I Am the Fated Villain

Chapter 1831. The Process from Nothing to Something; The Beginning of Chaos in the Nine Heavens

“What exactly is the leader of the Fatian Alliance trying to do?”

“Is he attempting to raise the power of the Fatian Alliance to a level capable of resolving the Black Calamity in the shortest possible time?”

“And how is he accomplishing all of this? Merely by spreading faith and attracting believers, the Fatian Alliance has produced so many powerful experts in such a short time. Its fortune rises like dragons, surging endlessly…”

“Such methods have been used before. The divine civilizations of the past, whose ancestral gods grew stronger by absorbing faith and incense power, never achieved anything on this scale. This is already equivalent to using one person’s power to transform the strength of an entire alliance.”

“Could it really be as Ancestor Xu said—that he has mastered the Third Path…?”

Within the Ancient Hidden Civilization, in a figure situated among multiple-dimensional latitudes, someone had been paying close attention to the changes occurring within the Fatian Alliance over the years.

He wore a Daoist robe and had his hair tied in a Taoist knot. His expression was grave, and his gaunt face was filled with shock and disbelief.

It was none other than the Fortune Lord, who had come to the Ancient Hidden Civilization alongside Ancestor Xu.

After the collapse of the Orthodox Alliance, Gu Changge had not sought trouble with him. Having hidden himself away for many years, the Fortune Lord gradually relaxed, believing that Gu Changge had likely never taken him seriously.

Thus, throughout this period, he had been closely monitoring every move of the Fatian Alliance.

He personally witnessed the alliance sign a treaty with the Dark Race, agreeing not to interfere with one another. The Dark Race continued conducting their grand sacrifices, while the Fatian Alliance spread its doctrines and scriptures, increasing its number of believers.

In countless universes and realms, the sounds of prayers and chants echoed day and night.

The power of faith, silver and radiant like a boundless ocean, covered the heavens and earth. Even across vast stretches of spacetime, one could sense its endless brilliance. Yet what truly shocked the Fortune Lord was not the power of faith itself.

It was the changes brought about by the Fatian Alliance.

He simply could not understand how Gu Changge had achieved all of this.

Miraculous opportunities and fortunes were constantly being created. The overall trend of heaven and earth was being altered, causing the entire future to become murky and chaotic.

Children of destiny and protagonists favored by heaven were appearing within the Fatian Alliance at an astonishing rate. Centered around the alliance, they spread across the Boundless Expanse like a giant spiderweb.

As a result, the waters of the entire Boundless Expanse had been completely stirred up. The futures they had once been able to glimpse were now entirely obscured.

Nothing could be perceived anymore.

Because of this, the Fatian Alliance’s fortune continued to soar. And as a consequence, the fortune of the entire Boundless Expanse underwent all kinds of transformations.

The most obvious change was this: The Epochal Calamity would arrive ahead of schedule. The Fortune Lord no longer had much time left to remain hidden and prepare.

At the same time, he desperately wanted to understand how Gu Changge had accomplished all this.

How could a single person create so many opportunities and blessings?

Was he distributing his own power?

Or was he seizing power from elsewhere and then granting it as opportunities?

“This already violates the laws governing all things in heaven and earth. Such power cannot appear from nowhere.”

“Could it be obtained from the faith of those believers…?”

The Fortune Lord felt that he had grasped the most crucial clue. This might very well be the root of the Third Path that Ancestor Xu had spoken of.

Unfortunately, Gu Changge sat deep within the Fatian Alliance, and he dared not spy upon him. All he could do was observe the alliance’s transformations from across distant spacetime.

“The powers of faith and fortune are indeed mysterious and profound.”

“They contain truths that we have never been able to fully understand or deduce.”

Suddenly, ripples appeared beside the Fortune Lord. Ancestor Xu stepped out. The place where they currently stood was a withered planet inhabited only by a few ancient lifeforms.

“The birth of dark matter was the same.”

“It was created out of nothing by him.”

“He possesses a method that I have never been able to comprehend—a means of creating existence from nonexistence.”

“I spent countless years researching it, yet learned nothing.”

“That is why I am convinced that he possesses a secret unknown to every living being in the Boundless Expanse.”

Before revealing himself, Ancestor Xu had already heard the Fortune Lord’s remarks. Now he spoke with a meaningful smile on his vague and indistinct face.

“Creating something from nothing?” The Fortune Lord frowned deeply.

At their level, they too could create worlds. But they needed chaos as a foundation. Likewise, they could bestow opportunities and fortunes, but they could not create them from nothing. They had to use their own power or seize someone else’s power and then transfer it.

If one could truly create existence from absolute nothingness, then creating life, heavens, and even a world equivalent to the Boundless Expanse would be effortless.

That completely violated the natural laws of the Boundless Expanse. It contradicted the Great Dao they cultivated and believed in.

“It cannot exactly be called creating something from nothing.”

“The real question is: what exactly is that ‘nothing’?”

“If we can understand that, perhaps we too can reach the level of the Agent of Heaven.” Ancestor Xu spoke calmly.

At that moment, the Fortune Lord finally understood why Ancestor Xu was so obsessed with studying the Agent of Heaven.

The more one learned about him, the more one discovered how abnormal and mysterious he truly was. Any one of those mysteries was a tremendous shock to beings living within the Boundless Expanse.

Because they were things entirely contrary to the natural order.

The Fortune Lord felt chills running down his spine.

“So the emergence of dark matter and the Dark Race stems from this?”

“Even before the Primordial Era, such races were unheard of.”

“And their reproduction does not depend on bloodlines.” He sighed softly.

Why had the Age of Black Calamity left such a profound mark upon the history of the Boundless Expanse?

Why had the Dark Race, unlike countless other races, never vanished during the Epochal Calamities?

The most important reason was dark matter. Even the Epochal Calamity could not erase it. As for the origin of dark matter, there were countless theories. Some believed it had been created by the Agent of Heaven.

Others believed it came from the Real Land. Still others claimed it originated from an unknown Void Era and had been excavated from chaos itself.

But now it seemed likely that it truly had been created by the Agent of Heaven.

“When we paint on a sheet of paper, we are creators of that paper.”

“We can create whatever we wish upon it, needing only brush and ink.”

“But to the people within the painting, they cannot understand where these suddenly appearing things come from.”

“To them, a river, a city, or even an entire world simply appears without explanation.”

“They can never understand how it came into existence.”

“We are already the strongest beings within this painted world.”

“And yet we still cannot touch the world beyond the painting.” Ancestor Xu spoke slowly.

This was the limitation they had sensed after reaching their current realm. It was also their fear of the unknown.

Hearing this, the Fortune Lord’s Dao Heart suffered a tremendous impact. Had he not personally witnessed the transformations of the Fatian Alliance, he would never have believed such theories.

But now, he was beginning to waver.

“Tell me,” Ancestor Xu suddenly said with a strange smile, “why do authorities only appear during each Epochal Calamity?”

“And those who claim to have seized and replaced those Authorities—could it be that they merely happened to touch the brush and ink descending at that moment?”

“And thus gained the ability to paint upon this blank sheet?”

The Fortune Lord’s face darkened.

“Do not try to disrupt my Dao Heart.”

Ancestor Xu chuckled.

“Why react so strongly, Dao Friend?”

“I merely shared my understanding.”

“At our level, everyone views this world differently.”

“There is no need to take my words so seriously.”

“I came here because there is something important.”

“The Calamity King wishes to discuss a matter with us.”

“The Agent of Heaven intends to make the Epochal Calamity descend ahead of schedule.”

“And that has already displeased a certain existence.”

The Fortune Lord’s expression eased somewhat.

The Calamity King mentioned by Ancestor Xu was the king of the Calamity Clan, one of the Five Great Royal Clans of the Ancient Hidden Civilization. He too was an incomparably ancient being.

Although the Ancient Hidden Civilization was ostensibly ruled by the imperial family, the Sacrificial Temple stood above all else. Its Grand Priest possessed an extraordinary status that transcended even imperial authority.

Besides the imperial family, there were also the Five Great Royal Clans. Each clan possessed foundations comparable to a supreme true civilization.

The Calamity Clan was one of them. Ancestor Xu shared considerable ties with the clan’s ruler. Thus, after arriving in the Ancient Hidden Civilization with their followers, they had effectively sought refuge under the Calamity Clan.

“The existence behind the Calamity Clan that you mentioned—is it the Calamity Lord?”

The Fortune Lord’s expression remained calm. He had heard of the Calamity Lord, ruler of the Calamity Clan. However, that individual’s strength was at most comparable to theirs. It was not enough to warrant such reverence from Ancestor Xu.

“No.”

“It is an existence who possesses the Authority of Creation.”

Ancestor Xu shook his head.

“The one from Creation Mountain?”

The Fortune Lord narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.

Time flowed on. Several thousand years passed in the blink of an eye.

The Fatian Alliance’s fortune continued to rise like the blazing sun, becoming increasingly magnificent and overwhelming.

Boundless faith power erupted from every universe and world, converging toward the deepest regions of the alliance. Experts appeared in endless numbers, springing up like bamboo shoots after rain.

The number of Immortal Realm cultivators born within a thousand years far exceeded the total of several previous epochs combined. Many protagonists blessed with great fortune and destiny also began advancing toward even higher realms through endless opportunities and blessings.

Meanwhile, under the watchful eyes of all races and civilizations throughout the Boundless Expanse, the Dark Race succeeded in drawing the Dark Source Land away.

The moment it descended and touched the Boundless Expanse, endless dark matter completely enveloped the homeland of the dark beings.

Terrifying phenomena appeared there. They reflected throughout all worlds. Every living being trembled in fear. The shadow of the World-Burial Coffin floated before the Hall of Heaven’s Agent.

A crack appeared within it. Dreamlike radiance surged forth. Even denser dark matter poured out endlessly, as though a corner of heaven and earth had been torn open. It flooded the entire Nightmare Demon Domain.

No one could see what was occurring there. They could only vaguely sense a terrifying aura capable of suppressing the entire Boundless Expanse, as if something dreadful were awakening.

At the same time, the Dark Race launched its invasion of the Nine Heavens Land.

The Nine Heavens Land had always remained hidden within unknown spacetime, inaccessible and pathless.

Yet one day, for unknown reasons, its coordinates were suddenly exposed before the eyes of the Dark Race. A terrifying black fissure tore through the spacetime outside the Nine Heavens Land. A faint beam of light pierced through and connected the two realms like an endless black tide, the Dark Race surged forward.

After countless years of isolation and tranquility, the Nine Heavens Land finally faced its fiercest war. All nine heavens began to tremble. Dark matter spread like mist, blotting out the sky and covering the spacetime surrounding it.

The Gravekeeper who guarded the entrance to the Nine Heavens Land had no choice but to act. His opponents were the Four High Priests of the Dark Race.

All four joined forces.

Such a sight was exceedingly rare. That battle shook all worlds of the Boundless Expanse.

The River of Time evaporated. Destiny descended into chaos. The battle lasted for a very long time, and even now no victor had emerged.

With the Gravekeeper occupied, the armies of the Dark Race advanced like an unstoppable flood. The Nine Heavens Land, long accustomed to peace and detachment, could only respond with grim resistance.

Ancient recluses hidden within each of the nine heavens emerged one after another to defend their homeland.

The war was brutal. It was no less intense than the war between the Fatian Alliance and the Orthodox Alliance.

As a result, the Nine Heavens Land was finally exposed before the world. Throughout all of this, the Fatian Alliance chose to remain indifferent.

Because of its treaty with the Dark Race, it had no intention of intervening.

The alliance’s members shared the same attitude.

When the Dark Race had previously invaded countless worlds, the Nine Heavens Land had never intervened or shown concern.

Now that its hidden sanctuary had been exposed and invaded, the other civilizations naturally felt no obligation to help.

Over these few thousand years, the Fatian Alliance’s strength increased rapidly. This gave the various races and civilizations far greater confidence in resisting the Black Calamity.

Even many Dao Realm experts abandoned their former cultivation methods. They devoted themselves entirely to studying the power of faith and increasing the alliance’s believers.

As a result, bottlenecks that had remained stagnant for countless years finally began to loosen.

When refining the World Sphere, Gu Changge had already perfected various rules within it. Those capable of bringing him more believers would receive corresponding feedback in the form of cultivation while condensing Imperishable Matter and Creation Matter.

This formed a direct positive cycle.

Combined with the Summoning Scripture he bestowed, many members of the Fatian Alliance developed the illusion that they themselves could gain cultivation through faith power.

Of course, this only applied to ordinary Dao Realm cultivators. For those who had already stepped into the Ancestor Dao Realm, the truth behind Gu Changge’s methods was clear. Thus, they did not actively pursue faith power.

However, with the Orthodox Alliance destroyed, accumulating battle merits and exchanging them for the two supreme substances had become nearly impossible.

They could only continue cultivating step by step as before. Yet the transformations in the Boundless Expanse’s fortune made it easier for them to comprehend their own paths and Dao.

Compared to ordinary cultivators, Dao Realm experts possessed firmer wills. They believed in their own strength. They did not wish to rely on external forces.

In their eyes, cultivation gained through faith was merely a castle in the air—an illusion that could collapse at any moment.

Gu Changge paid them little attention. Nor did he force anyone to accept the doctrines of the Fatian Alliance.

The alliance now encompassed countless true worlds. The intelligent lifeforms within those worlds numbered in the hundreds of millions upon millions.

The sheer scale alone provided him with more than enough faith power. And the fortune of the entire Boundless Expanse continued changing exactly as he desired.

During this period, Gu Changge used the two substances to further transform the Daochang True Realm. He detected nothing unusual.

Yet all living beings within the realm benefited greatly. He also noticed that the Gu Family Ancestor had already departed from the Daochang True Realm long ago.

The current Gu Family consisted only of the remaining clansmen. Furthermore, Dao Realm experts had begun emerging within the realm.

Jiang Chuchu, Wang Zipin, and even Yin Mei successively broke through into the Dao Realm.

Their lifespans and strength underwent earth-shaking transformations.

Gu Changge had not forcibly accelerated their growth. To him now, whether they were Dao Realm experts or not made little difference.

Throughout these thousand years, Gu Changge had also been paying attention to the changes in Yue Mingkong’s aura.

Though she remained asleep, her aura continued to evolve and strengthen.

During this time, Zi Wanhe, the Lord of Purple Heaven Mountain, came to visit him.

Because of the Daochang True Realm, he voluntarily brought up the transaction that had once existed between Gu Changge and the Dream Ghost Clan.

Zi Wanhe was out of options.

He could not violate his agreement with the Dream Ghost Clan. Nor did he understand why they were searching for the term “Daochang.”

Yet now, the existence of the Daochang True Realm was no longer a secret within the Fatian Alliance. However, after informing the Dream Ghost Clan about the Daochang True Realm, the clan seemed to vanish without a trace.

When Gu Changge learned of this from Zi Wanhe, he was not surprised. He had long sensed traces of the Primordial Era upon Yue Mingkong.

And the reason the Dream Ghost Clan searched for “Daochang” was actually because they were searching for Yue Mingkong.

Since Yue Mingkong had always remained by Gu Changge’s side, the Dream Ghost Clan naturally did not dare reveal themselves lightly.