Villains Aren't Stepping Stones!

The cold rushing wind that had roared in his ears suddenly died away into total, breathless silence.

ThickThighsSaveLives opened his eyes and then, found himself floating in an empty space, and saw a world far grander beyond his imagination.

There was no narrow bed, no dirty ceiling, and no smell of stale instant noodles.

He hung weightless in a sea of pure, dark purple void, surrounded by drifting ribbons of starlight and swirling dust that glowed like crushed diamonds.

But it was not the cosmos of his old world.

Below his suspended feet lay an astronomical domain that made the old Rising Dragon continent look like a mere grain of rice dropped into an endless lake.

He saw thousands of floating islands, each larger than entire nations, anchored together by massive chains forged from celestial iron that burned with pale blue fire.

Waterfalls of liquid light tumbled from the sheer cliffs of those sky-islands, evaporating into clouds of rose and amber mist before they could touch the bottomless dark.

Grand palaces built of white bone-stone and gold soared into the sky, their roofs reflecting the brilliance of distant suns, while ancient beasts with wings spanning dozens of miles glided lazily between mountain peaks that defied the laws of height and weight.

The sheer, overwhelming scale of the realm pressed against his eyes until his head spun with dizzy wonder.

”Holy shit...” he breathed out, his hands reaching to clutch his hair, only to realize he had fingers, skin, and arms that felt more solid, more alive than his fragile mortal body on Blue Star ever had. ”This is far grander than Rising Dragon Sect!...why does it seem like the devs got even more budget after suffering from a crackdown?”

As he relished on such realistic and magnificent sight, a majestic voice suddenly resounded, causing ThickThighsSaveLives to stand up straight like a recruit facing a commander.

The voice was neither female nor male; it simply rolled through the cosmic void like the deep resonance of a bronze bell struck at the dawn of time, vibrating directly inside his soul.

”Children of the broken star,” the voice boomed, calm, heavy, and full of ancient sorrow. ”The banners of your old home have burned to ash. The mountain has fallen. The sect master Yun Ming has perished beneath the judgment of the heavens. In the great clash of realms, your sect fought, bled, and failed. The entire Ancient Heaven Star could not withstand the tide of the upper firmament; its leylines were severed, its kings slaughtered, and its will bent to its knees in unconditional surrender.”

A holographic projection flickered across the void before his face, showing rapid, breathtaking scenes of the final cataclysm: the central plaza of the Rising Dragon Sect exploding into a pillar of plasma, the sky tearing open, and the cold white-robed silhouette standing above the clouds with an obsidian blade.

Of course, this isn’t actually what had happened, but since the gamers already died when the war ended, no one questioned it.

”No way...” ThickThighsSaveLives muttered, his chest tightening as he saw the familiar stone pavilions reduced to rubble. ”We really lost? The entire server was wiped out in the lore?”

The voice did not pause for his grief and simply continued on.

”You who fell upon the gray dirt were claimed by the conquerors,” the voice continued, its tone shifting from sorrow to an unyielding, imperial weight. ”Your lives were spared. Your shattered souls were gathered from the wheel of death and reforged by the grand authority of the conquerors. You belong no longer to a petty sect of the lower dirt. You have been incorporated, marked, and bound beneath the dark iron banner of the Shen Clan—an ancient power whose footsteps shake ten thousand worlds.”

The cosmic panorama shifted once more.

The image of the conquered lower realm shrank into a tiny green leaf, pulled upward into a glorious independent realm, the Imperial Academy.

”By the grace of the clan’s sole heir, your spirits have been elevated beyond the mortal firmament,” the majestic voice rang out, filling his ears with thunderous purpose. ”You have crossed the boundary of dimensions to set foot upon the soil of the upper realm. Yet your freedom must be earned with blood and steel. The young master of the Shen Clan walks the halls of the Imperial Academy, where scions of ancient bloodlines vie for dominance. Your duty is simple: become his vanguard. Serve his will. Crush his rivals, claim the trial grounds, and help him establish the strongest, undisputed force within the academy’s history!”

Lines of golden text flashed across the void, detailing new systems, faction ranks, contribution points, and martial rewards that far outstripped anything the old game had ever offered.

[MAIN FACTION: SHEN CLAN VANGUARD]

[SUPREME LEADER: SHEN HAORAN]

[OBJECTIVE: ACADEMY HEGEMONY]

[SYSTEM CALIBRATION COMPLETE. COMMENCING DEPLOYMENT...]

”A faction war... A campus arc in the upper realm?!” ThickThighsSaveLives grinned like a madman, his fists clenching so hard his knuckles popped. ”We went from being backwater mountain bandits to the private hit squad of an imperial young master! Hell yes!”

FLASH!

The starlight around him collapsed into a single blinding point of white radiance.

And just like that, ThickThighsSaveLives and hundreds of other gamers found themselves in a massive hall, with Haoran and the others standing there.

The sudden sensation of weight slammed into his boots.

He stumbled forward half a step, the smell of sweet sandalwood incense and cool, crisp mountain air rushing into his lungs.

Around him, soft gasps, bewildered curses, and excited shouts erupted as more than one hundred men and women materialized out of thin air onto the polished white jade floorboards.

They looked down at their hands, feeling the coarse leather of their beginner armor, checking the familiar iron hilts of their weapons, and touching their faces in pure disbelief.

”We’re back... We’re actually back! Mwuah! Mwuah! I love you game!” A player dropped to his knees, kissing the floor with a lovestruck expression.

”Look at the graphics! The lighting on these pillars—my God, it feels completely real! We really are back! I can’t believe it, after two years, we can finally set foot on this world once more!”

”I have my old shield! My stats are still here!” Another player jumped happily before turning towards the other gamers, ”Damn, I pity those who weren’t given a helmet.”

However, one gamer suddenly gulped down.

”Um, guys...look.”

Everyone followed stopped and followed his gaze, and like him, they froze, and gulped down hard.

The chaotic noise died down instantly, choked out by an overwhelming, suffocating pressure that seemed to freeze the very temperature of the room.

At the far end of the grand hall, standing on a raised dais three steps above the floor, a group of figures was watching them in silence.

Standing in the very center was Shen Haoran.

He was clad in black and gold robes that flowed like water around his tall, slender frame, devoid of any ornament save for his quiet, terrifying presence.

His golden hair shone, his golden eyes releasing an invisible pressure that seem to press on the gamers.

Beside him, Ling Luochen stood with her pink hair neatly bound to a bun, the subtle golden ring in her pupils glowing softly as the system core mediated the bridge.

Flanking them were the Ten Crowns and the peerless maidens.

”Damn... that’s... that’s the guy who found out we’re from another world, right?” One of the players said, he was one of the players who had been on the mission to rescue the White Dragon Sect and encountered Haoran.

”We’re serving him now?” Another one almost knelt down, ”This... He won’t kill us for fun, will he?”

Haoran looked down at the wide-eyed, shivering crowd of resurrected mortals, his lips curving into a faint, cool smirk.

”Welcome back, gamers.”

*

*

*

At this moment, in a Red Light District.

Far from the quiet, dignified halls of the Imperial Academy, the Pleasure sector of one of the most prosperous city in the Imperial Academy was a sea of crimson lanterns, sweet incense, and drunken laughter.

Silk banners of bright magenta and gold fluttered from the balconies of three-story wooden pavilions, while the strumming of lutes and the soft giggles of courtesans drifted through the warm evening air.

Inside the private upper chamber of the Moonlit Pavilions, Su Xishi sat on her seat, frowning as one of the members of their sect bowed in front of her.

The room was draped in sheer purple silks, the floor covered in thick sheepskin rugs.

A table made of dark pear wood sat between them, holding a cold pot of herbal brew.

Su Xishi leaned back against a cushioned bolster, her dark purple dress spreading around her like blooming petals, her fingers tapping impatiently against the wooden armrest.

Her brow was furrowed, her purple eyes sharp with irritation as she stared at the kneeling woman before her.

”What do you mean Master is not around?” Su Xishi asked, her voice dropping into a cold, dangerous cadence that made the jade pendants on the screens tremble.

She had been wanting to talk to her master about Haoran’s matter, and this shouldn’t be delayed.

What if others found out about it and tell her master? She wouldn’t be able to defend herself!

She trusted senior sister Mei Mei and Ruo Lanlan, but that doesn’t mean she trusted the other disciples of the sect.

After all, her position as the saintess is still unstable, and there is another one who coveted her position.

The kneeling disciple pressed her forehead against the floorboards, her shoulders trembling under her thin silk tunic.

”Elder sister, please spare this servant’s life!” the girl stammered, her voice shaking with fear. ”It is the truth! Three days before you left on your assignment, Mistress received a news regarding the tomb of an ancient Nine Tailed Celestial Fox in the northern mountains. She departed alone to claim the inheritance and she has yet to return. Mistress Wei had sent you the message before she left so you should know of it!”

Su Xishi frowned, her eyes narrowing as she listened to the girl’s frantic words.

She opened her mouth to rebuke the servant for speaking nonsense, but then, she suddenly paused.

She blinked and rubbed her forehead as a sharp sigh slipped from her lips as she leaned her head back against the cushion, a look of tired realization washing over her sculpted features.

She forgot

She has been in the lower realm for ten years, but here, barely even a day has passed.

The flow of time between the planes was utterly mismatched due to the temporal array of the Sages.

Down on the Ancient Heaven Star, she had watched the seasons change a decade’s worth of times; she had survived an ambush of the local powers, lay low and infiltrated a local demonic sect, became the Saintess of said saint, and eventually plotted to kill the sect master of that sect and replaced.

And most importantly, she had spent two long years negotiating the establishment of the Demonic Lotus Sect among the Four Local Powers.

To her mind and memories, ten long, exhausting years had elapsed.

Yet in the high realm of the Tian Yuan Empire, her departure had occurred barely eighteen hours ago.

To the disciples in this city, she had merely stepped out for an afternoon errand and returned before the lanterns were extinguished.

Her master had departed for the tomb only three days ago.

Su Xishi sighed, letting her hand drop from her brow to pick up the cold teacup.

She had wanted to come clean and beg forgiveness, but it seems like that had to wait.

”Oh well,” she murmured, waving her sleeve dismissively toward the trembling girl on the floor. ”Get up and leave. I will just talk to master once she returned.”

The disciple bowed three times in relief and scurried out the door, leaving Su Xishi alone with her thoughts as the red lanterns outside flickered against the paper windows.

• ~ ~ •

Author’s Note: