I Really Am A Villain

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Xu Zimo waved his hand.

Above his head, the Traceless Compass floated into the air, spinning slowly. Its rotations unraveled the secrets of the formation before them, like silk threads being drawn apart.

“A fine treasure,” the woman said, glancing at the compass with rare admiration. “Sell it to me, how about that?”

“You couldn’t afford it,” Xu Zimo replied flatly.

His eyes flashed with cold light as the Traceless Compass released a streak of pure energy that shot into the formation ahead.

With a single motion, the compass shattered the countless layers of formations before them.

“Let’s go,” Xu Zimo said sharply, stepping forward into the formation.

The moment they entered, the world around them transformed into a vast sea of fire.

Flames roared and crackled, the sound of burning filling the air.

It was as if the inferno sought to consume them entirely.

The formation shifted ceaselessly, the flames took the shape of ancient celestial trees one moment, then clashing dragons and tigers the next.

But Xu Zimo strolled through it all as though walking through a garden path, untouched by the fire.

The Traceless Compass above him had already unraveled every hidden mechanism. To him, the grand formation’s transformations were no more than a child’s game of make-believe.

“This is the Huo Heavenly Clan’s Myriad Forms Heavenly Fire Formation,” the woman explained. “It was passed down from the Radiant Court itself, quite a famous formation in its day. I didn’t expect it to be so insignificant before you.”

She looked at Xu Zimo with growing curiosity. “I find myself increasingly curious about who you really are.”

“My identity has nothing to do with you,” Xu Zimo replied calmly. “Our paths in life will never intersect. Curiosity will only bring you unnecessary trouble.”

“How do you know our paths won’t cross?” the woman teased. “You’re heading to the Inferno Crucible Heaven, that’s my territory. If you flatter me now, maybe I’ll look after you when you get there.”

“Seems your status in the Radiant Court isn’t ordinary,” Xu Zimo said, glancing at her.

The woman immediately fell silent, realizing she’d revealed more than she intended. His perception was sharper than she had expected, he’d deduced much from a single offhand remark.

“Have you ever heard of the Ancient Gods?” Xu Zimo asked.

In the Inferno Crucible Heaven, everything revolved around the element of fire.

If there were any Ancient God connected to that domain, it would be the Fire God, Zhurong.

But Xu Zimo had already obtained Zhurong’s legacy, which was why he was curious if there were others.

“I don’t know. Never heard of them,” the woman said curtly.

Xu Zimo didn’t press the matter further.

The two finally emerged from the formation.

Before them stretched a crimson passageway that pierced through the heavens themselves.

It was impossible to measure its length, while its width spanned only a few hundred meters.

Looking closely, they realized the crimson “walls” were not made of fire or gas, but of countless fiery red runes, interlocked and woven together to form the vast tunnel.

“This is the Grand Dao Two Worlds Scripture,” the woman said with reverence. “It’s not a force or a physical thing. It was spoken by our ancestor as a true verse of the Dao.”

“When our Radiant Court first took control of this passage, the path between the two realms was perilous beyond measure, nine deaths for every life that entered. Even Saint Sovereigns would perish if caught in a spatial storm. Later, our ancestor recited a single true verse. That verse protected the passage, and only then did it become safe to travel.”

“Holding the flame…” Xu Zimo murmured under his breath.

“What did you say?” the woman asked, not quite hearing him.

“Nothing,” Xu Zimo said, shaking his head. “Come on. Let’s not keep our hosts waiting.”

They approached the passage. Soon, both of them came to a halt.

Before them, the heavens and earth themselves had been sealed by fire and suppression.

Within that domain stood five figures, five Saint Sovereigns.

Of those five, Xu Zimo recognized only one, Sage Monarch Ancient Void of the Heavenly Court, the elder who had joined Radiant Gold in the campaign to destroy the Ancient Demon Realm.

The other four were strangers to him.

“Those three are ancestors of the Huo Heavenly Clan,” the woman said softly. “As for the last one, I don’t know him either.”

Among the three Huo Heavenly Clan ancestors, one stood like a divine bird descended from the sky, sharp-beaked, hawk-eyed, his entire body gleaming with golden light.

Wherever he stood, he became the center of the world.

“The Golden Crow Saint Sovereign,” the woman explained. “He was once the Eternal Flame Bird that hovered outside the Radiant Court. It’s said that after a true Golden Crow died, the Lord drew upon its bloodline and granted it to that bird. I never thought it would ascend to sainthood, let alone betray the Radiant Court. Disgraceful.”

The second ancestor was shrouded completely in a long, flowing robe.

The garment enveloped his entire body, revealing nothing but the chilling aura that surrounded him, an aura so cold it seemed capable of freezing the heavens themselves.

To witness such icy power within a clan devoted to fire was nothing short of bizarre.

“That’s the Hell Sovereign,” the woman said. “As a child, he once ventured into the Mirage Tides Heaven, where he obtained the Spectral Ghost Flame. Though it’s a form of fire, it burns with the essence of extreme cold. Eight thousand years ago, when he ascended to sainthood, he took the title Hell Sovereign.”

Xu Zimo nodded slightly, then turned his gaze to the third man.

This one was an elderly figure clad in pristine white robes.

His silver hair drifted gently in the wind, his face kind and serene, without the slightest trace of murderous intent.

“That is the Alchemy Sovereign,” the woman explained. “The Huo Heavenly Clan specializes in fire for battle and destruction, few ever use it for alchemy. Only this Alchemy Sovereign is different. He’s said to have come from a lower world. After joining the Huo Heavenly Clan, he served as an offering elder. At that time, he was known as the Alchemy Emperor. After becoming a Saint Sovereign, he gave up his position and naturally became one of the clan’s ancestors.”

“The Alchemy Emperor…” Xu Zimo murmured. “An old friend, then.”

He thought back to the Eastern Continent of the Primordial Heartlands, where the Alchemy Emperor had stood alongside the Formation Emperor, belonging to the Dan Imperial Clan.

It was a memory from ages past.

He never expected that the Dan Imperial Clan’s ancestor, after ascending to the Nine Heavens, would join the Huo Heavenly Clan.

But upon reflection, it made sense.

The Huo Heavenly Clan drew their lineage from the Radiant Court, the origin of all worldly flames.

As an alchemist, the Alchemy Emperor’s combat prowess was never his strength.

It was quite possible that his path to sainthood owed much to the Huo Heavenly Clan’s support.

Looking upon these three figures, Xu Zimo finally understood the true depth of the Huo Heavenly Clan’s power.

They were even stronger than he’d imagined.

For countless ages, they had stood unchallenged within the Lotus Pathway. No wonder none dared to provoke them.

They controlled the only passage to the Inferno Crucible Heaven, and yet no one complained.

Their power alone was deterrent enough.

Xu Zimo smiled faintly.

He now understood, the Huo Heavenly Clan hadn’t truly submitted to the Heavenly Court.

It wasn’t allegiance, but mutual exploitation.

He had once assumed that their new Patriarch had simply chosen to side with the Heavenly Court.

But now he saw the truth.

Their so-called alliance with the Heavenly Court was nothing more than an attempt to break free from the Radiant Court’s dominion.

TL Note:

No one:

Literally no one:

Xu Zimo to anyone he meets: “Have you heard of the Ancient Gods?”