I Really Am A Villain

The golden-armored warrior spoke impatiently.

Xu Zimo frowned slightly, then relaxed his expression and asked, “Tell me the truth, who exactly wants to see me?”

“You’ll know when you get there,” the warrior replied.

“So it’s as I thought, you were lying to me,” Xu Zimo said.

“So what if I was?” the warrior snorted coldly.

But before his words had even finished, Xu Zimo’s figure suddenly blurred into motion. In a flash, he grabbed the warrior by the throat and slammed his head hard against the nearby wall.

The wall shattered like tofu. The golden-armored warrior’s body was half-embedded in the stone, blood trickling down his face.

He hadn’t even processed what was happening, someone had actually dared to attack him inside the Radiant Court. That was like offending the heavens themselves.

“You want to die!” the warrior roared in fury.

But before he could make another move, Xu Zimo’s fist smashed into his face with a deafening boom.

The blow hit like a hurricane. The golden armor splintered apart, revealing a mangled, bloody face beneath.

“Speak,” Xu Zimo said coldly. “Who sent you?”

“I won’t tell you anything, you’re dead already!” the warrior spat, his eyes full of venom.

“You won’t be around long enough to see me die,” Xu Zimo sneered. “But you, without a doubt, are about to die.”

He raised his palm again, this time with full killing intent, a strike meant to end the man’s life.

“Wait!” the golden warrior shouted, panic breaking through his defiance.

“What’s wrong?” Xu Zimo said with a mocking smile. “Lost your courage?”

“I’ll tell you, just let me go,” the warrior said hastily.

“Fine,” Xu Zimo nodded.

“It’s Young Lord Mu Yang,” the warrior said quickly. “I was originally going to report to the Saintess, but before I could see her, I was stopped outside by Young Lord Mu Yang. When he heard your name, he ordered me to bring you to him instead.”

“And who exactly is this Mu Yang?” Xu Zimo asked.

“He’s the Holy Son of the Radiant Court, his status is equal to that of the Saintess,” the warrior explained.

“And what does he want with me?” Xu Zimo asked, puzzled. He didn’t recall ever meeting the man.

“I don’t know,” the warrior said. “But whatever it is, the Young Lord must have his reasons. I’ve told you everything, now let me go.”

“Sorry,” Xu Zimo said with a faint smile. “I’ve changed my mind.”

He tightened his grip and snapped the warrior’s neck cleanly. Then, with a flick of his hand, flames erupted, reducing the corpse to ashes.

From the moment the man had tried to deceive him, his fate had been sealed.

Xu Zimo looked ahead. He was curious now, he wanted to see what kind of person this “Young Lord Mu Yang” really was.

He walked forward alone. The flames around him shifted from gold to a deeper gold-red hue.

Eventually, Xu Zimo stopped before a lake.

The entire surface of the lake shimmered with golden light, rippling like molten sunlight, reflecting what looked like a second sun floating in the air.

Across the lake stood a small thatched hut. In front of it, a young man wearing a simple hemp robe sat by the water, fishing quietly.

“Mu Yang?” Xu Zimo asked.

Without turning his head, the young man replied calmly, “Why are you looking for Qing’er?”

The “Qing’er” he mentioned could only refer to Murong Qing.

“She’s an old acquaintance,” Xu Zimo said lightly. “I don’t need to report to you for visiting her.”

“Ever since Qing’er returned from the Godfiend Abyss Heaven, she’s been thinking of someone constantly,” Mu Yang said slowly, still gazing at the lake. “If I’m not mistaken, that someone is you.”

“You certainly talk a lot of nonsense,” Xu Zimo said dryly. “If you’ve got something to say, say it.”

“Qing’er and I grew up together, childhood sweethearts. We’ve been betrothed since we were young,” Mu Yang said evenly. “So I’ll give you a warning. Stay away from her.”

Xu Zimo couldn’t help but laugh. “Seems Murong Qing doesn’t return your feelings. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be here trying to prove your existence through me.”

“What did you say?” Mu Yang snapped, the fishing rod in his hand breaking with a crack. He rose slowly to his feet, and an immense pressure began to spread outward.

The air around him churned like a storm. The flames that covered his body burned brighter and hotter, gold-red in color, radiating a heat so fierce it seemed capable of melting the world itself.

“I said,” Xu Zimo repeated, smiling faintly, “you’re just trying to find a sense of presence because she doesn’t care about you.”

“So you’re not afraid of me,” Mu Yang said coldly. “Do you believe I can revoke your qualification to enter the Ancestral Lands?”

As the Young Lord of the Radiant Court, his words carried weight.

“And do you believe,” Xu Zimo replied casually, “that I could make every fire-blooded being in your race kneel and call me daddy?”

He wasn’t bluffing. He possessed the Myriad Streams, the key to overcoming the Fire God Race’s inherent limitations. It was something every member of their kind needed to ascend higher.

In that sense, Xu Zimo really was their “father.”

“Arrogant fool,” Mu Yang snapped. He thrust his hand toward Xu Zimo.

His aura flickered between the level of a Grand Emperor and that of a Pseudo-Saint Sovereign, unstable, yet still formidable.

“So you haven’t even broken through to Saint Sovereign,” Xu Zimo said in disappointment. “How boring.”

“To kill you, I don’t need to!” Mu Yang roared.

His palm descended like a burning sky. Xu Zimo’s drew his blade behind him, one sweeping motion, and the fierce blade aura split Mu Yang’s palm clean in two.

“Kill,” Xu Zimo murmured.

Shadow Tyrant exploded into thousands of overlapping blades, tearing through the void itself.

Mu Yang struggled to shatter the incoming sword energy, but while he was distracted, Xu Zimo stepped in and kicked him square in the chest.

The impact sent him crashing into the lake, sending golden waves surging in every direction.

Mu Yang stood up from the water, dripping wet and looking utterly disheveled. His aura was weaker now, settling firmly at the Grand Emperor realm’s peak.

“If I weren’t in the middle of breaking through,” he growled, “I’d fight you to the death!”

He had been preparing to ascend to Saint Sovereign before entering the Ancestral Lands, hoping to increase his strength, and now he regretted holding back.

“I’ll gladly oblige you anytime,” Xu Zimo said coolly. “But since you’ve delayed my business, how do you plan to repay me?”

“Don’t forget where you are,” Mu Yang said through gritted teeth. “This is the Radiant Court.”

It was his domain, and as its Young Lord, he was confident Xu Zimo wouldn’t dare act recklessly here.

“I’ve never been one for rules,” Xu Zimo said.

In the blink of an eye, he was upon Mu Yang again.

Shadow Tyrant floated above his head, unleashing endless waves of blade intent that surged like a storm.

Mu Yang tried to defend himself, but it was already too late. The overwhelming pressure crashed down.

Xu Zimo moved like lightning, his strike landing squarely, another heavy kick that sent Mu Yang hurtling through the air.

“Damn you!” Mu Yang roared, hair disheveled, face twisted with fury.

Behind him, his True Fate appeared, a blazing golden sun that illuminated everything around it, its light devouring the sky.