Turns Out, I’m In A Villain Clan! Chapter 433 A Crippled Dragon Stands Before the Throne

As soon as the name rang out, an odd and burdensome hush enveloped the Grand Ceremonial Hall.

Innumerable stares focused instantly on Bai Zihan.

Certain glances blazed with awe. Some held undisguised sympathy.

A handful brimmed with barely concealed revulsion. But hidden underneath—lurking in the profoundest depths—lay terror.

Though all knew Bai Zihan was now crippled, that single truth couldn't wipe away the scenes etched deep in their minds.

The battlefield.

The downpour of blood.

The serene, nearly detached look while foes fell one by one under his blade.

Numerous attendees had beheld it with their own eyes.

Some had merely caught wind through tales.

Yet be it witnessed firsthand or relayed secondhand, the impact remained the same.

A wound had been etched upon their souls.

Individuals who once thought they might rival Bai Zihan—those who had quietly gauged themselves against him—had long forsaken such notions.

The recollection of Bai Zihan mowing down adversaries they couldn't even confront still burned bright.

Crippled or otherwise—

That dread wouldn't fade in a single night.

Besides, following the Immortal Realm masters and the heads of various

groups, it was Bai Zihan who received honors ahead of numerous Great Ascension Realm elders.

Based purely on achievements, the pinnacle figures ought to have been Immortal Realm experts, trailed by Great Ascension Realm titans.

Nevertheless—

Bai Zihan was summoned immediately after them.

Positioned highest among the rest.

A few couldn't help but remember the clashes.

The dire instants when even Great Ascension Realm experts had been compelled to retreat.

The pivotal shifts—repeatedly—where the tide turned due to a solitary figure.

Bai Zihan!

He had alone felled hundreds of Grade-9 Demonic Beasts—outstripping all others—and even dispatched several Great Ascension Realm Demonic Cultivators.

Viewing it in that light...

No soul could dispute it.

Irrespective of his cultivation level.

Bai Zihan had delivered more than any other beneath the Immortal Realm.

He merited this spot.

Bai Zihan remained poised amid the scrutiny upon him.

Next, without delay, he advanced.

His stride stayed even and assured.

Every footfall resounded distinctly in the expansive chamber, as though pounding against the chests of onlookers.

He didn't bow his head nor lift it on purpose—his bearing was innate and serene, devoid of either meekness or haughtiness.

Precisely this poise disturbed folks the deepest.

Upon halting before the imperial throne, the Emperor regarded him squarely.

For an instant, quietude prevailed.

Bai Zihan appraised the Emperor, unmindful if it bordered on impropriety.

The Emperor mirrored the action.

He eyed Bai Zihan like one scrutinizing—or maybe evaluating—him.

Afterward—

An uncommon grin surfaced on the Emperor's countenance.

"Bai Zihan," the Emperor uttered deliberately, his voice laced with evident commendation, "you felled several Demonic Beasts from Grade-10 to Grade-8, and dispatched several Great Ascension Realm and Void Refinement Demonic Cultivators. Truly, a dragon among men!"

"To rack up such feats at your age," the Emperor went on, "is unprecedented in the annals of the Desolate Heaven Empire."

His stare intensified a touch.

"Even in bygone eras, no one measured up."

Laudation.

Frank and unmasked.

Straight from the Emperor's lips.

Suddenly, the Emperor veered the subject.

"However," he stated evenly, "I have caught wind of certain rumors. I cannot say if

they hold truth."

The chamber tensed.

Plenty instinctively caught their breaths.

"The rumors," the Emperor pressed on, his gaze locked on Bai Zihan, "claim that you

are crippled?"

Astonishment rippled over myriad expressions.

Not due to the subject matter—

But since solely the Emperor would venture to pose such a delicate query so

boldly.

Though it was the Emperor, Bai Zihan hailed from the Bai Clan, and slighting the

Bai Clan ill-served the Imperial Family.

Were it another soul, Bai Tianheng would have shredded them before the phrase fully escaped.

Still, that didn't imply Bai Tianheng and kin weren't seething.

They merely bided their time to grasp the Emperor's intent in broaching it.

Every gaze shifted to Bai Zihan.

Bai Zihan held off reacting at first.

Soon, he responded steadily.

"That's what the doctors declared," he answered. "That I can no longer cultivate"

No flourishes.

No rebuttal.

A direct confession.

The chamber buzzed.

The Emperor fixed on him a beat more, then gradually shook his head.

"What a shame," the Emperor remarked, his voice tinged with sincere sorrow. "Had it not been for

this... you could have claimed the ultimate summit of this realm!"

Ere others could respond—

Bai Zihan interjected once more.

"That's for sure!"

The declaration was brazen. Assured—maybe overbold.

Still—

None could challenge it.

Not one in the chamber. For it rang true.

All they managed was a peculiar easing.

Easing that a beast like that had been hobbled.

The Emperor halted—then chuckled lightly.

"Haha, excellent!" he declared. "At least your spirit endures!"

The Emperor's mirth ebbed, and the chamber eased back into hush.

Next, his face grew grave.

"If it pleases you," the Emperor intoned measuredly, his look unwavering, "would you recount to this Emperor the circumstances?"

The query was composed.

Yet its gravity loomed large.

All gazes pivoted to Bai Zihan anew.

Bai Zihan showed no pause this round as well.

He succinctly described the assault on the Bai Clan's manor and the abduction of his maid.

He noted that word reached him only post the conflict with the Demonic Forces.

The chamber murmured.

He added that he'd pursued the Demonic Cultivators and clashed with Mo

Zun.

"That's how it transpired!"

At last, the assembly grasped Bai Zihan's crippling.

It stemmed not from inner strife.

Nor from illness, as throngs had presumed.

It arose from his bid to rescue his attendant maid.

Many felt their cores clench.

Some inwardly sighed.

Far too rash and headstrong.

To hunt down Mo Zun outright—even if Bai Zihan had been a prodigy supreme—such a choice teetered on insanity.

A smattering couldn't resist deeming it fitting.

However—

Others sensed otherwise.

Esteem and Reverence.

For Bai Zihan hadn't chased fame.

He'd acted for one in his charge.

To confront the Demonic Cultivators' chief head-on, risks be damned—

Such determination was scarce.

And throngs quietly noted another truth.

Considering Mo Zun's stature—

His prowess and arts—

That Bai Zihan endured at all...

Ending up crippled could well be the finest fate.

For any other—

No remains would linger.

The Emperor lingered mute for an extended spell.

Then his visage turned austere.

"Your Bai Clan," he voiced deliberately, "has borne heavy losses."

His timbre bore a heft that weighed upon the chamber.

"Our Empire stands secure thanks to champions like you."

A subtle murderous aura threaded his speech.

"Be at ease," the Emperor affirmed resolutely, "this affair concludes not here."

"The Demonic Cultivators shall atone for their deeds!"

The chamber held still.

"In any case, the hour arrives to honor your labors!"

With a flick of his wrist, palace servants advanced.

Valuables emerged successively, each radiating a subtle yet deep essence.

Weapons.

Defensive relics.

Scarce spirit ores.

But one piece seized all focus.

A jade case drifted ahead.

As it parted, a pristine, vital scent wafted across the chamber.

"A Top Grade-7 Healing Pill," the Emperor announced.

Gasps resounded.

Top Grade-7!

It proved exceedingly scarce and invaluable in the Desolate Heaven Empire. Solely the Pill King—the premier refiner of the Desolate Heaven Empire—could forge such

a treasure.

The Emperor's demeanor eased a fraction.

"Damage like shattered meridians defies cure by a Grade-7 pill," he admitted plainly.

"Yet this can preserve your life in dire straits."

Bai Zihan took the jade case, his face unaltered.

"This junior thanks the Emperor," he stated evenly.

Bai Zihan had scarcely pivoted to retreat—

"Wait!"

The Emperor called out.

The Emperor lifted his palm, his eyes pinned on Bai Zihan afresh.

Unlike prior, a trace of profound depth now gleamed in his gaze—

scheming blended with purpose.

"This Emperor holds one more thing," he pronounced gradually, "that I desire to grant

you."

The chamber rippled once more.

Additional?

Post a Top Grade-7 Healing Pill?

Even the Bai Clan elders creased their brows faintly, puzzled by the direction.

Then the Emperor pronounced a title.

"Yu Feiyan!"

Instant the name dropped, the air subtly altered.

From the hall's flank, footfalls neared—soft, lithe, nigh silent.

A maiden emerged.

She donned modest court attire, refined yet unostentatious. Her form was lithe, her motions smooth, each pace impeccably gauged.

Her features were lovely—indisputably—but not the bold, striking allure that struck like lightning.

Rather, the sort that deepened in charm with prolonged regard.

Eyes akin to autumn streams.

Lips arched softly, neither grin nor chill.

Yet upon her entrance, myriad cultivators sensed an odd unease.

As though an element of her rang false.

In that blink—

A sheer veil suddenly materialized before Bai Zihan's sight.

His eyes constricted.

[Heaven Chosen Detected!]