I Really Am A Villain

Perhaps the Rat King and all those countless skeletal minions were being raised by someone, mere pawns used to form the Twenty-Eight Fiends Netherworld Formation.

“It’s not that I don’t wish to meet you,” said the crow, its voice echoing from the shadows. “It’s that my true body is too far away. I can’t reach you in time. If you’re merely passing through the God Valley of Buried Souls, I’ll have the Black Crow guide you. It’ll lead you safely out, no need for conflict.”

“What’s this? Found out you can’t win, so you want to call it off?” Xu Zimo replied coldly.

“You’ve already destroyed my Netherworld Formation and the offerings I prepared. I didn’t target you specifically, anyone who enters this valley faces the same trial,” said the voice in the dark. “If you survive it, you leave alive. If not, you’re buried here.”

“Who are you?” Xu Zimo asked after a moment of silence.

“It doesn’t matter,” the voice answered. “Someone who should’ve died back in the age of gods and ghosts. We needn’t meet, and you don’t need to know my name.”

“Fine,” Xu Zimo said flatly. “Then lead the way. I’m going to Lu City.”

Since the other party didn’t want to show himself, Xu Zimo had no desire to press further.

The crow spread its wings, scattering black feathers as it cawed and flew ahead into the valley. Xu Zimo followed closely behind.

The God Valley of Buried Souls’s size far exceeded Xu Zimo’s expectations, it stretched across hundreds of billions of square miles, filled with endless tombstones and battlefields of the dead. The number of warriors who had perished here was uncountable.

Yet, despite the grimness, every tombstone, whether belonging to gods or ghosts, had been meticulously preserved. Whoever ruled this place clearly respected the dead deeply.

Following the crow, Xu Zimo traveled without rest. After three days and three nights, and finally by the dawn of the eleventh day, he emerged from the valley. Ahead, a massive city loomed on the horizon.

The crow vanished into the air as Xu Zimo studied the city before him.

“Royal City.”

As the saying went, passing through Royal City, the sun sets unseen; heaven and earth become a painting.

Raising his gaze, Xu Zimo saw a rare sight. A single ray of sunlight piercing the sky like a heavenly thread, shining down upon the world.

It was the first time since arriving in this realm that he had seen sunlight from the heavens. Bathed in that glow, Royal City shimmered beneath a golden hue, breathtakingly beautiful.

At the wide city gates, crowds surged in and out.

As Xu Zimo stepped through, he was momentarily overwhelmed by the liveliness, the noise, the bustle, the fragrance of street food, so different from the desolate quiet of the God Valley of Buried Souls.

“The young lady of the Lu Heavenly Clan is arriving!” someone shouted.

“Yes, though I heard she was strongly against the marriage.”

“What choice do they have? The Lu Heavenly Clan’s situation is dire. Without relying on the Wang Heavenly Clan, they won’t last long.”

“Quick, let’s go! The bridal procession’s already reached the Sun-Moon Inn!”

The entire city was draped in red, lanterns hung from the gates to the street corners, crimson silk fluttered from windows, and wedding posters plastered every wall.

Walking along the main street, Xu Zimo searched for a place to rest.

As he walked, his mind drifted back to the day he left White Emperor City. He and Xie Changliu had parted ways after agreeing on a plan.

Xu Zimo would go to Lu City to fulfill his promise to Lu Sheng, while Xie Changliu would head to Sunflower City to await him.

After all, being pursued by the Abyssal Tyrant made traveling together too dangerous.

Just as Xu Zimo was lost in thought, a sharp neigh split the air.

“Damn it! He’s in the way! If he dies, it’s his own fault!” someone shouted.

“Out of the way!”

Xu Zimo looked up to see a horse-drawn carriage charging straight toward him. The horses had gone wild, and a burly man stood in their path, muscles bulging as he grabbed the reins and yanked hard.

With a heavy thud, he slammed the raging horse to the ground.

Because the carriage was connected to the horses, the entire ornate chariot tipped over as well.

“Commander Zhan!” the guards rushed forward in alarm.

The big man waved them off. “I’m fine.”

He lifted the fallen horse effortlessly with one hand and infused it with spirit energy. The beast neighed again, its limbs mending instantly.

“Kid, didn’t you see the Lu Heavenly Clan’s carriage?” one of the guards barked. “When a Lu carriage approaches, standing in the way is a death sentence!”

Before Xu Zimo could reply, the burly man, Commander Zhan, raised his hand, silencing them.

“You all right, brother?” he asked, his voice booming and friendly.

Xu Zimo shook his head. “I’m fine.”

“Good,” Zhan said with a nod, remounting his horse. He took the lead, guiding the procession as the entire entourage surrounded the bridal carriage and turned down another street.

Watching them pass, Xu Zimo murmured under his breath, “The Lu Heavenly Clan.”

A crowd had gathered nearby to watch. Xu Zimo casually stopped a man and asked, “Excuse me, is this Lu Heavenly Clan the same one from Lu City?”

“Of course it is,” the man laughed. “You must be a traveler. Lu City’s only thirty miles from here. The Lu Heavenly Clan and the Wang Heavenly Clan have been rivals for generations.”

“If they’re rivals, why marry their daughter off to them?” Xu Zimo asked, puzzled, glancing back at the bridal procession.

“They were rivals,” the man explained. “But now, they’re about to join families. You see, the Lu Heavenly Clan’s Immortal Monarch disappeared a year ago, and now the Wang Heavenly Clan’s Eternal Emperor stands unmatched. The Lu Heavenly Clan’s lost every major battle since. Without this marriage, they’d be wiped out soon.”

“A political marriage,” Xu Zimo said softly. “One woman to save an entire clan.”

The man chuckled. “Normally, that wouldn’t be enough, but this woman’s no ordinary bride.”

“What’s special about her?” Xu Zimo asked, intrigued.

“She’s Lu Nanyi, the Lu Heavenly Clan’s daughter. From birth, she was chosen by Heaven-Earth Sanctuary as their Saintess. It’s said that within a thousand years, she’ll ascend to Grand Emperor.” The man grinned. “Imagine that. If she becomes a Grand Emperor and the Lu Heavenly Clan’s Immortal Monarch ever returns, the two together could crush even the Wang Heavenly Clan’s Eternal Emperor. But fate’s cruel,” he added with a sigh. “The Immortal Monarch vanished without a trace, and the Lu Heavenly Clan lost their only balance of power. As for Lu Nanyi, she may have potential, but that’s for the future. For now, if they want to survive, marriage is their only option.”

“I see,” Xu Zimo nodded. “The Wang Heavenly Clan values her future.”

“Right,” the man said, eyeing him curiously. “Why are you so interested in all this, anyway?”

“Just curious,” Xu Zimo said, waving it off.

He’d overheard earlier that the Lu Heavenly Clan was staying at the Sun-Moon Inn. After asking for directions, he set off toward it.

As the largest inn in Royal City, Sun-Moon Inn was surprisingly not under the Wang Heavenly Clan’s control, because it was founded by Sun-Moon Tower, an infamous assassin organization.