I Am the Fated Villain Chapter 1307: She’s been walking down a dead-end path, but I still want to give it another try.
Previously on I Am the Fated Villain...
“No problem. I’ll certainly give you face,” Gu Changge replied with a subtle smile, “The Fatians are ready to form the alliance and follow the Xiyuan Covenant.”
Ling Yuling paused in surprise at Gu Changge’s quick and direct response, without any delay. Her lovely gaze locked onto his features, attempting to discern his real intentions.
Yet, with Gu Changge keeping that subtle smile and his look unchanged throughout, she had no choice but to let it go, praying he wasn’t just playing around.
If she could avoid it, Ling Yuling preferred not to stand against Gu Changge, and she really hoped those earlier guesses wouldn’t turn true.
“In that case, Yuling thanks Young Master Gu for your consideration,” Ling Yuling replied, offering a gentle curtsy.
Those present let out relieved breaths too. After all, nobody desired to clash with Gu Changge or the Fatians.
Be it preserving the current balance or making concessions, they always put their own safety above all.
Everyone recognized the formidable power held by Gu Changge and the Fatians.
“With the Fatians’ leader deciding this way, my Xiyuan Sacred Hall won’t stand aside and will unite with all to create the Xiyuan Covenant,” the Xiyuan Saintess stated evenly, giving her commitment.
“Thank you,” Ling Yuling acknowledged with a small nod.
The Xiyuan Saintess choosing the same path as Gu Changge caught her off guard a bit. Still, events unfolded even better than Ling Yuling anticipated.
Her main fear had been Gu Changge showing up and directing the Fatians against her plans right away.
Luckily, he had granted her that respect, though she wondered about his hidden aims. He ought to have known her reasons for drafting the Xiyuan Covenant.
Nevertheless, he arrived with the full might of the Fatians.
But Ling Yuling pushed those thoughts aside for now. Crafting the Xiyuan Covenant demanded time beyond a single day. She’d have to confer with chiefs and heads from diverse clans and lineages. Lacking their support, forming rules to bind every entity in the Xiyuan civilization proved impossible.
Upon enactment, the Xiyuan Covenant would draw on Heavenly Dao authority, needing approval from all parties and oaths from the mightiest under the Heavenly Dao.
That alone would grant the Xiyuan Covenant strong enforcement, compelling voluntary obedience and deterring any boundary-crossing.
This stood as the sole approach Ling Yuling saw feasible right then.
“Regarding the Xiyuan Covenant’s details, I won’t join the group in shaping it. Once you settle on the signing process after talks, inform my Fatians,” Gu Changge added with a subtle smile.
At those words, the Xiyuan Saintess shot him a glance tinged with doubt.
Since when did Gu Changge turn so agreeable? In crafting the Xiyuan Covenant this round, he skipped the chaos she foresaw.
The rest there felt stunned and baffled as well. Plenty eyed Gu Changge with bewilderment.
A few veteran existences wrinkled their foreheads, pondering if Gu Changge hid deeper schemes. This affair advanced far too effortlessly compared to their expectations, and that ease stirred their discomfort.
“It’d be best if we all collaborate on drafting it. If Young Master Gu finds it inconvenient, send your representatives to join, so we grasp the future binding rules,” Ling Yuling suggested mildly, her eyebrows knitting a touch.
Though her instincts warned this couldn’t be straightforward, she couldn’t identify the issue precisely.
Gu Changge’s every phrase and motion seemed loaded with layers. She believed careful scrutiny was essential. It surely went beyond the obvious surface.
To her, Gu Changge’s schemes and tactics proved alarmingly profound, prompting her constant vigilance and thorough deliberation on all fronts.
“Alright then, Yan’er, remain here alongside Elder Jing, the White Bone Patriarch, Mo Tong, and the rest to negotiate the Xiyuan Covenant with the group.”
“Having you here puts my mind at rest.” Gu Changge gave a soft smile before turning to the Fatians members trailing him.
“Got it. Rest easy,” Mu Yan affirmed, emerging from the Fatians ranks with a nod.
Right then, the crowd spotted that strikingly lovely lady, poised with exceptional grace. Though her cultivation lagged behind numerous Dao realm experts on site, she demanded respect. An air of vast fortune clung to her, hinting at impressive prospects ahead.
Ling Yuxian, Jing Xiao, Xiyin, and others caught Gu Changge’s familiar address for Mu Yan, sparking astonishment in their hearts. The nature of their bond escaped them.
Meantime, various young cultivators fixated on Mu Yan’s looks, with some expressing awe at her allure.
“Young Master Gu must have been occupied lately,” Ling Yuling commented, averting her eyes from Mu Yan. Exposed to countless geniuses and elites, she held little fascination.
That said, even she pondered the tie between this radiant woman and Gu Changge. Their interaction flowed with ease and intimacy.
“Merely some Fatians business to manage,” Gu Changge answered with a faint smile.
He spoke truthfully, without evasion or deceit. Lately, the Fatians had planted stakes in the Xuandan Civilization, close to Idle Heaven Palace. His focus stayed mostly there.
By comparison, Xiyuan Civilization matters had long been foreseen by Gu Changge, reducing his prior intensity. Plus, in spots like Yan Yang True Realm and Shang Yin True Realm, he’d dispatched agents to prepare foundations, aiming for Fatians expansion there too.
Post the Immortal Chu Haotu’s fall, the Fatians’ presence echoed across the boundless domains, alerting countless ancient mighty true realms.
Gu Changge had positioned forces in Yan Yang True Realm already, now awaiting the moment to reap gains.
Ling Yuling nodded without probing more. Lingering unease prompted her to delay the signing venue until the Xiyuan Covenant finalized. Thus, even with prior setups by Gu Changge, reshuffling in brief time would challenge him.
Besides Mu Yan, Jing Tianyuan, White Bone Patriarch, and further Fatians Dao realm figures lingered.
Heads and leaders from assorted Dao sects stayed at Yu Xian Palace too, set to deliberate the Xiyuan Covenant with fellow influences over the following days.
Once Gu Changge departed with the bulk of Fatians, the tense air lightened somewhat. Numerous sighed deeply, as if a looming weight had lifted at last.
“No errors today, surprisingly…”
“Likely the Fatians’ leader honored Elder Yuling’s face, leading to his swift agreement.”
Various cultivators murmured, faces blending relief with residual dread.
“Why does it feel like a tempest brews, knowing the Fatians’ leader must realize the Xiyuan Covenant targets him?”
“So why consent to the Xiyuan Covenant?”
Others voiced concerns, suspecting Gu Changge’s ploy as a step back for a larger advance.
True difficulty lay in enforcing the Xiyuan Covenant.
Ling Yuling gazed quietly as Gu Changge’s form receded into the horizon. Only after he vanished fully did she shift her sight.
She recalled the old tome South Qing handed her amid the turbulent time-space sea. It held vast notes on first-generation civilization artifacts, including Reincarnation Mirror accounts.
“Xiyuan Saintess, I’d like a private word with you,” Ling Yuling addressed the aloof, otherworldly silhouette nearby, her tone gentle.
“Might I inquire what the elder seeks to share with me in private?” the Xiyuan Saintess, lost in reflection, jolted at Ling Yuling’s call and turned to ask.
Ling Yuling offered no elaboration. With a sleeve wave, a haze of pure radiance emerged, forging a cosmic time-space gateway. She stepped in elegantly ahead. The Xiyuan Saintess hesitated briefly, then trailed after.
Onlookers observed, all taken aback, yet wisely held back questions or remarks.
Given the scene, the Xiyuan Saintess’ stance toward Fatians’ chief Gu Changge appeared murky, hard to pin down, open to misreading. Fears arose she leaned toward the Fatians.
Even her senior Xiyin harbored faint worries. She couldn’t fathom what Gu Changge did to muddle her usually sharp, elevated junior’s judgments.
Xiyin pondered.
At the same time, Yu Xian Palace elders and pupils approached to settle lodging for all. Shaping the Xiyuan Covenant spanned months or more, so staying at Yu Xian Palace served for now.
“What private matter does the elder wish to raise with me?” Ling Yuling queried softly, eyeing the Xiyuan Saintess.
“Do you doubt I’ve allied with the Fatians? Or suspect an unseemly link with that Gu fellow?” the Xiyuan Saintess countered evenly, poised in the hazy isolated realm. Her bearing stayed refined and flawless, her tone hinting amusement that heightened her veiled allure, unseen by others.
Ling Yuling waved lightly, releasing chaotic glow to shroud the area. Once sealed, she murmured, “I hold no suspicions. I simply sense your method strays a bit.”
With that, she passed the ancient tome from South Qing.
“What’s this?” The Xiyuan Saintess arched a brow in mild shock but took it, skimming the contents.
As she hit the later parts, her eyes narrowed faintly, struck with profound awe.
The tome brimmed with entries on first-generation civilization treasures.
Particularly, it detailed the Reincarnation Mirror extensively. Some insights surpassed even her knowledge as its present wielder.
This left the Xiyuan Saintess disbelieving and perplexed.
“Where did the elder acquire this?” The Xiyuan Saintess strived for composure in her query.
Yet inwardly, turmoil churned. As Reincarnation Mirror’s bearer, she grasped its enigmas well.
The tome’s Reincarnation Mirror depictions matched only direct encounters.
By rights, beyond her and master Xinu, none in the boundless realms should know such specifics.
“I came upon it fortuitously. No cause for concern—I won’t circulate it,” Ling Yuling assured calmly, unmoved by the Xiyuan Saintess’ response.
She grasped fully how staggering it felt for a first-generation treasure holder to view such a record. Her own initial shock mirrored it.
“This tome revealed to me certain Reincarnation Mirror secrets, helping me comprehend your responses and moves against the Fatians.”
“What vision from the Reincarnation Mirror froze you during Immortal Chu Haotu’s ruin, leaving you to observe its downfall idly? Do you intend to let Xiyuan Civilization suffer the same fate now?”
Ling Yuling pressed on gently, observing the quiet Xiyuan Saintess.
The Xiyuan Saintess never foresaw Ling Yuling voicing this, a secret unknown even to senior Xiyin. She’d avoided drawing others in, given futures’ flux and unknowns. Limited knowledge meant minimal ripples and shifts.
She knew this keenly, hence steering clear of meddling that might alter paths. Thus, the Reincarnation Mirror’s preferred future stood best to match reality.
Only so could she alter Xiyuan Sacred Hall and Civilization’s doom.”I can’t disclose these. You pursue your way, I mine,” the Xiyuan Saintess replied steadily.
“Does prior knowledge of that future segment risk altering your desired timeline?” Ling Yuling inquired.
Ling Yuling met the Xiyuan Saintess’ words without surprise, merely offering a soft smile.
Having transcended Grand Dao realm, she fathomed fate and destiny’s arcane twists. She sensed and steered myriad beings’ destinies across time, delving their histories, nows, and tomorrows.
But concerning herself, all veiled in fog. Her own fate eluded full grasp or command.
The Xiyuan Saintess quieted, unspoken. It might appear self-serving, yet options lacked. Every simulated future sealed Yu Xian Palace’s unchanged, calamity-free path.
Thus, Ling Yuling’s course erred—a blind alley to ruin.
“I see,” Ling Yuling murmured with a soft exhale, regarding the mute Xiyuan Saintess. She refrained from pushing.
From reactions, she inferred the future glimpse the Saintess beheld. Yet surrender wasn’t her choice; hope lingered.
“Maybe… my power alone falls short to shift that fate and tomorrow.”
“If you agree, visit Xiyuan Sacred Hall post Xiyuan Covenant drafting.”
“I yearn to attempt once more.”
As Ling Yuling prepared to depart the realm, the hitherto silent Xiyuan Saintess stirred with hesitation at last. She bit her pearly teeth lightly, resolving.