This Is What a Villain Is Like

"Have you heard?" 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

"What’s going on?"

"Everyone’s been talking about it. The legacy cave mansion of an ancient Great Divine Ability User, the Purple Mist True Monarch, is supposed to appear near Anyang City."

"I’ve heard, but is there any truth to it?"

"Where did this rumor even start? Feels like every day for the past few days, tons of cultivators have been flocking to Anyang City. Even some from the Alien Races have shown up. Seems like they’re all here for it."

"Well, I heard it was some guy who got drunk and started bragging to his buddies. Said his ancestor knew the Purple Mist True Monarch, and that the True Monarch told his ancestor he was leaving his legacy cave mansion here for someone fated to find it."

"Next thing you know, the story got out somehow, and now everyone knows."

"Some people even went out to investigate the surrounding lands to see if it was true. Others started digging through Ancient Texts. And what do you know, they actually found records of a Great Divine Ability User named Purple Mist True Monarch. And get this—he even made an appearance in this very region..."

"Talk about a coincidence, right? The number of cultivators who’ve shown up in Anyang City just in the last few days is way higher than usual."

"I even saw some disciples from the Taiyi Sect, and from the Ancient Inquiring Sect, the Celestial Demon Hall..."

In a bustling tavern in Anyang City.

Ye Ming, having long since reverted to his original appearance, sat by the window.

A few side dishes for his wine sat on the table. He listened quietly to the chatter of the other patrons, his expression unreadable. Beneath the table, however, his hand tightened for no apparent reason.

He never expected that in just a few days, all sorts of news about the Purple Mist True Monarch would explode like a firestorm, spreading rapidly through Anyang City and even to other regions, drawing in swarms of cultivators.

Now, everywhere in Anyang City, you could hear cultivators discussing the legacy of the Purple Mist True Monarch’s Cave Mansion.

This shocked and surprised him immensely, but it also left him deeply confused.

According to the Old Ghost, the Purple Mist True Monarch’s Cave Mansion had always been a secret known to very few.

Even those who knew would never have spoken of it so openly. After all, the fewer people who knew, the better one’s chances of obtaining the inheritance and opportunities inside.

’Who would be stupid enough to leak this secret on purpose?’

But over the last few days, it was as if someone was fanning the flames from behind the scenes, intentionally spreading the news to attract various factions and Immortal Sects.

The Great Xia imperial court had also dispatched men from the Observatory to investigate the matter of the Purple Mist True Monarch’s Cave Mansion.

’The more people who know, the smaller my chances of seizing the opportunity inside.’

Ye Ming sighed softly, feeling helpless. He had no idea who was pulling the strings.

But no matter what, he was determined to obtain the Purple Mist True Monarch’s legacy. He would never simply hand it over to someone else.

After leaving the tavern, Ye Ming’s figure vanished into the bustling, crowded street.

He had been acting cautiously for a few days after reverting to his true appearance, only breathing a sigh of relief when he confirmed that no one knew he was the assassin who had tried to kill Jiang Lan.

He had completely altered his appearance and even his aura that day. He figured that even if Jiang Lan had seen him, he wouldn’t be able to connect the dots.

This would make his next moves much more convenient.

He had made many preparations for the Purple Mist True Monarch’s Cave Mansion. He had originally planned to invite Ling Zhuyun from the Jasper Pool Sect to investigate it with him, but he never expected this sudden turn of events.

...

In a palace where rosy light surged and white mist flowed as gently as water.

Jiang Lan sat cross-legged within.

Through his efforts over the past few days, he had finally siphoned enough fortune from Su Qinghan and Chu Chan to bring the second stage of his Destiny Dao Fruit to maturity.

His control over Life Force, for one, had reached a point where it responded to his will as naturally as his own limbs.

The new talent granted by the second stage of the Destiny Dao Fruit alone was a pleasant surprise.

Just as he had initially predicted, it was related to the concept of a Life Chart.

He could now clearly perceive the Life Chart of any living being or cultivator. This Life Chart, he found, was also directly related to one’s fortune.

After all, a Life Chart was the most direct manifestation of fortune. If a being’s Life Chart was incalculably noble, then the density of their fortune would not be low either.

This would make it much easier for Jiang Lan to acquire fortune in the future. After all, the world as seen from Lin Fan’s original perspective was only a rough sketch. Many details and characters outside the main plot were never fully revealed.

Now that he could perceive and understand Life Charts, Jiang Lan could see, clearly and intuitively, who possessed great fortune and whose unique Life Charts could be used to his advantage—allowing him to plunder their fortune.

’Su Qinghan’s Life Chart is Natural-born Sword Immortal, just as I first thought. And Chu Chan’s is Celestial Destiny Evil Lady...’

’In some ways, a Life Chart also foretells one’s future destiny and path, though it seems there’s still room for change.’

Although Jiang Lan could perceive the Life Charts of others, his own was a complete mystery to him. He couldn’t sense anything at all. If he had to describe it, it was like a hazy, shifting fog—constantly changing and impossible to observe.

He suspected it was because he was an anomaly, an existence from outside the original plot.

This was, however, only the second stage of the Destiny Dao Fruit. As it gradually transformed toward the third stage, Jiang Lan felt he might gain the ability to manipulate a person’s Life Chart from the shadows of fate.