I Truly Am The Villian

Walking out of White Emperor City, the celestial staircase beneath their feet stretched endlessly toward the distant borders.

Its layers were countless, densely packed,

making the crowd standing at the front feel as if they might dominate the heights overlooking the world.

Dozens of servants carried sacrificial offerings in their hands, standing at the base of the celestial staircase as it descended bit by bit, leading toward the earth.

Meanwhile, Chu Feiyang descended from the heavens with his entourage, following the grand procession for the ritual.

Xu Zimei and Feng Buxiu walked in the rear. Along the way, Feng Buxiu was explaining, "The sacrificial offering is the most significant event of White Emperor Mountain. Without it, no one can enter."

"But hasn't the White Emperor already left? What's the point of this?" Xu Zimei inquired with curiosity.

"There are many inexplicable matters in this world," Feng Buxiu replied.

"We've long suspected that something within White Emperor Mountain is controlling the place, but there's been no evidence."

"Let's take a look when we arrive," Xu Zimei nodded.

After all, having never seen White Emperor Mountain himself, there was no point in discussing so much beforehand.

The grand procession departed from White Emperor City and headed westward.

After walking for about ten minutes, they finally stopped before an emerald-green peak.

But going any farther became exceedingly difficult. In front of the mountain stood an ancient gate.

It resembled the entrance to a cemetery, encircled by layers of walls that stood over ten meters tall.

Though they carried an aged and worn-down appearance, the walls exuded a sense of unyielding solidity that seemed to strike a deep chord.

Only Chu Feiyang walked ahead, knocking on the massive gate twice with his hand before pushing it open to enter.

Inside, wild grasses grew in abundance.

All around were countless massive pine trees, standing like giants at the center of the cemetery.

Directly opposite stood a nameless stone tablet.

"Chu Feiyang, the thirty-eighth Family Head of the Chu Family, from the one hundred and thirteenth generation, comes to offer worship to the White Emperor!"

Chu Feiyang shouted loudly, placing both hands upon the stone tablet.

The tablet began to twist, distorting the void alongside it.

"Bring forth the offerings!" Chu Feiyang shouted again.

The dozens of servants held trays covered with red cloth, which they cast one by one into the twisting stone tablet.

As more offerings were placed within, the distortion intensified, eventually becoming a bottomless vortex.

The process lasted several tens of minutes before all the offerings had been deposited.

"Everyone, kneel!" Chu Feiyang commanded from the front.

He knelt first, facing the stone tablet.

Everyone behind him followed suit, kneeling one after another. Even the powerful from the three great academies and five mighty sects were no exception.

Watching as dozens of people all knelt, only Xu Zimei remained unmoved, standing in place. Feng Buxiu appeared anxious.

"Kneel quickly! Don't anger the spirits of the ritual!" Feng Buxiu tugged at Xu Zimei's robe urgently.

"In my life, there are few I would kneel to," Xu Zimei said.

"Beyond my parents, neither heaven nor earth warrants my kneeling."

"You… you…" Feng Buxiu sighed, unable to convince him further.

As everyone else bowed low, a formidable power erupted from the nameless stone tablet.

The force annihilated everything, spreading mightily from the void.

This power was so incomprehensible that everyone instinctively lowered their heads even further.

The gusts swirled, lifting Xu Zimei's black hair on either side.

"Those who offend the White Emperor shall die!"

A voice bellowed suddenly from the void, and an endless tide of energy surged to drown Xu Zimei.

When Xu Zimei's awareness returned, he found himself in a void space.

The space was boundless, a hazy grayness stretching in every direction. A pair of crimson eyes stared intently at Xu Zimei.

"Everyone else knelt. Upon seeing the White Emperor, why did you not kneel?"

A stern voice echoed from the void, reverberating endlessly as it questioned Xu Zimei.

"Others are others. I am myself," Xu Zimei replied calmly.

"Why should I kneel?"

"During the White Emperor's campaigns, you were still a wet-behind-the-ears child. Before such a predecessor, why do you refuse to bow?" the voice countered.

"You and I are strangers. How can you be so sure of my brilliance in those days?" Xu Zimei retorted.

As he spoke, he carefully observed the void space around him.

But strangely, the structure of the void seemed beyond his comprehension, as though it extended into realms he had yet to grasp.

"I'll give you one last chance—kneel and sincerely admit your fault," the concealed voice declared from the void.

"Fail to kneel, and death awaits."

"Try me," Xu Zimei said, narrowing his eyes and speaking tranquilly.

As soon as his words fell, the entire space underwent a cataclysmic transformation.

Limitless energy converged from all directions, condensing into a terrifying force before the crimson eyes.

The overwhelming aura grew mightier, as if preparing to unleash an apocalyptic power. Heaven crumbled, and sun and moon dimmed.

"Boy, will you kneel or not?" the voice repeated.

Xu Zimei offered no reply. Instead, the blade Tyrant Shadow in his hand unleashed a heaven-shaking beam of light, infused with the Wishes of All Beings, as it struck forward.

The blade's brilliance tore half the void asunder. With a deafening "boom," it seemed to collide with something tangible.

A sharp yelp—"Ow!"—sounded, as a figure tumbled from the void.

The figure winced, rubbing at its backside and head as if in pain. Xu Zimei squinted for a closer look.

It turned out to be a seven- or eight-year-old child servant, bald-headed and wearing a bright red bellyband.

Golden rings adorned the child's hands and neck.

"A snot-nosed brat," Xu Zimei said.

"Who're you calling a snot-nosed brat? I'm just… less developed in maturity," the child blurted indignantly.

"I'm tens of thousands of years old!"

"Child, step aside," came a gentle chuckle from nearby.

"Did I not say you wouldn't scare him?"

"I just wanted to spook him. But there's no need to hit me!" the child grumbled, retreating two steps.

Xu Zimei looked up, seeing a robed man approaching slowly from not far away.

The man, clad in scholarly robes inscribed with incomprehensible symbols, had striking sword-like brows and eyes, possessing an exceptionally refined appearance.

As he drew closer, his presence carried neither menace nor majesty, yet somehow he seemed perpetually the very center of this world.

"Young man, you're quite impressive," the robed man said, offering Xu Zimei an approving nod.

"And who might you be?" Xu Zimei asked, puzzled.

"In White Emperor Mountain, who else could I be?" the man replied rhetorically.

"The White Emperor!" Xu Zimei instantly realized, exclaiming aloud.

"Precisely," the robed man nodded, acknowledging his identity.

"You're calmer than I anticipated. And your gaze… intrigues me even more than I imagined."

"You never left?" Xu Zimei questioned.