This Is What a Villain Is Like

Chapter 128: Chapter 85: Overwhelming Power Means Deliberately Intimidating Ling Zhuyun?

Her words brought many people back to their senses. No one had actually seen the assassin’s true face, so Jiang Lan could point his finger at anyone he pleased.

Besides, the assassin couldn’t have been foolish enough to reveal his true appearance during the assassination attempt.

"Since Saintess Zhu Yun is so protective of this gentleman, I suppose I must have been mistaken."

"The world is a vast place, filled with people who look alike. I was frightened at the time, so it’s entirely possible I saw incorrectly."

Jiang Lan said this with a seemingly careless smile before sitting back down.

Ling Zhuyun’s public defense of Ye Ming actually gave him an opening. ’Someone of her character telling such a lie will surely have to bear the consequences later.’

The female disciples of the Jasper Pool Sect let out a collective sigh of relief.

Even they had been terrified moments before, wondering how their Saintess could possibly be involved with the assassin who had targeted the young master of the Prime Minister’s Mansion.

Zhao Dieyi, however, who had known Jiang Lan in the past, noticed his eyes sizing up Ling Zhuyun. She scoffed inwardly, certain he had made the accusation on purpose. ’He must have seen how beautiful the Saintess is and gotten some crooked ideas.’

Ye Ming had also been through quite a scare, breaking out in a cold sweat. He shot Ling Zhuyun a grateful glance.

If Jiang Lan had disregarded everything and insisted on forcing a confrontation, he would have been in real danger today.

But if it had come to that, he would have cast aside all reservations and exposed Jiang Lan’s hidden secrets to the public, ready for mutually assured destruction if need be.

"Thank you for your understanding, Young Master Jiang." Seeing that Jiang Lan had given her face, Ling Zhuyun also breathed a small sigh of relief and gave a slight bow.

"That assassin was vicious and cruel. He was an acquaintance of Lin Fan, the man who tried to assassinate me in Yu Yi City. I imagine they are both remnants of the Blood Immortal Sect."

"If you should encounter him, Saintess Zhu Yun, you must be careful. You wouldn’t want to fall for that scoundrel’s tricks. If you were to be deceived, things could get very troublesome," Jiang Lan said with a sincere-looking smile, as if he were genuinely concerned.

’Remnants of the Blood Immortal Sect?’

Ling Zhuyun was slightly taken aback to hear Jiang Lan suddenly bring this up.

She hadn’t expected Jiang Lan to classify Ye Ming from that day as a remnant of the Blood Immortal Sect.

However, it was true that the remnants of the Blood Immortal Sect outside Great Xia’s borders were growing more rampant. Many remote villages and cities had been blood-washed and sacrificed.

Traces of the Blood Immortal Sect’s activities were even beginning to appear within Great Xia itself.

"Thank you for the warning, Young Master Jiang," she replied with a nod.

Ye Ming’s expression soured. He couldn’t tell if Jiang Lan’s words were intentional or just a careless remark.

’Did he really see through my identity just now, or was he deliberately using this to frighten Ling Zhuyun?’

...

Despite this minor disturbance, the tea party proceeded smoothly.

As it went on, the members of the younger generation remained silent, offering no response or commitment.

Jiang Lan showed his displeasure, but as if he already knew this endeavor was unlikely to succeed, he didn’t press the matter further.

Afterward, one of the younger generation suggested they hold friendly spars on the demonstration platform to exchange pointers on Daoist Techniques and alleviate the tedium.

Compared to their earlier silence, this proposal sparked a great deal of enthusiasm among the young Celestial Prides. Jiang Lan even offered up some prizes, showing his sincerity as a host.

The members of the younger generation sparred with one another, but they all knew when to stop. Even the Nether Abyss Sect and the Jasper Pool Sect, which had a long-standing feud, didn’t come into conflict.

The tea party concluded by 5:00 PM. The various Celestial Prides took their leave one by one, not lingering for long.

Jiang Lan’s true objective had been achieved, and everyone departed, seemingly content, as if host and guests had all enjoyed themselves thoroughly.

After news of the day’s events spread, numerous cultivators flocked to the vicinity of Purple Mist Mountain, waiting there for the cave mansion to appear.

An opportunity that even the young master of the Prime Minister’s Mansion was so determined to obtain naturally spoke volumes of its worth.

After drinking a great deal of tea at the party, Su Qinghan felt her Spirit Platform become clear and bright, as if on the verge of an epiphany. That night, she changed into a light, gauzy, and translucent dress and proactively sought out Jiang Lan, asking for his help with her cultivation.

Jiang Lan, who was in a good mood, naturally did not refuse her request.

Chu Chan, who was originally supposed to attend to him in bed that night, could only withdraw to a side hall to rest.

「At 1:00 AM, all was still and silent.」

In the side hall, Chu Chan, who had been peacefully cultivating on a zafu, suddenly sensed something unusual.

She was sitting cross-legged, holding a shattered weapon fragment in her palm, which was as fair as white jade.

As she caressed the fragment, she felt a profound sense of bewilderment. It had been three days since she acquired this mysterious piece of weaponry.

Acting on a sudden palpitation she felt at the time, she had bought it from a market stall.

But in the days that followed, no matter how she inspected it, she couldn’t detect anything out of the ordinary. It seemed to be nothing more than a common weapon fragment.

Aside from being exceptionally sturdy, there appeared to be nothing special about it.

Until just a moment ago. After finishing her cultivation, she suddenly felt a strange, icy sensation emanating from it.

Within its heavy, solid mass, there was now a snowy coldness. The once-blurry patterns on its surface were now becoming clear, and it was as if an ancient being was whispering in her ear.

’Could it be that it requires a specific time to activate?’

’Or is it because it needs to be nourished with Magical Power...?’

Chu Chan experimented continuously, her beautiful eyes filled with a mixture of shock and delighted surprise.

As her Magical Power flowed into it, strange, wispy Divine Patterns began to appear on the dark weapon fragment, which started to emit an incandescent glow.

The Divine Patterns seemed alive, converging on her palm in a dazzling, brilliant golden light, as if they wanted to merge into her very bones.

Faintly, she heard an ancient sound in her ears, like the chanting of scriptures mixed with some kind of agonized wail. The two sounds intertwined, becoming obscure and difficult to decipher.

Then, as she focused her mind, she found she could actually understand the strange Divine Patterns. They were like an ancient, profound scripture, with a venerable figure seemingly expounding the essentials of the Great Dao to her.

At other times, it was like watching two indistinct figures locked in a life-or-death battle.

These patterns, like tiny snakes, climbed continuously, spreading from her palm to encompass her entire body.

Upon closer inspection, they gave off a strange and unnerving sensation, like staring into a heart-stopping abyss.

This process did not last long.

Chu Chan’s breathing grew rapid, and the light in her eyes burned brighter and brighter.

Finally, the strange patterns converged and intertwined before vanishing into the palm of her hand.

When Chu Chan looked again, the broken weapon fragment had vanished without a trace, as if it had turned into a pile of ash.

All the strange patterns on her body had also disappeared completely, as if the entire experience had been a dream.

Chu Chan collected her thoughts, recalling the details of what had just happened, her eyes shining with a divine light.

’This was actually a fragment of the weapon belonging to the Beiming Ancient Celestial Venerable from a bygone era...’

’To be precise, it was a fragment of his weapon that, after shattering, remained lodged within the body of a powerful adversary, impossible to remove. It only reappeared after that adversary died.’

’Its divinity and ferocious might have been worn away, transforming it instead into a Dao Seal Divine Mark that had returned to its original purity.’

Chu Chan was astounded, but also felt a sense of unexpected joy.

Who could have imagined that such an unremarkable weapon fragment was actually a wondrous object containing a wisp of the Beiming Ancient Celestial Venerable’s Dao Seal Divine Mark?

’Although it’s only a wisp of a Dao Seal Divine Mark, it contains some of the Beiming Ancient Celestial Venerable’s will from that time...’

’Not only that, but it also holds some of his vague memories of Daoist Techniques.’

Chu Chan suppressed the excitement in her heart. She had to admit, her luck that day had been truly incredible.

Although she couldn’t know what level of existence the Beiming Ancient Celestial Venerable was at his peak, she could get a faint idea from the few scenes reflected by that wisp of the Dao Seal Divine Mark.

’It seems there really is something to the concept of Cause and Effect. The Beiming Chen Family behind Chen Ning appears to have some connection to the Beiming Ancient Celestial Venerable...’

’By obtaining the Beiming Ancient Celestial Venerable’s Dao Seal Divine Mark, I have essentially become his successor.’

’If he left behind an inheritance, then it is rightfully mine to claim.’

Chu Chan’s thoughts gradually calmed. Her original plan had been to take advantage of the appearance of the Purple Mist True Monarch’s Cave Mansion to eliminate Chen Ning and avenge her past bullying. But now, she had changed her mind.