Chapter 18 | How Could the Master of All Villains Be Righteous?

Xie Tinglan cast a spell to shroud the three of them, concealing their situation from outside eyes. Unleashing his full cultivation as a Golden Core Late Stage cultivator, he sped through the air at full tilt, scaring off many curious onlookers who had pursued them to watch.

“I felt a terrifying power earlier, no lower than the Soul Formation Early Stage...”

“This person is at the Golden Core Late Stage. Leaving in such a hurry, he must carry some sort of treasure.”

“If he were truly a Soul Formation master, he would have displayed his Soul Formation realm directly by now. He’s likely... blustering. Let’s follow and see.”

Yet quite a few cultivators with cultivation higher than his stubbornly tailed them, intent on uncovering the truth.

Xie Tinglan could only push his speed to the limit, fleeing from the bustling city toward remote mountain forests. Meanwhile, Wen Li was completely occupied and unable to help.

She inspected Yao Dai’s condition and found that the old bastard was vicious beyond measure. Realizing he could not outright kill Yao Dai due to Wen Li’s intervention, he had instead tried to shatter her soul, intending to leave her a mortal fool forever!

For a cultivator, this was an unspeakable humiliation.

【Damned system, stop playing dead. Your villain is about to die.】

As Wen Li fed Yao Dai a large quantity of pills to heal her physical injuries, she continuously channeled spiritual energy into her body to sustain her life force.

【Host, you...】 The system, which had been offline for a long time, was scared out of its wits. 【Aaaah! My villain is dying! Host, what did you do?!】

It had only gone into hibernation for a few days to inspect a glitch in its code—how had the villain’s progress bar plunged near zero the moment it woke up? That meant the villain was on the brink of death!

【Shut up!】 Wen Li barked, nearly deafened by its piercing screeches. 【There are pursuers behind us. Hurry up and check if there’s anywhere nearby we can hide.】

【Exchange all my points for whatever pills Yao Dai needs. If I don't have enough points, put it on credit. If Yao Dai dies, you can kiss your mission success goodbye.】 She had previously found the system’s notification chimes annoying, so aside from the salvation progress bar, she had forced the system to mute all the nonsense about points and rewards.

Daring not delay, the system hurriedly exchanged points for a vast quantity of pills and administered them to Yao Dai.

【There’s an old monster at the Soul Formation Early Stage in the northwest. Go southeast—there are no cultivators there, but there’s a Flame Mountain. I can get a protective shield on credit and hide you inside.】

Fortunately, its pills were not of this world, and their effects were distinct.

The unconscious Yao Dai’s aged features temporarily reverted to those of a young girl, and her slipping life force barely stabilized.

However, she remained a mortal, her cultivation completely gone.

Wen Li knit her brows, her eyes almost brimming with dark fury. Holding Yao Dai in her arms, she looked back to see eight factions pursuing them relentlessly.

“Can you tell who among them has the highest cultivation?”

Xie Tinglan turned his head for a look and gave a conservative estimate. “At least three Golden Core Early Stage, two Golden Core Late Stage, and one Nascent Soul Early Stage. I can’t discern the other two.”

A cold, irritable expression washed over his small face.

“Head southeast. There’s a Flame Mountain over there.”

Wen Li secured Yao Dai in a safe position, stood up, and retrieved a half-meter-wide black-and-red banner flag from her spatial storage. The banner looked somewhat ancient, yet its black and red hues were vivid as fresh blood, exuding an eerie aura.

As the banner hovered in midair, Wen Li silently recited an incantation and rapidly formed hand seals, casting beams of light from her fingertips onto the cloth.

The instant the banner unfurled completely, a plume of dark smoke surged out like a black whirlwind, rapidly filling the surrounding air.

“You want to snatch treasure? Let’s see if you have the life for it!”

With a wave of Wen Li’s hands, the banner shot toward the eight pursuing factions behind them, multiplying from one to ten, and ten to a hundred, launching precise strikes.

As the banners spun, their sizes rapidly expanded, swelling from half a meter wide to several meters across in the blink of an eye. Upon these massive banners, the once blurry patterns grew crystal clear—countless ferocious ghosts baring their fangs and brandishing their claws as they charged the enemy.

“A Ten Thousand Souls Banner?” The cultivators trailing behind barely dodged in time.

“No, that’s not right! An ordinary Ten Thousand Souls Banner isn't nearly this malevolent! This wasn't made from slaughtering ten thousand people, but...”

“The overwhelming malevolent energy of slaughtering ten thousand cities!”

Seeing those cultivators momentarily entangled, Xie Tinglan’s pupils contracted slightly. He turned to look at Wen Li and couldn't help asking, “What is that?”

Even he felt a trace of dangerous aura from it.

Wen Li continued channeling spiritual energy into Yao Dai, replying nonchalantly, “While some Nascent Soul old monsters were fighting, I snagged it fair and square.”

“...” Fair and square? Xie Tinglan was incredulous. “You’re only at Foundation Establishment Great Perfection. Aren’t you afraid an old monster would flick a finger and obliterate you?”

“Of course I’m afraid. I’m even afraid we’ll attract the Taixuan Sect Ancestor and get killed in a moment.” Wen Li looked up. “But wealth is found in danger. If being afraid worked, why cultivate? Wouldn't it be better to just stay an honest mortal?”

Xie Tinglan didn't talk back this time.

True enough—if she were afraid, how could she have fought him when he was at the Golden Core Late Stage, all while repeatedly declaring she would be his master?

Though the banner temporarily stalled their pursuers, Wen Li dared not relax. Once Yao Dai’s condition stabilized, she swapped positions with Xie Tinglan.

She took over sword-piloting, while Xie Tinglan focused on defense.

【Turn right ahead! Yes, yes, yes! Flame Mountain is just one kilometer away!】

The system was equally anxious.

Although it could grant the host cheats, it could only add fuel to the host’s existing strength by providing pills; it couldn't offer any direct offensive boosts.

By now, some of the pursuers behind them had evaded the banners and were closing in on Wen Li’s direction again.

Wen Li retrieved the banner and knit her brows. Normally, she would lay low at the foot of Flame Mountain for ten days to a half-month until those cultivators gave up and left on their own. But Yao Dai’s situation was dire—if she didn't act in time, Yao Dai truly might remain a mortal for the rest of her life.

“Xie Tinglan, head northwest!” she suddenly changed her mind.

Xie Tinglan was puzzled, but complied nonetheless.

【Host, there’s a Soul Formation Early Stage cultivator over there! We’d be better off hiding here!】

Wen Li asked in her mind, 【If Yao Dai becomes a mortal, does the salvation progress bar still count?】

She had checked just now—the progress bar that had plummeted to two percent as Yao Dai's life force ebbed was now back up to five percent.

The system scratched its head. 【Logically, turning into a mortal reduces her chances of encountering the male and female leads. However, this also deepens Yao Dai's hatred and fails to resolve her resentment value as a villain. Besides, the power of destiny is formidable—she might still cross paths with the leads and suffer even more tragic plot points that worsen her villainous resentment.】

Wen Li half-closed her eyes, staring at the unconscious, pale Yao Dai, lost in unknown thought.

She continued channeling spiritual energy into her.

The pursuers behind relentlessly chased them. Xie Tinglan struck back several times, but this only confirmed the pursuers' suspicion that the trio's highest cultivation was merely at the Golden Core Late Stage.

They pressed their pursuit with even greater zeal.

Until...

Wen Li and her party arrived deep within a mountain range.

【Host, that Soul Formation old monster is right behind the third mountain! Be careful!】

It shoved another heap of pills into Wen Li’s mouth. After all, she had fought the Taixuan Sect Ancestor from afar—the gap in their cultivation was massive, and she was truly riding on sheer stubborn longevity.

Wen Li stowed her sword, carried Yao Dai in her arms, and ran deeper into the mountains with Xie Tinglan right behind her.

“They went inside! Could they have reinforcements?”

The pursuers hesitated, fearing an ambush.

“If they really had backup, why wait until now to show up? Their spiritual energy is probably exhausted by now! If you don't want the duck right in front of your beak, I’ll take it!”

To provoke a Soul Formation cultivator into action, they likely possessed a treasure that even such a master coveted—such an opportunity was exceedingly rare.