I Am the Fated Villain Chapter 1309: Leaders of various Daoist sects and clans

“Lord…”

Before the Fatian Temple, the old Crow and the old Daoist remained standing, their expressions brimming with deep respect and reverence, too hesitant to interrupt Gu Changge. All other Fatian Alliance members had departed from the vicinity earlier, heading back to the organization's base in the Xiyuan Civilization, following Gu Changge's direct orders.

“Do you have something particular to discuss with me?” After a prolonged silence, Gu Changge finally parted his eyes and inquired in a relaxed manner.

He realized that the old Crow and the old Daoist had likely already surmised his true identity, explaining their swift initiative and eager show of allegiance back at the Yuxian Palace.

“Lord, have… have you truly come back?” The old Crow's gaze burned with intense passion, his words quivering just a bit.

Standing next to him, the old Daoist held his breath tightly, his heart pounding like thunder in his ears. He never anticipated the old Crow posing such a bold query. Still, that very revelation was what he yearned for most desperately.

“Does it truly make a difference if I answer that?”

Gu Changge stayed turned away from them, his tone steady and devoid of any real emotion.

“No… it doesn't. We've anticipated this moment for ages, enduring such a lengthy wait,” the old Crow replied, his speech laced with thrill and shudders.

“Every one of us has longed for your arrival, yearning for the day you seize back the shadows.”

A vague chuckle escaped Gu Changge's lips, and he gradually pivoted to regard them, his stare cold and impassive as he stated, “Oh, but at present, reclaiming the darkness holds no appeal for me.”

“Regardless of your plans, we stand ready as your unwavering and devoted servants, prepared to sacrifice all in your name,” the old Crow pressed earnestly. “Our existence hinges on you, much like the endless realms depend on your dominion.”

“We, the Eight From the Crowd, pledge eternal loyalty unto death.”

With profound veneration and fear, the old Daoist echoed the sentiment, his demeanor utterly pious. In an instant, the pair dropped to their knees right there.

Should any witnesses have been nearby, the spectacle would have left them utterly dumbfounded and silent.

Beings at the Ancestral Dao Realm level commanded the heights of infinite worlds, their godly authority unfathomable, capable of dictating the fates of myriad universes and timelines with mere utterances. They bowed to no one, not even in defeat.

Far surpassing ordinary Ancestral Dao Realm entities in strength, the old Crow and old Daoist now prostrated themselves before Gu Changge in absolute submission and faith.

Such a display defied all comprehension.

For the old Crow and old Daoist, this instant's revelation struck harder than any prior shock, evoking the revival of timeless legends and the manifestation of a supreme god in their midst.

The wonders chronicled solely in dusty tomes now unfolded vividly before them.

Be it the Heavenly Crowd or the Heavenly From Crowd, they all clung to the same sacred conviction. And that conviction now lived and breathed right in front of them, engaging in dialogue.

“The Eight From the Crowd? So the ancient Eight Buddhist Sects have transformed into this Eight From the Crowd?”

Ignoring the kneeling duo, Gu Changge's forehead creased faintly. From the old Daoist's utterance, he pieced together key details. He refused to accept that the Heavenly Dynasty he once forged could have crumbled so readily.

Even absent any contingencies, the Heavenly Dynasty had amassed the most awe-inspiring and unyielding legacy across all realms.

Through eons of decay and ordeals, it wouldn't have toppled without resistance. “Lord, following the Heavenly Dynasty's shattering, the storied Eight Buddhist Sects vanished entirely. Today's Eight From the Crowd stems from those Eight Buddhist Sects, yet pales in comparison to the mighty ones you once commanded…”

“Furthermore, the Celestial Crowd, inheriting the bulk of the Heavenly Dynasty's heritage, views itself as the legitimate successors. Across these epochs, they've relentlessly pursued our annihilation, the Eight From the Crowd, sparing no effort to erase us.”

“Even the fabled artifact of that legendary civilization, the Coffin of the World’s End, now rests with the Celestial Crowd. Armed with such a relic, they've grown bolder and more audacious, sowing disorder far and wide. In recent times, we survivors of the Heavenly Dynasty have been compelled to lurk in secrecy, shunning the open world…”

Convinced beyond doubt of Gu Changge's identity, the pair elaborated further at his prompt.

Bitter resentment clouded the old Daoist's features, as though venting long-held woes, detailing the dire straits of the Eight From the Crowd to Gu Changge. Absent their pursuit of the Gate of Eternal Life and the forewarning they obtained, this reunion—and alliance—would have remained impossible.

Typically, Eight From the Crowd affiliates operated in isolation, unaware of one another's locations. Contact fell solely to the most esteemed leaders in each branch.

In truth, the present Eight From the Crowd couldn't rival the formidable Eight Buddhist Sects that once quaked the boundless worlds. Each group had burrowed deep into hiding, rarely emerging, resulting in uncertainty even among themselves about surviving numbers or retained might.

“Reduced to this wretched condition, why would I need you at all?”

Upon absorbing the old Daoist's account, Gu Changge's gaze intensified, and he wheeled back toward the Fatian Temple's statue, appearing immersed in contemplation. He'd assumed the old Crow and old Daoist sought him out to prove their value.

Yet evidently, the Eight From the Crowd had devolved into mere fugitives skulking in shadows, frantically dodging pursuers.

Besides evading ancient foes, they dreaded hunts from the Celestial Crowd as well.

The Fatian Alliance's founding never aimed to harbor such remnants.

“Lord, please guide and judge us.”

Bitter looks crossed the old Crow and old Daoist's faces. They recognized how the Eight From the Crowd had plummeted from the Eight Buddhist Sects' exalted status in the Heavenly Dynasty. But inevitability had dictated it. Post-Heavenly Dynasty's fall, the headless divisions—particularly the Eight Buddhist Sects—lost their unifying grip.

While the Heavenly Dynasty's Lord reigned, his sheer prowess quelled all dissent, binding the empire in iron obedience. No rebellion stirred. Yet his vanishing triggered the unraveling of that enforced unity, fracturing everything.

The Eight Buddhist Sects suffered thus, and the Celestial Crowd mirrored the fate. For only the Heavenly Dynasty's Lord could harness such dominion; none other could.

“What foundations do the Shaoyin Crowd and Celestial Decline Crowd still hold?”

Gu Changge paused briefly, offering little comment. Ultimately, the Heavenly Dynasty's endgame wouldn't sway him regardless.

Besides, its dissolution had been foreseen and orchestrated by him long ago.

More accurately, the Heavenly Dynasty was fated to disintegrate from inception. That the Eight From the Crowd and Celestial Crowd endured at all marked a surprising windfall.

He sought no further miracles. The Eight From the Crowd's roots bore scant relevance to the Fatian Alliance.

“Lord, the Celestial Decline Crowd largely conceals itself within the Celestial Decline Realm. This realm lacks form and visibility, free of desires or hues. It manifests as a vast, empty void where no life can be discerned.”

“Beneath the Celestial Decline Realm sprawl innumerable domains, governing realms and sacred domains. Though their base doesn't match peak true realms, it far exceeds what immortal paths can challenge,” the old Daoist answered deferentially.

The old Crow added with equal respect, “The Celestial Decline Crowd dwells in the Celestial Decline Realm, encircled by billions of interconnected spaces woven from luminous earth. Lacking the Eternal Sun’s radiance to navigate, even mighty cultivators risk eternal wandering and confusion.”

Regardless, both the Celestial Decline Crowd and Shaoyin Crowd descended from the fearsome Eight Buddhist Sects that once dominated existence. Diminished as they were, they outstripped commonplace immortal powers.

Gu Changge gave a subtle nod.

Assuming the other six branches mirrored the Celestial Decline and Shaoyin Crowds' strengths, their alliance would wield substantial force. Yet after endless ages, who knew if the Eight From the Crowd harbored divergent ambitions.

The old Crow and old Daoist couldn't speak for the whole Eight From the Crowd.

Gu Changge had no intention of discarding this potent asset.

For now, the Xiyuan Civilization alone struggled against the Eight From the Crowd's full might.

That said, Xiyuan Civilization concealed numerous untapped powers. Certain deep-lurking figures stayed veiled.

Currently, Xi Nü, founder of the Xiyuan Holy Hall, alongside titans backing the Guangming Temple and Tathagata Buddha Kingdom, lingered in observation, withholding their emergence.

Gu Changge had meant to lure them using Ling Yuling as enticement. But he'd misjudged those "grand prizes'" endurance; they'd held back thus far.

Ling Yuling's insights into the Six Heavens Abyss's location offered Gu Changge additional leverage, sparing her for now.

Her bold play with the Xiyuan Alliance coincidentally matched Gu Changge's aims. He too aimed to exploit the chaos, flushing out adversaries and resolving Xiyuan Civilization's myriad issues at once.

As Gu Changge lapsed into quiet, anxiety gripped the old Crow and old Daoist anew. They feared the Eight From the Crowd's decline would render them expendable in his eyes.

In that tense juncture, not just them but elder powers behind dared scarcely exhale. To their minds, the Fatian Alliance's rise signaled the Lord's bid to revive the Heavenly Dynasty's splendor. As its lingering shards, uselessness spelled merciless rejection.

The Heavenly Dynasty Lord's ruthless essence lingered in the Eight Buddhist Sects' bronze inscriptions and jade annals.

“Share how you reached the Xiyuan Civilization, but spare me tales of the other Eight Buddhist Sects' views on me,” Gu Changge's voice cut through their musings, flat and emotionless.

“Should you obstruct me, remnants of the Heavenly Dynasty or not, I'll eradicate you without qualms.”

Alarm twisted the duo's faces; they bowed low, quaking in terror.

True heirs of the Eight Buddhist Sects alone grasped the Heavenly Dynasty Lord's dreadfulness and supremacy. Past realms' denizens knew only subjugation by his might.

Meanwhile, beyond the Xiyuan Civilization, amid the universe's endless voids. A rift tore open soundlessly in a domain thick with ominous shadows.

A colossal skull thrust forth from the fissure. Desiccated and vaguely humanoid yet alien, it bore scant hair, its hollow orbits pitch-black and lifeless.

Perched upon this behemoth cranium sat a hazy, lithe form, shrouded by a broad hat veiling its features. Just its eyes peered out, radiating chill detachment.

“Ah Li, it's been ages since we escaped that cursed prison. This vibrant essence of vitality feels so refreshingly novel.”

The enormous skull fixed on the Xiyuan Civilization, issuing a bone-rattling cackle that grated like infernal incantations, stirring dread and frost in the ether.

“Indeed, such pure life force hasn't touched us in ages…” The lithe figure atop the skull answered coolly.

“Hehehe, the priests scoured epochs for primordial civilizations' relics. Finally, they're set to unveil to all…”

“Gather sufficient artifacts, shatter the bindings, and herald the Black Calamity Lord's resurgence. Darkness shall reign over creation once more.”

The giant skull's maw gaped in a ghastly grin, mimicking mirth.

“Hush. That's unrelated to our purpose.”

“Our mission here ties to none of that.”

The hat-clad figure extended a hand, slapping the skull beneath. A resounding boom rang out as ebony fog burst outward.

The repulsive, twisted visage swiftly cloaked in luminous haze, morphing into a pristine, graceful entity akin to a genuine fox.

“Onward. This form suits far better,” the figure remarked, patting the mount again, voice icy and aloof.

Accustomed to such treatment, the beast below flashed into luminous trail, ripping space asunder and vanishing instantly.

Months flew by swiftly, and in the Xiyuan Civilization's famed Mountain of All Wonders.

Thunderous booms filled the firmament as colossal vessels aglow with celestial radiance soared overhead. Silhouettes darted about as arrivals from across the cosmos converged, alighting on the peak.

Gazing skyward revealed luminous arks, propitious creatures and ethereal avians. Swords in flight, soaring pagodas, jade vessels—all swirled in fervent motion.

Esteemed heads of sects and lineages, alongside their vital disciples, assembled to endorse the Xiyuan Alliance pact.

Through extensive deliberations and amendments over months, Ling Yuling of the Yuxian Palace convened with timeless powers to forge the refreshed Xiyuan Alliance covenant.

Selected for the pact's inscription, the Mountain of All Wonders drew nearly every sect and clan of the Xiyuan Civilization, big or small, racing there post-announcement. They sought to etch their signatures and claim the accord's safeguards.

Within Xiyuan Civilization, the Mountain of All Wonders stood as a hallowed anomaly. In bygone days, it bore the name Land of All Wonders.

Legends told of a Daoist Lord who contemplated here, unlocking the cosmos's infinite marvels. Responding to the Grand Dao's summons, this Lord birthed a Door of All Wonders, unleashing universal enigmas and myriad arcane techniques. Countless cultivators and entities drew fortune from it, ascending or traversing the Door to loftier planes.

Thenceforth, the Mountain of All Wonders emerged as a pilgrimage site for cultivators and beings alike. Even Dao-tier powers paused to trace vestiges of antiquity and chase epiphanies.

The grand, soaring ridges evoked a titanic serpent in repose, plunging with sheer summits piercing the heavens. Prismatic vapors roiled, sacred gleams danced, and Dao laws tumbled like cascades along the slopes.

From afar, the region shimmered in iridescent splendor, imbuing beasts, fowl, and even mundane practitioners with blessed calm and grace.

At the mountain's core, primal chaos churned. Timeless holy trees pierced the vault, some enduring through uncounted cycles. Venerable giants pulsed with colossal life force, leaves vast enough to eclipse stars and skies. Breezes through them roared like cataclysmic tempests, chaotic tides spilling as if birthing sublime cosmos.

Before these sacred trees, cultivators gath