Villain System: Stealing the Protagonist's Harem and Luck

Chapter 140: A Mediocre and Unremarkable Waste; Young Man, Do You Want to Become Strong?

Gu Changge hadn’t expected to extract such a wealth of information from a randomly captured Heavenly God Realm cultivator. Between the whispers of the Reincarnation Heavenly Sovereign’s hidden cave mansion and the legendary Enlightenment Platform, the pieces of the puzzle were falling into place.

He had deduced the existence of the Slave Seal based on the frantic orders of the clan elders. Combined with the clichéd tropes he knew so well, the conclusion was obvious: when the Ancient Reincarnation Heavenly Sovereign suppressed the ancestors of these indigenous beings eons ago, he hadn’t killed them. Instead, he had branded them with Slave Seals, tasking them with guarding the treasures meant for his eventual successor.

But loyalty is a fragile thing when measured against millennia. The fact that powerful indigenous beings were now hunting Ye Ling was proof enough of their betrayal.

While Gu Changge coveted Ye Ling’s fated chances, he intended to keep the boy alive for now. A scapegoat for the forbidden demonic arts was too valuable to discard prematurely. However, a meticulous plan was already taking shape in his mind—one that utilized the Slave Seals to turn the indigenous clans against each other.

“The Enlightenment Platform doesn’t belong to Ye Ling alone; otherwise, these creatures wouldn’t have clung to it for so long,” Gu Changge mused. He efficiently disposed of the corpses within his Inner World and stepped back into the continent.

According to his Soul Searching, five major clans inhabited this region, all descended from the Sovereign’s original servants. They were currently scouring the land for Ye Ling.

“With his current strength, Ye Ling won’t survive a direct confrontation with the five clans. But since this is a ‘trial,’ the Sovereign must have left him a shortcut,” Changge sneered. “These ancient fossils love their tests. In this day and age, who has time for character building when there’s loot to be snatched?”

He narrowed his eyes, a playful glint appearing. “Ye Ling’s next move will be to find the Sovereign’s hidden cave. It likely contains the means to trigger the Slave Seals and force the clans into submission. It’s probably a portable small world. I wonder how it compares to my own?”

Gu Changge smiled, his expression profoundly intriguing. He wouldn’t stop Ye Ling. In fact, he might even give the boy a nudge in the right direction. Gu Changge had no interest in enduring a trial himself; he preferred to wait until the fruit was ripe before plucking it.

“I’ll let Yin Mei handle the day-to-day tracking. There’s no rush.”

With that thought, the void blurred. Gu Changge crossed thousands of feet in a single step, vanishing from the area and reappearing near the heart of the indigenous city.

The scale of the settlement was staggering, easily rivalling the great ancient cities of the outside world. Towering pavilions and majestic towers rose like stone giants, exhaling an aura of prehistoric glory.

“The Grand Elder of the Black Sky Eagle Clan holds the reins here. A Supreme Saint,” Gu Changge noted, his figure flickering like a ghost in the void as he scanned the streets below. The city was crawling with guards, and many structures were carved with lethal formation patterns capable of vaporizing anyone below the God Realm.

“In the shadows, there’s likely an ancestor at the Quasi-Supreme level,” he continued, his gaze thoughtful. “Head-on confrontation would be noisy and might expose my identity. I can’t use my family background to crush them here.”

Bulling people with status was his preferred method, but he knew when to be subtle. “The Black Sky Eagle Clan controls the Enlightenment Platform. I’ll start with them.”

He recalled a specific memory from the Heavenly God Realm cultivator he’d devoured—a weakness belonging to the Grand Elder. With a flick of his sleeves, he moved toward a bustling, high-end establishment. Three characters in Ancient Immortal script adorned the entrance: Drunken Immortal Pavilion.

On the top floor of the pavilion, nestled within a private room swathed in celestial mist, a group of young non-humans was holding court. At the center of the gathering sat a youth in opulent silk robes, holding a beautiful girl in his arms. He had a pale, frivolous face and a pair of magnificent pitch-black wings that shimmered with a dark, oily luster.

“What is happening in the city?” a woman with a shimmering snake tail asked, her curiosity piqued. “The streets are crawling with Heavenly God Realm cultivators. Are the outsiders really that bold?”

“Likely so,” another youth laughed. “They think the ‘No Elders’ pact protects them. They have no idea what it costs to trespass in our home.”

A third youth sneered. “If not for the ancient agreements, we would have migrated to the outside world long ago. Those ‘Great Sects’ wouldn’t even be a footnote in history.”

The group turned their attention to the youth in the center, their expressions turning fawning.

“Brother Hei Ming, you’re the only one with a Heavenly God Realm attendant. We ‘Four Prodigals’ are nothing compared to you.”

Hei Ming, the winged youth, preened under the praise, though he shook his head. “Commander Hei Yu isn’t with me. My grandfather sent him out to hunt for suspicious outsiders.”

The others nodded, their interest deepening. “Brother Hei Ming, do you know the truth of the alert? Why are the five families acting like they’re under siege?”

As a direct descendant of the Black Sky Eagle Clan, Hei Ming was expected to be in the know. In reality, his status was a hollow shell. In this world where the weak are prey to the strong, Hei Ming was a textbook “waste.” Despite a mountain of resources, he had only reached the Transcendent Realm, failing to even touch the threshold of the Great Power Realm.

His mediocrity had made him a laughingstock within his clan, leading him to abandon his studies for a life of debauchery. He was the leader of the city’s “Four Prodigals”—a title that carried more mockery than respect.

However, he had one saving grace: his sister was the clan’s greatest genius, and his grandfather was the most powerful man in the city. No one dared to touch him, but no one truly respected him either. Recently, his sister had caught the eye of Long Teng, the heir of the True Dragon bloodline, sending Hei Ming’s social stock skyrocketing.

Hei Ming put on a show of importance. “I heard it concerns the very fate of the five clans. Even the other elders were rattled…”

In truth, he felt like a ghost in his own home. He craved the brilliance his sister possessed—the power to be looked upon with genuine awe.

Buzz!

The young beings continued their banter, entirely unaware of the subtle ripple in the space beside them. Not even a Saint could have detected the disturbance.

“Young man… do you want to become strong?”

An ethereal, haunting voice drifted into Hei Ming’s ears, sounding as if it came from the very dawn of time.

“Do you want to become an existence… that stands above millions?”