I Really Am A Villain
Ch. 316 - Ruins of Divinity

“Whether I’m in the True Martial Sacred Ground or not, I have no reason to fear you,” Xu Zimo said with a shake of his head and a smile.

“Your name has already spread across the entire Holyflower Region,” the old man replied with a smile. “I heard you destroyed the Heaven-Severing Sacred Ground.”

“Then tell me,” Xu Zimo said, jumping down from the Dark Sky Tiger and walking step by step toward the pavilion, “do you think your Buddha Realm or the Fan Clan is stronger than the Heaven-Severing Sacred Ground?”

“Hard to say,” the old man paused, then shook his head.

Outside, light rain fell steadily. Willow trees lined both sides of the road, with crystal-clear raindrops slowly dripping from the green leaves.

As Xu Zimo stepped into the pavilion, the sound of the woman’s zither came to a halt. She raised her head and stared intently at Xu Zimo.

“Maybe it’s hard to say for you,” Xu Zimo said with a faint smile, “but for me, it makes no difference. You’re all just ants.”

“You speak boldly, young man,” the old man replied calmly, not angry. “But I believe you have the strength to back it up.”

“Alright, cut to the point,” Xu Zimo waved his hand. “What do you want from me?”

“You killed the Sacred Buddha of our Fan Clan. The Buddha Realm is furious,” the old man said.

“And I should care why?” Xu Zimo asked casually.

“Our Fan Clan had a chance to enter the Ruins of Divinity,” the old man said word by word. “That spot was meant for the Sacred Buddha. But now he’s dead.”

“So now you want to give that opportunity to me?” Xu Zimo asked with interest.

“Yes. We want you to take his place,” the old man nodded seriously. “The Ruins of Divinity gather heroes from all over. Even without the dangers inside, the geniuses attending are already threats. The Sacred Buddha could handle that. But now that he’s dead, sending someone else from our family would be throwing them to their deaths, a waste.”

“So you came to me,” Xu Zimo said. “You don’t get something for nothing in this world.”

“We only have one condition,” the old man took a deep breath and glanced at the woman beside him. Finally, he said, “You must marry the daughter of the current head of the Fan Clan.”

“A buy one, get one deal, huh?” Xu Zimo chuckled and looked over at the woman.

She was indeed beautiful, tall, with elegant eyebrows and a delicate face. Her eyes sparkled with a celestial glow, her skin was pale, and she wore a light blue robe that made her seem graceful and gentle.

“What do you say, young master?” the old man asked.

“You’re trying to bind me to your family with a woman,” Xu Zimo said, smiling. “Not a very smart move.”

“We have no other choice,” the old man sighed and shook his head. “When the Sacred Buddha was alive, we had the Buddha Realm’s support. They were grooming him to fight for the Heaven’s Will of this era. Now that he’s gone, our ties to the Buddha Realm have weakened.”

“Does the Buddha Realm know about your spot in the Ruins of Divinity?” Xu Zimo asked.

“If they did, I wouldn’t be the one deciding what to do with it,” the old man shook his head.

“So, what do you think?”

“I don’t like mixing love with profit,” Xu Zimo replied. “And I won’t compromise for anyone or anything.”

Hearing that, the woman tugged at the old man’s sleeve and said stubbornly, “Great Elder, let’s go. If he doesn’t want to, why keep pestering him?”

“Yiyi, step back,” the old man scolded with a frown.

The woman snorted and backed away.

“Think carefully, young master,” the old man tried once more. “The Ruins of Divinity may hold the truth about the gods of the Legendary Era. Some have obtained incredible fortunes inside, divine weapons, ancient god beasts. It’s a place that can change one’s destiny. Many fight tooth and nail just to get in.”

Xu Zimo turned his back, staring at the gray sky in the distance.

...

The Ruins of Divinity are located in the Middle Continent.

All the imperial lineages there jointly control the ruins. Sects from other continents, including the True Martial Sacred Ground, can’t interfere.

Through the ages, countless beings have died in those ruins.

But just as many have found amazing opportunities.

Some obtained weapons of ancient gods.

Others found the eggs of divine beasts raised by gods.

The most famous case is the Sky Vault Emperor.

As a youth, he had poor talent and was expelled from his clan.

After many hardships, he entered the Ruins of Divinity, and came out completely transformed. From that point, he rose all the way to become a Grand Emperor.

Xu Zimo thought for a moment, then finally said, “Alright. I’ll take your Fan Clan’s spot.”

“Glad to work together,” the old man smiled, not surprised.

Those who truly understood the Ruins of Divinity knew how dangerous they were, but still couldn’t resist the temptation.

“No, you’re wrong. This isn’t cooperation,” Xu Zimo said, shaking his head as he walked toward the old man.

He grabbed the old man by the collar and slowly lifted him off the ground.

Divine power flickered around the old man, but he didn’t resist.

“You’re not qualified to work with me,” Xu Zimo said. “You’re only worthy of being my subordinates. Maybe, if I’m in a good mood, I’ll give you a chance to rise.”

“What do you mean by that?” the old man asked calmly.

“I’ll carry the Heaven’s Will someday and ascend to the upper realm,” Xu Zimo replied. “I won’t care much about the Primordial Heartlands by then. If your Fan Clan obeys me, I might give you a chance to rise before I leave. You don’t want to stay under the Buddha Realm forever, do you?”

Hearing that, the old man was shaken. Inside, waves of emotion surged.

He looked into Xu Zimo’s eyes, carrying the Heaven’s Will, the dream countless pursued, yet to Xu Zimo, it was nothing.

But Xu Zimo’s eyes were deep and unreadable, neither joyful nor sad, calm and unmoved.

After he finished speaking, Xu Zimo threw the old man aside.

The old man’s body slammed into a willow tree by the muddy road.

He wasn’t injured, but his green robe was soaked with mud.

“That’s your punishment for attacking my mount,” Xu Zimo said calmly. “You should be glad you didn’t try to fight back.”

The old man remained silent, letting the rain fall on him.

He had originally hoped to use the Ruins of Divinity to form a partnership with Xu Zimo.

After all, Xu Zimo was the Holy Son of the True Martial Sacred Ground, and had destroyed the Heaven-Severing Sacred Ground.

Either of those would have made him an ally, not an enemy.

But now, he realized he had completely underestimated him.

Xu Zimo was too domineering, more so than anyone who ruled by “submit or die.”