I Really Am A Villain

When the group reached the sect’s entrance, the Willow Ancestor was already locked in combat with the Black-White Twin Fiends. Several million Red Dragon Army soldiers surrounded the area, their presence overwhelming as the war drums pounded nonstop. High in the sky, they watched the fight from above.

Compared to the forces of the Ancient Dragon God-Empire, the disciples of the True Martial Sacred Ground looked pathetically weak. One by one, they stared anxiously at the battle above, not daring to relax for even a second. If they lost, it meant slaughter, none of them would survive.

Willow Ancestor, dressed in a loose green robe, appeared elderly and frail. The oversized robe snapped loudly in the fierce wind. His aura, however, remained formidable. God Meridian power surged around him in waves.

His true life form was a willow branch, his very essence tied to wood. He wasn’t human to begin with. But the Twin Fiends were no humans either. One was a black tiger, the other a white tiger.

It was said that Willow Ancestor’s origin dated back to when Saint Sovereign San Dao battled a powerful foe. The Saint’s saber intent had torn the heavens apart and annihilated an entire region. Only a single willow twig survived the destruction. The Saint Sovereign picked up that twig and brought it back to the True Martial Sacred Ground, nurturing it until it gained sentience and took human form. That willow branch eventually became Willow Ancestor.

Though Saint Sovereign San Dao never officially accepted disciples, Willow, who had been brought back by him, had always treated the Saint as his benefactor and teacher. His loyalty to the True Martial Sacred Ground sprang from that bond. He took Wang Hengzhi as a disciple, hoping the boy would fulfill the wish he himself could not. To restore the sect’s glory.

Now, Willow Ancestor transformed into a towering celestial willow, his power surging fiercely. Even with both Twin Fiends attacking together, he was not easily overwhelmed. In fact, the black and white fiends suffered several lashes from the willow branches, each strike making them yowl in pain.

“Good hit!” the disciples of the True Martial Sacred Ground shouted excitedly.

But unlike the disciples, the elders’ expressions were troubled. They could tell Willow Ancestor was burning the last of his life force, a final flare of brilliance before the end. He looked strong now, but his strength would only diminish. Eventually, the Twin Fiends would break him.

Willow Ancestor was simply too old. His life had nearly run its course. Had his true form been anything other than willow wood, he would have died long ago. He did not fear death, but he longed to see the True Martial Sacred Ground shine once more before he passed.

Finally, after a prolonged clash, his power began to wane. The black tiger seized the moment, pouncing onto the willow trunk and biting down savagely, as if intent on snapping it in half. Willow’s agonized roar echoed across the battlefield. One could feel his pain just from the sound.

“Damn it… I want to help Ancestor so badly… but we’re too weak,” a disciple muttered helplessly.

Someone of their level could only rush in to die. They were powerless.

“Don’t you dare harm Ancestor!”

A shout rang out. Xiao An’an, pushing Xu Zimo’s wheelchair, saw the scene and instantly erupted with sword force. She shot into the sky toward the Twin Fiends.

Wang Hengzhi, following behind them, was completely stunned.

“God Meridian… she reached God Meridian?” He stared at Xiao An’an’s ascending figure in disbelief. “Ancestor… did you do this?”

“It wasn’t me,” Xu Zimo said casually. “Though someone did help. Don’t make such a fuss. It’s only God Meridian, ants. Nothing special.”

Standing beside him, Wang Hengzhi lowered his head, not daring to respond. Ancestor was terrifying as always. If God Meridian were insects… then what counted as true strength? As a mere Empyrean Meridian cultivator, he didn’t dare to ask.

Xiao An’an soared upward. Her sudden strike caught the black tiger completely off guard; her sword pierced straight through its abdomen. Howling in pain, the black tiger abandoned Willow and lunged toward her. Willow tried to help, but the white tiger cut him off.

“Hurry up and kill the brat first, then deal with the old thing,” the white tiger growled. Even weakened, Willow wasn’t someone he could defeat alone.

Initially, Ocean Dragon Prince had planned for the national preceptor Situ to join him, but something happened midway, so the Black-and-White Twin Fiends were sent instead, two of them together, out of fear that one alone wasn’t enough.

They had managed to overpower Willow, but now a girl had suddenly appeared and injured the black tiger.

The black fiend growled, dark energy billowing around him as he tried to crush Xiao An’an instantly. But Xiao An’an’s sword force was terrifyingly sharp, truly unstoppable. Against that sword force, the black fiend’s defenses were like flimsy paper.

Still, after a few exchanges, he realized something important. Xiao An’an’s power was immense, but her combat experience was abysmal. Shockingly so. As if she hadn’t climbed her way up step by step but had shot straight to this level overnight.

With that weakness identified, the black fiend launched even fiercer attacks, every move aimed to kill.

Seeing this, Wang Hengzhi grew anxious. “Ancestor, An’an’s experience is too shallow. She might not be able to keep up!”

“Keep watching,” Xu Zimo said with a small smile. “She may or may not lose. Don’t jump to conclusions. Isn’t that black fiend a perfect sparring partner?”

“You’re using him to temper An’an?” Wang Hengzhi asked, finally understanding.

“Exactly. A fine whetstone,” Xu Zimo nodded. “If you don’t understand, then don’t meddle. Just watch. You’re the sect master, look at yourself, panicking like a frightened bird. It’s embarrassing.”

“Yes, Ancestor…” Wang Hengzhi lowered his head again.

“And your strength is too weak,” Xu Zimo added. “I’ll find a chance to push you into the Grand Emperor realm.”

“Break… break through to Grand Emperor?!” Wang Hengzhi stammered. With his talent and the sect’s scarce resources, his master had always said becoming a Grand Emperor was impossible for him in this lifetime. He himself had long given up the idea.

But Xu Zimo’s casual remark sparked something inside him, something he had never dared to hope for.