I Really Am A Villain

A mighty wind arose, and the clouds rolled across the sky.

Amidst the raging gale, an aged figure slowly appeared.

“I’ll let you strike three times first,” the old man said calmly. “Lest others say I bully the young.”

Xu Zimo lifted his gaze toward the speaker.

The old man’s hair was tied in a single braid atop his head, like ancient scholars used to wear, giving him an air of refinement. He wore a cyan scholar’s robe embroidered with mysterious patterns, his eyes deep and composed. His nose was slightly sunken, his lips dry and cracked.

As he approached, the power of a Saint Sovereign surged from him without restraint. The overwhelming pressure rolled forward like a tidal wave, crashing toward Xu Zimo to assert his dominance.

“Boy, don’t say I didn’t give you a chance,” the old man said again. “Three moves. I won’t strike first.”

“And who might you be?” Xu Zimo asked bluntly.

“He’s one of Vast Heaven God Realm’s three Saint Sovereigns, the Martial Spirit Saint Sovereign,” Wu Zhaodi quickly explained from the side. “Among Vast Heaven’s strongest, there are three: Martial Spirit Saint Sovereign, War Heaven Saint Sovereign, and the Primordial Sword Saint Sovereign, Qi Haoran.”

“The first stage of the Saint Sovereign realm, Supreme Giant,” Xu Zimo murmured after sensing the old man’s aura.

He remembered what Paimon had once told him, the five stages of the Saint Sovereign. This old man seemed to be at the first stage, a Supreme Giant.

Even so, the first step of a Saint Sovereign was far beyond what a Grand Emperor could match.

“Of Vast Heaven’s three ancestors,” Wu Zhaodi added, “both Martial Spirit and War Heaven are said to be Supreme Giants. As for Qi Haoran, his realm is a mystery. He was already an Eternal Overlord over a hundred thousand years ago, no one knows how far he’s gone now.”

“No matter,” Xu Zimo said with a faint smile.

He looked at the Martial Spirit Saint Sovereign. “Are you certain you’ll give me three strikes?”

“When have I ever gone back on my word?” the old man replied. “I’ll make it simple, if you lose, leave the inheritance token and depart on your own.”

“I won’t lose,” Xu Zimo said flatly.

He waved his hand, and Shadow Tyrant flew from its sheath, radiating boundless blade intent. Without any further motion, he stepped forward, the power of his blade surging like a storm.

He raised Shadow Tyrant high and struck fiercely toward the old man.

“A fine blade, and your intent is decent,” the Martial Spirit Saint Sovereign said, evaluating him as one might a junior. “But it’s not enough.”

His hands remained clasped behind his back, showing no sign of concern.

When the blade intent came crashing down from above, he merely raised his right hand, where the Primal Dao of Wind gathered. Wisps of breeze swirled around his palm.

Xu Zimo noticed that many in Vast Heaven God Realm cultivated wind-based laws, it was clearly the sect’s foundation.

When the old man lifted his hand, the force of wind met the descending blade. The Martial Spirit Saint Sovereign’s expression remained unchanged. “One move,” he said calmly.

Xu Zimo narrowed his eyes but did not withdraw his sword. Instead, the power of all living beings, the Power of Faith, erupted from within him.

The old man’s strength lay in his mastery of deflection, using the nature of wind to dissolve his opponent’s attacks. That was why he stood unmoved.

But as Xu Zimo’s Power of Faith burst forth, Shadow Tyrant flared brighter, its intent multiplying a thousandfold.

He unleashed all Nineteen Forms of Dao-Seeking, his blade suppressing the heavens, reversing reincarnation itself.

Cracks spiderwebbed through the very fabric of space.

Yet the Martial Spirit Saint Sovereign still appeared unhurried, the Primal Dao of Wind swirling in his palm as he moved to catch the strike again.

But at that instant, Xu Zimo’s own Primal Dao of Wind erupted around him.

“The power of a Primal Dao?” the old man exclaimed in shock.

Caught off guard, he tried to evade, but Shadow Tyrant was already upon him.

With a flash of silver light, his right hand was severed cleanly.

The Martial Spirit Saint Sovereign’s body staggered backward, retreating rapidly.

“How’s that strike?” Xu Zimo asked, resting his blade on his shoulder with a faint smile.

“I underestimated you,” the old man admitted. “But how can a mere Grand Emperor wield the power of Primal Dao?”

“Is cultivating Primal Dao so difficult?” Xu Zimo asked.

“It’s nearly impossible,” the Martial Spirit Saint Sovereign replied firmly.

“What you can’t do doesn’t make it impossible,” Xu Zimo smiled. “It just means you have skill issues.”

“Hmph. Then I’ll capture you and question you myself,” the old man said darkly.

If earlier he had only aimed for the inheritance token, now his greed had doubled.

A Grand Emperor who could grasp a Primal Dao, that was a power that could overturn the heavens.

“Tiger-Crane Twin Form!” the old man roared, charging forward.

This time, he didn’t hold back. His stance was as graceful as a crane, yet his momentum as fierce as a tiger.

He moved with uncanny precision, not mere imitation, but true embodiment, his aura fusing completely with the essence of the beasts.

“Be careful,” Wu Zhaodi warned. “The Martial Spirit Saint Sovereign entered the Path of Dao through martial forms. He observed all living creatures and merged them into his own path.”

Xu Zimo focused his gaze. The old man’s speed was astonishing, wind cultivators were naturally swift.

With a sharp cry like a crane’s, he appeared instantly beside Xu Zimo.

Then came a thunderous tiger’s roar. Behind the old man, a spectral tiger materialized, lunging at Xu Zimo.

Xu Zimo raised Shadow Tyrant to block. The clash exploded with a deafening boom.

The blade quivered violently; even Xu Zimo’s arms went numb from the impact.

“Dragon-Seizing Hand!” the Martial Spirit Saint Sovereign shouted next.

A dragon’s roar resounded, striking Xu Zimo’s mind like a psychic blast. His head buzzed with pain.

The old man’s hands, shaped like dragon claws, seized Xu Zimo’s shoulders and flung him outward.

“Eightfold Heaven-Splitting!” Xu Zimo roared.

Endless blade intent burst forth from within him. The small blades formed by Lu Sheng’s transformation trembled violently inside his body.

The Martial Spirit Saint Sovereign instantly leapt back, glancing at his palms, now covered in countless fine, even blade marks.

“What a domineering technique,” he muttered.

The light of blades filled the air around Xu Zimo, dazzling and blinding.

From every direction, Heaven-Splitting Blade Intent surged forth.

In the next moment, the blades stormed toward the Martial Spirit Saint Sovereign.

“I admit, you are exceptional, even among Grand Emperors, you’re extraordinary,” the old man said gravely. “But this is where it ends.”

Behind him, the shadow of a colossal beast slowly took form.

As it inhaled, the very heavens and earth seemed to collapse inward, drawn toward its maw.

Hurricanes roared as the winds converged.

The beast had no fixed shape, its form constantly shifting, ethereal and formless, but its eyes glowed with tangible azure light.

With one exhalation, the creature unleashed a tornado that engulfed the world.

Xu Zimo’s figure was swept up by the cyclone, his body spinning violently within it.

“As expected,” Xu Zimo murmured to himself. “Facing a Saint Sovereign, even if only a Supreme Giant, head-on while still in the Life-Death Stage… my strength is still lacking.”