I Am the Fated Villain Chapter 1307: She’s been walking down a dead-end path, but I still want to give it another try.
Previously on I Am the Fated Villain...
“It’s fine. I’ll definitely give you face,” Gu Changge replied with a subtle smile. “The Fatians under my lead are prepared to form the alliance and follow the Xiyuan Covenant.”
Ling Yuling paused in surprise at Gu Changge’s swift and direct response, with no trace of doubt. Her striking gaze locked onto his features, as though she aimed to uncover the depths of his mind.
Yet, with Gu Changge maintaining that mild grin and his demeanor unchanged throughout, she had no choice but to let it go, silently praying he meant every word.
If she could avoid it, Ling Yuling preferred not to stand against Gu Changge, and above all, she dreaded the idea of her earlier doubts proving true.
“In that case, Yuling expresses her gratitude to Young Master Gu for his consideration,” Ling Yuling stated, offering a gentle curtsy.
Those gathered exhaled in relief. After all, nobody desired conflict with Gu Changge or the Fatians.
Be it preserving the current balance or yielding ground, their priority remained personal safety above all.
Everyone recognized the formidable might of Gu Changge and his Fatians.
“With the Fatians’ leader deciding thus, the Xiyuan Sacred Hall will certainly step forward alongside all to create the Xiyuan Covenant,” the Xiyuan Saintess declared steadily, voicing her commitment.
“My thanks,” Ling Yuling acknowledged with a nod.
The Xiyuan Saintess choosing to align with Gu Changge’s stance caught Ling Yuling off guard somewhat. Still, events unfolded even better than she had hoped.
Her initial fear had been Gu Changge arriving and rallying the Fatians against her plans right away.
Luckily, he had granted her that respect, though she wondered about his hidden aims. He surely grasped the intent behind her push for the Xiyuan Covenant.
Nevertheless, he brought the full force of the Fatians regardless.
But Ling Yuling pushed those thoughts aside for now. Crafting the Xiyuan Covenant demanded time beyond a single day. She needed input from clan heads and path leaders. Lacking their support, binding rules for the entire Xiyuan civilization proved impossible.
Upon enactment, the Xiyuan Covenant would draw on Heavenly Dao authority, demanding acknowledgment from every entity and oaths from the mightiest under the Heavenly Dao.
That alone would grant it tremendous enforceability, compelling all to adhere willingly and avoid transgression.
This stood as Ling Yuling’s sole viable approach at present.
“Regarding the Xiyuan Covenant’s terms, I won’t join the discussions with you all. Once you settle on the details and signing method, simply inform the Fatians,” Gu Changge noted with his faint smile.
The Xiyuan Saintess shot him a glance laced with doubt.
Gu Changge had never been this accommodating before. In shaping the Xiyuan Covenant, he skipped the chaos she anticipated.
The others present shared the astonishment and bewilderment. Numerous eyes turned to Gu Changge in puzzlement.
A few elder figures creased their brows, pondering if Gu Changge harbored deeper schemes. The ease of progress unsettled them more than resistance would have.
“It might be best if we all collaborate on drafting it. Should Young Master Gu find it unsuitable, send your representatives to join, so we grasp the future constraints on ourselves,” Ling Yuling suggested mildly, her forehead creasing faintly.
Though her instincts warned of hidden complexities, she couldn’t identify the exact issue.
Gu Changge’s every phrase and motion hinted at layers beneath. She resolved to scrutinize them closely. Nothing could be as straightforward as it seemed.
To her, Gu Changge’s cunning and strategies loomed too daunting, urging constant vigilance and measured steps.
“Very well then, Yan’er, remain here alongside Elder Jing, the White Bone Patriarch, Mo Tong, and the rest to negotiate the Xiyuan Covenant with the group.”
“Your presence will put my mind at rest.” Gu Changge offered a soft smile before turning to the Fatians members trailing him.
“Got it. Rest easy,” Mu Yan assured, emerging from the Fatians ranks with a composed reply.
In that instant, all eyes caught the breathtaking woman of refined poise and commanding aura. Though her cultivation lagged behind the Dao realm experts there, she demanded respect. Fortune clung to her like a mantle, promising vast future triumphs.
Ling Yuxian, Jing Xiao, Xiyin, and others registered Gu Changge’s familiar tone toward Mu Yan, stirring shock in their hearts. The nature of their bond eluded them.
Meanwhile, younger cultivators fixated on Mu Yan’s allure, some whispering in awe of her splendor.
“Young Master Gu must have had a packed schedule lately,” Ling Yuling observed, averting her eyes from Mu Yan. Accustomed to prodigies, she held little fascination.
Still, curiosity nagged at her about this elegant woman’s ties to Gu Changge. Their ease suggested intimacy.
“Merely some Fatians business requiring attention,” Gu Changge answered with a light smile.
He spoke no evasion or falsehood. Lately, the Fatians had burrowed into the Xuandan Civilization, close to Idle Heaven Palace. His focus centered there.
Xiyuan Civilization matters, long foreseen by Gu Changge, drew less of his urgency now. Plus, in realms like Yan Yang True Realm and Shang Yin True Realm, he had dispatched agents to plant seeds, aiming for Fatians expansion.
Post the Immortal Chu Haotu’s fall, Fatians’ renown echoed across the boundless domains, alerting countless ancient realms to their threat.
Gu Changge had positioned his forces in Yan Yang True Realm already, now awaiting the moment to reap rewards.
Ling Yuling dipped her head and inquired no more. Lingering doubts prompted her to delay the signing site until the Xiyuan Covenant finalized. Thus, even if Gu Changge schemed ahead, short notice would thwart rearrangements.
Besides Mu Yan, Jing Tianyuan, White Bone Patriarch, and additional Fatians Dao realm experts lingered.
Various Dao sects’ heads and masters stayed in Yu Xian Palace too, set to collaborate on the Xiyuan Covenant over the following days with other factions.
Once Gu Changge departed with the bulk of Fatians, the tense air lightened somewhat. Sighs of relief rippled through, as if a crushing weight had lifted from overhead.
“No blunders today, against all odds…”
“Likely the Fatians’ leader respected Elder Yuling, leading to his prompt consent.”
Cultivators murmured, faces blending fortune with residual dread.
“Why does it feel like a tempest brews? The Fatians’ leader must realize the Xiyuan Covenant targets him directly?”
“So why consent to its terms?”
Others voiced concerns, suspecting Gu Changge’s concession masked a grander ploy.
True difficulty lay in enforcing the Xiyuan Covenant.
Ling Yuling observed Gu Changge’s form vanishing afar. Only after he fully disappeared did she look away.
She recalled the ancient tome from South Qing amid the chaotic time-space sea. It detailed first-generation civilization artifacts, including Reincarnation Mirror insights.
“Xiyuan Saintess, might we speak privately on a matter?” Ling Yuling addressed the distant, aloof silhouette softly.
“What does the elder wish to share with me in seclusion?” The Xiyuan Saintess, lost in contemplation, jolted at Ling Yuling’s words and turned to ask.
Ling Yuling offered no elaboration. With a sleeve wave, radiant clarity bloomed, forming a cosmic time-space rift. She glided inside first. The Xiyuan Saintess hesitated briefly, then trailed after.
Onlookers noted this with astonishment but wisely held their tongues.
From the scene, the Xiyuan Saintess’ stance toward Fatians’ leader Gu Changge appeared murky, open to misinterpretation, sparking fears of Fatians alignment.
Even her senior Xiyin harbored faint worries. She couldn’t fathom what Gu Changge wrought to muddle her sharp, otherworldly junior’s judgment.
Xiyin pondered.
Meanwhile, Yu Xian Palace elders and disciples approached to prepare lodgings. Shaping the Xiyuan Covenant spanned months or more, so all would reside there temporarily.
“What private matter prompts the elder to seek me out?” Ling Yuling inquired gently, facing the Xiyuan Saintess.
“Do you doubt my ties to the Fatians? Or suspect an unseemly link with that Gu fellow?” The Xiyuan Saintess queried evenly, poised in the hazy isolated realm. Her stance exuded grace without flaw, her tone hinting amusement that heightened her veiled allure, unseen by any.
Ling Yuling swept her hand lightly, unleashing chaotic radiance to shroud the area. Once sealed, she murmured, “No suspicions here. I merely sense your path strays a touch.”
With that, she presented the ancient tome from South Qing.
“What’s this?” The Xiyuan Saintess arched a brow in mild shock but took it, skimming the contents.
Deeper in, her eyes widened subtly, struck with profound awe.
The tome brimmed with first-generation civilization artifact lore.
Particularly vivid were the Reincarnation Mirror accounts, surpassing even her knowledge as its wielder.
This left the Xiyuan Saintess reeling in disbelief.
“Where did the elder acquire this?” The Xiyuan Saintess strived for composure in her query.
Yet inwardly, turmoil churned. As Reincarnation Mirror’s guardian, she grasped its enigmas well.
Such precise Reincarnation Mirror depictions demanded direct encounter to convey.
By rights, beyond her and master Xinu, none across the realms should hold such insights.
“Chance brought it to me. No cause for alarm—I won’t disseminate it,” Ling Yuling assured calmly, unmoved by the Xiyuan Saintess’ response.
She grasped the jolt for any first-generation treasure bearer viewing such a record. Her own first glimpse had shaken her similarly.
“This tome revealed Reincarnation Mirror secrets to me, clarifying your demeanor toward the Fatians.”
“What visions in the Reincarnation Mirror paralyzed you during Immortal Chu Haotu’s ruin, leaving you a mere observer? Must Xiyuan Civilization suffer the same downfall now?”
Ling Yuling pressed softly, eyeing the quiet Xiyuan Saintess.
The Xiyuan Saintess hadn’t foreseen such probing from Ling Yuling, unknown even to senior Xiyin. She shunned drawing others into these visions, given fate’s flux and unknowns. Limited knowledge minimized disruptions.
She grasped this keenly, hence her restraint from meddling, preserving the Reincarnation Mirror’s optimal simulated path to match reality.
Thus alone could she alter Xiyuan Sacred Hall and Civilization’s doom.”I can’t disclose these. Your ways differ from mine,” the Xiyuan Saintess stated evenly.
“Does prior knowledge of that future fragment risk altering your desired timeline?” Ling Yuling probed.
The Xiyuan Saintess’ reply held no surprise for Ling Yuling, who met it with a soft smile.
Having transcended Grand Dao realm, she fathomed fate’s arcane twists. She could sense and shape myriad beings’ destinies, delving past, now, and tomorrow.
Yet for her own thread, fog ever concealed it. Her fate eluded true mastery or foresight.
The Xiyuan Saintess quieted, offering no retort. Selfish it might seem, yet necessity bound her. Every Reincarnation Mirror projection sealed Yu Xian Palace’s grim end without variance.
In essence, Ling Yuling’s course veered false—a doomed trail to ruin.
“I see,” Ling Yuling murmured with a soft breath, regarding the mute Xiyuan Saintess. She chose not to insist.
From the Saintess’ demeanor, Ling Yuling inferred the glimpsed future slice. Yet surrender held no appeal; hope endured.
“Perhaps… my power alone falls short to shift that fated segment.”
“Should you agree, visit Xiyuan Sacred Hall post Xiyuan Covenant drafting.”
“I yearn to attempt once more.”
As Ling Yuling prepared to depart the realm, the hitherto silent Xiyuan Saintess stirred with hesitation at last. Her pearly teeth grazed her lip, resolve forming.