URBAN VILLAIN SYSTEM

On the top of Mount Meru, everything stood completely still.

Academy Master Da Vinci was frozen mid-air, his massive magical attack paralyzed in time. The sky above twisted violently as an enormous vortex of purple clouds and black lightning tore open, cracking the fabric of the lower world’s space.

Through this dimensional crack, a magnificent figure slowly walked down from the sky as if descending a grand staircase. He looked like a handsome man, but his skin possessed a soft, pearl-like glow, and his eyes resembled entire galaxies swirling around in a deep void.

The pressure radiating from him was so immense that the nearby ancient stone statue of an old god cracked right down the middle from top to bottom. With a casual wave of his long embroidered sleeve, Da Vinci’s terrifying mountain-level attack vanished into harmless, sparkling dust, leaving no trace behind.

"You did a great job, young man," the entity spoke, his voice resonating directly inside Tony’s head, completely bypassing the cold air.

Beside Tony, Elsa’s body moved entirely on instinct, dropping to her knees in absolute, biological fear as the ancient bloodline within her trembled. The entity turned his galaxy-like eyes toward Tony and smiled softly, displaying the casual superiority of a supreme traveler.

"I am Tang Zi, a traveler from the supreme upper realms. I must thank you for bringing the World Tree seeds to this specific anchor location. My long search across the void has finally ended, and the path home is within my grasp."

Tony stood completely still, his boots firmly planted on the freezing stone of the altar. He immediately activated his Truth Eye to look at Tang Zi, trying to decipher the energy flow of this celestial being, but the man’s internal power looked like an infinite, roaring ocean compared to his own Early Overlord Warrior pool.

Even though this god-like being could probably destroy the entire continent with a single thought, Tony did not show a single hint of panic. He forced his posture into his standard, lazy stance, crossing his arms over his chest with complete nonchalance. A sharp, villainous grin slowly spread across his face as he looked at the upper realm traveler.

"I appreciate the timely rescue, Master Tang Zi, but let’s not celebrate just yet," Tony said, his voice completely steady and full of shameless audacity. "The World Tree seeds are safely in my possession, but I can assure you they are absolutely not free. A treasure like this, which can break through the barrier of an entire world and fuel your cosmic array, requires a very high price."

From his frozen position in the air, the spatial seal on Da Vinci loosened just enough to let his jaw move, though the rest of his body remained paralyzed. His face twisted with absolute terror and desperate anger as he heard Tony try to bargain with a supreme being from the upper world.

"Master Tang Zi! Do not believe a single word from this treacherous beast!" Da Vinci shrieked, his voice cracking under the pressure. "This boy is Tony Clark, the trickiest villain in the entire human empire! He is a master of lies, illusions, and psychological bluffs! He doesn’t care about your grand design or your journey! He is just trying to trick you into giving away your treasures! He will betray you the moment he gets what he wants!"

Tang Zi didn’t even turn his head to look at the shouting Academy Master, treating him as nothing more than a noisy insect. His cosmic eyes flashed with a hint of annoyance at the mortal’s loud interruption. "A mere insect of this lower world dares to lecture me on the nature of truth and deception?" Tang Zi murmured softly, his tone completely flat.

With a casual, indifferent snap of his fingers, the space around Da Vinci violently collapsed into an absolute vacuum. A sphere of distorted spatial energy wrapped around the Academy Master and blasted him across the horizon like a shooting star.

In less than a second, Da Vinci was thrown thousands of miles away into a barren, distant corner of the continent, completely removed from the mountain range. His powerful presence vanished from Mount Meru entirely, leaving behind a profound silence.

Tony’s eyes twitched slightly, a cold sweat breaking out across his back as he watched that casual display of high-tier spatial power. He had just destroyed Ancestor Luka using a system card, but Tang Zi had removed a supreme academy master with a literal snap of his fingers. The gap between their current strengths was wider than the sky itself.

Still, Tony didn’t show a single hint of fear or weakness. He kept his calm composure, looking as relaxed as if he were resting in his own courtyard, and locked eyes with Tang Zi.

"Now that the noisy distraction has been permanently removed, let us return to our business, young master Tony," Tang Zi said smoothly, turning his attention back to the deal. He extended his open palm toward Tony, expecting the young man to submit. "The World Tree seeds are the essential fuel I need to return to the upper realms. Give them to me now, and I will reward you with the supreme cultivation scriptures and medicinal pills I originally promised to the Demonic Sea Tribe."

"Those basic scriptures and ordinary pills might have been enough for a desperate monster like Ancestor Luka, but they are completely useless to me," Tony countered ruthlessly, his tone sharp and unyielding. He knew Tang Zi needed the seeds desperately enough to break worldly laws, which gave him the ultimate leverage on this mountaintop.

"My demand is simple, Master Tang Zi. I do not want physical treasures or medicine. I want an absolute, guaranteed, and instant path to leave this lower world and reach the Eternal Sun Realm. Give me the direct location and the secure passage to enter that major realm, and the seeds are yours."

Tang Zi’s calm expression instantly stiffened, his celestial brow furrowing heavily as a deeply troubled, difficult look replaced his elegant smile. He stared at Tony for a long time while the purple lightning crackled in the clouds above, his galaxy-like eyes swirling with contemplation.

"You have a remarkably grand appetite for a junior of this lower world," Tang Zi spoke, his voice dropping into a heavy baritone that vibrated through the stones. "Choose another request, Tony Clark. Ask for any supreme technique, ask for weapons to dominate this continent, or ask to reach a minor hidden realm, and I will grant it instantly. But the Eternal Sun Realm is a massive, fundamental major realm. It is a supreme territory existing at the very center of the upper universe, completely guarded by absolute spatial laws. I cannot simply wave my hand and send your physical body directly there. The spatial turbulence of trying to force entry into such a major realm would tear a mortal form into absolute shreds."

"Then our negotiations have reached a complete standstill," Tony replied without a single moment of hesitation. He took a step back and rested his hand on his weapon, looking perfectly ready to walk away and cancel the deal.

"If you cannot give me the exact path to the Eternal Sun Realm, then these three World Tree seeds will stay locked in my private archives forever. I am a businessman, Master Tang Zi. I only exchange my absolute treasures for assured, tangible rewards that suit my personal ambitions. Figure out a safe way to fulfill my demand, or find another way to fuel your cosmic array and get back home."

The brainwashed Elsa watched from the cold ground, her breath caught in her throat as she listened to the intense conversation. She witnessed her big brother Tony actively threatening and denying a god-like being from the upper world, and her fanatical devotion reached a level of absolute, dizzying worship. To her, Tony was the ultimate supreme ruler, capable of bringing even gods to the bargaining table.

Tang Zi remained completely silent, his galaxy-like eyes swirling as he realized the young man before him wasn’t bluffing out of ignorance. Tony understood his leverage perfectly and was willing to risk total destruction to get what he wanted. A traveler of Tang Zi’s stature could not afford to fail his mission over a single mortal’s stubbornness, nor could he find alternative seeds in this dying realm.

"You are truly an incredibly stubborn, dangerous variable, Tony Clark," Tang Zi finally said, breaking the heavy silence. A slow, appreciative smile returned to his face, and he shook his head in pure amusement at Tony’s sheer audacity. "But a traveler of my stature does not return empty-handed. If you insist on reaching the Eternal Sun Realm, I will find an unconventional path through the cosmic laws to satisfy your demand without destroying your physical body. Wait for me here on this altar for a few hours. I will return to the dimensional nexus, create a specialized spatial shield and a law-transferring catalyst that can protect a mortal frame, and make absolutely sure to deliver your requested path to that major realm when I return."

With a final look that seemed to pierce right through Tony’s soul, Tang Zi waved his magnificent sleeve. His pearlescent form dissolved into a massive wave of golden light particles and vanished into the purple vortex above.

The sky instantly cleared up, the heavy cosmic pressure evaporated, and the freezing-winds of Mount Meru rushed back into the clearing, leaving Tony and Elsa alone in the deep silence of the absolute peak.

Tony let out a slow, controlled breath, his posture relaxing slightly as he looked up at the empty sky. He had successfully cornered an upper realm entity, but he knew the real challenge would begin the moment Tang Zi returned with the path to the Eternal Sun Realm.

He turned his gaze toward Elsa, his mind already formulating the next strategic steps to secure his family’s position before he made his departure from this lower-world.