Great Villain: Starting by Humiliating the Son of the Heavenly Fate

"You think you can kill me? Keep dreaming! Not in this life, not in the next!" Mo Hao’s glare was ice-cold as he locked eyes with the scar-faced cultivator. Without a second thought, he gave the command to his system—burn Pretentious Points to power up!

In an instant, forty thousand Pretentious Points vanished.

A wild surge of energy erupted inside Mo Hao’s body. His aura flared, waves of raw power rippling through him. Then—just like that—he broke through!

Early-stage Transcendence realm? Gone. He was now solidly in Middle-stage Transcendence realm!

He’s using a realm breakthrough as his counterattack? Jiang Chen narrowed his eyes, taking it all in.

No warning signs at all…

And not just any breakthrough—he jumped straight from an unstable Early-stage to Middle-stage, way harder than advancing from peak Early-stage.

Could it be… this guy’s trump card is actually a system?!

Jiang Chen’s eyes flashed with understanding. It made sense. Even Gu Ran—who could steal cultivation—needed to kill someone first. But Mo Hao? His power-up seemed almost effortless, like some unseen force had just handed him the next level on a silver platter.

This had System written all over it.

And now that Mo Hao had finished his breakthrough, Jiang Chen knew what had to be done. The scar-faced cultivator had served his purpose. Keeping him alive would only give Mo Hao more chances to show off.

Meanwhile, the battlefield had fallen into stunned silence. Every pair of eyes was locked onto Mo Hao, his aura surging like a tidal wave.

The scar-faced cultivator stiffened, his expression frozen. The others weren’t any better.

"W-what?!" one of them choked out, his face a mask of shock.

"This aura…!"

"He really… broke through to Middle-stage Transcendence realm?"

"How the hell did he do that?!"

It was like the entire crowd had forgotten how to breathe. Eyes went wide, mouths gaped. Mo Hao had them right where he wanted them—completely dumbfounded.

For the first time, he had pulled off the ultimate act of being a pompous showoff.

But Jiang Chen? No way he was going to let this guy bask in the glory.

Time to use my tools.

His smirk deepened as his divine sense swept across the gathered cultivators. Then, as if on cue, voices of doubt began to ripple through the crowd.

"Why is everyone so shocked? Don’t be fooled!" someone suddenly barked.

"Yeah! That brat’s sudden breakthrough is nothing but a trick!"

"Exactly! Nobody just jumps realms like that—he’s bluffing!"

"Ha! Trying to scare us? What a joke!"

One after another, voices joined in. The awe was gone. Suspicion crept in.

A few cultivators exchanged looks, realization dawning in their eyes. They had almost fallen for Mo Hao’s little act. That conniving bastard!

Then came the mocking.

"Mo Hao, you pathetic worm!" a voice sneered. "Did you really think we’d be intimidated?!"

"Are you stupid? No one jumps minor realms instantly at the Transcendence realm level. Especially not someone with your trash spiritual root!"

"What a joke! You expect us to believe you broke through like that? Even if you wanted to bluff, at least make it believable! This is so over-the-top, even your own parents wouldn’t buy it!"

The shift was complete. Cultivators who had once looked at Mo Hao in awe now stared at him like he was the village idiot. Smirks, sneers, and cold, mocking eyes replaced their earlier shock.

Mo Hao’s face stiffened. What?! His eyes widened in disbelief. They’re not awestruck?

How are these idiots not shaken by my power-up?!

His fists clenched as he scanned the crowd, his gaze lingering on the ones Jiang Chen had influenced. But try as he might, he couldn’t spot anything suspicious. These fools actually believed he was faking it!

At the same time, inside Jiang Chen’s sea of consciousness, crisp system notifications rang out:

[Ding! You’ve slightly altered the plot and successfully shut down protagonist Mo Hao’s attempt to show off. Mo Hao’s Heavenly Fate Value decreased by 300 points!]

[Ding! You’ve gained 600 points of Villain Value!]

Jiang Chen’s smirk deepened. Perfect. Mission accomplished. Now, all he had to do was keep the momentum going. Mo Hao would definitely make a move next, and it was his job to crush him.

"Mo Hao, you useless worm!" The scar-faced cultivator snarled, his yellowed teeth bared. "Enough with your tricks! Hand over the pills, and maybe I’ll let you live!"

"You seriously doubt me?" Mo Hao’s voice was low, unreadable.

Hah, a bunch of blind fools, he sneered to himself, already preparing his counterattack. Fine. If they won’t believe it, I’ll make them.

But just as his eyes narrowed, ready to strike, an eerie, bone-chilling laugh rolled across the battlefield. The sound stretched for miles, deep and distorted, shaking the very air.

"Hehehehe! How amusing! A bunch of humans too busy fighting each other to notice me!" The voice carried a crushing force. "Perfect. Now… die!"

The scar-faced cultivator’s face drained of color. His eyes darted around wildly. "Who—who said that?!"

Mo Hao stiffened, scanning the surroundings. "A demon…?"

A wave of fear rippled through the crowd. The mocking jeers vanished. The air grew heavy.

Before anyone could react, a thin, blood-red line appeared across the scar-faced cultivator’s neck. For a second, he didn’t even realize what had happened. Then—slash!

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A geyser of blood erupted. His head shot into the air.

A Transcendence realm cultivator—beheaded in the blink of an eye!

But that wasn’t the end. His body didn’t just drop—it melted. Flesh and bone turned into a mist of blood and eerie light, sucked away by a shadowy figure that flickered into existence for just a moment before vanishing completely.

The only thing left behind was a trace of demonic aura, slowly fading into the wind.

"It’s a demon! A demon is here!" someone shrieked.

"It’s an assassin! This has to be the Dark Sprite Demon Clan—they’re masters of stealth!"

"They just took down a Transcendence realm cultivator like it was nothing… This is insane!"

"Run! If we stay here, we’re dead!"

Panic exploded through the crowd. Cultivators bolted in every direction, their screams filling the air as they scattered like frightened birds.

Nobody wanted to be next.

Not good! Mo Hao’s breath hitched as he saw the scar-faced cultivator’s head fly. His stomach twisted. A dark sprite demon… it’s actually here!

Even though he had just broken through, his foundation was still shaky. He wasn’t as strong as a proper Middle-stage Transcendence realm cultivator just yet.

And worse… that thing is hidden in the shadows while I’m standing out in the open.

He wasn’t an easy target, sure, but taking down a demon like this? Not happening. Not now. Not with this disadvantage.

His jaw clenched. Better to retreat and live to fight another day. Without wasting another second, he turned and shot off at full speed, putting as much distance as possible between himself and the unseen killer.

But frustration gnawed at him.

This wasn’t how it was supposed to go.

I have a system! I was supposed to rise up, show off my strength, and make everyone regret ever doubting me!

Instead? His grand debut had turned into a complete disaster.

For Mo Hao, this was a humiliating blow.

Meanwhile, inside Jiang Chen’s mind, crisp system notifications chimed:

[Ding! You’ve subtly altered the plot, ruining protagonist Mo Hao’s attempt to show off. His Heavenly Fate Value has dropped by 1000 points!]

[Ding! You’ve earned 2000 points of Villain Value!]

Jiang Chen smirked. A thousand points? Not bad at all.

Now, it was time for the next move.

I’ll tail him for a while, see how sharp his instincts really are. Who knows? Maybe he’ll reveal another ridiculous ability.

Still, he had to be careful. If he pushed Mo Hao too far, Heavenly Fate might twist the storyline in some unpredictable way. And Jiang Chen wasn’t about to let fate play tricks on him.