I Am the Fated Villain Chapter 1301: 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 galaxy and cosmos, beams of light streaked rapidly through the heavens while cultivators from numerous sects rushed in from distant locations.
Myriad silhouettes journeyed through the frigid and profound void, rippling the flows 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, forewarned ahead of time, stood ready to receive and escort visitors from diverse groups.
At the Qian Yun Daochang, an elegant and poised middle-aged woman guided a group of disciples in greeting the arrivals.
“Long time no see, Qian Yun Elder. You remain as vibrant and youthful as always, and your cultivation appears even deeper now.”
A robust voice echoed from afar.
A sturdy, imposing 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 this man.
Tuo Yang Mountain stood as a secluded sect within the Xiyuan civilization. Though not matching the might of immortal-tier powers like the Yu Xian Palace, its heritage remained formidable.
The sect housed numerous venerable Daoist experts, and whispers suggested an ancient forebear 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, his whereabouts unknown, he’d probably have hurried back himself to honor this esteemed senior,” the robust middle-aged man chuckled deeply.
Qian Yun Elder gave a subtle nod and responded, “I’ve heard Tuo Yang Mountain’s ancient ancestor is close to breaking into the Grand Dao realm. This trip must be for pursuing fortunes, and who knows, next we meet, he might have achieved it. 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 Grandmaster of Yu Xian Palace showing himself now, what’s the true purpose? Does it involve the Heaven-Slaying Alliance?” The middle-aged man hushed his tone deliberately.
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 deliberating a major issue with the gathered sects.”
She too had observed the swift ascent of the Heaven-Slaying Alliance, its progress nothing short of startling. What’s more, Gu Changge had once posed as the top disciple of Qian Yun Daochang and even issued threats against her.
Though Gu Changge hadn’t troubled her since, Qian Yun Elder vividly recalled those days.
“Elder Qian Yun, you’re aware our Tuo Yang Mountain lies close to the ruined Xiang Chu Hao Tu, and the Heaven-Slaying Alliance has seized complete control of that land. As it keeps expanding, Tuo Yang Mountain could soon fall in its path.” The middle-aged man voiced his deep worries, “I’m truly anxious. 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, lest it sparks conflict. Yet if this persists unresolved, Tuo Yang Mountain risks fading away like the other sects, gradually devoured by the Heaven-Slaying Alliance.”
As Tuo Yang Mountain’s leader, his choice to escort elders and disciples to Yu Xian Palace stemmed from this very apprehension, hoping to rally support and devise countermeasures.
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 masked by forced cheer amid heavy burdens. Lately, most visitors she’d hosted shared this same plight.
The Heaven-Slaying Alliance’s proliferation resembled a predatory invader, swiftly draining the Xiyuan civilization’s riches, bolstering itself by claiming lands and assets from fellow sects. It had evolved into a dominant entity, flourishing at the expense of others’ life force.
This trend alarmed countless sects, who now dreaded the Heaven-Slaying Alliance’s dark undercurrents. For all its proclamations of justice and safeguarding the masses, its deeds betrayed those very principles.
“Rest assured, all of you. A solution to this crisis will surely emerge,” Qian Yun Elder comforted them.
The Tuo Yang Mountain group eased somewhat, though their concerns lingered visibly.
Abruptly, a radiant Buddhist glow erupted from the northwest.
Innumerable Buddha and Bodhisattva illusions materialized overhead, accompanied by subtle chants of timeless Buddhist sutras. Certain Buddhas grinned while cradling blooms, others Bodhisattvas meditated calmly, and waves of propitious clouds surged like an ocean.
Qian Yun Elder and her companions glanced skyward, spotting veteran monks and arhats from the Tathagata Buddha Kingdom drawing near, ushered by fellow Yu Xian Palace elders.
In yet another quarter, brilliant luminosities flashed, accompanied by ripples in spacetime. Additional sects were converging as well.
Groups such as Ling Shen Cave, Guang Ming Temple, and Chang Sheng Lake had preceded them in arrival.
Surveying the scene, the firmament brimmed with stellar gleams and Daoist principles, as aerial ships and archaic boats sliced through the ether, borne by prominent luminaries of the Xiyuan civilization.
In the heart of Yu Xian Palace, arriving visitors were directed by palace disciples and elders toward sundry immortal peaks and sacred isles, shrouded in haze and drifting vapors.
All around, the atmosphere pulsed with celestial Qi and Daoist cadences. Spanning causeways and gazebos linked varied stellar zones, unveiling a grand and majestic interstellar vista.
As one of the Xiyuan civilization’s most venerable and steadfast Daoist lineages, Yu Xian Palace dominated an expansive dominion. Its sweeping reach, encompassing the Great Universe under its sway, never failed to awe newcomers. The orbiting stars, encircled by turbulent chaos, thundered in motion. Upon them rose tiered grand halls and terraces.
A stellar cascade poured like a heavenly torrent, encircled by silvery fog, its cascades echoing across the boundless cosmos.
Newly arrived guests exchanged salutations, many bearing faces etched by ages. Some exuded a primal simplicity, clad in relics of bygone eras—presences that evoked both discomfort and reverence.
These entities resembled fresh exhumees from ancient sepulchers, still scented with earth, as if roused from eons of slumber. Their gazes held cosmic profundity, like clashing realms within.
Their radiating auras unsettled even Dao-level experts, quickening pulses and nearly drawing blood from some under the sheer pressure.
Amid these primordial entities, certain figures seemed mundane and inconspicuous, yet they commanded notice in their own right. A man in a plain gray robe, of average stature, looked unexceptional, but his arrival prompted startled reactions from the surrounding ancients.
“Isn’t that elder 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 stands as a beacon for us all. Each clash with the Heavenly Decline Tribulation exacted a terrible toll. Legends say an elder sage once foretold he’d never attain the Dao realm this lifetime, yet Daoist Changming overturned fate and reached this pinnacle.”
“Looks like Daoist Changming has triumphed over the eighth Heavenly Decline Tribulation,” another chimed in, voice brimming with respect.
Beyond Daoist Changming, various other hoary cultivators of storied pedigrees, vanished for centuries of epochs, now gathered. Their own Daoist orders had presumed them gone, scarce imagining their return amid such events.
Evidently, the Yu Xian Palace Grandmaster’s reemergence had mobilized one and all, drawing even these recluses from remote temporal and spatial reaches to behold the spectacle.
Besides the archaic luminaries of the Immortal Dao Civilization, divine entities appeared too, wreathed in holy auras and trailed by celestial aides. Their visages obscured, demeanors impassive, their essences sanctified. Subtly, echoes of sacred rites and cosmic hymns 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 secluded itself for endless ages, seldom revealing forms in today’s boundless realms,” cultivators whispered in wonder.
“Hehe, what a bustling day. I once figured the Xiyuan Civilization fell short of its hype, but clearly, we can’t dismiss them. Already, over seven Grand Dao-level beings are here—not counting the concealed veterans…”
“I warned against rushing in. Better to watch and bide our time. Haste will only bring us pain.”
“The Celestials have long eyed the Reincarnation Mirror in the Xiyuan Civilization but held back, aware it’s no simple prey. A hard shell to breach.” “Heh heh, yet today works in our favor. 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 aged Daoist and the Minor Yin Faction’s Elder Han Crow.
As they conversed, their forms blurred into twin luminous trails, chasing a moon-pale flying craft swathed in immortal haze up ahead.
“Who trails us?”
Aboard the moonlit vessel, a ethereal woman seated in meditation at the prow stirred, her eyes fluttering open. Enveloped in lunar glow and foggy veils, her brows knit faintly. Her jade palm swept forth, forging moonlight into an antique crystal lens that unveiled the pursuing pair.
“Their cultivations elude my sight. Are they masking with some arcane relic? Indeed, extraordinary arrivals flock to the Imperial Immortal Palace this occasion.”
Nearby, a breathtaking beauty peered into the lens too, her tone laced with mild shock.
The vessel’s passengers hailed from Xiyuan’s Saint Hall. They hadn’t anticipated pursuit in the Imperial Immortal Palace’s own bounds.
“Lurking with shady motives.”
The Xiyuan Saintess averted her eyes. Her lithe hand rose, dissolving the antique lens. Simultaneously, she gestured rearward. From nothingness burst slender bands like moon rays. They whistled out, cleaving spacetime with formidable force.
“Eh? Friends ahead, no offense meant. We harbor no ill will—just misplaced and seeking to share your path.”
The trailing old Daoist betrayed his startle. He hadn’t foreseen such potency in the craft he’d picked at random. That assault alone outmatched typical Ancestor Realm foes.
Even mid-sentence, his ample sleeves billowed, unleashing a canopy of stellar sparks that bloomed into an expansive starry realm. There, the Great Dao coalesced as a sword, cleaving the invading moonbeam.
Elder Han Crow poised to intervene but yielded to the old Daoist’s cue. With a frosty huff, he bottled his ire.
“No common Ancestor Realm could endure that. Since when does the Xiyuan Civilization boast so many beyond that level?”
The Xiyuan Saintess felt a twinge of surprise. Her move had been mere reconnaissance, not full confrontation—especially not in the Imperial Immortal Palace’s sphere. She promptly restrained further action.
“Likely visitors from foreign civilizations,” Xiyin surmised.
“Then you must be the famed Xiyuan Saintess. Wielding such inscrutable power in youth—it stirs both awe and a touch of jealousy in us.”
Shortly, the old Daoist and Elder Han Crow were welcomed onto the craft by Saint Hall maidens.
Observing the shrouded Saintess, they swiftly deduced her stature.
In all the Xiyuan Civilization, few women matched her singular poise and prowess.
“Might I inquire the origins of you two esteemed elders?”
The Xiyuan Saintess tilted her head politely, 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 furrowed brow.
The Five Signs of Heavenly Decay appear as: tattered garb, shriveled locks, body’s rank odor, axillary perspiration, and vital force’s dissipation.
However, this old Daoist displayed none of the tribulation’s triggers or leaking cultivation. Solely his sockets gaped empty, eyeless, seeping ichor and crimson—a truly macabre visage.