Villain: Manipulating the Heroines into hating the Protagonist

Chapter 875: Swallowing Old Monster’s Soul

A wave of psychic energy, silent and invisible, slammed into Wang Jian’s consciousness. It was the full, desperate power of a Nascent Soul remnant, a spiritual tsunami designed to obliterate a lesser mind, to shatter a weaker soul, and to clear the way for its grand rebirth. For Yue Lingshan and Liu Ruyan, even the peripheral shockwave was a crippling pressure, a spiritual terror that made their knees weak and their very souls tremble.

But for Wang Jian, it was dinner.

His eyes remained closed, his physical form slumped in a perfect imitation of unconsciousness. Yet, within the boundless, secret sea of his true self, the impact registered not as an attack, but as an offering.

’A remnant will, its power fragmented, its consciousness little more than instinct and ancient malice, dares to assault me?’ A thought, cold and vast as a dying star, echoed in the depths of Wang Jian’s soul. ’This is not a battle. This is a feast.’

The will of Lan Fengzi, the Nascent Soul expert, manifested in this psychic space as a fierce, crimson specter, a whirlwind of rage and resentful energy. It charged forward, expecting to tear apart the mind of the foolish Qi Condensation disciple who had dared to interfere. It expected to find a fragile, flickering candlelight of a soul that it could snuff out with a single puff.

Instead, it slammed into an abyss.

Wang Jian’s soul was not a candle. It was a silent, infinite void, a patch of absolute nothingness dotted with the cold, distant light of a billion dead stars. It was a black hole, its event horizon calm and unassuming.

The crimson specter of Lan Fengzi, in all its furious glory, plunged into that calm abyss. And it was simply... absorbed. There was no grand clash, no epic struggle. The specter’s psychic roar of fury was swallowed by the profound silence. Its tendrils of soul-rending energy were drawn in, unraveling, their power unspooling into the void.

It was like a raging wildfire being poured into the heart of an ocean. The fire was extinguished instantly, its heat and light consumed without a trace.

”IMPOSSIBLE!” a final, desperate shriek of pure psychic terror echoed, not outwards, but inwards, as Lan Fengzi’s remnant will felt itself being utterly and completely devoured. It had sensed immense power in Wang Jian’s soul, a quality so profound it defied comprehension, but it had never imagined this. This wasn’t a contest of power; it was an act of consumption, as natural and absolute as gravity.

From her position bound by the crimson chains of light, Chen Ying felt the shift with chilling clarity. The monstrous, possessive will that had been about to devour her, the psychic pressure that had made her soul scream in terror, suddenly vanished. It didn’t retreat. It didn’t fade. It was simply... gone. Erased. And in its place, for a fleeting, terrifying instant, she felt the horrifying void of the being that had consumed it. The presence of the Mystic Peak disciple, Wang Jian, felt less like a cultivator and more like an ancient, slumbering god of annihilation. A cold dread, far more profound than the fear she’d felt of Lan Fengzi, seized her heart.

The crimson chains of light, their power source now gone, flickered and dissolved into nothingness. Chen Ying slumped to the floor, freed, but trembling uncontrollably, her eyes fixed in terror on Wang Jian’s still, ”slumbering” form.

As Lan Fengzi’s remnant will was unmade, fragments of its existence flooded into Wang Jian. They were not complete memories, more like echoes, faded photographs from a life lived millennia ago. The soul fragment had been focused on a single task—possession and rebirth—and had shed most of its unnecessary baggage.

’As expected,’ Wang Jian noted internally as he sifted through the psychic debris. ’No grand secrets of this Primal Universe. No profound insights into its ultimate laws. Just the useful dregs.’

He found what was left. Several powerful, if somewhat archaic, battle techniques. A complete sword art, the ’Seven Absolutes Sword Art’, which focused on seven devastating finishing moves. A movement technique, the ’Myriad Shadow Movement Technique’, which created illusory afterimages. These were valuable additions to his combat arsenal.

There was also a wealth of knowledge on artifact forging. Detailed diagrams for crafting spirit artifacts up to the Nascent Soul level, methods for inscribing runes, principles of material harmonization. And most interestingly, a comprehensive set of techniques for taming and cultivating spiritual beasts, detailing everything from soul-contract formations to bloodline evolution methods.

A significant trove of information on ancient beast lineages was also present, but what he truly coveted—advanced alchemical knowledge—was glaringly absent. ’He was a warrior, a forgemaster, a beast tamer... but not an alchemist. A pity, but the other gains are substantial.’

In the physical world, as Wang Jian calmly began to organize this new influx of knowledge within his mind, the scene had shifted.

Yue Lingshan and Liu Ruyan were on their feet, their swords held ready, their veiled gazes fixed on the now-freed, trembling Chen Ying.

”Senior Sister Chen,” Yue Lingshan’s voice was as cold as the ice in the cavern, her usual warmth completely gone. Her magnificent, full breasts rose and fell with her steady breathing, but her posture radiated a dangerous intent. ”The Spirit Cleansing Pool was a lie, wasn’t it? Or at least, not the whole truth.”

Liu Ruyan, her ethereal beauty now tinged with an icy wrath, stood beside her, a perfect counterpart. The curves of her slender figure were taut with readiness. ”You drugged your own sect sisters, Chen Ying. You intended to take the true prize for yourself and leave us to our fate. Explain yourself.”

Chen Ying looked from Yue Lingshan’s righteous fury to Liu Ruyan’s cold disappointment, but her most terrified glances were reserved for the still-unmoving form of Wang Jian. She knew, with a certainty that chilled her to the bone, that the true master of this situation was him.

”I... I...” she stammered, her arrogance shattered, replaced by a desperate fear. She had felt that soul battle. She knew what had happened. ”That old monster... the will of Lan Fengzi... it wasn’t a legacy to be claimed. It was a trap. It wanted to possess me, to steal my body!”

Yue Lingshan scoffed. ”A convenient story, now that you’ve been exposed.”

”It’s the truth!” Chen Ying cried, desperation making her voice shrill. ”I felt it! Its will... it was about to consume me! And then... then...” She looked at Wang Jian again, her voice dropping to a terrified whisper. ”He... something happened. The will attacked him, and then it... vanished.”

Yue Lingshan and Liu Ruyan exchanged a look. They didn’t understand the specifics of what she was saying, but they trusted Wang Jian implicitly. If he had acted, it was for a reason.

”Even if that is true,” Liu Ruyan said, her voice cutting through Chen Ying’s panic, ”your initial intentions were treacherous. You used us. You endangered us.”

”I... I was wrong,” Chen Ying admitted, lowering her head. Humiliation and fear were a bitter pill to swallow. ”But... I did not harm you directly. I did not attack you. My plan was only to take the legacy and leave. As for my sect sisters... I intended to retrieve them after I had secured the inheritance.”

”A likely story,” Yue Lingshan retorted, though she shared a subtle glance with Liu Ruyan. Wang Jian’s silent instructions had been clear: establish a position of strength, but leave room for negotiation.

”Since you did not directly harm us,” Yue Lingshan said, her voice now taking on a tone of magnanimous, if conditional, mercy, ”we will not harm you. However, the treasures within this legacy dwelling... they will be shared. Equally. Among the four of us. Do you agree to these terms?”

Chen Ying looked up, a flicker of her old pride warring with her current terror. Share the legacy she had risked everything for? But then she looked at Wang Jian’s form, and the fear won a decisive victory. To refuse was to die.

”I... I agree,” she whispered, her voice barely audible.

It was at that moment that Wang Jian’s eyes fluttered open.

He rose to his feet smoothly, as if waking from a refreshing nap. His gaze swept over the three women, his expression calm, unreadable. ”It seems you have come to an understanding,” he said, his voice neutral.

Yue Lingshan and Liu Ruyan immediately relaxed, gravitating slightly towards him, their leader, their anchor.

Chen Ying, however, flinched as if struck.

Wang Jian’s gaze met hers, and he sent a silent, spiritual message that lanced directly into her mind, carrying an authority that was absolute.

’Senior Sister Chen. A word of advice. When we leave this place, you will speak of the Spirit Cleansing Pool, and only the Spirit Cleansing Pool. You will speak of how we, your loyal sect-mates, assisted you in defeating the guardians and securing this great opportunity for the sect. You will not speak of this legacy dwelling, nor of my... involvement in the matter of the remnant will. You will not speak of the treasures we find here. If a single whisper of the true events escapes your lips, I will know. And I promise you, with a certainty you cannot possibly comprehend, that you will not leave the Blood Forbidden Ground alive. Do you understand me?’

Chen Ying’s blood ran cold. The threat was not shouted; it was a calm, simple statement of fact, which made it infinitely more terrifying. She gulped, her throat suddenly dry, and sent back a frantic, trembling spiritual reply.

’I... I understand completely! I will say nothing! I swear it!’

Wang Jian’s gaze softened. He even offered her a slight, reassuring smile, which to Chen Ying, looked like the smile of a handsome demon contemplating its next meal. She was breathtakingly beautiful, even now, her face pale with fear, her exquisite robes torn, her voluptuous figure trembling slightly. The vulnerability, the terror in her eyes... it was an intoxicating combination that stirred a cold, possessive desire deep within Wang Jian. But he showed none of it. Now was not the time.

”Excellent,” he said aloud. ”Then let us not waste any more time. This place is a treasure trove. Let’s begin the survey.”

The four of them began to explore the legacy dwelling, a place clearly built to serve a Nascent Soul expert after a successful rebirth.

The first chamber they entered was the Armory and Scripture Hall. Racks of spirit weapons lined the walls, most of them high-grade spirit-tempered arms, with at least five true low-grade spirit artifacts gleaming with power. Shelves upon shelves of jade slips contained cultivation arts and battle techniques.

”This will be your domain, Senior Sister Chen,” Wang Jian declared magnanimously. ”Take your pick of the techniques and one of the spirit artifact weapons. It is only fair, as you led us here.”

Chen Ying, still terrified but also greedy for the treasures, nodded numbly and began to browse, her hands shaking slightly as she picked up a jade slip containing the ’Seven Absolutes Sword Art’.

The next chamber was the Artifact Forging Workshop. It was filled with blueprints etched onto metal plates, piles of rare, glowing ingots—Frost Iron, Starfall Copper, Resonant Jade—and a set of heavy, spirit-infused forging hammers.

”Fairy Liu,” Wang Jian said, turning to her. ”This seems suited to your Crimson Pill Sect’s interests in refinement, does it not? The metals and techniques are yours.”

Liu Ruyan’s eyes shone with delight. The value of these rare materials and ancient forging techniques was immeasurable. ”Thank you, Senior Brother Wang! This is... a great boon!”

The third chamber was the Array and Talisman Study. Complex formation diagrams were etched into the very walls, pulsing with faint energy. Cabinets were filled with high-grade, blank formation plates, flags, and stacks of precious, spirit-grade talisman paper.

”Lingshan,” Wang Jian said, his voice softening slightly as he looked at her. ”This is for you. Study these ancient arrays. They will elevate your skills far beyond what the outer sect can teach.”

Yue Lingshan’s heart swelled with joy. ”Oh, Jian... thank you!”