I Really Am A Villain

“Oh? Is that so?” the Dragon God Saint Sovereign said in mild surprise. “Who killed him?”

“Would I have come here otherwise, Your Majesty?” Elder Bi replied with a knowing smile.

“Elder Bi, that’s a baseless accusation,” the Dragon God Saint Sovereign said, shaking his head with a faint laugh. “Do you have any proof? Just because someone from the Vast Heaven Imperium was killed, you pin it on us?”

“Your Majesty, you know as well as I do that denying it is pointless,” Elder Bi said evenly. “If this truly escalates, your people might kill those of the Vast Heaven Imperium, but the Vast Heaven Imperium could just as easily retaliate. That would only lead to war.”

“Then what exactly is your purpose here, Elder Bi?” the Dragon God Saint Sovereign asked.

“I’ve come for the two inheritors,” Elder Bi said plainly.

“You intend to take them to the Vast Heaven Imperium?” the Dragon God Saint Sovereign frowned.

“I’m taking them back to the Vast Heaven God Realm,” Elder Bi explained. “Once the investigation is complete, the matter of the inheritance will be returned to your Dragon God Imperium. As for the Vast Heaven Imperium’s slain general, your empire will need to offer compensation. How that’s arranged is up to you two nations. I merely don’t wish to see relations ruined over a single inheritance.”

Hearing this, the Dragon God Saint Sovereign fell silent, lost in thought.

Under normal circumstances, he would never have agreed.

But Xu Zimo was clearly no ordinary man, a hard bone to chew. Refusing Elder Bi would offend the Vast Heaven God Realm for no gain, and even if he wanted to act against Xu Zimo, he couldn’t overpower him anyway.

After a brief pause, the Dragon God Saint Sovereign smiled. “Since Elder Bi has spoken, I must give you this courtesy. Take the two of them. Handle the matter however you see fit.”

Elder Bi gave him a surprised look.

He had expected resistance, after all, between the two rulers, the Emperor of the Vast Heaven Imperium was known as a wise sovereign, and the Dragon God Saint Sovereign of the Dragon God Imperium was a ruthless conqueror who rarely compromised.

“Your Majesty is truly magnanimous,” Elder Bi said with a smile. “Then I’ll take my leave and trouble you no further.”

“Stay a while longer, Elder Bi. I’ve already ordered a feast prepared,” the Dragon God Saint Sovereign said, more out of formality than sincerity.

“No need to trouble yourself. When you visit the Vast Heaven God Realm someday, I’ll make sure to return the courtesy,” Elder Bi said with a polite laugh.

“Come with me,” he said, glancing at Xu Zimo and Wu Zhaodi.

As Elder Bi’s figure turned to leave, Wu Zhaodi looked at Xu Zimo and asked softly, “You have acquaintances in the Vast Heaven God Realm, don’t you?”

“I know them,” Xu Zimo said with a small smile. “They just don’t realize they should know me.”

Before departing, Xu Zimo turned to Demon Minister Wei and said, “Remember what I told you.”

Even after Xu Zimo and the others had disappeared from sight, one of the ministers muttered indignantly, “Those two are far too arrogant, acting as though our Dragon God Imperium means nothing! They deserve to be taught a lesson.”

“Why didn’t you say that earlier when they were here?” the Dragon God Saint Sovereign said coldly, glaring at him.

The minister gave an awkward laugh. He was only venting; in truth, he didn’t have the power to do anything.

“They’re from the Ancient Demon Race, aren’t they?” the Dragon God Saint Sovereign asked, turning to Demon Minister Wei.

“Yes, from the Ancient Demon Race,” Demon Minister Wei nodded firmly. “Though it seems… not from the Godfiend Abyss Heaven.”

“What other demons exist besides those from your domain?” the Dragon God Saint Sovereign asked skeptically.

“True enough,” Demon Minister Wei said with a short laugh.

But then his smile froze as a thought struck him.

If not from the Godfiend Abyss Heaven… then the only other possibility was the Ancient Demon Abyss, the true origin of the Ancient Demon Race itself.

“No… impossible,” he muttered, shaking his head rapidly, as though trying to drive away the thought.

But then Xu Zimo’s words came back to him,

“After the war against Heaven, your king has returned.”

A chill ran down his spine. His thoughts wavered between denial and dread.

“Your Majesty, shall we investigate their origins?” Vast Cloud asked from the side.

“Yes,” the Dragon God Saint Sovereign said sharply, slamming his palm on the table. “Dig up everything you can about them. And look into any connections between the Vast Heaven Imperium and the Vast Heaven God Realm.”

“What about the Empress’s illness?”

“Continue searching for Dragon Beach Grass. Raise the reward,” the Dragon God Saint Sovereign ordered.

“Your Majesty,” said Demon Minister Wei, “I may need to leave for a while.”

“Back to the Godfiend Abyss Heaven?”

Demon Minister Wei nodded.

…

Following Elder Bi’s lead, the group didn’t stay in the Dragon God City for long before preparing to depart again.

“I am Bi Shangjie,” the elder introduced himself. “And truth be told, the two of you ought to be thanking me.”

“Thank you? For what?” Wu Zhaodi asked. “Even without your help, the people of the Dragon God Imperium couldn’t have done anything to us.”

“I want to know,” Elder Bi said, “what exactly happened inside the Primordial Dragon’s tomb?”

Xu Zimo gave a brief, simple account, though he left out the part about killing the Primordial Dragon. He only mentioned that the people of the Vast Heaven Imperium and the Three Luan Holy Lands had been fighting, and he and Wu Zhaodi had escaped in the chaos.

Then Xu Zimo asked, “Is Qi Haoran of the Vast Heaven God Realm currently at the sect?”

“You wish to see Realm Lord Qi?” Elder Bi asked, his tone puzzled.

“I was entrusted by an old friend to deliver something to him,” Xu Zimo replied.

“An old friend of the Realm Lord?” Elder Bi laughed lightly. “And who might that be? Never mind, whatever it is, give it to me. I’ll pass it along to the Realm Lord.”

“You won’t do. I must hand it to Qi Haoran personally,” Xu Zimo said, shaking his head.

“Whether you can see him or not is another matter, he’s currently in seclusion,” Elder Bi said. “But for now, you’ll come back to the Vast Heaven God Realm with me.”

He waved his hand, and the winds around them began to stir violently. A strange whistling sound echoed in the air.

Moments later, a massive bird emerged from the distant clouds, soaring toward them.

It was enormous, like a great roc with wings so vast they blotted out half the sky. Its feathers shimmered blue, though many were shedding as it descended.

The giant bird landed silently before them.

“Come aboard,” Elder Bi said, stepping onto the creature’s back first.

“I was planning to visit the Vast Heaven God Realm anyway,” Xu Zimo said. “But tell me, do you also think I carry the inheritance?”

“Whether you do or not doesn’t matter,” Elder Bi said with a shrug. “The Primordial Dragon’s legacy doesn’t concern me. But you’ll need to remain at the Vast Heaven God Realm for seven days before you can leave. Consider it a formality, to give the Dragon God Imperium a proper explanation.”

Xu Zimo could tell that the Vast Heaven God Realm and the Vast Heaven Imperium had already reached some sort of secret understanding.

Taking the two of them to the sect was merely a way to keep the Dragon God Saint Sovereign from becoming suspicious.

“Tell me about Qi Haoran,” Xu Zimo said as he settled on the bird’s back.