Villain System: Stealing the Protagonist's Harem and Luck

Chapter 125: It’s Really Like Seeing a Ghost; I Actually Felt a Bit Moved

Buzz!

Yue Mingkong’s mind felt like it was vibrating. Her thoughts went blank, her reality fracturing under the weight of what she was hearing.

In her previous life, Gu Changge had ruthlessly murdered her on their wedding night simply because she posed a threat to his greatest secret—his identity as the inheritor of the Immortal Devouring Demonic Art. That cold, blood-stained memory was burned into her soul.

Yet today, Gu Changge had not only confessed his secret to her face but acted as if it were a triviality. He had even claimed he couldn’t bear to kill her.

She was utterly floored. Every contingency plan she had drafted, every grim speculation she had nurtured since her rebirth, was being systematically dismantled. The runic talisman sword she had been white-knuckling beneath her sleeve finally slipped from her grasp.

She couldn’t tell if he was being sincere or if this was another elaborate layer of gaslighting, but one thing was undeniable: she sensed no killing intent. Not a shred.

Was that whole ‘showdown’ just a cruel joke to rattle me? The thought made her grit her teeth. She didn’t know whether to feel bitter, relieved, or strangely touched. It was a dizzying cocktail of emotions. Part of her wondered if he intended to use some forbidden demonic technique to enslave her soul while her guard was down, but another part—the part that had been watching him since her rebirth—knew he had changed. He was still a villainous, cold-blooded strategist, but he treated those within his inner circle with a strange, dark form of consideration.

“There’s no point in hiding the demonic art anymore. You’ve already guessed the truth, so stop playing the fool in front of me,” Gu Changge said with a casual shrug. Seeing her dazed expression, he let out a low chuckle and stepped forward, easily pulling her into his embrace.

Yue Mingkong’s body went rigid for a second before she forced herself to relax. She remained silent, her mind racing to reorganize her entire worldview.

Gu Changge found her stunned silence quite refreshing. Just moments ago, she had been an icy empress ready to go down in a blaze of glory. If he had truly wanted her dead, he would have struck long ago; he wouldn’t have waited for her to build up her defenses.

As a reincarnator, she had known his secret from day one, yet she had never exposed him. He knew she did this for her own reasons, but likely also because she couldn’t bring herself to see him become the enemy of the entire world. He wasn’t blind to the careful way she protected him, even when she hated him.

In the framing of Ye Ling, Mingkong had seen exactly how he operated: slaughter the victim with the demonic art, then wait for the perfect moment to pin the crime on the scapegoat. Since she had seen through the plan, there was no point in him maintaining the facade. He chose to “open up”—or at least, to show enough of his cards to lower her guard. Having his fiancé constantly on edge, ready to strike him down at any moment, was becoming a nuisance.

Of course, he knew that a few sweet words wouldn’t erase the trauma of an entire lifetime, but he was a patient man.

“Aren’t you afraid I’ll expose you?” Yue Mingkong asked, finally pushing back from his chest. She stood a few feet away, her cold, beautiful eyes searching his.

“Afraid? Of course I am,” Gu Changge sighed dramatically. “But if you do, I’ll just have to accept my bad luck. I suppose that’s the risk of marrying a wife like you…”

He wasn’t actually worried. If she were going to talk, she would have done so already.

Yue Mingkong let out a soft, indignant snort. “We aren’t married yet. Who is your wife?”

She knew he was likely feeding her honeyed lies. Gu Changge was far too calculating to leave such a massive loose end unless he was certain it wouldn’t unravel. Yet, despite the logic, her heart gave a traitorous little skip.

“You’ll be mine eventually,” he teased, a playful glint in his eyes. “In spirit and in body, you’re already spoken for. Why quibble over the ceremony?”

“Gu Changge…”

Yue Mingkong frowned. His words were shameless and nauseating, yet they were exactly the kind of thing she found impossible to reject. She looked at him, her eyes shimmering. Even if nine out of ten things he said were fabrications, what if that tenth sentence was the truth?

At that moment, a system prompt sounded in Gu Changge’s mind.

“Ding, the attitude of the Providence Daughter Yue Mingkong has slightly changed. Luck Points +800, Providence Value +4,000.”

This prompt satisfied Gu Changge; at least his words weren’t wasted.

Suddenly, a flash of light erupted from Gu Changge’s palm. “You missed the coronation ceremony today. Those old geezers gave me some decent treasures. I thought I’d let you pick one.”

Buzz!

A magnificent artifact appeared, humming with power. It was shaped like a phoenix in repose, radiating a hazy, celestial glow. Runes danced across its surface like flowing liquid light.

It was the Phoenix Wing Immortal Gold Tang. In its dormant state, it was exquisite, but once fueled by Spiritual Energy, it could grow into a devastating divine weapon. Since Gu Changge already wielded the Eight Desolate Demon Halberd, this legendary polearm was surplus to his requirements.

“The Phoenix Wing Immortal Gold Tang?” Yue Mingkong whispered, her eyes widening. She recognized it as a heirloom of the Daootian Immortal Palace, a treasure of immense value.

Was he actually giving it to her? In two lifetimes, he had never given her a gift. Her suspicion flared instantly. Since when did Gu Changge become this generous?

“You recognize it? Is it pretty?” he asked.

Yue Mingkong nodded slowly, a small, involuntary spark of expectation lighting up her clear eyes.

“Glad you think so,” Gu Changge smiled.

Whoosh.

With a flick of his wrist, the treasure vanished back into his spatial ring.

Yue Mingkong froze. Her expression stiffened, her face turning as cold as a winter tomb. Her phoenix eyes narrowed into icy blades that looked ready to pierce him through.

She couldn’t believe it. He had taken it out just to ask if she liked the look of it? At that moment, she finally understood the sheer, unadulterated frustration Gu Xianer felt whenever she dealt with him.

“Look at that face…” Gu Changge broke out into a fit of laughter. He had been genuinely bored and couldn’t resist the urge to poke the bear.

“It’s for you, obviously,” he laughed, tossing the artifact to her.

“I don’t want it!” Yue Mingkong snapped, turning her back on him. She was fuming. She couldn’t stand this man. To think she had actually felt a moment of genuine emotion just now. It was a disgrace.

Gu Changge shook his head. If the carrot didn’t work, he’d have to use the stick—literally.

Boom!

A brief, intense skirmish erupted within the hall. The palace rumbled, runes flared, and the void itself groaned under the pressure. Outside, the disciples huddled in fear at the sounds of the “battle” echoing from the summit.

Gu Changge used a fraction of his true power to suppress her. While Yue Mingkong was exceptionally strong—far beyond the average young supreme—she couldn’t overcome him.

By the time the dust settled, the “old married couple” had finished their “dispute.” Yue Mingkong’s resentment over his midnight rendezvous with a “vixen” had largely dissipated, though her resolve to find out who that woman was remained ironclad. She knew Gu Changge too well; he was nearly incapable of love, but he was more than capable of “play.” She wouldn’t allow any other woman to linger in his shadow.

The Gates Open

Deep within the Daootian Immortal Palace, the atmosphere had grown restless. Pillars of divine light pierced the heavens, and the dense, ancient mists that usually clung to the peaks were beginning to churn.

A prehistoric aura gushed from a massive, jagged fissure in the sky. It was dark, profound, and suffused with thick, ancient immortal qi.

This was the entrance to the Ancient Immortal Continent.

Several of the Palace’s old monsters stood at the precipice, their gazes grim. “We can stabilize the passage, but we cannot control what lies within. If the indigenous ‘Great Figures’ are provoked, it will be a catastrophe.”

“All the Great Sects are sending their juniors,” another Elder noted, shaking his head. “Whether this is a fated chance or a funeral march remains to be seen.”

Suddenly, streaks of radiant light shot out from the crack, carrying with them the scent of ancient herbs and divine artifacts. The mere aroma was enough to make one feel as if they were nearing Ascension.

“Notify the world,” the Elders commanded. “In three days, the gates open. The older generation is forbidden from entering by decree of the Ancient Inhabitants, but for the youth, the hunt begins.”

The news spread like a wildfire across Immeasurable Heaven. The Daootian Immortal Palace was the undisputed hegemon of the region; their official word was law.

Every Rogue Cultivator, every Holy Son, and every hidden genius began to converge on the mountain. The steps leading to the palace were nearly worn flat by the sheer volume of visitors. For those without a legendary background, a single Fated Chance from the Ancient Immortal Continent could rewrite their destiny.

The Palace responded by constructing a massive, golden heavenly passage that bypassed the internal grounds, funneling the masses toward the rift.

As the world rushed toward the promise of ancient power, the news of the Demonic Art inheritor—though still a shadow in the background—was temporarily eclipsed by the greed of the living.