I Really Am A Villain

As soon as Elder Fire Slayer’s words fell, the entire world erupted in thunderous roars. The furious cries of the Fire Venom Beasts echoed one after another, reverberating through heaven and earth.

“Hurry and relocate the Ancestral Flame Realm, use the spatial jump!” Fire Chief shouted anxiously.

The Fire Keepers’ had managed to survive safely in the Ancestral Lands for generations despite being weaker than the Fire Venom Beasts, largely thanks to this spatial jump technique.

Whenever their hiding place was discovered, they would use the spatial jump to flee and find a new refuge. The Fire Venom Beasts had no way to counter it.

As soon as the chief gave the order, the formation protecting their territory ignited in full force. A tremendous surge of spatial energy spread outward, enveloping the surrounding void.

It was clear this space formation was incredibly powerful, ordinary teleportation formations could only transport a single person. But to shift an entire continent? The difficulty was beyond imagination.

Xiao Anshan glanced at Xu Zimo.

“Should we destroy it?” he asked.

If the Fire Keepers managed to escape now, their entire plan would fall apart.

“No need,” Xu Zimo replied, shaking his head. “Wait and see. Unless those few rogue cultivators and the Fire Venom Beasts are too useless to stop them, I won’t intervene.”

Outside the cavern, Li Zhengfeng and the others noticed the commotion.

“Cover me,” Wang Dong shouted. “I’ll break open the cave!”

“Got it,” the other three nodded.

“The swords of heaven and earth, bend to my will!”

With a furious roar, Li Zhengfeng of the Grand Heaven Sword Sect unleashed the Heaven, Earth, and Human swords in his hands, manifesting thousands upon thousands of sword auras swirling around him. Each gleamed with razor-sharp intent, any Fire Keeper who came near would be instantly engulfed by a sea of blades.

“Go!” Wang Dong roared.

Under their cover, he rushed to the cave entrance.

“Can you open it?” Wang Qiang asked urgently.

“Don’t worry,” Wang Dong replied. “Though I’m just a rogue cultivator, I once had a great stroke of fortune in my travels. I can gather all my energy into a single point, and blow this entrance apart. After all, our attacks already weakened it.”

“Good,” the others cheered, tightening their defense around him.

Wang Dong narrowed his eyes as spirit energy surged through his body like a roaring river, waves of power flowing toward his right index finger. He slowly lifted his hand. This would be the final strike, all his strength condensed at that single fingertip, glowing brighter and brighter, as if divine radiance were gathering there.

He knew that once he released it, his finger would be crippled, beyond easy repair. But there was no other choice. Time was running out.

When the power fully converged, he let out a fierce roar and brought his finger crashing down.

A deafening explosion tore through the air.

Nearby, the Fire Keepers battling the Fire Venom Beasts turned pale.

“Chief, the seal’s been broken!” someone shouted.

“Hold off the Fire Venom Beasts!” Fire Chief ordered.

He knew too well that, compared to the Fire God Race intruders, the Fire Venom Beasts were the true threat. The intruders might just cause some damage or seek treasures, but the Fire Venom Beasts were ancient enemies of their bloodline, beings of pure destruction.

If those beasts broke through, the Fire Keepers would be annihilated.

“I’ll demand an explanation from the Radiant Court once this is over,” Fire Chief said angrily. “They’ve betrayed us.”

Once Li Zhengfeng and his group entered the cave, only a handful of Fire Keepers tried to stop them.

But when they saw the maze ahead, endless tunnels twisting in all directions, they froze in disbelief.

“How do we even begin?” Wang Dong muttered.

“I don’t know,” Li Zhengfeng said. “Maybe we should catch a Fire Keeper and make him lead us.”

“Forget it,” Wang Dong replied. “They’d rather die than help us.”

From afar, Xu Zimo observed and smiled. He turned to Xiao Anshan.

“Your turn. Lead them to the Ancestral Flame.”

“I understand,” Xiao Anshan nodded.

While Wang Dong’s group wandered the labyrinth, they suddenly noticed trails of flame-shaped markings glowing along the walls, pointing ahead.

“It’s those fire marks again,” Li Zhengfeng frowned.

They had followed similar markings before, those were what led them safely out of the Fire Venom Beasts’ lair when they were nearly wiped out.

“I don’t know which Fire God Race ally is guiding us,” Li Zhengfeng called out, “but please, show yourself!”

Of course, Xiao Anshan didn’t respond. He was already far ahead, leaving the fiery trail that lured them straight to the Ancestral Flame.

The four exchanged glances. Finally, Wang Dong said, “Whatever. If it’s a trap, we’ll deal with it. It’s not like we’ve got another choice.”

Following the markings, they arrived before the Gate of Flames.

Their eyes gleamed with excitement.

“There’s something inside,” Wang Qiang said, his voice trembling. “Something calling to me. I can feel a powerful flame energy.”

Except for Li Zhengfeng, all three were of the Fire God Race, they could sense the immense fire force within.

“Let’s go in,” Li Zhengfeng said.

But they underestimated the fire’s might. When Li Zhuang merely brushed against the flames, unbearable heat surged over him, threatening to reduce him to ashes.

“Careful!” Wang Qiang warned.

It took nearly all of Li Zhuang’s strength to extinguish the fire on his body.

“What now?” he asked, staring at the blazing gate in frustration. The flames were so fierce that none of them had a way to dispel them.

Li Zhengfeng tried slashing with his sword, but the moment it touched the fire, the blade melted into nothingness.

“To think the prize is right in front of us, and we can’t touch it,” Wang Dong said bitterly.

“The stronger the seal, the greater the treasure inside,” Li Zhuang added. “At least we know we’re on the right path.”

Across the void, Xu Zimo watched them trapped before the Gate of Flames and smiled faintly.