Turns Out, I’m In A Villain Clan! Chapter 651 Shadows from the Central Continent

As time passed…

Whether they were former subordinates of Yu Wenzhao or long-time supporters of Yu Feiyan, all eyes remained fixed upon Yu Qingya.

After all, the person who would truly decide their future had yet to return.

Then—

A powerful aura approached from the distance.

Several experts immediately raised their heads.

Yu Qingya's eyes brightened slightly.

A moment later, a streak of light descended from the sky.

Yu Feiyan appeared.

The moment she landed, countless gazes focused upon her.

Yu Qingya immediately stepped forward.

A trace of concern flashed through her eyes.

As one of Yu Feiyan's loyal followers, she naturally noticed the injuries.

Although Qin Lingxiao had already concealed much of the damage and changed into fresh robes, several subtle traces remained.

Her complexion was slightly pale.

Her aura was somewhat unstable.

It was clear she had experienced a fierce battle.

"Ninth Sister, what happened?"

Yu Qingya's voice was filled with concern.

Her eyes swept across Yu Feiyan's pale complexion and the faint traces of injuries she had failed to completely conceal.

Unfortunately, Qin Lingxiao merely waved her hand dismissively.

Clearly, she had no intention of discussing the matter, just as before.

"Has everything been settled?"

A faint smile appeared on Yu Qingya's face.

"Ninth Sister, rest assured."

She gestured toward the gathered forces.

"The aftermath has already been handled. The remaining forces have surrendered."

"The major factions have also expressed their willingness to cooperate."

A trace of pride could not help but enter her voice.

Qin Lingxiao followed her gaze.

Her eyes swept across the battlefield.

The surrendered forces.

The various experts.

The Earth Immortals.

The remaining supporters of Yu Wenzhao.

Everyone stood quietly.

Seeing this, Qin Lingxiao gave a slight nod.

Objectively speaking, everything had gone perfectly.

Yu Wenzhao was dead, and his faction had collapsed.

The Ninth Princess's influence had expanded tremendously.

The throne war was now entering its final stage.

Yet for some reason…

Qin Lingxiao felt no joy.

Instead, her thoughts drifted back toward the Bai Clan.

Toward that humiliating defeat.

The more she thought about it, the more agitated she became.

Fortunately, she quickly suppressed those emotions.

Now was not the time.

Her gaze shifted toward the former members of Yu Wenzhao's faction.

Many of them immediately lowered their heads.

Others revealed nervous expressions.

There was both anticipation and fear.

No one knew how Yu Feiyan intended to deal with them.

Would she purge them?

Punish them?

Or accept them?

The atmosphere instantly became tense.

Qin Lingxiao slowly stepped forward.

Her voice echoed throughout the hall.

"You all made the wrong choice."

The former supporters of Yu Wenzhao immediately felt their hearts tighten.

Qin Lingxiao continued calmly.

"You chose to stand beside Yu Wenzhao and go against me."

No one dared to respond.

However, before panic could spread, her tone suddenly changed.

"Fortunately for you, the battle for the throne is not over. The First Prince still remains."

Many people secretly released a breath of relief.

Qin Lingxiao's eyes swept across the crowd.

"I will give you an opportunity. An opportunity to make amends."

The hall instantly became quiet.

Everyone listened carefully.

"I will judge your future according to your contributions in the war against the First Prince. If you perform well..."

Qin Lingxiao paused briefly.

"Then I will not hold your previous actions against you."

The moment those words fell, many people immediately revealed expressions of joy.

They quickly bowed.

"Thank you, Your Highness!"

"This subordinate will certainly do his utmost!"

"We are willing to serve Your Highness!"

...

Voices rang out one after another.

Even the former supporters of Yu Wenzhao became visibly excited.

After all, what they feared most was retaliation.

Now that Yu Feiyan had given them a path forward, they naturally seized it immediately.

Qin Lingxiao merely nodded.

Her expression remained calm yet inwardly, her thoughts were elsewhere.

(I need to finish this quickly.)

A cold light flashed through her eyes.

The situation had already changed.

Bai Zihan might now possess information regarding the True God's legacy.

Even if he did not know everything, he knew far more than before.

Furthermore, more and more forces from the Central Glorious Continent were entering the Desolate Heaven Empire.

Every day that passed meant more competitors.

A trace of pressure appeared in Qin Lingxiao's heart.

She had come here carrying the expectations of the Qin Clan.

Failure was unacceptable.

If she returned empty-handed after all this time...

The disappointment from the clan would be immense.

(No! That could not happen.)

Her fists slowly tightened beneath her sleeves.

No matter what happened...

No matter who stood in her way…

She had to obtain the True God's legacy.

She had to succeed.

***

Meanwhile, back at the Bai Clan, Bai Zihan had already put the matter of Qin Lingxiao aside.

At least temporarily.

The moment she escaped, Bai Zihan immediately returned to fulfilling his duties as Clan Leader.

After all, regardless of how dangerous Qin Lingxiao was, there was little point dwelling on a battle that had already ended.

The more important matter was preparing for what came next.

Bai Zihan knew very clearly that the situation within the Desolate Heaven Empire was changing rapidly.

The Central Glorious Continent had already begun extending its influence into this land.

The first thing he planned to do was increase the Bai Clan's overall strength.

Fortunately, resources were not a problem.

The Mu Clan continuously supplied large quantities of pills.

Furthermore, Bai Zihan himself could already refine Grade-8 pills.

Whether it was cultivation resources, breakthrough pills, healing pills, or tempering pills, the Bai Clan possessed an advantage that countless other forces could only dream of.

As a result, Bai Zihan intended to direct even more resources toward the clan's cultivation.

He wanted the Bai Clan's strength to rise as quickly as possible.

The stronger the Bai Clan became, the better they could withstand the approaching storm.

The second matter concerned intelligence.

Bai Zihan planned to have Kong Zhanhong increase surveillance throughout the Desolate Heaven Empire.

Particularly regarding the foreigners who had recently begun appearing.

He was already keeping an eye on them, and Bai Zihan wanted to increase that surveillance even further.

Moreover, he was also instructed to investigate the Desolate Heaven Empire for anything unusual or suspicious.

Bai Zihan did not tell Kong Zhanhong about the True God's legacy because there was little benefit in doing so, even if he knew.

Furthermore, Bai Zihan himself did not know what the inheritance looked like, so he could not give Kong Zhanhong any specific instructions.

Therefore, Bai Zihan told him to focus on anything that appeared suspicious or resembled an inheritance.

All he could do was provide Kong Zhanhong with a vague direction and hope that something useful eventually surfaced.

After all, if the True God's legacy truly existed somewhere within the empire, clues would inevitably appear sooner or later.

This would inevitably increase the cost as more people are required to be recruited.

Fortunately, money is also not a problem for Bai Zihan.

Thirdly, Bai Clan experts were deployed to keep an eye on the First Prince's movements.

Now that Qin Lingxiao had defeated both Yu Qingya and Yu Wenzhao, her final target would undoubtedly be Yu Zidi.

After defeating him, she could ascend to the throne.

But Bai Zihan had no intention of allowing her to achieve that.

He had various methods of interfering, but first, it remained unknown whether she could truly defeat the First Prince in the first place.

Well, with her strength, it probably would not be too difficult.

And finally...

Bai Zihan intended to focus on improving his own strength.

In the past, his current cultivation could almost be considered invincible within the Desolate Heaven Empire.

But that was only before the arrival of the Central Glorious Continent's forces.

With Long Haotian and his two elders' arrival, it had already become clear that such forces could easily expand their presence here.

As more and more forces arrived and no longer felt the need to hide their intentions, it was certain that even more powerful individuals would appear.

Perhaps even Supreme Immortals might show up.

A trace of pressure surfaced in Bai Zihan's heart.

His current strength was no longer sufficient.

Not if he wished to stand against Heaven Chosen like Qin Lingxiao.

Not if he wished to contend with the countless powerful experts now entering the Desolate Heaven Empire.

Not if he wished to seize the True God's legacy for himself.

A faint smile appeared on Bai Zihan's face.

Fortunately, he possessed advantages that nobody else did.

His gaze landed upon the familiar items in the System Shop.

The 10× Cultivation Card!

The 100× Cultivation Card!

Previously, Bai Zihan had been reluctant to spend his points, hoping to save them for a truly desperate situation.

But now that things had come to this, he knew that unless he rapidly increased his strength, no matter what artifacts or treasures he purchased, they would only serve as temporary solutions.

If he wished to survive the coming storm...

If he wished to crush enemies like Qin Lingxiao beneath his feet…

Then he needed greater strength.

As quickly as possible.

A cold light flashed through Bai Zihan's eyes.

The era in which the Bai Clan dominated the Desolate Heaven Empire was coming to an end.

A far larger stage was beginning to reveal itself.

And Bai Zihan intended to stand at its very peak.