I Am the Fated Villain Chapter 1286:

1646. Kill until there’s no trace of you left in all the worlds. Do you want me to slaughter an entire kingdom?

“Is it worth it?”

The chilling voice of Gu Changge resonated. As he reached out his hand, a slight tremor from his fingers caused the foundations of reality to convulse. Vast sections of the world began to disintegrate, and the very river of time shuddered under the pressure.

“Gucheng…”

The Saint of Law let out a feral roar, throwing himself forward in a desperate charge.

A hazy divine furnace hovered above his head, radiating an ancient power.

From it, countless streaks of seven-colored fire cascaded down, resembling a celestial galaxy falling from the Nine Heavens. This overwhelming divine power surged across the firmament, setting the encroaching darkness ablaze.

Much like Elder Jin, he had sustained grievous wounds earlier and had been searching for a moment to recuperate.

However, seeing Chu Gucheng suffer another direct hit, he disregarded his own failing vitality and lunged into the fray once more.

Yet, before Elder Jin could even get close to Gu Changge, that massive hand struck him. He was slammed downward with such force that his blood erupted at the boundaries of the worlds, scattering and detonating in a crimson mist.

“You…”

Chu Gucheng watched with burning fury as the colossal hand descended toward him.

A thick torrent of fortune and power erupted from his form, laced with the strength of incense and willpower as he attempted to flee. But Gu Changge’s palm fell with effortless grace, ensnaring him completely.

A choked groan escaped Chu Gucheng as the sickening sound of snapping bones filled the air. His skeleton shattered in multiple places, and the imperial law image behind him—capable of neutralizing the power of the great Dao—began to warp and buckle.

The face of the imperial image, a mirror of his own, twisted in an expression of agony and defiance.

It was a terrifying sight to behold: his massive imperial law image, which once dominated the sky, was being crushed by that monstrous hand like a common insect, held firmly in its grasp.

The vast river of stars seemed to turn to mere dust in that moment.

Pinned within that grip, Chu Gucheng was paralyzed. Blood leaked from his frame, spiraling down into the bottomless void.

His bones continued to splinter under the tightening pressure. His face was a mask of pain, rage, and a profound, lingering sense of injustice.

Within the borders of Xian Chu Haotu, he had been an invincible figure since his birth. Yet here, despite every advantage and the home-field strength, he stood no chance against Gu Changge. The chasm between their powers was so wide it bred only despair.

“Lord…”

A chorus of grief and rage rose from the countless cultivators and citizens of Xian Chu Haotu.

Their sovereign, a man they viewed as an eternal god, was being dangled by his throat like a common chicken—suffering a humiliation beyond words.

Back in the imperial capital, the eldest prince, Chu Wushang, felt his heart sink. Watching the struggle from the palace, a wave of cold dread washed over him.

Ministers and noble guests stood in paralyzed shock, many gasping as they struggled to process the scene.

The victory everyone assumed was guaranteed for Xian Chu Haotu had been completely derailed. Gu Changge’s sheer dominance had shattered every expectation.

“I implore Senior Xingying to intervene.”

Elder Jin, still fighting to stabilize his injuries, ground his teeth and turned to the elder women of Xingying, pleading for their help.

“Senior Sister…” The White-browed Star Lord looked on with a conflicted expression, his internal struggle evident. He was barely restraining himself from leaping in.

If they remained idle, Chu Gucheng might truly meet a catastrophic end.

This was no longer just about the survival of Xian Chu Haotu; it was about the very Dao they were trying to cultivate.

Envoys from the Divine Abyss Cave, the Guangming Temple, and the Buddha Kingdom of the Tathagata all turned their gazes toward the Holy Maiden of Xiyuan. They waited for her move, knowing she was rumored to possess power even greater than Chu Gucheng’s.

However, the Holy Maiden of Xiyuan remained motionless. She simply watched the chaos unfolding in the void beyond the worlds, her expression unreadable.

Her silence only deepened their confusion.

As the people of Xian Chu Haotu watched in horror, a heavy, dull thud vibrated from the space beyond worlds.

With a cold expression, Gu Changge tightened his massive fist. Chu Gucheng refused to scream through his gritted teeth, even as his physical form began to rupture. Suddenly, a cataclysmic aura erupted—resembling the detonation of a thousand suns—sending shockwaves through every realm.

A mist of blood sprayed outward as Chu Gucheng’s body was pulverized, crushed into nothingness by that titanic hand.

Behind him, his imperial law image splintered into shards, dissolving into a faint light before vanishing entirely.

“Lord…”

A wave of disbelief crashed over the cultivators and commoners alike.

Could their peerless, invincible ruler have really fallen so easily?

Ministers and patriarchs of Xian Chu Haotu cried out, frozen by a chilling fear. They could not wrap their minds around the sight before them.

Had the leader of the Heaven-Slaying Alliance truly annihilated Chu Gucheng’s body and soul in a single motion?

Wails of mourning and shock echoed through every city.

“This can’t be… how could my father fall? And the ancestor, he also…”

Chu Wushang trembled, his face turning ghostly pale as his legs nearly gave out. His previous arrogance had vanished.

“Is the Lord dead?”

At the residence of the former Grand Tutor, Chu Bai, Han Feng, and their companions stood rooted to the spot, stunned by the unfolding tragedy.

But just as despair began to swallow Xian Chu Haotu, a shimmering rain of light flickered in a dark corner of the void. Radiant clouds began to coalesce.

From that light, the broken form of Chu Gucheng began to manifest once more. His face was tight with lingering terror and stubborn pride.

If he had not attained the level of the Ancestor Dao, and if he were not standing upon the soil of Xian Chu Haotu—fueled by the nearly infinite willpower and cosmic fortune of his people—Gu Changge’s strike would have surely ended him.

But now, he realized the true power of his "undefeated" status. Even if Gu Changge shattered his soul, as long as a single thread of his karma, incense power, or the faith of his followers remained, he could return to the world of the living.

To truly kill him, Gu Changge would have to wipe out every trace of his existence, which meant slaughtering every soul in Xian Chu Haotu.

“Heaven be praised, the Lord still lives!”

“I knew it! How could the ruler of Xian Chu Haotu be defeated? He is truly eternal!”

Seeing Chu Gucheng reform, the people let out a collective sigh of relief, their panic subsiding into hope.

“This is the true advantage of collective willpower and cosmic fortune. Chu Gucheng is effectively immortal here. Killing him is an almost impossible task for the leader of the Heaven-Slaying Alliance, unless he chooses to commit total genocide.”

The elderly Xingying, who had looked grim moments ago, felt the tension leave her shoulders.

Beyond the worlds, Chu Gucheng’s body glowed with an immortal divine light, making him look like a deity from the dawn of time.

“On this land, you cannot slay me. I am one with these worlds; I shall endure forever,” he declared. As his shattered armor repaired itself, he leveled his spear at Gu Changge, his voice ringing with absolute certainty.

“I can kill you once, and I can do it a second time, a third, or a billion times… until every last speck of your karma is scrubbed from existence,” Gu Changge countered, his gaze cold and pitiless.

“Then let us see how many times you can manage it!” Chu Gucheng roared, lunging forward once more. His voice boomed across the entire domain of Xian Chu Haotu: “My people, grant me your strength! Help me strike down this demon!”

In every ancient city, millions of beings fell to their knees, chanting with fervent devotion. Their voices merged into a singular, powerful prayer.

Streams of cosmic fortune began to drift from their bodies. What started as small trickles soon swelled into rivers and then vast oceans of power, surging through the sky to bolster Chu Gucheng.

Another world-shaking clash began. Fueled by the collective life-force of his empire, Chu Gucheng unleashed everything he had, desperate to end Gu Changge.

The chaos outside the worlds tore apart, as if the universe were reverting to a primordial state. Laws and Dao were twisted and snapped like dry twigs.

Gu Changge simply pointed a finger. Chu Gucheng’s form detonated again, his blood evaporating into a mist as his soul was wiped out once more.

“Lord!”

The citizens screamed in renewed terror.

Yet, moments later, Chu Gucheng coalesced from the rain of light again. He appeared like a true, unyielding god of war, seemingly growing stronger with every rebirth, his body wreathed in a surging immortal aura.

“I told you, you have no power to kill me here,” Chu Gucheng said, his confidence returning. He glared at Gu Changge with icy eyes.

The Emperor’s Law Image rose behind him again, accompanied by the spectral sounds of ancestral worship. The cosmos glowed as a vision of an ancient Emperor appeared at the center of the universe, fueled by endless offerings of incense.

“Are you trying to goad me into slaughtering every living soul in Xian Chu Haotu?”

Gu Changge’s voice was devoid of any warmth, and the vastness of the void trembled at his words.

In that instant, every inhabitant of Xian Chu Haotu felt a crushing weight on their souls, a terrifying pressure that made them feel as though they might burst from fear.

In the dark reaches of the void, Gu Changge’s own law image loomed, vast and infinite. With a simple swipe of his hand, Chu Gucheng’s Emperor Law Image was swatted away like a moth in a flame, disintegrating instantly.

Chu Gucheng’s face darkened. His bravado relied on the vastness of his kingdom. As long as the empire stood, his power was theoretically bottomless. But if Gu Changge actually intended to commit total extermination, he had no defense against it.

In the capital, the ministers felt a cold shiver. They realized that if Gu Changge followed through on his threat, they would be the first to die.

“Such overwhelming pressure…”

Guests from other civilizations were drenched in cold sweat, their bodies shaking. They couldn't help but wonder: if this monster turned his gaze toward their own homes, would they have any hope of survival?

The price Xian Chu Haotu was paying to fight Gu Changge was becoming unfathomable.

“I beg you, friends, help us! This demon is heartless; he speaks of destroying kingdoms and treats lives like common weeds! He is a monster. If he destroys us today, you will be his targets tomorrow!”

“If we do not stop him now, he will plunge the entire Xiyuan civilization into eternal darkness!”

Despite his wounds, Elder Jin pleaded with the foreign guests to act. He was frustrated that the elders of Xingying and the White-browed Star Lord were still watching from the sidelines.

He knew that if Gu Changge began a mass slaughter, Chu Gucheng’s immortality would vanish in an instant.

The guests wavered. They feared the precedent this would set, but they also noted that the Holy Maiden of Xiyuan remained still. If she wasn't moving, why should they risk their lives?

Besides, they weren't naive. While Gu Changge spoke of genocide, he hadn't actually started killing the civilians yet.

“Lies and manipulation. If Xian Chu Haotu hadn't started this, we wouldn't be here,” Ling Yu, the Celestial God, remarked coldly. She was repulsed by Elder Jin’s attempt to play the victim and twist the narrative.

Suddenly, as Gu Changge’s words faded, a terrifying power descended upon the world. Divine proclamations echoed through the air.

His eyes shifted, and his boundless gaze swept across the entirety of Xian Chu Haotu’s territory.

In a heartbeat, the dark cosmos was flooded with a blinding white light, as if a thousand suns had risen at once, illuminating every corner of the domain.

Even those watching from distant dimensions felt a surge of pure terror and quickly looked away.

Space and time became transparent under his gaze. In the depths of the Yuxian Palace, Ling Yu Ling had to break her connection to the scene as her viewing mirror shattered into pieces.

Even she felt a prickle of unease and dared not look any further.

“What was that?”

At the border between Xian Chu Haotu and the Demon Court, a withered old man felt a chill as cold as the Nine Hells. He spoke with a voice full of confusion and shock.

Though the white light had faded, the lingering ripples in the fabric of reality left him shaken.

“That was the moment that entity truly opened his eyes to scan the land…” a solemn elder from the Tian Shuizhong group added.

Even with his high cultivation, his soul had felt frozen, his very thoughts coming to a standstill in that instant.

The old man from the Cold Crow Sect began to tremble with excitement. “Do you think… could it really be *that* existence?”

The elder shook his head, unsure, but the power they had just witnessed was beyond anything they understood.

They had been searching for clues regarding the Eternal Life Gate, but the battle at the capital had drawn the attention of the entire Xiyuan civilization.

They had come to watch a show, but they had nearly been caught in the blast. They feared Gu Changge might have noticed them.

“The Lord of Xian Chu Haotu is a fool, a mere pawn in a game he doesn't understand. How could he dare to challenge such a being?”

The old Taoist and the Cold Crow Elder quickly fled the area, not wanting to be anywhere near Xian Chu Haotu. They were convinced that Gu Changge’s gaze meant he was now truly prepared to wipe the kingdom off the map.

Inside the capital, a deathly chill took hold. It felt as if the very life was being sucked out of the world. The guests realized that Gu Changge wasn't making a hollow threat—he was going to do it.

Outside the world, as Gu Changge’s gaze passed over him, Chu Gucheng’s body exploded once more. This time, the destruction was total; not a single trace of his physical or spiritual self remained.

But the willpower of the people and the empire's fortune worked its magic again. Chu Gucheng began to reform in the distance.

This time, however, his confidence was gone. His eyes were wide with shock. He realized something had changed.

“It seems you finally feel it—the fear that I will erase Xian Chu Haotu to get to you. How pathetic. For a king, you seem quite willing to sacrifice your people for your own life,” Gu Changge sneered.

As Chu Gucheng revived, massive regions of Xian Chu Haotu began to go dark. Thousands of citizens suddenly fell dead, their heads exploding or blood leaking from their faces. Others were turned into empty shells, their souls completely drained to fuel their King’s resurrection.

These people were the fuel for Chu Gucheng’s immortality. Their lives were being spent to keep him standing, yet even their sacrifice could not change the inevitable end. The collective willpower of a nation, no matter how vast—