I Am the Fated Villain Chapter 1289: All the world will join in and eradicate us. Father, we are finished

“This situation is actually quite straightforward. You may relax; there is no threat to your safety.”

The churning dark fog shifted, momentarily exposing several indistinct countenances—some masculine, some feminine, some of human origin, and others from alien lineages.

Zi Wanhe felt a wave of discomfort as their gazes, saturated with suspicion and peculiar glints, fixed upon him.

“Is that truly all?” Zi Wanhe inquired, his voice low and heavy.

He was baffled as to why these entities sought to probe Gu Changge’s history, yet it appeared their schemes had been in motion long before the grand conflict between Xian Chu Haotu and Gu Changge began.

Zi Wanhe had encountered Gu Changge only once. Nevertheless, the dread from that meeting remained etched in his mind. Even the catastrophe of the Bridal Gown Immortal Decision, a curse that had plagued him for eons, had been unraveled by Gu Changge’s hand.

Naturally, his very existence now rested within Gu Changge’s palm.

These beings demanded he investigate Gu Changge’s true identity and roots, but he wondered how he could possibly summon the courage to do so.

“Nothing more is required. Once this assignment is fulfilled, our pact shall be concluded.”

The eyes within the black mist abruptly retreated, and the faces dissolved like fading smoke.

After confirming that these presences had fully departed, Zi Wanhe exhaled a breath of relief and looked away.

“The Champion Marquis of Xian Chu Haotu has suddenly pulled back his legions at this hour… what could this signify?”

Recalling the reports from the Elders of Zixiao Mountain, he felt his brow knit together.

Logically, with Xian Chu Haotu’s vital essence severely depleted, the timing was ideal for Zixiao Mountain to initiate a massive offensive.

However, he dared not move without Gu Changge’s direct command. Thus, he had merely ordered the disciples of Zixiao Mountain to remain stationary and avoid any provocations.

At the frontiers of Xian Chu Haotu, the sudden retreat of Champion Marquis Chu Heng and his forces sent shockwaves throughout the entire realm.

The earth itself seemed to tremble with the weight of the collective astonishment.

With the struggle between Xian Chu Haotu, the Demon Court, and Zixiao Mountain reaching a fever pitch, the Champion Marquis’s withdrawal was nonsensical. Had a crisis emerged within the Imperial Capital requiring his immediate protection?

Or was Xian Chu Haotu abandoning its outer territories to consolidate its strength in the heartland?

Curiously, neither the Demon Court nor Zixiao Mountain seized this opening to strike, a fact that left many observers stunned.

Confusion reigned everywhere, and theories spread like wildfire.

The tidings of the Champion Marquis’s departure quickly reached every corner of the Xian Chu Haotu borders.

Within the Imperial Capital of Xian Chu Haotu, Chu Gucheng had been preoccupied with finding a cure for his Master, Fa Sheng’s, grievous wounds. When the report reached him, his expression shifted violently, and his fist tightened convulsively beneath his sleeve.

“How does the Champion Marquis dare to abandon the frontier without my decree?”

“Who authorized his return to the Imperial Capital? Who shall stand guard at the border?”

Overwhelmed by rage, he let out a thunderous roar of fury.

His attendants and maids were struck with terror, falling to their knees in a fit of trembling.

Chu Gucheng was at a loss to explain how the Champion Marquis could be so bold as to desert his post at such a perilous juncture without authorization.

A march by the Demon Court or Zixiao Mountain now would result in the fall of Xian Chu Haotu’s vast lands, including the core provinces.

At this moment, the Champion Marquis’s desertion was more than a blow to national morale; it was a direct insult to his authority as the sovereign!

The capital’s ministers were equally rattled and perplexed. Many began to whisper that perhaps the Marquis had received a secret mandate from the Emperor to surrender the borders.

“It appears the turmoil within Xian Chu Haotu will not fade anytime soon. The Champion Marquis returning now suggests he seeks more than just vengeance for his spouse.”

The matron Xing Ying of Yin Xu Cave remained in the Imperial Capital, having not yet departed Xian Chu Haotu. She looked toward the capital’s outskirts, her silver eyes mirroring a horizon of slaughter and flames.

Upon hearing her words, Bai Mei Xing Jun’s face turned grim. “Senior Sister, should we go back to Yin Xu Cave and ask for Master’s help?”

Xing Ying shook her head with a sneer. “Had Master intended to step in, he wouldn’t have sent us in his stead. I once believed Master favored Chu Gucheng, but the recent conflict proved he is merely a pawn. To avoid being discarded ourselves, we must watch the board with care and avoid reckless movements.”

Bai Mei Xing Jun felt a silent pang of sorrow. He understood their Master’s heart. Despite being his disciples, they were often viewed as mere tools to be thrown away once their purpose was served.

“Marvelous! The Marquis is coming back to the Capital.”

“With the Marquis’s return, there will finally be someone to seek justice for us.”

In the residence of the former Grand Tutor, Han Feng, Chu Bai, and their companions were elated by the news.

Though they had managed to recover the remains of the Champion Marquis’s wife from the Imperial Tomb, they had found no evidence.

The absence of the jade pendant they sought was a heavy blow. Yet, upon reflection, it made sense; Chu Gucheng was too cunning to leave behind such a damning piece of proof. Over the following days, the stability of Xian Chu Haotu crumbled further.

Riots and instability flared across various provinces. The disaster wrought by the fallen black coffin remained uncontained, and now a new wave of chaos was rising.

Chu Gucheng’s attempts to restore order by deploying his most loyal agents proved futile.

Following the clash with Gu Changge, Xian Chu Haotu was crippled, yet numerous Sects and powers continued to watch the fallout like vultures.

While Zixiao Mountain and the Demon Court held their fire, their legions remained poised at the borders, a constant source of dread.

In other frontier zones, minor Sects began to exploit the vacuum of power.

The site of the previous war was a wasteland of eternal flames and staggering casualties. The karmic backlash and the stench of slaughter from that fight surged outward like a tsunami.

Prosperous worlds were caught in the wake, turning into dead husks consumed by the fires of Karma.

This was a secondary catastrophe that no mortal could halt.

During its zenith, Xian Chu Haotu used its immense national fortune to suppress such anomalies. Now, with that fortune bled dry and the people in despair, the slaughter was coming back to haunt them.

The tragedies unfolding within Xian Chu Haotu sent shivers through the Xiyuan Civilization. It was the unmistakable sound of a great pillar snapping.

Despite the ruins, Chu Gucheng still clung to the hope of forming the Xiyuan Alliance, desperate for the Xiyuan Holy Hall’s backing.

To facilitate this, the Xiyuan Saintess appeared in the Imperial Capital once more, pleading for the cooperation of the various Sects.

Many Sects were baffled, wondering why she still lingered in the dying capital of Xian Chu Haotu.

On that very day, deep within the heart of the Xiyuan Civilization, the Xiyuan Holy Hall stirred.

A legendary figure, a living fossil of the Sect, emerged. This was Xi Yin, a pupil of the Holy Hall’s founder, Xi Nu. Her status and seniority far exceeded that of the current Saintess.

She had spent countless eras in the deepest sanctums of the hall, meditating on the Dao and the river of time, remaining unseen for ages.

Her return to the world was prompted by the arrival of another ancient contemporary—Jing Tianyuan, the Jing Clan ancestor who had recently appeared in the Shengyang Ancient Domain.

Jing Tianyuan, who shared an era with the Grandmaster of the Yu Xian Palace, arrived at the gates of the Xiyuan Holy Hall accompanied by a host of Jing Clan Elders.

He was blunt, informing them that Xian Chu Haotu had betrayed them by teaming up with the shadows of the black calamity and had kidnapped the genuine Xiyuan Saintess.

He claimed the Saintess currently in Xian Chu Haotu was a fake. This revelation sent the Xiyuan Holy Hall into a frenzy as disciples and Elders gathered in shock.

If anyone else had spoken such words, they would have been dismissed. But Jing Tianyuan was a hero who had fought the black calamity alongside the Yu Xian Palace’s Grandmaster.

The Elders of the Holy Hall had already harbored their own doubts.

The Saintess had only intended to attend a feast in Xian Chu Haotu and return shortly after. Yet, she remained there indefinitely.

Furthermore, her sudden desire for a marriage pact with Xian Chu Haotu seemed entirely out of character, almost like a fever dream to those who knew her.

Jing Tianyuan was transparent about his motives, stating he was there on behalf of another to save the Saintess and prevent the Xiyuan Civilization from falling into ruin.

Terrified by the implications, the Elders rushed to the inner sanctums to rouse the ancient ancestors from their slumber.

If the Saintess had truly been compromised, the fallout would be catastrophic.

“I have utilized the Reincarnation Mirror to peer into the truth, and I have found disturbing irregularities. Xian Chu Haotu is currently veiled in a dark fog, and the Saintess is beyond our reach.”

“The bond between her and the Reincarnation Mirror has been severed.”

Xi Yin, despite her ancient age, appeared as a woman in her prime.

Her hair was styled elegantly with jade ornaments, and her dark palace robes draped over a graceful figure. A small mole beneath her eye gave her an air of mysterious beauty.

Her brow was furrowed as she peered through the void toward Xian Chu Haotu.

The Elders of the Holy Hall turned pale with anxiety.

Jing Tianyuan, though appearing frail, carried himself with a scholarly grace. He nodded at her words. “That is why I have come—to coordinate with the Xiyuan Holy Hall to liberate the Saintess and end this threat.”

Xi Yin gave a slight nod. “Senior Jing, your concern is appreciated. On behalf of my Master, I thank you. The Saintess is my Master’s direct disciple; she possesses great talent and many lifesavers. She should be safe for now.”

“However, I must ask, Senior Jing—who was it that requested you seek out the Holy Hall?”

A shadow of suspicion crossed her face.

Jing Tianyuan gave a hearty laugh. “Do not worry, Fellow Daoist. You shall meet Young Master Gu shortly. In truth, my return to this world was only possible through Young Master Gu’s assistance.”

“Young Master Gu?”

Xi Yin’s frown deepened. She focused her mind, and the recent history of the Xiyuan Civilization unfolded before her eyes.

At her level of Cultivation, few secrets remained hidden; she could deduce the truth of the world with a single thought.

The major events currently gripping the world were easily grasped by her.

“So, that is the state of affairs.”

Xi Yin’s face smoothed out as she composed herself. She drafted a formal decree, and streaks of light shot out from the Holy Hall, carrying her commands to every corner of the realm and every major Sect.

“I have issued the Xiyuan Order. We shall unite with all powers to crush the alliance between Xian Chu Haotu and the black calamity’s remnants,” Xi Yin declared.

The Xiyuan Order was the ultimate decree of the Holy Hall, reserved only for moments of existential peril.

Xi Yin’s decision to invoke it immediately demonstrated the gravity of the situation.

Jing Tianyuan approved. “Speed is of the essence. The longer we delay, the more danger the Saintess endures.”

“The Jing Clan’s elites are ready, and I have alerted the Yu Xian Palace. We must ensure her safety.”

The Elders of the Holy Hall were moved by his dedication.

This ancient expert was truly a paragon of righteousness.

Xi Yin agreed, “Senior Jing is right. This is urgent. Let us depart. I wish to see what strength remains in Xian Chu Haotu.”

Jing Tianyuan smiled. “Very well. We shall rendezvous with Young Master Gu and the others.”

Xi Yin’s expression flickered slightly.

She was curious about the master of the Alliance to Destroy the Heavens, but she kept her thoughts to herself.

A massive rift in space was torn open outside the Holy Hall. Xi Yin led the way, followed by her Elders and the Jing Clan warriors.

Simultaneously, the arrival of the Xiyuan Order across the lands caused a massive stir.

The Light Ming Temple, the God Piercing Cave, the Buddha Country of the Tathagata, the Immortal Lake, the Paradise Cave… every great Sect was in shock.

“The Xiyuan Holy Hall has called for the destruction of Xian Chu Haotu…”

“What could have happened?”

“This order comes directly from an ancient Elder of the Holy Hall! It states Xian Chu Haotu has allied with the black calamity, jailed the real Saintess, and installed a puppet to throw our civilization into chaos.”

“All worlds are called to purge them.”

The entire realm was in an uproar.

Cultivators everywhere were paralyzed with disbelief.

This was an act of deception against the entire Xiyuan Civilization, a total mockery of the natural order.

“It all makes sense now. The Saintess’s behavior lately was incredibly bizarre.”

“If the Xiyuan Order is true, Xian Chu Haotu has committed an unforgivable sin. To dare impersonate the Saintess!”

The major powers were horrified by the audacity.

The Xiyuan Civilization was thrown into a state of total mobilization. Within the Yu Xian Palace, Ling Yu Xian had returned and was conferring with her sister, Ling Yu Ling.

They too had received the Jing Clan’s invitation to join the campaign against Xian Chu Haotu.

“You will go, accompanied by an Elder of the Ancestral Dao realm. Xian Chu Haotu is finished; no Sect will miss the chance to pick apart its remains,” Ling Yu Ling said calmly.

“Did they truly side with the black calamity?” Ling Yu Xian asked, still struggling to process it.

Ling Yu Ling looked away, her eyes reflecting deep thought. “The truth of their collusion is irrelevant now. When a wall begins to lean, everyone gives it a push. By faking the identity of the Xiyuan Saintess, Xian Chu Haotu crossed a line that ensures their destruction. They are beyond saving.”

The end of Xian Chu Haotu was a certainty. Their defeat at Gu Changge’s hands had left them broken, with no path to redemption.

Ling Yu Ling had seen this coming, but the sheer speed of their collapse—denying them even a final stand—was breathtaking.

“Father, it is over for us…”

In the capital of Xian Chu Haotu, the First Prince, Chu Wushang, was ashen-faced and on the verge of collapse.

Chu Gucheng’s children, his consorts, and the assembled court were all overwhelmed by the same despair.