Villain: Manipulating the Heroines into hating the Protagonist Chapter 946: Another Region - The Myriad Reefs Sea Domain

The experience of utilizing a Continental-Grade Teleportation Array bore no resemblance to the seamless travel of smaller formations. It was a brutal, physical assault on the senses, feeling as though one were being devoured by a gargantuan beast composed of radiant light. The stone floor of the hidden mine vanished the moment the array ignited. Gravity failed. The stagnant cave air was replaced by a void that drained the lungs, followed by an immense pressure that felt like a mountain range being compressed and draped across their forms.

They moved through a spatial corridor—a turbulent, mesmerizing tunnel of warped reality. Its boundaries were formed not by solid matter, but by blurring streaks of starlight and void energy moving at impossible velocities. Indescribable colors spiraled in a dizzying display. A thunderous, vibrating roar echoed throughout, shaking their skeletons and threatening the stability of their Dantians.

Standing at the perimeter of the group, Ye Fan kept his stance wide on the translucent, vibrating energy floor. His expression, caught in the flickering light of void sparks, was one of pure rage. He gripped his massive black sword so tightly his knuckles turned white. His gaze was fixed on Wang Jian, eyes glowing with a golden radiance that seemed to challenge the surrounding darkness.

“You trailed me!” Ye Fan bellowed, his voice sounding thin and metallic within the tunnel's strange acoustics. “You exploited me! You waited for me to fix the array and drain my own wealth, only to seize my path of retreat! Is this how a righteous disciple of the Mystic Peak Sect behaves?!”

Wang Jian remained composed at the center of his entourage, holding Yue Lingshan firmly by the waist to steady her against the vibrations. He met the protagonist's gaze with a look of feigned, wounded innocence.

“Brother Ye, your accusations are painful,” Wang Jian answered, his voice bolstered by Qi so it could be heard over the tunnel’s din. “We are merely fellow travelers fleeing a lost cause. The Demonic Sects have swarmed the land. Seeing a righteous brother struggling alone in a perilous mine, we arrived to... provide aid. We simply chose not to disturb your impressive work until its completion. There is no need to be selfish with this path, Brother Ye. The array is spacious enough for everyone.”

“Aid?!” Ye Fan spat, his golden aura surging as he fought to stay upright during a violent tremor. “You ambushed me with an entire host!”

He scanned the crowd surrounding Wang Jian. With the stunning women and the frightened servants, it didn't look like a group of refugees; it looked like a sovereign's procession.

Suddenly, the corridor lurched. A bolt of void lightning struck the energy barrier nearby, sending a ripple through the stream.

“The coordinates are antiquated!” Yue Lingshan shouted, her face turning ashen as she deciphered the glowing runes rushing past. She clung to Wang Jian’s robes. “The anchor point is failing! The spatial instability is peaking!”

The atmospheric weight intensified, pressing against their chests. While the Foundation Establishment cultivators found it manageable, the five married maids—Li Mei and her sisters—were only at the Qi Condensation stage. For them, it was agony. They collapsed, gasping for air as blood seeped from their noses, their bodies unable to withstand the spatial friction.

“Master...” Li Mei managed to wheeze, her complexion turning blue.

Wang Jian’s gaze turned cold. He could not afford to lose his support staff. He looked toward Mu Lianhua, who stood nearby, her garments whipping in the void gales.

“Elder Mu,” Wang Jian commanded with sharp authority. “Shield the weak. Expand your aura. Do not allow them to be crushed.”

“As you wish, Deacon Wang,” Mu Lianhua replied without delay.

She moved forward with a fluid motion. Her Core Formation aura, as vast as an abyss, surged outward. It served as a sanctuary rather than a weapon. A shimmering, azure sphere of spiritual energy enveloped the group, protecting the maids, the Shadow Flowers, Yue Lingshan, and Chen Ying.

The crushing weight vanished instantly within the barrier. The maids breathed deeply, looking at Mu Lianhua with profound reverence.

Watching from a short distance, Ye Fan’s mouth hung open. He stared at Mu Lianhua in total disbelief. ‘A Core Formation expert...’ he thought, his mind spinning. ‘She is a true powerhouse of the Core Formation realm. Her foundation is terrifyingly deep. But why? Why does she follow his lead?’

He shifted his gaze to Wang Jian. Wang Jian was merely at the Foundation Establishment stage. He was gifted, certainly, but still a junior compared to the woman in purple. Yet, he had issued a direct order—not a request—and she had complied instantly. There was no pride in her demeanor toward him, only a respectful, almost subordinate devotion.

‘Who exactly is this Wang Jian?’ Ye Fan wondered, a cold shiver tracing his spine. ‘Is he a hidden Young Master from a Holy Land? Does he have some hold over her? This relationship is completely backward.’

This realization only heightened Ye Fan’s caution. He tightened his hold on his blade, moving toward the very edge of the energy stream to create distance.

The tunnel rocked once more, more violently than before. The boundaries began to fray, offering terrifying glimpses of the world outside—void tempests, swirling clouds of annihilation, and stars that looked like unblinking eyes. Bai Xue whimpered, covering her eyes in terror.

Wang Jian remained unfazed. He watched the chaos with the calm of a spectator. He felt no fear at all.

‘I am standing beside the Son of Luck,’ Wang Jian mused, glancing at Ye Fan. ‘A protagonist never perishes in a transit accident. His plot armor is the ultimate defense. By staying close to him, our safety is guaranteed. It may be a rough landing, but we will arrive.’

He looked down at Yue Lingshan, who was leaning into him. “Do not fear, Lingshan,” he murmured, brushing her hair. “We are safe. Have faith in me.”

He signaled to Chen Ying and Liu Ruyan, who were guarding the perimeter of the shield. They nodded back, finding resolve in his absolute confidence.

The dark tunnel suddenly began to glow. A brilliant, sapphire light emerged at the end, expanding rapidly. The scent of the air shifted from the metallic ozone of the void to a heavy, humid saltiness. It smelled of the deep sea.

“Brace yourselves!” Wang Jian yelled.

The exit rushed toward them.

BOOM!

They were hurled from the void like projectiles. The group appeared in the sky, fifty feet above the earth. Gravity returned with a vengeance. They began plummeting toward a white stone surface below.

“Elder Mu!” Wang Jian barked.

Mu Lianhua acted immediately, thrusting her palms downward. A cushion of azure wind Qi erupted, catching the group like a massive, soft hand. Their fall was arrested, turning a deadly drop into a graceful descent. They landed gently upon the cracked tiles of an ancient, ruined square.

Ye Fan did not seek help. He flipped mid-air, golden flames erupting from his feet to stabilize him. He landed perfectly a hundred yards away, dropping into a low stance with his sword ready, ensuring a wide gap between himself and Wang Jian’s party.

Silence took hold, save for the sound of crashing waves and distant birds. They were on a lonely, desolate island. The plaza was ancient, its stones smoothed by centuries of erosion. In every direction, there was only water.

An infinite, impossible sea.

The sky was a deep, vivid sapphire, vast and clear. The sun was intense. The air felt thick and salty, saturated with a Water Attribute Qi that was far more turbulent than anything found in the State of Yue.

“We... we actually made it,” Yue Lingshan whispered, staring at the endless horizon.

Ye Fan stood alone at the edge of the ruins. He looked from Wang Jian to Mu Lianhua, his face a mask of fury and calculation. He knew his position was precarious. A manipulative leader backed by a loyal Core Formation expert was a lethal combination. If they chose to eliminate him now, he would struggle to survive.

He said nothing. Without a word of greeting, he reached into his robes and crushed a jade talisman. It shattered with a crystalline ring, releasing silver spatial energy that distorted the air around him.

“Lesser Void-Shifting Talisman.”

Wang Jian’s eyes sharpened. That was a rare treasure worth a fortune in spirit stones, capable of instant, long-distance teleportation that ignored most seals. Wang Jian could have signaled Mu Lianhua to intervene; she was fast enough to stop the activation.

Instead, Wang Jian raised a hand, telling his followers to stay back.

‘No,’ he thought. ‘Let him flee. Constantly hounding the Son of Luck is a dangerous game. Eventually, his destiny will strike back. Besides, he has fulfilled his role. He got us out of the war. If I corner him now, he might use a final trump card that kills us all.’

“We shall meet again, Wang Jian!” Ye Fan cried out, his voice a promise of vengeance. His form began to blur into a streak of silver.

“I look forward to it, Brother Ye!” Wang Jian replied with a cheerful wave.

ZAP.

Ye Fan was gone, teleported to some random location a thousand miles away in this new realm.

The group was now alone on the island.

Mu Lianhua approached Wang Jian, her aura receding. “Master,” she whispered, ensuring Yue Lingshan was distracted as she dropped her act. “Should I have intercepted him? He clearly bears a grudge.”

“No,” Wang Jian said softly. “He has served his purpose. Let him go. A man like him creates chaos wherever he lands. He will provoke the local powers and uncover the ancient ruins for us. We will encounter him again when it suits us. For now, he is just a leaf in the wind.”

He turned to the others. “Status report.”

Yue Lingshan was observing a spinning compass artifact. “The spiritual energy here is strange,” she noted, fascinated. “In Yue, the Qi is anchored to the earth. Here, it is wild and flows like a tide. Water Qi is everywhere, mixed with a violent Wind attribute. It is... primitive.”

Chen Ying stood at the edge of the plaza, watching the waves. “Where are we?” she asked, her voice reflecting her unease. “This isn't Qin or Yue. There is no such ocean near the Great Land.”

“The Unknown,” Mu Lianhua said quietly. “I’ve seen mentions in the archives... tales of a Great Sea beyond the Desolation where the world is broken into fragments. I never believed it was real.”

Wang Jian knew exactly where they were. He recognized the setting of the Infinite Sea and the Shattered Archipelago—a classic mid-stage location for a protagonist. However, he kept this to himself.

“We are far from anything we know,” Wang Jian said seriously. “We need intel. We are currently blind.”

Liu Ruyan, perched on a ruined column, pointed toward the horizon. “Look! A vessel! To the southeast!”

A black speck was visible on the water, growing larger as it approached.

“A ship,” Wang Jian smiled. “Perfect. The flag is unfamiliar, which means locals.” He watched the medium-sized vessel move against the wind. “That ship is our map and our library. Let’s go introduce ourselves.”

The ship was robust, built from dark Iron-Wood to resist the corrosive salt of the spiritual sea. It relied on a formation array at the rear rather than just sails. On deck, a crew of weathered cultivators moved about. Most were at the Qi Condensation stage, their skin toughened by the sun and marked with sea-beast tattoos.

The Captain, a large man with a shell-braided beard, held a bone harpoon. He was an early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, currently searching the waves for monsters, unaware of the threat approaching from above.

“Move in,” Wang Jian ordered quietly.

Mu Lianhua shielded the group with her aura. They skimmed low over the water, approaching the ship from the direction of the sun to remain hidden.

“There will be no negotiations,” Wang Jian told Chen Ying and Liu Ruyan. “Shock and awe. Take the deck. Keep the captain alive; I need his knowledge.”

“Understood,” Chen Ying replied, her eyes turning cold.

They reached the vessel. “Now!” Wang Jian signaled.

Chen Ying and Liu Ruyan dropped like stones.

THUD. THUD.

They hit the deck with a force that rattled the wood. Before the crew could react, Chen Ying moved. Her sword, ‘Winter’s Sorrow’, left its scabbard in a blur. She didn't kill, but her speed was so great that her blade was at the First Mate’s throat in an instant.

“One move and he dies,” she hissed, her killing intent saturating the air.

At the same time, Liu Ruyan summoned her Blood Spirit Flame, which hovered like a small sun above her hand. The heat was blistering. She incinerated a nearby pile of rope to show her strength.

“Stay still!” she commanded.

The crew froze, terrified by the two powerful women who had appeared from nowhere.

“Pirates?!” the Captain bellowed, turning with his harpoon. “On my deck? You're looking for a grave!”

He began to surge forward, but then Mu Lianhua descended. She hovered above the deck, her purple robes flowing. She looked down at the Captain as if he were an insect.

She released a mere fraction of her strength.

BOOM.

The weight of a Peak Core Formation expert’s pressure slammed into the ship. The hull groaned. The crew was flattened against the deck, unable to even breathe.

The Captain felt as though a mountain had crushed him. His knees cracked against the wood, and he coughed up blood as his weapon fell away.

“Senior!” he gasped in terror. “Mercy! We yield!”

Wang Jian stepped onto the deck, standing before the kneeling man. He looked perfectly composed.

“We aren't pirates,” Wang Jian said smoothly, leaning down to meet the Captain's eyes. “We are just... travelers who have lost our way. We only need directions.”

The Captain shook. “Directions? Ask anything, Senior! I will tell you everything!”

“I don't trust words,” Wang Jian stated coldly. “People lie. Memories do not.”

He placed a hand on the Captain’s brow. “I’m taking your memories. Do not fight me, or your mind will be destroyed. Cooperate, and you’ll only have a headache.”

The Captain whimpered but stayed still. Wang Jian used a Soul-Searching Technique from the Crimson Pill Sect’s restricted collection, plunging his consciousness into the man’s mind.

Images and sensations flooded in. The roar of the ocean. The bite of the salt.

Data gathered...

Region: The Myriad Reefs Sea Domain.

Geography: A vast ocean devoid of a central continent. It consists of endless islands and reefs.

Power Structure: Governed by Island Lords. Nascent Soul cultivators rule the Tier 1 islands, while Core Formation experts lead the smaller ones.

Threats: Sea beasts and Beast Tides are constant. Rogue waves. Rising ruins. Pirate groups like the ‘Black Shark Alliance’.

Current Location: The Outer Ring. A desolate stretch of water.