This Is What a Villain Is Like

Then, whether it was a trick of the eye or not, he felt the stele rapidly shrinking. In the blink of an eye, it shrank from over a hundred feet tall to the size of his palm, and it seemed to possess some kind of spiritual intelligence.

As he reached out to touch it, it hummed softly, and the wisp of Profound Yellow Mother Qi trembled.

He was instantly struck as if by lightning, as if a great mountain had slammed into him. His body was sent flying, and he coughed up several mouthfuls of blood.

"This thing has likely developed its own spirit. It doesn’t seem to be something you drew out. You’d best not touch it carelessly..."

"Divine Objects have spirits. They choose their own masters," Old Ghost said, his voice filled with shock.

Ye Ming struggled to his feet. He heard the words, but they were difficult to believe, let alone accept.

’This wasn’t something I drew out? And this ancient stone stele has its own spirit?’

In the Void, piece after piece of stone debris flaked away. Only then did Ye Ming realize it wasn’t a stele, but an object shaped like a token.

Once the stone exterior flaked off, it revealed a bronze-like interior, ancient and substantial, shrouded in the Chaos Fog.

"This... it looks a bit like the Heaven-Reaching Stele..."

Old Ghost’s shocked voice was laced with disbelief.

"The Heaven-Reaching Stele? What’s that?" Ye Ming asked urgently.

But Old Ghost just shook his head, momentarily unsure how to explain it. He could only tell him, "This object is said to have once stood on the Tianhe Riverbank. How did it end up here?"

BUZZ! BUZZ! BUZZ!

Just as Ye Ming was reeling from this revelation, the Heaven-Reaching Stele before him, enveloped in the Aura of Chaos, suddenly began to tremble.

A spirit-like consciousness within it seemed to be awakening. One ripple after another spread out from it, causing the very Void to blur.

’How can this be...?’

The next moment, his eyes shot wide open in utter disbelief.

He watched as the Heaven-Reaching Stele transformed into a thick, bright-yellow stream of energy. With a WHOOSH, it vanished from before his eyes and fled into the distance.

Snapping back to his senses, Ye Ming refused to let the Divine Object vanish right before his eyes and immediately gave chase.

’For me, this is like having a prize slip right through my fingers. How could I possibly accept that?’

"You’d best not chase after it recklessly. A Divine Object has a spirit. Not only does it choose its own master, but its sudden reawakening might not be an accident. Someone may have orchestrated this."

"A truly formidable being might have appeared in Qianyuan Prefecture," Old Ghost warned, his voice grave.

But at this moment, Ye Ming’s heart was filled with indignation. He no longer cared about collecting the Chaotic Spiritual Qi he had drawn out; all he wanted was to retrieve the Heaven-Reaching Stele.

Old Ghost sighed. He knew Ye Ming was seething with anger and in no mood for advice. Anyone in his position would likely be unable to accept it either.

He had spent a full day and night drawing it out, only for the opportunity he was about to seize to suddenly fly away.

The fact that he hadn’t exploded in rage on the spot was already a sign of his excellent Qi Cultivation.

’If only I had known earlier. I could have set up an Array in advance and intercepted it...’

"Xiao Teng will come. He can’t possibly abandon these guys."

"To him, his reputation is far more important than points..."

「Meanwhile, on the other side.」

Jiang Lan stood with his hands clasped behind his back, dressed in white robes, his bearing exceptional. At the foot of the peak, water churned and splashed where a waterfall cascaded down, kicking up a hazy mist that shrouded the mountain in dreamlike, colorful clouds.

Amid the billowing mist, his figure appeared even taller and more slender. In the eyes of many, he was like a Banished Immortal who had descended to the mortal realm, utterly transcendent.

"But there’s less than half a day left."

"Young Master, what if that guy really doesn’t show up?" Ao Xu and the others said as they scanned their surroundings.

Jiang Lan smiled faintly. "Then we’ll simply cripple their cultivation."

By the shore of the lake, Meng Mo and the others looked pale and dejected. Their cultivation had been sealed, and they’d been tossed to the side.

The surrounding mountains were already teeming with people, making for an incredibly lively and spectacular scene.

Many people were discussing among themselves as they waited, wondering if Xiao Teng would actually show up. Countless gazes were fixed on the distance.

"He’s here..."

Just then, it was unclear who cried out, but a commotion erupted in the distance.

"Jiang Lan..."

A furious roar thundered through the air. Mist and clouds roiled, the vast sky rumbled, and even the heavy haze began to disperse in its wake.

Xiao Teng arrived mounted on an Exotic Beast, having rushed over the instant he received the message.

He was clad in armor that radiated a treasured gleam, his ink-black hair shimmering with a lustrous glow. The man looked like a young war god. Behind him, his many followers and subordinates arrived in a mighty procession as well.

"You despicable coward."

"If you have a problem with me, then face me directly. Let my people go."

He glared daggers at the figure in snow-white robes, his eyes burning with unconcealable rage. A jet-black, chillingly cold spear suddenly materialized in his hand, radiating an icy aura.

"So, you actually came. Good. That saves me the trouble of sending someone to find you."

"Hand over everything you’ve obtained, and I’ll release these people. It’s about time this struggle for Qianyuan Prefecture came to a close."

"Don’t waste any more of my time."

Standing on high, Jiang Lan calmly looked down on Xiao Teng, his tone utterly casual.