This Is What a Villain Is Like

To remain aloof and unaffected while the outside world was in turmoil and ceaseless war, to endure even when the heavens ran dry of lightning—this was a testament to its power.

The founding emperor of Great Xia had once subjugated all the great Noble Families and Immortal Sect Lineages, accomplishing a magnificent feat.

But after his fall, no successor of comparable talent ever emerged. The Royal Family’s line of succession faltered, with no one to fill the void. Even the mightiest empire would eventually face a day of decay.

Great Xia’s destiny had already declined to a certain point under the previous Emperor Xia. If Jiang Lintian had not emerged to support the throne, the empire likely would have had less than a few hundred years of fortune left.

In other words, Great Xia’s current prosperity was entirely due to a contemporary Saint working behind the scenes, single-handedly extending its life for another era.

Why could the Prime Minister’s Mansion wield such world-shaking power that even the various Immortal Sect Lineages were wary of it?

This was the primary reason.

Jiang Lan was familiar with the original plot, so he understood everything Jiang Lintian was telling him.

’But that was also why it was so absurd that in the original story, the protagonist, Lin Fan, was able to topple a behemoth like the Prime Minister’s Mansion, as if he were a snowball gathering momentum. That he could free Great Xia from its fate as a pawn and even challenge a Saint was the most ridiculous part of it all.’

"The Nine Provinces Land, before the Middle Ages, was actually known as the Vast Land of Divine Continent. Even the Overseas Kingdoms, those Immortal Mountain Islands, and the Endless Coast were once part of it. During the last great worldly calamity, it was shattered by a boundless power. Since then, the Ancient Immortal Sects, as well as the Buddhas, Demons, and Fiends, all vanished."

"According to your maternal grandfather’s divinations, after the Golden Age descends, those Ancient Immortal Sects will all return and begin to lay their plans."

"The Nine Provinces Land has been the center of the world since ancient times. The lands of the Celestial Central Province, in particular, have given birth to many supreme figures who could dominate the heavens and the earth. To control this land is to hold the strongest trump card for the near future."

"The Cultivation Technique I practice is also inextricably linked to Great Xia’s dynastic fortune. When the National Fortune soars and opportunities erupt, that will be my chance to become a Saint."

A burning ambition showed in Jiang Lintian’s eyes.

Jiang Lan was well aware of how cultivators in this world yearned for the Ninth Realm, the Feather Transformation Realm. Once they broke through into Sainthood and became a Heaven and Earth Saint, they would immediately gain a lifespan of over ten thousand years. They would live long enough to watch the seas turn into fields and the stars shift in their courses.

Although Jiang Lintian held immense power that overshadowed the world, he still possessed a deep obsession with reaching this realm.

The "Saint" in "Extraordinary to Saint" was not just an empty title. They could pluck stars from the sky with a wave of their hand, tear the heavens and split the earth, traverse time and space, and control the very laws of existence. One could say they were omnipotent.

"Lan’Er, if you had continued to indulge in hedonistic pleasures as before, your mother and I could have easily guaranteed you a lifetime of wealth, peace, and carefree days. But now, you have once again set foot on the path of cultivation, shed your past frivolity, and reached such a realm..."

"In that case, there are some things you must fight for, even if I do not tell you about them. In you, I see great hope." Jiang Lintian’s gaze was more serious than ever before.

"Father, are you referring to the Golden Age?" Jiang Lan’s heart stirred as he began to understand.

"Correct. Your maternal grandfather sees in you the hope of achieving Nirvana Integration. Therefore, in this lifetime, he plans to pour all of the family’s resources into you," Jiang Lintian said.

"So, Father, you’re saying all this because you want me to go to the Sui Ji Li Family and prove my strength, rather than just relying on your and Mother’s prestige, correct?"

Jiang Lan had actually long anticipated this day. After the Southern Hunting exercise ended, it was already destined that he could no longer hide his capabilities and bide his time as he had before.

After the Feng Jun ceremony, the number of eyes on him had far surpassed what it once was.

𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"The Sui Ji Li Family is a Noble Family of Saints. Besides your maternal grandfather, it once produced another Saint. That Saint comprehended the Dao of the world’s seasons and created a new one beyond the four seasons of the Ancient Times. He named it ’Sui Ji,’ giving rise to the ’Method of Five Seasons,’ and the Li Family was named thereafter."

"Your maternal grandfather possessed heaven-sent talent, surpassing many of the Li Family’s ancestors. Several thousand years ago, he reached the ninth step of the Tribulation Bridge. After a hundred years in seclusion, he achieved the leap from Extraordinary to Saint in one fell swoop, becoming a Heaven and Earth Saint of the current age..."

"But even with his talent, it is extremely difficult for him to achieve Nirvana Integration and reach that illusory and ethereal Tenth Realm, the Nirvana Realm..." Li Qingshu added with a soft sigh.

Jiang Lan nodded. "I understand. And I know what I have to do."

’The larger and more ancient a Noble Family, the more intricate its internal politics.’ Even though his maternal grandfather, Li Ran, was a Saint, he couldn’t unilaterally decide all family matters. The family was not his to command alone.

Jiang Lintian and Li Qingshu were telling him this because they wanted him to return to the Sui Ji Li Family and prove his talent and potential openly and honorably, to contend for the position of Young Master.

Jiang Lan had no reason to resist this. With his current cultivation, he could easily defeat most of the younger generation without even using the legacy of the Blood Immortal Sect.

’A family would never waste its resources on a good-for-nothing. If I want a deluge of resources, I have to show I have the ability to warrant it.’

The Sui Ji Li Family was different from the Prime Minister’s Mansion. After all, his father had built the Prime Minister’s Mansion with his own hands, and he was the sole heir.

But to the Sui Ji Li Family, his surname wasn’t Li.

’I’ll have to return to the Sui Ji Li Family sooner or later. The position of Young Master is as good as mine. Father and Mother are worrying too much.’ Jiang Lan wasn’t the least bit concerned about it.

’Besides Li Mengning, the Li Family’s current generation has a few other promising talents, but their strength is, at best, on par with hers. Some are even weaker.’