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

"What is this guy up to? Planning to cultivate here?" The cultivator with a facial scar observed as Mo Hao descended onto the mountain peak and assumed a meditative posture.

He couldn't suppress a disdainful chuckle. "Heh, the Spiritual Qi here is so thin that even a Transcendence realm cultivator would struggle to restore their Dao Yuan Power, let alone advance their cultivation. Absurd!"

What he didn't realize was that he was about to encounter a monster unlike any other!

Atop the dark mountain peak, Mo Hao sat undisturbed. A part of his consciousness was busy relaying commands to his system—he was preparing to use his Pretentious Points to solidify his current state in the Transcendence realm.

Pretentious Points served two purposes: they could be exchanged for valuable treasures or directly used to enhance one's realm of cultivation.

The latter option, although available, was less cost-effective. Unless pressed for time, it was generally wiser to exchange the points for treasures that could aid in self-improvement.

Mo Hao, however, wished to stabilize his Transcendence realm immediately, and therefore, procuring a suitable pill became the optimal choice.

In no time, Mo Hao redeemed pills worth thirty thousand Pretentious Points, each of them top-grade Transcendence-level pills!

Almost instantly, an overwhelming aroma emanated from the pills. In response, a few barren plants on the desolate mountain peak began to sprout and grow at an astonishing rate.

"That's... Transcendence realm top-grade pills!" The cultivator with the facial scar, also in the Transcendence realm, was struck with sheer horror.

"I never thought Mo Hao would possess such invaluable pills!"

"Could these be a legacy from the Mo Clan? They've really invested heavily in this supposed waste!"

"Nonetheless, those pills will be mine soon enough, hahahaha!" His eyes were alight with uncontainable greed, his excitement palpable.

Simultaneously, Jiang Chen, utilizing his potent divine sense, also picked up on the presence of the pills in Mo Hao's possession and was immediately taken aback. 'Damn it! Transcendence realm top-grade pills!'

'And not just a few, this is excessively abnormal!'

'According to the information I have, Mo Hao is more of a dandy than anything else; he's probably not an alchemist. And even if he were, he wouldn’t be able to produce such an abundance of top-grade pills.'

'So where did he get these pills? A family heirloom? Gifted by his clan? Unlikely on both counts, given how lowly regarded he is among cultivators of his own realm.'

'Is he a protagonist with a heaven-defying trump card related to these pills?'

'No, if his trump card were merely these pills, it would be laughably inadequate compared to his sixty to seventy thousand Heavenly Fate Value.'

'It has to be another, even more preposterously powerful, heaven-defying trump card.'

As Jiang Chen mulled over these considerations, he found himself increasingly uneasy, his apprehensions escalating with each thought.

Considering the anomaly, Jiang Chen entertained the notion that Mo Hao's pills might also have been acquired through a system, just like his own!

After all, Mo Hao is a protagonist; would it be too far-fetched for him to possess a system?

Still, Jiang Chen was merely speculating about Mo Hao's potential system; he had no concrete evidence.

Meanwhile, the scar-faced Transcendence realm cultivator had already positioned himself above Mo Hao, chuckling derisively. "Hahahaha! Mo Hao, you dare to brandish such valuable treasures under the sun, unaware of the basic principle of not showing off one's wealth? You truly are a fool!"

"I'll offer you a chance now. Hand over those pills voluntarily, and your life will be spared."

"Refuse, and I will acquaint you with what it means to be in a fate worse than death!" His eyes, gleaming with greed, looked down on Mo Hao from his elevated vantage point.

"Heh, who is this inconsequential nobody daring to swagger before me? Are you courting death?" Mo Hao, unable to ingest the pills in time, stood up and eyed the scar-faced cultivator with a frosty expression.

"What!" The scar-faced man looked at Mo Hao in partial disbelief. "You’re on the edge of peril and yet still dare to exude arrogance?"

"It appears that you have truly lost your sanity through your spoiled lifestyle!"

"Once more, I say: hand over the pills, or else you'll yearn for death yet be unable to achieve it!" Even as his ire rose, he held back from making a rash move. Concerned that Mo Hao might destroy the invaluable pills, he resorted to issuing another threat and exerting his aura, all in an attempt to cow Mo Hao into submission.

All of this didn't escape Jiang Chen's notice. He thought to himself, 'Judging solely by combat prowess...'

'Both are in the Early-stage Transcendence realm, yet the aura emanating from the scar-faced cultivator is undeniably more potent than Mo Hao’s.'

'He could easily kill Mo Hao. So how will Mo Hao turn this situation around?' His divine sense was trained intently on Mo Hao.

This was a golden opportunity to witness Mo Hao's heaven-defying trump card, as he would surely have to power up immediately.

Mo Hao, whose alertness to danger lagged far behind that of Gu Ran, remained oblivious to Jiang Chen's surveillance. Especially with the menacing scar-faced cultivator focusing on him, he was completely unaware of being watched.

Then Mo Hao spoke, his voice dripping with disdain. "Trash remains trash. You aren't even worthy of presenting yourself before this young master."

"If not for the calamity that has befallen my Mo Clan, you wouldn't dare to address me in this manner even if you mustered the courage ten thousand times over."

"And now you think you can take advantage of me at my weakest? I say, you're delusional!" Mo Hao remained entirely indifferent to the scar-faced man's threats, countering them with a frigid smile.

Abruptly, streaks of light materialized in the distance, and a group of cultivators from both the Dao Palace realm and the Dao Comprehension realm swiftly approached.

The majority among them bore enmity toward Mo Hao and were eager to see his downfall, so they hastened in his direction.

"Quick, look, there's Mo Hao!" someone pointed out.

"And that senior is there too; he hasn't killed Mo Hao yet, fantastic!"

"I want to personally witness Mo Hao's death, that useless dandy. I hope that senior will permit me to assist, to lend my power in killing Mo Hao."

Upon realizing Mo Hao was still among the living, the crowd was elated.

They were keen not only to witness Mo Hao's demise first-hand but also, if possible, to participate in it themselves!

'Another set of spectators?' Jiang Chen mused, 'Ah, this group seems like mere passersby.'

'The confrontation has escalated, the verbal jabs are nearly over, and now with an audience in place, it looks like Mo Hao is about to turn arrogant, prove himself, and retaliate against the scar-faced man.'

'Whatever Mo Hao's heaven-defying trump card might be, I need to prevent him from boasting and belittling others. This way, I can alter the narrative and lessen his chances.' With this in mind, he quietly conferred with Nangong Wan and Shangguan Ning.

His eyes soon sparkled, and he gave a slight nod before turning his gaze back to the group of 'onlookers'.

Having reaped the advantages of employing tools (people manipulated by others) multiple times, he planned to manipulate a few from this crowd of onlookers, staying prepared for any situation.

With his capabilities, achieving this was trivial. Through a combination of intimidation and incentives, he was confident of gaining compliance.

Meanwhile, at ground level, the arrival of the new onlookers hardly registered for the scar-faced cultivator. Mo Hao, on the other hand, displayed yet another wave of disdain.

"Mo Hao! Since you fail to grasp the gravity of the situation and choose to resist, don't blame me for what comes next!" Frustrated by his inability to intimidate Mo Hao, the scar-faced cultivator could only resort to brute force. His aura erupted, his robe billowed in the wind, and his overpowering momentum seemed to alter the very hue of the world around him!