I Am the Fated Villain

Chapter 1761. What if everything is just a colossal lie? — The Ancestor of the Luo Clan

“We, innate beings, were born within chaos—born innately, attaining the Dao innately, with boundless lifespans. Even if chaos were to wither away, we would still live forever, indestructible and eternal. So-called time and epochs hold no meaning in our eyes. Heaven and earth have a lifespan, but we do not—that was our era…” the Eternal Primordial God said leisurely.

For the beings of the innate era, that was indeed the best and most prosperous age.

Heaven and earth had not yet come into being. The clear and the turbid coexisted; the vastness had not yet differentiated. Naturally, there were no rules, no constraints.

To the beings of the innate era, nothing held any meaning. They were born knowing. From the moment of birth, they knew what they were. They were born carrying their own knowledge, temperament, and power, comprehending everything about themselves.

Unlike acquired creations, the myriad beings nurtured by nature—who are born without meaning and thus spend their entire lives seeking enlightenment, seeking to understand the purpose of their existence.

The races born innately knew, from the moment of birth, what they were meant to do.

The weak races became prey; the strong races hunted.

Decline and prosperity, survival and death—nothing more than such simple principles.

If one was born strong, then one was destined to be strong in this life. If born weak, then one was destined to become prey or food for the strong.

The innate era was just that simple—and that cruel.

“Unfortunately, such an era ultimately came to an end. Powerful as we were, before that inconceivably vast might, we were no different from ants or mayflies.”

“The calamities and purges experienced by later generations—what are they compared to that Opening-of-Heaven Calamity? Countless innate races, in a single instant, vanished soundlessly, as if they had never existed. Even those innate beings far stronger than I could not escape their fate, all perishing and disappearing within that Opening-of-Heaven Calamity.”

At this point, the Eternal Primordial God paused.

Within his deep eyes, there unexpectedly appeared a trace of trembling and fear.

Such an expression appearing on the face of the Eternal Primordial God made Luo Xiangjun find it quite unbelievable.

She came from an extraordinary background and had studied various ancient texts since childhood, yet this was the first time she had heard of this so-called Opening-of-Heaven Calamity.

So calamities already existed in that era—and even innate beings could not escape their reckoning.

She had always thought that such karmic purges only appeared after the birth of the vast world.

“And what use is telling me all this?” Luo Xiangjun said coldly. “The innate era is far too distant from me. Even the clan behind me has likely never come into contact with that era.”

“No matter how glorious the innate era was, it is already the past. The current age no longer belongs to innate beings. Even those deities of the innate era have long since vanished without a trace.”

The Eternal Primordial God’s expression returned to normal.

He shook his head, looked at Luo Xiangjun, and said, “I’m telling you this only so you may know that such a glorious and prosperous era once existed. The innate era should not be buried by time, nor should it be forgotten by all worlds.”

Luo Xiangjun was momentarily at a loss for words, not knowing how to refute him.

She had only wanted to probe from the Eternal Primordial God about matters concerning the Outline of Transcendence.

But it was clear that he did not wish to mention anything related to the Outline of Transcendence. Instead, he was deeply immersed in remembrance and nostalgia for the once-glorious innate era.

The Eternal Primordial God seemed to be in high spirits today and continued speaking leisurely,

“After the Opening-of-Heaven Calamity, the clear and the turbid separated. The clear qi rose and evolved into the heavens, while the turbid qi sank and became the earth. Thus, the Postnatal Era came into being. In the long years that followed, as clear Qi accumulated and turbid qi settled, amidst their alternating collisions, the Vast Expanse came into existence. At the same time, the Land of Reality also appeared…”

“No, that’s not right. At that time, the Land of Reality was what we called the Origin Land.”

Luo Xiangjun was taken aback, her delicate brows furrowing.

Matters concerning the Land of Reality had always been a taboo within the Vast Expanse. All races across the world and every true realm civilization knew of such a place.

But no one dared to speak of it or mention it.

Even before she had fallen into becoming a “thief,” she had already known many secrets regarding the Land of Reality.

In ancient times, many races and factions believed that the calamity purges were initiated by the Land of Reality, in order to prevent the emergence of beings within the Vast Expanse that could threaten it.

That was why, at fixed intervals, calamity purges would occur.

The will of heaven was like a blade, bringing down all kinds of terrifying tribulations, purging and hunting powerful beings, harvesting one great world after another, primordial universes, and countless races and living beings.

Thus, in later ages, many Heaven-Defying Wars came into being.

Numerous ancient powerhouses led the leaders of various races and vast armies, charging toward the Land of Reality, waging one tragic and brutal Heaven-Defying war after another.

However, as some true realm civilizations passed through multiple calamity purges, they gradually discovered that the interval before the next calamity could actually be delayed.

In the beginning, a calamity purge might occur every few epochs. But later, as more calamities were successfully endured, the next one could be delayed by thousands or even tens of thousands of epochs.

Thus arose the classifications of world tiers such as newly-born true realms, ancient true realms, and supreme true realms.

For beings of newly-born true realms, as long as they could successfully survive seven calamity purges and ascend into a supreme true realm, they would thereafter no longer be subject to such purges.

But… was that truly the case?

If supreme true realms could completely escape calamity purges, then why would those supreme realms and supreme civilizations still engage in slaughter and plunder, trying to devour one another?

And where did the rumors of the so-called “Unique True Realm” originate?

The Eternal Primordial God looked at Luo Xiangjun, seeming to know what she was thinking, and smiled faintly. “I know what you are puzzled about.”

“You want to know why, after the Vast Expanse came into being, so many rumors and legends related to calamity began to appear?”

Luo Xiangjun’s brows are knitted tightly. She did not understand why the Eternal Primordial God was telling her all this today.

Even if she knew these things, what use would it be? Could it change anything?

Right now, even her own freedom was restricted—she could not even change her own fate.

“What if I told you that from the very beginning, the calamity purges and the Decline of Heaven Tribulation were nothing but a colossal lie?” The Eternal Primordial God laughed, and a chilling aura that struck fear into the heart suddenly surfaced in his eyes.

A colossal lie?

Luo Xiangjun suddenly felt a chill run down her spine.

“In this world, there has never been any such thing as a Unique True Realm. The Land of Reality will forever remain the Land of Reality. No matter how a true realm evolves, it can never ascend to stand equal with it. The path of ascension has long since been sealed off.”

“The same applies to cultivators. No matter how many Decline of Heaven Tribulations one endures, it is impossible to reach transcendence. The end of that path… was shattered long ago.”

At that moment, the Eternal Primordial God’s voice became incomparably dark and heavy.

Luo Xiangjun looked at him in immense shock, frozen in place, unable to believe her own ears.

Only after a long while did she slowly come back to her senses. Still carrying a trace of disbelief, she asked, “And why are you so certain of all this? Could it be recorded in the Outline of Transcendence?”

At that moment, the Eternal Primordial God did not answer. His gaze was deep, his hands clasped behind his back, as if pondering something.

After the end of the innate era and before the birth and emergence of the Vast Expanse, there was actually an intervening period.

That period was referred to by beings like the Eternal Primordial God as the Era of the Great Calamity of Heaven and Earth.

The world had just been opened, and its order was in complete chaos. Due to the deaths and extinction of various races and innate beings that embodied the innate Great Dao, all kinds of chaotic laws filled heaven and earth, and terrifying natural disasters appeared.

Fire rained from the sky, magma surged from the earth; thunder, hurricanes, earthquakes, and upheavals of heaven shook everything. The entire world was filled with dreadful calamities—any single one of them could easily wipe out the few remaining beings of that time.

The Eternal Primordial God had personally witnessed innate beings who had fortunately survived the Opening-of-Heaven Calamity being struck by descending fire, burning to nothing in an instant, turning into ashes and vanishing like smoke.

Even the most powerful innate beings were no different from weak ants and insects within the Great Calamity of Heaven and Earth.

Innate beings like him, who carefully and cautiously survived that period as if walking on thin ice, still found no peace afterward.

The emergence of the Land of Reality led to the complete extinction of all races and beings of the innate era. The birth of the Vast Expanse further signified the total end of that era—beings like them were destined to be buried along with it.

How could the existences within the Land of Reality allow variables beyond their control to appear in the world? How could they permit the rise of beings that would defy them?

“I am becoming increasingly certain that those old acquaintances from the past are still alive in this world. They have merely chosen to hide in their own ways, avoiding the gaze of the Land of Reality.”

“Even though the road ahead is shattered, they still refuse to give up…” The Eternal Primordial God suddenly let out a soft sigh, his gaze growing ever deeper.

Luo Xiangjun found herself increasingly unable to see through this old fox’s intentions.

Back when he had only been a wisp of a true soul, he appeared extremely arrogant and conceited, as if no one in the world was worthy of his regard.

Even towards Gu Changge, the leader of the Heaven-Defying Alliance, the Eternal Primordial God would privately show dissatisfaction and disdain, completely unlike the demeanor of a progenitor god.

But now it seemed—had that behavior merely been a disguise to mislead her, to make her lower her guard and willingly work for him?

Such scheming and methods were truly unfathomable.

“I kept you within the Eternal God Clan originally to test whether I could draw out the ancestor behind you and have him show himself. But now it seems that the ancestor behind you is unwilling to reveal himself so easily,” the Eternal Primordial God suddenly said, looking at Luo Xiangjun.

Luo Xiangjun was stunned upon hearing this, her beautiful eyes widening uncontrollably.

Draw out the ancestor behind her? But her ancestor had already passed away countless years ago—this was something everyone in the clan knew.

How did the Eternal Primordial God know about her ancestor?

“Speaking of which, that ancestor of your family and I should be considered acquaintances from the past. When you appeared in the tomb I left behind, I had already sensed the bloodline flowing within you…”

“That Luo Lord actually has descendants—how truly unexpected,” the Eternal Primordial God suddenly said with a faint smile.

At that moment, cold sweat covered Luo Xiangjun’s back, and a chill crept through her entire body.

So from that time, the Eternal Primordial God had already been scheming against her?

Luo Lord?

Could that have been the title her ancestor once bore?

“Don’t worry. I bear you no ill will. The reason I’m telling you all this today is not out of momentary interest, but because I wish to visit your current clan and meet that old acquaintance,” the Eternal Primordial God said calmly, seeing Luo Xiangjun fall silent.

Luo Xiangjun forced herself to calm down.

Her beautiful eyes met his as she said, “My ancestor has long since passed away countless years ago. The Luo Clan resides in the ethereal lands beyond the realms—even I do not know how to return. I’m afraid I cannot help you.”

The Eternal Primordial God shook his head slightly. “The ethereal lands beyond the realms are not difficult to find. It’s not that you don’t know how to return—you simply do not wish to return. Luo Lord survived even the Opening-of-Heaven Calamity; how could he so easily perish in later ages? I do not believe your explanation.”

“My ancestor once faced a great enemy’s siege, suffered severe injuries that could not be healed, and after the end of the Era of Black Calamity, he passed away within the clan. This is not a secret within the Luo Clan,” Luo Xiangjun said frankly, without hiding anything.

Her words caused the Eternal Primordial God’s brows to furrow.

“Perhaps it is only you who believe that the Luo Lord has perished. In truth, he may be like me—deceiving the heavens and hiding himself,” he said, deep in thought.

Luo Xiangjun froze again, her expression shifting uncertainly.

If her ancestor had not truly perished, then what did everything their clan had upheld and believed in for generations amount to?

She had desperately escaped the Luo Clan, even becoming a “thief” within the Vast Expanse in order to change her fate—what would that mean then?

“Impossible… If my ancestor had not perished, how could he have tolerated the Luo Clan being hunted and purged by the Heavenly Multitude all these years? How could he have allowed everything the clan has done…” Luo Xiangjun clenched her jade-like hands tightly, her knuckles turning pale, filled with unwillingness.

The Luo Clan had once been one of the Eight Divisions under the Organization that Acted on Behalf of Heaven.

After that organization collapsed and disbanded, the Luo Clan, like the other divisions, took part of its foundation and scattered, fleeing to other realms.

The ancestor of the Luo Clan—Luo Lord, as the Eternal Primordial God called him—had once been besieged by great enemies, suffering grievous injuries that could not be healed.

The Luo Clan suspected that the leaders of the other divisions had joined forces to attack him in order to seize resources and foundations.

After the Luo Lord’s supposed death, the Luo Clan, in order to resurrect their ancestor, performed blood sacrifices generation after generation.

Even Luo Xiangjun’s own parents, relatives, and lineage kin could not escape this fate—they all became offerings for the blood sacrifices.

If her ancestor had not died, how could he have turned a blind eye to all of this, never once intervening?