Villains Aren't Stepping Stones!-Chapter 48: Outside

Yun Li staggered out of the silver gate, his chest heaving as the crisp, cold air of the Ten Thousand Beast Mountain Range filled his lungs.

He looked around, and the landscape he had arrived at was now unrecognizable.

Where once towering peaks and ancient, impenetrable forests had stood, there was now a sprawling wasteland—a massive chunk of the mountain range had been completely flattened by the war between the guardian of the youths and those old rouge cultivators, which literally opened a path from the secluded Eastern Region to the vast world beyond the Empire’s reaches.

"Young Master!"

Just then, a blurred streak of white light landed before him.

It was Old Hao, the guardian Yun Li’s father had assigned to him.

The old man’s white hair and beard were matted with dirt and dried gore, his robes shredded by the shockwaves of the war that had raged outside.

But despite his battered state and the aura of exhaustion clinging to him, the sheer pressure of a Nirvana Rebirth Realm expert still rippled from his body.

Yun Li surveyed the area. The grand war had largely concluded, and many of the Profound Arks had already departed, and those who remained, a handful of elders and weary youths, were frantically packing their belongings, eager to put distance between themselves and the Shen Clan’s shadow.

Or perhaps, they found some hidden treasures inside and were eager to leave and hide.

"Young Master Yun," another voice called out.

Turning his head, Yun Li noticed someone familiar, it was Old Hei, the guardian of Ao Long.

He stepped forward, his eyes searching Yun Li’s face with desperate intensity. "May I ask... how is the Crown Prince doing now? Why has he not emerged?"

Yun Li looked at him, remembering the humiliation he felt in that hall and cupped his hands with a practiced, respectful dip. "Elder, the Crown Prince is still searching for treasures within the side chambers. The Heir of the Shen Clan has... essentially claimed the main inheritance. He threatened to slaughter anyone who dared to compete for the core legacy. Your Prince, being wise, decided to focus on the other rewards instead."

A shadow flickered at the distance, but not one seems to have noticed.

"The Shen Clan’s heir?" Old Hei’s entire body trembled before he let out a long, ragged sigh that seemed to age him a decade. "Ah, forget it... forget it. The moment that person appeared, this outcome was already written in the stars. To survive his presence is already a blessing."

Yun Li raised an eyebrow, his eyes narrowing.

He had actually intentionally framed his words to gauge the reaction of a veteran like Old Hei, hoping to see a spark of resentment or a desire for rebellion, yet there was none.

It was understandable, as had only been in this world for a year and has yet to quite grasp the power structure of this world, and so to his "transmigrator" mind, the Shen Clan was just one family.

In the stories he knew, and even in history itself, many powerful empires were toppled by alliances.

Surely a group of Kingdoms working together could suppress a single clan?

But as he looked around, he saw no anger.

He saw only the helpless, hollow expressions of men who had seen a god and realized their own insignificance.

Even his own guardian, Old Hao, stood with his head slightly bowed.

’Are the Shen Clan really that powerful?’ Yun Li wondered, a cold chill settling in his stomach. ’What is the Imperial Family of this damn empire doing? How can they allow a single clan to grow so dominant that their name alone silences these old monsters?’

He couldn’t understand. The Blue Wind Kingdom suppresses their Yun Clan after they grew a little stronger, so how come the Shen Clan are still okay even though they are that powerful?

No, maybe the Imperial Family is far more powerful than the Shen Clan are? Yes, that is the most logical explanation.

It makes no sense otherwise.

Yun Li was already convinced by his reasoning.

However, what he didn’t know was that the Imperial Family weren’t afraid of Shen Clan growing even stronger not because they are even more powerful, but simply because they knew that the Shen Clan, who are focus on their goal of once again reaching for Immortal Path, couldn’t be bother to chain or entangle themselves with the Imperial Luck.

"Forgive me, Old Hei, but the trials were arduous and I am very tired. I wish to return to our clan and report to my father," Yun Li said, cupping his hands.

Old Hei nodded, "Hmm. I’m sure you must be tired. I won’t take up much of your time, then. Go on."

Yun Li nodded and turned towards his guardian, "Old Hao, let’s go.

Old Hao didn’t waste a second as he immediately summoned a sleek, white Profound Ark from his storage ring.

The vessel hovered silently, its hull inscribed with defensive runes as he led Yun Li inside, and with a sudden, violent crack of displaced air, the ark vanished into a streak of white light, heading toward the Yun Clan’s territory.

But seconds after they departed, the gate flickered once more and two princes, Jin Pei and Ao Long emerged, looking like survivors of a shipwreck.

Although they already healed themselves with pills, their torn and bloodied robes still tells the harsh battle they had.

"Crown Prince!" Old Hei cried out in pure, unfiltered joy, rushing toward Ao Long. "Welcome back! How was your—

"Old Hei!" Ao Long didn’t offer a greeting; he let out a guttural scream of rage as he cut Old Hei off, "Tell me! Did that trash Yun Li already leave?! Did you see him?!"

Old Hei blinked, taken aback by the sheer venom in the Prince’s voice. "Y-Yes... you just missed him, Crown Prince. His ark departed only moments ago."

"Quick! Hurry! We have to follow them!" Ao Long urged, grabbing Old Hei’s arm. "Take out the royal ark now! He has something that belongs to the Blue Wind Kingdom! We cannot let him reach the Yun Clan!"

"O-Okay!" Old Hei, sensing the urgency, summoned the Blue Wind’s primary ark.

Ao Long leaped onto the deck before the ramp was even fully lowered, with Old Hei following close behind.

The ark’s runes then glowed to life, and with a streak of azure light, it vanished in hot pursuit.

Nearby, Jin Pei’s guardian stepped forward. "Crown Prince, you must have gained much from this adventure, no? You seem... different."

Jin Pei wiped a smudge of dirt from his face and let out a hearty laugh. "Yeah. I got treasures, sure. But more than that, I found a rival and a friend. As expected, you can’t be a real Cultivator without a rival to push you!"

N

The old man smiled, seeing the growth in the boy’s spirit. Back then, Jin Pei was incredibly egocentric, believing himself to have no equal, but now, it seems he had finally matured.

The King can now rest assured, the Kingdom finally has a true heir.

"Alright, let’s go. I want to sleep."

The old man said no more and directly summoned their ark and led Jin Pei inside, the Sun Bird Kingdom’s vessel taking flight toward the horizon.

There was silence outside the gate, broken only by the howling of the wind.

Then finally, a few minutes later, the silver mist parted one last time for Xia Mengyao and Luo Mingye.

And as they stepped onto the flattened earth, two powerful women, both radiating the aura of the Nirvana Rebirth Realm, standing on the sky immediately came sown to greet them.

"Young Miss, how was your trip? Did you find anything you needed?" one of the women asked Mingye, her tone doting.

"Yep. I think I might’ve gained a husband, and a sister wife if all things go well." Mingye said nonchalantly, her eyes drifting toward the clouds.

"Huh?" The guardian froze, her mouth agape.

Meanwhile, the other woman turned to Mengyao. "Young Master... the Madam is now asking you to return at once. She is quite furious that you sneaked out without her permission. She has been pacing the halls of the Sect days and has become quite irritable."

Mengyao offered a faint, tired smile. "I know. I’ll apologize and take whatever punishment she deems fit. Let’s go."

The two girls bid each other a lingering farewell, their gazes reflecting the secret bond that now tied them together.

They then boarded their respective arks, taking one final glance at the stone gate before they vanished into the distance.

The wasteland immediately fell silent, the howling of the winds the only sound to be heard.

But at the entrance of the gate, where the silver light pulsed one last time before going dormant, a shadow flickered.

It was a silhouette that didn’t belong to any of the youths, a lingering presence, standing guard, as if waiting for something, or someone, to return.