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

"Stop it! This is all just a nightmare—it's not real!" Mo Hao shouted, eyes wide and frantic, muttering like he was trying to convince himself more than anyone else.

"A nightmare? Fake?" Jiang Chen raised an eyebrow. His lips curled up, just a little, like he couldn't believe what he was hearing. Then, without warning, he smacked Mo Hao across the face—hard—with the back of his hand.

SMACK!

The sound exploded through the air, sharp and brutal.

Mo Hao flew like a ragdoll, slamming into the side of a mountain. The whole thing collapsed with a deafening boom, rocks tumbling down in every direction.

"AAAGH! Jiang Chen, you bastard!" Mo Hao burst out of the cloud of dust, teeth clenched, breath ragged. "How dare you hit me?!"

He charged straight at Jiang Chen, ready to tear him apart.

But before he could get close, Jiang Chen waved his hand, and a glowing barrier snapped up between them, stopping Mo Hao cold.

"Hit you?" Jiang Chen scoffed, a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth. "No. I'm saving you. Tell me—did that slap hurt? Still think this is a dream?"

He let out a cold laugh, like he was half-amused, half-annoyed.

Mo Hao froze.

He didn't say a word. Just stared at Jiang Chen, breathing hard, eyes full of confusion and pain.

Jiang Chen looked back at him, his smile thin and strange—almost like he felt sorry for him.

"Don't give me that look," he said quietly. "I'm doing this for you, believe it or not."

That spark of anger in Mo Hao's eyes? It meant he hadn't completely broken yet. There was still something left to hold onto.

But then—

"No! Just let me go!" Mo Hao screamed, the words ripping out of him. His face twisted with despair. "Why won't you leave me alone?! My fate has nothing to do with you!"

He lunged forward again, like a wild animal trying to break out of a cage, slamming against the barrier with everything he had.

Jiang Chen flew right alongside Mo Hao, sticking to him like a shadow that just wouldn't go away.

"Mo Hao, I know I messed up your plans," he said. "But I didn't do it on purpose. Do you really have to hate me that much?"

He kept going, his expression full of fake sympathy. "Besides, aren't you getting an even better chance now? I've always believed that as long as you're alive, there's still hope."

"Argh! Just shut up already!" Mo Hao snapped, his stomach turning from all the smooth-talking.

He couldn't get rid of Jiang Chen no matter what he did, so all he could do was shout in frustration.

"My bad, I do talk a lot," Jiang Chen said, putting on a serious face. "But come on, Mo Hao—this is real. You've gotta face it. Stop pretending this world is against you and start fighting back."

"There's a huge opportunity in front of you. Why throw it away?"

"This could be your moment—the one that flips everything around."

After that, Jiang Chen fell quiet.

The two of them flew through the sky, side by side, the wind whistling around them.

Mo Hao's anger didn't vanish right away, but little by little, he started thinking about what Jiang Chen had said.

Two massive armies were ready to clash. The battlefield below was packed—millions of humans and demons getting ready for war. On both sides, top-tier cultivators in the Nirvana Peering realm were already stepping up.

If he made a bold move now—if he pulled off something incredible—he could skyrocket to the top just like that.

But then Mo Hao shook his head, frowning.

"You've got it wrong, Jiang Chen," he muttered through clenched teeth.

"The Immortal Martial Continent doesn't just have two Nirvana Peering realm great powerhouses. There's a third one."

His voice dropped lower, like he didn't even want to say it out loud.

"Someone wiped out a hundred-thousand-strong demon army in the Western Ice Realm with just… one cold breath. One."

He gritted his teeth harder, fists clenching at the thought of that unknown powerhouse—who had ruined his moment to finally shine.

"With someone like that around, rushing into this war is too dangerous. I'd just get crushed again…"

What Mo Hao didn't know… was that the so-called "mysterious powerhouse" he kept talking about was actually Jiang Chen himself.

Playing dumb, Jiang Chen's eyes went wide. He even dropped his jaw like he'd just heard the craziest thing ever. "A third Nirvana Peering realm great powerhouse? On the Immortal Martial Continent? Seriously? Since when?!"

Mo Hao let out a long breath, his tone cold and tired. "Believe it or not, it's real. And with someone like that in the picture, things are way too unpredictable. I'm already halfway up the mountain—I'm not about to slip and fall again."

Jiang Chen scratched his chin like he was thinking it over. "Huh. Even if that guy's that strong… isn't it a good thing? I mean, if he's on our side, won't that help us wipe out the demons faster?"

He turned to Mo Hao, eyes steady. "And after that, we can finally make our way to the Prosperous Stone Immortal Star. You know… the place where real cultivators belong. Don't you want that? Don't you deserve that?"

He wasn't letting up—throwing out every tempting word he could think of.

Mo Hao went quiet.

"…The Prosperous Stone Immortal Star…" he whispered, fists tightening.

His mind flashed back—back to when his family died on the front lines. No rewards. No thanks. Not even a decent burial. Their home taken. Their name erased. And him? Shipped off to the Immortal Martial Continent like garbage, forced to claw his way up just to survive.

He bit down on the pain, his jaw tense.

Going back to the Prosperous Stone Immortal Star—getting revenge, proving himself—that had always been Mo Hao's main goal.

But he was stuck.

Terrified of failing. Scared to take that final step.

Then, out of nowhere—

ROAR!!

A thunderous dragon's roar echoed through the sky, shaking the clouds. The sound grew louder and louder… until a massive silver dragon came into view, its huge body darkening the sky as it flew in.

"What the—?! A true dragon?! There's actually a dragon in the Immortal Martial Continent?" Jiang Chen's eyes went wide as he stared up at Ying Luo, pretending to be shocked and nervous.

The dragon soared closer, and Ying Luo called out. "Hey, human boy! What's got you flying around like you've lost your mind?"

She didn't even glance at Jiang Chen, like he wasn't there. Just like they'd planned.

Mo Hao tensed up, eyeing her carefully. "That's none of your business," he muttered, giving her a weird look—part cautious, part curious.

The dragon in front of him was beautiful. Powerful. Just the kind of legendary beast any cultivator would dream of having as a mount.

But deep down, Mo Hao couldn't help but feel like a loser. Every time he tried to rise up, something pulled him back down. He'd failed more in the past month than he cared to count.

Ying Luo tilted her head, a sly little smile creeping onto her face. "Ah… so that's it," she said. "You're upset because my big brother was the one who wiped out those hundred thousand demons, right?"

"Yep. That was him," she added, her voice softening, like she felt kinda bad. "He came to pick me up. I ran off without saying anything."

Mo Hao blinked. "Wait… he's your big brother?"

His heart skipped. For the first time in what felt like forever, a tiny spark of relief lit up inside him.

Mo Hao had tried to scheme against Ying Luo before. But now, finding out that her older brother was a Nirvana Peering realm powerhouse?

His stomach dropped.

If that guy found out what he'd been planning… wouldn't he just squash him like a bug?

"Yes, he's my big brother," Ying Luo said with a nod, her massive dragon head lowering slightly. "I'm really sorry. He got worried about me, so he wiped out the demon army… I didn't mean for that to mess up your plans."

She gave a small shrug. "But don't worry. I talked to him already. He agreed to wait for me just past the edge of the continent."

"Whoa! A Nirvana Peering realm true dragon?!" Jiang Chen kept the act going, eyes wide with fake amazement. "So… he's just waiting outside? He's not going to get involved in anything else here?"

"Mm-hmm," Ying Luo confirmed with a simple nod.

Jiang Chen turned to Mo Hao and gave his shoulder a friendly slap. "You hear that? Her brother's staying out of it. No more surprise threats! That problem's gone!"

Mo Hao let out a shaky breath and stared at the ground for a second.

"…If that's true," he muttered, clenching his fists tight, "then maybe this could really work."

There was a tiny spark in his eyes now. Hope—small but real.

"Alright then!" Jiang Chen grinned. "Let's head for the Pure Frost Domain. That battlefield's calling our names—it's time we made some noise and got the world to remember us!"

Then he leaned in close, just enough that only Mo Hao could hear him.

"So… this true dragon's your friend? I gotta say, I'm a little jealous."

Mo Hao blinked, then gave a lopsided smirk. "Heh. Yeah. We've fought together."

He whispered back, just loud enough for Jiang Chen to catch it. There was a bit of pride in his voice now—finally something to feel good about. Even if he still didn't fully trust Jiang Chen, seeing that little bit of envy in him felt like a small win.

Jiang Chen chuckled, eyes twinkling. "Man, I really am jealous."