This Is What a Villain Is Like

Jiang Lan kept his eyes slightly closed, allowing Lin Fan’s boundless Life Force to transform into innumerable strands of crimson light that surged into his body.

At the same time, Lin Fan’s countless memories and all his insights into the Sword Dao flowed before Jiang Lan’s eyes like a river.

He saw Lin Fan’s past life as the Eternal Damnation Sword Master.

Learning the sword, practicing the sword, wielding the sword, comprehending the sword...

He had no need to learn these experiences and Supreme Skills. He had already mastered them, assimilating them so completely it was as if he had been born with the knowledge.

With a single thought, he could command every sword under heaven and unleash a myriad of Sword Dao Divine Techniques.

The numerous Secret Skills, Divine Celestial Skills, and Creation Supreme Skills from Lin Fan’s memories were likewise assimilated for his use.

Within the deep, dark Mud Ball Palace, a boundless, majestic torrent of destiny poured in, surging like a great river, powerful and torrential.

The branches and leaves of the Mysterious Ancient Vine swayed gently. In addition to the branch that had turned to blood-red jade, another began to tremble. It emitted a hazy halo, condensing into the shape of a simple, ancient sword. Wreathed in Sword Intent, its edge was astonishingly sharp.

At the same time, the color of the Destiny Dao Fruit, which had matured to its first stage, deepened. It rapidly began transforming toward the deep green of the second stage.

Jiang Lan’s control over life grew ever more profound and terrifying.

He felt that with a single thought, he could now reap the lives of every living creature at the bottom of the Abyss of Despair.

At another tip of the Ancient Vine, a bud that had only just sprouted began to grow wildly, as if it had absorbed a rich infusion of nutrients. It showed faint signs of condensing into the embryo of a fruit.

’After the second Destiny Dao Fruit matures, what will it become?’

As Jiang Lan’s consciousness swept over the scene, he felt a faint sense of anticipation.

His current strength was partly due to the inheritance from the Blood Immortal Sect, but the Destiny Dao Fruit was even more important.

Now that he had dealt with the great threat that was Lin Fan, he had to start considering how to nurture the Destiny Dao Fruit’s future growth.

He had originally thought that the destiny plundered from killing Lin Fan would be enough for the Destiny Dao Fruit to reach its second stage.

But now, it seemed he had underestimated the immense amount of destiny required for the Destiny Dao Fruit to grow.

’One Lin Fan wasn’t enough, and that’s not even considering the three stages the Destiny Dao Fruit still has to go through.’

’The key still lies with those who possess great destiny...’

Jiang Lan could already faintly sense that the second stage of the Destiny Dao Fruit was related to the Life Chart.

’But there’s no rush.’

’When the time is right, I should find a Secret Technique for Refining the Soul. Using Illuminating Nether to condense my Divine Soul and forge a Soul Palace to increase my strength is more important for now.’

Jiang Lan reined in his thoughts, and his consciousness withdrew from his Mud Ball Palace.

He felt his current physical body was still too fragile. It was insufficient to unleash his terrifying, ocean-like Qi and Blood Power.

If he wanted to maximize his advantages, he needed to increase the strength of his physical body as soon as possible.

Otherwise, incidents like what just happened—where Lin Fan used a Secret Skill to pierce his heart with the Eternal Damnation Sword—would likely happen again.

Although his Life Force was formidable and his Healing and Recovery Power was astonishing, an injury like that was still excruciatingly painful.

An ordinary cultivator would have likely passed out from the pain long ago.

If his will hadn’t been so firm, allowing him to remain expressionless, Lin Fan might have actually succeeded in escaping.

’As for a Secret Technique for Refining the Soul, perhaps I can try the White Bone Visualization Technique from the Blood-colored Forbidden Canon...’

Jiang Lan opened his eyes and glanced into the distance.

For a while now, the expression of the middle-aged man—the transformed Demon Python—had been one of utter terror, and he hadn’t dared to move a muscle.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to move, but that he could feel Jiang Lan’s aura locked firmly onto him.

If he moved even slightly, he would be met with a thunderous strike from Jiang Lan.

A violent aura flooded his mind, but after witnessing Lin Fan’s death and seeing for himself how bizarre and terrifying Jiang Lan was, he couldn’t even muster the thought of resistance.

The moment he saw Jiang Lan look over, he bit the tip of his tongue. A spray of Essence Blood erupted, transforming into a gushing black flame that filled the air with a scorching haze, attempting to block Jiang Lan’s path.

Without a moment’s hesitation, his figure transformed into a streak of eerie green light. Shrouded in demonic mist and miasma, he fled into the distance.

’Trying to escape now? It’s too late.’

Of course, Jiang Lan wasn’t about to let him go. A Transformed Demon King possessed intelligence on par with the Human Race.

If he let it escape, his current cultivation level and strength would be exposed.

In the past, it wouldn’t have been easy for him to kill a Sixth Realm Demon King. However, this creature had actually swallowed him, exposing its most vulnerable spot and giving Jiang Lan the opportunity to inflict a grievous wound.

With its heart shattered, the Demon Python had already lost seventy to eighty percent of its strength.

SWOOSH!

Having lost its master, the Eternal Damnation Sword that lay on the ground had lost its spiritual nature. Its runic glow was dim, leaving only its incredibly durable blade.

Jiang Lan had absorbed all of Lin Fan’s Life Force and Qi and Blood Power. While the increase in his Magical Power wasn’t significant, his mastery of the many Sword Dao Divine Techniques had clearly reached the pinnacle of perfection.

With a light wave of his hand, the Eternal Damnation Sword let out a BUZZ and shot after the demon, transforming into a whistling streak of golden light.

A sickening squelch...

The brilliant golden light streaked by. With its heart shattered and its Life Force rapidly draining away, the Demon King’s eyes held nothing but terror.

The sword pierced through its abdomen, sending its body flying into the cliff wall. Blood gushed like a fountain, splattering across the sky.

"You’re pushing this demon too far!"

It roared in anger, its Demon Qi flaring. An eerie, jade-green fire danced in its vertical pupils. With no hope of escape, its face twisted into a ferocious mask. It planned to revert to its true form and fight Jiang Lan to the death.

But its answer was a crashing Blood River that descended from above.

The Void trembled as the Blood River materialized, looking as if it stretched between heaven and earth.

Skeletons bobbed on its great, churning waves. A crest of the river, shaped like a giant hand, crashed down and swept the demon’s body into its depths.

The Demon Python’s expression was a mixture of shock, anger, and terror. It could only manage a few gurgling, drowning roars before the Blood River swallowed it, leaving no trace behind.

The Blood River gradually calmed, its waves ceasing until its surface was still and silent. Then, it slowly faded back into the Void.

Jiang Lan’s expression remained impassive. He slowly lowered his palm, and the Eternal Damnation Sword fell back into his grasp. He tossed it casually into his Sumeru Ring. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

In terms of material alone, the Eternal Damnation Sword was truly a Divine Sword, capable of cutting through anything.

It had pierced the tough hide of a Demon King Level creature with ease.

Whether he kept it for himself or melted it down later to forge something new, it was a valuable asset.

’That’s a bit surprising. The Life Force of a Transformed Demon King is insignificant compared to the vast amount I absorbed on the Blood Red Plateau. It’s barely a drop in the ocean.’

Jiang Lan had originally assumed the Life Force he absorbed on the Blood Red Plateau was, at most, equivalent to the Magical Power of a cultivator in the Sixth or Seventh Realm.

But now, it seemed he had still gravely underestimated how terrifying the Destiny Dao Fruit was.

After absorbing the Transformed Demon King’s Life Force, it only managed to stir the faintest ripples in his vast and boundless Spring of Life.

In fact, there was no change at all.

’As expected. The real limiters on my current strength are my physical body and my realm...’

Jiang Lan shook his head slightly, his gaze sweeping over the other miasma-shrouded areas at the bottom of the abyss.

Besides that Transformed Demon King, there were almost no other powerful Demon Beasts here.

Therefore, he wasn’t worried that his current strength would be exposed.

He just needed to come up with a good explanation for how Lin Fan died...

Suddenly, sensing something, Jiang Lan looked toward a specific direction through the swirling miasma.

A faint, fluorescent light flickered in the gloom.

It was a Butterfly Glow Moth, its tail glowing like a tiny lantern, faintly illuminating a radius of less than ten feet.

A tall, blurry silhouette flickered in and out of view, its feet treading on weathered skeletons.

The CRUNCH of splintering bone was exceptionally clear.

’Xiao Yingyue? Why did she follow me down here?’

Jiang Lan was surprised to see the graceful, curvaceous figure approaching, leading a Cyan Jade Deer by her side.

Xiao Yingyue had lost all of her cultivation and was now no different from a mortal.

Yet the bottom of this abyss was filled with poisonous miasma and fog. It was so profoundly dark you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face.

The cliff walls on both sides were teeming with Demon Beasts and venomous insects.

For this woman to have dared to follow... one could only say that as expected of a Supreme Elder from Medicine King Valley, her courage was truly extraordinary.