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

Chapter 258: Gu Ran's Surge of Joy, Speeding Up the Plan

Thus it happened. With a swift, decisive "Whoosh," Gu Ran's longsword streaked across the neck of the Early-stage Heavenly Origin realm cultivator, effectively ending his life.

Gu Ran's pupils widened subtly as he thought, 'I've done it! No one hindered me!' He sensed the influx of cultivation base power seeping into his body.

A wave of unstoppable elation surged within him.

Without wasting a moment, Gu Ran pinpointed another Early-stage Heavenly Origin realm cultivator and unleashed his onslaught, striking gold once again!

With an internal thrill, he thought, 'They're not preventing me from battling Heavenly Origin realm cultivators! This is valuable information. While each Heavenly Origin realm cultivator provides a relatively modest boost to my cultivation base, it all compounds over time!'

'Yet, this strategy isn't viable long-term. I need to concoct a plan to eliminate them completely,' he pondered further.

'At this point, it's clear their target is my 'Endless Dark Blood Moon' bloodline. But their tactic mirrors that of the Ageless Spirit Heavenly Sectfeigning proximity and trust.'

'They're apprehensive that my rapid ascension in power could complicate their plans to extract the power of my potent bloodline. Thus, they're employing every strategy to stifle my growth.'

'Ha! Little did they know I've already seen through their scheme!' As Gu Ran proceeded to tackle the remaining cultivators, his mind was ceaselessly at work, considering his next moves.

Regrettably, despite all his strategic planning, Gu Ran failed to foresee that the sole motivation behind Jiang Chen's actions was to kill him.

The situation had become complicated due to one key factor: Gu Ran was safeguarded by the cursed Heavenly Fate.

As he observed Gu Ran's relentless slaughter, a slight furrow appeared on Jiang Chen's brow. 'We need to accelerate our actions,' he thought.

'We cannot allow Gu Ran to eliminate too many Heavenly Origin realm cultivators, despite their rank.' Acting without delay, he commanded all the death warriors to give their utmost and instructed Liu Xiong to feign an increase in power.

'Seven Meridians Shattering Art!'

'Spirit Ignition Secrets!'

In an instant, each death warrior unleashed their lethal, power-enhancing secret arts, propelling their combat strength to a monumental peak.

Caught completely off guard, their opponents rapidly found themselves defenseless.

After a series of swift maneuvers, they were left bleeding profusely, their spirits entirely dissipated.

Hovering in the sky, You Haiyin teetered on the brink of defeat, staggering unsteadily as he barely maintained his flight.

Seizing a window of opportunity, Gan Ruifeng ruthlessly swung his blade, exclaiming, "Breaking Mountain Splitting Earth Blade!"

Slash!

With no strength left to counter, You Haiyin's face twisted in anguish.

His eyes widened in startled realization as he watched his body being cleaved into two.

"Damn it, You Haiyin, you inept fool! You couldn't even withstand for this short duration!" Liu Xiong exclaimed, widening his eyes as large as copper bells and feigning an inability to assist.

This, too, was part of Jiang Chen's calculated strategy.

Gan Ruifeng roared in triumph, "Hahaha! That vile You Haiyin has finally met his end!"

Cai Xueqing exclaimed jubilantly, "With You Haiyin's demise, the once-respected You Clan of Three Mountains Island is definitively obliterated!"

Both were visibly overjoyed at the sight of You Haiyin's downfall.

Their eyes then shifted toward Liu Xiong.

Cai Xueqing examined the black-clad cultivator standing before him, his face icy, and declared, "If you leave now, we won't hold any resentment toward you."

Gan Ruifeng retained his impassive expression and added, "Indeed! But if you choose otherwise, don't blame us for being ruthless."

"Do you truly think just the two of you can defeat me?" Liu Xiong scoffed, steeling himself for the imminent battle.

Gan Ruifeng sneered, "If it's death you seek, have no regrets!" He then exchanged a glance with Cai Xueqing before they launched their coordinated attack on Liu Xiong.

Believing their numerical advantage would ensure a swift victory, they were confident in their ability to eliminate this bothersome black-clad interloper.

With this edge, they felt certain that victory in the battle was securely within their grasp.

However, just as they lunged forward, Liu Xiong's voice resounded, "Perfect timing! Violent Blood Rupturing Veins Art!"

Pretending to activate a self-destructive secret art, Liu Xiong temporarily amplified his strength to that of a Half-step Dao Comprehension realm combatant.

Gan Ruifeng exclaimed in disbelief, "What?! How can this be?! How can you still display the combat strength of a Half-step Dao Comprehension realm when you're severely injured?"

Cai Xueqing cried out in alarm, "Curses, retreat, retreat!"

Both immediately scrambled to escape, seeking safety.

"Where do you think you're going, you two failures?" Liu Xiong roared, consumed by fury.

"You sought my life, didn't you? Don't even think about fleeing!" He charged directly at them.

For a Dao Comprehension realm cultivator like Liu Xiong, dispatching Gan Ruifeng and Cai Xueqing would be an easy feat.

However, Jiang Chen had taught him that a convincing act demanded measured restraint.

Therefore, Liu Xiong deliberately held back from delivering the fatal blow right away, allowing Gan Ruifeng and Cai Xueqing to struggle for a bit longer.

Simultaneously, down on the battlefield, the cultivators from the Gan and Cai Clans found themselves utterly bewildered.

What was going on? Were their own ancestors really fleeing?

Hadn't these ancestors pledged to execute any deserter? Why then were they now making their own escape?

However, their bewilderment was short-lived.

Quickly grasping the gravity of the situation, the Gan and Cai Clan cultivators also initiated their retreat.

Their unified forces crumbled entirely, and the members of the Gan and Cai Clans dispersed haphazardly, fleeing chaotically in every direction, much like a mudslide.

Upon witnessing this scene, shouts reverberated through the air.

"Kill, kill, kill!"

"Victory is ours!"

"Eradicate those Gan and Cai Clan scoundrels! Three Mountains Island belongs solely to our You Clan!"

Some of these triumphant cheers originated from the You Clan's descendants, while others came from Jiang Chen's death warriors, who acted as provocateurs to further incite the crowd.

In the distant sky, Jiang Chen surveyed the unfolding drama on Three Mountains Island while idly stroking his chin, pondering deeply. 'Is this it? Have the Gan and Cai Clans been defeated so easily?'

'Where is Wu Qian? Shouldn't one of the three clans summon him by now? Without him, how will the original plot come together?'

'Could it be that Wu Qian is set to appear only after all is said and done? That would make for a rather uninspiring turn of events.'

'The stage seems perfectly set for a major plot twist at this very moment!'

In accordance with his conjecture, Wu Qian was bound to appear on Three Mountains Island if the original plot went undisturbed.

It was highly likely that he would put Gu Ran in a corner.

In that unchanged storyline, Wu Qian had met Gu Ran during a maritime hunting expedition and taken quite a liking to him.

Gu Ran, in turn, would wreak havoc on Three Mountains Island, successively battling the three major factions.

Each conflict would make him stronger, while the Yu, Gan, and Cai Clans would struggle to counter his might.

Either Cai Xueqing or Gan Ruifeng would then call upon Wu Qian, their hearts filled with eager anticipation, preparing for a comeback.

However, a mysterious twist had already enabled Wu Qian and Gu Ran to become acquainted, each harboring a favorable impression of the other.

Nonetheless, Wu Qian would certainly find multiple reasons to side with Gu Ran. This would leave the Gan and Cai Clans stunned, realizing they had inadvertently strengthened their opponent.

As a result, Gu Ran would showcase an extraordinary display of power.

In this unfolding scenario, the main troublemakers from the Gan and Cai Clans would be wiped out, leaving only a few insignificant survivors, none of whom mattered to Gu Ran.

Returning to the main subject, multiple shifts had already occurred in the storyline due to Jiang Chen's interference.

However, the general course remained unaltered.

Wu Qian would still make his entrance, and although the fondness from their 'first' encounter might be different, Heavenly Fate, among other factors, would still incline him to ally with Gu Ran and facilitate his momentous show of strength.

Such an outcome was unacceptable!

Therefore, sticking to his prearranged plan, Jiang Chen took flight toward the spot where, based on their previous meeting and Wu Qian's likely route, he believed Wu Qian would appear.

His goal was to locate Wu Qian and intercept him!

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The first protagonist, armed with a system, takes the stage.

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