Villain System: Stealing the Protagonist's Harem and Luck

Chapter 64: If Vows Worked, I’d Be in Trouble

Ye Liuli’s logic was simple.

She couldn’t watch Ye Chen die, but she also couldn’t agree to become a permanent slave.

When Gu Changge demanded she open her Sea of Consciousness to accept a Slave Seal, her first instinct was rage. But then, calculation took over.

The Ancient Ye Clan possessed a secret soul technique designed specifically to counter spiritual enslavement. A mere Slave Seal would be child’s play to break.

To sell the deception, she feigned intense struggle and reluctance. Dealing with a monster as cunning as Gu Changge required a perfect performance.

Hearing her agreement, Ye Chen’s heart swelled with emotion, quickly followed by crushing guilt.

Just moments ago, he had postured and screamed defiance because he was terrified of death. Now, his cousin was sacrificing her freedom for him.

Once the Slave Seal is planted, she belongs to him.

The thought was agony. Seeing his childhood sweetheart, the girl he cherished above all else, become the slave of his sworn enemy… it was a fate worse than death.

“I must say, I am surprised,” Gu Changge remarked, his tone dripping with mockery. “The little princess of the Ye Clan, willing to open her mind for a piece of trash like this?”

“If I were your father, I’d slap you to death myself.”

He chuckled, but his grip on Ye Chen didn’t loosen.

“My choices are none of your concern,” Ye Liuli snapped, her eyes fierce. “I will open my Sea of Consciousness, but first, you must swear an oath. Swear by your Dao Heart that you will never harm Brother Ye Chen again. If you violate this oath, may the Heavenly Demons devour your heart, and may you fall into eternal Qi Deviation.”

She stared at him intently. This was her line in the sand. Without the oath, she wouldn’t expose her soul.

The Sea of Consciousness was a cultivator’s most vulnerable point. A shattered Dantian could be healed, but a damaged soul was often fatal. Furthermore, it was the repository of all her secrets. Opening it to Gu Changge was an unimaginable risk.

She had no choice. She couldn’t watch Ye Chen be crushed to death.

“You want me to swear?” Gu Changge’s expression remained placid. “Very well.”

He repeated her words verbatim, his voice steady. “If I violate this, may the Heavenly Demons devour my heart, and may I fall into eternal Qi Deviation.”

It went too smoothly.

Ye Liuli frowned, a flicker of unease rising in her chest. She couldn’t read him.

Am I overthinking it?

Even someone as insidious as Gu Changge has to respect a Dao Oath, right?

“The oath is sworn,” Gu Changge said lightly. “It’s time to uphold your end of the bargain.”

Ye Liuli couldn’t find a flaw in his logic. She gritted her teeth and closed her eyes.

Sea of Consciousness, open!

Buzz!

Deep within Gu Changge’s eyes, a pitch-black light flickered. It condensed into the shape of a dark, crystalline bottle surrounded by swirling runes.

This wasn’t a Slave Seal.

The rune-bottle flashed through the void, diving into Ye Liuli’s exposed mind faster than she could react.

“What is this?” Ye Liuli frowned, her eyes snapping open.

She felt… strange. But she couldn’t pinpoint why.

Planting a Slave Seal required complex hand seals and chanting. Gu Changge hadn’t moved a muscle. And inside her mind, she felt no chains, no suppression.

But when she looked at Gu Changge, a confusing, overwhelming urge to submit washed over her.

Panic set in. Did I fall into a trap?

“It is exactly what you agreed to,” Gu Changge smiled, a strange glint in his eyes.

“Why don’t I feel anything?” Ye Liuli demanded.

“What kind of feeling were you expecting?” Gu Changge asked playfully.

Ye Liuli fell silent, her face pale. Things had gone off the rails.

Why… why can’t I hate him anymore?

Gu Changge had used the Devil Conversion Bottle.

It was a forbidden technique from the Immortal Devouring Demonic Art, refined by Gu Changge into a weaponized rune. Unlike a crude Slave Seal, which forced obedience through pain, the Bottle was a seed. It rewrote cognition. It planted loyalty deep in the subconscious.

A Slave Seal? That was peasant magic.

Gu Changge had guessed Ye Liuli’s plan instantly. Of course the Ye Clan had countermeasures for standard seals. He wasn’t stupid enough to walk into that.

By playing along, he had baited her into opening the door for something far more permanent.

Once the Bottle takes root, she will gradually forget her hatred. She will rationalize my actions. And eventually… she will be mine, body and soul.

Gu Changge was satisfied. Today was a massive harvest.

“Gu Changge,” Ye Liuli asked, her voice trembling slightly. “You should release Brother Ye Chen now, right?”

“What should you call me?” Gu Changge glanced at her.

Ye Liuli’s head buzzed. It felt like an ancient deity was staring down at her from the heavens, demanding reverence.

“Master…”

The word slipped out before she could stop it. Ye Liuli froze, horror dawning on her face. Why did I say that?

“Gu Changge! What did you do to her?!” Ye Chen screamed, his face turning a sickly shade of green.

His cousin… his Liuli… calling this monster “Master”?

His brain couldn’t process it. The humiliation was absolute.

“Dead men have too many questions,” Gu Changge said dismissively.

The System chimed in his mind. Ye Chen’s Luck Points had hit rock bottom. The protection of the Heavenly Dao was gone.

Pfft!

Gu Changge didn’t hesitate. The giant black hand clenched shut.

“Liuli, save m—”

Crunch.

Ye Chen’s plea was cut short as he was crushed into paste. He died with eyes wide open, filled with terror and confusion.

He couldn’t understand. Gu Changge had sworn an oath. Why wasn’t he afraid of the backlash?

Of course, Gu Changge wasn’t afraid.

Heavenly Demons? They were just snacks for his Demonic Art. Qi Deviation? He had a System for that.

Why would he leave a perfectly good Son of Providence alive when there was loot to be had?

“Gu Changge, you…” Ye Liuli stared at the bloody mess that used to be Ye Chen. She stood frozen, unable to process the betrayal.

He lied. He broke his word instantly.

“I need to avenge Brother Ye Chen…” she thought.

But as the thought formed, her mind grew foggy. Why couldn’t she summon the killing intent? Why did avenging him feel… wrong?

It’s the seal!

Ye Liuli shivered, a deep, primal fear taking root. She knew something was happening to her mind, but she was powerless to stop it.

Yan Ji watched the scene without a word. In her eyes, Gu Changge was a true枭雄 (ambitious hero/villain). In the face of absolute profit, oaths were just words. Besides, Ye Chen had tried to kill Gu Changge first.

Gu Changge ignored them both. The System prompts were flooding in.

[Ding! Son of Providence Ye Chen killed. Luck Points cleared. Calculating rewards…]

[Congratulations! Triggered Extra Heavenly Dao Treasure Chest. Extra Luck Points +200. Destiny Points +1,000.]

“Use the System Settlement Crit Card,” Gu Changge commanded mentally.

[Ding! Crit Card activated. 5x Multiplier applied!]

[Final Settlement: Luck Points +1,000. Destiny Points +5,000.]

“Open the chest,” Gu Changge said.

Last time, the chest gave him the Destiny Villain Halo. What would it be this time?

A golden light flashed.

[Ding! Obtained: Incomplete World Seed (1/3). Obtained: Void Marrow x1.]

Gu Changge raised an eyebrow. Another seed fragment. He now had all three. He could synthesize a complete world.

And the Void Marrow?

[Void Marrow: The essence of the Void Physique. Grant control over spatial laws.]

“Excellent,” Gu Changge praised. “Better than the Heart of the God King.”

He chose to fuse it immediately.

A warm sensation flooded his limbs. When he opened his eyes, the space around him felt different. It felt like water he could swim through, a tool he could bend.

Offense, defense, speed. The Void attribute had it all.

He pulled up his status panel.

Host: Gu Changge

Halo: Destiny Villain

Identity: True Disciple of Daootian Immortal Palace

Physique: Devil Heart, Dao Bone

Cultivation: Conferred Lord Realm (Late Stage)

Abilities: Daootian Immortal Scripture (75%), Myriad Transformations Demon Body, Innate Godly Spirit, Immortal Devouring Demonic Art…

Destiny Points: 9,000

Luck Points: 1,880 (Black)

Inventory: Domain-Breaking Talisman x1, Incomplete World Seed x3, Luck Plundering Card x3.