Systemless Villain

Hua Jing swiftly turned around, spotting a man approaching her. With the aid of her sword, she promptly rose to her feet, her demeanor brimming with caution.

As the man drew nearer, she discerned his youthful, handsome visage, exuding a welcoming aura, particularly in his smile.

However, she refused to be swayed by appearances.

"Who are you?" she inquired warily.

Conversely, the man seemed nonchalant, his countenance so familiar that it could only be Long Tian, who had decided to intervene after witnessing enough of the skirmish.

"Is this how you treat your savior?" he quipped lightly, arms folded.

"There's nothing wrong with exercising caution. Despite my fatigue, I am still capable to fight!" Hua Jing retorted fearlessly, her tone resolute.

Narrowing her eyes, Hua Jing remained vigilant, especially as Long Tian closed in. Though her energy had waned, she refused to remain passive.

Maintaining his composed demeanor, Long Tian's lips curled into a faint smile as he remarked, "If I harbored malicious intent, I could have allowed you to perish and seized your possessions, especially given your beauty," his smile morphing into a smirk.

"Yet, instead, I intervened to save you. Shouldn't you extend some courtesy to me?" he pressed.

Upon hearing this, Hua Jing lapsed into silence. The rationale behind his words was undeniably sound.

In this moment, another roar reverberated, louder and nearer this time, as the two black dragons soared towards Long Tian, positioning themselves by his side like obedient companions.

Hua Jing was now completely silent, her expression filled with seriousness, particularly upon witnessing her torn-bodied clone impaled on the dragon's fang, its limbs severed, leaving only a split body.

Approaching, Long Tian inspected the clone's remains. It was indeed peculiar; devoid of blood or life essence, yet still animate. However, he discerned something within its form.

Without hesitation, he delved into the clone's body, retrieving a gleaming silver sphere slightly larger than his palm.

The moment he grasped the sphere, the clone disintegrated into ash, dispersing into the air.

Hua Jing looked astounded, realizing her adversary was no living being.

Meanwhile, Long Tian wiped and scrutinized the silver sphere. Even from its exterior, he sensed an unfamiliar energy emanating from within.

This object appeared to be the clone's nucleus, its animating force and essence.

Suddenly, an idea struck Long Tian, prompting an unconscious grin to spread across his face.

Dark aura enshrouded his form, and soon after, his shadow elongated, materializing into a solid, obsidian figure. This was one of his summoned dark souls, requiring a bit more time as it had previously traversed this realm.

Hua Jing couldn't conceal her astonishment at the sight. "Is that your power? Can you summon this black creature?" she asked, surprised.

"Yes, and I have something else in mind," Long Tian affirmed, grinning.

With a swift motion, he tossed the silver sphere to the dark soul, commanding, "Consume this."

Instantly obedient, the dark soul eagerly devoured the sphere, its abyssal maw widening as it ingested the object whole.

Initially, there were no discernible effects, but gradually, the darkness enveloping the dark soul intensified, growing stronger with each passing moment.

On the other hand, Hua Jing arched her eyebrows, sensing nothing from the dark creature.

"Are you certain it's working? I don't perceive any changes," she remarked.

Long Tian remained silent, his attention fixed solely on the dark soul. Although the alterations weren't immediately apparent externally, he could sense a transformation occurring within his dark soul.

A satisfied smile played on his lips, though unseen by others, he already felt the shift in his dark companion.

Extending his hand towards the dark soul, he exclaimed, "Transform!" with enthusiasm.

In the next instant, the darkness surrounding the dark soul intensified, and within moments, it transformed into the appearance of Hua Jing with the form of a dark soul!

Hua Jing was left dumbfounded, gaping in disbelief at the sight of the black creature assuming her likeness.

"W-what is this?" she stammered, incredulous.

While she grappled with disbelief, Long Tian laughed with satisfaction. "HA HA HA, Truly remarkable! Now my dark soul can transform!" he declared, thoroughly pleased.

Previously, it had been mere speculation that the silver sphere held significance, but he hadn't anticipated its profound utility in granting his dark soul transformation abilities. Moreover, he suspected it wasn't limited to assuming her form alone!

Long Tian retrieved his darkblade and hurled it towards the dark soul. "Now, let's practice that sword technique, what was it called, 'Frozen Wind'!" he exclaimed with a smirk.

Hua Jing's eyes widened at the mention of the Frozen Wind technique. It was a high-level skill that shouldn't be taken lightly.

"You can't do that!" she protested.

Long Tian glanced at her, his expression indifferent. "Why?" he asked.

"Because it's a special technique of Emberwing Academy, it shouldn't be used casually!" Hua Jing replied firmly.

"And what will happen if I use it here?" Long Tian inquired, still indifferent to her concerns.

"T-that's..." Hua Jing trailed off, realizing the futility of her argument. While she knew the rule well, in this foreign realm, especially with her energy depleted, what could she do?

Long Tian paid her no further heed, turning his attention back to the dark soul. "Just sit there and watch," he instructed.

With Hua Jing no longer interjecting, the dark soul gripped the darkblade tightly. The weapon seemed to merge with it, emitting a potent dark energy as the dark soul closed its eyes.

The wind picked up, and leaves swirled around them, carried by the gusts.

Long Tian could sense the energy gathering around the dark blade, and the atmosphere grew heavy with anticipation.

In the next moment, the dark soul executed a sideways slash with serene swiftness, akin to the breeze.

There was no immediate effect, but suddenly, trees 30 meters away split in two, crashing to the ground, totaling 14 shattered trunks!

Hua Jing's eyes widened in disbelief. The black creature summoned by the man was capable of practicing a high-level technique that even she would require months to master. Such power indicated that the man was anything but ordinary.

Long Tian, however, laughed with great satisfaction. "HA HA HA, excellent! I didn't expect it to work, HA HA HA!" his tone resonated with satisfaction.

Though he felt his energy drained by the technique, it paled in comparison to the incredible boon he had received.

"I've made up my mind. For my powerful dark soul, I'll give it a name. And for you, I'll name you Alter," Long Tian declared with a grin.

As if honored, the dark soul knelt before Long Tian.

Long Tian responded with a contented smile. For now, Alter could only mimic Hua Jing, but he suspected it could take on the forms of others as well. However, he was puzzled by how Alter achieved such transformations.

Shaking his head, he reminded himself that there was ample time to unravel the mystery. Retrieving his darkblade, he watched as Alter vanished into the shadows.

Putting away his darkblade into his spatial ring, Long Tian turned to Hua Jing, who still wore a look of disbelief.

A smile graced his lips. "Actually, I initially intended to request the Frozen Wind technique as a reward for saving your life, but since my warrior can master it, I've had a change of heart," he explained.

"What? You were expecting a reward?" Hua Jing protested incredulously.

"Well, initially, yes. But not anymore. Besides, I've gained something invaluable from you. Now, I just want to inquire, have you seen a beautiful blonde girl, about 175 or 177 cm tall, around here?" Long Tian's tone shifted to seriousness.

Hua Jing calmed down again, "A blonde girl? I believe I saw her before entering this portal, but I haven't encountered her inside here," she responded.

"Are you sure you're not seeing her in..." Long Tian's voice trailed off abruptly, leaving Hua Jing perplexed.

Suddenly, he closed his eyes, but instead of darkness, he witnessed a scene from another location, viewing it through the eyes of his dark soul exploring this world.

In the vision, several individuals clad in black robes with golden dragon and phoenix symbols on their backs surrounded a blue sphere.

Observing closely, Long Tian recognized the symbol of the Han Empire.

However, it wasn't the emblem that piqued his interest, but rather a blonde figure walking among them.

"Isn't that Qian'er? No, could it be Mrs. Alexia?" he murmured with seriousness.

The figure appeared slightly taller and more mature, unmistakably Liu Qian's mother, Alexia Qian.

And from the conversation and treatment of the people in black robes, Alexia was not in a good situation.

"I have to go there!" Long Tian declared with determination, opening his eyes and leaping high into the air.

The resounding roars of dragons echoed as the two black dragons soared towards him once more, transforming back into tattoos on his arms.

Dark wings materialized on his back, and without hesitation, he swiftly flew towards the location he had already glimpsed through his dark soul.