I Am the Fated Villain

373: She escaped, but she stayed there forever, opened a new map

They should rightfully bear the calamity caused by the Ji Chan family. However, at that time, Qing Yi was still young and unaware of the significance of this catastrophe for the entire Ji Chan clan. All she knew was that she had been chosen, along with her mother, the high priest, and others, as a sacrifice, becoming a so-called saint. In reality, she was to be sacrificed to the other side, leaving her fate unknown and her future uncertain.

Though the ever-kind high priest insisted that being a saint was her supreme honor—an offering to that supreme being and a service by her side—Qing Yi felt differently. Countless individuals fought desperately to be chosen as saints, yet none were deemed worthy. This led her to believe that the priest’s reassurances were mere attempts to calm her fears about escaping.

Since ancient times, no one had known what lay beyond the Real Land. Any existence or civilization that dared to approach this realm had been buried in the last ruins, annihilated in the long river of history.

Although the Ji Chan family enjoyed a long lifespan and possessed talents unmatched by other beings, they were still like mere flies in the presence of the Real Land, easily annihilated and hardly worth mentioning. Young Qing Yi did not fully understand many things. In the Ji Chan clan, she was cherished by her older sisters and had grown up carefree.

So, when she suddenly learned that she would be sacrificed to the Real Land, she could hardly accept it. This decision came from her mother and the very sisters who had always shown her love. Naturally, the young Qing Yi was unwilling to accept such a fate, and she was filled with dread at the thought of the Real Land.

According to ancient traditions, the Real Land represented the source of darkness and great terror, the ultimate endpoint of all things in the world. When Qing Yi was conceived and born, she encountered a terrible catastrophe that damaged her innate foundation, leaving her far inferior to her older sisters. In terms of cultivation strength and her understanding and control of the era tree, she lagged behind them significantly.

As a result, Qing Yi felt that, compared to her sisters, she was the most useless as the younger sibling. Willful, arrogant, and reckless, she was seen as the ideal choice for sacrifice. Her sisters were destined to become great figures, so how could they be sacrificed? This thought filled young Qing Yi with deep resentment and led to a rift with her sisters.

Ultimately, she resolved to escape from the Ji Chan clan and refuse her fate as a sacrifice. While she put on a façade of accepting her fate, she secretly plotted her escape.

Finally, on the eve of the sacrificial ceremony, Qing Yi found a suitable opportunity to escape. She not only fled but also took with her an extremely precious spark of immortal civilization from the Ji Chan clan. This spark would later serve her well in the real world of mountains and seas, acting as the firewood that ignited the immortal cultivation system and laying the foundation for the reproduction and growth of all living beings

For many years, she lived in hiding, consumed by confusion, never returning to the Ji Chan clan. If it hadn’t been for the woman in black finding her now, it might have been a long time before Qing Yi would have recalled these memories. The weight of her past filled her with bitterness and guilt, leaving her too afraid to confront them. Remembering the absurd and wrong things she had done in her youth only deepened her sense of guilt.

The woman in black was unaware of Qing Yi’s emotional turmoil. When she asked about the events surrounding the Ji Chan clan, a look of mockery and bitterness crossed her face.

“After you left the Ji Chan clan, the ancient hidden civilization was furious and dispatched many powerful individuals to search for you. They wanted to retrieve you after your escape the day before the sacrifice. No one could withstand their wrath. At that time, the high priest of the ancient hidden civilization was irate and sent troops to surround the Ji Chan clan, demanding an explanation from us,” the woman in black recalled, shaking her head.

The ancient hidden civilization was the supreme civilization that the Ji Chan clan belonged to. A certain contract had been established between the two, resulting in a state of interdependence and coexistence. The ancient hidden civilization provided shelter, abundant resources, and territory for the Ji Chan family, while the Ji Chan family gave birth to the epoch tree for the ancient hidden civilization and facilitated the evolution of all spirits.

This contract had endured for a long time, and barring any accidents, it was expected to continue until one party perished. However, due to the mother tree, the ancient hidden civilization found itself implicated by the Ji Chan family, leading to disastrous consequences.

The vast and boundless luck was abruptly cut off, causing the once-prosperous real world to quickly decline and wither. It was impossible to claim that the ancient hidden civilization did not harbor deep hatred for the Ji Chan clan. The Ji Chan clan had initially been presented with the opportunity to atone for their sins by sacrificing suitable candidates to appease the civilization’s anger. However, they failed to seize this last chance, allowing Qing Yi to escape.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

How could this failure prevent the ancient hidden civilization from being furious? They were eager to wipe out the Ji Chan family.

“Then what happened afterward?”

Qing Yi asked, lowering her eyes to conceal the guilt within them.

“The high priest of the ancient hidden civilization bluntly stated that we let you go on purpose. The presence of several ancestors surrounded the ancestral court of the Ji Chan family. If we didn’t provide an explanation, our entire clan would face annihilation. Without the ancient hidden civilization, there would be no reason for our Ji Chan family to exist.”

“These are the exact words of the high priest of the ancient hidden civilization.” The woman in black wore a slight smile, though it was unclear whether she was laughing at herself or mocking the situation.

Although she spoke lightly, Qing Yi could sense the gravity of the situation at that time. The entire Ji Chan clan was on the brink of extinction. Any existence in the Ancestral Dao Realm could roam the boundless world at will, and few could stand against it, yet there were several such existences surrounding the Ji Chan clan. This formidable force could easily annihilate any ethnic group in the boundless world.

However, the woman’s presence in black indicated that the Ji Chan clan had not been wiped out in the end. Noticing Qing Yi’s silence, the woman in black shook her head and continued, “While what the high priest of the ancient hidden civilization said is indeed true, if we truly wanted to capture you, how could you have escaped with your strength?”

“At that time, my mother and eldest sister insisted that you had fled on your own. They were unaware of our situation. I chose not to act against the sleeping power, but it still demanded an explanation from us…”

“In the end, it was my eldest sister who took your place as a sacrifice to the Real Land, gradually calming the wrath of the skies.” As she spoke of this, an expression of deep sorrow crossed her face, and she let out a sigh.

“Sister?” Qing Yi was momentarily stunned, her expression turning dazed as she recalled the striking and dignified face of the sister who had always been there for her. In the end, she had replaced Qing Yi and become the sacrifice. This was something Qing Yi had never expected.

If she was the chosen one for sacrifice, why had someone else taken her place? In her youth, Qing Yi had believed this decision was unanimous among her mother and older sisters. However, she later realized how mistaken she had been. How could the suitable candidate for sacrifice be chosen so casually? Whoever was destined for this fate in the dark could not escape it, no matter what.

This was not merely the decision of her mother and sisters, but the true will of God. To defy God’s will would inevitably bring punishment and catastrophe. In the boundless world, the Real Land was regarded as the true “heaven.”

“My eldest sister approached the sacrifice with a mindset of experimentation. She never expected that after the sacrifice, the wrath of the skies and the ensuing catastrophe would gradually subside, allowing the ancient hidden civilization to return to its normal course…”

“However, since then, we have never seen our eldest sister again, and we have no news about her. I don’t know how she is faring, but I can feel that her soul lamp is still lit, and her breath of life has not disappeared…” The woman in black continued.

She did not elaborate on what happened next, but Qing Yi had already deduced it. Once the wrath of the skies and the catastrophe were quelled, the ancient hidden civilization lost interest in her, and over time, no one inquired about the matter.

“I’m sorry, big sister… she…” Qing Yi’s eyes brimmed with guilt and sorrow. She never expected that the outcome would be like this. She had escaped, while her eldest sister remained behind, lost to her, not knowing whether she was alive or safe.

The woman in black glanced at her and noticed that the current Qing Yi had undergone significant changes. Out of Qing Yi’s many memories, the woman had only read a few that were particularly important to her, so she was unclear on what had transpired in Qing Yi’s life over the years.

“I came to you this time because my mother has discovered that her catastrophe is approaching, and her lifespan is rapidly depleting. She wants to see you again before she dies…” the woman in black continued.

“Mother’s catastrophe approaching?” Qing Yi was taken aback once more. In her memory, her mother, as the supreme emperor of the Ji Chan clan, possessed unfathomable strength.

Even the existence of the Ancestral Realm from the ancient hidden civilization would treat her with great respect. Yet, how could such a powerful mother face the approaching catastrophe? It seemed that the calamity of heavenly decline was imminent, and she understood that it would be difficult to overcome.

“It seems I really must return to the Ji Chan clan,” Qing Yi thought softly. Their lifespans were exceptionally long, which meant that in terms of emotions, they tended to be much weaker than ordinary beings. Thus, when Qing Yi reunited with the woman in black, there was not much joy; the atmosphere felt quite ordinary.

Qing Yi held a mix of respect and gratitude toward her mother, along with years of accumulated guilt. With her mother’s impending catastrophe, if she didn’t return, she would likely carry regrets for the rest of her life.

As for the Dao Chang Realm, despite many unexpected developments, it was still progressing according to her plans. Gu Changge had managed many things more effectively than she had, leaving Qing Yi with little to worry about.

At the same time, aboard the ancient warship of the Spiritualroyal family, a crystal-clear ancient mirror slowly dissipated in front of Gu Changge. The scene reflected within it quickly vanished. Before Ni Chen’s death, with the last remnants of luck from the Underworld Clan, the curse cast upon him had finally penetrated the Nether Void and wrapped itself around Gu Changge.

This curse was as black as ink, binding him like a chain and carrying with it endless resentment and hatred. It seemed intent on dragging him into an abyss of eternal doom, where he would be tortured forever. However, with just a slight shock from Gu Changge, the curse instantly collapsed, reducing itself to ashes.

He had been closely monitoring and understanding many events in the Dao Chang Realm, including Ni Chen’s exposure and Gu Xian’er’s appointment as the new Daoist. All of these developments were part of Gu Changge’s arrangement, unfolding step by step.

After this battle, Gu Changge no longer needed to pay too much attention to the Dao Chang Realm. Gu Xian’er, as the Daoist of the Heaven Slaying Alliance, had favorable luck and the assistance of the primordial tree she had condensed, so it wouldn’t be long before she entered the Dao realm. Gu Changge had laid out a new, expansive map for her; without a Dao realm cultivation base, it would be challenging for her to establish a foothold. After all, the name of the Heaven Slaying Alliance would inevitably resonate throughout the vast expanse in the future.

As for Gu Xian’er, being a Daoist without a Dao realm would be somewhat embarrassing. Regarding matters in the Nine Heavens, Gu Changge had already made arrangements, so he didn’t need to focus on them at the moment. The arrival of the ancient cultivator Yuan Chan was clearly influenced by the existence of the Nine Heavens. If it were not an accident, it must involve significant origins and backgrounds, particularly concerning a party reborn in the real world while containing the fire of immortal civilization.

Those behind the ancient cultivator Yuan Chan must have taken note of this and were very interested. Before this, Barbara, the apprentice Gu Changge had taken under his wing, also stood behind him. That individual must have recognized these developments early on.

In other words, at least two extremely powerful forces were paying close attention to the current Dao Chang Realm.

Barbara, an odd chess piece buried long ago, will come into play sooner or later. However, it’s not time yet.

Gu Changge mused.

Judging from the current situation, it will not affect my plan.

In his mind, he realized that he really didn’t need to expend much energy on the Dao Chang Realm at this point. Instead, he needed to concentrate more on the boundless world.