It's Not That the Villain Is Bad, It's That the Villain Is Too Handsome — Charm With Nowhere to Rest
It’s Not That the Villain Is Bad, It’s That the Villain Is Too Handsome — Charm With Nowhere to Rest
This battle’s aftershocks enveloped a range of nearly three hundred thousand li. Heaven and earth overturned, the sun and moon spun out of course, and the very cosmos collapsed.
Many of the Dragon Clan’s Godly Islands and mountain ranges were crushed into dust beneath that terrifying aura. The Celestial Ancient Array Patterns engraved upon them surged up with world-shaking killing intent, only to be erased in the end by the hand of a Perfect Prodigy.
The battle in the Outer Territory had also ended.
Terrifying stars scattered in all directions, turning into stellar debris that surged through heaven and earth, threatening to come crashing down!
Weng!!
A golden Great Dao stretched forth and descended upon the high skies. The Great Elder had returned, white robes fluttering, bearing the immortal air and Daoist bone of a true sage — not the slightest trace showed that he had just fought someone.
Behind him, an enormous palm seal suppressed a Sacred King Realm existence of the Dragon Clan!
“It’s over?”
The Great Elder asked calmly. From beginning to end, he had never been particularly willing to act.
Aside from suppressing the Dragon Clan’s strongest expert, he had not actually participated in the battles below.
Regarding Gu Changge’s suddenly revealed identity as the Ancient Reincarnation Supreme Being, the Great Elder had been utterly shocked.
Before this, he had never even considered such a possibility. He had assumed that in the end, Gu Changge would borrow the power of the Longevity Gu Family.
But clearly, the identity of the Ancient Reincarnation Supreme Being’s successor — this was Gu Changge’s final hidden card.
Thinking of this, the Great Elder couldn’t help but give Gu Changge a deep look.
He found this fellow increasingly impossible to see through. Just how many more methods did he have hidden in the shadows, unknown to anyone?
Fortunately, the grudge between Gu Xianer and this fellow had already been resolved. Otherwise, he truly dared not imagine — if Gu Xianer faced Gu Changge alone, what fraction of a chance of survival would she have?
If not for their group of old fossils backing Gu Xianer from behind, she would probably have been devoured by Gu Changge until not even bone scraps remained.
“It’s over. This battle has troubled you, Great Elder,” Gu Changge said with a smile.
“No trouble at all. Just remember what you promised this old man.”
The Great Elder snorted coldly. With a wave of his sleeve, the suppressed Dragon Clan supreme expert behind him was seized and brought forth, appearing before Gu Changge.
“Great Elder, please rest assured. What I have promised, I will naturally not forget.”
Sweeping a glance over this dejected-looking Dragon Clan supreme expert, Gu Changge’s expression remained composed.
Then he looked toward the distant horizon, his gaze sweeping over the many experts, and only then smiled faintly. “As the Successor of Skyward Schloss, it is my unshirkable duty to purge and pacify the Dragon Clan’s rebellion on behalf of Skyward Schloss.”
The many orthodoxies and beings watching from afar were clearly stunned at this moment, momentarily unable to comprehend Gu Changge’s meaning.
“Hm?”
“Gu Changge, you...”
“Truly turning your back without the slightest loyalty — how shameless!”
Hearing this, the Great Elder froze, unable to figure out why Gu Changge would say such a thing in front of all these orthodoxies.
Then his brow twitched, and fury rose in his heart.
Skyward Schloss had always maintained neutrality, never interfering in the grievances between any powers or orthodoxies.
Although Gu Changge was the Successor of Skyward Schloss, in this battle, Skyward Schloss as a whole had provided him no assistance whatsoever.
Now, the meaning behind Gu Changge’s words was to tell everyone that Skyward Schloss had acted on its own initiative to help him?
Rather than the agreement made between the two of them that day?
The Great Elder knew perfectly well what scheme Gu Changge was cooking up.
He understood almost instantly, and was incomparably furious, rage surging upward.
Not only was Gu Changge muddying the waters of the Celestial Ancient Continent — he was also scheming to drag the entire Skyward Schloss down with him.
When the time came, the many powers of the Boundless Heaven would all believe that Skyward Schloss had secretly participated in this unification of the Celestial Ancient Continent.
This way, Gu Changge could divert everyone’s attention, reap all the benefits, and instead let Skyward Schloss take the blame for him?
The Great Elder’s face turned ugly, faintly tinged with anger and an ashen hue.
Yet he truly could not refute Gu Changge’s framing — the agreement of that day was known only to a select few.
“Great Elder’s kindness in acting — Changge will naturally remember it well.”
Then, Gu Changge added with perfect composure, “However, Great Elder, you still owe me a favor. Don’t forget that.”
Just how profound the Great Elder’s cultivation was, Gu Changge wasn’t entirely sure — but it was at least far beyond the Sacred King Realm, perhaps even surpassing Gu Nanshan by a considerable margin.
So this favor — he absolutely had to keep it firmly in his grasp.
Who knew when it might come in handy? And as for letting Skyward Schloss weather the storm of controversy for a while — he felt there was nothing wrong with that. He’d done it in passing, after all.
The countless cultivators of the outside world would surely believe he had used some method to coerce the Great Elder into acting, thereby achieving this goal.
And while that wasn’t wrong...
In Gu Changge’s view, that perception simply wouldn’t do. The outside world had to see this as Skyward Schloss actively orchestrating and planning everything.
After all, during this period, his limelight had overshadowed everyone else’s. The more cultivators and orthodoxies paid attention to him, the harder it would be for him to scheme in the shadows.
Gu Changge had always preferred to quietly amass fortunes in the dark — taking the benefits for himself while pinning the blame on others.
Toward Skyward Schloss, he was all the more so.
Whether it would prove effective was another matter entirely.
“If the Great Elder feels Changge’s actions are improper... you are welcome to explain things yourself. I believe quite a few cultivators would be willing to believe you,”
Gu Changge continued with a smile, having already gauged the Great Elder’s temperament — at a moment like this, the man would say nothing more.
In any case, his goal had already been achieved.
Provoking the Great Elder’s wrath was hardly worth his concern. He’d rather consider how to unify the Celestial Ancient Continent next.
“Hmph!”
The Great Elder cut him off, his face dark as thunder. The void blurred, and he departed with a straight flick of his sleeve.
He had already decided — from this day forward, all affairs of Skyward Schloss would be dumped onto the current Palace Master.
However shamelessly Gu Changge wanted to stir things up, he would no longer interfere. Nor could he.
He was going into seclusion for some peace and quiet!
Otherwise, one day he truly might be unable to resist slapping this shameless junior to death — the boy was simply impervious to reason, utterly unwilling to suffer even the smallest loss!
“Men! Purge the Dragon Clan from top to bottom. Those who refuse to submit — kill!”
“From this day forth, I want to hear only one voice within the Dragon Clan.”
Then, the smile on Gu Changge’s face faded as he spoke indifferently.
“Yes, Young Master!”
Behind him rose a sound like mountains roaring and seas howling.
The vast, mighty armies of the three clans set out to deal with the Dragon Clan’s remaining disobedient remnants. Their roots ran deep and tangled — a thorough cleansing was needed to eliminate future troubles.
As for those who refused to submit — even simpler. Kill them and be done with it.
What this world lacked least was disobedient creatures.
“Gongzi!”
“The task you assigned has been completed. The rebellious members of the Dragon Clan’s various branches have all been executed.”
Weng!!
As the words fell, a vast and boundless pressure descended!
On the other side, the Perfect Prodigy ancestors of the Ancient Teng Snake, Black Sky Hawk, and Divine Crocodile clans — having suppressed numerous Dragon Clan experts — rushed back to Gu Changge’s side to report.
“Very good.”
“Well done.”
Gu Changge swept his gaze over the scenes below, revealing satisfaction.
Then he nodded and waved for them to withdraw.
The appearance of the three great clans would indeed provoke wariness from the major orthodoxies, but next, Gu Changge would certainly consider concealing them in the shadows.
Afterward, having settled matters with the Dragon Clan, Gu Changge finally had time to ponder the matter of that fellow countryman of his.
If his guess was correct, even Yue Mingkong might not know of this person’s existence.
A Transmigrator was, after all, the greatest of Anomalies.
On the timeline Yue Mingkong had experienced in her previous life, the existence of a Transmigrator was still an unknown.
But since this person had taken the initiative to appear before him, Gu Changge would dig three feet into the ground to find them.
Unless they were the exceptionally unlucky sort of Transmigrator, anyone who came to this world armed with a Golden Finger would surely be living it up in spectacular fashion.
What Gu Changge didn’t know was whether this Transmigrator had arrived in this world before him, or after.
And the next order of business was to first unify the Celestial Ancient Races. With that force in hand, they could provide him with vast cultivation resources.
Just from the Celestial Ancient Dragon Clan alone, the good things plundered that would be of use to him would surely be no small amount!
He might even obtain some of the essence — or even True Blood — left behind by that True Dragon of years past. To Gu Changge, those things contained tremendous benefits.
Recently, his Demonic Arts cultivation had reached the peak of the Quasi-Sacred Realm. He was only a portion of cultivation essence away from breaking through to the true Sacred Realm.
And once he reached the true Sacred Realm, Gu Changge could condense even more Grand Flask runes, aiding him in devouring and refining the remaining Celestial Spirit.
His cultivation could then break through yet another stage.
...
Meanwhile.
Far from Dragon Island, high in the sky, experts from various orthodoxies stood gathered, witnessing all of this.
“If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, who would believe this was something a young man could accomplish?”
“In this golden age of prosperity, with brilliant stars shining all around — but purely in terms of might and momentum, I’m afraid no one of the younger generation can contend with Gu Changge anymore.”
“In certain respects, this Gu Changge is even more terrifying than that Successor of Demonic Arts...”
“Such scheming, such methods — it makes one’s heart palpitate with cold dread. In the end, he openly and righteously schemed the entire Celestial Ancient Races into his grasp!”
Many murmured among themselves, the shock in their eyes impossible to dispel.
“Rumor has it the Successor of Demonic Arts ultimately fled in defeat at his hands, yet all this time his true whereabouts have never been discovered. Even when ambushing Young Prodigies, he acts sneakily and furtively — he’s probably already been grievously wounded by Gu Changge, his injuries far from light.”
“Now, seeing Gu Changge wield the imitation Ancient Wheel of Reincarnation with an unchanging expression, without the slightest difficulty — it seems his cultivation is absolutely not as simple as it appears on the surface. He hides his depths well indeed.”
Aboard the Ancient Battleship, auras interwove and blood vitality surged.
The many experts of the Wang Family were all discussing — whether the younger generation or the old-guard powerhouses, every face wore complicated expressions of admiration, hearts filled with trepidation and awe.
They had not intervened in this battle, but from start to finish, they had witnessed everything here.
The joy and excitement they had initially felt over Wang Zijin’s return from the Mortal Palace was now like having a basin of cold water dumped over their heads, chilling them through.
Their entire bodies shuddered.
Many came to their senses, realizing that among their peers, Wang Zijin was far from the only dazzling one.
Although Wang Zijin’s talent was powerful — arguably one of a kind through the ages — and she cultivated at the Mortal Palace with astonishingly rapid progress...
A minor realm every half month, a major realm every half year — breaking through in cultivation was as simple as drinking water or eating a meal.
But in the end, she was still of the younger generation, and had yet to inherit the power and orthodoxy behind her.
Gu Changge, on the other hand, already held everything in his grasp. Just the forces currently in his hands were enough to leave all of them deeply shaken and apprehensive!
To say nothing of the rest — the three great clans of the Black Sky Hawk, Ancient Teng Snake, and Divine Crocodile alone constituted an utterly terrifying force. Wielded by Gu Changge, they could simply sweep across an entire region unopposed.
Just now, the Sacred King Realm ancestors who had revealed themselves numbered no fewer than three!
That kind of power made them tremble!
Those were Sacred King Realm beings—supreme experts who could shatter stars with a raise of the palm, whose single wisp of aura could collapse a continent. In any great sect or power, they were existences on the level of a foundation’s deepest reserves!
Now that Sacred Emperor Realm beings no longer appeared and True Daoists did not emerge, Sacred King Realm figures could be called invincible!
If they really had to compare, they realized that, in terms of sheer presence, even the current head of the Longevity Wang Family would probably have to treat Gu Changge with utmost courtesy!
In the past, such a thing would have been utterly unimaginable.
“This boy’s methods seem simple on the surface, but in truth they press in step by step, each link locking into the next. Even I can only glimpse some of his hints and arrangements. If one were to truly dig deeper, I’m afraid it could be traced all the way back to when the Celestial Ancient Continent first opened...”
“For a scheme spanning such a length of time—this old man is deeply, deeply impressed!”
“Among the younger generation of today, I’m afraid there are few who can stand shoulder to shoulder with him.”
Aboard the Ancient Battleship, hearing Wang Wushuang’s words, the old monster of the Wang Family couldn’t help but sigh with such emotion.
It had to be said—even they had to admit that in this battle against the Celestial Ancient Dragon Clan, the banner of righteousness Gu Changge had raised played an enormous role.
Everyone could see that he intended to scheme against the Celestial Ancient Races, not some pretty nonsense about seeking justice.
But so what if they saw through it?
They could do nothing about it, and they had no grounds to intervene. Did they really think the Longevity Gu Family standing behind Gu Changge was just standing there watching the show?
Now, right before the eyes of every sect and great orthodoxy, Gu Changge had swallowed the fattest piece of meat for himself—and that was what left them most depressed, helpless, and even grudgingly admiring.
Every one of his methods displayed not mere cultivation talent, but the boldness and skill of a young master of a Longevity Family.
With such a young master at the helm, why worry that the family’s legacy would not flourish?
Then again, from another angle, Gu Changge’s edge was now fully bared. He controlled the terrifying force of the Celestial Ancient Races, and even Sacred King Realm ancestors obeyed his commands.
In the days to come, he would surely draw the wary attention of every sect and great orthodoxy, who might band together against him.
Gains and losses—such things were probably unavoidable.
The contests between the younger generation before had been mere child’s play, but now things had escalated to the point of annihilating entire clans or forcing their submission at the drop of a hat!
Just ask—who wouldn’t be wary?
“Our Young Master will probably have to learn a thing or two from Gu Changge in the future.”
Thinking of this, the Wang Family’s old monster couldn’t help but chuckle.
Their vision was broad; they would neither blindly exaggerate the other party nor excessively belittle him.
He said such things only to spur on his own Young Master. As successors of Longevity Families alike, comparisons in many respects were inevitable.
Of course, a Longevity Family stood eternal, its heritage ancient—it would not casually collapse just because one generation’s young master fell short.
If he was inferior, then he was inferior.
At a time like this, was there any need for sarcastic sniping and malicious belittling?
“Gu Changge is indeed strong. In terms of boldness and methods, I am far inferior to him—that much I will admit.”
“But Elder, don’t forget: before absolute power, these plots and schemes are useless. If Gu Changge didn’t have the identity of the Ancient Reincarnation Supreme Being’s successor, he could never have made clans like the Ancient Serpent and the Divine Crocodile Clan obey him...”
At this, Wang Wushuang shook his head and said as much. He did admire Gu Changge, true.
But not to any profound degree—he simply felt Gu Changge had merely relied on that connection.
Without the help of those three great clans, this battle would not have been so easy.
Hearing this, Wang Zijin—whose expression had carried a strange look the whole time as she stared at that distant figure—slowly shook her head, though she didn’t say much.
“Since the Young Master says so, then let me ask you: what exactly is ‘absolute power’?”
The Wang Family’s old monster was quite happy to seize this opportunity. He smiled faintly, intending to give his Young Master a bit of instruction.
The younger generation should naturally have a competitive spirit, but that competitiveness should not manifest as refusal to accept reality.
Ever since his emergence into the world, Wang Wushuang had always carried pride in his heart.
········Seeking flowers·········
His cultivation was far inferior to that of his sister, a born Sacred Realm prodigy—that he accepted, with nothing to say.
But Gu Changge was clearly a bit younger than him.
Yet his current cultivation was something even Wang Wushuang couldn’t see through; he could only faintly sense it, knowing it was unfathomable.
Honestly, he was somewhat unwilling and unconvinced.
Now, in front of his sister, being spoken of this way by the Elder, he couldn’t help but lose some face.
“Absolute power naturally refers to true cultivation. No matter how strong Gu Changge is, he can’t possibly surpass my sister in cultivation, can he?”
Wang Wushuang said, golden light swirling in his eyes, not entirely calm.
Ordinarily, he would never say such a thing.
But today, meeting his sister for the first time, his heart was unsettled, and he kept feeling the frustration of falling short again and again.
An ordinary prodigy would have long been unable to accept such a situation. It was only thanks to his willpower far exceeding the norm that he hadn’t been deeply crushed.
“Wushuang, there’s always someone better out there, and a heaven beyond this heaven. You must remember these words—of course, I’m saying them to myself as well.”
At this moment, Wang Zijin, who had remained silent all along, finally spoke, her voice like the music of the heavens.
Her face bore a smile as she looked at Wang Wushuang and spoke.
This younger brother of hers didn’t seem like the kind of weak-willed prodigy, which left her somewhat satisfied.
Of course, those words were also directed at herself.
She had previously thought herself quite impressive, but after witnessing so many of Gu Changge’s methods, she found she simply couldn’t compare.
The only things she could bring to the table were probably her talent and cultivation.
This made Wang Zijin increasingly curious about, and interested in, Gu Changge.
As a Transmigrator, familiar with every trope in the book, possessing a powerful background and terrifying talent, she had stood at the finish line of countless Cultivators from the moment she was born.
The days that followed inevitably became dull and boring.
Wang Zijin had actually long wanted to find something that interested her, which was why she planned to roam the world.
And now she had happened upon it in Gu Changge.
This native prodigy seemed completely different from all the other cannon-fodder extras.
Scheming methods like his left her astonished.
So she continued,
“This Gu Changge’s cultivation is not as simple as what you see. Honestly, even I can’t make out what realm he’s at.”
“Even you can’t see through his cultivation, Sister?”
At this, Wang Wushuang and the other Wang Family prodigies around him were all stunned, their eyes widening.
．．．．．．．．．．0
They had heard from the Elders that Wang Zijin’s strength had likely already reached the Quasi-Sacred Realm.
Yet even she couldn’t see through Gu Changge?
Wang Zijin nodded. To her, such a thing was nothing to be embarrassed about admitting.
“But to be able to easily wield an imitation of a Dao Artifact, his cultivation definitely surpasses that of ordinary people. If I gave you an imitation Dao Artifact right now, could you wield it as effortlessly as Gu Changge does?”
“And you say he relies on his identity as the Ancient Reincarnation Supreme Being’s successor. Then imagine this: if you swapped identities with him right now, and you were the Ancient Reincarnation Supreme Being’s successor, could you make the three great clans obey your commands the way Gu Changge does?”
“As long as the three great clans aren’t fools, none of them would agree to submit to a young man. For Gu Changge to make them submit, the methods he used are anything but simple.”
Wang Zijin spoke thus, laying out her analysis and understanding.
Her angle of viewing matters was different from others’.
The moment she said this, the Wang Family members aboard the Ancient Battleship fell into silence. Some drew a soft breath, deeply shaken.
“As expected of the Young Miss—to see through matters so thoroughly with such ease...”
The Wang Family’s old monster couldn’t help but nod with a smile. He could see through all this because he had lived for ages.
But for Wang Zijin to see through it could only mean she was genuinely smarter than ordinary people, brilliantly gifted.
“I see now.”
Hearing this, Wang Wushuang fell silent for a while. Thinking it over according to Wang Zijin’s words, he finally understood where the gap between him and Gu Changge lay.
He truly could not do what Gu Changge had done.
A deep sense of dejection and unwillingness welled up in his heart.
“What a pity, though. I hear this Gu Changge already has a Marriage Agreement. Otherwise, he and the Young Miss would actually be quite a match.”
“Though a Marriage Agreement is something that can always be annulled...”
The Wang Family’s old monster suddenly sighed, speaking with feeling.
If the two families were to join in marriage, it would absolutely be a win-win situation of the grandest scale.
Hearing this, Wang Zijin froze slightly, her expression turning a bit strange. Why had this topic suddenly come up? Could the fiancé trope she had been obsessing over actually be arriving?
Gu Changge tears up his marriage agreement with the original female lead, then turns around and forms a marriage agreement with her?
Judging from Gu Changge’s conduct, he didn’t seem like any sort of righteous character either.
Hmm... it didn’t seem entirely impossible.
“Elder, does Gu Changge happen to have some kind of good-for-nothing fiancée...”
After thinking it over, Wang Zijin chose her words carefully and asked tentatively.
What the Elder had just said sounded way too much like the setup for some melodramatic trope.
“This...” The Wang Family Elder clearly hadn’t expected Wang Zijin to ask such a thing and was momentarily stunned.
It was Xiu Er at the side who chimed in, “Young Miss, Young Master Changge’s fiancée is none other than the famous future Crown Heir of the Unrivaled Celestial Dynasty, Yue Mingkong. She’s long been said to have the bearing of an Empress—how could she possibly be some good-for-nothing?”
Wang Zijin was instantly a bit disappointed.
If she really did have a fiancé like Gu Changge, she felt it wouldn’t be so bad—she wouldn’t get goosebumps all over just thinking about it like before.
As a certified face-con, coveting someone’s body didn’t seem like anything wrong.
After all, no matter which world you’re in, looks matter.
Before this, Wang Zijin had always believed she would never meet a young prodigy who interested her, and that her smooth-sailing life would just carry on as it was.
After all—an ordinary, unremarkable protagonist face, a plain and pretty boyish countenance...
Just thinking of all the descriptions of protagonists gave her a headache and killed any interest.
This world was clearly not a female-oriented world.
On the contrary, it followed the classic male-oriented style—the protagonist was definitely the type to grow strong from weak, otherwise there’d be no so-called thrill of leveling up.
As for Gu Changge, though Wang Zijin had yet to meet him, she could feel how utterly different he was from other prodigies.
And her instincts had never been wrong. Wang Zijin felt this was very likely her own built-in Golden Finger.
It’s not scary when the villain is evil—it’s scary when the villain is handsome.
Wang Zijin suddenly recalled a saying from her previous life.
“Young Miss, since we’re already here, why don’t we take the opportunity to pay a visit to Young Master Changge? How about it?”
Seemingly noticing Wang Zijin’s slight disappointment, the Wang Family Elder suddenly asked.
Wang Zijin froze at his words, but her expression remained unchanged as she smiled serenely, “Then we’ll do as the Elder suggests.”
“Young Miss, what happened to ’not interested’...” Seeing this, Xiu Er couldn’t help but mutter.
What she got in return was a sharp knuckle-rap on the head from Wang Zijin.
“You talk too much.”
Meanwhile, within Dragon Island.
Gu Changge, who was in the middle of searching through the Dragon Clan’s reserves inside a resplendent, magnificently grand treasure vault, suddenly heard the System’s notification.
<*Ding!* The Lady of Fortuity has developed an interest in the Host. Fortuity Points +1,000. Fatums +5,000.>
“Hm?”
Gu Changge’s eyes abruptly narrowed.
This works too?
Or was this just his villainous charm with nowhere to go?