This Is What a Villain Is Like

"Looking at your condition, Xia, could it be you were robbed too?"

"Was it a girl in white riding a snow-white Celestial Horse?"

They walked up to him, asking one after another, their faces showing a mixture of trembling shock and sympathy.

Evidently, they had already gathered along the way, and a considerable number of people followed behind them.

Although Xia Jie didn’t want to admit it, he figured the spectators outside had already seen what happened. With a grim expression, he could only reply, "That’s right. That girl in white... she’s incredibly strong."

He glanced at the young nobles from the Imperial Capital around him. When he saw the looks of relief on their faces, his mood inexplicably lightened.

’So I’m not the only one this happened to.’ The thought immediately made him feel much better...

"Who in the world is this girl? We’ve never heard of her before, and she only just popped up in Qianyuan Prefecture these past few days..."

"Just based on her age, she seems even younger than us, doesn’t she?"

"Could she be from some unheard-of Hidden Immortal Sect or clan? Or maybe she was sent from one of the other major provinces?"

The young nobles broke into a flurry of speculation, immensely curious about her origins.

For a single person to rob all of them... After this contest in Qianyuan Prefecture ends, her name will likely be known throughout the entire Celestial Central Province.

Xia Jie’s face was grim, and he said nothing.

If any other young Celestial Pride had defeated him, he might have felt indignant.

But against that girl in white, he couldn’t muster any defiance. At the time, all he felt was the despair of facing an unbeatable foe.

’How in the world did she get so strong?’

"Speaking of which, as this girl in white continues her robbing spree, she’s bound to run into that fellow Jiang Lan soon enough."

"Perfect. Jiang Lan has been robbing people left and right these last few days, causing a huge uproar. Everyone is furious and has been sick of him for a while now."

"It would be perfect if this mysterious girl in white taught him a lesson he won’t soon forget..."

"Exactly! We should follow them and watch the show. Does anyone know where Jiang Lan is headed? Who has the guts to go tell that girl in white to seek him out? Jiang Lan must have a ton of points by now."

Several young nobles began to murmur amongst themselves, and then, as if on cue, they all revealed expressions of pure schadenfreude.

Hearing this, Xia Jie’s interest was piqued. The thought of the girl in white snatching away all the points Jiang Lan had worked so hard to plunder, and the utterly devastated look that would be on his face... it filled Xia Jie with an inexplicable sense of delight.

He smiled and said, "There are only two days left in Qianyuan Prefecture. They’ll probably run into each other in the deeper regions."

"The girl in white just left. If we follow them now, we can definitely catch the show."

As he spoke, the spirits of the young nobles present all lifted.

Although they were all furious about having their points stolen, seeing that everyone was in the same boat helped them get over it quickly.

And the thought of Jiang Lan soon suffering the same fate made them feel even better.

In an instant, a multitude of Divine Rainbows soared into the sky, heading for the depths of Qianyuan Prefecture in a magnificent procession. They looked like a vast swathe of multicolored auspicious clouds, an astonishing sight to behold.

Any young cultivators who didn’t know what was happening would have thought some great opportunity or an Exotic Treasure had emerged, with everyone rushing to seize it.

In the depths of Qianyuan Prefecture, layers of iridescent mist hung heavy in the air, making the surroundings dim even during the day.

The sky was a hazy blur, indistinct and murky. Wisps of mist drifted about, occasionally revealing glimpses of vast, majestic mountain ranges. They were imposing and ancient, like colossal True Dragons lying in wait.

At this moment, on the outskirts of this region, Xiao Teng, Ye Ming, and their party were just arriving.

Before them lay a lake that shimmered with a seven-colored glow. Thick fog shrouded its surroundings, growing denser farther in. Vaguely, they could see that some areas were frozen over, and the air was bone-chillingly cold.

However, near the shore, the water’s surface rippled with a vibrant glow. They could see palm-sized, algae-like clumps of some misty substance churning up from beneath the water.

"Third Young Master, this should be Celestial Essence Seven Light Grass..."

"If we are to harvest it, we must use jade containers. The moment it comes into contact with metal, it will disperse into a seven-colored Spiritual Mist, and most of its medicinal properties will be lost."

One of the young cultivators, who was dressed as a Pharmacist, explained to Xiao Teng after careful observation.

"We’re in the deepest region now. If we harvest this Celestial Essence Seven Light Grass, we should be able to trade it for a good number of points."

Xiao Teng nodded in satisfaction. He then ordered some people to stay behind and harvest the grass, while he and the rest of the group continued deeper.

Ye Ming gazed at the ancient, towering mountain ranges in the distance, a thoughtful glint flashing in his eyes.

"Brother Zhang Yuan, you’ve gained quite a few opportunities and accumulated a lot of points on this journey. I can see that you’re also quite interested in the Dragon Transformation Pool."

"As a friend, I truly don’t wish to compete with you, but the Royal Family’s Dragon Transformation Pool is of great use to me as well."

"If this weren’t such a rare, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, I would gladly yield it to you."

"I won’t take advantage of you. This is the deep region of Qianyuan Prefecture, an area that even the Royal Family has never explored. There are many unknowns here, and how many points we can earn is anyone’s guess."

"From here on, you and I will explore on our own. How many points we end up with will come down to our own skills and luck. As for the Dragon Transformation Pool, whoever manages to secure it will have earned it by their own destiny..." As they ventured deeper, Xiao Teng suddenly stopped and spoke to "Zhang Yuan" beside him with a very serious expression.

Hearing this, Ye Ming was slightly taken aback. He hadn’t expected Xiao Teng to be so magnanimous. ’It makes my own scheming seem rather petty in comparison,’ he thought.

"Since you’ve put it that way, Xiao, it would be disrespectful of me to refuse," Ye Ming said with a cupped-fist salute.

He had actually been wondering how to separate from Xiao Teng and the others to pursue the Chaotic Spiritual Qi on his own.

What Xiao Teng proposed was exactly what he had been hoping for.

After that, the two parted ways. The group of Disciples from Yijian Palace followed Xiao Teng as his retainers.

As Xiao Teng led the others deeper into the region, a massive procession of figures rapidly approached the outskirts, like a vibrant cloud rolling across the sky, startling many of the native creatures into looking up.

On the peaks of some surrounding mountains, figures had already appeared, gazing into the distance.

However, the ones with enough leisure to watch the drama unfold were mostly from the younger generation with impressive backgrounds, who weren’t desperate for cultivation resources.

"Young Master, something feels off. It seems like a lot of people have been following us from a distance..."

Jiang Lan and his followers were also in this region. However, the area was vast and shrouded in mist, so very few young cultivators ever set foot here.

Ao Xu, who was following behind him, paused for a moment and glanced back a few times before speaking.

"I suppose something unexpected must have happened."

"But they can’t possibly be here for revenge. They don’t have the guts," Jiang Lan said casually, not giving it much thought.

He had more or less pinpointed the location of Xiao Teng and Ye Ming.