I Am the Fated Villain Chapter 1275:

1636. Fate of the Marquis’ Blade

At the onset of the great turmoil within the Xianchu Hao soil, the hopeless deadlock that had gripped the region finally began to show signs of waning over the last few days.

Though the royal family of Xianchu Hao soil continued their inquiries, their intensity seemed to have diminished. This shift left Chu Bai feeling increasingly uneasy; he could sense a hidden, formidable power pulling the strings from the darkness.

Behind the assassination of the Marquis’ wife, a buried truth likely remained hidden. The entities and players involved were surely beyond the reach of a commoner's mind.

Prompted by the Spirit of the Shooting Sun Bow, Chu Bai suddenly realized that the force targeting the Marquis might actually be rooted within the imperial capital itself.

This realization implied that such a power would never permit the Marquis’ loyal retainers to reach the capital safely. Such a crisis had no precedent, occurring precisely when Xianchu Hao soil was besieged by disaster and the Marquis was away leading his forces on a campaign.

“Brother Chu Bai is correct. Why did that slip my mind? It appears the capital’s internal state is far more turbulent than we presumed.”

“I wonder who possesses the audacity to strike at the Marquis? Is it possible that with the Heavenly God General’s fall, His Majesty intends to elevate the Marquis, sparking someone's envy?”

The dark-complexioned man wielding a purple-gold dragon’s whisker hammer gazed at the falling night and scowled, voicing his suspicions. This was Chu Kui, a premier expert of the Ability Masters’ Mansion, whose Cultivation was easily a match for Chu Bai’s.

These words caused a visible shift in the expressions of everyone gathered. Though they were all elites nurtured by Xianchu Hao soil, they knew better than to speak so boldly about such delicate matters.

Within the Ability Masters’ Mansion, various cliques existed; one was allied with the Heavenly God General and other commanders, while their own group remained loyal to the Marquis.

Chu Kui’s statement essentially accused the Divine General’s faction of plotting against the Marquis.

“Chu Kui, watch your tongue. Do not speak so recklessly. Should others overhear, it will bring us nothing but trouble. Until the reality of the Marquis’ wife’s passing is brought to light, we must avoid creating enemies prematurely.”

A tall woman garbed in a purple dress spoke up. Her skin was as pale as snow and her figure was full. With hair like drifting clouds and eyebrows of green jade, her most striking feature was her emerald green eyes, which shimmered like a mystical lake.

Her name was Bi Xin, another top-tier expert of the Ability Masters’ Mansion. Naturally attuned to the Dao of Wood and Water, her techniques were fleeting and unpredictable. Among Chu Bai and his peers, she was the most likely to achieve a breakthrough into the Dao realm.

“Let us cease this talk. Our mission is the protection of the Marquis’ men, not idle speculation or the making of enemies on his behalf.”

A resonant, deep voice boomed as a Daoist expert, concealed within the shadows, spoke without showing his face.

Despite his hidden form, Chu Kui, Bi Xin, and Chu Bai all displayed profound reverence and immediately fell silent.

“Chu Bai, are you certain Han Feng will cross this path?”

The heavy voice questioned once more, and a penetrating gaze descended from the heavens, locking onto Chu Bai.

“This route is the quickest path from the border to the imperial capital. Han Feng is highly esteemed by the Marquis and has integrated the blood of the Ancient Emperor Kun, giving him the fastest speed in the world. If he is making a secret return, it would take a few days at most, and he will inevitably use this road,” Chu Bai replied solemnly.

The Han Feng mentioned by Chu Bai was a man of great talent and a trusted confidant of the Marquis. They were all well-acquainted with him.

Having served under the Marquis together, they had interacted with Han Feng frequently. Chu Bai was certain the Marquis would have ordered Han Feng to return at this critical juncture.

To prevent the enemy from discovering his movements, Han Feng would avoid the Broken Domain Transmission Array. Instead, he would take a covert, indirect route, likely utilizing hidden shortcuts.

This specific location was a mandatory crossing for him.

Chu Bai had deduced this, but the shadow cabinet within the capital would surely have reached the same conclusion. Consequently, it was probable that this mysterious faction would deploy experts here to assassinate Han Feng and stop him from reaching the city.

The surrounding peaks were immense, resembling the very spine of the world as they spanned the horizon. In truth, they were formed from the remains of shattered stars. The heavens above were carved with magical arrays, and a heavy, mystic Qi permeated the air. Anyone attempting to fly through the void here would be struck by divine thunder, risking everything from grievous wounds to the total destruction of their body and soul.

While Chu Bai and the others waited in the stillness, a sudden sandstorm tore through the dark sky from afar. A hazy silhouette flickered into view, appearing to vanish and reappear instantly. One moment it was at the edge of the world; the next, it had arrived, moving with such velocity that light and thunder seemed to warp around it, bending the very fabric of space.

“It is Han Feng.”

Chu Bai, who had been watching the horizon intently, felt his pulse quicken. However, he forced himself to remain hidden.

The other members of the Ability Masters’ Mansion followed suit, masking their presence entirely.

“I smell blood. Han Feng’s Qi is erratic. He must have faced many trials on his journey.” Chu Bai’s heart sank at the realization.

“The internal affairs of Xianchu Hao soil are even filthier than I suspected. Who exactly did the Marquis offend to have such a powerful group hunting his subordinate and leaving him so broken?” The Spirit of the Shooting Sun Bow’s voice rang with curiosity inside Chu Bai’s mind.

This only added to Chu Bai’s growing dread.

Beyond the imperial capital, this mysterious force clearly possessed agents and spies embedded throughout the various regions of Xianchu Hao soil.

“Do you think the royal family of Xianchu Hao soil is involved in this?”

The Spirit of the Shooting Sun Bow asked again, sounding intrigued. If this were the old Chu Bai, he would never have entertained such a thought. But ever since he was betrayed by Chu Gucheng, who had tried to secretly claim the Shooting Sun Bow for himself, Chu Bai had seen through the Emperor's deceitful mask.

Thus, he now considered the Spirit's suspicion with gravity.

“If the Divine General's faction is truly behind this, the King would likely cover for them even if he knew. Xianchu Hao soil is currently fighting external foes; internal civil war would lead to unimaginable ruin,” Chu Bai whispered, acknowledging the likelihood.

Both the Divine General's faction and the Marquis’ faction were the pillars of the state established by Chu Gucheng, and both had enjoyed his favor.

To maintain control over the court, Chu Gucheng had played them against each other, ensuring neither became too powerful.

However, if this was the result of such a policy, Chu Gucheng’s methods were truly heartless.

“Are you still refusing to show yourselves after trailing me for so long?”

Suddenly, a freezing laugh cut through the air, drawing Chu Bai’s attention. He looked toward the source.

Standing atop a mountain peak was Han Feng, the stars and moon seeming to dim in his presence. The Qi of the heavens and the vast cosmos surged toward him like a boiling ocean.

Every pore on his skin radiated light, as if he had transformed into a cosmic vortex devouring the starlight. From afar, the silver radiance flowed like a massive river, with brilliant sparks and chaotic mists erupting from the impact.

Han Feng was desperately attempting to mend his wounds. Having reached a half-step Daoist realm Cultivation, he had sensed the approaching presence long ago.

As he entered this region, the sensation intensified until the killing intent felt physical, saturating the air. Even distant stars seemed to buckle under the pressure.

His trek from the border had been a gauntlet of assassination attempts.

Han Feng was unaware of who the Marquis, Chu Heng, had antagonized, but the enemy was powerful enough to relentlessly block his path back to the capital.

Fortunately, the strongest of his pursuers had only been in the Dao realm. Though Han Feng was outmatched in raw power, he had survived by utilizing his peerless speed. He assumed the enemy would not dare to be so brazen as to dispatch those legendary Daoist experts who had survived multiple Heavenly Calamities.

Such figures were incredibly scarce in Xianchu Hao soil. Their mere presence and unique techniques would make their identities obvious to all.

“You are impressive. You managed to flee all the way here, but this is where your journey ends. The capital is within reach, yet you shall never enter its gates,” a cold, detached voice resonated.

The void in front of Han Feng distorted as the laws of the Dao shivered. A blurred figure emerged, his face hidden behind a mask. He wore a simple, oversized robe devoid of any markings, looking utterly plain. However, his fingers were unnaturally long, and a terrifying Daoist Qi swirled between them, capable of sundering the world.

Behind this masked individual, several more figures appeared, their auras equally daunting. They seemed at one with the void, the space around them bending to their will.

Han Feng stared at the figure, having already suspected an ambush was waiting.

His voice was grit and gravel as he spoke, “Who are you? The Marquis is shedding blood at the front to protect Xianchu Hao soil, yet you people are backstabbing him with these atrocities. You drove the Marquis’ wife to her death, and now you seek to cripple him, destroy his army's spirit, and ruin the nation. What is your true goal?”

The masked man gave Han Feng a frigid look, entirely uninterested in his questioning.

The figures behind him remained just as stoic, eyeing Han Feng as if he were already a corpse.

“Wasting breath when death is at your door. If the Marquis is marked for death, he shall die. You are no exception,” the figure stated coldly before vanishing to launch an assault.

A horrific wave of energy erupted, like a celestial sea crashing across the sky. Countless stars shook, and the foundation of the world trembled. The Daoist laws in the figure’s palm solidified into a massive seal that blotted out the sky, descending upon Han Feng.

The void tore open, creating terrifying rifts that consumed everything in their path.

This was undeniably a Daoist expert, one who had endured at least two Heavenly Calamities. The sheer power of the move drove Han Feng to the brink of despair.

Simultaneously, the followers behind the masked man sat in mid-air, chanting ancient spells. A chaotic mist began to spread, and Daoist Qi filled the air, as if the world was returning to the moment of its creation.

They held strands of translucent prayer beads that glowed with a soft, seven-colored light, expanding to cover the entire region.

The domain immediately became a blur of chaos, cut off from all space and time, becoming impossible to track or reach.

“They actually sent an expert of the second Heavenly Calamity to kill me… How generous,” Han Feng thought, his heart filled with bitterness and hopelessness.

Against a master of the first Heavenly Calamity, he might have found a gap to escape. But against a master of the second, there was no hope of survival.

Han Feng was consumed by a sense of injustice, unable to fathom who could be so determined to destroy the Marquis.

A being of the second Heavenly Calamity was a titan in Xianchu Hao soil. Even those who had survived one were famous figures with massive backing; a second-calamity expert was on another level entirely.

For such a legend to personally intervene just to erase him was beyond comprehension.

“What is happening in the capital? How can they mobilize someone who has survived two Heavenly Calamities for this?”

“What kind of terrifying shadow is behind this?”

At that moment, not only was Han Feng despairing, but Chu Bai, Chu Kui, Bi Xin, and their companions—who had been waiting for the right moment—were frozen in shock and disbelief.

Even the ancient clans of Xianchu Hao soil did not always have Daoist ancestors to protect them.

The arrival of a second-calamity expert sent a shiver down everyone’s spine.

“Senior Wu Xuan, please, you must act…”

There was no time for hesitation. Chu Bai could only plead with the Daoist expert hidden in their ranks.

“I am no match for him, but I will do my best to stall. You all must move to extract Han Feng. The enemy has prepared a complete seal on this space; they intend to wipe him out without leaving a single trace.”

The deep voice from before spoke again. A middle-aged man in a scholar’s robe stepped out from the emptiness. Wearing a scholar’s cap and holding a feathered fan, he looked like a man of letters, yet his aura was as vast as the cosmos.

He was a Daoist expert, though clearly weaker than the masked man, having only survived one Heavenly Calamity.

“For a figure of your stature to personally descend and strike at the Marquis’ interests like this—don't you find it excessive?”

Wu Xuan spoke coldly, snapping his sleeve. Millions of light rays erupted, coalescing into a stone inkstone to block the massive seal falling toward Han Feng.

As Wu Xuan made his move, Chu Bai and the others charged forward, turning into streaks of divine light as they rushed toward the despairing Han Feng.

“Han Feng, move! We are here to support you!”

The massive Chu Kui swung his Dragon Whisker Purple Lightning Hammer, instantly conjuring a literal ocean of thunder to tear through the surrounding spatial blockade.

Chu Bai, Bi Xin, and the rest unleashed their own divine techniques, desperate to shatter the seal.

Han Feng had never expected salvation to arrive at the final second. He was flooded with relief.

Recognizing Chu Bai and the others, he shouted with gratitude, “Thank you, brothers, for your aid! The Marquis will surely repay this debt ten-fold!”

“Wu Xuan of the Ability Masters’ Mansion? It’s you. Hmph, I knew someone would try to interfere and save this brat.”

The masked man looked at the newly arrived Wu Xuan without a hint of surprise. His gaze remained cold and mocking.

“You know who I am? Then you are certainly someone prominent from the capital. Why hide behind a mask? Show your face!”

Wu Xuan stepped forward, but he struggled to hold back the pressure. His face grew increasingly grim.

He fanned the air, sending waves of Daoist order forward like a rising tide, accompanied by five-colored divine light. Billions of rays filled the sky, shattering time and space in an attempt to halt the masked man’s advance.

“Do not waste your breath. Every ripple in this area has been masked. Even as a Daoist expert, you will not leave this place. This man cannot reach the capital. He must die here, in silence, far from the city walls.”

The masked man’s eyes were cold and full of disdain. With a simple wave, the massive tide of Daoist rules rushing toward him was instantly frozen, suppressed so completely it could not move an inch.

Wu Xuan’s expression turned pale. He hadn't realized the gap was this wide. Though both were Daoist experts, the distance between the first and second Heavenly Calamity was like a bottomless canyon.

He realized the enemy intended to murder everyone present to ensure the secret remained buried.

At that moment, Chu Bai and his companions also realized they were trapped. Their faces went white with shock. The prayer beads possessed a power that made their escape impossible.

“There are truly giants in the capital who want the Marquis dead…”

Han Feng’s face was a mask of despair. He thought of the Marquis, still fighting valiantly at the border.

As his most loyal subordinate, Han Feng was mere miles from the capital, yet he was being slaughtered in an ambush, denied his return. It was a scene of total, crushing hopelessness.