I Am the Fated Villain Chapter 1313: Things can’t go so smoothly, can they?

Sealing the covenant.

The terms of the Xiyuan Covenant appeared fully inscribed within the Covenant Gold Book. Every character gleamed with intense radiance, featuring bold strokes, sharp hooks, and sturdy lines that pierced through the cosmos, manifesting deep in the starry expanse and lining up neatly, as though reshaping the cosmic principles themselves.

As the Covenant Gold Book spread open, its glow lit up every bit of emptiness and nook, reaching even the shadowy corners of the Xiyuan civilization, now bursting with vivid illumination. Such an immense force defied description, resembling the work of the Celestial Sovereign etching onto an age-old parchment to forge the laws of heaven, sending mighty surges across dimensions and ages, echoing from past to present and touching all realms of existence.

In that instant, Zhongmiao Mountain felt wrapped in a heavenly chorus, with visions from antiquity emerging, vibrant mists blending together, sacred woods rustling, and beams of splendor shining bright. Wave after wave of Great Dao runes flickered into view, encircling the timeless and everlasting foliage.

Cultivators and creatures everywhere tilted their heads skyward, yearning to glimpse the writings in the Covenant Gold Book. Yet for common folk, the script blazed too fiercely for direct viewing.

Even a quick look brought sharp agony to their sight, provoking streams of tears. Merely experts in the Dao Realm managed to vaguely discern certain runes and letters inside. The venerable entities involved in crafting the Covenant Gold Book lifted their faces too, peering into the cosmic void.

This group encompassed numerous Dao Realm figures from the Fentian Alliance, all staring in wide-eyed wonder.

Various sect heads and chiefs gazed fixedly as well, scrutinizing the articles and details of the Covenant Gold Book with utmost care, ensuring no phrase escaped their notice.

“Looks like a time of relative harmony is at last arriving. The Xiyuan Covenant’s provisions match exactly what we desired.”

At last, an individual completed scanning the Covenant Gold Book’s text and exhaled deeply, a grin spreading across their features.

Prior to this, anxiety gripped many hearts. Though rumors of the Xiyuan Covenant’s elements had reached them, true calm eluded them, with fears of hidden terms that might disadvantage their side or suspicions that Yu Xian Palace forebears and the Fentian Alliance plotted against the assembly.

Yet the Covenant Gold Book’s emergence dispelled the burden from their minds.

“Wonderful, this is precisely right—diverse clans and Dao sects coexisting peacefully, following the guidelines, stirring no discord. A massive calamity may loom over the Xiyuan civilization ahead, so avoiding inner strife beforehand proves wise.”

“Unity alone offers greater odds of enduring the impending crisis.”

Heads of numerous minor clans displayed faces of delight, tension easing from their forms.

Unlike enduring immortal Dao sects backed by Dao Realm guardians, these lesser clans boasted scant Dao Realm experts and stood no chance against behemoths like the Fentian Alliance.

Earlier, they might have turned to other immortal Dao sects for shelter, but with chaos reigning, even those sects couldn’t secure themselves. Self-reliance became their sole option.

The Xiyuan Covenant’s arrival addressed their pressing dilemmas and fears in key ways.

Right then, leaders of many small clans yearned to affix their signatures to the Xiyuan Covenant without delay, vowing upon their lineage and binding oaths to the Heavenly Dao.

“Evidently, the provisions show thorough planning, even accounting for everyday folk and clans.”

Shang Chongming, deputy head of Jie Kong Ridge, wrapped up his review of the Covenant Gold Book’s text and offered a knowing smile.

“The elders fret over the realm’s fate, covering all aspects to leave none behind.”

“Such thoughtfulness indeed commands our esteem.”

Nearby ancient figures, catching these words, all bared looks of praise and reverence toward Ling Yuling. In their shoes, they’d scarcely spare a thought for mundane clans and groups.

To the whole Xiyuan civilization, such ordinary clans and powers resembled the infinite grains in the Ganges River—endless yet trivial.

Peak existences like them paid no heed to such trifles.

“The road ahead holds unknowns; I merely strive to contribute what I can,” Ling Yuling replied with a soft smile.

The Xiyuan Covenant’s terms rested entirely on moral grounds, with no provision straying from that path. In particular spots, she drew from Fentian Alliance doctrines on purpose, aiming to leave no room for Gu Changge to nitpick.

Thus, should Gu Changge balk at signing the Xiyuan Covenant, 

“Precisely so; uncertainty clouds tomorrow, and I urge all sides to uphold their roles and avoid reckless acts.”

“Failing that, we hold authority to purge any sources of unrest.”

The Shouyang Tianzong sect master gave a subtle nod. Nearby sect heads had long been privy to most of the Xiyuan Covenant’s content, so surprise eluded them.

Everyone had joined in debating and shaping the Xiyuan Covenant’s text, each pushing for gains to their own Dao lineages without overly shaking the status quo.

Still, certain rules and stipulations got rejected later by Ling Yuling, Yu Xian Palace’s forebear, deeming them unfit.

The Xiyuan Covenant needed to embody equity and righteousness, prioritizing the Xiyuan civilization’s collective welfare, free of personal gains.

“Might young master Gu wish to suggest any alterations?”

Ling Yuling turned her eyes to Gu Changge once more, a trace of curiosity in her expression. Ever since unveiling the Covenant Gold Book, he had kept his gaze upward, offering no comment, his face a mask of neutrality that hid his inner thoughts.

“The covenant’s provisions are perfectly acceptable.”

Gu Changge gave a mild smile, pulling his eyes from the Covenant Gold Book.

Ling Yuling showed a flicker of surprise, caught off guard by his reply, as the ancient figures around her lit up with gladness.

To them, Gu Changge’s consent to the Xiyuan Covenant meant the issue was mostly resolved.

His stance held the key.

Other sect heads and chiefs also betrayed astonishment. Plenty had braced for clashes, maybe even fierce clashes, arriving equipped with vital assets.

Yet the Fentian Alliance’s head, Gu Changge, displayed utter nonchalance.

Anyone sharp enough could see the Covenant Gold Book’s terms tilted against the Fentian Alliance’s present power, crafted deliberately to rein in its growth.

For instance, it mandated that forces honor borders and avoid casual takeovers of lands, averting needless violence.

This plainly sought to halt the Fentian Alliance’s advance.

The Xiyuan civilization’s myriad immortal Dao lineages had thrived and persisted over endless ages, beyond eras of territorial grabs and boundary pushes.

These days, they savored their domains and clashed little among themselves.

The prior major uproar came when Xiyuan Holy Hall decreed the Xiyuan Order, rallying Dao sect powers to crush the Xian Chu Haotu.

Beforehand, the Demon Court versus Xian Chu Haotu clash struck many as a fluke; none foresaw its twist.

Lately, the Fentian Alliance’s swift ascent stunned all. Within mere centuries, it seized feats that immortal Dao lineages needed epochs to match, swallowing sects and pressing onward with conquests.

Evidently, further land grabs and intrusions on other Dao sect domains loomed next.

Nearby, the Xiyuan Holy Maiden, Qiong Qiong Jizi, lingered solitary, her stare icy as she observed the proceedings, a brief flash of astonishment crossing her features.

“Curious what scheme he’ll unleash; this can’t proceed without hitches.”

The Shouyang Tianzong sect master’s eyes darkened, wisps of Dao essence leaking from them, as he glared at Gu Changge in the distance with hostile intent.

He believed the Xiyuan Covenant’s sealing wouldn’t unfold so effortlessly. Long harboring grudge against the Fentian Alliance, he’d once, during his Yu Xian Palace days, stirred others against Gu Changge.

The ex-lord of Xian Chu Haotu, Chu Gucheng, had aided him once. But when Chu Gucheng hosted his birthday rite, the sect master journeyed afar and skipped it.

Back in the Xiyuan civilization, news of Xian Chu Haotu’s doom had spread. He then probed the Fentian Alliance personally, uncovering zilch, yet grew firmer in linking it to Black Calamity survivors.

Gu Changge, Fentian Alliance chief, likely embodied a shard of the Heavens’ scourge.

Sect heads and chiefs beside him creased their foreheads at the Shouyang Tianzong sect master’s remark. They too sensed the path couldn’t stay so clear. When had the brutal forces toppling Xian Chu Haotu ever yielded so readily?

“With young master Gu finding no issues in the covenant’s text, shall we proceed to the signing?”

Ling Yuling recovered her poise, lifting her elegant palm, and abruptly, a radiant heavenly gleam from the Covenant Gold Book in the cosmic depths streamed down upon Zhongmiao Mountain, resembling a grand veil draping into the chamber’s core.

Gu Changge’s demeanor astonished her as well. She’d pondered countless scenarios, yet never pictured him so serene and detached.

Moreover, the Fentian Alliance folk in the chamber mirrored that ease and composure.

Even Ling Yuling, who’d weighed myriad chances, found herself puzzled. Had her vigilance overreached, wrongly assessing Gu Changge and the Fentian Alliance?

“You intend to conspire and lay an ambush to slay the alliance head—your intent reeks of vileness!”

“Elder sister, Senior Brother Gu isn’t the sort you imagine…”

Ling Yuxian, picking up on her sibling Ling Yuling’s mindset, shook her head helplessly, her feelings a tangled storm.

Lately, Ling Yuling’s maneuvers versus the Fentian Alliance hadn’t escaped her notice, and she’d longed to halt them but lacked the means.

Despite her pleas to her sister, Ling Yuling dismissed them, convinced Ling Yuxian fell under Gu Changge’s sway, lost in sentiment.

The Xiyuan Covenant marked her sister’s daring wager, staking that the Fentian Alliance would bare its weaknesses.

Refusal to sign would let Ling Yuling rally the Xiyuan civilization’s powers against the Fentian Alliance, courting shared ruin, with Yu Xian Palace risking obliteration too.

This grim end was what Ling Yuling foresaw and embraced, sparing no cost.

Alternatively, the Fentian Alliance might ink the Xiyuan Covenant, dwell in harmony with rivals, and honor obligations.

This ideal result was Ling Yuling’s deepest wish, though she deemed it near unattainable—a slim shot. But to Ling Yuxian, that second path seemed probable, given her grasp of Gu Changge’s real aim: treading a path of thorns and mire to a dead end.

For Gu Changge, the Xiyuan civilization served as mere backdrop to his journey, or a obligatory stopover.

“Signing the covenant poses no issue at all.”

“Miss Yuling’s care for every soul runs so deep, so precise and considerate. It’s a shame you haven’t aligned with our Fentian Alliance.”

Gu Changge shook his head lightly with amusement, then stepped toward the descending celestial drape. A casual flick of his palm summoned a quill forged from laws and order.

“To draw such regard from young master Gu leaves Yuling deeply honored. Should opportunity arise later, I’ll weigh the prospect.”

Ling Yuling curved her lips in a gentle smile, her bearing poised and steady, though her eyes locked on the quill-wielding hand. She sensed Gu Changge spoke in earnest—he truly meant to seal the Xiyuan Covenant, harboring no hidden schemes.

Maybe she’d overguarded all this while, nursing excess distrust and bias against Gu Changge. Still, enigmas clung to him thickly. The Jing clan’s current elder, Jing Tianyuan, had transformed utterly.

Quite possibly, the immortal tainted by shadowy sources now dominated his form.

That tainted immortal now bowed to Gu Changge as lord. His origins clearly ran profound. Yet Gu Changge freed her from that shadowy void and eased the dark source crisis.

Logically, Gu Changge merited her thanks and had aided Yu Xian Palace greatly. Strangely, gratitude eluded her toward him.

Still, a signed Xiyuan Covenant could affirm Gu Changge bore no malice for the Xiyuan civilization.

Thus, the Xiyuan civilization’s Dao lineages might enjoy respite for a spell.

“Affairs seldom divide neatly into light and shadow. Judging souls by virtue or vice alone misses the mark. I’ve fixated too much on this.”

With such reflections, Ling Yuling let out a quiet sigh, her sentiments a mix of intricacy and quiet remorse.

“In that light, I’ll await the moment Miss Yuling chooses.”

Gu Changge responded with a faint smile, straightening his cuff with one hand while lifting his arm to etch the covenant onto the glowing drape before him. Across the immense drape overhead, signatures from countless Dao sects already marked it, birthing Great Dao auras. Rune after rune of the Great Dao shimmered and wove, unleashing a fearsome, crushing presence.

Each instant summoned visions of star oceans crumbling, universes shattering, and primal chaos birthing, wielding limitless, colossal might.

Affixing one’s name there invited endless karma and heaven’s vast force. Violating the pact invited unthinkable doom. Not even ancestral Dao realm power could weather such fallout.

Within the chamber, envoys from sects like Guangming Temple, Tathagata’s Buddha Kingdom, Ling Shen Cavern, and Yu Xian Palace fixed their stares on Gu Changge’s moves.

The Xiyuan Holy Maiden’s lovely gaze clung to Gu Changge, probing each nuance in his face.

Yu Xian Palace’s Elder Qian Yun gripped her slim hand beneath her robe until knuckles blanched. Perspiration beaded her brow, matting strands of hair.

Yet then, nearly all eyes riveted on Gu Changge as he inscribed upon the drape with his quill. Her tension went unseen.

That instant, shock and awe rippled through many. None had foreseen the Xiyuan Covenant’s signing unfolding so seamlessly, free of snags.

“How can it proceed this effortlessly…”

“This defies expectation.”

The Shouyang Tianzong sect master knitted his brows, his gaze wavering between doubt and incredulity, astonishment plain to see.

Beyond the chamber, myriad beings and cultivators strained to behold this pivotal scene, as if etching a historic milestone into memory.

Then, endless stares from across Zhongmiao Mountain converged on the drama inside the hall.

“Maybe we truly erred in appraising the Fentian Alliance’s chief…”

“Such vast tolerance and vision must be why he commands so many mighty allies.”

Plenty of clan heads whispered thus, their gazes brimming with respect. En route here, they’d steeled for war, but who dreamed the Fentian Alliance leader would prove so steady and open-hearted?

Despite the Xiyuan Covenant’s terms disadvantaging the Fentian Alliance, he endorsed it without pause.

This daring and generosity won universal acclaim.

As for the Fentian Alliance members, they showed