I Really Am A Villain

Now that the Sun-Moon Temple had joined forces with the Hell Tiger Race, their goal was clear, to overthrow the Radiant Court and reshape the balance of power within the Inferno Crucible Heaven.

In such a volatile situation, a single misstep, choosing the wrong side, even hesitating for a moment, could lead to utter annihilation.

For the Fire Ancestor, caution was paramount. Under his steady leadership, the Chaos Fire God Realm had been flourishing. So until the situation became absolutely clear, he would not rashly choose sides or engage in battle for anyone’s sake.

When Shangguan Xiongba heard the Fire Ancestor’s words, he sneered. This was exactly what he wanted to hear.

If Xu Zimo truly had the full backing of the Chaos Fire God Realm, an open war against him would be unpredictable, no one could say who would triumph.

But if Xu Zimo stood alone, that was another matter entirely.

Who gave him the courage to challenge an entire God Realm by himself?

“Are you done talking?” Xu Zimo interrupted, sounding bored. “Because I’m starting to lose patience.”

Shangguan Xiongba snorted coldly, then turned to his daughter. “Did you get the Ancestral Flame?”

“Out of the six Ancestral Flames, we only managed to seize one,” Shangguan Wan’er replied.

“Good enough, good enough,” Shangguan Xiongba said with a satisfied laugh. “The other God Realms didn’t get any at all.”

“Xu Zimo has one from the Water Domain,” Shangguan Wan’er reminded him. “If we kill him, we can take another Ancestral Flame.”

“Exactly my thought,” Shangguan Xiongba said, laughing heartily. He turned toward Xu Zimo. “Today, you won’t escape, not even with wings.”

“Just you?” Xu Zimo said with a mocking smile.

Shangguan Xiongba clapped his hands.

The space around him began to ripple violently, as if the void itself were trembling. From within those ripples, giant hands tore through reality and emerged one after another.

When the owners of those hands appeared, the crowd gasped in disbelief.

There were five of them, five Saint Sovereigns.

To mobilize five Saint Sovereigns at once meant that the Shangguan Heavenly Clan of the Divine Crow God Realm had committed at least a third of its greatest strength.

Even a power as great as the Divine Crow God Realm had a limited number of Saint Sovereigns.

According to most estimates, each of the major God Realms possessed only twenty or thirty Saint Sovereigns at most, excluding, of course, the Radiant Court, whose true strength was shrouded in mystery and far beyond mortal comprehension.

Now, around Shangguan Xiongba, the five Saint Sovereigns’ auras surged like raging dragons, tearing the heavens apart with their presence.

They did not move, nor did they attack, yet it felt as though the entire world revolved around them.

These were no ordinary Saint Sovereigns. They were…

“The Five Elements Saint Sovereigns!” someone shouted.

“So they really are five people after all,” another exclaimed.

“What do you mean?” someone else asked.

“It’s said that the Five Elements Saint Sovereign was once one of the Shangguan Heavenly Clan’s most powerful cultivators,” explained the first speaker. “He was considered the one most likely to break through and attain Infinite Dao. But during a great battle against the Radiant Court, the Five Elements Saint Sovereign was killed. Many mourned his death for years. But it turns out he didn’t really die. He divided his power into five parts, metal, wood, water, fire, and earth, and passed each inheritance to five children born at specific elemental hours.”

“Later, those five grew up, mastered the Five Elemental Forces, and through them, the Five Elements Saint Sovereign was reborn, his power resurrected through their bodies,” the man continued.

“But wasn’t that a waste?” someone else argued. “Five lives sacrificed just to bring back one, and he didn’t even reach Infinite Dao in the end.”

“If he had reached Infinite Dao, that might have been worth it,” another murmured.

“Let me finish,” said the storyteller. “After the Five Elements Saint Sovereign’s rebirth, he didn’t seize their power. Instead, he shared existence with them. The five we see before us, they are both the original Five Elements Saint Sovereign and the five successors who inherited his will.”

The explanation was complicated, but everyone understood the essence.

The Five Elements Saint Sovereign hadn’t truly revealed his power since his rebirth. No one had expected him to personally accompany Shangguan Xiongba to the Radiant Court today.

“Honored ancestors,” Shangguan Xiongba said respectfully, bowing. “I must trouble you this time.”

The Five Elements Saint Sovereigns held a status far above his own. Even as the head of the Shangguan Heavenly Clan, he could only speak with deference.

“Think nothing of it,” said one of them, the Flame Sovereign, nodding slightly.

He stepped forward, his body wreathed in flames. His robes were peculiar, one sleeve long, the other side bare. His left arm was covered by crimson silk, while his right arm was bare, the skin glowing faintly with molten heat.

The flames that surrounded him were not ordinary, they burned endlessly, alive, as though they possessed a will of their own.

The Flame Sovereign approached Xu Zimo, his tone stern. “Will you surrender peacefully, or must I act?”

“I doubt one of you will be enough,” Xu Zimo said with a smile. “Better call your brothers too.”

“Insolent!” the Flame Sovereign roared.

Flames burst from beneath his feet as he launched himself forward, kicking toward Xu Zimo with a blazing strike that fused the very air into molten light.

Xu Zimo snorted coldly.

He drew his blade, Shadow Tyrant, and unleashed a surge of blade intent that cut through the sky.

Steel and flame met in an explosive clash, the tip of his blade colliding with the fiery kick.

To Xu Zimo’s surprise, the flame was alive, it didn’t simply burn, it adapted. Even when torn apart by his blade energy, it instantly reformed, devouring the remnants of his attack and slowly eating away at Shadow Tyrant’s power.

“Get out of my way,” Xu Zimo growled.

Power flared around him, rising severalfold. He slashed once more, forcing the Flame Sovereign backward.

But before his body even touched the ground, the Saint transformed into a streak of living flame, surging forward again. His fists descended like meteors, smashing toward Xu Zimo with relentless fury.

Their figures blurred through the void, exchanging thousands of blows in just seconds.

Fist and blade collided endlessly, sparks and shockwaves lighting up the sky.

Finally, both combatants pulled back, standing apart once more.

The Flame Sovereign looked down at his fists, marked with fine blade scars, and laughed coldly. “You’re stronger than I expected.”

“You’re not bad yourself,” Xu Zimo replied evenly. “But if that’s all you’ve got, then I’m disappointed.”

The blade in his hands roared, the will within Shadow Tyrant trembling with fury.

The eighth form of the Heaven-Split Blade erupted, splitting the sky in two.

Xu Zimo leapt high, gripping his sword with both hands.

For a moment, the heavens themselves seemed to be severed.

The blade’s edge came crashing down toward the Flame Sovereign.

The Saint crossed his arms before him, meeting the blow head-on.