I Really Am A Villain

Xu Zimo now stood inside the Tribulation Tower. Directly opposite him stood another version of himself, another Xu Zimo. The two stared at each other. This was the wonder of the tower. It could simulate a fully authentic version of oneself. Not an approximation, not a vague construct, an exact duplicate in every way.

Xu Zimo looked past the duplicate toward the pinnacle of the tower.

He smiled and said, “I’m not here for you.” The other Xu Zimo made a gesture for him to proceed. Xu Zimo walked unhindered to the top of the tower. While anyone else would need to clear each level one by one, he needed no obstacles. He was now the master of the True Martial Tribulation Tower itself.

“You’ve arrived,” a gentle laugh sounded as he reached the summit. An elderly man greeted him. He wore a gray robe and simple hemp trousers. His long hair was completely white. When he smiled, he seemed kind and approachable.

“World-Weary,” Xu Zimo greeted him with a slight nod. “I’ve already destroyed the Ancient Dragon God-Empire.”

“No need to rush,” the old man replied with a smile. “Give the Ten God-Clans a bit of time to prepare, so they won’t claim they were caught off guard.”

“Have you been monitoring the Heavenly Court?” Xu Zimo asked.

“We have. Unless the Heavenly Court intends to plunge the Nine Heavens into absolute chaos, we don’t need to guard against anything else,” the old man said. “The Heavenly Court is preparing, but they won’t make it in time. And we won’t give them the chance. Let the Absolute God Heaven be the starting point.”

“What is your goal?” Xu Zimo asked.

“It’s better that he explains it to you,” the old man replied.

“But I want to know now,” Xu Zimo insisted.

“Then what is your goal?” the old man countered.

“I hope we’re walking the same path,” Xu Zimo said.

“For now, we are,” the old man answered with a gentle smile. “All roads are paths walked by those before us. Retreading the old paths, but with new travelers.”

“I’m forging my own path,” Xu Zimo said. “I need intelligence on the Ten God-Clans.”

The old man chuckled and handed him a book. “This contains information on not just the Ten God-Clans, but also the Heavenly Court. I believe you’ll find it interesting.”

Xu Zimo took the book and looked around. Few would ever imagine that the pinnacle of the Tribulation Tower was actually a graveyard. The land was uneven, dotted with millions of graves. Above each grave stood a statue, sculpted in the likeness of the person buried beneath it.

The old man, World-Weary, seemed more like a caretaker of this graveyard. Every day, he polished the statues with meticulous care, focusing on nothing else.

Xu Zimo put away the book and walked quickly through the graves until he reached one of the statues deep inside.

“Everyone worships the heroes of the past,” he said quietly. “But only in chaotic eras are true heroes forged. You don’t revere heroes, because you are one.”

…

After leaving the Tribulation Tower, Xu Zimo prepared to advance on his path towards Sage Monarch. Truthfully, he was still far from that level. Breaking through would not be easy. But he wanted to elevate his cultivation to its peak before the coming war, entering the battle in perfect condition.

His hope for advancing to Sage Monarch lay in the Tribulation Tower itself. At his level, advancement was no longer about absorbing spirit energy or breaking internal barriers. It was about understanding, comprehending the laws of heaven and earth, grasping the mysteries of the body.

Some could break through several realms in a single moment of enlightenment. Others spent a lifetime in stagnation, unable to take even half a step forward.

Xu Zimo lifted his head slightly and let the Tribulation Tower float around him. The tower had been engraved with the Dao of countless generations of True Martial ancestors. Each had left their own Dao within it. When Xu Zimo became a Sage Monarch, he too would inscribe his Dao, passing it to future generations.

This accumulation of countless Dao legacies made the tower immensely powerful, it could almost peer into the Daos of every ancestor. Xu Zimo began studying them, seeking commonalities and merging them into his understanding of the Sage Monarch realm.

He closed his eyes. A gray mist enveloped him. As his enlightenment deepened, visions unfolded within the Dao. One figure controlling heaven and earth, another moving mountains and seas, one unleashing a blade that shook the heavens, another dominating a western peak. The Daos of countless ancestors manifested before him.

The gray mist around him grew thicker and stronger, finally encasing him completely, like a great cocoon in which he continued his enlightenment.

…

At the center of the Absolute God Heaven stood the Heavensward Tower. It was said to be a unique and mysterious force, one that rarely involved itself in worldly affairs. Its purpose was to maintain balance in the world. Only events that threatened that balance would draw their attention.

The last time the Heavensward Tower appeared was because of the True Martial Sacred Ground. Their rise had been too rapid, disrupting the balance of the Absolute God Heaven. The Ten God-Clans felt threatened and panicked. Eventually, the True Martial Sacred Ground was destroyed, and balance was restored.

Now, the Heavensward Tower had opened once more. The Ten God-Clans responded, each sending representatives to its gates.

…

The Heavensward Tower was solemn and majestic. All who arrived felt compelled to show respect. This generation’s Tower Master was known as Supreme Ascendant. Though only a title, it reflected his status. He sat at the highest seat, wearing a golden cloak made of some unknown material, blending gold and white with a gleaming luster. The cloak was oversized, covering his entire head and face.

This was the rule of the Heavensward Tower. None of its members could reveal their faces. All wore such cloaks, with different colors denoting different ranks.

Below him sat the Ten God-Clans, the only ones qualified to enter the hall. Most people in the domain didn’t even know where the hall was located, let alone step inside.

“So many years,” someone sighed quietly. “I didn’t expect we would gather here again.”