This Is What a Villain Is Like

After all, Zhang Yuan had been the talk of the Imperial Capital recently, a name known to all.

"General, may I ask why you are looking for Zhang Yuan?" the Elder asked, confused.

Xiao Ye’s gaze turned cold as he snapped, "Enough nonsense. I’m asking you, where is Zhang Yuan?"

The Elder’s expression shifted slightly. He then turned to the disciples behind him and asked, "Do any of you know where that Zhang Yuan is now?"

Hearing this, several disciples who were on good terms with Zhang Yuan glanced at each other hesitantly.

Among them, a pretty female disciple named Liu Xue thought for a moment, then clenched her jaw and stepped forward. "Reporting to the Elder," she said, "Junior Brother Zhang Yuan has been missing for several days. After the banquet at Lanting Building that night, we lost all trace of him. We don’t know where he went either..."

At the mention of "Lanting Building," Xiao Ye’s expression grew even colder. It was after attending the banquet there that night that his third brother, Xiao Teng, had been viciously attacked, leaving him severely injured and unconscious for three days.

"That Zhang Yuan is a remnant of the Blood Immortal Sect. He attacked my brother, Xiao Teng, and deserves to die a thousand deaths."

"Men! Arrest everyone from Yijian Palace and conduct a thorough investigation. If there’s one Zhang Yuan, there are bound to be others involved."

His expression was frigid as he gave the order with a wave of his hand.

The timing was too much of a coincidence. After Xiao Teng’s incident, "Zhang Yuan" had completely vanished from the face of the earth.

"How is that possible?"

The expressions of the Yijian Palace members all changed.

The Elders’ faces turned grim. Yijian Palace was, after all, a top Immortal Sect with a legacy spanning thousands of years. How could they allow themselves to be investigated so easily?

Even if Zhang Yuan had colluded with the Blood Immortal Sect, where was the proof?

But when it came to the remnants of the Blood Immortal Sect, they didn’t dare be careless.

They could only suppress their anger and allow the swarm of soldiers and Knights to surge forward and arrest them all.

If they resisted, there was no guarantee that an enraged Emperor Xia wouldn’t order them all to be slaughtered on the spot for colluding with the Blood Immortal Sect.

The strongest Elder from Yijian Palace on this trip was only at the Sixth Realm, the Divine Power Realm, and didn’t dare say another word.

As for experts at the Seventh Realm, the Dharma Realm, they were of the Supreme Elder level. How could such a figure appear so easily?

News that Zhang Yuan, a disciple of Yijian Palace, had colluded with the Blood Immortal Sect and infiltrated his own sect soon spread throughout the Imperial Capital, causing a massive uproar.

No one could have imagined that the unparalleled Celestial Pride, whose fame had recently swept the city, was actually a remnant of the Blood Immortal Sect.

Many found it hard to believe, and at the same time, a chill ran down their spines. The Blood Immortal Sect’s methods of infiltration were truly terrifying.

That day, all of Yijian Palace’s disciples and Elders were arrested and taken to the Observatory for interrogation.

And while the Imperial Capital was in an uproar over this matter, at the site where the Qianyuan Cave Realm had shattered and self-destructed, a slender figure clad in soft armor, her face completely concealed, stood in a dense forest, eyes closed as if sensing something.

It was Linglong, the Commander of the Observatory.

Her ears twitched slightly. The many birds, ants, snakes, and insects of the area rustled into view, their mouthparts opening and closing, emitting sounds only she could understand.

’The residual aura of the Blood Immortal Sect is thickest here. Although the Qianyuan Cave Realm self-destructed, many of its materials were still left behind...’

’As expected, I’ve found a clue.’

After a long while, Linglong Commander opened her eyes. A trace of fatigue was visible, but deep within her gaze was a look of excitement and inspiration.

Not far away, the other members of the Observatory were waiting without disturbing her.

At that moment, Linglong Commander waved her hand, and the others hurried over. One of them held a scroll, preparing to write down the clues discovered here and transmit them back to the Observatory’s internal archives as a classified document.

"Commander, did you find any useful information?" one of them asked.

Linglong Commander’s expression was grave as she said in a low voice, "Ye Ming, the heir of the Blood Immortal Sect who appeared in the Purple Mist True Monarch Secret Realm, was present in the Qianyuan Cave Realm..."

"Though I don’t know how he slipped in, I can confirm that the Blood Immortal Sect was plotting something. They had set up multiple blood-colored altars that seemed to possess some kind of power to drain things from a distance. At that time, a terrifying, cross-shaped rift appeared in the Void, stretching for several miles..."

"What?"

Hearing this, all the Observatory members present were profoundly shaken.

Soon, the news from this site was transmitted back to the Imperial Capital, recorded as a classified document within the Observatory, and subsequently learned by the major influential families and Noble Families through their various spies.

Back in the Imperial Palace, Emperor Xia also received a copy of the report.

After skimming it, her beautiful face became so dark it looked like it might drip water.

...

Inside the Prime Minister’s Mansion, Jiang Lan sat cross-legged on a soft couch, his skin flawless and glowing with the luster of white jade.

Wisps of Phoenix Void Fire Light floated around him, like clusters of eternal Divine Fire, or perhaps like reflections of three thousand illusory worlds.

As he breathed and cultivated, the light transformed into pure Power of Heaven and Earth, nourishing his physical body. In just one day, he had successfully refined the phoenix-shaped leaf from the ancient vine into his own Lifebound Divine Technique, named the Three Thousand Phoenix Void Art.

Each cluster of Phoenix Void Fire could reflect and manifest the phantom of a world.

As his Cultivation Realm deepened, three thousand worlds would manifest around him. Each world would evolve from illusory to real before descending upon the mortal realm, granting him boundless Divine Power and endless mysteries.

Thanks to this Lifebound Divine Technique, his superficial cultivation had also broken through to the Sixth Realm, the Divine Power Realm. Such speed was nothing short of astonishing.

If one were to add the inherited techniques of the Blood Immortal Sect, which used the Destiny Dao Fruit as their source, his true strength was likely approaching the very limit of the Seventh Realm, the Dharma Realm.

As for the Eighth Realm, the Tribulation Bridge Realm, it involved a profound understanding of the Dao. He had never truly fought an expert at that level, so it was difficult to estimate the gap in their strength.

Over the past few days, Jiang Lan had naturally learned of the many happenings in the Imperial Capital, which could only be described as a storm of intrigue.

He adopted the attitude of one who had accomplished his task and retired from the scene, hiding his deeds and name. He obediently remained in his mansion to recuperate and, while he was at it, break through to a higher realm.

No one would ever know that he was the one who had orchestrated everything from behind the scenes.

Prince Zhenbei, Xiao He, brought his son Xiao Teng to the palace to beg for forgiveness, waiting outside the hall for Emperor Xia’s punishment.

Because Xiao Teng had wrongly trusted someone and been deceived, he was stalked and attacked on the eve of the Southern Hunting exercise.

Then, while he was unconscious, a remnant of the Blood Immortal Sect used a Secret Technique to probe his Sea of Consciousness, learning of Emperor Xia’s plan to use the Four Forbidden Halls as bait.

That was why the remnants of the Blood Immortal Sect had spared no effort in attacking Changsheng Hall, intending to get their hands on the National Treasure.

The consequences of this incident were, of course, immense. Emperor Xia was furious, and in the imperial court, the officials were silent, not daring to speak.

Prince Zhenbei, Xiao He, knelt outside the hall to atone for the crime, refusing to rise, and no one dared to speak on his behalf.

Xiao Teng remained by his side, his face filled with self-reproach and guilt.

In consideration of Xiao He’s many years of distinguished service, Emperor Xia did not punish him severely, merely docking his salary for many years.

𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

As for Xiao Teng, he was publicly flogged three hundred times until his skin split and his flesh was torn, blood flowing freely. Although his cultivation was sealed, he gritted his teeth and endured it without a single sound, which actually made many ministers look at him in a new light.

’After all this, Xiao Teng is still trying to hide the truth and pin all the blame on Ye Ming...’

’Heh, but doing so suits my plans perfectly.’

When Jiang Lan learned of this, he merely gave a faint smile.

If Xiao Teng had confessed the entire truth of what had happened, the National Master, Ge Qixing, would have inevitably had to step in personally and plead for him.

Now, by choosing to conceal the truth and trying to downplay the incident, he had committed the grave crime of deceiving the sovereign.

Emperor Xia had lost the National Treasure, the Dragon-Suppressing Seal, and her heart was filled with celestial-toppling rage. Xiao Teng thought this was a minor matter, little knowing how furious the Emperor would be when she eventually learned the truth.

The National Master, Ge Qixing, had been watching the fire from the other side of the river, but those flames would soon be licking at him as well...

With this incident, many people now knew that Ye Ming, the heir of the Blood Immortal Sect, had appeared inside the Qianyuan Cave Realm that day.

Therefore, many were beginning to suspect that the Yijian Palace disciple "Zhang Yuan" was very likely Ye Ming in disguise.

The many Elders and disciples of Yijian Palace were all imprisoned in the Observatory.

Meanwhile, at the Yijian Palace millions of miles away, numerous Elders were employing various methods to try and prove their innocence.

To this end, they called upon a Supreme Elder, who used a Secret Treasure and sacrificed fifty years of his lifespan to divine Zhang Yuan’s location using the Life Soul he had left behind in the Sect. The result was that his Life Soul pointed to a location near the Sect’s own territory.

Disciples were immediately sent out to search. They found the real Zhang Yuan, but he turned out to be a completely different, unfamiliar man, and he had also lost many of his memories.

This discovery sent shockwaves through the entire Yijian Palace.

At this point, the whole truth came to light. The "Zhang Yuan" who had appeared in the Imperial Capital was none other than Ye Ming, the heir of the Blood Immortal Sect, in disguise. He had laid low in the Imperial Capital for many days and had now fled to an unknown location.