Villain System: Stealing the Protagonist's Harem and Luck

Chapter 157: I Don’t Plan on Letting Him Return Alive. Destiny Finally Belongs to Me?

Buzz!

Gu Changge stepped into the void, smoothly traversing space toward the desolate ancient town where Ye Ling had just vanished.

He had just intercepted the covert signal triggered by Yin Mei’s secret technique. The message was clear: Ye Ling had successfully located the Reincarnation cave abode.

For Gu Changge, this was wonderful news. The time had finally come to pluck the ripest fruit from Ye Ling’s branches.

To say “pluck” was perhaps a bit crass, but the truth remained: without Ye Ling acting as a glorified bloodhound, Gu Changge would have found it exceedingly difficult to locate the Reincarnation Ancient Heavenly Sovereign’s ultimate legacy.

“Right now, the grand coalition should be swarming that empty ruin looking for Ye Ling…” Gu Changge mused, a dark smile curling his lips. “Naturally, they won’t find a single trace of him. However…”

“…the numerous desecrated tombs I left behind will serve as absolute proof of my claims.”

Even now, Gu Changge hadn’t forgotten to tighten the noose of the Demonic Art Inheritor around Ye Ling’s neck.

When the self-righteous mob descended upon the ruins, they would inevitably uncover the excavated graves. The shriveled, ancient corpses within—drained entirely of their source essence—would be the final, undeniable nail in Ye Ling’s coffin.

This was Gu Changge’s opening gambit.

By the time the mob found the bodies, washing Ye Ling’s name clean would be a mathematical impossibility. And considering Ye Ling was currently buried deep within the Heavenly Sovereign’s cave abode, he would be completely oblivious to the apocalyptic storm raging above ground.

Not that it mattered. Gu Changge had zero intention of letting the boy return to the surface alive anyway.

While Gu Changge “received” the intelligence regarding Ye Ling’s whereabouts, the news was simultaneously broadcasted to the younger generation.

“Ye Ling has been spotted in the eastern ruins…”

Hearing the report, Chi Ling, who was currently leading a search party through a nearby ancient town, felt her expression darken.

Truthfully, during the time she had traveled with Ye Ling, he had never explicitly shown any interest in the ancient ruins. It was Ye Langtian’s hypothesis that had planted the seed of suspicion in her mind. Now, she realized Ye Ling must have been harboring those dark intentions the entire time, but hadn’t acted on them because she and Yin Mei were constantly watching him.

The report completely solidified her worst fears.

“I just pray we don’t find him actively desecrating those tombs… otherwise, the fact that he hid his true nature from me for so long is truly terrifying,” Chi Ling muttered. Her eyes were chips of ice, and a towering Killing Intent radiated from her petite frame. She despised being deceived, especially by someone she had considered a friend.

In her mind, Ye Ling was now a far more credible suspect than Ye Langtian ever was.

“Lady Chi Ling, when we finally corner Ye Ling, we implore you not to let past sentiments cloud your judgment,” Kong Yang advised, his handsome face twisted in a mixture of fear and loathing. “The apocalyptic threat posed by the Demonic Art Inheritor cannot be overstated.”

Kong Yang and his peers hated Ye Ling more than anyone. Whenever they recalled traveling alongside the monster, a horrifying chill gripped their hearts. If they hadn’t stuck together in a large group, Ye Ling would have undoubtedly isolated and slaughtered them to feed his Demonic Art.

Right now, they were all praying that Heavenly Maiden Yin Mei had somehow managed to escape his demonic clutches.

“Do not worry,” Chi Ling replied, her voice dripping with absolute frost. “I will personally put an end to him.”

Meanwhile, in other valleys and plains across the continent, Wang Wushuang, Ye Langtian, and the heir of the Immortal Deathless Lake received the exact same intelligence.

“The Demonic Art Inheritor has surfaced in the eastern ruins! Stay on high alert! We cannot let him slip away again!” a Young Supreme barked at his juniors, his expression grave.

“Ye Ling actually dares to show his face. I fear he might have a contingency plan to escape,” Ye Langtian frowned deeply, divine rings of light pulsing around his body, making even his hair shimmer with brilliance.

He understood Ye Ling’s psychology better than most. The boy looked honest and simple, but beneath that facade was a remarkably sinister and cunning mind. To expose his location while being hunted by half the continent meant he was incredibly confident in whatever backing he possessed.

“Regardless, an opportunity like this only comes once in a millennium. We absolutely cannot let it slip.”

Without hesitation, Ye Langtian mobilized his followers and charged toward the eastern ruins. The White Tiger Clan was aggressively demanding results, and other rival orthodoxies were using the crisis to undermine his authority. The pressure on his shoulders as the Ye Family heir was immense. He desperately needed to capture or kill Ye Ling to quell the public outrage and secure his own position.

Wang Wushuang and the other Young Supremes shared his urgency. War chariots rumbled across the sky, and brilliant divine rainbows shattered the clouds as a massive armada converged on the designated coordinates.

The sheer scale of the mobilization shocked the native Immortal Ancient races.

“What in the world is happening? Why are the outsiders swarming that sector?”

“Did a supreme Immortal Treasure just unearth itself?”

Sensing an opportunity, many native prodigies—who had originally planned to join the crusade against Gu Changge—altered their trajectories and rushed toward the eastern ruins to investigate.

Deep within the Black Sky Eagle Clan’s territory, a young woman stood gracefully upon a mist-shrouded cliff.

She appeared to be around seventeen or eighteen. Dressed in immaculate white robes embroidered with majestic rivers and mountains, her delicate features and raven-black hair—pinned up by a Nine Phoenix hairpin—made her look as holy and peerless as a blooming divine lotus.

“The Immortal Ancient Dragon Clan has issued the True Dragon Decree. All younger generation elites of the native races are commanded to participate in the crusade against Gu Changge,” the girl murmured, her black, gem-like eyes flashing with sharp intelligence.

“With Long Teng dead, the native younger generation is entirely leaderless. This is my perfect opportunity.”

She was Hei Yanyu, Hei Ming’s older sister.

On paper, she was widely considered one of the absolute strongest prodigies among the native races. Within the Black Sky Eagle Clan, she was hailed as a once-in-a-hundred-thousand-years genius.

Months ago, when Long Teng had been scouting for concubines, her breathtaking beauty had caught his eye. Naturally, she had fiercely rejected his advances. She preferred to keep a low profile and hide her true strength, but that didn’t mean she was weak enough to submit to becoming some arrogant tyrant’s plaything.

Hei Yanyu was wildly ambitious. Her ultimate goal was to elevate the Black Sky Eagle Clan to its former ancestral glory and unify the entire Immortal Ancient Continent under her rule. She had originally planned to publicly challenge Long Teng to establish her dominance.

She never expected Gu Changge to brutally slaughter him first.

She had thoroughly investigated the aftermath of that battle. The rumors circulating among the native clans claimed Gu Changge had used underhanded tricks, but Hei Yanyu wasn’t an idiot. Those rumors were just copes born from bruised egos.

Based on the collateral damage alone, Gu Changge’s true combat prowess easily rivaled that of a Heavenly God. The title of “Young Taboo” was absolutely warranted.

However, with the entire native alliance now mobilizing against him, she saw an opening. No matter how monstrous Gu Changge was, he couldn’t possibly slaughter the entire continent’s younger generation by himself.

“Gather the vanguard. We march to face Gu Changge,” she commanded.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The air tore apart as several terrifying figures erupted from the surrounding mountains, landing respectfully behind her. A golden-winged girl, an ancient flood dragon, a towering brute with ox horns, and a heavily muscled man covered in draconian scales.

These were apex predators she had personally subdued from the untamed wilderness. The weakest among them was a Void God.

As Hei Yanyu led her vanguard into the sky, a pale young man stepped out from the shadows of the cliff behind her.

It was Hei Ming.

A bizarre, unnatural light flickered in his eyes as he stared at his sister’s retreating back.

“Even the two ancient Ancestors have fully immersed themselves in cultivating the ‘Bridal Gown’ scripture. With my sister leaving the compound, the clan is completely defenseless. It is time for me to rise and seize absolute control,” Hei Ming whispered, the fires of megalomania burning fiercely in his gaze.

He was so consumed by his ambition that he failed to notice the faint, silver-white, spiderweb-like patterns that briefly materialized within his pupils before vanishing completely.

When Ye Ling and Yin Mei leaped into the dry well, the world instantly dissolved into a dizzying kaleidoscope of collapsing and overlapping spatial dimensions.

After what felt like an eternity, they punched through a final, rippling barrier and landed heavily on solid ground.

Yin Mei quickly masked the calculating glint in her eyes with a mask of perfect awe. “Where are we? Is this… another world entirely?”

“Exactly. We’ve crossed into an independent small world. Specifically, a pocket dimension left behind for me by my Master,” Ye Ling nodded, struggling to suppress the manic excitement bubbling in his chest.

Normally, he referred to his benefactor as the Reincarnation Ancient Heavenly Sovereign. But standing within the Sovereign’s personal cave abode, he figured calling him ‘Master’ was safer. On the off chance the Sovereign had left behind a sliver of a remnant soul, Ye Ling didn’t want to be expelled for disrespect before he even claimed the loot.

Despite his somewhat simple-minded appearance, Ye Ling was deeply paranoid.

“The Reincarnation Ancient Heavenly Sovereign… heavens, could it be…?” Yin Mei gasped, playing her part flawlessly. She staggered back, her hands flying to her mouth in perfectly simulated shock.

Since Gu Changge had already briefed her on everything, she wasn’t surprised in the slightest, but her acting was Oscar-worthy.

“Yes. You guessed it,” Ye Ling puffed out his chest, his face practically glowing with arrogant pride. Being the sole heir to a supreme Heavenly Sovereign was an intoxicating honor. He had been forced to hide it for so long in fear of being hunted, but finally revealing it to a beautiful, adoring woman was incredibly satisfying.

“The Reincarnation Heavenly Sovereign… that is an existence practically synonymous with true Immortals! To think your background is so heaven-defying, Ye Ling. I’m completely speechless,” Yin Mei praised, her eyes sparkling with reverence.

Ye Ling shook his head, a bitter sneer twisting his lips. “So you see, the rumors outside are complete garbage. I am not the Demonic Art Inheritor. The true Inheritor is that hypocritical bastard, Gu Changge!”

“He framed me! He orchestrated this entire nightmare!” Ye Ling spat, his eyes burning with a hatred so profound it practically scorched the air. “Gu Changge is a despicable, shameless monster! I swear, I will tear off his righteous mask and expose him to the entire world!”

In Ye Ling’s entire life, no one had ever pushed him to such depths of absolute hatred. Not even Ye Langtian came close. He and Gu Changge hadn’t even exchanged a single word, yet Gu Changge had effortlessly destroyed his life, turning him into a hunted rat despised by the entire universe.

“You don’t need to explain yourself to me. I have always believed in you, Ye Ling,” Yin Mei interrupted softly, placing a gentle hand on his arm to stop his raving.

“Yin Mei… you truly are too good to me,” Ye Ling breathed, deeply moved by her unwavering loyalty.

Realizing time was of the essence, he quickly composed himself and took the lead, guiding her deeper into the subterranean world.

“These are the spatial markers Yin Mei left behind.”

A moment later, the void rippled, and Gu Changge stepped smoothly into the courtyard of the abandoned temple. He stared down into the decaying, leaf-choked well, his eyes dark and calculating.

“Ye Ling should have already slipped inside. Given the localized spatial distortions, this acts as a gateway to an inner world, much like my own…”

Gu Changge extended his divine sense into the well. As an expert in Void Manipulation, he instantly decoded the faint spatial fluctuations. The well was clearly a sophisticated gateway to a hidden dimension.

“By now, the vanguard of the crusade should be swarming the decoy ruins forty thousand miles away. Aside from me, no one in the world knows where Ye Ling actually is.”

A cold, mocking smile graced Gu Changge’s lips as he stepped casually over the edge and plummeted into the darkness.

This wasn’t his first time harvesting a Son of Providence’s ultimate prize. He had the routine down to a science. Ye Ling would act as the perfect meat shield, triggering the lethal traps and disabling the ancient killing formations ahead, while Gu Changge leisurely strolled down the cleared path.

This time, there would be no miraculous escapes. Gu Changge had zero intention of letting Ye Ling breathe another breath of outside air.

As for how he would explain the Demonic Art Inheritor’s ultimate fate?

That was simple. Ye Ling would “burn his origin essence” and manage to escape by the skin of his teeth. Gu Changge and Yin Mei would corroborate the story, claiming Gu Changge had severely wounded the monster but suffered heavy injuries himself in the process.

In Gu Changge’s mind, the plan was utterly flawless.

No one would ever find Ye Ling’s corpse. The entire cultivation world would assume the Demonic Art Inheritor was simply lurking in the shadows, licking his wounds. Because Ye Ling possessed techniques to alter his appearance and mask his origin, his absolute disappearance would be perfectly rationalized.

As long as Gu Changge wasn’t caught red-handed, the world would naturally attribute every future atrocity he committed to the “fleeing” Ye Ling.

Who could possibly suspect the righteous, self-sacrificing hero?

Deep underground, Ye Ling and Yin Mei had traversed a considerable distance.

The environment resembled a massive tectonic fissure plunging toward the planet’s core. The air grew suffocatingly hot. The surrounding void was heavily inscribed with ancient, terrifying formation patterns. Without an innate comprehension of the laws of Reincarnation, even a Saint Realm expert would be instantly vaporized if they took a wrong step.

“Stay sharp, Ye Ling. These are the Sovereign’s final trials. The mechanisms ahead are lethal,” the Old Turtle warned from the pendant.

Ye Ling’s heart hammered against his ribs. He didn’t dare relax for a fraction of a second.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The cavern ahead opened up, revealing a subterranean ocean of churning, blindingly bright magma. A single, narrow stone bridge spanned the inferno, connecting to the far side.

“There are fire-attribute elementals slumbering in the magma. Tread carefully,” the Old Turtle advised.

Ye Ling nodded tightly.

Terrifying waves of heat crashed over the bridge like physical tsunamis. However, the Reincarnation power coating Ye Ling’s body effortlessly dispersed the thermal energy, preventing him from being incinerated.

But the heat wasn’t the only hazard. The air itself weighed ten thousand pounds. The sheer gravitational pressure would have instantly crushed an ordinary Void God Realm cultivator into bloody paste, and even a True God would struggle to remain standing.

The trials were perfectly tailored to Ye Ling’s specific capabilities—dangerous enough to test him, but not lethal enough to kill him.

In Gu Changge’s eyes, this was the definition of unnecessary, protagonist-pampering garbage.

Roar!

Geysers of lava erupted as dozens of ferocious, flame-wreathed elementals leaped onto the bridge, instantly engaging Ye Ling in a brutal melee.

While Ye Ling fought for his life, Yin Mei hung back near the entrance, quietly depositing more covert spatial markers for her Master to follow. Ye Ling was far too focused on surviving to notice her subtle movements.

To Ye Ling, the end of this bridge held the key to his supreme destiny. Nothing else mattered!

After a grueling, exhausting battle, Ye Ling finally hacked his way through the elementals. Having dismantled the Sovereign’s final gauntlet of killing formations, he and Yin Mei stepped off the bridge and into the heart of the cavern.

Before them lay a sight of incomprehensible majesty.

Three massive, archaic bronze pillars supported a breathtaking palace carved from solid white jade and celestial bronze, floating serenely in the void.

Thick, intertwining strands of black and white Reincarnation power cascaded from the palace, illuminating the subterranean darkness with brilliant, profound light.

Within the palace courtyard floated a perfectly still, silver lake that shimmered like a captured galaxy. A dense, silver mist rolled off its surface.

Rooted in the center of the lake was a small silver sapling, its bark etched with intricate, silver-black patterns that pulsed with the supreme mysteries of Reincarnation.

Ye Ling stood before the floating palace, his entire body trembling with overwhelming ecstasy.

Even Yin Mei was genuinely stunned. The sheer concentration of supreme immortal treasures was staggering.

“A Reincarnation Lake left by the Sovereign himself… bathing in it can forge a supreme Reincarnation Physique…” the Old Turtle’s voice quivered with raw awe.

“And that is a Reincarnation Wonder Root! An immortal-grade treasure that can condense your origin! It can even be forged into a supreme weapon capable of sweeping away all concepts!”

“The palace itself is a portable cave abode refined from a World Stone! It contains the entirety of the Sovereign’s legacy, including several terrifying combat puppets he forged in the ancient era!”

The Old Turtle’s ecstatic explanations echoed in Ye Ling’s mind like a choir of angels.

“All the pain… all the suffering… it wasn’t in vain!” Ye Ling gasped, tears of sheer joy pricking his eyes. He stared hungrily at the unimaginable wealth floating before him.

“It’s all mine! Destiny finally belongs to me! Gu Changge, just you wait!” he roared, his voice shaking with absolute, maniacal triumph.