Villain System: Stealing the Protagonist's Harem and Luck

Chapter 68: The Lower Realms Are Just Colonies

Following the beast tide in the Tianyuan Ancient Secret Realm, panic swept through the Central State and the Azure Realm.

Cultivators lived in terror, convinced a cataclysmic demon was about to emerge. The demonic energy surging from the Secret Realm had been suffocating, hinting at an evil that could swallow the world whole.

But after weeks of trembling anticipation… nothing happened.

Instead, the demonic energy began to fade. It was as if the great evil had been suppressed once more.

Relief washed over the populace. Rumors began to circulate.

The records of the Secret Realm spoke of an ancient seal holding back a demon weapon. Many cultivators had seen the Young Lord from the Upper Realm enter the Secret Realm just before the energy spike. And the moment he left? The energy dissipated.

The conclusion was obvious: The Young Lord hadn’t come to plunder; he had descended to save them! He had reinforced the seal and prevented the apocalypse!

Gratitude swelled in the hearts of the masses. In the Central State, they even began erecting statues in his honor.

Of course, Gu Changge knew none of this.

If he had, he would have laughed himself sick. The imaginative powers of the Lower Realm natives were truly unparalleled. He had broken the seal, stolen the weapon, and killed their “hope,” yet they worshipped him as a savior.

Irony was the finest spice of life.

At that moment, Gu Changge was already on his way home.

Hum!

Brilliant light surged, tearing open a stable spatial passage. It didn’t look like a rift; it looked like the entrance to a grand, ancient palace floating in the void.

“Is this the path to the Upper Realm?” Lin Qiuhan asked, her eyes wide.

She and Su Qingge were stunned. They had imagined a violent ascension—tearing the sky, battling tribulation lightning, fighting for every inch.

Instead, a golden carpet had been rolled out for them.

“This is the Gu Family’s Reception Divine Hall,” Elder Ming explained, his tone swelling with pride. “It is responsible for ferrying the Young Master across the dimensions. It tears through the cosmic barriers effortlessly.”

His address had changed. He no longer called Gu Changge “Young Master” (Gongzi), but “Young Lord” (Shaozhu). It was a subtle shift, but it carried the weight of the Clan’s authority.

“Reception Divine Hall… tearing through the cosmos…” Su Qingge murmured, shock filling her eyes.

Gu Changge had never explained the Upper Realm to her, claiming she would understand in time. Now, she was beginning to grasp the scale.

For Lower Realm cultivators, breaking the void barrier was the ultimate dream, a feat of impossible difficulty. Yet for Gu Changge, it was a commute.

“The Young Lord’s family… is terrifying,” Lin Qiuhan whispered. She felt like a frog at the bottom of a well who had just glimpsed the ocean.

“Indeed,” Elder Ming nodded.

“Longevity Families, Immortal Sects, Supreme Celestial Dynasties, Immemorial Immortal Clans… these are the titans of the Upper Realm. They have stood for epochs. Millions of years are but a blink of an eye to them.”

“I recall a war tens of millions of years ago,” Elder Ming reminisced. “A Longevity War. They fought until stars shattered and seas boiled. Countless Lower Realms were wiped out simply as collateral damage. Entire civilizations turned to dust because they were in the way.”

The two women paled.

“I was lucky,” Elder Ming continued. “When I ascended, I was picked up by the Gu Family. If not for that… a cultivator of my level would likely be mining in some remote corner for a second-rate sect.”

Mining?

The ancestor of the Lin Family, a legend in the Lower Realm, would be reduced to manual labor?

The gap was insurmountable. No wonder Upper Realm cultivators viewed them as ants. Gu Changge’s treatment of them wasn’t just good; it was a miracle.

“You must understand,” Elder Ming lectured. “Even in the vast Upper Realm, the Young Lord stands at the apex. He is the heir to the Immortal Gu Family and the True Disciple of the Daootian Immortal Palace. There is no one more noble.”

“To follow him is your supreme honor. Countless celestial maidens would kill for your position. Do not embarrass him.”

Su Qingge and Lin Qiuhan nodded fervently, their hearts pounding.

“Let’s go. It will take some time to return to the clan,” Gu Changge finally spoke, his gaze carrying a hint of something strange. He addressed the two women, then led the way into the Reception Divine Hall.

Hum!

Soon, everyone entered. The stable passage quickly closed behind them. Inside the Reception Divine Hall, it was spacious, allowing them to see the scenes of it traversing through the vast space.

Outside, time and space surged, the universe torn apart as they swiftly headed toward the central region of the Upper Realm.

Gu Changge watched the turbulent, vast world outside, his mind organizing memories about the Upper Realm.

The Upper Realm’s scope was actually very broad.

In his view, it was more like a combination of many large and small dimensional worlds.

The central region of the Upper Realm was extremely prosperous and vast, with numerous orthodoxies coexisting and myriad races thriving.

Almost every ancient orthodoxy or clan ruled over many dimensions and worlds.

Now, they were already traveling within the Upper Realm.

However, this area was still the fringe of the Upper Realm, where dense world forces remained.

Many worlds drew close or repelled each other. Without great divine abilities, cultivators could not survive in these gaps, instantly crushed to dust, their forms and spirits extinguished on the spot.

This was why ascending from the Lower Realm was difficult; only artifacts like the Reception Divine Hall could traverse the barriers between many worlds.

As the Reception Divine Hall traveled toward the center of the Upper Realm, they would pass by many worlds along the way. These worlds were of a higher level than the Azure Realm and closer to the center of the Upper Realm.

The more powerful orthodoxies occupied vaster territories, naturally controlling many Lower Realms.

Such distribution, in Gu Changge’s eyes, was like colonies.

And the giant forces at the center of the Upper Realm, such as Longevity Families and Immortal Orthodoxies, were at the top of the food chain. Even their affiliated ancient forces were countless.

And those ancient forces each possessed many colonial dimensions.

Layered dependencies, intertwined roots.

This was why, in the eyes of many Upper Realm cultivators, powerful cultivators who ascended from the Lower Realm had status even lower than ordinary native Upper Realm cultivators.

Class reasons; this disparity was deeply ingrained.

Of course, those ancient worlds located in the central region of the Upper Realm could not be compared.

“This setup does fit the ‘ascension stacking’ trope,” Gu Changge thought with satisfaction. “But I’m already at the very top of that trope.”

Whether it was talent, background, cultivation… from any perspective, he stood at the highest level.

This was truly satisfying.

Especially this trip to the Lower Realm, which had brought him a huge harvest. He planned to slowly digest it after returning to the clan.

…

At the same time, Upper Realm.

Unrivaled Celestial Dynasty, Celestial City!

As the longest-standing dynasty in the Upper Realm, time’s river decayed, but it did not.

Ruling endless territories, it was faintly hailed as the number one dynasty of the Upper Realm.

In a magnificent, ancient, and majestic golden hall, a woman wearing a golden imperial robe, with unparalleled grace and beauty, stood with her hands behind her back.

Her features were like a painting, her imperial robe fluttering, sleeves wide, yet unable to conceal her enchanting and proud figure.

Her hair lightly covered half her immortal face, yet she remained breathtakingly beautiful.

Not uttering a word, her expression cold, just standing there seemed to carry a terrifying might that could change the heavens and earth.

The ground beneath her feet displayed a sky full of stars, the universe and cosmos.

Holding the sun and moon, treading upon the cosmos.

Her grandeur was evident!

She was the Fourth Princess of the contemporary Unrivaled Celestial Dynasty.

Yue Mingkong.

“Imperial Brother, now it’s time for you to yield the position of Crown Emperor,” the imperial-robed woman spoke, her voice very calm.

She gazed at a man slumped on the ground before her, his face pale and miserable, as if devoid of any emotion.

Beside the man, many ministers changed color, their foreheads covered in cold sweat, not daring to say a word.

In just half a year, this Mingkong Princess had employed numerous thunderous methods to depose the former Crown Emperor, her elder brother.

Every step she took was seamless, perfect to the extreme, making everyone tremble.

Even the current dynasty’s Holy Emperor had come forward, praising her endlessly.

She made everyone understand that although she was a woman, she was not inferior to any man. Even the position of Crown Emperor, she could assume.

In a royal family that emphasized the weak are prey to the strong, she had fought her way out, earning everyone’s admiration.

Moreover, the Fourth Princess’s talent was peerless and rare; her current cultivation had already surpassed her elder siblings.

In the future, she would become the Unrivaled Female Emperor!

This was the thought of the ministers below!

“Someone, escort my Imperial Brother away…”

At this moment, glancing at the disheveled man before her, Yue Mingkong’s expression was extremely cold as she ordered.

“From today onward, I am the Crown Emperor! Under the vast sky, all is Imperial land!”

“Dismissed!”

After Yue Mingkong finished speaking, her eyelids lowered slightly, her expression profound and cold, exuding a heart-palpitating intent.

The ministers trembled with fear, quietly retreating; no one could guess her thoughts.

Although a woman, the terrifying might on her body made all hearts tremble.

“Half a year…”

“By now, you should be returning from the Lower Realm, right? My once most beloved fiancé…”

She murmured to herself, her words carrying thick affection, but her eyes held a bone-chilling coldness.