Systemless Villain

Long Tian felt like he was gliding through a tunnel of blinding white light, his body seemingly weightless as if drifting along a timeless corridor.

His face was etched with a grave determination, but his forehead betrayed the strain he felt, veins pulsating with tension. It wasn't agony that gripped him, but an overwhelming sense of nausea and disorientation.

He had entered a portal several times before, yet he still hadn't grown accustomed to it. And this journey through the corridor of time seemed destined to be anything but brief; he had no choice but to endure it.

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Several minutes passed unnoticed, and Long Tian finally emerged from the portal, collapsing onto the grassy ground.

He lay sprawled on the ground, gasping for breath, his face glistening with sweat. Waves of nausea and dizziness overwhelmed him as he muttered curses under his breath, "Damn, this is the most brutal portal entry I've ever endured."

Unlike his previous experiences, this entry had been particularly agonizing. Long Tian couldn't help but wonder if the intensity of his discomfort correlated with the portal's distance from Earth. Such thoughts occasionally crossed his mind.

As he lay there, he focused on regulating his breathing, allowing his body to gradually overcome the queasiness and disorientation.

Blesses with dragon genes and a demonic lineage, it didn't take him long to fully recover. He promptly rose to his feet, scanning the unfamiliar surroundings with a blend of curiosity and caution.

Before him, the dense canopy of towering trees cast shadows over the wild grass and unfamiliar foliage, enveloping the area in an eerie darkness.

"As usual, huh? I need to explore this place," he murmured to himself.

Dark energy enveloped his body, sending shivers down the spines of small creatures around him.

"Arise!" he commanded.

With his words, his shadow stretched, and 8 creatures made of darkness materialized around him, their fiery red gazes exuding a palpable sense of dominance.

This was the power he acquired after killing the god of death inside that time portal, granting him control over the dead, enabling him to raise the dead and turn them into dark souls.

Long Tian's gaze hardened, "Seek out other humans here, especially Liu Qian!" he instructed.

The eight dark souls nodded in unison before swiftly dispersing, disappearing into the shadows.

Long Tian wasted no time and swiftly spread his wings of darkness. He bent his knees slightly, preparing to take flight. However, his movement was halted by a distant noise ahead.

With various enhancements to his strength over time, all his senses had become sharper, enabling him to hear even the faintest sounds from afar.

However, while this heightened sensitivity could sometimes be a nuisance if left unchecked, Long Tian's danger sense kicked in automatically, enhancing his hearing reflexively whenever potential threats arose.

"What's that sound?" he furrowed his brow, his gaze fixed ahead, where the dense forest loomed, and nothing out of the ordinary was visible.

But the more he focused, the more he could see something.

Long Tian decided to investigate, breaking into a brisk run, abandoning his plan to take flight and promptly retracting his wings.

However, as soon as he committed to running, an object suddenly shot from the distance.

Long Tian frowned; the object didn't appear to be aimed at him. And just as it neared, he managed to catch it—an arrow.

Inspecting the arrow, Long Tian muttered as he rubbed his chin, "This must be from humans, perhaps they are cultivators from the earth."

The arrow was unmistakably crafted from wood, with company engravings confirming its origin.

This only made him more curious to find out, prompting him to run forward to find out what was happening.

From every blade of grass he tread upon, The further he ventured, the denser the foliage became, and the brighter the atmosphere shimmered.

Sensing subtle shifts in the aura, he quickened his pace, the energy becoming palpable with every stride. Without hesitation, he leaped upward, landing gracefully on a sturdy tree branch.

From this vantage point, he could see a clearing without trees, as if the tree he now stood on marked the boundary between the dense forest and the more open woodland.

A meandering river came into view not far from his perch. While this spot offered a scenic vista of a tranquil and picturesque forest, the scene in the clearing below was far from serene.

Two women engaged in a fierce duel, their swords clashing with relentless intensity. Each emanated powerful energy, yet strangely, their auras felt identical.

Long Tian furrowed his brow, sensing the anomaly. Two women locked in combat possessed identical bodies and faces, even wielding matching swords and executing mirrored movements. Even the two bows lying on the ground bore identical shapes.

"What's happening? Is she battling a mimic or her own clone? She appears to be struggling," he murmured softly to himself. 𝚏r𝐞𝗲𝚠eb𝚗o𝐯el.com

Leaping to another branch for a better vantage point, Long Tian observed the confrontation more closely, now able to discern the woman's features with greater clarity.

The woman seemed to be in her thirties, her long black hair cascading over stylish armor typical of cultivators. From the armor, he easily recognized her, particularly from the emblem—a dragon with two wings ablaze like fire, the insignia of Emberwing Academy.

Long Tian opted not to intervene immediately, choosing instead to silently observe the duel. Witnessing the clash between cultivators of the Nascent Soul realm promised to offer him valuable insights and knowledge.

Clank! Clank! Clank!

The clash of swords reverberated relentlessly, weaving a symphony of fierce combat.

Hua Jing, a senior figure of Emberwing Academy, found herself locked in a struggle against her adversary, who bore the same visage and physique as her own.

Since the portal's inception, she had navigated its depths, engaging in ceaseless battles against a myriad of soul beasts and peculiar monsters.

Though each encounter had posed its challenges, she had managed to navigate them with relative ease—until now. Facing her doppelg?nger, a mimic of her own abilities, proved to be a formidable test of her skills.

Over an hour had passed since their confrontation began, yet no breakthrough seemed imminent.

Clank!

A single clash of swords prompted a brief retreat from both combatants.

Hua Jing's gaze hardened as she gripped the sword's hilt with unwavering determination. Regulating her breath, she steadied herself, allowing her focus to sharpen once more.

Assuming her stance, she held the sword's hilt with both hands, directing it towards her silent counterpart.

'I will bring this to an end,' she resolved inwardly, her expression resolute with determination.

The following moment, a faint blue aura enveloped the blade of her sword, emanating a sense of coldness and tranquility, her aura growing stronger.

Calmness became the linchpin of this attack, prompting Hua Jing to shut her eyes.

As if in harmony, leaves cascaded and drifted towards her, enhancing the silence of the atmosphere.

The clone exhibited no inclination to remain idle and swiftly surged towards Hua Jing.

Remaining composed with her eyes shut, Hua Jing maintained her stance without a single movement.

In contrast, the clone's velocity was so rapid that within mere blinks of an eye, it materialized directly in front of Hua Jing, poised to strike.

Its sword moved, but abruptly, just before it could make contact with Hua Jing, it inexplicably froze in place!

Hua Jing opened her eyes, revealing a profound yet lethally calm demeanor.

"Ninth Sword Technique: Frozen Wind!" she uttered, executing a forward slash.

The slash was gentle and unhurried, akin to a breeze, exuding a serene aura.

However, in mid-air, the drifting leaves displayed faint slashes on their surfaces.

In the ensuing moment, the leaves split in two, accompanied by the clone's head thudding onto the ground. Its body followed suit.

Hua Jing gasped for air, her previous composure replaced by an expression of fatigue, sweat streaming down her face.

The final technique she employed proved effective, being one of Emberwing Academy's most potent techniques: Frozen Wind. True to its name, it froze the adversary and garnered blessings from the wind.

Yet, the technique exacted a significant toll on her energy; now, if faced with another adversary, she would truly be defenseless.

She sank to her knees on the ground, relying solely on her sword.

"I don't know what this creature was, but luckily it was dead," she murmured, observing the now motionless clone with its severed head.

Yet, despite the stillness, an unsettling feeling crept over her as she noticed the clone's lack of blood. She pushed away the unnerving thought, desperately clinging to the belief that this nightmare of a battle had finally come to an end.

Struggling to her feet, Hua Jing steadied herself on her sword. But a sudden movement in front of her froze her in disbelief, her eyes widening in shock.

The clone she was certain she had killed rose again, even without its head!

"You've got to be kidding me!" she gasped, her voice choked with disbelief.

The cruel reality crashed down on her; she hadn't anticipated that her adversary wasn't human.

Genuine fear and horror contorted her features as she watched the clone lift its sword, poised to strike her down.

"Is this how it ends?" she whispered, her voice trembling with terror.

Unable to accept her impending demise, she squeezed her eyes shut, tears streaming down her cheeks. Her body quivered with fear, the cold embrace of death looming closer with each passing moment.

"ROAAAAARRR!"

Now, she could even hear a terrifyingly loud roar, which seemed to be her brain's reaction when death was so close, causing her tears to flow even more.

One second, three seconds, five seconds, ten seconds passed... Yet, Hua Jing felt nothing.

She cautiously opened her eyes, widening them when she saw that the clone was no longer in front of her.

The sight left her stunned, frozen in place, as in the sky, two black dragons carried the clone and tore it to shreds before her very eyes.

Hua Jing remained frozen, unable to utter a single word. The roar she thought signaled the end of her life turned out to be her salvation.

The relief she felt in this moment was indescribable, causing her to immediately collapse to the ground, panting heavily with relief.

"How's my dragons, aren't they strong?"

A voice broke through the silence, startling Hua Jing as she turned to see a man approaching her.