I Am the Fated Villain Chapter 1300: It was like an invasive species from abroad, with the winds and clouds converging in the Yu Xian Palace
Previously on I Am the Fated Villain...
Across the immense cosmos and starry realms, beams of radiance darted rapidly through the heavens as cultivators from diverse sects raced in from distant locations.
Myriad silhouettes traversed the icy, abyssal void, churning ripples across spacetime. From a distance, their overwhelming presence alone ignited dread and shook the depths of observers' souls.
Within the timeless territories of the Yu Xian Palace, numerous disciples and elders, alerted beforehand, stood ready to receive and escort visitors from all sects.
At the Qian Yun Daochang, an elegant and poised middle-aged woman guided a group of disciples in welcoming the arrivals.
“Long time no see, Qian Yun Elder. You still appear as youthful as always, and your cultivation feels even deeper than last time.”
A robust voice echoed from afar.
A sturdy, towering middle-aged man in a violet Daoist robe topped with a crown approached, flanked by several young disciples and elders.
Qian Yun Elder’s eyes settled on him, and she offered a faint smile, replying, “Mountain Master of Tuo Yang Mountain, it’s been ages. I never thought you’d come in person with your group. It’s been millions of years since our last encounter.”
While speaking, a trace of reminiscence crossed her features, revealing her acquaintance with the man before her.
Tuo Yang Mountain stood as a secluded sect in the Xiyuan civilization. Though not matching the might of immortal sects like the Yu Xian Palace, its heritage remained formidable.
The sect housed numerous veteran Daoist experts, and whispers suggested an ancient ancestor on the verge of entering the Grand Dao realm.
“The Yu Xian Palace’s Grandmaster emerging this time has stunned us all. Had our ancient ancestor not been wandering the realms, we’d know not his whereabouts, but he’d surely return personally to honor this esteemed senior,” the robust middle-aged man chuckled deeply.
Qian Yun Elder gave a subtle nod and responded, “I’ve heard Tuo Yang Mountain’s ancient ancestor nears the Grand Dao realm. This trip likely hunts for fortunes, and perhaps at our next meeting, he’ll have crossed into it. Tuo Yang Mountain’s power and roots will undoubtedly grow stronger.”
“Haha, I’ll cherish Elder Qian Yun’s auspicious words,” the middle-aged man boomed with laughter.
In short order, amid their conversation and shared memories, they ventured further into the Yu Xian Palace. Yet along the path, as talk shifted to the Yu Xian Palace’s Grandmaster, a shadow of unease crossed the middle-aged man’s face.
“Elder Qian Yun, as old friends, I hope you won’t take offense at my forward question. With the Yu Xian Palace’s Grandmaster appearing now, what’s the true purpose? Does it involve the Heaven-Slaying Alliance?” The middle-aged man hushed his tone deliberately.
At these words, Qian Yun Elder paused briefly before shaking her head and answering, “Even we elders lack the full picture, but the Grandmaster’s comeback appears tied to conferring on a major affair with the sects.”
She too had observed the Heaven-Slaying Alliance’s swift ascent, its progress nothing short of startling. What’s more, Gu Changge had once posed as the Qian Yun Daochang’s top disciple and even menaced her.
Though Gu Changge hadn’t troubled her since, Qian Yun Elder recalled that era vividly.
“Elder Qian Yun, you know our Tuo Yang Mountain lies close to the ruined Xiang Chu Hao Tu, and the Heaven-Slaying Alliance now controls all of Xiang Chu Hao Tu’s lands. As it expands, Tuo Yang Mountain may soon feel its reach.” The middle-aged man voiced his deep worry. “I’m truly concerned. The Heaven-Slaying Alliance wields some enchanting force that’s made immortal sects like Purple Cloud Mountain and the Demon Court yield without fight. Already, several Heaven-Slaying Shrines have sprung up in Tuo Yang Mountain’s domain…”
“We hesitate to drive them out or block them, lest it sparks conflict. Yet if this persists unresolved, Tuo Yang Mountain could suffer the same fate as other sects, gradually devoured by the Heaven-Slaying Alliance.”
As Tuo Yang Mountain’s Mountain Master, his choice to escort elders and disciples to Yu Xian Palace stemmed from this very anxiety, hoping to rally support and devise countermeasures.
Qian Yun Elder let out a soft sigh upon hearing this. She’d already seen the strained looks on Tuo Yang Mountain’s elders and disciples, their greetings masking forced cheer amid evident burdens. Indeed, most recent visitors she’d hosted grappled with parallel troubles.
The Heaven-Slaying Alliance’s proliferation resembled a predatory invader, swiftly draining the Xiyuan civilization’s riches, bolstering itself by seizing lands and assets from fellow sects. It had morphed into a dominant entity, flourishing at the expense of others’ essence.
This sparked widespread alarm among sects, who dreaded the Heaven-Slaying Alliance’s dark undercurrents. For all its talk of justice and safeguarding mortals, its deeds rang hollow against such claims.
“Rest easy, all. A solution will surely emerge for this crisis,” Qian Yun Elder comforted them.
The Tuo Yang Mountain group eased somewhat, though their concerns lingered visibly.
Abruptly, from the northwest, a radiant Buddhist glow erupted.
Innumerable Buddha and Bodhisattva illusions bloomed across the firmament, accompanied by subtle echoes of timeless sutras. Certain Buddhas beamed while cradling blooms, others as Bodhisattvas meditated calmly, with propitious clouds surging like waves.
Qian Yun Elder and her companions glanced skyward, spotting veteran monks and arhats from the Tathagata Buddha Kingdom drawing near, ushered by fellow Yu Xian Palace elders.
In yet another quarter, brilliant gleams pulsed, spacetime quivered. More sects converged.
Groups such as Ling Shen Cave, Guang Ming Temple, and Chang Sheng Lake had arrived ahead of time.
Surveying the scene, the heavens brimmed with stellar radiance and Daoist principles, ancient ships and vessels slicing the skies, borne by Xiyuan civilization’s elite.
In the Yu Xian Palace’s heart, early arrivals were directed by palace disciples and elders toward misty immortal peaks and sacred isles wreathed in celestial vapors.
Everywhere hummed with divine Qi and Daoist harmonies. Spanning bridges and towers linked star domains, unveiling a grand, majestic interstellar vista.
As one of Xiyuan civilization’s most ancient and steadfast Daoist sects, Yu Xian Palace spanned a colossal domain. Its sway over the Great Universe alone left visitors in awe. Chaos-veiled stars thundered in orbit. Upon them rose tiered grand halls and terraces.
A stellar cascade poured like a heavenly fall, white haze coiling around, its roar echoing through the boundless cosmos.
Newly arrived guests exchanged salutes, many bearing timeworn, grizzled visages. Some exuded a primal simplicity, clad in archaic garb—presences that evoked discomfort and reverence.
These entities resembled fresh exhumes from ancient sepulchers, soil’s scent clinging, as if roused from eons of slumber. Their gazes held cosmic gravity, like clashing universes within.
Their emanations unsettled even Dao-level experts, hearts pounding, some nearly retching blood from the sheer force.
Amid these primeval existences, certain figures seemed mundane and inconspicuous, yet they captivated oddly. A man in plain gray robes, average in stature, looked unexceptional, but his aura prompted startled reactions from nearby ancients.
“Isn’t that elder Daoist Changming? Word was he perished during the Eighth Heavenly Decline Tribulation. Who’d have thought, after hundreds of epochs, he’d resurface…”
A Dao-level cultivator murmured in reverence, identifying the gray-robed figure. “Daoist Changming inspires us all. Each Heavenly Decline Tribulation exacted a heavy toll from him. Legend says a far senior once foretold he’d never attain the Dao realm this lifetime, yet Daoist Changming overcame it and reached this stage.”
“Looks like Daoist Changming endured the eighth Heavenly Decline Tribulation successfully,” another chimed in, tone laced with respect.
Besides Daoist Changming, other legendary experts of storied origins, vanished for centuries of epochs, now gathered. Their own Daoist lineages had presumed them gone, unforeseen their return in this context.
Evidently, the Yu Xian Palace Grandmaster’s reemergence had mobilized all, drawing even these recluses across vast temporal and spatial gulfs to behold the occasion.
Beyond Immortal Dao Civilization’s ancients, divine entities arrived too, ringed in holy auras with attendant divinities. Their visages obscured, demeanors impassive, presences sanctified. Subtly, ritual chants and world-praises drifted from them.
“Even gods from the Divine Dao Civilization show up… but are these their true selves or mere avatars…”
“The Divine Dao Civilization has isolated itself for endless ages, their appearances scarce in today’s vast realms,” cultivators whispered in wonder.
“Hehe, what a bustling day. I once figured the Xiyuan Civilization lacked true might, but clearly we can’t dismiss them. Already over seven Grand Dao-level beings here—not counting the concealed veterans…”
“I warned against rushing in. We should watch and bide. Haste will cost us dearly.”
“Celestials long knew of the Reincarnation Mirror in Xiyuan Civilization but never struck, aware it’s no simple prey. A hard shell to breach.” “Heh heh, yet today proves advantageous. Easier for us two to blend unseen. Before, detection risked exposure.”
Upon a barren world, two silhouettes materialized, perched on a ridge overlooking the Imperial Immortal Palace’s profound expanse. They were the Decay Faction’s old Daoist and Minor Yin Faction’s Elder Han Crow.
As they conversed, their forms blurred into twin luminous trails, chasing a silvery lunar craft swathed in immortal haze ahead.
“Who trails us?”
Aboard the lunar vessel, a ethereal woman seated in meditation at the prow stirred, eyes parting. Bathed in lunar glow and misty shroud, her brows knit faintly. Her jade palm swept, forging moonlight into an antique crystal lens that unveiled the pursuing duo.
“Their cultivation eludes my sight. Some hidden artifact masks them? Remarkable arrivals flock to the Imperial Immortal Palace indeed.”
Nearby, a breathtaking beauty peered into the lens too, her voice tinged with mild shock.
This craft’s passengers hailed from Xiyuan’s Saint Hall. They hadn’t anticipated pursuit in Imperial Immortal Palace’s bounds.
“Lurking with shady aims.”
The Xiyuan Saintess averted her eyes. Her lithe hand rose, dissolving the lens. Simultaneously, she gestured rearward. From emptiness burst slender bands like moonlit threads. They whistled out, tearing spacetime with formidable force.
“Eh? Friends ahead, no offense meant. We harbor no ill—we merely strayed and sought to follow your path.”
The trailing old Daoist betrayed astonishment. He hadn’t foreseen such prowess in the random craft he’d shadowed. That blow alone was elite—few Ancestor Realm experts could endure it.
Even in denial, his voluminous robe billowed, unleashing stellar dust that bloomed into an expansive universe. There, the Great Dao formed a sword, cleaving the invading moonbeam strand.
Elder Han Crow poised to intervene but yielded to the old Daoist’s restraint. With a frosty huff, he quelled his ire.
“No mere Ancestor Realm could counter that. Since when does Xiyuan Civilization boast so many beyond Ancestor Realm?”
The Xiyuan Saintess registered surprise. Her strike had been mere test, not full assault—especially not in Imperial Immortal Palace’s realm. She promptly withdrew.
“Likely from another civilization,” Xiyin surmised.
“Then you must be the famed Xiyuan Saintess. Wielding such profound might so young stirs our awe and a touch of jealousy.”
Soon, the old Daoist and Elder Han Crow boarded, welcomed by Saint Hall maidens.
Observing the shrouded Saintess, they swiftly deduced her station.
In all Xiyuan Civilization, few women matched her singular poise and power.
“Might I inquire as to the origins of you two esteemed seniors?”
The Xiyuan Saintess tilted her head politely, appraising them in turn.
She spared scant notice for Elder Han Crow’s chill vibe.
Rather, the old Daoist’s reek and decay marks drew her frown.
The Five Signs of Heavenly Decay appear as: tattered garb, shriveled locks, body’s rank odor, axillary perspiration, and vital force’s scatter.
Yet the old Daoist she faced displayed none of the tribulation’s onset, nor any cultivation drain. Solely his sockets gaped empty, eyeless, seeping ichor and crimson—a horrifying spectacle.