I Am the Fated Villain Chapter 1296: The celestial divinity’s scheme, seeking the grace and favor of the Master of Heaven’s Conquest

A hazy yet radiant silhouette stood within the endless, infinite emptiness, as if emerging from a layered dimension of time and space. Divine rings encircled her, each one like a swirling galaxy, dotted with numerous worlds and cosmos. Inside every ring, countless entities appeared to be forming, while endless realms cycled through birth, death, and transformation.

Her visage shifted constantly between timeless obscurity, majestic gravity, alluring seduction, and icy detachment. It transformed in every instant, too elusive to grasp fully, enveloped in infinite sacred radiance.

The whole expanse of time and space couldn't accommodate her authentic appearance; a single ring alone would overpower this limitless void.

With her finger pressing down, immense godly energy erupted from the entire emptiness, forming a distinct domain around her. This domain kept descending, producing trillions of variations each second—chaos emerging, clarity and impurity interchanging—and in mere moments, it evolved from a isolated zone into a completely autonomous dimension of time and space.

That dimension remained utterly motionless. In her palms, the dimensions stretched endlessly and ascended, then shattered and compressed, ultimately forming a tiny point of luminescence.

At her forehead's center, a subtle, blurry likeness of herself swiftly integrated into that point of light. Afterward, the luminous speck dropped from the immense void she occupied.

“Today, I shall aid you in profaning the divinities, and behold this god's descent into the mortal world.”

Her eyes, brimming with fascination, followed the light speck slicing through the infinite time-space, plummeting toward the Kunxu True Realm, and ultimately toward the realm known as the Taixu Realm.

Back then, the Alliance of Heaven’s Conquest's fame echoed through the boundless reaches, instilling shock and dread not just in myriad cultivators and creatures, but even alerting primordial gods like her from the heavenly pantheons. Divine clans' murmurs had stirred them, prompting a gaze across distant voids downward.

The Immortal Dao and Divine Dao societies ranked among the grandest, oldest, and most branched civilizations in the vast cosmos. Yet, over eons, Immortal Dao and Divine Dao had stopped meddling in each other's affairs, each path branching and advancing separately.

The Divine Dao society focused on collecting incense devotion, purifying godly essences, allocating celestial powers, and establishing divine hierarchies and positions.

Primordial gods, eternal and ancient, perched at the heavens' brink, forging their godly realms and overlooking everything below.

Lesser gods disseminated their beliefs across diverse worlds, nurturing devotees, amassing willpower, and reaping heaven and earth's fortunes to bolster their godly might.

Comparing Immortal Dao and Divine Dao societies for dominance proved challenging. Besides, the Divine Dao society also confronted the catastrophe of celestial decline. Not even ancient deities, who had nurtured vast populations and ruled immense divine realms, escaped it.

The Alliance of Heaven’s Conquest, rooted in the Immortal Dao society, had adopted Divine Dao methods, crossing lines by widely cultivating adherents, gathering devotion, and claiming the celestial powers reserved for Divine Dao.

As a primordial god surpassing ordinary ancestral deities, she paid little heed to such minor issues. Moreover, the Divine Dao society had waned long ago, and within Immortal Dao circles, many emulated Divine Dao ways, like the Buddhist Sect, Ancient God Sect, Dao Sect, and more.

The rise of the Alliance of Heaven’s Conquest had startled even her, a primordial god, with a sense that the Divine Dao system might soon endure unforeseen turmoil. It could mirror the Black Calamity epoch, when gods fell.

Even surviving divine entities might end up as instruments for expanding their followers and harvesting devotion.

Profaning the gods would spell doom for the budding Divine Dao society, akin to shattering the Dao heart for Immortal Dao cultivators.

Kunxu True Realm, Taixu Realm.

Before the grand, celestial Temple of Heaven’s Conquest, swirling white vapors resembled rolling clouds, surging endlessly. These vapors embodied the world's concentrated belief power from all corners.

Myriad beings and cultivators crowded densely, prostrating in awe, intoning supplications to the Temple of Heaven’s Conquest, the whole realm shadowed by throngs of worshippers.

Inside the temple, the archaic god statue appeared to draw in these smoky clouds, slowly awakening to vitality.

He occupied the terminus of expansive time-space, surveying this domain from above.

Chen Jinhong remained stationed there, her gaze overflowing with profound reverence.

“What reward do you desire?” The grand, divine timbre resounded in her thoughts once more.

“The Vanguards of Heaven pledge all to the Master of Heaven’s Conquest, seeking nothing in exchange.”

Her firm tone, unchanged, echoed again, as if affirming her unwavering loyalty and resolve.

Millennia had reshaped her from the innocent young princess into the Taixu Realm's leading figure of this age.

Particularly after she had directly obtained the Master of Heaven’s Conquest’s blessing, acquiring an undying form. This enabled her revenge, forcing her merciless sibling to suffer the fitting penalty.

Across those thousands of years, she had embodied the Vanguard of Heaven, honoring her pledge from that secluded shrine. She drew more devotees to the Alliance of Heaven’s Conquest, erecting Heaven’s Conquest temples across every territory. Indeed, she mobilized the Taixu Realm's full might to construct a shrine piercing nearly to the celestial heights, akin to a divine abode.

“Your loyalty touches me. State one wish.”

The indistinct god statue shrouded in thick white vapors. Yet then, in Chen Jinhong’s sight, the vapors parted, unveiling a pair of profound, expansive eyes serenely regarding her.

The peculiar longing in her soul flared like rampant weeds, expanding beyond control.

“Truly… truly?” Her tone quivered faintly.

“Indeed.” The grand, divine voice replied anew, serene as placid waters.

“Henceforth, all of you shall be mine—your destiny, your sentiments, your recollections, your endless existences. Even should you perish and dissolve to dust, with every mark of you erased from existence, you remain mine.”

In that instant, the declaration from that far-off, dire moment in the distant shrine reverberated in Chen Jinhong’s mind.

Those words, binding like a pact, ignited her odd craving wildly. Just then, a barely noticeable light speck abruptly entered from the Taixu Realm's outer limits, merging into the boundless, near-endless faith power.

Chen Jinhong positioned herself before the Temple of Heaven’s Conquest, as the faith power swirled around her like fleeting glows.

She failed to perceive a minuscule light speck, carried on the floating faith energy, settling flawlessly on her forehead. She merely sensed a gentle warmth, akin to soft rain touching skin. Her awareness dimmed briefly, then sharpened once more.

“I gladly surrender all to the Master of Heaven’s Conquest.”

“I yearn for the Master of Heaven’s Conquest’s blessing and affection…”

Chen Jinhong whispered, fixating on the statue so near at hand. Without hesitation, she advanced, swiftly engulfed by the immense white vapors.

The vapors billowed, faintly outlining a flawless, pristine form, sleek as a white swan, amid the haze.

She extended her hand, eager to stroke and embrace the statue.

Abruptly, a sharp fracturing noise pierced the hush inside the Temple of Heaven’s Conquest.

Chen Jinhong jolted alert and fixed her stare on the now-fractured statue, her complexion draining. She froze in place, dazed, struggling to comprehend the sudden event.

“The statue has fractured. I sense no trace of the Master of Heaven’s Conquest anymore…”

She gripped the strewn garments on the floor tightly, slumping in despair.

Simultaneously, across the Taixu Realm, every local temple of Heaven’s Conquest echoed with fracturing noises from the hazy god statues. Fissures spiderwebbed over each.

The whole Taixu Realm trembled. Innumerable cultivators and beings reeled in shock and terror, clueless about the cause, why the Heaven’s Conquest temple statues were splitting.

“What’s going on?”

“It looks like someone finally couldn’t restrain themselves, aiming to shatter my faith god’s corporeal vessel…”

In the immortal spirit civilization, amid a violet bamboo grove shrouded in floating immortal haze,

Gu Changge, clad in a flowing moon-white gown, his dark locks shining and loosely draped, secured simply with a tie, was engaging in a chess match with Mu Yan.

The board was elaborate, white stones dominating, and through the game's nuanced moves, myriad visions unfolded.

Mu Yan propped her chin, her lovely gaze unwavering, utterly absorbed in the match, refusing to slacken.

But then, she raised her captivating features and eyed Gu Changge inquisitively, inquiring, “Someone’s assaulting your faith god’s vessel? Is a foe striking at the Alliance of Heaven’s Conquest?”

Gu Changge gave a faint head shake. The stone he held paused mid-motion, fingers idly stroking it.

“The Alliance of Heaven’s Conquest’s devotees have multiplied too swiftly, irking certain deities. Still, I’ll address these entities in time. They’ve fragmented the heavens’ power excessively. It must be reclaimed eventually.”

He pulverized the stone in his grasp and then seized a strand of brilliant, shining faith energy, thumb-thick in width. Yet this faith strand bore signs of corruption, with sections blackened and decayed entirely.

“At first, when I unwittingly captured your intents, I aided you merely as a bearer of immense fortune. I hadn’t foreseen it turning into a peril for your profaning of the gods.”

“Yet such a blatant plot—do they suppose I’d overlook it?”

Gu Changge’s expression stayed even as he regarded the tainted faith energy. With a light press, it crumbled to powder, dispersing into the breeze. He prevented this foul faith from further corroding the faith divine form.

The harm from this proved negligible to him. The perpetrator undoubtedly realized as much, rendering the act pure defiance.

For Gu Changge, a millennium passed swiftly. Post-departure from the Xiyuan civilization, he had swiftly reentered the Daochang True Realm.

Maybe Fubo’s final utterances, prior to his self-chosen end, had stirred him somewhat. Consequently, his subsequent reflections grew more intricate.

Gu Changge had pondered whether his regard for companions and sentiments had dwindled excessively? Or had he truly never valued the emotions of those he held dear?

Their affections and yearnings, their views and desires—he had ignored them all.

At least Fubo had passed contentedly, a smile gracing his features. Indeed, countless aspects of existence surpassed life-death divides, defying simple profit-loss assessments.

The ceaseless chasing and plotting, the readiness to employ any means for his aims—this pursuit yielded no genuine delight, not even faint contentment.

For everything unfolded so instinctively for him. All aligned with his foresight and designs, evoking no emotional stirs. He was detached, emotionless, and perhaps unfit for the term "human."

From birth, fate placed him upon the supreme Great Dao path, elevated above all sentient life. His revisit to Qing Mountain Village had granted him "human" perspectives, "human" encounters.

The matters he dismissed as inconsequential or petty might hold immeasurable worth to his circle. These were elements he had previously neglected. Gu Changge wished not for his associates to harbor regrets in reminiscing those times.

Therefore, Gu Changge opted to revisit the Daochang True Realm, not to monitor the Alliance of Heaven’s Conquest’s shifts, but to connect with his people.

He first approached the Mingkong Palace. Yue Mingkong persisted in retreat, her otherworldly presence deep within the halls, her aura enduring and deep, her cultivation evolving per breath.

With the Daochang True Realm seed from Gu Changge, her Dao Realm breakthrough loomed inevitable. Then, he checked the Ancestral Hall and Saintess Palace. Both Jiang Chuchu and Wang Zijing remained in seclusion, immersed in practice.

After Gu Changge’s exit from the Daochang True Realm, their existences grew dull, prompting the prolonged route of isolated cultivation. Even Yin Mei, disinterested in cultivation, entered retreat. His past adherents, era's geniuses, scattered across realms, facing ordeals and rigorous training.

Gu Changge paused wordlessly, avoiding disturbances. He sought Gu Xian’er next, discovering her departure from the Daochang True Realm centuries prior, venturing to the boundless wilds for advanced tempering, nearing the Dao Realm's edge.

Though the Daochang True Realm had flourished and matured over millennia, its fortune ascending, it stayed a nascent true realm.

In the boundless cosmos, it held scant weight, with Dao Realm crossers being exceptionally few.

Gu Changge harbored no deep ties to the Daochang True Realm. Upon prior departure, he had arranged ample safeguards and planned no swift return.

Even amid the Tainted Tribe's assault from the Immortal Spirit Civilization on the Daochang True Realm, he refrained from true-body intervention.

For Alliance of Heaven’s Conquest continuations, he delegated to the Gu Family Ancestor, Wine Sword Immortal, Ming, and associates.

With the Alliance now rooted in the Xiyuan Civilization, its Daochang True Realm footprint dwindled further. This return to the Daochang True Realm stayed discreet, unannounced. Ultimately, he resided in Qing Mountain Village with Su Qingge for hundreds of years, recounting his Immortal Spirit and Xiyuan civilization exploits.

Gu Changge intended to recalibrate the Grand Wish Sphere, integrating it with the Daochang True Realm.

Yet Luo Xiangjun hadn’t sought him out. Evidently, she faced obstacles in pursuing the Secret Vault of the Eternal Beginning God, yielding no advances.

Gu Changge could merely postpone the issue anew. Subsequently, he departed the Daochang True Realm quietly once more, directing toward the Immortal Spirit Civilization to enact his forthcoming schemes.