I Am the Fated Villain Chapter 1300: It was like an invasive species from abroad, with the winds and clouds converging in the Yu Xian Palace
Previously on I Am the Fated Villain...
Across the immense cosmos and starry expanse, rays of light streaked rapidly through the heavens while cultivators from diverse sects rushed in from distant realms.
Myriad silhouettes traversed the frigid, boundless void, rippling the currents of time and space. Even from a distance, their overwhelming presence instilled dread and quaked the souls of onlookers.
Within the timeless realms of the Yu Xian Palace, numerous disciples and elders, prepared ahead of time, stood ready to receive and guide the arrivals from all sects.
At the Qian Yun Daochang, an elegant and poised middle-aged woman directed a group of disciples in welcoming the visitors.
“Long time no see, Qian Yun Elder. You remain as youthful as always, and your cultivation appears even deeper now.”
A booming voice echoed from afar.
A robust, towering middle-aged man in a violet Daoist robe topped with a crown approached, flanked by several young disciples and elders.
Qian Yun Elder’s eyes settled on him, and she offered a faint smile, replying, “Mountain Master of Tuo Yang Mountain, it’s been ages. I never thought you’d come in person with your group. It’s been millions of years since our last encounter.”
Her words carried a touch of reminiscence, revealing her long acquaintance with the man before her.
Tuo Yang Mountain stood as a secluded sect within the Xiyuan civilization. Though it lacked the might of immortal-tier powers like the Yu Xian Palace, its heritage demanded respect.
The sect housed numerous venerable Daoist experts, and whispers spoke of an ancient ancestor on the verge of entering the Grand Dao realm.
“The Yu Xian Palace’s Grandmaster emerging this time has stunned us all. Had our ancient ancestor not been wandering the realms, we’d be unsure of his whereabouts, but he’d surely return in person to honor this esteemed senior,” the sturdy middle-aged man chuckled deeply.
Qian Yun Elder gave a subtle nod and responded, “I’ve heard your Tuo Yang Mountain’s ancient ancestor is close to the Grand Dao realm. This trip must be for seizing fortunes, and maybe our next meeting will see him in that realm. Tuo Yang Mountain’s power and roots will undoubtedly grow stronger.”
“Haha, I’ll cherish Elder Qian Yun’s auspicious words,” the middle-aged man boomed with laughter.
They proceeded onward into the Yu Xian Palace, exchanging stories and memories along the way. Yet, as conversation shifted to the Yu Xian Palace’s Grandmaster, a trace of unease crossed the middle-aged man’s features.
“Elder Qian Yun, as old friends, I hope you don’t mind my forward question. With the Yu Xian Palace’s Grandmaster appearing now, what’s the true purpose? Does it relate to the Heaven-Slaying Alliance?” The middle-aged man hushed his tone on purpose.
Qian Yun Elder paused briefly at the inquiry before shaking her head and answering, “Even we elders lack the full picture, but the Grandmaster’s comeback appears tied to conferring on a major affair with the sects.”
She too had observed the Heaven-Slaying Alliance’s swift ascent, its progress nothing short of startling. What’s more, Gu Changge had once posed as the Qian Yun Daochang’s top disciple and even menaced her.
Though Gu Changge hadn’t troubled her since, Qian Yun Elder recalled that era vividly.
“Elder Qian Yun, you know our Tuo Yang Mountain’s lands border the ruined Xiang Chu Hao Tu, and the Heaven-Slaying Alliance has seized all of Xiang Chu Hao Tu’s domain. As it spreads, it won’t be long before it encroaches on Tuo Yang Mountain.” The middle-aged man voiced his deep worry. “I’m truly concerned. The Heaven-Slaying Alliance wields some enchanting force that’s made immortal powers like Purple Cloud Mountain and the Demon Court bow willingly. Already, several Heaven-Slaying Shrines have sprung up in Tuo Yang Mountain’s domain…”
“We hesitate to drive them out or block them, dreading the fallout. Yet if this isn’t addressed, Tuo Yang Mountain could suffer the same fate as other sects, gradually devoured by the Heaven-Slaying Alliance.”
As Tuo Yang Mountain’s Mountain Master, his choice to escort the elders and disciples here himself stemmed from this very anxiety, hoping to rally support and devise a counter.
Qian Yun Elder let out a soft sigh upon hearing this. She’d already seen the strained looks on Tuo Yang Mountain’s elders and disciples, their greetings laced with forced cheer amid evident burdens. Lately, every guest she’d hosted carried comparable troubles.
The Heaven-Slaying Alliance’s expansion resembled a voracious invader, swiftly draining the Xiyuan civilization’s riches, bolstering itself by claiming lands and assets once held by myriad sects. It had morphed into a dominant entity, flourishing at the expense of others’ life force.
This sparked widespread alarm among sects, who dreaded the Heaven-Slaying Alliance’s dark essence. For all its talk of justice and safeguarding the masses, its deeds contradicted such claims.
“Rest easy, all. A solution will surely emerge for this,” Qian Yun Elder comforted them.
The Tuo Yang Mountain group eased somewhat, though their concerns lingered visibly.
Abruptly, from the northwest, a radiant Buddhist glow erupted.
Legions of Buddha and Bodhisattva illusions bloomed across the firmament, accompanied by echoes of timeless Buddhist chants. Certain Buddhas grinned while cradling blooms, others Bodhisattvas meditated calmly, and blessed clouds surged like waves.
Qian Yun Elder and her companions glanced skyward, spotting ancient monks and arhats from the Tathagata Buddha Kingdom drawing near, escorted by fellow Yu Xian Palace elders.
In yet another quarter, brilliant beams flashed, warping the weave of space. More sects were converging.
Groups such as Ling Shen Cave, Guang Ming Temple, and Chang Sheng Lake had arrived beforehand.
Everywhere one looked, the heavens brimmed with stellar radiance and Daoist principles, as aerial ships and archaic arks sliced the skies, bearing powerhouses from the Xiyuan civilization.
In the heart of the Yu Xian Palace, arriving visitors were ushered by palace disciples and elders toward misty immortal peaks and sacred isles wreathed in dreamy vapors.
The atmosphere everywhere pulsed with celestial Qi and Daoist harmonies. Spanning bridges and lofty pavilions linked star territories, unveiling a grand, mesmerizing cosmic vista.
As one of the Xiyuan civilization’s most ancient and steadfast Daoist sects, Yu Xian Palace spanned a colossal domain. Its sway over the Great Universe alone left newcomers in awe. Chaotic mists enshrouded orbiting stars that thundered in motion, adorned with tiered halls and terraces.
A stellar cascade poured like a heavenly torrent, white haze coiling around it, its roar echoing across the cosmos.
Newcomers exchanged salutes, many bearing timeworn, grizzled visages. Some exuded a primal simplicity, clad in relics of bygone eras—beings that evoked unease and reverence.
These entities seemed freshly roused from ancient sepulchers, still dusted with earth’s scent, as if slumbering through endless ages. Their gazes held cosmic depth, like clashing worlds within.
Their radiating aura unsettled even Dao-level experts, pounding hearts and nearly drawing blood from the sheer force.
Amid these timeless presences, certain figures seemed mundane and unassuming, yet they commanded notice distinctively. A man in a plain gray robe, of average stature, looked commonplace, but his arrival startled the surrounding ancients.
“Isn’t that Daoist Changming? Word was he perished during the Eighth Heavenly Decline Tribulation. Who’d have thought after hundreds of epochs, he’d grace us once more…”
A Dao-level cultivator murmured in reverence, identifying the gray-robed figure. “Daoist Changming inspires us all. Each Heavenly Decline Tribulation cost him dearly. Legend says a far senior once foretold he’d never attain the Dao realm this lifetime, yet Daoist Changming overcame fate to reach this point.”
“Looks like Daoist Changming endured the eighth Heavenly Decline Tribulation successfully,” another chimed in, tone brimming with respect.
Besides Daoist Changming, other legendary experts of profound heritage, vanished for hundreds of epochs, now gathered. Their own Daoist lineages had presumed them gone, never anticipating their return in this manner.
Evidently, the Yu Xian Palace Grandmaster’s reemergence had mobilized all, drawing even these recluses across vast time and space to behold the spectacle.
Beyond the Immortal Dao Civilization’s elders, divine entities arrived too, haloed in godly splendor and trailed by celestial aides. Their countenances obscured, demeanors impassive, auras holy. Subtly, ritual hymns and world invocations drifted from them.
“Even gods from the Divine Dao Civilization have come… but are these their true selves or mere avatars…”
“The Divine Dao Civilization has isolated itself for eons, seldom revealing forms in today’s boundless realm,” countless cultivators whispered in wonder.
“Hehe, what a bustling day. I once believed the Xiyuan Civilization weaker than rumored, but clearly we mustn’t scorn them. Already over seven Grand Dao-level beings here—not counting the concealed veterans…”
“I warned against rash moves. We should watch and bide. Haste will bring us ruin.”
“Celestials have long known of the Reincarnation Mirror in the Xiyuan Civilization, yet never struck, aware it’s a formidable foe. A hard shell to breach.”“Heh heh, but this setup suits us better today. Easier for us two to blend unseen. Previously, detection was a real risk.”
Upon a barren world, two silhouettes materialized, perched on a ridge overlooking the Imperial Immortal Palace’s profound expanse. They were the Decay Faction’s old Daoist and the Minor Yin Faction’s Elder Han Crow.
As they conversed, their forms blurred into twin luminous trails, chasing a silvery lunar craft cloaked in immortal fog up ahead.
“Who trails us?”
Aboard the lunar craft, a ethereal woman seated in meditation at the prow stirred, unveiling her eyes. Bathed in lunar glow and hazy veils, her brows knit faintly. Her jade palm swept, forging moonlight into a vintage crystal mirror that displayed their pursuers.
“Their cultivation eludes my sight. Are they masking it with a hidden artifact? Indeed, extraordinary arrivals flock to the Imperial Immortal Palace this time.”
Nearby, a breathtaking beauty peered into the mirror too, her voice tinged with mild shock.
This craft’s passengers hailed from the Xiyuan Saint Hall. They hadn’t foreseen pursuit in the Imperial Immortal Palace’s own bounds.
“Lurking with shady aims.”
The Xiyuan Saintess averted her eyes. Her lithe hand rose, dissolving the ancient mirror. Simultaneously, she gestured rearward. From emptiness burst slender ribbons like moonlit threads. They whipped out with a hiss, tearing space-time with formidable power.
“Eh? Friends ahead, no offense meant. We harbor no ill will—just misplaced and seeking to share your path.”
The trailing old Daoist betrayed astonishment. He hadn’t foreseen such potency in the craft he’d picked at random. That blow alone was formidable—few Ancestor Realm experts could endure it.
Even in speaking, his wide sleeves billowed, unleashing a stellar canopy that bloomed into an expansive universe. There, the Great Dao formed a sword, cleaving the invading moonlight strand.
Elder Han Crow nearly intervened but was halted by the old Daoist. With a frosty huff, he swallowed his ire.
“Typical Ancestor Realm foes wouldn’t stand a chance. Since when does the Xiyuan Civilization boast so many beyond that level?”
The Xiyuan Saintess felt a touch of surprise. Her strike had been mere testing, not full assault—especially not here in the Imperial Immortal Palace’s sphere. She promptly withdrew.
“Maybe they stem from another civilization,” Xiyin pondered.
“Then you must be the famed Xiyuan Saintess. To wield such inscrutable might so young—it stirs our awe and a twinge of jealousy.”
Soon after, the old Daoist and Elder Han Crow were welcomed onto the craft by Saint Hall maidens.
Observing the shrouded Saintess, they swiftly deduced her status.
In the whole Xiyuan Civilization, few women matched her peerless poise and prowess.
“Might I inquire from which lands you two esteemed elders originate?”
The Xiyuan Saintess tilted her head gently, appraising them in turn.
She spared scant notice for Elder Han Crow’s icy vibe.
Rather, the old Daoist’s reek and marks of Heavenly Decay drew her frown.
The Five Signs of Heavenly Decay appear as: tattered garb, shriveled locks, body’s rank odor, underarm perspiration, and vital force’s scatter.
Still, the old Daoist showed none of the tribulation’s triggers or leaking cultivation. Merely his sockets gaped empty, sans orbs, seeping ichor and crimson—a horrifying spectacle.