I Really Am A Villain

Xu Zimo smiled. Looking at Wang Hengzhi, he said, “Some matters are beyond your reach at your current level.”

“Ancestor, your teaching is right,” Wang Hengzhi said quickly, bowing his head.

“With Imperial Ancestor’s return, my heart is finally at ease. At least the True Martial Sacred Ground won’t be easily destroyed anymore.”

“The Imperial Ancestor of the True Martial Sacred Ground never left,” Xu Zimo said, giving Grandpa Dao a vague look. “As for so-called destruction… In this world, prosperity leads to decline. Without destruction, how could something stronger be reborn?”

“Then… are the other ancestors of the True Martial Sacred Ground still around?” Wang Hengzhi asked. “There are rumors… rumors I’ve heard, that all the ancestors died in that great war.”

“I’m tired,” Xu Zimo said with a wave of his hand.

Wang Hengzhi instantly understood. He had been too excited upon meeting the ancestor, asking too many questions, and had made Xu Zimo unwilling to speak further. Wang Hengzhi felt wronged. Before the ancestor appeared, he had been struggling alone to support the sect, living every day in fear.

“I’ll arrange a place for Ancestor to rest,” Wang Hengzhi said.

“No need,” Xu Zimo replied with a wave. He pointed at Xiao An’an. “Let this girl stay with me. I’ll just live on her peak.”

Since Xu Zimo said so, Wang Hengzhi didn’t dare object. It was a pity, though. When they first discovered Xu Zimo, he had already suspected something and arranged for Deng Linyu to look after him. There had been private intentions mixed in too. But Deng Linyu refused and missed her chance. Now there was nothing he could do. Since Xu Zimo was confirmed as the ancestor, personally affirmed by Grandpa Dao, it couldn’t be wrong. In that case, Deng Linyu simply didn’t have the fortune for it.

The Grand Elder beside them was grinning like a fool.

“I said so, good deeds bring good rewards. When An’an insisted on taking care of the ancestor back then, I didn’t stop her.”

“You call that not stopping her? Who was it that got so angry he stormed off?” Wang Hengzhi said, irritated by the Grand Elder’s smug face. “Enough. You all talk among yourselves. I’m going to be alone.”

“Sect Master, who is ‘Alone’?” an elder teased.

Watching Wang Hengzhi’s retreating back, Deng Linyu still felt unwilling. Supporting the severely injured Yan Pingfan, she muttered, “Clearly, Young Master Yan was the one who saved our True Martial Sacred Ground. And that guy, even if he really is an ancestor, did nothing at all.”

She looked at Yan Pingfan and whispered, “Young Master Yan, next time they need your help, the Ancient Dragon God-Empire won’t give up. When that time comes, reveal that guy’s true face.”

Hearing this, Yan Pingfan forced a faint smile. He didn’t explain anything to her. Deng Linyu supported him as they left, leaving only Xu Zimo, Xiao An’an, and Grandpa Dao remaining.

Xiao An’an was preparing to leave as well. “Grandpa Dao, we’ll be going now,” she said.

“Go, go,” the old man waved, smiling. “Don’t forget the True Martial Tribulation Tower.”

“Master, did you really gain control of the True Martial Tribulation Tower?” Xiao An’an asked, curious.

“Rather than say I control the tower, it’s more accurate to say the tower was waiting for me all along,” Xu Zimo replied.

Xiao An’an didn’t fully understand, but she still brought Xu Zimo back to her mountain peak.

After the Ocean Dragon Prince was driven away, life at the True Martial Sacred Ground gradually returned to peace. During this period, Xu Zimo began cultivating again.

Of the inheritances he had gathered so far, he possessed the Ancient God inheritances of Fire, Wood, Wind, Water, and Metal. These inheritances had originally been acquired separately, so he hadn’t thought much of them. But as he gained more, Xu Zimo began to notice something. These inheritances could be merged. Or rather, the Ancient Gods had once cultivated the same Dao; only the paths they eventually took differed. A thousand paths return to the same origin.

During his rest, Xu Zimo repeatedly studied these inheritances, merging them one by one, then splitting them again. He found the process intriguing, this fusion and separation was like the Dao itself. It could contain all things, and all things could separate at any moment.

…

That night, Xiao An’an sat cross-legged on a cliff, cultivating her True Martial Sword Physique. Ever since Xu Zimo helped her complete it, her speed had soared. She had already reached the Empyrean Meridian Realm and was pushing toward the God Meridian Realm.

Xu Zimo knew this was the power of the True Martial Sword Physique. It was far more than a simple sword physique. Within it were countless methods left behind by the True Martial Saint Sovereigns, enough to support her cultivation all the way to the peak of the Grand Emperor Realm. Whether she could step into sainthood would depend on her own ability.

…

“Come out. You’ve been hiding there for quite a while,” Xu Zimo said suddenly, looking up at the sky.

Silence surrounded him, except for the chirping of insects hiding in the dark.

Then a soft laugh sounded.

A figure in a wide black robe stepped out slowly from the shadows.

“So you’re actually the Imperial Ancestor of the True Martial Sacred Ground?”

The person who appeared was Yan Pingfan. But the Yan Pingfan before him now was completely different, not in appearance, but in temperament. Previously, Yan Pingfan behaved like a gentle and polite gentleman, like a chivalrous hero who defended justice.

But now, though he looked the same, the aura around him was overwhelming, arrogant, and domineering. Power cracked through the air with explosive force. He stood proud and overbearing, a mocking smile on his face. The force surrounding him was nearly storm-like.

Most importantly, this Yan Pingfan’s strength…

Xu Zimo chuckled. “A Saint Sovereign coming to the True Martial Sacred Ground pretending to be a heroic wanderer? That’s quite amusing.”

“And what about you? Aren’t you pretending as well?” Yan Pingfan replied. “We’ve investigated. In the history of the True Martial Sacred Ground, there has never been an ancestor like you.”

“Oh? So you’ve been investigating me these past few days,” Xu Zimo said with a small smile. “Well? What did you find?”

At those words, Yan Pingfan frowned slightly. He had indeed investigated Xu Zimo. But the result was… nothing. Not a single trace. As if this man had simply appeared out of thin air.