Great Villain: Starting by Humiliating the Son of the Heavenly Fate

You Haiyin's heart seethed with boundless rage.

Any trace of rationality teetered on the edge of collapse; he cast aside any consideration of who the enemy might be or the potential repercussions.

"All members of the You Clan, encircle and annihilate these insolent fools!" From his perch atop You Mountain's summit, You Haiyin looked down upon the plains below, his formidable aura radiating from his Late-stage Inquiring Journey realm, enveloping the entire area.

"Yes, Honorable Ancestor!" The You Clan's cultivators responded with fervor.

"Excellent, our ancestor has returned!"

"How dare Gu Ran and the Heavenly Gu Society murder the eldest son of our You Clan—they're courting their own destruction!"

"Eliminate them. With our ancestor watching over us, we have nothing to fear."

Initially hesitant, they now felt a surge of renewed vigor, rushing out of the city one after another.

Moreover, the remaining elites of the You Clan were also hastening to the scene.

Previous attacks on Gu Ran were carried out by the personal guards of You Caigao, not representing the You Clan's full strength.

Now, two experts of the Inquiring Journey realm, along with five Heavenly Origin realm cultivators capable of manifesting the collective combat power of the Inquiring Journey realm, thundered out of You Clan City with fury.

Outside the city walls, Gu Ran used his 'Spectral Concealment' ability to effortlessly find a secluded spot. Settling into a meditative stance, a cold, derisive chuckle slipped from his lips. 'Hmph!'

'They aim to assassinate me?'

'Let's see who turns out to be the predator and who becomes the prey!' He had built up a sufficient cultivation base and was now on the verge of advancing into the Inquiring Journey realm.

Reflecting on his streak of recent misfortunes, Gu Ran let out a soft sigh.

It had indeed been a challenging journey...

Before initiating his breakthrough, Gu Ran threw a final sweeping gaze across the war-torn field.

He observed a considerable group of assassins, claiming allegiance to the Heavenly Gu Society, beginning to disappear into the shadows.

However, their levels of stealth varied greatly.

Those lacking in skill were promptly detected by You Haiyin, who swiftly mobilized his troops to trap them.

Abruptly, skirmishes erupted on the fringes of You Clan City!

Sword-like glimmers and blade-like silhouettes danced chaotically with the discharge of explosive spells, birthing potent waves of residual energy that decimated the surrounding landscape.

Numerous black-clad assassins with weaker cultivation bases were obliterated instantly, and a significant portion of the You Clan cultivators met a similar fate.

A thick, oppressive atmosphere filled with the scent of blood hung heavily over the battlefield, stubbornly refusing to dissipate.

'Heavenly Gu Society...' Gu Ran mused, perplexed, 'What on earth is that?'

'I sense a dangerous aura emanating from them; they must have some hidden agenda.'

'Who has marked me for their target? Why chase me? And why do they appear to be aiding me?'

'Do they plan to curry favor with me before making their move?'

'In any case, since they are the enemy, let them wear each other out first.' A whirlwind of thoughts cascaded through his mind.

But he swiftly shook off these distracting ruminations, clearing his head, and commenced his breakthrough.

Meanwhile, from his vantage point, Jiang Chen observed the unfolding chaos and didn't need to speculate to realize that Gu Ran had commenced his breakthrough.

The fact that Gu Ran could initiate a breakthrough under such circumstances was within Jiang Chen's expectations.

After all, Gu Ran was a protagonist.

Having managed to suppress his breakthrough for this long was already quite a feat.

Furthermore, even after attaining the Inquiring Journey realm, Gu Ran could at best only contend with cultivators at the Middle-stage Inquiring Journey realm.

Challenging those at the Late-stage Inquiring Journey realm would be a stretch for him.

After all, his power was confined to the boundaries of his cultivation base; his martial techniques, secret arts, and armaments were all rather ordinary.

His capacity to combat opponents beyond his realm was largely attributable to his 'Endless Dark Blood Moon' bloodline.

Consequently, Gu Ran's breakthrough this time didn't significantly affect Jiang Chen's plans.

'Gu Ran's current weakness lies in his combat skills,' Jiang Chen pondered, considering the implications.

'Could that grand opportunity linked with Wu Qian and most likely at the Transcendence realm, serve to make up for this shortcoming?'

'Or is that opportunity still designed to help him advance through realms, ceaselessly pushing forward like a tempest, overpowering his enemies with sheer cultivation strength alone?'

'Hmm, the mere thought of it does have a certain thrill to it.' After contemplating briefly, he redirected his attention back to the battle unfolding around You Clan City.

His legion of death warriors was locked in a ferocious battle with the cultivators of the You Clan.

Despite being outnumbered, they combated with dauntless courage.

The You Clan's cultivators, having varying degrees of concern for their own lives, struggled to suppress Jiang Chen's relentless death warriors.

You Haiyin held back, choosing not to join the fray immediately.

His apprehensions were twofold: not only did he fear that stronger Inquiring Journey realm cultivators might exist within the 'Heavenly Gu Society,' but he also was wary of potential threats from the Gan Clan and the Cai Clan.

Sharing the limited resources of Three Mountains Island, the You Clan, Gan Clan, and Cai Clan were bound to have conflicts and disputes. And indeed, these weren't mere trifling squabbles; they were deep-rooted animosities that virtually made them sworn enemies.

Watching his troops struggle for the upper hand, You Haiyin shouted with a mixture of frustration and encouragement, "What do you fear? Slay them all!"

"Eliminate one and you'll be rewarded with fifty thousand spirit stones!"

"Cowards shall meet gruesome ends in the Ancestral Hall!" In doing so, he deftly combined both threats and incentives.

"Attack, attack, attack!" cried out some of the You Clan cultivators, their voices tinged with a frenzied excitement.

"Fifty thousand spirit stones for just one kill!"

"With such spirit stones, my breakthrough is assured!"

"I can't miss this golden chance!"

"I won't let myself be hauled to the Ancestral Hall for torment—brothers, charge!"

Energized as though they had been injected with a potent stimulant, the combat capabilities of the You Clan's cultivators surged.

Seeing his squadron of death warriors forced into a defensive retreat, Jiang Chen pondered, "Are they being pushed back?"

"Hmm, this, too, is within my expectations." Opting not to intervene immediately, he held back.

He had a contingency plan at the ready, but he decided against deploying it for the moment.

At the same time, Gu Ran, who was observing the brutal battlefield, thought to himself with a sense of urgency, 'The Heavenly Gu Society's members are teetering on the edge of defeat!'

'I must hasten my breakthrough; otherwise, if left to shoulder this battle alone, things could become exceedingly difficult.' Although he suspected the Heavenly Gu Society had ill intentions towards him, he recognized the need to utilize their strength for the time being.

Because You Haiyin was, at the moment, an opponent beyond his capability to handle.

Should the Heavenly Gu Society's members be wiped out entirely, there was no question that You Haiyin would personally enter the fray.

With their fall, the absence of powerful forces to hold the front line would become glaringly apparent.

After all, how could anyone simply stand by and watch their comrades be defeated?

You Haiyin was far from a fool.

He would certainly act quickly to address the situation, preparing himself for potential moves from both the Gan Clan and the Cai Clan.

'Grant me my breakthrough!' Sitting cross-legged, Gu Ran let out an inward cry as Yuan Power whirled frenetically around him.

Rapidly, a faintly red Dao Core took shape within his dantian, denoting his entry into the Inquiring Journey realm!

The instant the Dao Core materialized, an unusual ripple spread, delicately connecting with the energies of heaven and earth.

The pulsations were subtle, but Jiang Chen, whose divine sense had reached the Transcendence realm, picked up on them with incredible acuity.

"Has Gu Ran achieved his breakthrough?" he wondered.

"So, he's preparing to make his move."

"Heh, it appears it's once again my turn to steal his thunder and limit his options." A faint smile tugged at the corner of Jiang Chen's mouth.

With a mere thought, he signaled his concealed forces outside the island to ready themselves.

Indeed, Jiang Chen hadn't merely orchestrated troops within the island; he had also stationed formidable players outside of it.

Among them, the most powerful was Liu Xiong, who was at the Dao Comprehension realm!

Initially, Liu Xiong was enlisted as a reserve, but now he might indeed prove useful.

However, Jiang Chen directed Liu Xiong to only exhibit combat power on par with You Haiyin initially, and whether to reveal his Dao Comprehension realm cultivation base would be dictated by the evolving circumstances.

Near the battleground, as he sensed this newfound surge of energy, Gu Ran's heart pounded with sheer exhilaration. 'I've finally broken through, and my bloodline power has been further unleashed!'

'Not only has my combat power significantly escalated, but my capacity to absorb the cultivation base from my defeated enemies has also expanded!' He had now ascended to the Middle-stage Inquiring Journey realm.

Armed with his cloaking ability, cultivators within the same realm would find it exceedingly difficult to stand against him.

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The first protagonist, armed with a system, takes the stage.

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