I Am the Fated Villain

Chapter 1825. The Reincarnation Tower and the Palace of Defying Fate — Nan Qing’s Identity and Origins During the Chaos of the Heavenly Multitude

With the Dark Grand Sacrifice underway and the myriad worlds continuously withering away, this was an era in which living beings could see no hope whatsoever. Every day, countless universes perished. World after world collapsed.

After the Zhengyi Alliance disintegrated, the territories under its control immediately fell into the hands of the dark races. Vast black mists spread outward from those regions. The dark races descended from the Nightmare Demon Domain and established themselves there, creating a territory that stood opposite to the Heaven-Defying Alliance.

Some powerful beings among the dark races referred to that place as the Kingdom of Eternal Life.

Of course, “eternal life” was merely how the dark creatures described themselves, but it nevertheless revealed their ambition and arrogance.

The sacrifice continued. The blood-colored altar beyond the worlds stood majestic and solemn, drawing ever nearer with each passing day. Meanwhile, the homeland of the dark races gradually manifested outside the myriad worlds, awaiting the day it would connect with the Land of the Dark Source.

Black waves surged through the Sea of Time and Space. World after world was swept up by them, mixed into the tide, and transported to the homeland of the dark races.

Many chaotic regions throughout the Boundless Expanse suffered invasions from the dark races.

Even some clans hidden within past timelines could not escape such a fate. Within a vast world concealed by endless primordial chaos, its territory boundless and filled with rosy clouds and divine radiance, countless races thrived and numerous Dao lineages flourished.

However, terrifying cracks suddenly appeared beyond its borders. Endless dark races descended like demons from beyond the heavens, advancing unhindered.

They blackened the sky and covered the earth. One dark warship after another arrived with thunderous force, completely engulfing and annexing the great world.

Dark creatures gathered into immortal armies. Even Dao Realm experts could only shed blood and fall before such overwhelming power.

It was a force that could not be resisted. Scenes like this unfolded every single day. Within the Nightmare Demon Domain, before the Palace of Acting on Heaven’s Behalf, the Grand High Priestess Wu Yue stood quietly.

Behind her stood the four High Priestesses in respectful silence. The vast and ancient altar sat before them, emitting countless black Dao symbols. Every day, immense amounts of blood-red energy gathered from every corner of existence like endless rivers of crimson smoke and starlight, they flowed into the altar.

The power contained within was enough to make every living being in the worlds tremble in fear, bow in worship, and kneel in submission.

At present, only the Grand High Priestess and the four High Priestesses possessed the qualifications to stand upon the altar.

Any other being, regardless of cultivation level, would instantly be regarded as a sacrifice. The symbols upon the altar would erase them and convert them into pure energy.

The four High Priestesses had all been personally selected and created by Wu Yue. Each carried the bloodline of her Gluttonous Race.

The power they possessed had been granted by her. In a sense, they were of the same lineage as Wu Yue and therefore were unaffected by the altar.

As for Wu Yue herself, when she had once been weak and on the verge of starving to death, she had survived by drinking Gu Changge’s blood. Thus, traces of his aura remained within her as well.

“Master, when will the Lord return?” one of the High Priestesses asked.

“Soon.” Wu Yue answered softly.

Standing there quietly, she looked towards the Land of the Dark Source, which was drawing ever closer to the Nightmare Demon Domain. She could clearly feel the resonance coming from there.

Inside the Palace of Acting on Heaven’s Behalf, the World-Burial Coffin was trembling slightly in response.

After waiting through countless ages, she was finally about to witness that day.

“Are we going to move against the Land of Nine Heavens and the Ancient Burial Civilization?” Asked Feng Cang, the High Priestess who carried an oil-paper umbrella.

Following Wu Yue’s orders, the dark races had not yet launched their greatest upheaval against the Heaven-Defying Alliance. Instead, their attention was focused on the other territories of the Boundless Expanse.

At present, the two most mysterious regions were the Land of Nine Heavens and the Ancient Burial Civilization.

Rumor held that the true Reincarnation Road, as well as the Land of Absolute Yin that had once appeared in the Boundless Expanse, were both located within the Ancient Burial Civilization. Furthermore, the Absolute Yin Land seemed to possess deep connections to the Real Land.

Wu Yue appeared thoughtful.

Neither the Ancient Burial Civilization nor the Land of Nine Heavens was an easy target.

Behind the Ancient Burial Civilization stood the Reincarnation Tower. The Reincarnation Tower was similar in nature to the Lifeless Hall.

Rather than a conventional faction, it was a mysterious place. The being who founded the Reincarnation Tower had stolen the Authority of Reincarnation from the Boundless Expanse.

According to the tower’s doctrine, every great calamity descended because living beings accumulated excessive fortune and destiny. Therefore, they would harvest fortune and harvest lives on behalf of Heaven.

At fixed intervals, they would actively send half of all living beings into reincarnation. By maintaining a balanced reduction in population, they sought to alleviate the arrival of future catastrophes.

Naturally, very few beings truly knew of the Reincarnation Tower’s existence. There were even rumors that its Master had descended from the Real Land itself and was responsible for managing the great tribulations of all worlds.

However, such claims could not be verified. The Reincarnation Tower had not revealed itself for an unimaginably long time, and no one had seen its inhabitants. As for the Land of Nine Heavens, Wu Yue knew that many members of the Palace of Defying Fate were hidden there.

The Palace of Defying Fate, as its name suggested, existed to defy Heaven and alter destiny. It gathered countless extraordinary figures from throughout history who had attempted to escape the great calamities and rebel against fate itself.

These individuals had once fought Heaven, resisted Heaven, and personally endured the most hopeless disasters imaginable. Their loved ones had died. Their homes had been destroyed. Yet they survived through the intervention of the founding powers of the Palace of Defying Fate. Together they established the organization.

It gathered exceptional talents from countless eras, patiently accumulating strength while waiting for the day they would once again wage war against Heaven and overturn destiny.

These secrets had all been uncovered through Wu Yue’s investigations over tens of thousands of epochs.

Whether it was the Lifeless Hall, the Reincarnation Tower, or the Palace of Defying Fate, none could appear openly in the world. Heaven itself would not permit the existence of such places. To learn of them required following countless traces of karma and piecing together clues from the shadows. Even Ancestor Dao Realm experts who governed supreme true worlds were unaware of their existence.

Even now, Wu Yue only possessed a vague understanding of where the Palace of Defying Fate and the Reincarnation Tower might be located.

As for the Lifeless Hall, she had no clue whatsoever. The Boundless Expanse was simply too vast. Chaotic spaces, void regions, and unknown dimensions existed in endless numbers.

To truly uncover all its secrets, one likely needed to reach the level of controlling a portion of the Authorities themselves.

Wu Yue’s cultivation had already reached that threshold.

What she lacked was authority. If she possessed it, she might be able to sense the locations of those hidden places.

“When the Lord returns, he will naturally settle all accounts.”

“For now, we shall move against the Land of Nine Heavens.”

“Qing’er has been lying low there. She should be able to serve some purpose.”

After speaking, Wu Yue disappeared into the mist.

The four High Priestesses respectfully withdrew. When Wu Yue appeared again, she was deep within a desolate mountain range of darkness.

With a sweep of her hand, a spatial crack opened. Stepping through it, she entered a completely different world. The scenery inside was beautiful and vibrant. Mountains and rivers stretched beneath clear skies. Birds sang and flowers bloomed. Everything contrasted sharply with the bleakness outside.

Within a secluded bamboo forest sat a woman dressed in white. A guqin rested before her. As her slender fingers moved across its strings, melodious music drifted through the forest.

Numerous birds and beasts gathered nearby, enchanted by the sound. Only after Wu Yue arrived did the woman stop playing and raise her head. Her gaze was gentle. Her face was exquisitely beautiful.

Looking closely, one would discover that she resembled Nan Qing by nearly seventy percent.

“Grand High Priestess Wu Yue…” The woman spoke.

Her voice was heavenly and soothing, possessing a power that calmed the heart.

“Tell me about the Palace of Defying Fate.”

Wu Yue went straight to the point.

“The Palace of Defying Fate?” The woman smiled.

“Why is the Grand High Priestess suddenly interested in it? Has something major happened outside?”

“You need not know.” Wu Yue replied calmly.

The woman chuckled softly. “Let me guess.”

“The current Boundless Expanse no longer has any force capable of opposing the dark races.”

“So your attention has turned towards the Palace of Defying Fate.”

“Unfortunately, I do not know much about it.”

“At most, I have met some of its members.”

The woman before her was none other than Nan Zun, one of the former leaders of the Sages. She had not died. She had merely been imprisoned here and prevented from leaving.

After the collapse of the Organization of Acting on Heaven’s Behalf, the Heavenly Multitude and the Eight Divisions fragmented. For a long period, internal chaos consumed the organization.

This occurred shortly after the end of the Era of Dark Calamity. Without the organization suppressing the world, the Boundless Expanse fell into disorder.

The Dao lineages established by the ancient sages once again fought one another over resources and interests. This gave the remnants of Acting on Heaven’s Behalf an opportunity to secretly recover and seek revenge. From that era onward, many clans that had once resisted the Dark Calamity suffered repeated persecution by those remnants.

Some disappeared forever. Others chose exile and endless migration. Among them were the descendants of the sages from the Floating Continent within the Chaotic Sea of Time and Space.

Nan Zun was their leader. The natives of the Floating Continent also honored her as the Holy Ancestor.

Because some of her former companions and their descendants had been captured and enslaved by the remnants, falling into darkness forever, Nan Zun infiltrated the dark races’ homeland—the region now known as the Nightmare Demon Domain.

She hoped to find a way to counter the dark matter.

Unexpected events forced her to remain hidden there. At that time, internal conflict erupted among the Heavenly Multitude.

The leaders of the Eight Divisions fought one another for the flesh and blood contained within the World-Burial Coffin.

A great war engulfed the Nightmare Demon Domain. Many supreme experts from outside forces seized the opportunity to join the chaos and plunder treasures.

Because Wu Yue was in seclusion and had been secretly manipulated by Ancestor Xu, she failed to notice the abnormalities within the Heavenly Multitude.

The conflict severely weakened the organization. Even the World-Burial Coffin inside the Palace of Acting on Heaven’s Behalf was opened.

A crack appeared in the coffin lid. Countless experts fought within it for the flesh and blood hidden inside.

Seeking a way to counter dark matter, Nan Zun also joined the struggle. Amid the fierce battle, she managed to seize the most important treasure—a single drop of blood essence.

Soon afterward she was surrounded by enemies. To prevent them from taking it, she swallowed the blood essence and attempted to refine it. Unfortunately, she vastly underestimated the terrifying will and boundless energy contained within that drop of blood belonging to the Lord of Acting on Heaven’s Behalf.

The moment it entered her body, it rooted itself within her like a seed. It continuously absorbed her strength, attempting to assimilate her.

To resist it, Nan Zun took a desperate gamble. Enduring unimaginable pressure, she entered the interior of the coffin itself and used its formations to maintain her sanity.

During the long process that followed, her own power and will intertwined with the blood essence. Then something completely unexpected happened. She discovered that a new life had appeared within her body. It was an experience she had never encountered before.

She did not know whether it could truly be called her child. Yet it possessed both her bloodline and that of the Lord of Acting on Heaven’s Behalf. If it were ever born, it would undoubtedly become an unimaginable prodigy.

She considered erasing it. She considered ending her own life as well. She wanted to eliminate this future disaster before it could enter the world. Yet she could not bring herself to do so.

Some instinctive softness remained within her heart. After all, it was her child. She could feel its life and its soul. Then something even more frightening occurred. The child seemed capable of sensing her thoughts and struggles. It attempted to persuade her.

It even called her “Mother.”

Though still unborn, it displayed terrifying intelligence and wisdom.

“Born knowing all things” and “born a saint” were far from sufficient descriptions.

While still in the womb, it could easily perceive human hearts and understand the thoughts hidden within them.

Nan Zun was no ordinary cultivator. She had been one of the five great leaders who resisted the Dark Calamity. Yet even she could not hide her thoughts from the unborn child.

She struggled. She hesitated. She wished to use herself as a vessel to completely destroy it. She feared the birth of another incomprehensible being like the Lord of Acting on Heaven’s Behalf—a creature capable of bringing endless disaster upon the worlds.

Yet the child was clever, obedient, thoughtful, and considerate. It accompanied her throughout the lonely years spent inside the coffin.

In the end, a mother’s tenderness overcame all thoughts of self-destruction. By the time the chaos within the Heavenly Multitude ended, even Wu Yue had failed to notice the anomaly hidden within the World-Burial Coffin.

When Nan Zun finally gave birth to the little girl and decided to raise her within the coffin space, the Heavenly Multitude had already faded from public view and entered a period of recovery.

The outside world had also emerged from the turmoil that followed the Dark Calamity. Inside the coffin, Nan Zun named the adorable child: Nan Qing.

Determined not to let her walk a path of evil, Nan Zun explained everything to her—The former Organization of Acting on Heaven’s Behalf.

The Dark Calamity that had once devastated all worlds. The outside world and its history. She knew that one day Wu Yue would inevitably discover their existence. And when that happened, mother and daughter would be separated. Because of her bloodline, Nan Qing would likely be spared.

Nan Zun, however, would not. She had participated in the Heavenly Multitude Rebellion and stolen the precious blood essence.

Wu Yue would never forgive such an offense. She expected that death would be her only fate. She refused to become one of the dark beings she had spent her life fighting against. However, events unfolded differently than she expected. It was not Wu Yue who discovered them.

Rather, Nan Qing herself caused the disturbance. Through her bloodline, she triggered a resonance within the World-Burial Coffin. The resulting phenomenon shook the entire Nightmare Demon Domain.

All dark creatures believed that the Lord of Acting on Heaven’s Behalf was about to return.

Nan Qing displayed her extraordinary nature and effortlessly borrowed power from the World-Burial Coffin. Using that power as leverage, she hoped to force Wu Yue to spare her mother. Unfortunately, the coffin’s power was insufficient to threaten Wu Yue.

Nan Qing’s plan failed.

Nevertheless, Wu Yue did not kill Nan Zun.

Instead, she imprisoned her.

Once every epoch, mother and daughter were allowed to meet.

The condition was simple: Nan Qing had to become a member of the Heavenly Multitude and help recover the remaining treasures of the Primordial Civilization.