I Really Am A Villain

The sun behind Mu Yang gave off the feeling of a true sun, vast, radiant, and searingly hot.

But Xu Zimo knew that with Mu Yang’s current strength, he was still worlds apart from possessing anything close to a real sun. Even if the man spent his entire life chasing that power, he would never reach it.

Perhaps only the one who ruled within the Radiant Court truly possessed a sun.

Of course, all of this was just Xu Zimo’s speculation.

At that moment, the illusory sun blazing behind Mu Yang ignited furiously, and it felt as if the entire sky was burning.

The golden lake beneath them began to boil.

Instead of evaporating under the blinding light, the water seemed to grow more turbulent, waves surging higher and higher until the entire lake churned like a living thing.

Mu Yang raised both hands and shouted. With a thunderous boom, the lake rose up like a tidal flood, sweeping toward Xu Zimo. Countless waves crashed down, swallowing the world in their fury.

Xu Zimo looked up, the entire sky seemed to have turned into an ocean, descending to drown him.

He gave a cold snort.

Behind him, the colossal figure of the Heaven-Shattering Giant rose from the ground, towering so high it seemed to shoulder the heavens themselves.

The giant threw its fists toward the sky, and with one overwhelming strike, the vast flood shattered into fragments.

“All things wither and bloom!” Mu Yang roared.

From the blazing sun behind him, a beam of golden light shot forth, pinning Xu Zimo in place.

Xu Zimo’s body froze midair, unable to move.

“I’ll roast your flesh,” Mu Yang said venomously. “I’ll boil away your blood and leave nothing but a sun-bleached skeleton.”

The sunlight burned hotter, radiating with tens of thousands of degrees of heat.

Xu Zimo’s skin began to desiccate, the moisture steaming away until his flesh looked like withered bark.

“If you had reached Saint Sovereign realm,” Xu Zimo said calmly, “I might at least take you seriously. But unfortunately, you haven’t even stepped into Pseudo-Saint.”

A surge of life force erupted from within him.

The Tree of Life inside his body began to pulse, overflowing with vitality. The immense life energy shattered the golden seal that bound him.

In an instant, Xu Zimo’s figure blurred, faster than sight, appearing before Mu Yang.

His leg swept out in a powerful arc, smashing Mu Yang down from the air.

Xu Zimo reached out with both hands, and the blazing sun behind Mu Yang began to twist and distort.

Within moments, the entire solar manifestation collapsed, crumpling in Xu Zimo’s grasp until it was completely extinguished.

Mu Yang’s True Fate was crushed, the pain was excruciating, and his screams echoed through the lake.

Xu Zimo’s fists rained down like a storm, each blow like a hammer strike.

After dozens of punches, Mu Yang’s chest was nothing but a collapsed, bloody mess, more mist than flesh.

Xu Zimo raised his arm once more, ready to deliver the finishing strike, but just then, a sharp voice rang out.

“Stop!”

A figure flashed between them, intercepting the descending blade aura of Xu Zimo’s Shadow Tyrant.

Xu Zimo looked up, it was Murong Qing.

She stood before him in flowing violet robes, her long hair rippling like flame in the wind.

It had been a long time since they’d met, and her aura was even stronger now, fire energy blazing around her like a living inferno.

“Master Xu,” Murong Qing said softly, “please stop, for my sake, let him go. As hateful as he may be, he’s still the Young Lord of the Radiant Court.”

Xu Zimo withdrew Shadow Tyrant and smiled faintly. “He told me you two were engaged.”

“That was long ago, it’s been dissolved,” Murong Qing said, shaking her head.

She glanced at the battered Mu Yang, who was lying crumpled on the ground. “Leave and tend to your wounds,” she told him.

“Qing’er, I…” Mu Yang started, but she cut him off coldly.

“Our betrothal is over,” she said firmly. “And my friends, my affairs, are none of your concern. This time I’ll let it pass. Next time, if you’re beaten to death, I won’t interfere.”

Mu Yang fell silent. After a long sigh, he turned and limped away, his body covered in blood.

Murong Qing turned back toward Xu Zimo, smiling slightly. “I’m afraid you’ve just witnessed quite an embarrassing scene, Master Xu.”

Xu Zimo chuckled. “If a man like that can become the Young Lord of your Radiant Court, I’d say your Radiant Court’s glory days are long gone.”

“There are complicated reasons behind it,” Murong Qing said with a small laugh. “It’s not something I can explain easily. After we parted ways in the Godfiend Abyss Heaven, I honestly thought I’d never see you again.”

“How could that be?” Xu Zimo smiled. “The moment I heard about the Radiant Court trials, I came straight here.”

Murong Qing tilted her head. “I take it you didn’t come just for a reunion, then, you’re here for information, aren’t you?”

“This isn’t the place to talk,” she continued. “Come with me to my residence.”

Murong Qing led Xu Zimo through the inner world of the Radiant Court.

Though the palace was known for its great hall, its interior was actually a vast self-contained realm, billions of miles of mountains and rivers, bright skies and flowing seas.

Murong Qing’s own residence stood atop a solitary mountain peak.

The place was serene and fragrant, birds singing, blossoms in bloom. A narrow jade-green path wound its way upward, and butterflies fluttered through the air, unafraid of strangers. One even landed softly on Xu Zimo’s shoulder as they walked.

The scent of flowers lingered everywhere.

Before her tower stood several open towers and terraces, offering sweeping views of the mountains and clouds stretching for miles.

The two of them sat together inside one of the towers.

Murong Qing smiled. “Surely you didn’t come all this way just to reminisce.”

“I wanted to ask about certain secrets,” Xu Zimo replied.

“I shouldn’t be telling you anything,” Murong Qing said thoughtfully. “But you spared Mu Yang just now, so consider this me owing you a favor. If it’s something I can say, I’ll tell you.”

Xu Zimo smiled. “Then tell me, why is your Radiant Court opening the Ancestral Lands to outsiders?”

Murong Qing laughed lightly and shook her head. “Master Xu, you don’t waste time, do you? You’re asking one of our highest secrets right away. That’s something I really can’t reveal. But I can promise you this, our intentions are not malicious.”

“No ill intent?” Xu Zimo said with a smirk. “You expect me to believe that? No one acts without gain.”

“We are part of the Fire God Race,” Murong Qing said patiently. “Everything we do is for the good of our kind. But tell me, Master Xu, you’re human. Why are you so interested in Fire God Race affairs?”

“I want to meet him,” Xu Zimo said suddenly.

“Who?” Murong Qing blinked in surprise.

“Your ancestor, Primordial Flame.”

Murong Qing froze, then shook her head quickly. “That’s impossible. The Ancestor hasn’t met with an outsider in countless years. Not even I, nor the Light Lord Sage Monarch himself, are granted an audience. Unless the Radiant Court stands on the brink of destruction, the Ancestor will never appear. And even then, it is always he who summons us, never the other way around.”