Villains Aren't Stepping Stones!

The atmosphere in the Myriad Dao Pavilion cooled, no, it did not cooled, it basically solidified into a heavy, crystalline silence that made even the act of breathing feel like an intrusion.

The arrival of the Shen Clan was not a mere addition to the gathering, instead it was as if they are here for a total annexation of the space.

Shen Haoran stepped forward with a stride that was neither hurried nor aggressive, yet every eye in the pavilion was pulled toward him as if by an inescapable gravitational force.

He reached out, grabbed a high-backed jade seat that had been reserved for a high-ranking noble, and sat down at the round table.

The rest of the Ten Crowns simply stood behind him like monoliths of primordial power.

Shen Tao stood with his arms crossed, his aura as stable as the earth itself; Shen Xinye remained aloof, her presence like a chilling frost; Shen Ji loomed like a mountain of iron; and Shen Ying maintained a polite, yet terrifyingly sharp composure.

Shangguan Mu’er on the other hand, just stood silently beside his seat.

At that moment, Shen Xun’er chuckled, letting out a bright, dangerous sound, as she jumped down from the table with a feline grace before walking behind Haoran to take her place among her peers.

The entire pavilion went silent.

After all, they had seen the Heaven’s Choice Tournament a year ago, and the memory of Shen Haoran’s absolute strength, a power that existed without any match or rival, was still fresh and vivid in their minds.

To these nobles, the Crown Prince was a mountain, but Shen Haoran was the sky that contained the mountain.

Shen Haoran tapped his finger on the table. It was a light, rhythmic sound, but in the vacuum of the silence, it echoed throughout the pavilion like the tolling of a funeral bell.

Then, he silently activated his Karmic Light Observation technique, and instantly, his vision shifted.

The physical world blurred into a secondary layer of reality where the threads of destiny manifested as vibrant hues of light.

He looked first at the man sitting directly across from him, and couldn’t help but sigh in disappointment, much to the crown prince’s silent displeasure.

In Haoran’s eyes, this prince, Xu Xiaojun, was merely a villain.

He was shrouded in a muddy, two-colored light—the mark of a significant antagonist destined to be a stepping stone, but lacking the cosmic weight of a true ruler.

He moved his gaze toward the Fourth Prince, Xu Jingshan, and a subtle spark of interest flickered in Haoran’s golden eyes.

Xu Jingshan was bathed in a radiant, seven-colored light that shimmered with the complexity of a rainbow.

It was the mark of a Protagonist, a child of the heavens destined to reshape the era.

’Hmm, let’s wait and see. If he can be used...or not.’

He then turned his gaze and scanned the others.

The representative of the Pill Tower, the scholar-like Bei Nu, glowed with a five-colored light, signifying that he was destined to be a brother or a vital companion to the protagonist.

The same went for Jin Ci of the Diamond Titan Sect, and he too possessed a five-colored light, a sturdy pillar of support for the coming legend.

However, when his gaze landed on Bai Wenxin and Su Xishi, the colors deepened as both women were enveloped in six-colored lights, signifying that they were both Heroines—pivotal existences whose fates were entwined with the core of the world’s narrative.

He looked around the rest of the room, and most people only had passerby luck at three or four colors, or the dim, flickering one-color light of a minor villain.

However, his gaze stopped at the corner further at the back.

There, tucked away in the deepest shadows, stood a figure who flinched visibly as his eyes swept over her.

’Seven colors, another protagonist...’ Shen Haoran thought, his finger pausing its rhythmic tapping. ’Wait, she looks familiar...’

He delved into his memories, sifting through the years of his travels, and it was only after a few moments of thought he realized that it was the neglected princess that the Emperor had practically given to him a few years ago when he visited and stayed at the Imperial Palace.

Back then, he had just lost virginity, and was at the peak of his hormones, and seeing such a beautiful woman, he couldn’t resist and had his way with her.

He actually stayed in the Imperial Palace for a few weeks because of her.

But, it was also because of her that Haoran got over that phase and finally stopped having his lower half dictate his actions.

He had almost forgotten about her, and the last time he had even thought of her was during the time when the Bright Silver Emperor’s inheritance realm opened.

’So he’s a protagonist? Well, now that I think about it, her background checks out.’

The classic trope of the neglected, hidden royalty rising from the ashes to reclaim a throne or get revenge was a potent source of karmic energy.

He decided to deal with it later. There were more immediate matters at hand.

And with that thought, he turned his gaze away from the shadows and fixed it upon Xu Xiaojun.

”I will be the one to take charge,” Shen Haoran stated, although his voice was not loud, but it carried an inherent weight that brooked no argument. ”Does anyone have any objections?”

Silence.

Even the usually provocative Su Xishi didn’t dare to say anything as she simply adjusted her seating, her playful smirk replaced by a look of wary observation.

The representatives of the Immortal Sects remained stone-faced; they knew that in the presence of a Shen, the hierarchy was already decided.

”Since no one had any objections,” he stared directly at Xu Xiaojun, who was still half-standing in a daze of wounded pride. ”Sit down and listen to me.”

Xu Xiaojun’s knees seemed to give way instinctively as he instantly sat back down, his golden armor clinking softly as his bravado evaporated.

”Well, then... let us begin.”

Shen Haoran stood up.

He did not look at the people, and instead, he looked at the map, his mind, enhanced by his 3rd Stage Nascent Soul cultivation and the vast tactical archives of the Shen Clan, began to process the geography of the Eastern Region as a complex chessboard.

”I have studied the movements of the barbarians before I came here, and I found out that the current situation is not merely an invasion, but a systematic displacement,” Haoran began, his voice taking on the sharp, cold clarity of a master strategist.

He took out a small square artifact and placed it on the table as it projected a holographic image of a red skinned barbarian.

”These are the Burning Giant Tribe. Their leader is named Korgar, and he is at the peak of Nirvana Rebirth Realm. Their tribe mainly rely on their superior bodies and what they call a blood art, which allowed them to create and manipulate flame. Other than that, they possess no Cultivation Techniques, so if you play it right, you can defeat even someone whose cultivation is several stages above yours.”

That seem to bring relief and even excitement on the nobles, thinking that this mission will be easy.

”However, these barbarians are trained in the art of ambushes and dirty tricks just so they can survive in the Vast Wilderness, so if you just charge into the heart of the occupied territories, you will likely find yourself caught in a series of mobile ambushes designed to bleed your supply lines and exhaust your spiritual reserves before you ever reach a major city.”

He traced a line across the map with a spark of golden qi.

”So first, we should not march as a single horde, since doing that will just make us a target,” he continued, as the others listened carefully, ”Instead, we will split into three distinct echelons. The first echelon, led by the Diamond Titan Sect and the Heart Severing Dao Immortal Sect, will move toward the northern Spirit Hall front. Your goal is not to retake territory, but to provide a static, unbreakable defensive line that forces the barbarian vanguard to stall. Barbarians like these consumes a lot of food since they don’t have any Alchemist for pills or Gourmet Hunters for food, so they lose momentum when the war drags on. We will starve them to halt their aggression.”

He looked toward Jin Ci, who nodded solemnly.

”The second echelon will be led by the Purple Sky Immortal Sect and the Pill Tower. You will focus on the Great Tao Desert. The Lamia Tribe are formidable, but that is only because the barbarians haven’t adapted to a desert terrain just yet. Currently, it has the least number of barbarians, making it easier for Pill Tower to make pills in silence to provide support, while the Purple Sky disciples, known for their speed and dominance in the sky, will be responsible for logistics, sending the pills to every forces we have.”

He then looked at the remaining nobles.

”The third echelon, that is, you noble clans, will follow the central path. But you will not engage, and instead you will act as the ’Reclamation Force,’ establishing fortresses every fifty miles to solidify our control over the region, once we control majority of it, killing or kicking them out will be easier.”

He leaned forward, his golden eyes reflecting the map’s crimson glow.

”I, along with the Ten Crowns, will act as the ’Executioners.’ We will remain mobile, hovering between the echelons. We will target the elders of the barbarians that you are not equipped to handle. We will decapitate their leadership while you grind down their numbers.”

He straightened his back, his aura flaring just enough to make the air hum.

”This is not a glorious parade. It is a logistical suffocation. We will reclaim the Eastern Region not by the sword alone, but by denying the enemy the space to even breath. Are my orders clear?”

The representatives looked at the map, then back at Haoran.

The plan was logical, ruthless, and leveraged every strength of the gathered forces while minimizing their weaknesses.

It was a strategy that prioritized victory over individual glory—something the nobles had never even considered.

”Clear,” Bai Wenxin said, her wine-red eyes showing a glimmer of genuine respect.

The others, and everyone else nodded as well.

”Then move,” Haoran commanded. ”We depart at dawn. Anyone who lags behind will be left behind, I will not wait for those who are late.”

As the pavilion erupted into a flurry of activity, Haoran sat back down, his gaze drifting once more toward the corner where the seven-colored princess hid.