235. How Many More Times Do I Have to Admit It? I'm the Villain
The Upper Thousand Provinces are very far away, so far that even a cultivator from the Lower Realm might not be able to reach them in their entire life.
The Upper Thousand Provinces are very close, so close that one only needs to step over the Heaven-Reaching Pillar to reach them.
As soon as they stepped onto the Heaven-Reaching Pillar, the giant Flying Ship carved with the Qin Clan's cloud patterns was already hovering and waiting, its enormous shadow enveloping the entire platform at the top of the pillar.
Feng Qingjue looked up at the ship, which could be described as a mobile fortress, and felt a tightness in his chest.
He unconsciously spoke in a low voice, "Actually... there's no need to use such a massive Flying Ship."
She thought this was a special show arranged for her by Qin Wangchuan.
Is it big?
Ye Jianwei, a knowing smile playing on her lips, and said no more.
Feng Qingjue and his group silently boarded the Flying Ship, stood on the side of the ship and looked down. Below, the Cloud Sea surged, and the mortal world seemed like dust.
After glancing around, her gaze finally settled on Qin Wangchuan's tall and aloof back.
Taking a deep breath, I asked the question that had been weighing on my mind:
Why do you... deceive all living beings?
It is said that Qin Wangchuan concealed his strength and gathered everyone together as part of a scheme.
The sound echoed across the empty deck, and the Qin Clan attendants standing to the left and right all changed color, lowering their heads and daring not to speak.
It seems she was unaware of this person's identity.
Otherwise, they wouldn't dare to speak like that.
"Fooling the masses?"
Qin Wangchuan didn't look at her, but repeated those four words to himself. His tone was unreadable, yet it made Feng Qingjue feel an invisible pressure.
"If that's what you think..." He tilted his head slightly, as if pondering a question that couldn't be simpler, and then a faint, indifferent smile appeared on his lips.
"Then I will choose."
He took a step forward. Beyond the flying boat was the boundless heaven and earth, and he stood between the heaven and the earth. His voice reached everyone's ears clearly:
"All living beings are fools."
"And I am the villain who manipulates all living beings."
Feng Qingjue was not satisfied with this answer.
She had seen the clarity in his eyes when he played the piano, and felt his transcendent air—how could such a person willingly accept a bad reputation?
"To say that all living beings are fools... do you place yourself above all living beings?" Her question carried a last vestige of struggle, as if seeking an answer she dared not delve into.
For some reason, Feng Qingjue did not want Qin Wangchuan to be a bad person.
Why not?
However, Qin Wangchuan's response shattered all her illusions.
He stood at the ship's edge, the Cloud Sea churning beneath his feet, its sound carrying an ancient, desolate stillness.
"I am indeed above all living beings."
"Without the awareness to look down upon all living beings, how could one achieve Surpassing Ancient and Modern, Strongest in History?" He turned around, his gaze truly falling on Feng Qingjue for the first time.
In those unfathomable eyes burned a light that made her heart tremble.
"Would you like to hear about my dreams?"
Ideal?
Feng Qingjue was about to concentrate and listen carefully, she saw Qin Wangchuan gently shake his head.
He leaned against the edge of the boat, gazing at the boundless sky, the Cloud Sea churning beneath his feet, his voice carrying a certain ancient rhythm:
"No."
That's no longer just a lip service to our ideals.
The boy's fingertips lightly brushed against the outside of the ship, and wisps of cloud gathered and dispersed between his knuckles.
"It is the path beneath our feet."
"Myriad Laws Return to Origin, and all beings dwell in the Way."
Myriad Laws Return to Origin, and all beings dwell there.
These eight words exploded in Feng Qingjue's heart like a thunderclap, shaking her to her Divine Soul.
It was as if a Myriad Ages road was unfolding before her eyes—a scene she had never seen even in her wildest dreams.
"Is... that possible?" she blurted out almost instinctively.
"Of course it's impossible, but it's not impossible."
Qin Wangchuan's answer was crisp and clear, carrying an air of all-knowing understanding.
"The myriad phenomena are too numerous to return to a single source—therefore, I will reshape them and become the sole source."
"All beings are foolish and cannot be united—so let us use force to make them submit, turning countless 'others' into 'our own people'."
The Flying Ship was passing through a thunderstorm zone, and the lightning flashed, casting flickering light on his sharply defined profile.
"There will be a lot of bloodshed, and many people will die." The boy's tone was terrifyingly calm. "But the world will change."
"In the changed world, everyone is one family, and everyone has a place to live. There will be far fewer... tragedies."
Feng Qingjue opened his mouth, his voice a little dry. "But the process of changing the world will itself create countless tragedies. What if in the end it turns out... this path is wrong?"
Qin Wangchuan's gaze remained calm. "Precisely because the world is full of fools, tragedies are inevitable, but can only be reduced."
"If this is the wrong path--"
"Then let my bones become Dao Beacon."
Feng Qingjue stared blankly at the man before her, her fingertips unconsciously digging deep into her palm.
At that moment, she finally understood what kind of being this person was.
The former mortal Empress recalled the vows she had made, her ideals about ascending to heaven, which seemed shallow and insignificant in the face of this grand, almost insane vision.
No wonder you said... it was too shallow...
A barely audible murmur escaped Feng Qingjue's lips, her eyes swirling with complex emotions.
Just as she was about to continue speaking, a respectful voice rang out at the opportune moment:
"Your His Highness, we have arrived."
As the Flying Ship slowed down, the view below gradually became clearer.
It was a larger Circular Arena than the one in Middle Thousand Provinces, and it was already bustling with people.
As the shadow of the Qin Clan Flying Ship swept across the venue, countless gazes turned to the sky.
"The rumors are true!"
"It's finally here!"
"Is it truly the Qin Clan Divine Son who has come in person?"
Even Chu Wujiu and the others, who had been waiting for a long time, looked up at the sky and said, "Oh, they've arrived."
Feng Qingjue was about to bend down and look into the distance, he caught a glimpse of a figure passing by out of the corner of his eye, and subconsciously turned his head to look.
Just then, Qin Wangchuan raised his hand and removed the mask that was covering his face.
The moment the five fingers closed, the mask shattered.
Thousands of streaks of light burst forth like a shower of stars, and in that instant of dazzling fragments, Feng Qingjue's breath caught in his throat.
She saw a pair of eyes that were like molten gold.
I was standing right next to him, close enough to see every single one of his trembling eyelashes.
But in those eyes that reflected the entire world—
But she wasn't there.
At the same time, brilliant Golden Flames ignited on Qin Wangchuan's Green Robe.
With each step taken, the Golden Flames grew even brighter.
The Green Robe gradually dissipated amidst the flickering starlight, as if shedding its Mortal World disguise to reveal a magnificent robe with a dark black base and gilded embroidery.
On the robe, a lifelike Five-Clawed Golden Dragon slowly moves.
Its eyes are like torches, its golden scales gleam, and every scale shimmers with intense golden light.
This sleeping True Dragon is fully awakening as its master sheds his disguise, radiating an awe-inspiring majesty that commands respect.
Amidst the howling wind, his Dragon Robe billowed as Qin Wangchuan stood on the edge of the ship's gunwale high in the sky. His unrestrained, majestic aura and noble bearing were perfectly integrated, making him appear like Immortal descending to earth.
"Wait here a moment." He didn't turn around, his gaze sweeping over the bustling world below. "Once I've settled matters here, I'll depart for the Immortal Court."
"It won't be long."
Before he could finish speaking, Qin Wangchuan had already leaped off the Flying Ship, his figure plummeting downwards like a sharp sword.
Feng Qingjue subconsciously walked to the spot where he had just jumped down, leaned on the railing and looked down. He saw a surging crowd, far exceeding the scale of the Middle Thousand Provinces Grand Competition.
Those Prodigy who accompanied her, upon witnessing this, couldn't help but sigh in admiration:
"What kind of incredible reward could possibly gather so many Prodigy here?"
Just as Ye Jianwei was about to jump down, upon hearing this, she lightly left behind a sentence:
No reward.
She also removed the mask from her face, and with a crisp sound, the mask turned into specks of light in her palm.
This is no longer useful.
Feng Qingjue was taken aback. "No reward?"
Ye Jianwei's lips curled slightly:
"To be able to fight against my Young Master, the Qin Clan Divine Son, is already a once-in-a-lifetime honor."
This opportunity is worth more than a thousand rewards in the world.
Having said that, she gracefully stepped off the Flying Ship, following closely behind Qin Wangchuan, and disappeared into the Cloud Sea.
Liu Feng Qingjue murmured behind him, only now learning the identity of this Qing Wangchuan.
"Although I knew he came from the Qin Clan, I never expected him to be... the Qin Clan's Divine Son?"
She had certainly heard her uncle mention the name "Divine Son" before; he was the supreme figure of the Qin Clan.
However, the identities of Qing Wangchuan, who claimed to Talisman Cultivator, and the high and mighty Qin Clan Divine Son were too far apart, making it difficult for her to connect the two for a while.
Just then, a Flying Ship bearing the Chen Lineage crest broke through the clouds and arrived. Before it even came to a complete stop, Jiang Yan let out a wail.
During his time on the ship, he naturally learned Qin Wangchuan's true identity.
"My Eldest Brother lied to me again! He really is the Qin Clan Divine Son!"
"Wait a minute! Did he lie to me, or did he not lie to me?"