I Really Am A Villain

When Shangguan Xian said those words, Shangguan Xiongba’s gaze narrowed slightly.

“Breaking the jar after it’s cracked,” he snorted coldly. “Whether you’re expelled or confined, that’s not for you to decide. It’s not even for me to decide. Your fate will be determined by the family elders in council.”

His eyes on Shangguan Xian showed no trace of mercy, only cold indifference. To him, everything that had happened was of her own making. Even though she was his daughter, Shangguan Xiongba understood that he was first a patriarch, and only after that, a father.

In a great clan like the Shangguan Heavenly Clan, the rules were strict, as strict as any great power. Familial affection tended to fade under the weight of duty and hierarchy.

Shangguan Xiongba stepped toward Shangguan Xian one deliberate step at a time. In the eyes of everyone watching, the outcome was already sealed.

Although the Violet Mist Saint Sovereign wanted to protect her, the three gray-robed men fought desperately to keep him occupied, giving him no chance to intervene.

“This is quite the show,” came a leisurely laugh from the side.

There was no need to guess whose voice it was, it was clearly Xu Zimo’s.

Shangguan Xiongba’s steps halted. He slowly turned and looked at the newcomer.

“Xu Zimo?” he asked, testing the name.

“So, you’ve heard of me,” Xu Zimo said with a faint smile.

Though the two had never met, the fact that the man could call out his name so casually showed that he knew him well.

“I’ve heard the Chaos Fire God Realm produced a monstrous genius who defeated Xiao Anshan,” Shangguan Xiongba replied. “So yes, I know a little about you.”

Indeed, the Seven Great God Realms each had their own intelligence networks. Any major event in one region quickly became known to the others. The Chaos Fire God Realm’s selection tournament, determining who would enter the Ancestral Lands, had drawn much attention. As the top candidate, Xu Zimo was naturally the focus of countless eyes.

“What do you want?” Shangguan Xiongba asked. “Are you planning to meddle in our family affairs?”

“Family affairs?” Xu Zimo chuckled. “She’s my follower. Whether it’s family affairs or state affairs, none of it outweighs my people.”

“Your tone is arrogant. Even your Fire Ancestor wouldn’t speak so boldly,” Shangguan Xiongba sneered. “You really think that just because you placed first in the Chaos Fire God Realm, you can look down on everyone else?”

He cast a disdainful glance at Shangguan Xian. “Someone like her still managed to rank third, that tells me your Chaos Fire God Realm is truly in decline.”

“I happen to think she’s quite good,” Xu Zimo said with a smile. “And if you look down on me so much, why don’t we test that out?”

“You’re not worthy to spar with my father,” a cold female voice interrupted.

From the air descended a young woman whose features resembled Shangguan Xian’s. She wore a flowing blue crystal dress, ribbons swirling around her body. Her long black hair fell like a waterfall, her skin was pale, and her eyes shone with fierce light.

Without a word, as she stepped forward, the countless ribbons around her transformed into blades of light, slicing through the air toward Xu Zimo.

The ribbons crisscrossed in a deadly web, even shattering the surrounding void.

Xu Zimo merely smiled and raised his right hand. One of the Ten Primordial God-Scriptures, the Creation Devouring God-Finger, erupted forth.

The Power of Creation coiled around his fingertip, imbued with an annihilating, devouring might. Wherever it passed, everything dissolved into nothingness.

The void itself was swallowed, his finger rising like a pillar of heaven, carrying the wrath of the heavens with it.

With a thunderous boom, the woman’s ribbons shattered instantly, the shockwave flinging her body violently backward.

“Jin’er!” Shangguan Xiongba shouted.

He caught the young woman’s bloodied form in his arms.

Her name was Shangguan Jin.

Most of the world only knew of Shangguan Xiongba’s eldest daughter, Shangguan Wan’er, a woman whose brilliance had eclipsed all others in the Divine Crow God Realm’s younger generation.

Yet few remembered that the Shangguan Heavenly Clan had three daughters.

The eldest, Shangguan Wan’er.

The second, Shangguan Xian.

The youngest, Shangguan Jin.

All three were born prodigious, each worthy of being called a peerless genius. But the world only spoke of Wan’er, forgetting the other two.

Holding the wounded Shangguan Jin, Shangguan Xiongba’s eyes hardened with fury.

“You’re declaring war on the entire Shangguan Heavenly Clan,” he said coldly. “Even if the Chaos Fire God Realm tries to protect you, today you will die!”

“The Chaos Fire God Realm?” Xu Zimo laughed softly. “I don’t even put the Fire Ancestor in my eyes, why would I need their protection? If your Shangguan Heavenly Clan wants war, I’ll gladly crush all of you today.”

Shangguan Xiongba’s expression darkened, his aura swelling like a tidal wave. The sheer pressure of it surged toward Xu Zimo like a crashing sun.

But Xu Zimo only stood there calmly, smiling faintly, and beckoned him forward with one hand.

Shangguan Xiongba glanced to the side. One of his men instantly understood and drew a signal flare from his robes.

With a loud boom, the flare streaked into the sky.

It was the Shangguan Heavenly Clan’s signature signal, the moment it was fired, any of their members nearby would come rushing to aid them.

There weren’t many Shangguan retainers in the East Valley that day; even so, Xiongba knew Xu Zimo’s power and had called for backup in advance.

As the old saying went: one arrow through the clouds, and ten thousand troops will arrive.

Within moments of the flare’s explosion, hundreds of figures came flying in from all directions.

Their auras were immense, each one radiated the might of a Grand Emperor. One among them even exuded the unmistakable presence of a Saint Sovereign.

Xu Zimo didn’t move, waiting patiently as the Shangguan reinforcements gathered.

In short order, more than two hundred cultivators had arrived, surrounding the entire valley. Among them were two Saint Sovereigns.

“Patriarch!” they called out in unison.

After ensuring Shangguan Jin’s wounds were stabilized, Shangguan Xiongba turned his furious gaze back to Xu Zimo.

“Seize him!” he ordered.

Countless figures surged forward, battle ready.

Just as the clash was about to erupt, a deafening explosion echoed overhead.

The sound was so loud that even the most battle-hardened of warriors froze in shock.

Everyone looked up.

Through the clouds and void above, an enormous palace descended from the heavens.

The structure was so vast that it blotted out the sun itself. The moment it appeared, the entire valley dimmed into shadow.

Then came a powerful, majestic voice that rolled through the sky like thunder.

“Welcome, everyone, to the Radiant Lands!”