I Am the Fated Villain

Chapter 1756. Journey Together, the Hidden Fourth Faction

Her master had sacrificed himself to delay the pursuit of the dark being, fighting it to the death, but ultimately fell.

Over the years, she had been diligently cultivating, seeking an opportunity to kill that dark being and avenge her master.

This time, she was being pursued by Dao Xun because she had found a chance to strike at it but had overestimated her own strength.

Had it not been for the timely rescue by the members of the Xieyue Sect, she would have already perished in its jaws, joining her master in the underworld.

The members of the Xieyue Sect fell silent, deeply moved by her story.

It reminded them of their own past — had it not been for their sect leader and the ancients buying time, they too might not have survived.

Seeing the young woman named Qing Nan, they could not help but feel sympathy.

“Alas, my cultivation is too weak. I am powerless to avenge my master. Otherwise, I would have struck that dark being down with my own hands…”

The woman in the azure robe sighed, her tone full of helplessness and despair.

“Miss, if you insist on vengeance now, it would be like striking a stone with an egg — there’s no chance of success. You’d better continue to cultivate in secret, bide your time, and wait until you are stronger to seek revenge,” advised one of the elders of the Xieyue Sect.

Others nodded in agreement.

The woman’s expression was bitter and helpless, shaking her head.

“This assassination attempt has failed. Dao Xun has probably grown suspicious, and now it will likely send minions everywhere to trace my whereabouts. There may no longer be a place for me to hide in the Gou Xuan Grand Domain.”

She gazed towards the distant Gobi, filled with nostalgia and sorrow.

Far off in those mountains lay the place where she and her master once lived in seclusion.

The Xieyue Sect members hesitated for a moment, contemplating.

Qing Nan was at least a Dao Realm cultivator of considerable power. They shared the fate of wandering souls; why not take this opportunity to have her join them, adding strength and mutual support?

Yet even if they wanted her to join, Qing Nan would likely be reluctant.

Joining them would mean leaving the land she had once called home, unsure if she could ever return.

“Thank you all for saving my life. I have nothing precious to me now, only a few pieces of rare Dao sources left by my master. I offer these to you,” Qing Nan said, returning to calm from her reverie, a faint smile on her clear eyes. She handed the softly glowing Dao sources to the Xieyue Sect members as a token of gratitude.

“Miss, you cannot. These Dao sources are extraordinarily precious to you. In case of mortal danger, they are your last chance to survive,” several elders quickly refused.

Although the Dao sources were valuable, under the circumstances, they felt it inappropriate to accept them.

Moreover, it had been the mysterious white-clad figure near Gu Xian’er who had actually saved her.

Qing Nan smiled faintly. “To me, Dao sources are external possessions. I may not be here tomorrow; keeping them is of little use. It would be better to give them to you.”

Despite her words, the Xieyue Sect members still refused to accept them.

An elder then suggested that Qing Nan travel with them. Staying behind would not be safe — the surrounding cosmic domains had already fallen to the dark beings. If she truly sought revenge, it would be best not to act recklessly. Only when her cultivation grew stronger would she have a real chance.

Qing Nan fell silent, deeply conflicted, still attached to her homeland. Leaving was not easy.

The Xieyue Sect members understood her; if they were asked to abandon the land they had lived in for generations, they too would be reluctant.

But what choice was there? The flow of the era was unstoppable.

Even a single grain of sand or speck of dust under ordinary circumstances could feel like an unbearable mountain.

What could ordinary people do under such sweeping forces? What could they change?

“I will go with you,” she finally said after long hesitation, agreeing to the Xieyue Sect’s proposal.

Before leaving, she wished to see once more the mountain where she had lived with her master.

The sect members did not refuse — in fact, they thought it only natural.

Gu Xian’er felt a strange, inexplicable fondness for the woman in the azure robe. There was a pure, simple quality to her, a true cultivator’s character — grateful, selfless, indifferent to fame and gain.

Several days later, the group, now including Qing Nan, departed the area.

Along the way, they visited the mountain where Qing Nan and her master had once lived. It had already collapsed and ruined from a previous devastating battle. Qing Nan did not step foot on the shattered mountain but observed it quietly from afar before leaving.

The Qing Yun Boat transformed into a fleeting streak of light, rapidly moving through the space-time corridor.

After leaving the Gou Xuan Grand Domain, they no longer encountered pursuit from the dark beings. The journey became relatively calm.

Song Yu guided them along the route remembered from earlier, leading towards the Nine Heavens Realm.

Meanwhile, across the vast regions, the world remained turbulent, and news spread rapidly, stirring fear among various races.

Some claimed that the Fatian Alliance and the Zheng Yi Alliance were on the verge of an all-out war, with high-level leaders from both sides preparing to clash.

Others said that the Fatian Alliance’s leader had gathered many guardians of forbidden zones, amassing great power to strike directly at the Zheng Yi Alliance’s stronghold.

Fatian Alliance’s warriors had appeared in many regions; some cultivators reported seeing them in the Pusa Sacred Domain, Ancient Zang Civilization, Nanzhao Ancient Kingdom, and the Weiyang Immortal Dynasty.

No one knew what this signified. Currently, the leader of the Zheng Yi Alliance was the ruler of the Weiyang Immortal Dynasty, the Weiyang Emperor.

The Nanzhao Ancient Kingdom had also joined the Zheng Yi Alliance.

Could this be a show of force by the Fatian Alliance, pressuring the Weiyang Dynasty, the Nanzhao Kingdom, and other powers to withdraw from the Zheng Yi Alliance?

Inside the Zheng Yi Alliance, palaces stood in sequence, immense and majestic, with a vast galaxy extending across countless universes.

Various races and sects relocated to the Zheng Yi Alliance, gradually restoring life and activity.

Along the galaxy, old primordial continents and life-filled ancient planets had been transported, teeming with vitality.

At the galaxy’s center, a great cultivator had relocated an ancient World Tree, surrounded by ancestral-level energy, its enormous branches stirring cosmic laws as they moved.

The Zheng Yi Alliance’s leader, the Weiyang Emperor, Jiang Yun, stood in plain clothes, arms behind his back, gazing deeply into the Heavenly Pool, contemplating.

Behind him, high-ranking members gathered, many of them cultivators at the Ancestral Dao level.

The crystal-clear pool reflected scenes of various universes.

“Dark beings truly do not honor agreements, still recklessly harvesting civilizations. It is infuriating,” one remarked.

“Darkness cannot be eradicated unless its source is found and removed entirely,” another said.

“Repeated retreats only embolden the enemy.”

“Yet this peace pact at least delayed the Zheng Yi Alliance’s relocation, preserving lives and sects,” someone else added.

The internal state of the Zheng Yi Alliance was far from the stable image outsiders believed. Disputes arose frequently over the peace pact, forcing the Weiyang Emperor to convene numerous meetings.

The Weiyang Emperor, Jiang Ming, silently observed the Heavenly Pool, his eyes reflecting deep contemplation.

During this time, clashes between the Fatian Alliance and Zheng Yi Alliance were at their peak, while the dark beings watched silently, benefiting from the conflict.

The Zheng Yi Alliance was originally established to oppose dark beings and restore peace and order.

Yet in the end, the Zheng Yi Alliance sought peace first, signing humiliating territorial concessions with the dark beings and providing sacrificial resources.

Even now, condemnation of the Zheng Yi Alliance could be heard across realms.

The Fatian Alliance, though not exactly righteous, became the only force capable of opposing dark beings, the sole refuge for those resisting them.

What choice did they have now?

Amid rising rumors of infiltration by dark beings into the Zheng Yi Alliance, speculation emerged of a hidden fourth faction operating behind the scenes.

This mysterious faction had always remained concealed, never appearing publicly.

Previously, they had leaked secret information about dark beings and the Daitian Organization.

Reports of dark beings attempting to resurrect the Daitian Lord may also have originated from this hidden fourth faction.

“Across the vast lands, public opinion against us in the Zheng Yi Alliance is not favorable. This hidden fourth faction is adding fuel to the fire — their intent is detestable.”

“Alliance Leader, I suggest we do not confront the Fatian Alliance directly. Instead, we should uncover the hidden rodents and eliminate them all at once,” one Ancestral Dao-level cultivator said.

The Weiyang Emperor, Jiang Ming, merely glanced at him, silent. He understood that direct conflict with the Fatian Alliance would result in casualties.

The hard-won stability must not be destroyed.

All these sacrifices were made to preserve the survival of the sects against dark beings.

The hidden fourth faction was vulnerable — easily handled. Taking action against them could preserve the Zheng Yi Alliance’s prestige and deter other miscreants.

Yet few remembered that the Zheng Yi Alliance had originally formed to confront the Fatian Alliance.

The current peace pact with dark beings had long been planned, a necessary concession to maintain stability.

“The time is near. Do not panic. Endure the Fatian Alliance for a little longer; their arrogance will not last much longer…” a presence with deep, immeasurable aura spoke.

The speaker was the lord of the Zhoumie Mansion of the Yan Yang Realm, vice-leader of the Zheng Yi Alliance, having endured eight Celestial Decline Tribulations — a true powerhouse of the alliance.

Meanwhile, in the Fatian Alliance, the land planted with peach blossoms remained vibrant, petals falling gracefully.

“Didn’t notice before, but these peaches are beautiful,” Ji Hanjing murmured, pausing under a tree.

In the tranquil courtyard deep within the peach grove, Gu Changge had been waiting, knowing Ji Hanjing would arrive.

“Thank you,” she said, gazing at him with complicated emotion.

She had discovered the truth hidden in the lost ancient years.

“Now that you know the truth, what will you do?” Gu Changge asked slowly.

A chessboard lay before him, covered with fallen leaves, untouched for some time.

“I will avenge — not only my own, but also my sister’s,” Ji Hanjing said.

Gu Changge smiled. “Do you know who your true enemy is?”

After sending Ji Hanjing to that time-space, he lingered briefly and then departed.

Initially, he considered the owner of the Yin Xu Cave insignificant, but he discovered unexpected developments there — remnants and contingencies left behind.

Even if his enemies killed him, measures were in place to allow him to be reborn in the past and restore his peak in the present timeline.

Ji Hanjing paused thoughtfully, then said, “I have someone in mind; there is no other.”

Her father had once been the Lord of the Yaoguang Ancestral Court, the former sage known as the Middle Lord.

According to the timeline, her father belonged to the Pre-Heaven Era and had a great enemy — the Destiny Lord, known to him as Yun Zhu.

The Pre-Heaven Era was the true beginning, before chaos and before time and space as we know them existed.

Her father was a being born in that era, known as the Wei Zhu (Unmastered Lord), and his nemesis was the Destiny Lord.

The two fought for unknown eons until one day, a voice ancient and forbidden echoed from the deepest chaos…