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

It didn't matter if they were human or demon, weak or strong—even those in the mighty Transcendence realm—everyone froze in place, their hearts pounding like drums. Fear clawed at them so hard, it felt like their very souls were about to shatter.

"That aura... that's Nirvana Peering realm! How is that even possible?!" people shouted, voices full of panic.

"Someone at that level is actually here?!"

"It's him! The guy who showed up with Mo Hao! He's a Nirvana Peering realm powerhouse?! Are you kidding me?!"

The battlefield, already a storm of chaos, now held its breath. A third Nirvana Peering realm expert had just revealed himself—and nobody knew where he stood.

Was he with the humans? The demons? Whichever side he chose, it was clear—he had the power to crush the other.

That uncertainty made the fear even worse. You could feel it in the air, as if the whole battlefield was frozen in time, waiting for the sky to fall.

And the one who looked the most shocked of all?

Mo Hao.

He just stared up at the figure floating in the sky—Jiang Chen—like he'd seen a ghost.

"Nirvana Peering… Jiang Chen… he's actually a Nirvana Peering realm powerhouse?!" he gasped, eyes wide with disbelief.

"No way. That can't be right! He was clearly at the Peak-stage Transcendence realm just a while ago! When did he break through?!"

He knew how rare it was—out of a hundred Peak-stage Transcendence realm cultivators, maybe one would ever make it to Nirvana Peering realm. And Jiang Chen? He was just some nobody from the Immortal Martial Continent. A backwater place, not known for producing monsters like this.

Wait... is he even from the Immortal Martial Continent? What if he's been lying this whole time? What if he's actually some hidden expert from outside?!

Mo Hao's skin went cold. His whole body felt like it was being dunked in ice water. Every hair on his body stood up straight.

"He tricked me…" he whispered, stunned. "He was hiding his real power this whole time!"

He looked up again, and there Jiang Chen was—floating high in the sky, surrounded by that crushing aura. His robes whipped in the wind like banners, his face calm, eyes sharp. He didn't look like someone from a forgotten continent anymore.

Right now, Jiang Chen looked like a true immortal, standing above it all—untouchable, unstoppable, and ready to bring down judgment.

Then he moved.

With a flick of his wrist, he brought down his silver immortal sword. His voice was quiet, but it echoed across the sky like thunder.

"Myriad Changes Hidden Void Sword!"

The moment the blade cut through the air, everyone felt it—pure terror, like their hearts had been grabbed by cold hands.

Sun Liu and the other Transcendence realm experts felt it the worst. Their eyes widened, pupils shrinking. They didn't even try to run. What was the point? They knew—this was the end.

Then it happened.

The sword slash ripped through the battlefield like a flash of lightning. A moment of perfect silence followed—as if time itself had stopped.

In the very next breath, every single demon and demonic beast in the Transcendence realm was split clean in two. No struggle. No scream. Just… gone. Like slicing through soft butter.

Dead. All of them. In one swing.

"He killed the demons!" Someone gasped.

Another took it up. "He's wiped them all out!"

"The great Immortal Martial Lord has killed all the Transcendence realm demons!"

People who only moments ago were looking down on Jiang Chen suddenly dropped to their knees, shouting like mad:

"All hail the great Lord of the Immortal Martial Continent!"

Whether their joy was real or fake—whether they truly meant it or were just trying to save their own skin—didn't matter in that moment. They cheered with everything they had. Some even forced smiles, while others cried real tears, their eyes full of so-called gratitude as they looked up at Jiang Chen like he was their hero.

And in the middle of it all, Sun Liu and a few others stood stiff, not even trying to hide their shame. Their faces were caught between relief and regret. Not long ago, they had mocked Jiang Chen in front of everyone, even helped drive him away like trash.

Now? They felt like fools. Worse than fools.

If they could go back in time, they'd smack their old selves silly—again and again for three days straight—just to make up for how badly they'd messed up.

While the human side was cheering, the rest of the demons were living through a nightmare.

With one swing of Jiang Chen's sword, a hundred of their strongest Transcendence realm powerhouses—the pride of the demon army—were cut down like they were made of mud.

What was this even?! There was no way to fight back. No way to escape.

Panic spread like wildfire.

Some demons lost it completely. They wet themselves right there in the sky, their bodies frozen in terror.

Others scrambled to activate every technique, every escape tool they had, trying to flee as fast as they could.

But most just broke down. Some started shaking uncontrollably, twitching in midair, eyes wide with fear. A few even collapsed, foam bubbling at their mouths. It was complete chaos.

And then Jiang Chen moved again.

He raised his sword for a second strike—and this time, it was even worse.

The slash exploded into countless blades of light, sharp with the power of space and the deep meaning of the Sword Dao. They twisted through the air like glowing dragons, coiling and striking across the battlefield.

Wherever the light passed, demons fell.

It wasn't hundreds this time—it was tens of thousands.

In a flash, the battlefield was empty of enemies. Not a single member of the demon army was left standing.

Just like that, they were all gone.

...

[Ding! Plot alteration detected! You've successfully stopped Protagonist Mo Hao from showing off and proving others wrong. His Heavenly Fate Value has dropped to zero—he's lost his protagonist status!]

[Ding! You've gained 50,000 points of Villain Value!]

At last, the system messages Jiang Chen had been waiting for echoed clearly in his mind.

...

High up in the sky, Sun Liu—who had done a full 180—was already kneeling mid-air with his hands raised in celebration, shouting at the top of his lungs:

"The demon army is dead! Hahaha! Long live the Lord of the Immortal Martial Continent! Long live!"

He wasn't done.

"I went into this battle ready to die. But you, Immortal Martial Lord—you saved us all! You're my savior. I'll worship you forever!"

Sun Liu knew how to flatter power when he saw it. And with Jiang Chen floating above the battlefield like a force no one could challenge, flattery came naturally.

All around, more and more cultivators joined in, yelling praises and worshipping Jiang Chen like he was the hero of all heroes.

But only one person didn't move.

Mo Hao stood frozen in the middle of a sky full of falling corpses. His eyes were blank. His body started to shake.

Slowly, he looked up—and locked eyes with Jiang Chen.

Jiang Chen wasn't hiding anything. His expression was calm, even a little playful, like he was enjoying the moment.

Mo Hao's gaze dropped to the silver immortal sword in Jiang Chen's hand.

And then it hit him.

Everything clicked at once.

"It's you… It's you!" Mo Hao's voice cracked as he pointed at Jiang Chen with a trembling hand. "You planned all of this!"

Jiang Chen smiled slightly. "That's right. Red Maple City never had a guardian. I never had a master who died. And Ying Luo?" — he raised his hand gently, and from the distance, Ying Luo flew over and landed lightly on his shoulder.

"She's already mine."

Mo Hao let out a choked, furious scream. "AAAAH! All those times I failed—it was you! You damn bastard! You were behind everything!"

His eyes were bloodshot, his chest heaving. Rage, pain, and pure hatred all poured out at once.

All this time, he thought he'd just been unlucky. That fate had turned against him. But it wasn't fate—it was Jiang Chen.

Jiang Chen had been working in the shadows from the very start.

Mo Hao clenched his fists so hard his knuckles turned white. That strange gut feeling he'd been ignoring, the one that kept telling him something was off—it had been right all along. Jiang Chen wasn't just some minor threat. He was the real enemy. The one person he should've never taken lightly.

But he did.

He'd told himself Jiang Chen was sneaky, sure—but not dangerous. Not yet.

And now?

Now he realized just how badly he'd screwed up.

Jiang Chen had never been stalling. He wasn't waiting.

His goal had always been the same from the start:

To kill Mo Hao.

From the very first moment their eyes met, Jiang Chen had started plotting.

Every time Mo Hao had stumbled, every big loss he suffered—it had all been Jiang Chen's doing, working from the shadows, twisting the outcome just enough to ruin him.

And Mo Hao never saw it coming.

Jiang Chen had played different roles, worn different faces, tricking him over and over. He made Mo Hao think it was just bad luck. That fate was messing with him.

But now, standing here, the truth hit like a punch to the gut.

As Mo Hao ran through everything that had happened in the last month, it all made sense. Jiang Chen's charming smile, his calm voice—it had all been a mask. Behind it was a ruthless schemer who'd been pulling the strings the whole time.

"Enough, Mo Hao. You've figured it out, haven't you?" Jiang Chen said flatly, not even flinching at Mo Hao's outburst. "Then just accept it—and go in peace."

His tone was cold, like he was already done with this.

To him, Mo Hao was nothing now. Just another Transcendence realm cultivator. No protagonist aura, no plot armor. Just a bug waiting to be crushed.

Mo Hao trembled as he screamed, his words breaking with panic:

"Why?! Why are you doing this to me?!"

Jiang Chen didn't even blink. "Why?" he said, his face expressionless.

"What if I told you I did it just to survive? Would that make it easier to swallow?"

Then, with a mocking smile, he added, "Didn't you think all this was just a bad dream? Well then, there's nothing to be scared of. Just relax… I'll end it quickly."

"No—don't! Please!" Mo Hao's head jerked from side to side, fright rising in his throat.

"I'm not even a threat to y—"

He never finished the sentence.

In a flash of light, his body was split in two.