“You…” Wu Daozi was silent for a long moment, then turned and left without another word.

“Do as you will,” he said coldly as his figure vanished.

Nocturne froze in place, drenched in cold sweat.

“Chancellor Wu! You can’t just leave! You ordered this!” he shouted.

But Wu Daozi ignored him completely.

Nocturne turned to Xu Zimo in panic. “It wasn’t my idea! He was the one who planned it!”

“Who planned it doesn’t matter,” Xu Zimo said with a faint smile. “What matters is, you stood in front of me.”

He raised his saber. “When you stick your head out, you have to be ready to lose it.”

As he spoke, Shadow Tyrant fell.

Nocturne tried desperately to dodge, but it was useless.

With a single strike, his head flew, and even his soul was seized midair.

Xu Zimo’s hand pulsed with thunderous energy, and lightning roared down.

Explosions filled the void.

When the thunder faded, Nocturne’s soul had been annihilated completely.

After killing him, Xu Zimo glanced up at the heavens.

A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

Then he descended from the sky, turning to Jiang Mozhi and the others. “Let’s go.”

“Young Master Xu, your kindness is a debt we can never repay,” Jiang Mozhi said, kneeling along with the students of the Celestial Sage Academy.

Xu Zimo waved his hand lightly.

Together, they walked toward the great gate of the Ghost God Collegium, no one dared to stop them this time.

The grand gate of the academy was truly imposing, crafted in the form of a massive ghost’s head, its mouth serving as the exit.

Passing through the mouth, the world opened up before them.

They stood upon a lone peak, surrounded by mountains of every shape and size, some towering into the clouds, others sinking into deep valleys.

A cool breeze swept down from above, curling around them softly.

“Where do we go next?” Xie Changliu asked.