I Am the Fated Villain

Chapter 1832. A Chance for the Ji Chan Clan to Defy Fate — Equivalent to the Lackeys of the True Land

Deep within the Heaven-Defying Alliance, inside a secluded courtyard.

Gu Changge quietly observed the changes occurring within Yue Mingkong. She sat cross-legged on a soft couch, her long black hair cascading down her shoulders. Upon her fair and peerlessly beautiful face, mysterious and ancient markings continuously shifted and transformed.

Her aura was steadily rising. The essence of the Dao permeated every inch of her skin, as though even her cheekbones had become translucent.

“Dreams are merely a medium…”

“The true profundity involved is actually time itself…”

“Besides the past, have you touched the future this time as well?”

As he watched the changes in Yue Mingkong, Gu Changge fell into thought.

The Dream Ghost Clan actually bore some similarities to the Dark Clans. They were not continued through bloodlines. Instead, when living beings became trapped in dreams and eventually died within them, a new consciousness and life would be born within the original body.

As a result, the Dream Ghost Clan could use dreams as a medium, wandering through and appearing within the dreams of all living beings.

The Dark Clans, on the other hand, were either corrupted by dark matter or had their original flesh become a prison that trapped the former soul, allowing a new consciousness to emerge within the empty shell.

Long ago in the Vast Expanse, there had once been an era known as the Dream Ash Era. The one who created that era was called the Dream Lord.

In truth, Gu Changge had never deliberately investigated Yue Mingkong’s secrets. Nor was there any need to now. The changes occurring within her were already enough to reveal her origins. When she had awakened previously, she had already told him about these matters.

“The Dream Lord…”

Gu Changge lightly shook his head and made no attempt to awaken Yue Mingkong by force. Whether she was the Dream Lord or not held no importance to him.

What he was pondering now was something else.

Yue Mingkong had once told him that she had dreamt herself back to the beginning of the Primordial Era, becoming a lake known as Dream Marsh. One day, a scripture descended into the lake, and through instinct alone, she embarked upon the path of cultivation.

Who had left behind that scripture?

At the dawn of the Primordial Era, before the Vast Expanse was born, it had been an ancient age of chaos where primordial gods and living beings coexisted. The countless races of later generations had yet to evolve.

Gu Changge’s gaze swept outward, crossing the endless territories of the Heaven-Defying Alliance, passing through billions of spacetime layers and universes.

Beyond the boundless trembling void, he saw a pristine and flawless pool resembling the source of all primordial existence. Within it, a lotus was on the verge of blooming.

Its leaves slowly unfurled, each carrying an aura capable of destroying worlds.

“The Lotus of Annihilation has also sensed the aura of the coming tribulation. It is about to bloom.”

After observing it briefly, he withdrew his gaze.

Throughout the Vast Expanse, many mysterious regions had already begun displaying omens heralding the great tribulation.

This was a force beyond mortal influence—the trend of heaven and earth itself.

For countless ages, it had always been so.

Every living being in the Vast Expanse would eventually face this day. At that moment, as if sensing something, Gu Changge’s figure disappeared from the courtyard.

When he appeared again, he was already inside the central hall of the Heaven-Defying Alliance.

“I want to know the whereabouts of the Fate Master.”

Within the magnificent hall, immortal mist drifted through the air while golden lamps illuminated the surroundings.

Ji Hanjing arrived together with Jiang Weiyang.

The moment she saw Gu Changge appear, she directly voiced her request.

Jiang Weiyang, whose eyesight had been restored through Ji Hanjing’s help over the years, looked toward Gu Changge with clear and hopeful eyes.

“Even you couldn’t find him?” Gu Changge casually asked.

“I’ve already searched, but there’s truly no way.”

“Weiyang’s father and mother are still in the Fate Master’s hands.”

Ji Hanjing glanced at Jiang Weiyang beside her and explained, “Now that the Orthodox Unity Alliance has collapsed, given the Fate Master’s ruthlessness, who knows what he might do to her parents…”

Gu Changge glanced at Jiang Weiyang.

It was obvious that Ji Hanjing intended to cultivate her into the future successor of the Uncentral Immortal Dynasty and treated her extremely well. He had originally thought that because of her past experiences, Ji Hanjing would harbor resentment toward the descendants of her younger sister.

But now it seemed she was far more magnanimous than he had imagined. Not only had she helped Jiang Weiyang remove her curse, but she had also tirelessly searched for the Fate Master’s whereabouts on her behalf.

“I don’t know either. The waters of the Vast Expanse are very muddy right now. If someone truly wishes to hide, finding them won’t be easy.” Gu Changge shook his head slightly.

Disappointment appeared in Jiang Weiyang’s eyes.

She did not understand why her ancestor seemed so familiar with Gu Changge.

There was none of the reverence ordinary people displayed. Instead, she spoke to him almost casually.

Over the years, Ji Hanjing had constantly searched for the Fate Master, nearly scouring every region of the Vast Expanse.

After the collapse of the Orthodox Unity Alliance, the Fate Master and all his followers had vanished completely.

No one knew where they had gone.

Across endless dimensions, spacetime layers, and voids, a being like the Fate Master could hide himself if he wished.

Trying to locate him was akin to searching for a needle in an infinite ocean.

“I know you must have a way. Right now, you’re my only option.”

Ji Hanjing stared directly at Gu Changge.

As the princess of the Shaking Light Ancestral Court and the former Shaking Light Empress, she had always been proud.

Yet this was the first time her voice carried such unmistakable pleading.

Gu Changge waved his hand. His eyes remained emotionless.

“The Heaven-Defying Alliance has only just achieved stability. I have no desire to disrupt that situation.”

“However, if you insist on searching, try the Nine Heavens Lands or the Ancient Burial Civilization. You might find something there.”

Ji Hanjing nodded and let out a relieved breath.

“Thank you.”

She knew Gu Changge had his own concerns.

But if he was willing to say this much, then the Fate Master’s location was no longer difficult to guess.

“Thank you, Alliance Leader.” Jiang Weiyang also expressed her gratitude.

The two soon departed.

Only after Ji Hanjing had left did Gu Changge withdraw his gaze. In truth, he cared little whether the Uncentral Emperor Jiang Yun lived or died. It had been his idea from the beginning for Jiang Weiyang to seek Ji Hanjing’s assistance.

Her intervention now was entirely within his expectations.

However, with Ji Hanjing’s current strength, even if she found the Fate Master, it would accomplish nothing.

The Fate Master’s power far exceeded hers.

The reason Gu Changge had answered her was because he wanted to observe the reactions of the Fate Master and Ancestor Xu.

The Ancient Burial Civilization should be making its move soon as well.

Meanwhile, before the Merit Hall of the Heaven-Defying Alliance stood a boundless plaza.

Towering pillars stretched into the heavens like colossal mountains, emanating Dao Laws.

Numerous jade slips floated around them, waiting for cultivators to claim.

A black-robed woman wearing a veil silently studied the jade slip in her hand, seemingly counting every last contribution point recorded within it.

“Finally enough…”

“As an outsider, just to meet the Alliance Leader once, the process has been so difficult. With my strength, it still took several thousand years to accumulate enough merits.”

“If it were any other cultivator, they likely wouldn’t be able to meet him even once in their entire life.”

“Only those who followed the Alliance Leader from the very beginning can freely request an audience now.”

Suppressing her emotions, she tightly gripped the jade slip and ascended the layers of immortal steps toward the Merit Hall to exchange her merits for an audience with Gu Changge.

At the same moment, Gu Changge sensed her arrival.

Just as he was preparing to leave the central hall, he glanced toward the black-robed woman.

That single look revealed her purpose.

“A member of Qingyi’s clan?”

“She’s been accumulating merits within the Heaven-Defying Alliance all these years?”

His gaze paused slightly.

After leaving Daochang True World, he had essentially stopped paying attention to Qingyi. His objective had already been accomplished. The traces and karma he wished to leave behind had already become part of history.

As a result, his current identity contained no flaws whatsoever.

From the very beginning, Qingyi had merely been a chess piece used to make his own existence appear reasonable.

During his days as the Demon Lord, whether it was Qingyi or Hongyi, they were all the same in his eyes.

With a wave of his sleeve, the black-robed woman inside the Merit Hall felt her vision blur.

The world seemed to overturn as spacetime shifted around her. When everything stabilized, she found herself standing inside a vast and magnificent hall.

Before her stood a young man with his hands clasped behind his back, calmly looking at her.

“Alliance Leader…”

The woman was shaken.

Knowing this was Gu Changge’s power at work, she hurriedly composed herself and bowed.

“You are Qingyi’s third elder sister?” Gu Changge asked casually.

The woman froze. She had never expected Gu Changge to know her ninth sister.

“As the Third Princess of the Ji Chan Clan, you’ve traveled all the way from the Ancient Burial Civilization just to see me. How interesting.”

Gu Changge continued speaking as though unconcerned by her shock.

“It seems… nothing can be hidden from you, Alliance Leader.”

At this point, only astonishment remained in her heart. Her origins and identity could not be concealed before him.

With a single glance, he had seen through everything.

Forcing herself to remain calm, she did not dare ask how he knew Qingyi.

“Alliance Leader, I’ve come because I have a request. The merits I’ve accumulated over all these years were for this very purpose…” she said after taking a deep breath.

But Gu Changge merely waved his hand, interrupting her.

“I already know your request.”

“You wish for the Ji Chan Clan to break free from the river of destiny and change its predetermined fate.”

“So you want me to help relocate the entire clan from the Ancient Burial Civilization.”

“But the Ji Chan Clan survives by relying on the Epoch Mother Tree.”

“By asking me to do this, aren’t you essentially digging up the very roots of the Ancient Burial Civilization?”

“Besides, you know exactly what the Epoch Mother Tree represents.”

The black-robed woman’s eyes remained unwavering.

“The Epoch Mother Tree is a gift from Heaven, but my Ji Chan Clan ceased revering Heaven long ago.”

For the entire Vast Expanse, the True Land was Heaven itself.

The Ji Chan Clan was an extraordinarily unique race within the Vast Expanse.

Their name meant “Cicadas That Bear the Epochs.”

Whenever a cicada’s wings trembled once, it signified the passing of an epoch and the extinction of countless living beings.

From ancient times until now, wherever the Ji Chan appeared, ages changed, epochs rotated, and all things were renewed. The relationship between the Ji Chan and the Epoch Tree was like that between a phoenix and a parasol tree.

The Ji Chan sought the Epoch Tree as their resting place. The two coexisted and shared the same fate.

The Epoch Tree nurtured all living beings, giving birth to heavens and universes. It was also known as the World Tree, the Ancestor Tree, and the Origin Tree.

Serving Heaven was the destiny of the Ji Chan Clan.

For countless generations, they had faithfully followed that destiny. They worshipped Heaven and obeyed Heaven. Yet in the end, the Epoch Mother Tree that had sustained them was severed by a supreme existence from the True Land.

Their clan’s fortune and destiny collapsed. They were even branded sinners by the Ancient Burial Civilization. If one claimed they felt no hatred toward Heaven, no resentment, and no desire to escape their fate, it would be impossible.

The rest of the Ji Chan Clan simply lacked her courage and determination.

Gu Changge merely shook his head. He did not immediately agree.

Instead, he asked, “Where is Qingyi now?”

The woman froze.

A trace of sorrow appeared in her eyes.

“To atone for her sins, Little Ninth went to the High Priestess to receive punishment.”

“The High Priestess represents the supreme and sacred Temple of Sacrifice of the Ancient Burial Civilization, standing above even imperial authority.”

“Little Ninth has already had both of her wings severed.”

“She now guides reincarnating souls before the Path of Reincarnation, suffering the constant erosion of resentment from reincarnation day and night.”

Gu Changge remained silent.

The last time he had met Qingyi was atop the crown of the Epoch Tree. She had been slender as a painting and gentle as flowing water.

Had he not decided back then to sever the Epoch Mother Tree, the Ji Chan Clan would never have become criminals in the Ancient Burial Civilization. Nor would the young Qingyi have run away and brought disaster upon her clan.

Every cause has its effect. Every debt has its repayment.

After a moment, Gu Changge spoke. “If you truly insist on helping the Ji Chan Clan defy Heaven and change its fate, then I can help you.”

“Whether for Qingyi’s sake or for your years of perseverance.”

After pondering briefly, he raised his hand. The void before them trembled and split apart.

Brilliant, misty particles poured out.

With another gesture, the particles condensed into a white jade bottle shrouded in auspicious clouds and divine radiance.

“Pour everything inside this bottle onto the roots of the Epoch Mother Tree.”

“Then you may take it away.”

“If your clan encounters any obstruction during its migration, I will intervene.”

“If the imperial family and the Five Great Royal Clans of the Ancient Burial Civilization are wise, they will not interfere lightly.”

The black-robed woman stared blankly at the white jade bottle before her. She could feel a terrifying weight contained within it, enough to crush the void and sink entire universes.

Carefully accepting it, she opened her lips as if to say something.

But Gu Changge’s figure had already vanished from the central hall.

“Was he the person Little Ninth met back then…?”

She murmured inwardly.

Then she quickly departed. The Ancient Burial Civilization existed within multiple layers of dimensional spacetime.

The void there was completely distorted. Any matter touching its barriers would be annihilated.

Its name—”Ancient Burial”—was fitting. Now that the Dark Clans had already begun their assault on the Nine Heavens Lands, she suspected the Heaven-Defying Alliance would soon move against the Ancient Burial Civilization as well.

Gu Changge returned to the courtyard.

The uniqueness of the Ancient Burial Civilization lay in its connection to the Land of Reincarnation. The Land of Reincarnation was one of the most important places in the Vast Expanse.

After every great tribulation and cleansing, countless living beings would be sent there. The Five Great Royal Clans each stood behind a Reincarnation Ancient Emperor.

Every one of these emperors served as a leading commander during the cleansing of the tribulations.

Disaster.

Karma.

Longevity.

End.

Emptiness.

The Five Great Royal Clans, along with the Ancient Burial Clan behind the imperial family, all possessed deep ties to the True Land.

As for the Lord of Reincarnation who sat at the deepest part of the Reincarnation Ancient Road, he was a being who controlled the Authority of Reincarnation itself.

Of course, from the perspective of the myriad races of the Vast Expanse—He was nothing more than a “lackey of the True Land.”