Villains Aren't Stepping Stones!

At this moment, within the grand, shattered meeting hall of the Botanist Faction, a heavy, suffocating silence reigned over the ruins.

Mu Gang sat quietly at the head of the cracked petrified-wood table, his eyes firmly closed.

The dense, dark green spiritual energy of his 2nd Stage Nirvana Rebirth Realm cultivation pulsed around his body in slow, rhythmic waves, stabilizing the structural integrity of the damaged manor around him.

Just then, he suddenly opened his eyes, two sharp emerald beams piercing the dim twilight of the hall as he glared directly at an seemingly empty space near the doorway.

”No need to hide,” Mu Gang spoke, his deep voice vibrating with authority. ”Show yourself.”

At that exact moment, the shadows pooling near the broken entrance suddenly twisted and turned like liquid ink.

Space folded softly upon itself, and in that instant, Shen Haoran and Xu Xiansu materialized out of thin air.

Haoran was smiling casually, his hands tucked loosely inside his wide, dark embroidered sleeves as he stood completely relaxed.

Xu Xiansu stood a step behind his right shoulder, her arms crossed tightly over her chest, her sharp eyes scanning the room with unyielding focus.

Mu Gang glared at him, his brow furrowing as a lethal chill filled the hall. ”Shen Haoran. You’re far bolder than I anticipated. To think you actually attacked so early, without even bothering to consolidate your power, or even bothering to form ties with other factions first.”

Haoran shrugged nonchalantly and casually pulled out a carved wooden chair on the opposite side of the broken table, sitting down ever so gracefully.

”Well, there is no better time than the present,” Haoran said smoothly, leaning back against the wooden chair as he met Mu Gang’s emerald glare with glowing, golden eyes. ”I don’t see the point of delaying things unnecessarily, especially when facing an opponent that must be eliminated sooner or later.”

”Hmph,” Mu Gang snorted, a cold, mocking smirk touching his lips as he shifted his gaze away from Haoran to look down at Xu Xiansu standing behind him. ”I can understand where your wild confidence comes from after making a name for yourself in the trial realm, but to think you actually brought a little girl with you into my domain... What can a mere 3rd Stage Golden Core Realm cultivator possibly help you with against a Nirvana Rebirth expert?”

Xu Xiansu glared fiercely at him, her hand instinctively twitching as her body radiated a dangerous intent.

Haoran chuckled softly, completely unbothered by Mu Gang’s dismissive tone. ”Ah, don’t misunderstand. I simply don’t like being alone in a room with a man as some people might get the wrong idea. So I always like to bring a beautiful woman with me to keep the atmosphere pleasant.”

Mu Gang’s eyes narrowed into razor-sharp slits, his emerald aura flaring up with dark, oppressive weight. ”A pleasant atmosphere? Shen Haoran, do you truly believe that burning a single one of our garden gives you the right to act like a conqueror before me? You sit in my hall, in my city, acting as if you have already won.”

”Come now, don’t make it sound like I’m trying.” Haoran tilted his head slightly, a dark, handsome smile spreading across his face. ”Winning implies that there was a competition to begin with, but you’re completely wrong. From the moment I decided to target the Leaf Green City, the outcome was already decided. And look at it now, your gardens are ashes, your guards are scattered, your advisors are probably already tucking their tails between their legs, and your city’s mandate is seconds away from being shattered. Right now, you are merely standing on a sinking ship, holding onto a title that no longer belongs to you.”

”Arrogant brat!” Mu Gang barked, slamming his palm against the broken table, sending a shockwave of green qi ripping through the floorboards! ”Do you honestly think that my city is a fragile toy!? I am a 2nd Stage Nirvana Rebirth Realm expert! In this domain, my word is law! A handful of Nascent Soul juniors and a Golden Core girl are nothing more than dust under my boots! What makes you think that your little tricks can bridge the massive chasm between our realms?!”

”Chasm?” Haoran chuckled, ”Mu Gang, you certainly have lost touched with reality after centuries of playing king in this academy. Do you know why the Immortal Clans didn’t bother sending their heirs to this academy until now? Because in their eyes, everyone here are nothing more than ants.”

Mu Gang’s face flushed with violent rage, his spiritual pressure exploding outward like an angry hurricane!

The wooden beams above them cracked, and the remaining glass windows shattered into fine powder as his domain expanded to swallow the entire hall!

”Hah! Do you think being heirs of Immortal Clans gives you the right to look down on us!?” Mu Gang roared, his green eyes burning with murderous intent. ”I have slaughtered hundreds of geniuses like you who didn’t know the height of the heavens! Shen Haoran, if you think your high status in the outside world can protect you inside this academy’s trial grounds, I will personally tear your limbs apart and feed your soul to my Man-Eating Spirit Vines!”

Facing the full, terrifying pressure of a 2nd Stage Nirvana Rebirth domain, Shen Haoran didn’t even blink.

He remained sitting comfortably in his chair, his hands tucked inside his sleeves, looking at the raging Mu Gang with an expression of mild, entertaining pity.

He couldn’t really blame this guy for being ignorant. When he attended this academy, he was probably in his thirties or forties, and he had lived in this academy for hundreds of years, acting all high and mighty.

He probably forgot. This academy was merely a simulation of the real world.

Whatever power he holds here means nothing outside.

”This qi...is quite weak. Is this the best you can offer?” Haoran murmured softly, his golden eyes glowing with an ancient, terrifying light that instantly neutralized the suffocating pressure around him. ”Threats from a dying man are always the loudest. You built an empire on weeds and soft water, Mu Gang, and now you stand before a force that has brought down gods and supreme lineages. But, do not worry... your death will be swift, and your city will serve as the foundation upon which my rule over this academy begins.”

Mu Gang snorted, his eyes cold and filled with malicious amusement. ”You’re way too arrogant, brat. You may not know this since you’re new to the academy’s governing laws, but City Lords possess the supreme authority to forcibly kick out anyone without an official registered residence in their own city. In other words, once my vanguard forces take down your private Falling Blossom Villa, I can instantly use my City Lord authority to kick you and your entire group out of Leaf Green City permanently!”

Haoran chuckled softly, his dark embroidered sleeves shifting as he rested his chin on his palm, completely unbothered by the threat. ”I know that, you know. And I highly doubt you can take down my villa before we can take total control of your city.”

Mu Gang glared at him violently, his emerald eyes burning with lethal intent as his 2nd Stage Nirvana Rebirth aura flared.

”Then, we’ll see about that!”

*

*

*

At this exact moment, outside the perimeter of the Falling Blossom Villa.

The serene, picturesque estate—usually surrounded by peaceful drifting pink spirit blossom petals—was completely encircled.

Hundreds of heavily armed, elite combat members of the Botanist Faction had formed a tight, suffocating military blockade around the entire property.

Standing at the front of the siege vanguard, hovering mid-air above the cobblestone path, was a formidable 1st Stage Spirit Ascension realm expert known throughout the city as Captain Yan.

Clad in heavy obsidian-colored armor, his broad blade drawn, he radiated a thick, crushing wave of spiritual pressure that flattened the surrounding grass.

A scout quickly dropped to one knee before him, bowing hurriedly. ”Captain Yan! We have conducted a complete sweep of the outer perimeter!”

”Report!” Captain Yan barked, his sharp gaze locked onto the quiet villa gates.

”It... it’s extremely strange, sir!” the scout stammered, looking bewildered. ”The entire Falling Blossom Villa appears utterly undefended! Our Formation Masters detected no signs of active killing arrays, no grand defensive barriers, no hidden traps, nor even a single sign of stationed soldiers or guards! Even the gates are completely unlocked!”

Another officer stepped forward, frowning deeply. ”Captain, could this be an ambush? Shen Haoran’s group is notorious for being cunning. How could they leave their primary residence entirely exposed while launching an assault on our Eastern Gardens?”

Captain Yan nodded slowly, his eyes narrowing as he analyzed the peaceful villa. ”Whether it is an ambush or sheer, foolish arrogance, it matters not! Before absolute power, all schemes are reduced to dust!”

He let out a deafening, thunderous roar that reverberated across the entire district!

BOOOOOOOOOOM—!

The sky above the villa trembled violently as a massive, ethereal entity materialized directly behind Captain Yan.

Draped in ancient, glowing blue battle armor, riding a towering phantom war horse, and holding a colossal hundred-meter spear, an immense giant made entirely of dense, swirling blue spiritual energy manifested into reality.

This was Captain Yan’s Spirit Avatar!

Hovering right at the glowing forehead of this immense energy giant, Captain Yan’s eyes flashed with destructive intent.

He raised his arm, his massive avatar mimicking his movement by raising its colossal blue spear toward the undefended villa.

”ATTACK! LEAF GREEN CITY STANDS VICTORIOUS!” Captain Yan roared at the top of his lungs!

”KILL!” hundreds of Botanist Faction disciples screamed in unison, surging forward with drawn sabres, flying swords, and destructive wood-element spells!

However, at that exact, critical moment...

A simple, ancient scroll painting suddenly materialized out of thin air, floating serenely above the main roof of the Falling Blossom Villa.

The charging attackers paused involuntarily, their steps faltering as they stared up at the floating artifact in utter confusion.

It looked like nothing more than a mundane, antique landscape scroll. This was the very same painting that Shen Jian had casually purchased at the auction before.

Before the Botanist Faction’s vanguard could process why a mere decorative painting was hovering in the sky...

SWIIISH—!!!!!

Under the thoroughly confused, wide-eyed looks of Captain Yan and his entire army, the painting suddenly erupted with a blinding, incandescent radiance!

The divine light was so infinitely intense and overwhelming that every single cultivator on the battlefield was forced to tightly close their eyes, crying out in pain as their divine senses were temporarily blinded!

FLASH—!

And when Captain Yan and his hundreds of men finally managed to force their eyes open... the city streets, the villa walls, and the surrounding buildings had completely vanished.

They found themselves standing in the middle of a vast, boundless, and ancient pocket realm—a breathtaking landscape spanning endless plains, roaring crystalline rivers, and towering, snow-capped mountains reaching into a strange, violet sky.

”W-What is this place?!”

”Spatial teleportation?! Did that painting drag us into another dimension!?”

Panic erupted through the ranks as the soldiers looked around frantically.

Suddenly, high above the clouds, an eight-pointed, crystalline gem materialized out of the void.

It descended slowly toward the earth, emitting a brilliant, breathtaking, and terrifyingly pure shine that illuminated the entire pocket realm.

Accompanying the gem’s slow descent, a calm, cool, and detached female voice echoed from every direction in the sky—the voice of Ning Xueli.

”Intruders... have you ever seen a sun explode right in your face?”

Captain Yan felt a violent, suffocating shiver run down the entire length of his spine as his soul shuddered in instinctual terror as he stared up at that tiny, descending eight-pointed gem.

Despite his 1st Stage Spirit Ascension cultivation and his massive Spirit Avatar, a profound, unholy sense of unavoidable death seized his entire body.

That gem did not contain spiritual energy, instead, it contained pure, unadulterated, power of cosmic annihilation!

Ning Xueli’s voice echoed one final time across the vast plains, indifferent and serene.

”This is only the second time I have ever used this thing. Remember its name... it’s called... Little Boy.”

The eight-pointed gem touched the grass.

And in the next second... everything went completely white.