I Am the Fated Villain

Chapter 1754. The Nine Prohibitions of Jutian, Wanting to Meet an Old Friend

“Senior, you’ve finally awakened…”

Lan Xin and the others were all taken aback, and then their faces lit up with joy. At this moment, the Mad Old Woman had actually regained consciousness—didn’t that mean they now had a way to restore their cultivation?

Gu Xian’er also gradually came back to her senses from the clear and empty state of her spiritual platform, her eyes full of delight. She felt that she was now only lacking a single opportunity to condense her Dao seed and break through to the Dao Realm in one fell swoop.

The process had been astonishingly smooth, giving her the sense that it was almost natural, as if it were bound to succeed.

“When your cultivation is restored, it won’t take long before you can push open the gates of the Dao Realm and step into another world.” The Mad Old Woman’s lips curved in a faint smile as she spoke, her gaze calm and gentle.

Though her hair was messy and wild, her face full of wrinkles and age spots, her demeanor still carried an extraordinary beauty, allowing one to catch a glimpse of her former glory in youth.

Time does not conquer a beautiful bone; the ancients were not wrong.

“Senior…”

Coming back to herself, Gu Xian’er looked at the Mad Old Woman with deep gratitude.

“Greetings, Senior.”

The elders of the Xieyue Sect all bowed respectfully to the Mad Old Woman. If she hadn’t intervened, they would likely have perished along with the sect. The thought that they had once considered expelling her from Xieyue Sect now filled them with remorse.

The Mad Old Woman paid no attention to the sect members. Her gaze fell on the white-robed woman behind Gu Xian’er. After a moment’s consideration, she shook her head.

“My current state is not good; I cannot remain fully conscious. You need not panic. After you fled Xieyue Sect, I withdrew your cultivation so that the dark beings could not trace you through causal imprints.”

As she explained, she waved her robe, and streams of brilliant divine light flew from her sleeves and descended onto everyone present like a refreshing rain over parched earth.

“Our cultivation… is restored…”

“This is incredible.”

The elders of Xieyue Sect were astonished, then their faces lit up with joy. During the time they had lost their cultivation, they had been almost no different from mortals. Fortunately, they had not encountered any danger along the way, or they would have been helpless.

“What a powerful and bizarre technique… to withdraw cultivation yet even bind the causal connections themselves.”

A refined middle-aged man who had been following Song Yu frowned deeply. As a Dao Realm practitioner himself, he could not resist this method. If the Mad Old Woman hadn’t explained it, he might never have known why his cultivation had vanished. This filled him with caution.

No wonder, back at Xieyue Sect, the Mad Old Woman could contend with dark matter on equal terms.

Witnessing this, Song Yu’s excitement was barely contained; his eyes burned with intensity. From numerous records he had studied, he knew well that this was the unthinkable method of the Jutian Sect, said to be capable of binding even Heaven and Earth—so naturally, cultivation was no exception. Now he was convinced that the Mad Old Woman was the last surviving disciple of the Jutian Sect.

“Your origin is rather special. I was unable to withdraw your cultivation. It seems there are many secrets within you.”

The Mad Old Woman looked at the white-robed woman with a scrutinizing gaze, as if trying to guess her past.

Hearing this, Gu Xian’er and the others were stunned and glanced at the white-robed woman. So her cultivation had not actually vanished during this period?

The white-robed woman remained calm, shaking her head. “I am merely someone who has lost my memory. Fellow Daoists need not concern themselves with my origin.”

The Mad Old Woman nodded and said no more. If the white-robed woman had impure intentions, she would not have accompanied Gu Xian’er all this way.

“I saw a reflection of my former self in you, and indeed, you did not disappoint me.”

“To cast off the past and strengthen one’s Dao heart is something all must experience on the Dao path. You need not be lost or confused.”

The Mad Old Woman then turned to Gu Xian’er, her gaze gentle—a look of appreciation from a senior to a promising junior.

“You overpraise me, Senior.”

Gu Xian’er was both startled and humbled. She had never interacted much with this senior, and their encounters at Xieyue Sect had been few. Initially, the Mad Old Woman had saved her from a primordial beast and brought her to Xieyue Sect. Beyond that, they had little interaction. Later, she had relied on the Mad Old Woman’s influence to gradually secure her position within the sect.

Especially now, when Xieyue Sect faced calamity, if not for the Mad Old Woman’s intervention, they would likely have perished. She truly owed this senior a great debt.

“My time of consciousness is limited. The Jutian method itself is a heterodox and forbidden technique, not recognized by Heaven, and prone to attract boundless causal retribution. Yet you are different… Even I cannot see clearly your past or future. Behind you…”

She shook her head, hesitant to continue, then suddenly extended her gnarled, branch-like hand and grasped Gu Xian’er’s arm.

With a flick of her robe, a blurred spatial passage appeared. She stepped in boldly. Surprised, Gu Xian’er had no time to react before she and the Mad Old Woman vanished into it.

The members of Xieyue Sect were all astonished. Some guessed the Mad Old Woman’s intent: was she intending to pass on her techniques to Gu Xian’er? After all, “the Dao does not pass to six ears,” so this was reasonable.

But the Jutian method? They had never even heard of it, yet its name alone conveyed a sense of heterodox and forbidden power. Who would dare claim such a title? Aside from the Fatians Alliance leader, anyone dealing with “Heaven” in name or deed would act with utmost caution, fearing retribution.

“Damn it…”

Song Yu’s face darkened, jealousy and envy unmasked, his fists clenched beneath his robe, veins bulging. After hiding his identity for so many years in Xieyue Sect, what had he done it for? Wasn’t it all for the inheritance of the Jutian Sect? And now Gu Xian’er has obtained it so effortlessly. How could he accept this?

“Young Master… do not let your heart falter. The inheritance of the Jutian Sect is to be approached gradually, not seized in a single moment.”

At this critical moment, the middle-aged man, Elder Lan, sent a mental message, urging Song Yu to steady himself.

Song Yu continued to stare in the direction where Gu Xian’er disappeared, unwilling to yield. Gu Xian’er hailed from the Fatians Alliance, and, according to Elder Lan, she had an extremely terrifying presence behind her. If the Jutian Sect’s inheritance had fallen to her, what chance did he have of claiming it? Could he even seize it by force?

From the moment Gu Xian’er was taken by the Mad Old Woman and returned, less than half an hour had passed. No one knew what had occurred in that brief interval. Upon her return, Gu Xian’er appeared dazed, as if still immersed in that experience.

The Mad Old Woman did not force her to join the Jutian Sect; she left the choice to Gu Xian’er. The sect’s inheritance was immensely powerful, but the price was also clear from the Mad Old Woman’s own example.

Gu Xian’er did not hesitate. She agreed to inherit the Jutian Sect’s legacy. She was not indecisive; she desired power, and when such a path was laid before her, she would not turn away.

The Mad Old Woman appreciated her decisiveness. Hesitation and timidity sometimes accomplish nothing.

Then the Mad Old Woman began to pass on the Jutian Sect’s inheritance. Many aspects were peripheral; the core was the Nine Prohibitions of Jutian.

As the name suggested, there were nine techniques, each corresponding to a prohibition. Only after reaching the Dao Realm and surviving a first Heavenly Decline tribulation could one perform the first prohibition. Each subsequent prohibition required at least one tribulation to be crossed. To perform the ninth prohibition, one must endure nine tribulations and touch the Realm of Endings.

Gu Xian’er had never heard of such a demanding cultivation technique. If one lacked innate talent or fortune, even learning the Nine Prohibitions without reaching the Dao Realm would render one incapable of performing them.

After teaching her, the Mad Old Woman warned: this method was extraordinarily violent. Once performed, there was no turning back. Do not attempt it before reaching the required level, lest failure bring boundless backlash. She did not elaborate on the consequences, but her solemn expression conveyed the gravity.

The Nine Prohibitions were a forbidden art, to be used only when necessary.

After finishing, the Mad Old Woman returned Gu Xian’er to her place and departed.

“Where do we go from here? Even though the Dark Beings have reached a peace agreement with the Zhengyi Alliance, that doesn’t mean they won’t strike at ordinary beings. Everywhere remains perilous.”

A Xieyue elder sighed, pulling Gu Xian’er back from her reverie. She furrowed her brows, contemplating their current situation.

The remaining Xieyue members also began to consider their next steps. Though some sparks of the sect had survived, Xieyue Sect was effectively destroyed. Returning to its ruins was hardly an option.

All fell silent.

At that moment, Song Yu seemed to have a thought. He took several steps forward, his expression grave. “Do any of you know of Jiutian?”

This caused a stir among the elders. Those who understood immediately turned pale with astonishment.

Gu Xian’er was also slightly surprised. She had known of Jiutian since the Dao Chang True Realm. In the past, when external enemies attacked, Dao Realm beings from Jiutian had even come to assist. Across various universes, Jiutian was known as the origin of the immortals—the birthplace of immortal Dao.

“Do you mean we should go to Jiutian?”

“But Jiutian has always been elusive and mysterious. Even those with extraordinary cultivation might not find the path without a guide…”

“If we could reach Jiutian, that would be perfect. I’ve heard it is beyond worldly disputes, unaffected even by great tribulation.”

Several elders of Xieyue Sect looked at Song Yu with eager anticipation.

Song Yu did not hide anything. “When I was young, I once mistakenly entered a temporal rift, where I was saved by an old turtle. It carried me through a vast cosmic river and deposited me on a boundless continent. I lived there for many years. Returning is difficult now, but not impossible.”

Although he did not explicitly name the continent as Jiutian, everyone present understood. None had heard of Song Yu’s fortune and past so clearly.

“If Song Yu can find a path to Jiutian, that would indeed be wonderful…” an elder said with joy, and the others nodded, visibly longing.

Gu Xian’er watched calmly. She did not fully trust Song Yu, but if he claimed this, he likely knew the path.

From the current situation, even if she persuaded everyone to join the Fatians Alliance, it would probably be futile. Though the alliance had sent powerful forces to fight the Dark Beings, it was notorious for its foul reputation, comparable to the Zhengyi Alliance at best. Xieyue members would not follow it unless they had no choice.

“Lan Xin, I want to go to the Fatians Alliance. Will you come with me?” Gu Xian’er asked softly.

She had fought alongside Xieyue Sect until the end; what the others chose next was no longer her concern. Her only care now was Lan Xin, who had always looked after her.

“What? Xian’er, you want to go to the Fatians Alliance?”

Lan Xin was stunned, thinking she must have misheard.

Gu Xian’er nodded.

The Xieyue Sect members were also surprised, wondering why she would say this now.

“Xian’er, why go to the Fatians Alliance? Wouldn’t it be better to join us in finding a path to Jiutian?” an elder advised.

“Yes, Xian’er. Why suddenly wish to go to the Fatians Alliance? Is it because of the Mad Old Woman?” Lan Xin asked, confused.

Gu Xian’er shook her head. “No. I simply want to meet an old friend.”

“His aura seems completely gone… It’s a pity that he is not in a conscious state.”

Meanwhile, in the boundless Gobi Desert, an ancient city lay in ruins. A slender figure in azure robes stood atop the wall, hands behind his back, expression indifferent, murmuring quietly.