This Is What a Villain Is Like

’There’s a powerful aura ahead. It seems to be the lair of a strong Demon Beast...’

Suddenly, sensing something, an idea sparked in Lin Fan’s mind, and he changed his plan slightly.

The Prime Minister’s Mansion’s minions were surely in pursuit by now. He had to cause some trouble for them to buy himself more time to escape.

Without hesitation, Lin Fan charged toward the Demon Beast’s lair.

At the same time, he channeled all his remaining Magical Power, unleashing a thick, sharp blast of Sword Qi. SWISH! In an instant, ancient trees snapped and rocks tumbled down.

The Demon Beast’s lair trembled violently, on the verge of collapse. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

"ROAR..."

A figure shaped like a black bear and as large as a small hill let out a furious roar and charged out. Its crimson eyes, like little lanterns, scanned its surroundings, burning with rage.

Lin Fan immediately held his breath, concealing his entire aura. Even the flow of his blood slowed, making him seem like a piece of rotten wood buried in the earth.

Then, while the Demon Beast was away from its lair searching for the enemy, he turned into a streak of light and darted inside.

"Hm?"

’There’s something good in here? It seems fate is on my side.’

Lin Fan was suddenly overjoyed. He had spotted a fruit tree inside the Demon Beast’s lair.

Although it was only about half the height of a man, its leaves were a brilliant, pristine green, exuding a clear, lustrous aura.

Amidst the branches hung several fist-sized fruits that looked like jade.

They were crystal clear and fragrantly fresh, and one could even see the five-claw-shaped pits within them.

’This is a Five-Clawed Soaring Spirit Fruit! Even though it’s not fully ripe, it’s more than enough for me right now. It can help me recover my cultivation.’

Barely able to contain his surprise and excitement, Lin Fan didn’t hesitate and moved forward to pick them.

In the past, he might not have given such a thing a second glance.

But things were different now. To him, this was like a blessing from the heavens.

He knew this black bear Demon Beast was surely waiting for the fruit tree to ripen before eating from it, which was why it was so vigilant, leaving its lair to investigate at the slightest sign of trouble.

Therefore, he had to act fast and take the fruit before it returned.

But the moment Lin Fan touched the fruit tree, the black bear Demon Beast, which had left the lair, sensed that someone was tampering with its Spirit Fruit. It let out an enraged roar, shaking the cave, and immediately charged back.

’Go,’ Lin Fan thought with a low grunt, yanking the entire plant out by its roots before plucking a fruit and swallowing it whole.

As the fruit went down, a rich fragrance filled him, instantly transforming into a warm spring that flowed through his entire body. Even the pain of his cold affliction eased considerably.

He didn’t hesitate for a second. He turned and fled, transforming into an afterimage and vanishing from the lair. Behind him, he could only hear the black bear Demon Beast’s impotent, furious roars, which shook the mountains and terrified countless birds and beasts.

Afterward, Lin Fan repeated his trick, finding several other Demon Beast lairs and successfully enraging their occupants.

Among them was a Red Fire Ape that had just given birth. He snatched its young, and with a furious roar, it abandoned all else to hunt him down.

Lin Fan’s actions were no different than playing with fire, but he had no other choice.

As long as the Demon Beasts in this primordial mountain range went on a rampage and blocked his pursuers, he could fish in troubled waters and successfully escape.

That Red Fire Ape was incredibly powerful, nearly on par with a cultivator of the Fifth Realm, the Soul Palace Realm.

Having just given birth, it was in a furious rage, tearing apart any living creature it saw. Quite a few unlucky Demon Beasts had already been ripped to shreds by it.

Lin Fan cultivated an extremely profound Breath-holding Skill. These Demon Beasts weren’t highly intelligent, so it was impossible for them to find him.

During this time, he found and consumed more Spirit Grass and Spirit Fruits, and his injuries and cultivation were rapidly recovering.

However, Lin Fan was puzzled. No matter where he fled, it wasn’t long before he heard the rumbling of Exotic Beasts galloping across the distant sky, a sound as thunderous as waves crashing against the heavens.

’Could there be something on me that allows them to track my location...?’ Lin Fan’s heart sank at the thought.

But he couldn’t figure it out. How could the people from the Prime Minister’s Mansion pinpoint his location? If they had this ability all along, why wait until today to use it?

Afterward, Lin Fan found a hidden spot, sat down cross-legged, and calmed his mind to look inward. He finally noticed something unusual.

’When did this fluorescent substance get on me?’

His expression turned grim. He immediately suspected the mysterious woman; there was no other explanation.

’It must have been her. She must have tampered with that bowl of medicinal soup, worried I’d run away after recovering. Judging a gentleman by her own petty standards! Why would I ever lie to her?’

His fists clenched so tightly they cracked, and a cold light flickered in his eyes before he calmed down again.

Lin Fan sneered. ’Still, she was too clever for her own good. This fluorescent substance has given me an opportunity. Perhaps today I can finally take my revenge and then leave in triumph.’

Throughout the mountains, the roars of Demon Beasts echoed, shaking rocks and snapping ancient trees.

In some areas, battles between Demon Beasts erupted, their astonishing auras tearing apart everything in the vicinity.

High in the sky, Divine Rainbows circled. The group of Knights mounted on Exotic Beasts all wore grim expressions.

Many of them were even blocked by the local Demon Beasts, forced to halt their pursuit and engage in fierce battles.

After several hours of pursuit, the sky gradually darkened.

In the distant sky, the stars and moon began to appear. A thin mist rose, and the roars of Demon Beasts echoed through the mountains, one after another.

"Young Master, I don’t know what trick that Lin Fan used, but he’s somehow incited a riot among so many Demon Beasts in these mountains."

"This area will likely become even more dangerous soon. Why don’t you wait here, Young Master? The rest of us will follow the Butterfly Glow Moth and continue the hunt."

Ying, mounted on an Exotic Beast, saw the situation and approached Jiang Lan’s side to speak.

Beneath her veiled hat, Xiao Yingyue’s dark brows furrowed slightly. She hadn’t expected the heavily injured Lin Fan to have such a trick up his sleeve.

’In her view, with the power of the Prime Minister’s Mansion and the tracking ability of the Butterfly Glow Moth, catching Lin Fan should have been child’s play.’

’But who would have thought Lin Fan would be so slippery? Even the Butterfly Glow Moth became confused along the way, briefly losing the scent of the Butterfly Glow Grass.’

This, in turn, made her the target of even more suspicion. ’Are they thinking I’m in league with Lin Fan, that I deliberately led Jiang Lan and his men here?’

Ying and the others had begun to stare at her with scrutinizing, suspicious eyes.

"Young Master Jiang, Lin Fan likely cultivates some kind of profound Concealing Breath Skill that can hide his entire aura. Even the Butterfly Glow Moth can sometimes lose track of his position..."

Xiao Yingyue explained slowly.

Jiang Lan sat poised atop his Exotic Beast, his white robes with their wide sleeves fluttering in the wind. He simply nodded at her words. "Lin Fan has many tricks. He managed to escape safely from right under the noses of so many experts. It’s not surprising he has this kind of ability."

’A ’protagonist’ like him is, after all, favored by the world’s destiny. Of course he’s hard to kill.’

’Lin Fan has probably already discovered the little trick Xiao Yingyue left behind. That’s why he was able to turn her plan against her and lead the Knights on a wild goose chase.’

’However, this suited Jiang Lan’s intentions perfectly. He wanted to wait for Lin Fan to deliver himself right to his doorstep.’

’Given his personality, he would never pass up such a golden opportunity to kill me and leave in a blaze of glory.’

"In that case, Ying, take your men and follow the Butterfly Glow Moth. I will wait for you here."

Thinking this, a strange light flickered in Jiang Lan’s eyes. He found a spacious area and ordered his men to start a fire.