Turns Out, I’m In A Villain Clan! Chapter 518 Western Region Targets

After speaking his final words, Chong Sheng went quiet.

However, his face showed no sign of relaxation.

On the contrary, it turned even more intricate.

His eyebrows creased faintly, as though dredging up a memory he'd prefer to forget.

"...Annihilation Tribulation..."

He whispered to himself.

That phrase held immense gravity.

No one tossed it around casually.

Few people ever faced it.

His gaze dulled a touch.

For a split second, he no longer focused on Bai Zihan.

Instead, he stared off into the void, submerged in recollections.

Even during his prior life, he'd witnessed such a tribulation merely once, and the memory alone sent shivers down his spine.

An Earth Immortal existed whose pride surpassed all others, backed by genuine power.

Chong Sheng himself admitted that this one's talent lagged only a bit behind his own, respecting his might, particularly his body.

Though not common knowledge, rumors claimed he carried Xuanwu (Black Tortoise) bloodline, rendering him nearly impossible to slay.

This trait led most to steer clear rather than clash, inflating his arrogance further.

Yet when the Annihilation Tribulation struck, he stood no chance.

It served no trial.

No preparation could counter it.

It offered zero opportunity to resist.

Upon arrival, it aimed solely to destroy, rendering physiques and treasures alike worthless.

Gradually, Chong Sheng raised his eyes to meet Bai Zihan's once more.

What had gathered moments ago mirrored chillingly the event he'd seen before, above all the Seventh Strike.

Bai Zihan remained standing, absorbing tales of Heavenly Tribulations he'd never heard of.

His face stayed mostly unchanged.

Yet his eyes chilled noticeably.

(It seems like I wasn't the only one who fell victim to Heavenly Tribulation.)

He mused inwardly.

Thus, this wasn't some freak impossibility.

It had occurred previously.

Bai Zihan dropped his sight a fraction, pondering deeply.

He grasped too that Heavenly Tribulation couldn't strike at will or behave freely.

Were it able, he'd be long gone.

Certain limits bound even it.

(And also that it has a will...)

"But it's restricted."

Not all-powerful.

Not infallible.

A subtle smirk played at his mouth's edge.

(Interesting...)

Evidently, Heaven proved less impartial than folks imagined, a fact he'd suspected upon discovering Heaven's Chosen.

Bai Zihan stayed quiet briefly after that realization.

Nothing lay in his power against it.

Even grasping that Heavenly Tribulation bore a will...

Even seeing its lack of true fairness...

It altered zilch.

At minimum-

Not at present.

He'd anticipated as much since gaining those memories.

From the start-

He'd known he'd clash with Heaven eventually.

Now, confirmation arrived.

Fear didn't grip him.

Caution intensified, that's all.

With a steady breath, he shoved those notions away.

Urgent issues demanded focus first.

His gaze returned to Chong Sheng.

"Now," he stated evenly, "tell me about the Western Region."

A short lull.

Then his eyes tightened faintly.

"Specifically-whether any of their powerhouses have plans regarding the Desolate Heaven Empire."

Chong Sheng blinked once.

Then creased his brow lightly.

This query...

At least seemed more logical than the last.

Still though-

He held back his reply.

Rather, he released a measured breath.

"You're asking the wrong person."

His tone stayed firm this round.

Merely plain fact.

Bai Zihan's gaze intensified a bit.

Chong Sheng pressed on.

"When I was the Demonic Emperor..."

A subtle, mocking grin touched his lips.

"My ascent wasn't exactly... subtle."

He gave a soft snort.

His climb to Demonic Emperor stunned many, hailing from humble roots with no grand backing, unforeseen by all.

Moreover, his journey brimmed with bloodshed.

Demonic cultivators and righteous sorts alike fell to his blade as he carved his infamous path upward.

"That sort of ascent draws eyes."

He eyed Bai Zihan briefly.

Figuring Bai Zihan related, given his own parallels.

Bai Zihan stayed mute.

Chong Sheng went on.

"Virtually every faction, top powerhouses included, fixated on me."

"Scheming ways to curb me..."

"Or outright eliminate me if possible."

A quiet laugh slipped out.

"Ultimately... they pulled it off."

Chong Sheng shook his head faintly.

"As for plans targeting the Desolate Heaven Empire..."

He held Bai Zihan's stare steadily.

"I don't know."

----

"No, more precisely, none existed while I lived, but now? Who can say?"

His tone rang resolute.

"During my life, I topped their list."

"By my death, any schemes would've shifted regardless."

He breathed out deliberately.

"So on whether the Western Region eyes the Desolate Heaven Empire..."

He halted.

Then stated flatly.

"I can't say for sure. Perhaps now they do, but back then, no such plot existed as far as I knew."

Bai Zihan observed him intently for a prolonged beat.

As though scrutinizing each syllable.

Gauging honesty from lies.

Yet Chong Sheng held his ground without flinching.

This instance, truth prevailed.

Bai Zihan grew still upon hearing Chong Sheng's response.

His eyes dipped faintly, mind racing under that serene facade.

(So even he doesn't know...)

Expected, really. As stated, post-death shifts remained unknown.

Bai Zihan's gaze shadowed subtly.

(Did ambitions pivot after neutralizing their prime foe...?)

Or-

(Did they uncover something in the Desolate Heaven Empire?)

The latter notion persisted.

For it fit better.

Qin Lingxiao's arrival otherwise made no sense.

They-Western Region-absolutely eyed the Desolate Heaven Empire.

Something brewed inside.

Something massive enough to snag their focus.

And he-

Lacked knowledge of it yet.

Bai Zihan raised his sight gradually.

Fixing it once more on Chong Sheng.

"Then let's shift the question. Do you know someone called..."

A minor hesitation.

"Qin Lingxiao?"

As the name escaped-

Chong Sheng's face shifted.

Not wildly.

But noticeably. Awareness dawned, chased by deeper-

Cautious dread. "...Qin Lingxiao?"

He echoed it deliberately.

Brows knitting lightly.

Then a soft exhale.

"I know of her."

(He itched to query how Bai Zihan knew her name but recalled his place.)

Bai Zihan's eyes tightened faintly.

"Speak!"

Chong Sheng paused an instant.

Then proceeded.

"She's no ordinary figure." His tone dropped now.

Graver than prior.

"In my past life, she didn't crown the pinnacle like me... yet neared it."

"A freakish talent, especially at her age."

His stare wandered briefly.

Recalling something irksome.

"Unlike my raw power approach, she differed."

"A plotter. A mastermind!"

"Capable of swaying whole regions from the shadows."

Chong Sheng pressed forward.

"I clashed with her only once."

A beat.

"That sufficed to grasp her peril."

His eyes shadowed faintly.

That statement alone-

Conveyed much.

For one like Chong Sheng, forged in carnage and terror, such words carried weight.

Bai Zihan's mouth quirked subtly. "Interesting..."

Nearly a murmur. Then his stare pinned Chong Sheng anew.

"Tell me everything you recall about her."

Chong Sheng paused briefly after Bai Zihan's demand.

Perhaps sorting memories. Or selecting phrases with care.

Then he breathed out steadily.

"If it's Qin Lingxiao..." All levity vanished from his voice.

Pure wariness lingered. "Grasp this first."

He raised his eyes, pinning Bai Zihan.

"You don't battle her head-on conventionally."

A short break.

"Noticing her as foe means you've likely already fallen."

Bai Zihan's gaze sharpened faintly.

Chong Sheng forged ahead.

"She wields a... exceedingly rare gift."

He creased his brow subtly, discomfort evident in description.

"Innate mastery over perception."

"Fate, feelings, sense of self... She warps them all."

His tone weighed heavier.

"Deception goes beyond; she embodies your expectations."

"Innocent." "Weak."

"Trustworthy."

"Alluring."

Chong Sheng's stare deepened darkly.

"Worst of all, no mimicry-she transforms into it fully!"

Bai Zihan held silent.

He understood perfectly, having endured that horrifying power firsthand.

Chong Sheng went on.

"Yet that... pales beside her true horror."

His voice sank further.

A profound burden laced his words now-far denser than earlier.

Bai Zihan's eyes honed sharper.

Chong Sheng matched his look, face grave.

"Her power terrifies, true."

"A handler's nightmare. But such gifts... however scarce, however aberrant... Retain boundaries."

A quick lull.

Then-

"Her lineage renders her truly beyond reach."

The atmosphere thickened heavily.

Bai Zihan refrained from cutting in.

Chong Sheng exhaled deliberately, as if memory alone pressed upon him.

"The Western Region boasts myriad sects, clans, ancient legacies." "Forces wax and wane endlessly. But towering above..." "A handful endure for tens of thousands of years." His gaze shadowed.

"Beings that don't merely sway a region..." "They shape its essence."

A wry, bitter grin surfaced.

"Qin Lingxiao hails from one such."

Bai Zihan's eyes narrowed faintly.

Chong Sheng pronounced the revelation crisply.

"The Qin Clan!"