Villain System: Stealing the Protagonist's Harem and Luck

Chapter 139: Things Are Becoming More Interesting; My Treasure-Seeking Mouse Never Disappoints

“The Successor of the Reincarnation Heavenly Sovereign has appeared.”

An old woman with pupils like a viper’s spoke, her voice a cold hiss that made the air turn brittle. In her palm, an ancient rune flickered with a rhythmic, pulsing light.

“That is why I have summoned you all,” a tall, elderly man added. He possessed a pair of goat horns and an air of immortal grace that was betrayed by the icy murder in his eyes.

The other elders nodded grimly. “So the prophecy was true. He has come to claim the Sovereign’s legacy. For eons, we believed the Slave Seal was nothing more than a ghost story—a legend meant to keep our ancestors in line. None of us could verify it.”

“Until today,” spat an elder with an eagle’s beak, his face twisted in agony. He clutched his arm where a burning rune was manifesting, branded into his very marrow. No matter what essence he circulated, he could not dull the heat.

For countless generations, these seals had lain dormant. The indigenous clans had flourished, even coming to believe they were truly free. But today, the sudden proximity of the Sovereign’s true inheritance had awakened the mark. The power within that small rune was absolute; it could extinguish their lives with a single thought from its master.

This was the Slave Seal—a curse woven into their bloodlines since the primordial era.

Knowing their ancestors had been suppressed and enslaved to guard a treasure for a “successor” who hadn’t even been born yet filled them with a volcanic rage. None of them were willing to bow to a stranger from the outside world and offer up their lives and fortunes on a silver platter. Only a fool would submit.

“We have held the Sovereign’s Enlightenment Stone for millions of years,” the goat-horned elder growled. “Who would willingly surrender it now? There are even whispers of a hidden cave mansion nearby, containing the Sovereign’s ultimate scriptures and foundations. The key must be on the Successor.”

The elders exchanged looks of predatory greed. The Sovereign’s legacy belonged to those who had guarded it, not some brat from the outside.

“The Successor is an outsider, likely a youth. According to the pact with the outside world’s old monsters, his strength shouldn’t exceed the Void God Realm,” the eagle-beaked elder noted with a cruel smirk. “Even if he is talented, he is still a lamb in our woods. We will ensure he never leaves this place alive.”

They were bound by the Slave Seal and could not strike him personally, but they had vast armies of subordinate races at their beck and call. They would weave an inescapable net and wait for the boy to walk into the slaughterhouse.

“Issue the orders,” the viper-eyed woman commanded. “Scrutinize every unfamiliar face. Kill any outsider on sight. We do not stop until the ‘Successor’ is a corpse. Only then can we be free.”

Boom!

Pillars of divine light erupted from the ruins as the indigenous clans mobilized. Powerful auras swept across the sky, and an inescapable dragnet began to tighten around the region.

“What’s happening? Have we been spotted?”

Ye Ling’s face went pale. He, Chi Ling, and Yin Mei were currently skirting the edge of the ruins when several powerful divine senses—each at least at the Heavenly God level—swept over them like a crushing weight.

“Why are there so many experts suddenly patrolling?” Chi Ling whispered, her brow furrowed. “Unless we use our final trump cards, we won’t survive a confrontation with a Heavenly God.”

“I don’t know,” Ye Ling muttered, his mind racing. “We hid our presence perfectly. Is it just a coincidence? Or… are they looking for me?”

Inside the pendant, the Old Turtle remained silent for a moment, its expression cold.

“They look terrified… as if they’re hunting a monster,” Yin Mei noted, her voice trembling with a well-acted worry.

Ye Ling turned to her, offering a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, Yin Mei. I’m sure it’s just a routine sweep. It has nothing to do with us.”

Yin Mei nodded, but her concern was real—it just wasn’t for Ye Ling. She was thinking of Gu Changge. She knew he had likely infiltrated the heart of the ruins long ago. Could his plan have failed? Did the locals discover him? Part of her knew that if Changge died, her curse would be lifted, and she should be celebrating. But looking at the overwhelming force the natives were deploying, she felt an involuntary pang of anxiety for the man.

Worse, Changge had ordered her to sow discord between Ye Ling and Chi Ling and to “accidentally” trigger an alarm at the most dangerous possible moment. It was a suicide mission. Why was she worrying about such a heartless man?

“Kid, listen to me,” the Old Turtle’s voice rang in Ye Ling’s head, snapping him out of his thoughts. “These guys are definitely coming for you.”

“What? Why me?” Ye Ling’s eyes widened.

“The Sovereign left you a treasure, but he also left a test. A guardian lineage protects the legacy. If you can’t pass their ‘trial,’ you won’t get the loot, and you’ll likely Perish here.”

Ye Ling nearly cursed aloud. “Why didn’t you tell me this before? You’re setting me up! Why couldn’t he just leave a Fated Chance without all the ‘messy trials’?”

He grumbled, but he knew he was already too far in to turn back. He had the Sovereign’s power; now he had to prove he was worthy of it.

Yin Mei noticed the shift in his expression. So they are coming for him, she realized, feeling a wave of relief. The plan was still on track.

“The Enlightenment Stone is forged from Reincarnation Stone,” the Old Turtle continued, guiding Ye Ling. “It contains the laws of Time—the rarest attribute in existence. Your only hope is to find the Sovereign’s hidden cave mansion first. Inside is the method to subdue the guardians. You must win their recognition.”

The Old Turtle didn’t realize that the “guardians” were actually slaves who hated their master’s bloodline with every fiber of their being.

Ye Ling gritted his teeth, his determination hardening. “I’ll get it. I have to. How else will I kill Gu Changge?”

While Ye Ling prepared for his trial, Gu Changge was navigating the void like a ghost.

His recent raid on the Cemetery of Prodigies had been spectacularly successful. Devouring the essence of ancient geniuses had pushed his true cultivation to the Mid-stage of the God King Realm.

At this level, he could face a True Saint in a fair fight and win. If he used a sneak attack, he could end a Saint’s life before they even realized they were under threat. Of course, he kept his “surface” cultivation at the Initial Stage of the Void God Realm—an “acceptable” level of genius that wouldn’t draw too much suspicion from the ancient monsters of the world.

Immortal and Demon cultivation is the perfect mask, he mused. The Daootian Immortal Scripture handles the public eye, while the Immortal Devouring Demonic Art provides the foundation. No one will ever know my true depth.

He noticed the commotion in the ruins below. “According to Yin Mei’s signal, Ye Ling is close. But the whole city is on high alert. Did the mouse get caught already?”

He narrowed his eyes, observing the search patterns. “No… they’re searching aimlessly. They don’t know who they’re looking for yet.”

He quickly deduced the situation. The Sovereign would have left a trial. The alert was likely the “first stage” of that test.

Buzz.

A slight ripple in the void caught his attention. A Heavenly God indigenous scout was searching the nearby forest.

Gu Changge stepped through the spatial dimensions, moving with a fluid, terrifying grace. In the void, he was a god; space was merely his playground.

“Who goes there?” the scout barked, sensing a sudden, unnatural chill. It turned around, only to see a handsome man in white robes standing inches away, a serene smile on his face.

“Shh,” Gu Changge whispered. “Be quiet, or you’ll die.”

With a flick of his wrist, he opened a jagged tear in space.

“You—!” The scout didn’t even have time to summon its runes before the spatial rift expanded and swallowed it whole.

Changge turned and vanished, following the scout into his Inner World. To any outside observer, the Heavenly God had simply ceased to exist.

Inside the Inner World

Gu Changge stood atop a mountain peak, looking down at the terrified scout.

“Where is this? Who are you?” the creature screamed. It was a Heavenly God, a being capable of leveling cities, yet here it felt like a bug under a magnifying glass. The laws of this space were absolute, and they all bowed to Gu Changge.

“I need some information,” Changge said casually.

“I’ll tell you nothing!”

“I wasn’t asking for your cooperation,” Changge replied, his palm glowing with a sinister, oily black light. Thousands of dark threads erupted from his fingers, plunging into the creature’s skull.

Soul Searching.

Flashes of the scout’s life flickered through Changge’s mind: the elders’ orders, the burning Slave Seals, and the location of the Sovereign’s hidden cave.

“A Slave Seal? So the guardians are actually vengeful servants,” Gu Changge murmured, ending the scout’s life with a casual thought. A strange, mocking smile spread across his face.

“Slave Seals, hidden mansions… this treasure-seeking mouse really never disappoints.”