What Is a Villain?

"Ah?!"

Jiang Cang's face changed drastically, and he was completely stunned.

Declaring war on all the sacred lands of the Tianxiao Continent—wasn't that going too far?

One had to know that even in the Eastern Domain, the Chaos Sacred Land was merely the weakest of the sacred lands.

And among the Nine Domains, the Eastern Domain's overall strength ranked only in the middle to lower tier.

"Is there a problem?" Lu Yuan's gaze was cold.

"N-No." Jiang Cang hurriedly shook his head.

Lu Yuan said indifferently, "I understand your concerns, but rest assured, I have found you some help. What you need to do now is prepare. I will give you three months to rally everyone. When the time is right, you may also reveal some of my background to the Elder Council. If anyone still refuses to submit, kill them!"

"This lowly one understands. I will do it immediately," Jiang Cang said at once.

With Lu Yuan's promise, Jiang Cang gained confidence.

"Mm, you may leave."

Lu Yuan waved his hand.

"Yes." Jiang Cang departed respectfully.

Lu Yuan gazed beyond the great hall, a thoughtful look appearing in his eyes.

Children of Destiny were protected by fate. Their whereabouts were unpredictable, making them difficult to catch.

The best method was to make the Child of Destiny come looking for him willingly.

And to accomplish that, he needed to create a great villain known throughout the world.

The Chaos Sacred Land would be that great villain.

Thinking of this, Lu Yuan asked, "Elder You, how are Elder Ming's preparations coming along?"

"In reply to Young Master, Old Ming has not sent back any news yet. However, he has always been reliable in his work, so he should be back soon," Elder You replied.

Lu Yuan nodded lightly, then his expression suddenly brightened.

"Speak of the devil, and he appears."

The next moment.

A voice resounded throughout the great hall.

"Young Master, I have returned."

At some unknown moment, an elderly man in black robes had appeared below the hall, kneeling on one knee.

There was no aura emanating from the black-robed elder. He was like an ordinary old man. If one did not pay attention, even his conspicuous black robes would make him easy to overlook.

This was the manifestation of merging with heaven and earth: I am heaven and earth, and heaven and earth are me.

"Elder Ming, rise. There is no need to be so restrained before me. You know I do not care about such things."

Lu Yuan rose and walked before the black-robed elder, reaching out to help him up.

The elder had a kindly appearance, but he sternly kept a straight face. "Young Master, rules cannot be broken. You are the Eldest Young Master of the Lu Clan, while I am merely a servant of the Lu Clan. If others saw me meeting my master without bowing, they would gossip. Your prestige would also suffer because of it."

Lu Yuan smiled bitterly and stopped arguing about it, instead asking, "Elder Ming, how did it go? Did you find suitable people?"

Elder Ming smiled. "By Young Master's order, I searched the entire Tianxiao Continent for outstanding young talents with lofty ambitions, ruthless methods, and no scruples. After half a year, how could I return empty-handed?"

Elder Ming waved his hand, and more than a dozen streams of light flew from his sleeve. They landed in the great hall and transformed into a dozen or so young men.

The group of young men landed in the hall with confused expressions, all of them looking around.

Lu Yuan looked at them and quietly observed them.

Each possessed distinct characteristics. Some were big and burly, some resembled refined young gentlemen, some were hideous, while others were incomparably handsome.

Their temperaments were all rather extraordinary, and their cultivation and aptitude were not bad either.

But that was only compared to ordinary people.

Standing before Lu Yuan, they were like fireflies competing with the bright moon, utterly inconspicuous.

At that moment, the group noticed Elder Ming and Lu Yuan.

They all recognized Elder Ming, because he was the one who had brought them here.

But Lu Yuan was completely unfamiliar to them. Moreover, the instant they saw him, a trace of amazement flashed through the eyes of these proud young men.

Lu Yuan stood there straight as a pine, his white robes purer than snow. Standing apart from the mundane world, he possessed looks as handsome as those of a celestial being, like an immortal who had fallen into the mortal realm. The noble aura radiating from within him made them feel ashamed of themselves.

"How could there be such an extraordinary person in this world?"

The question arose in everyone's heart.

Elder Ming shouted, "What are you all standing around for? Why haven't you paid respects to Young Master? Young Master is the great figure I told you about."

Upon hearing this, the young men's expressions changed, and disbelief appeared in their eyes.

They had all witnessed Elder Ming's strength. It was a terrifying power far beyond the scope of their understanding.

Yet such a powerful existence actually addressed the young man before them as Young Master.

They understood perfectly well what that meant.

Thus, everyone bowed.

"Greetings, Young Master."

Most of these young men were proud and unruly, but none were fools. No one would insist on preserving their pride at a time like this.

Lu Yuan waved his hand and smiled. "Rise, all of you."

Everyone stood and looked at Lu Yuan with great curiosity in their eyes.

Lu Yuan returned to his seat and said indifferently as he looked at the young men, "I believe you are all curious why I brought you here. But don't be impatient. Before I tell you my purpose, let me ask you something: do you know what a Child of Destiny is?"

"A Child of Destiny?"

The young men looked at one another, then all shook their heads.

Lu Yuan sighed. "Children of Destiny are favored by heaven and protected by the Heavenly Dao. Whatever they do, they often succeed without obstruction and escape danger safely. When they enter secret realms, they are sure to obtain opportunities. Winning the hearts of peerless beauties is as easy as taking something from a bag, and mighty experts accompany them at every turn. It can be said that without powerful external interference, a Child of Destiny is certain to become a supreme expert."

"There are actually people like that in this world? Why have we never heard of them?"

"Damn it, just hearing that makes me so jealous of them."

"Favored by heaven indeed."

The young men discussed among themselves.

Lu Yuan smiled faintly and continued, "Then do you know what a villain is?"

The young men shook their heads, utterly clueless.

A strange glint flashed through Lu Yuan's eyes as he said, "A villain can be summed up in one sentence: 'Whoever opposes a Child of Destiny is a villain.'"

"Those who slaughter innocents, seize by force, bully the weak, swindle, and deceive cannot be called villains. At most, they are cannon fodder."

"A true villain possesses lofty ambitions and great perseverance. They can give everything for their goals and ideals, resorting to any means necessary to achieve them. For their aspirations, they are willing to make enemies of the entire world. Yet merely because their beliefs differ from those of a Child of Destiny, they become villains."

"Villains are condemned by all. Heaven despises them, and earth abandons them. Most villains ultimately end up with their families destroyed, their loved ones scattered, and their relatives and friends betraying them."

Lu Yuan spoke slowly.

As the young men listened, strange looks flickered in their eyes.

Because in Lu Yuan's words, they saw themselves.

For their ambitions and dreams, they would stop at nothing and pay any price, all to achieve them.

At that moment, Lu Yuan's voice came to an abrupt halt.

The group looked up at Lu Yuan with complicated gazes.

Lu Yuan smiled. "It seems you have all realized it. That's right, I was talking about you. Every single one of you is a villain."