Great Villain: Starting by Humiliating the Son of the Heavenly Fate

"Mo Hao, you're kinda weird, you know that?" Jiang Chen's Master said, pretending to be confused.

"Why all the drama? You like showing off that much? Is being stubborn some kind of hobby for you?"

She sighed, shaking her head. "Look, the situation in the Immortal Martial Continent is a disaster right now. Every second this war drags on, more people suffer. We don't have the luxury to mess around."

"So, sorry," she continued, her tone flat. "But I can't just stand back and watch. If I run into demons, I'll kill them. Simple as that."

She gave him a final glance. "As for whatever this is—you can entertain yourself all you want after the war is over."

Mo Hao let out a low chuckle. "Heh… forget it."

His smile didn't reach his eyes. "There are things you wouldn't understand even if I told you."

Then, without hesitation, he turned away. "Even if I die, don't interfere." His voice was cold, his face blank. Without another word, he prepared to take off.

Mo Hao leaving? Oh, hell no.

Jiang Chen had no intention of letting him slip away. If he could keep Mo Hao trapped in this downward spiral, his Heavenly Fate Value would keep dropping.

Behind the hazy mist hiding Jiang Chen's disguise, Nangong Wan's voice rang out just loud enough for Mo Hao to hear, laced with mock confusion.

"You younger ones are so strange these days… seriously, what's wrong with you?"

She didn't give him a chance to respond before continuing, her tone sharpening.

"In a bit, three Transcendence realm demons are gonna show up—leading forty thousand more of their kind. One of them's at Late-stage Transcendence realm. The other two are Middle-stage. And you're just gonna walk away? You think I can handle all that alone?"

She let her words hang in the air, then finally delivered the killing blow.

"Mo Hao, you barely survived just now." She paused, then smirked. "Don't tell me… you're scared?"

At first, Mo Hao had no interest in staying. Why would he? He was still furious—especially at Jiang Chen's Master, who kept stealing his kills and ruining all his big, flashy moments.

But then… something clicked.

Her taunt had sparked an idea.

The remaining three demon teams were closing in fast.

This could actually be his chance to put on a real show.

Sure, Jiang Chen's Master was strong—she'd managed to ambush and take down Ben Man, a Late-stage Transcendence realm demon. But handling three Transcendence realm powerhouses at once? That seemed like a stretch, even for her.

And that meant one thing—when the battle broke out, he would be the one darting across the battlefield, pulling off incredible moves, stealing the spotlight. This time, he would make sure everyone saw what he was capable of.

His lips curled into a smirk.

"Fine! Since you put it that way, I'll fight with you again!" Mo Hao said, his eyes blazing with determination.

Little did he know, the one pulling the strings behind the scenes—Jiang Chen—had already planned everything. Mo Hao thought he had a shot at glory, but in reality? He was just walking straight into another carefully laid trap.

After all, Jiang Chen's real strength was already at the Nirvana Peering realm.

"Good," Jiang Chen's Master said smoothly, flicking her hand. A small jade bottle shot through the air, landing neatly in Mo Hao's palm. "Now go heal up. Take these pills."

After taking down countless Transcendence realm cultivators and demons—including big names like Sun Ji, that arrogant young master—Jiang Chen had built up an impressive stash of pills.

Most of them were for healing and recovery.

Some were for cultivation and body strengthening. And mixed in were a few rare spiritual plants—top-tier stuff that could fetch a fortune.

Jiang Chen wasn't in a hurry to use them just yet. He'd wait for the perfect moment.

For now, Jiang Chen's Master and Mo Hao descended into the massive sinkhole.

The moment they landed—

"Thank you, my Lady, for saving us!"

Every single person in the sinkhole bowed, their voices filled with gratitude.

They also acknowledged Mo Hao… though, compared to Jiang Chen's Master, their enthusiasm was a lot weaker.

Nangong Wan, playing her role perfectly, spoke with effortless grace.

"Please, rise," she said. "Slaying demons and driving out evil is simply what must be done."

Her voice was warm, composed—exactly the kind of response that made the people even more in awe of her.

One by one, they lowered their heads again, offering another round of bows, their respect only growing.

Then Jiang Chen, still watching from behind the scenes, had Nangong Wan shift the focus. His gaze flickered toward the nameless immortal tool nearby.

"About this immortal tool…" she asked smoothly, gesturing toward it.

The people in the sinkhole immediately perked up, clearly ready to share what they knew.

After hearing the full explanation, Jiang Chen finally put the pieces together.

The reason the Everflowing Truth Northern Domain was losing its Spiritual Qi… was because of the very sword in his hand!

"So it was you all along!" Jiang Chen's eyes flashed with realization. No wonder no one could figure out what was draining the Spiritual Qi. This place is so remote that nobody even thought to look here!

Almost as if it had heard him, the nameless immortal sword let out a soft hum—like it was apologizing.

Jiang Chen smirked.

"Well, no time for guilt now."

He sent a thought directly to the sword, his divine sense boosted by the Void Tribulation Soulring.

"A brutal fight is coming. Stay close—I'll need you."

The sword didn't resist. Instead, it let out another hum—this time carrying a hint of… excitement?

Jiang Chen chuckled. Oh? You're eager for battle, huh?

This was perfect.

Earning the loyalty of a sentient immortal weapon wasn't easy. But thanks to his Heaven-Defying Fate Changer, the Void Tribulation Soulring, he had managed to snatch this sword right into his possession.

Unless something unexpected happened, this immortal sword was his now. And with a weapon like this by his side?

His enemies were in for a very bad time.

Damn it! That could've been my immortal weapon!

Mo Hao stood off to the side, his face dark with frustration. He turned his head away, unable to look at the silver immortal sword any longer. The mere sight of it made his blood boil.

While he was still stewing in his misery, the steady voice of Jiang Chen's Master cut through his thoughts.

"Mo Hao, stop wasting time and recover your Origin Power. I've got a bad feeling—the rest of the demon army is coming soon!"

Mo Hao let out a short grunt, barely hiding his irritation. "Mm."

Without another word, he popped the pills into his mouth and walked off to find a quiet place to meditate and recover.

Meanwhile, Jiang Chen—still in disguise—did the same.

Neither of them had taken any serious injuries, but their Origin Power was drained. Thanks to the high-grade pills, their strength quickly returned to its peak.

Then—

BOOM!

A deafening explosion split the sky.

Jiang Chen's divine sense flared to life, scanning the horizon.

Dark streaks filled the sky—countless figures wrapped in thick black smoke, descending fast like a wave of doom.

Just as he expected.

The last three demon legions had arrived.

Leading the charge was a Late-stage Transcendence realm demon from the Devouring Flame Demon Clan, flanked by two other Transcendence realm demons from the Beast Taming Demon Clan.

And that was bad news.

The Beast Taming Demon Clan was known for controlling terrifyingly strong demonic beasts—usually ones that matched their own strength.

Which meant…

With their beasts included, this enemy force had a total of five Transcendence realm combatants.

And they were coming fast.

The demon army stormed forward from three different directions, their presence alone making the very air feel heavy—like they were here to crush the world itself.

Inside the giant sinkhole, fear spread like wildfire.

Faces turned pale. Sweat dripped down backs and palms. People clutched their weapons tightly, but their hands were shaking.

They all turned to Jiang Chen's Master—the only one they truly believed could save them.

As for Mo Hao? In their eyes, he was just… there. An extra.

Then—

A chilling voice echoed from outside, oozing with malice.

"I smell it… the stench of death!"

Another voice sneered, "Ben Man and his group were completely wiped out here."

"There they are. They're hiding in that giant sinkhole!"

"What do you think? Are they so arrogant they don't even bother running? Or do they know there's no escape and are just waiting to die?"

A cold, eerie laughter followed as the three demon divisions closed in.

At the front, the Devouring Flame Demon Clan's powerhouse, Xun Tian, stepped forward. His flame-red hair flared wildly like it could burn the sky itself. His face was rough and battle-worn, his piercing eyes blazing like an endless inferno.

His gaze locked onto Jiang Chen and the others.

"Hmph. They're nothing but lambs waiting for slaughter," one of the beast taming demons scoffed. His voice dripped with disdain. "Even if they somehow managed to kill that idiot Ben Man, they're done for now."

"Exactly!" the other one sneered. "They probably just relied on some cheap trick to take him down. Against us? They don't stand a chance!"

Xun Tian let out a low, menacing chuckle.

Then his eyes turned ice-cold.

"Attack!" he roared.

"If possible, take them alive!"

His lips curled into a cruel smirk. "Dying would be too easy after what they've done!"

With a thunderous battle cry, the demon army charged—racing straight for Jiang Chen and his companions.