I Am the Fated Villain

Chapter 1651. Explanation from Chu Gucheng, with vast armies surrounding

“Absurd, utterly absurd.”

“What is the meaning of this from the Xiyuan Sacred Hall? There is no evidence, yet they dare to question the identity of the Xiyuan Saintess. Could it be that the Xiyuan Sacred Hall plans to establish a new Saintess?”

“Our Chu Hao soil hall has always been righteous. When have we ever colluded with the remnants of the Black Disaster? It truly is a case of wanting to accuse us without reason.”

Within the palace, many old officials were enraged, angrily rebuking the authoritarian actions of the Xiyuan Sacred Hall.

A suppressed, terrifying atmosphere enveloped everyone. However, Chu Gucheng remained silent, coldly staring in the direction outside the palace.

Elder Jin, Ouyang Ji, the young master of the Carefree Heaven Palace, Xing Ying, the old matriarch of the Yin Ru Cave, and other esteemed guests who had yet to leave Xian Chu Hao Soil all silently observed the situation.

At that moment, Chu Xin Yue, who had been impersonating the Xiyuan Saintess, also stood within the main hall.

Watching the panicked and uneasy expressions of the ministers, her face showed some confusion. She didn’t understand where things had gone wrong, leading to such an outcome.

The Xiyuan Saintess was still imprisoned within the Time-Space Prison, and for this period, she had been the one overseeing the Saintess’ confinement. How had this information been leaked?

Except for her father and a few others, no one knew that they had imprisoned the Xiyuan Saintess. How did the Xiyuan Sacred Hall learn of this?

Chu Xin Yue’s mind was in chaos. She even felt a little dizzy and couldn’t hear the voices of some old ministers asking her to take charge.

“Please, Your Majesty, give us an explanation.”

At that moment, a thunderous explosion suddenly echoed from outside the palace.

Accompanied by a violent, terrifying aura, dark clouds rolled down from the distant sky, almost as if an entire sky was crashing down, creating an overwhelming and oppressive feeling.

At the center of it stood a towering figure clad in armor. It was none other than Champion Lord Chu Heng.

Behind him, the former grand tutor, Han Feng, Chu Bai, and others followed closely, their expressions grave. Especially the grand tutor, whose face showed deep sorrow and disbelief.

Champion Lord Chu Heng had rushed back with his army from the borderlands. However, the army did not enter the capital but instead camped outside.

“Champion Lord…”

Many ministers in the court turned their heads to look upon hearing the angry shout.

The eldest prince, Chu Wushang, turned increasingly pale, struggling to steady himself.

When his gaze swept over Champion Lord Chu Heng, it finally landed on the pair of jade pendants tightly clutched in his hand. His face turned ashen.

He did not know how that missing jade pendant had ended up in the hands of Champion Lord Chu Heng. And now, upon seeing the jade pendant, everything began to make sense. Why would Champion Lord Chu Heng abandon his post and rush back overnight from the borderlands?

Finally, it all became clear.

Chu Gucheng’s expression was like water, his gaze deep. His eyes moved toward the arriving Champion Lord Chu Heng. His face remained as still as a mountain, but there was a hint of emotional fluctuation in his usually unmoved demeanor.

He coldly asked, “Champion Lord, you abandoned your post, disregarded the safety of the border, and led your troops away, leaving the safety of Xian Chu Hao Soil at risk. How should this crime be dealt with?”

Champion Lord Chu Heng descended from the sky, striding into the palace. He coldly scanned the ministers before his gaze finally fell on the eldest prince, Chu Wushang, whose face was faintly white.

“At this point, are you still trying to protect the eldest prince? I ask you, have I not been loyal to Xian Chu Hao Soil all these years? I have expanded the territory, fought in countless battles, and made numerous contributions, but in the end, this is how the ruler treats me?”

As he spoke, he revealed the pair of paired jade pendants, his eyes filled with unrestrained anger and coldness.

Chu Gucheng’s gaze moved to the jade pendants, and his tone remained unshaken as he replied, “I do not know what you mean by this, Champion Lord. I have treated you well, regarded you as my own, and taught you martial skills and secret arts since childhood. I have given you countless resources and opportunities, treating you with the utmost favor and helping you rise to your current status.”

“Now, at this point, are you planning to collude with outsiders to betray me?”

The hall was in an uproar.

Many ministers, who were unaware of the truth, were confused as to why Champion Lord Chu Heng was so angry that he defied orders and withdrew his troops from the border.

Some, however, began to guess what was going on, their faces changing dramatically in disbelief.

Seeing that Chu Gucheng still tried to cover up and pretend to be ignorant at this moment, Champion Lord Chu Heng’s heart grew colder.

Originally, he had felt some guilt about his actions today, but in an instant, those feelings vanished completely.

Chu Gucheng had treated him well, and he owed his current success to Chu Gucheng’s cultivation.But Chu Gucheng had always seen him as a pawn, and it was an undeniable fact that he had allowed his own offspring to abuse his wife.

Before heading to the imperial palace, Chu Heng had already contacted Han Feng, Chu Bai, and others, retrieving the other jade pendant.

When the two jade pendants were brought together, they formed a unique domain field that recreated the events of that day, allowing him to deduce and restore the scene of his wife being abused.

The images that unfolded in front of Chu Heng’s eyes made his anger reach its peak, to the point where he almost lost control. He felt an overwhelming desire to turn back time and return to that day, to personally kill the vile perpetrators.

Before recreating that scene, he had considered countless possibilities. But he had never expected the true culprit to be the eldest prince of Xian Chu Hao Soil, his childhood friend, Chu Wushang.

This truth struck him like a thunderbolt. He stood frozen, unable to believe it, even doubting whether he had seen it correctly.

Chu Heng knew that his wife, Qing Lan, and the eldest prince, Chu Wushang, had been childhood sweethearts. Before he was adopted by the ruler, Chu Gucheng, Qing Lan and Chu Wushang had trained together, and their relationship had been innocent and pure. They had mutual affection for each other.

Later, when Qing Lan married him, it was because his sincere feelings had touched her heart.

Chu Heng had treated the eldest prince, Chu Wushang, as a brother, and had never crossed any boundaries before.

It was only after hearing from Qing Lan that she had no romantic feelings for Chu Wushang and viewed him purely as a brother that he had begun to pursue her.

What he hadn’t known was that Chu Wushang harbored such deep feelings for Qing Lan, even thinking she had fallen in love with someone else.

All of this led to the true cause of the events on the night of the ruler Chu Gucheng’s birthday banquet, when he left the imperial capital, and his wife was subsequently abused by the eldest prince, Chu Wushang.

Now, no matter how much Chu Heng regretted and fumed, it was already too late. Regardless of the reason Chu Wushang had done what he did, he must pay the price. Otherwise, how could he allow his wife, who had passed away, to rest in peace?

“At this point, there is no point in saying more. Since the ruler still wants to protect the eldest prince, I might as well let the ministers present see these.”

Chu Heng’s expression was cold, and his gaze was like an icy blade, making the very air tremble.

With a wave of his hand, the pair of jade pendants flew out with a hum. The ancient pendants emitted a burst of colorful light.

This faint glow illuminated the space, and within it, a blurry domain field began to form. Scenes started to appear.

It was a magnificent building complex, with towering palaces and eaves. A stunning woman, dressed in white fur and draped in a shawl, stood in a quiet courtyard, gazing into the distance. Her brow furrowed with some sadness, as if she were worried about her husband, who was away on an expedition.

Although Chu Heng had used his magical power to conceal the woman’s face, the ministers present all recognized her immediately. It was none other than the Champion Lord’s wife, Qing Lan.

“Is this the recreated scene of the night Champion Lord’s wife was murdered?”

One of the ministers recognized the scene and whispered.

Everyone in the hall turned their attention to the scene playing out in front of them.

Before this, many in Xian Chu Hao Soil had investigated the cause of the Champion Lord’s wife’s death, and some had tried to recreate the events, but they had all failed.

Now, Champion Lord Chu Heng had somehow managed to recreate the scene from that night.

In the blurry image, Champion Lord’s wife, Qing Lan, was speaking with her maid in the courtyard, expressing her concerns about the upcoming invasion from the Demon Court and Zixiao Mountain, worried that something might happen to the Champion Lord.

Everything seemed completely normal, with nothing out of place.

Chu Gucheng, his face cold, watched everything unfold, his eyes moving with the scene. But when another figure appeared in the image, his pupils seemed to contract, and his face changed drastically, as if in disbelief.

“What?”

Many ministers also gasped in shock, some even standing up, their eyes wide open in astonishment.

When Chu Heng saw these scenes again, his heart was filled with even more sorrow, but he did not stop. It was only when his wife was about to be abused that he took action and retrieved the pair of jade pendants.The grand hall fell into an eerie silence, with no one speaking.

“This is everything that happened before Qing Lan’s death,” Champion Lord Chu Heng coldly spoke, breaking the silence.

“How could it be…?”

The ministers were shocked beyond measure, many of them still stunned, their minds buzzing, unable to accept what they had just witnessed. If they hadn’t seen it with their own eyes, how could they have ever believed that the true culprit was the eldest prince, Chu Wushang? The very same Chu Wushang, who was calm and steady, always praised by the ministers?

At that moment, many of them turned their gaze towards the eldest prince, their eyes filled with disbelief. Among them were also Chu Gucheng’s own descendants.

The eldest prince, Chu Wushang, appeared slightly pale. He did not look at the others but slowly closed his eyes. It seemed that he knew that the situation had already been decided. The moment Champion Lord presented the evidence, his fate was sealed.

To those present, his actions were equivalent to admitting everything, acknowledging that he himself was the one who had done it all.

“Why?” Chu Gucheng’s face looked grim, as though he couldn’t believe what he had just witnessed.

“Whether these images are real or not, everyone can see for themselves. At this point, I only wish to receive an explanation from the ruler,” Chu Heng said coldly, his gaze fixed on Chu Gucheng’s changing expression.

He did not believe for a second that Chu Gucheng had only just discovered this matter.

There had clearly been an existence of ancestral Dao realm power, someone who had erased the traces of causality, concealing the truth for the eldest prince, Chu Wushang. After all, without Chu Gucheng’s approval, how could Chu Wushang have called upon an ancestral Dao realm figure from Xian Chu Hao Soil?

Now, Chu Gucheng pretended to be unaware of this, but who could he deceive, other than some of the clueless ministers?

“It was my fault. I didn’t know that this matter was caused by Wushang…” Chu Gucheng looked at Champion Lord Chu Heng with a pained expression, his voice trembling slightly. It seemed that his heart was in deep turmoil, unable to accept all of this…

At that moment, many of the ministers were still buzzing in their heads, feeling as if the world was turning dark.

What was happening to Xian Chu Hao Soil? Was this calamity destined to occur? With great enemies on the horizon, such an unbelievable event was happening within their own ranks?

Champion Lord Chu Heng simply stared coldly at Chu Gucheng, unaffected by his words. Then, after the eldest prince, Chu Wushang, who had slowly closed his eyes earlier, finally spoke:

“Child has failed to live up to my father’s trust and the great expectations of the ministers. Everything that happened that day was done by me. Afterward, I used an ancient artifact to erase the traces of causality. Fearing that Champion Lord might discover it in advance, I had someone intercept the Champion Lord’s confidant on the way and eliminate all of his informants within the imperial capital…”

“I am not worthy of being the eldest prince of Xian Chu Hao Soil. I have committed acts more monstrous than beasts, bringing shame upon Xian Chu Hao Soil and my father.”

He looked at the ministers in the hall, his face filled with pain and regret. It seemed he regretted what he had done, but soon after, his expression calmed, becoming indifferent.

“Why did you do all of this? This is so unlike you!” Many of the old ministers had faces full of sorrow and disbelief. Even now, they refused to believe that this was the work of Chu Wushang.

A bitter smile appeared at the corner of Chu Wushang’s mouth, and he shook his head slightly, saying, “Qing Lan has become my obsession and inner demon. All of this is my just punishment.”

At the same time, he also looked at Chu Heng. There seemed to be a trace of guilt in his eyes, but gradually, it turned into calmness and indifference.

“You have taken advantage of my father’s favor, and in your unworthiness, you became the eldest prince of Xian Chu Hao Soil. I have always been just and fair. Today, I will execute you and give Champion Lord an explanation in front of all the ministers.”

Chu Gucheng’s face was cold and expressionless as he gazed at the eldest prince, Chu Wushang.

With those words, he abruptly swung his sleeve, and with a single strike, his palm shot toward the eldest prince’s forehead.

A loud poof echoed as blood mixed with bone shards splattered across the grand hall.

Even though Chu Wushang had attained Dao realm cultivation, under Chu Gucheng’s enraged strike, he was not spared. His soul shattered instantly, and he collapsed, his existence obliterated.

Naturally, to everyone watching, this seemed like Chu Wushang had already been prepared for death, showing no resistance.

Seeing this, the many ministers who had intended to speak out in protest were stunned, unable to believe their eyes.

The ruler, Chu Gucheng, was so ruthless and decisive, killing his own son, the eldest prince, in front of everyone?

Many felt a chill run down their spines as they looked at the cold and cruel Chu Gucheng.

Champion Lord Chu Heng had not expected Chu Gucheng to be so brutal. Even when it came to his own flesh and blood, he would not hesitate to abandon them when necessary.

But from the moment he presented the evidence to the moment Chu Gucheng killed the eldest prince, everything happened too quickly.

Had Chu Gucheng predicted everything that would happen today? Or had the eldest prince already resigned to death?

“Wushang is dead. He has paid the price for his actions. Champion Lord, is this explanation to your satisfaction?”

After personally killing the eldest prince, Chu Gucheng slowly closed his eyes, seemingly trying to hide the sorrow in his gaze.

At this point, Chu Heng could no longer say anything. The explanation he had sought had already been given by Chu Gucheng. The life of the eldest prince had been exchanged for the life of his wife. What more could he ask for?

However, even with this resolution, the suffocating anger and frustration in his heart still hadn’t been alleviated in the slightest. This revenge was not one he had taken with his own hands. To let the eldest prince die so easily—it made him feel unwilling, as if something was left unresolved.

“Now, with great enemies approaching, I ask that Champion Lord keep the bigger picture in mind. The safety of countless citizens of Xian Chu Hao Soil is now in your hands,” Chu Gucheng spoke again, as if he had regained his composure.

Chu Heng nodded, replying, “Rest assured, Your Majesty, I know what needs to be done. I will handle it.”

Chu Gucheng nodded and did not say anything further. However, when his gaze swept over the body of the eldest prince, there was a fleeting moment of sorrow in his eyes.

Meanwhile, as the ministers in the grand hall began discussing the countermeasures for the imminent crisis Xian Chu Hao Soil would face, a vast and powerful wave of energy suddenly came from the end of the sky.

A massive spatial disturbance erupted, and a terrifying rift appeared. Someone, from the other side of space, had pierced through and opened a spatial tunnel leading to Xian Chu Hao Soil.

Brilliant, radiant light seemed to tear apart the entire universe, like a monstrous hand reaching from the other side of the heavens, forcibly trying to rip apart the very fabric of space and time.

Sacred, blazing beams of light and rain cascaded down from the tunnel, spreading through the space. It seemed as if all the barriers of the world were made transparent in its wake.

Vague figures stood on the other side of the spatial tunnel, staring at Xian Chu Hao Soil.

“Xian Chu Hao Soil has conspired with the remnants of the Black Disaster, imprisoned the Xiyuan Saintess, disregarded familial bonds, overturned order, and crossed the bottom line of the Xiyuan civilization. Let all the great paths unite to strike it down.”

The voice resonated through the vast universes, traveling from the distant reaches of space and echoing across the territory of Xian Chu Hao Soil. Countless cultivators and beings were stunned, their ears ringing with the sound, and they were struck with fear in an instant.

On the other side of the spatial tunnel, more and more figures began to materialize. It seemed as though they were preparing to cross through the tunnel and descend upon this side.