Chapter 357: Am I the Villain? Jie Jie Jie!

Chapter 357: Am I the Villain? Hehehe!

Meanwhile, as Qi Yuan communicated with the Divine Thunder Venerable, a guest arrived outside the cemetery.

This guest was clad in white robes, with a jade belt at his waist, a tall and straight figure, extraordinary features, and a refined, scholarly air.

In the modern world, he would undoubtedly be a peerless handsome man.

But compared to Qi Yuan, he was but a toad’s head.

“Young Master Kongming, Qi Yuan insists on staying. Should we… kill him?” Old Madam Wang gritted her teeth, a glint of murder flashing in her eyes.

For the sake of all living beings, for the world, she was willing to go against her conscience and slay some innocents.

To her, as long as the world could be saved, no sacrifice was too great.

Tu Kongming’s expression remained refined, a hint of melancholy flickering in his eyes: “This is not the act of a gentleman. I would be ashamed to do so!”

“Young Master Kongming, for the sake of all beings, a little loss of personal virtue is nothing!” Old Madam Wang urged.

Tu Kongming shook his head, his expression resolute: “Since I could win Yuan Yu’s heart in my past life, I believe I can do so again this time!”

“There’s less than two months left—it’s too late.” Old Madam Wang’s face was etched with anxiety. A thought struck her, and she continued, “Should I… drug the young lady, and let the rice be cooked?”

Once the rice was cooked, matters would return to the proper course.

Their mission for the Patch Heaven Pavilion would be complete.

The Patch Heaven Pavilion was a force under the Eastern Alliance, traversing all the Scrolls of Mountains and Seas to fulfill their tasks.

These people were trained from birth, instilled with righteousness, and took it as their duty to save all beings.

“No, we cannot do this to Yuan Yu. We must respect her heart!” Tu Kongming hastily refused, his stance firm.

“If not… the world will be destroyed!” Old Madam Wang’s voice was low.

But upon hearing this, Tu Kongming’s face showed not the slightest concern: “What does it matter if the world is destroyed? In my heart, Yuan Yu is more important than the entire world.”

Old Madam Wang fell silent at these words.

This Tu Kongming was too devoted, too much of a gentleman.

Of course, in the old days, this was called devotion; on Blue Star, such behavior was called being a simp, a Boiling Sheep.

Mm, the Boiling Sheep ranked behind the dog.

Anyone would do, just not A-Fei.

“Sigh.” Unable to persuade Tu Kongming, Old Madam Wang slowly departed, saying nothing more.

Tu Kongming watched her retreating shadow, his expression desolate: “It’s not that I don’t wish to have Yuan Yu, to possess her for myself, but true love is not like this…”

Not far away, Wang Yuan Yu, hidden from sight, heard this. Her expression did not change; she furrowed her brows, lost in thought.

…

“Damn it, why is this mission so full of variables? And this Tu Kongming is so stubborn, so inflexible!” The black-robed man gritted his teeth, his expression ferocious.

“Time is running out. It seems… we can no longer afford to be gentle.” Old Madam Wang gritted her teeth, her eyes fierce, clearly harboring murderous intent.

“You’re right. They refuse to act, but compared to the fate of all beings, they have no choice.

I have some Ecstasy Powder here. You will administer it to Tu Kongming and Wang Yuan Yu separately.

As for that bloodline bearer—since he refuses to leave, I shall personally see him off.” The black-robed man’s face bore murderous intent, but more than that, a fervent zeal: “All for the world.”

Old Madam Wang’s eyes also turned fervent: “All for the world!”

Even if the world misunderstood her, even if she bore infamy, she would press forward without hesitation. To save the world, Old Madam Wang thought, her shadow under the sun grew tall and noble.

But just then, a calm voice rang out.

“Oh, by the way, I forgot to tell you—my full name is Qi Yuan, and my nickname is World.

Can you… kill yourselves for me?”

As the voice fell, a figure appeared abruptly not far from the black-robed man.

He was dressed in a green robe, his expression languid. Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, falling upon him in a play of light and shadow, strikingly beautiful.

Seeing Qi Yuan, the black-robed man and Old Madam Wang were startled.

“How are you here?”

They had been plotting outside the cemetery—how could Qi Yuan know?

More importantly, Qi Yuan had appeared without a sound, something even a peak Martial King would find difficult.

“You were scheming behind my back, and I happened to overhear, so I came.”

With the revival of the Divine Infant within him, Qi Yuan’s immortal cultivation had risen, reaching the Yin Spirit realm.

Though the Yin Spirit realm could not illuminate the heavens like the Yang Spirit, it could hear with divine perception.

If someone nearby spoke ill of him, he could sense it.

He could also hear those who spoke ill of Xiao Jia, the Canary, Jin Li, and others.

The black-robed man looked at Qi Yuan, his initial surprise fading into calm: “Since you’re here, I won’t have to make a wasted trip.

For the sake of the world, please die, sir!”

The black-robed man’s expression turned solemn and sacred.

A bloodstained stone appeared.

This stone bore the blood of a Martial Lord.

A Martial Lord was overwhelmingly powerful, capable of melting an entire kingdom with a single punch.

Even a single drop of dried blood could easily slay a peak Martial King.

Martial Kings and Martial Lords were not even on the same level of cultivation.

With the blood of a Martial Lord, the black-robed man was brimming with confidence. Even if Qi Yuan had appeared suddenly and possessed astonishing strength, so what?

Those below the Martial Lord were all ants.

“After you die, I will remember you and erect a monument for you.

Saving the world—you will have contributed to it!

Future generations will remember and sing your praises!” The black-robed man enlarged the stone in his hand.

A powerful aura of slaughter spread. The black-robed man felt himself immensely strong, like a god, able to freely control the life and death of everyone in the world.

“You’re such a kind person. Unfortunately, I’m very petty. After you die, I won’t erect a monument for you, and no one will remember your name.

See, I don’t even know your name now.”

Qi Yuan’s expression was calm.

He had experienced too many worlds.

He had seen all kinds of people.

He had also met people as “obsessed” as the black-robed man.

For instance, the Mountain of Fate in the Canglan Realm.

Because Qi Yuan was going to resist the great calamity, this faction feared that Qi Yuan would anger the calamity, which would then retaliate against the Canglan Realm, so they cursed him to death.

This struck Qi Yuan as rather amusing.

When the butcher raises his cleaver, to think not of resistance but of fearing the butcher’s wrath and a heavier blow—that would be truly laughable.

In Qi Yuan’s eyes, this Bǔtiān Pavilion bore some resemblance to the Mountain of Fate.

“I see—you must be the Pavilion Master of the Demon-Suppressing Court, aren’t you? No wonder you have such audacity.

But this is the Shanhai Scroll, and the Bǔtiān Pavilion rules supreme!”

At that moment, the blood of the Martial Lord radiated light.

Among all the Shanhai Scrolls, none possessed the power to resist a Martial Lord.

“The world will remember your sacrifice!” the black-robed man bellowed, his expression solemn.

Qi Yuan stretched lazily: “I came to play a game, not to listen to your reasoning. Ah, your game designers are so dreadfully boring.”

Indeed, that was how Qi Yuan felt.

Every quest in this game came with a little story.

Those stories carried, more or less, a touch of regret, helplessness, and pain.

They seemed meant to leave a deep impression on the players, to influence them.

In Qi Yuan’s view, the designers were just being pretentious, trying to add depth.

“Who has the designer’s phone number? Call him and tell him I’m here to play, not to hear stories—I’m here to kill, kill, kill!”

“Oh, it’s a free game, and I’m a freeloader?

Fine, let the designers do what they will—I’ll just kill, kill, kill.”

As Qi Yuan spoke, he turned to the black-robed man. “Kill!”

The Explosive Bird-Slaying Fist was unleashed in that instant—Qi Yuan’s mighty punch seemed capable of annihilating the world.

Boom!

The stone stained with the Martial Lord’s blood shattered in an instant.

The black-robed man’s expression froze: “Mar… Martial Lord.”

The strike Qi Yuan delivered had clearly reached the realm of a Martial Lord.

Such irresistible, unmatched power could only belong to a Martial Lord.

In the depths of the black-robed man’s pupils flashed disbelief, and his form dissipated in that moment, scattering into fragments.

Even though he was a peak Martial King, even though he possessed the blood of a Martial Lord,

before Qi Yuan, he was still nothing—far, far too weak.

Such was the gap between gods and men.

“Shattered beyond sight—truly no grave,” Qi Yuan said lightly after killing the black-robed man.

Beside him, Old Madam Wang trembled, her face filled with incomprehension and disbelief.

“How could there be a Martial Lord within the Shanhai Scroll?

Impossible, impossible!”

Without ancestral blood, how could a peak Martial King break through to Martial Lord?

The Martial Lords of the Origin Land could never leave that place—to leave meant death.

That was why they, the Martial Kings of the Bǔtiān Pavilion, roamed the Shanhai Scrolls, correcting world lines, reenacting the world, and saving it before the Dawn Chime began!

“Nothing in this world is impossible,” Qi Yuan said, looking at Old Madam Wang. “Are you interested in marrying your corpse specimen to Han Xianyun?”

Old Madam Wang stared at Qi Yuan, her heart flustered, unable to comprehend.

Yet she calmed herself.

“Mr. Qi, please stop.

I do not know how you broke through to Martial Lord—perhaps you have a great fortune, a destiny beyond the ordinary. A Martial Lord within the Shanhai Scroll is a true king.

But… before the great tide, even a Martial Lord is as insignificant as dust.

The Dawn Chime is less than four thousand years away.

We of the Bǔtiān Pavilion must correct the world line—only then can the world’s restart proceed without error!”

“I have no interest in that. Speak plainly,” Qi Yuan said, his expression indifferent.

He had heard much of this from the Thunder Old Man.

But what did a game restart have to do with him?

Besides, worldly affairs were fraught with confusion—who knew truth from falsehood?

Even if Old Madam Wang spoke with sincerity, Qi Yuan’s nose did not grow long; but information rewritten by the annals of time, he merely glanced at.

“I beg you, sir, to consider the greater good, to unite the young lady with Tu Kongming, and retread the world line.

This old woman… thanks you, Mr. Qi!”

Having spoken, Old Madam Wang raised her hand and resolutely struck her own head.

In an instant, her skull shattered, blood gushed forth, and she died beyond death.

Clearly, she sought to move Qi Yuan through her own death.

Of course, had Qi Yuan not been strong, it might have been he who died.

Qi Yuan watched, his expression unchanged, unmoved.

“What a pity—Han Xianyun has lost such a splendid wife.”

“Oh, and by driving such a noble person to death, have I become the villain?”

“Should I… hehehe!”

Qi Yuan let out the signature laugh of a villain.

…

Three months passed quickly.

During that time, many things happened.

Well, many from the Bǔtiān Pavilion came to slay Qi Yuan, but all were easily slain by him.

Tu Kongming ultimately did not win the beauty’s heart, remaining like Boiling Sheep.

Wang Yuanyu did not fall for Tu Kongming; toward Qi Yuan, she regarded him merely as a friend.

The two protagonists of the story did not follow the script.

Ma Longhun, the “villain,” was dedicated, always pursuing his schemes, attacking Wang Yuanyu along the “original path.”

Well… this time, Tu Kongming still stepped forward, taking the blow for Wang Yuanyu, and ultimately died, as lovesick as Boiling Sheep.

Unlike what Old Madam Wang had said, Wang Yuanyu did not die for love.

Qi Yuan finally met Ma Longhun and killed him without a second thought.

If asked why Qi Yuan didn’t save Tu Kongming—first, they weren’t acquainted; second, he had no desire to; third, the mission didn’t require him to protect the man.

“The mission is done, and it’s time for me to leave.

I’ve stayed quite a while this time, missing several Martial Arts Tournaments—what a loss.”

Qi Yuan clapped his hands, a hint of regret in his heart.

To become a Human Dao Martial Lord, one needed to win a hundred consecutive Martial Arts Tournaments.

Entering the Scroll of Mountains and Seas made it impossible to attend the tournaments, easily breaking a winning streak.

So at such times, the canary outside would help Qi Yuan by halting the tournaments.

Well, the tournaments Qi Yuan attended were the only ones that truly counted.

A bit like a reserved slot.

Wang Yuanyuan glanced at Qi Yuan, then her gaze fell on Tu Kongming, her expression tinged with loss: “He still died saving me, just as Aunt Wang said.

Yet I… feel neither sorrow nor gratitude.

Am I… born cold-hearted?”

“I can see that. In the words of a confident yet ordinary man like me, you’ve spent so long with me and never felt a stir in your heart—so yes, you are indeed a bit cold-hearted.” Qi Yuan smiled.

“Is that… a bad thing?” Wang Yuanyuan hesitated.

“What is good? And what is bad?” Qi Yuan’s form grew ethereal. “Living in this world, sometimes it’s better to be a little selfish.

Of course, if someone provokes me, sorry—no matter how good they are, they become bad.”

Hearing this, Wang Yuanyuan gave a soft laugh: “You’re leaving?”

“Yes, going back. I haven’t seen my wife in many years—I miss her dearly.”

“I hope we have a chance to meet again,” Wang Yuanyuan said earnestly.

In this vast, ethereal world, vast as smoke, meeting someone to talk to was no easy thing.

“As long as you live long enough, there will be a chance.” Qi Yuan looked at Wang Yuanyuan. Suddenly, as if struck by a thought, he spoke inexplicably: “You can watch TV dramas often, immerse yourself in them, but don’t take them too seriously.

It’s like when we scroll through videos or trending topics—what we see is sometimes what others want us to see.”

Wang Yuanyuan tilted her head and nodded: “Sounds profound and impressive—you seem like a cultured man.”

They began to flatter each other.

“You’re not bad either—a good actress, suited for playing a kidnapper.” Qi Yuan glanced at the black sack over Wang Yuanyuan’s head.

If it were a black stocking, it would be more fitting, more appropriate.

“Next time we meet, I’ll give you a pair of stockings,” Qi Yuan said. “You’ll wear them for me to see!”

Wang Yuanyuan smiled: “Alright. By the way, what’s a TV drama?”

Clearly, when she called Qi Yuan a cultured man, it was empty flattery.

She hadn’t understood his words at all.

“Well, you are the TV drama, and I am the audience.”

With that, Qi Yuan’s form vanished in an instant.

In the vast heavens and earth, only Wang Yuanyuan remained, solitary and alone.

(End of chapter)