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

"No! It’s not like that!" Gu Ran exclaimed.

"The true powerhouse is a woman. She halted the demonic invasion by exterminating the Peak-stage Dao Palace realm demon.”

"You are after my bloodline, acting purely out of selfishness. You’re no less than a devil! In fact," his voice rising with bitterness, "you're even more demonic than the demon race itself!" With fierce resentment, Gu Ran roared, eyes bloodshot and veins prominent on his forehead. The depth of his loathing for Jiang Chenling was palpable, as if he wished to torment him over and over again.

A sharp retort came, "Stop your nonsense!”

"You, of all people, should not insult our Holy Son!"

"Our Holy Son took down the Transcendent realm powerhouse from the demon race, Long Tianlu, who invaded the Everflowing Truth Central Domain. And in the Black Wood Island region, E Tianjiu, another of their kind from the Peak-stage Dao Palace realm, met the same fate."

"All you've done is think of ambushing fellow cultivators and taking lives for power."

"Ever since you set foot on the inheritance peak, you've been relentless in your attacks on us."

"With such devious tactics, you have the audacity to slander our Purple Heaven Holy Land's Holy Son? The sheer nerve!"

Elders from the Purple Heaven Holy Land continued, one after another, each voice more contemptuous, showering disdain upon Gu Ran.

Voices erupted in disbelief upon hearing the revelation.

"What?!"

"How is that possible?!"

"So the mighty figure is actually the Holy Son of Purple Heaven Holy Land? Incredible!"

"It's one thing to face off against a Transcendent realm powerhouse, but to defeat him? That's something else entirely!"

"I've heard that the Transcendent realm great powerhouse from the demon race had fallen to the Dao Palace realm. But to think he was defeated and beheaded? It's beyond my wildest imagination."

The cultivators from Golden Proud Cult were visibly stunned.

While they had caught wind of the events in the Everflowing Truth Central Domain, the details remained elusive. Only now did the full picture emerge.

The young talent in front of them, the one who vanquished the leader of the demon race and thwarted their initial onslaught, was none other than the Holy Son of the Purple Heaven Holy Land!

Gu Ran's voice quivered with disbelief. "No! This can't be true!"

"You? The Holy Son of the Purple Heaven Holy Land?"

"And you defeated a Transcendence realm demon?"

"It's all lies! You're the head of the Heavenly Gu Society. You've been coveting the power of my bloodline from the start!" Gu Ran glared at Jiang Chen, eyes blazing with fury. He roared, the veins on his neck standing out, his demeanor unhinged.

Jiang Chen raised an eyebrow. "Heavenly Gu Society?" He smirked. "That’s just a trick to fool children."

"While I am intrigued by the power of your bloodline," he continued with measured calm, "everything I've done, as hard as it might be for some to believe, has been for self-preservation."

Gu Ran's voice faltered, "Self...self-preservation?"

"You, a Dao Palace realm elite who took down an injured Transcendent realm titan, feel threatened by me?" His eyes widened in disbelief, struggling to absorb the revelation.

The members of the Golden Proud Cult and the Purple Heaven Holy Land shared Gu Ran's astonishment. After all, Jiang Chen stood at the pinnacle of the Dao Palace realm, while Gu Ran was but a novice in the Inquiring Journey realm...

Jiang Chen cut in sharply, "Enough chatter." He cast a dismissive glance at Gu Ran, stating coldly, "I'll send you on your journey now."

"What?!" Gu Ran's eyes shot open in terror. "You plan to... kill me?"

He retreated a step, his voice tinged with desperation. "Dare you! If you kill me, you'll never obtain the Endless Dark Blood Moon!"

In Gu Ran's mind, Jiang Chen had always coveted his unique Endless Dark Blood Moon Bloodline.

He was convinced that to obtain a pristine Endless Dark Blood Moon, it required his voluntary surrender. Any forceful extraction would degrade its quality significantly.

In Gu Ran's eyes, this was the reason Jiang Chen hadn't made a direct attempt on his life. Instead, Jiang Chen subtly sabotaged Gu Ran's progression, masquerading behind the guise of the Heavenly Gu Society to earn his trust.

That belief had anchored Gu Ran's perceptions.

But now, with Jiang Chen's looming threat, everything seemed contradictory. It challenged the very foundation of what Gu Ran believed to be Jiang Chen's goals.

Jiang Chen laughed, shaking his head in amusement. "Who ever told you the Endless Dark Blood Moon was my main objective?"

His true intent had always been singular: Gu Ran's end.

"No, please!" Desperation filled Gu Ran's voice. "I'll give it to you—the Endless Dark Blood Moon! I'll surrender it willingly!"

"Swear you won't kill me, and it's yours. The whole, unblemished Endless Dark Blood Moon!"

"Please, just spare my life!" The sheer terror made Gu Ran retreat further, struggling to remain airborne. His knees buckled, and he fell, his face a canvas of disbelief and dread.

Once a protagonist blessed by Heavenly Fate, Gu Ran was now vulnerable. Jiang Chen's repeated assaults had stripped away his pride and arrogance. He was prepared to abandon all dignity if it meant a sliver of hope for survival.

The figure before them was a shadow of his former self—like a once-mighty oak now bent and twisted by the storm, completely isolated..

"Gu Ran, your time in this world is up." Jiang Chen's voice was a chilling contrast to his calm demeanor as he peered down at the quivering Gu Ran. With a deliberate motion, he raised a hand, pointing at him.

Gu Ran's scream of "No!" echoed in the air.

But in an instant, he disintegrated into a fine mist of blood, leaving no trace of his existence behind.

[Ding! Congratulations on successfully killing the protagonist, Gu Ran!]

[Ding! You've been awarded 300,000 Villain Value points!]

[Ding! You've gained 29,688 Black Heavenly Fate Value points!]

The trio of system alerts resonated in Jiang Chen's Sea of Consciousness.

'It's finally over,' Jiang Chen thought, a contented smile forming on his face.

Throughout his confrontations with Gu Ran, he had treaded carefully, wary of the mighty backlash of the Heavenly Fate. Pushing too hard might invoke dire consequences he couldn't rectify.

But with Gu Ran's demise, the looming threat of Heavenly Fate's retribution was, for now, at bay, at least until the next protagonist appeared.

Suddenly, from the very spot where Gu Ran met his fate, a radiant red light emerged. This luminance swiftly turned into a beam that shot directly into Jiang Chen's forehead, seamlessly merging with him.

[Ding! 'Endless Dark Blood Moon', a Heaven-Defying Fate Changer, has been acquired. Would you like to use it?]

Upon hearing the system notification, Jiang Chen willed the system panel to appear. Floating in its midst was a shimmering droplet of dark red blood—the Bloodline Power of the Endless Dark Blood Moon.

'It's the fifth Heaven-Defying Fate Changer!' Elated, Jiang Chen thought, 'System, use it now!'

[Ding! Initiating fusion with the Endless Dark Blood Moon!]

As the system notification sounded, Jiang Chen sensed an intense transformation coursing through every cell of his being. Even his very soul was not left untouched, undergoing a deep, fundamental change.

Moments later, another system prompt echoed.

[Ding! Fusion with the Endless Dark Blood Moon complete!]

[Ding! Your new Heaven-Defying Fate Changer is of the bloodline type. It's harmonious with the Eternal Boundless Body and has been seamlessly integrated. It merged with the Death Calamity True Dragon bloodline, extracting its essence and discarding any impurities!]

Thanks to the system's precision, the merging of the bloodlines was executed to perfection, without a hitch.

Jiang Chen marveled at the profound energy now surging within him. 'Such unparalleled, mystical power!' He'd never felt so empowered.

Now, he had the unique ability to kill and absorb the cultivation bases of others. And when combined with the Wordless Heavenly Jade, each kill yielded even more significant benefits. He could simultaneously enhance his cultivation methods and cultivation base with every life taken!

As he processed this, further insights emerged in his Sea of Consciousness.

A Message from AlphaWIA:

Enjoying the story? Join me on Patreon [https://bit.ly/3OHBfqz] to read advanced chapters and get access to my new work—your support really motivates me to keep going. On a tight budget? You can still follow me on Platform X [https://bit.ly/3Oy8eO0] to catch more free updates. Your engagement is truly appreciated. Thank you!