This Is What a Villain Is Like

Any who dared to defy them were annihilated and utterly erased.

Thousands of years ago, they brought endless bloody slaughter to the entire Nine Provinces Land.

One can even find records of that turmoil in many ancient texts and paintings.

Nine out of ten cities were left empty, corpses littered the ground, and blood dyed the mountains and forests red. Many even referred to it as the dark blood age.

The Noble Families, Dao Lineages, and dynasties destroyed in that era were innumerable.

To this day, some of the older generation of cultivators who personally experienced that era still show fear on their faces when the Blood Immortal Sect is mentioned.

"So it’s really related to the Blood Immortal Sect... My young lord even suspected... that it might have been the work of the Prime Minister’s Mansion..." the middle-aged man sighed deeply.

The woman glanced at him and simply said, "Choose your words carefully."

"Speaking of which, the young lord from the Prime Minister’s Mansion did appear in Anyang City and was even the target of an assassination attempt some time ago. I thought it would cause a huge uproar, but it was unexpectedly hushed up so quickly. Some in the imperial court suspect that someone is trying to sow discord between the Prime Minister and the Royal Family..."

"Do you happen to know the identity of that assassin?" the middle-aged man asked again.

The woman remained silent.

As a member of the Observatory, she would not interfere in the factional struggles within the Great Xia, let alone ask too many questions.

"Thank you for your help today."

"We are in turbulent times. The Blood Immortal Sect has resurfaced, and the Dao Questioning Grand Ceremony in the Celestial Central Province is about to be held. Please, take care of yourself... Junior Sister."

Seeing this, the middle-aged man sighed softly. He then stood, clasped his hands in a brief salute, and took his leave.

After the middle-aged man had gone, the woman in light armor murmured thoughtfully, "Jiang Lan..."

The Observatory oversees all matters under heaven. From the Royal Family and Relatives down to the common street vendors, no disturbance in the Great Xia, no matter how small, can escape its surveillance.

And yet, there was one person whose history from decades ago was a complete blank, even in the Observatory’s records.

Deep within the Observatory lies a magnificent palace named Observatory Hall.

It is heavily fortified with arrays and restrictions, like an impassable Thunder Pool. Even a Seventh Realm expert would find it impossible to take a single step inside.

Observatory Hall contains all the case files and secret histories collected from monitoring the world, covering everything from monsters and anomalies, fated encounters and immortal abodes, to human affairs and heavenly principles, cultivators and all living things...

During a mission, she had once gained clearance to enter it, and had read one of the files within. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

The history of that young lord from the Prime Minister’s Mansion, going back decades, was a complete blank.

Even the Observatory had no records of him from that time.

This either meant the records were destroyed, or that not even the Observatory had been able to uncover his past from over a decade ago.

But either way, it proved that the young lord of the Prime Minister’s Mansion was hiding a great secret.

For now, however, the Observatory’s top priority was still the anomaly that had appeared on the Blood Red Plateau.

By retracing the events and having masters proficient in arrays and the power of the Void conduct an on-site reconstruction, the Observatory reached a conclusion. Someone had used a Domain-breaking Talisman to appear there that day, and later used another one to leave.

But as for their specific origin and destination, that would require further analysis and tracing.

...

「Drunken Immortal Residence. Private Room.」

"Are you sure you want to meddle in this?"

The Old Ghost’s voice was as deep and hoarse as ever.

With a ripple of soul-like energy, a wisp-like figure of black smoke floated above Ye Ming’s palm.

"This isn’t meddling. I’m helping Zhu Yun, and it’s also a way to pave my own path. Besides, I already have a plan. It’s foolproof."

"I’ll just pose as an accomplice of the assassin who tried to kill that pampered heir, claiming to be avenging my partner," Ye Ming said with conviction.

Ling Zhuyun, one of the current candidates for Saintess of the Jasper Pool Sect.

She was also the woman he had long admired.

If he could rescue that female disciple from the Jasper Pool Sect, then given Ling Zhuyun’s character, she would certainly owe him a favor.

He had already sent word to her that a fated opportunity was about to appear on Purple Mist Mountain. She would be arriving soon to meet him.

With her help, he would have a much better chance of securing the inheritance from the fated opportunity on Purple Mist Mountain.

"Fine. I’ll help you this one time."

The Old Ghost’s voice held a note of approval. "However, I can only hold those people off for a short while. The rest will be up to you."

Ye Ming said gratefully, "Thank you, Old Ghost. Once I’ve achieved success in my cultivation, I’ll definitely find that Life-restoring Immortal Grass for you, so you can escape your current state and regain a human body."

The Old Ghost merely chuckled at this, offering no comment.

’As an immortal Residual Soul who has drifted for ages, I’ve guided countless disciples.’

’I’ve seen far too many with mediocre talent like Ye Ming; so many I can’t even remember them all.’

’Even Celestial Prides who possessed world-shattering physiques like the Creation Saint Body, the Nine Prisons Divine Body, or the Bathing Phoenix True Body failed to reach that final step.’

’And this current version of Ye Ming thinks he can find the Life-restoring Immortal Grass, something that’s only rumored to exist in the legendary Nine Netherworld?’

’Still, I won’t say any more. Ye Ming does possess a kind of profound destiny that my previous disciples lacked.’

BUZZ!!!

The next moment, with a flash of golden light, Ye Ming waved his hand, and ten Jade Pills emerged from his Sumeru Ring.

These ten Jade Pills were an archaic golden color, each the size of a baby’s fist. They shone with a stunning brilliance, and a formidable power surged from within them.

As Ye Ming muttered an incantation, one rune after another flickered into existence and quickly sank into the Jade Pills.

"The Mechanical Skill of the ancient era is truly extraordinary. A single small Jade Pill hides a complete Mechanical Puppet. Based on its materials alone, it can contend with a Fourth Realm expert."