Great Villain: Starting by Humiliating the Son of the Heavenly Fate
Chapter 420 - 420: Layers of Schemes

Lu Yi sensed something was off—his instincts, sharpened by his status as the Son of Heavenly Fate, gave him a faint warning.

But he didn't think much of it.

The air was already thick with danger. Three Nirvana Peering-level powerhouses were fighting overhead, and every one of them kept a close eye on him.

With that kind of pressure, a vague feeling didn't seem worth worrying about. He had no idea that an even deadlier threat was watching him from the shadows.

And that threat? It had everything to do with Jiang Chen's Death Calamity Dark Star Moon Dao Embryo Bloodline.

That bloodline had a special ability—it could mess with the protagonist's natural instincts, dulling his danger sense in subtle but powerful ways.

Luminous Heavenly Fury Blade... Jiang Chen's eyes followed the changes in Lu Yi's attribute panel as he casually stroked his chin. That weapon evolved from two Transcendence-level tools... then hit lower-grade Nirvana Peering, then middle-grade... and now it's upper-grade.

Even Sun Tianlin—one of the top names in the Purple Crest Immortal Sect—only has a lower-grade Nirvana Peering-level immortal weapon.

An upper-grade Nirvana Peering-level immortal tool... Jiang Chen's eyes narrowed slightly. Something like that usually only shows up in the hands of Nirvana Cleansing realm cultivators on the Prosperous Stone Immortal Star. Lu Yi's fusion system is seriously impressive.

Based on everything Lu Yi had just done, Jiang Chen could already guess what might be coming next.

He's got a top-tier offensive weapon now, so his strength in a head-on fight just jumped way up. And since he still hasn't fused his human and demon bloodlines, that means the system's not done yet.

He's already used the fusion function three times, but didn't go for a fourth upgrade. That tells me there's a limit—probably tied to how many times the system can activate in a day. If I'm right, his Level 4 system should allow for four fusions.

What I don't know is whether that limit resets after some kind of cooldown. If it does… that's just broken.

Still, Jiang Chen wasn't too worried about that part.

Right now, his biggest boost is raw combat strength. So the next part of the story should be all about fighting. If things play out the way I think they will, Lu Yi's about to turn the tables—take out some of those Nirvana Peering realm cultivators, shake up the whole city, and then make his move to escape.

A cold smile tugged at his lips. A fight-heavy arc, huh? That's exactly my kind of fun.

...

Meanwhile, under the careful maneuvering of the two Nirvana Peering realm cultivators from the Purple Crest Immortal Sect, the fight had already shifted far from Burning Sun City.

Perfect.

"It's time. Let's go. One of us leads, the other follows—keeps anyone from backing him up," Wu Jiaxun said, then shot forward, heading straight for Lu Yi.

What he didn't know was that Zhong Yushan had been watching his every move—and had seen right through the plan.

"They're moving. One in front, one behind. Cut them off now," Zhong Yushan sent the command without hesitation.

"Got it!"

The two hidden cultivators from the Compassionate Sword Immortal Palace responded instantly, bursting out from concealment.

BOOM!

In an instant, four powerful Nirvana Peering-level auras exploded across the sky like crashing thunder, shaking the world with their force.

Just as Wu Jiaxun and his partner launched their attack, two barriers sprang up around Lu Yi—thick and solid, like giant upturned bowls. Their strike slammed into them but didn't break through.

The impact set off a storm of shockwaves that tore through the air like a raging hurricane, sending leaves swirling high above Burning Sun City until they blotted out the sun.

"What?! So the Compassionate Sword Immortal Palace really did leave someone behind!" Wu Jiaxun's eyes widened, but the shock quickly gave way to cold fury. "No matter what, Lu Yi has to die!"

He didn't waste a second. His figure blurred as he shot forward, slamming straight into the barrier. Twin daggers appeared in his hands, and he drove them at the same spot with brutal force.

"You want to kill Lu Yi? Keep dreaming!"

The two from the Compassionate Sword Immortal Palace scoffed, moving in sync as they formed matching hand seals.

In a flash, the two barriers around Lu Yi merged into one—thicker, stronger, and even harder to break.

Dong—!!

Wu Jiaxun's daggers slammed into the barrier with a deep, bell-like clang, sharp enough to pierce steel but still not enough to shatter it outright.

Crack!

A thin fracture started to spread from the point of impact. Wu Jiaxun's eyes narrowed as he poured more power into his attack.

Behind him, his partner stepped up, pressing a palm to his back and flooding him with Immortal Origin Power in a reckless surge.

But the Compassionate Sword Immortal Palace duo wasn't caught off guard—they were just getting started.

With a quick gesture, the two from the Compassionate Sword Immortal Palace sent a pair of talismans spinning into the air. They twisted together and fused into the barrier without a hitch.

Whoosh!

The cracks vanished instantly—like they'd never been there at all.

"Damn it!" Wu Jiaxun's face twisted with frustration. "Regroup—bring the fight to me!"

He shot a command to the two still locked in battle with Zhong Yushan, telling them to shift positions and close in.

His plan was clear: pull everyone into one place, turn it into a four-on-three brawl, break down their defenses with numbers, then split them up and finish them off one by one.

The two fighting Zhong Yushan didn't hesitate—they broke off and headed straight toward Lu Yi.

"Pathetic," Zhong Yushan scoffed, already seeing through Wu Jiaxun's plan.

He didn't back off. If anything, he hit harder, chasing them down without giving an inch.

In the blink of an eye, both sides were locked in a full-on clash.

Three from the Compassionate Sword Immortal Palace versus four from the Purple Crest Immortal Sect.

Zhong Yushan and Wu Jiaxun were both Peak-stage Nirvana Peering realm cultivators, each backed by two Late-stage allies. But the Purple Crest side had the numbers—one extra fighter at Middle-stage gave them the upper hand.

As the fight broke out in full, the Purple Crest Immortal Sect's Middle-stage Nirvana Peering realm cultivator kept trying to break away and go after Lu Yi.

But getting through the barrier set up by the Compassionate Sword Immortal Palace wasn't easy—and every time he tried, he was forced right back into the fight.

Again and again, he came up short.

Frustration quickly crept onto his face, his patience wearing thin.

"Stay focused," Wu Jiaxun called out while trading blows with Zhong Yushan. "We've got the numbers. Just keep pressing—we'll win this if we keep up the pressure."

"Exactly. Even if this turns into a drawn-out fight, we've got the edge."

"And we're close to our own territory. Reinforcements could show up any time—they won't dare drag this out."

The Purple Crest Immortal Sect cultivators passed messages back and forth through divine sense, slowly regaining their confidence.

But what they didn't realize was that Zhong Yushan's group wasn't worried about a long fight at all.

They hadn't charged into enemy territory on a whim—Liang Youwen had made sure they came prepared, armed with plenty of trump cards.

Their goal wasn't just to stir up trouble or shift blame onto the Purple Crest Immortal Sect. They were here to take out Nirvana Peering realm cultivators—for real.

Heh. You think you can grind us down and force a retreat? Too bad—I've got the same idea. And when you're wide open, I'll take my shot and finish this.

A sharp glint of amusement flickered in Zhong Yushan's eyes.

But while the two sides clashed overhead, none of them noticed what was happening below.

In the courtyard, Lu Yi—the one they had all written off as irrelevant—was quietly waiting for his chance to move.

Keep fighting. Best-case scenario, you beat each other half to death. The more worn out you get, the easier it is for me to slip away, Lu Yi thought, a sneer tugging at his lips as he watched the chaos above.

But what none of them—Wu Jiaxun, Zhong Yushan, or even Lu Yi—realized was that someone else was watching from even higher up.

Jiang Chen. And unlike the rest of them, he could unleash power close to the Half-step Nirvana Cleansing realm.