This Is What a Villain Is Like

Deep within Qianyuan Prefecture, a great battle erupted in an instant. Boulders rumbled, and the lake’s surface boiled.

Xiao Teng was young and impetuous, after all. Having been repeatedly scorned and humiliated by Jiang Lan, he found it utterly unbearable this time, especially in front of His Majesty Emperor Xia, the court officials, and guests from the various Immortal Sects.

Within the Round Mirror, the reflected scene was suddenly submerged in an endless, rolling haze, choked with dust and mist.

With ice in his eyes and a chill glinting off his armor, Xiao Teng rose from his Fierce Beast. He stepped into the air, aimed his long spear toward the southern sky, and swept it across.

A vast divine light, like a cleansing True Flame, washed over the area. The entire sky seemed to tremble, a testament to the power of the attack.

Behind him, his numerous subordinates and followers arrived. Their fighting spirit boiled, and filled with rage, they charged into the fray as well.

"Third Young Master Xiao Teng is here to save us!"

"Thank goodness..."

Although Meng Mo and the others didn’t want Xiao Teng to take such a risk, they were still filled with excitement and gratitude upon seeing him turn back and charge into battle.

"Just in time."

Behind Jiang Lan, Ao Xu, Luo Ying, Chi Yunxiao, and the others, who had long been waiting, also sprang into action.

One by one, they unleashed their Magical Artifacts. Divine light surged, radiant mist boiled, and a dazzling array of Runes rained down, completely inundating the area.

Terrifying energy pulsed violently, making the very Void hum.

Xiao Teng ignored the others and fixed his gaze directly on Jiang Lan. His eyes frigid, he swept his spear in a downward chop toward him.

The strike was like a furious wave crashing through the sky, or a surging golden ocean, stirring up a monstrous tidal wave that rushed forward with tremendous force.

In that instant alone, ancient trees in the vicinity snapped under the golden tide, and fissures several miles long split the earth—a shocking sight.

And yet, even in such a situation, Jiang Lan simply stood his ground with a faint smile, showing no intention of dodging. His robes fluttered, giving him an otherworldly, extraordinary air.

Such a calm and unbothered expression only made the anger in Xiao Teng’s heart surge.

THUD...

The next moment, a slender and graceful figure appeared in front of Jiang Lan.

A flash of sword light streaked past, bone-chillingly cold. The Void itself seemed to freeze as the light struck the spear Xiao Teng had brought down.

"The Taiyi Sect Saintess?"

His arm shuddered and his expression changed. He was sent flying backward, taking many steps back through the Void before steadying himself.

Li Mengning stood quietly in front of Jiang Lan, cradling an unsheathed Ancient Sword. A light veil hid her face, but a cold, dangerous aura seemed to emanate from her clear, tranquil eyes.

"Xiao Teng, is this all you’ve got? You can’t even get close to me."

Jiang Lan remained standing there, a smile playing on his lips as he spoke.

"Hiding behind a woman for protection. Jiang Lan, you have some nerve."

"If you have the guts, fight me yourself. Aren’t you ashamed of relying on a woman?"

Xiao Teng’s arm was numb, and he couldn’t hide the shock in his heart. His talent was extraordinary, and his strength was absolute. He had never been defeated, and it was rare to find anyone in the younger generation who could be his match.

But today, from Li Mengning, he felt a profound sense of danger.

This woman’s power was terrifying.

’As expected of the Saintess of the Taiyi Sect, the current leader of the Immortal Sects.’

"If you could get close to me, why wouldn’t I fight you? But alas, you don’t even have that little bit of skill. How could you be worthy of my attention?" Jiang Lan replied nonchalantly.

Xiao Teng’s expression turned ugly. He felt utterly humiliated.

Everyone in the Imperial Capital knew that Jiang Lan had only recently begun cultivating. What kind of power could he possibly possess? He was only able to humiliate them so brazenly because he was backed by a legion of powerful followers.

"You only know how to run your mouth. If no one was here to protect you, I could kill you as easily as a dog."

Xiao Teng calmed himself as numerous thoughts raced through his mind.

He glanced at the state of the battle. Jiang Lan had the advantage in numbers; his own followers and subordinates were no match for their opponents. Defeat was only a matter of time.

But despite knowing this, Xiao Teng had returned without a moment’s hesitation.

His reputation was one reason, but a much bigger one was that he couldn’t let Jiang Lan win the top position in this Qianyuan Prefecture trial.

Jiang Lan probably didn’t know that he had already separated from "Zhang Yuan." Xiao Teng had great confidence in the extraordinarily resourceful and mysterious "Zhang Yuan."

He was intentionally buying time for "Zhang Yuan," confident that Zhang Yuan would be able to find some fortuitous opportunities in the deeper regions of Qianyuan Prefecture.

On his way back, he had already discarded all the fortuitous opportunities he had obtained this time, keeping none of them on his person.

Once this matter was resolved, he would tell "Zhang Yuan" the locations of those opportunities so he could retrieve them.

He knew he would likely be defeated, but he would not let Jiang Lan have his victory.

SWISH, SWISH, SWISH...

Just as these thoughts flashed through Xiao Teng’s mind, he suddenly felt an overwhelming, bone-chilling killing intent wash over him.

Terrifying streams of Sword Qi, so dense they seemed solid, transformed into one ancient Divine Sword phantom after another. They came whistling toward him, so cold that the Void itself began to blur.

’Why is this Taiyi Sect Saintess so willing to risk her life for him?’

’What did I just say that made her killing intent toward me suddenly spike?’

Xiao Teng’s expression changed, and he hurriedly dodged backward.

At the same time, Spiritual Energy surged from his body. Hazy starlight seemed to gather in his every acupoint, and his skin took on a star-like sheen as he threw a punch forward.

A series of hazy Fist Seals, immensely powerful, materialized one after another. Like coalescing stars, they bombarded the incoming sword phantoms.