I Really Am A Villain
Ch. 396 - Obtaining The Artifact

He was certain that the one who destroyed his projection was definitely someone who had entered the Immortal Path.

Otherwise, the oppressive force wouldn’t have been so overwhelming.

It left him with no will to fight at all.

“Supreme Patriarch, I’ve already sent people to retrieve the inheritance from Fearless City, but it’ll take at least three days to arrive,” an elder below said. “To think someone got ahead of us.”

“Should we put a bounty on that person? As long as they’re within Slaughter Empire’s borders, they won’t be able to escape,” someone else suggested.

Hearing the discussions below, the blood-robed man raised his hand slightly.

He said calmly, “This matter may not be simple. First figure out who the opponent is.”

Everyone agreed in unison.

…

Back in the City Lord’s mansion, Xu Zimo looked at the severely injured Lu Yangu and took his storage ring.

He forcibly broke the seal on it.

Lu Yangu, his soul already damaged, spat out another mouthful of blood.

Xu Zimo searched through the ring and eventually took out the tornado-shaped object.

He didn’t know what material it was made from, it felt very hard to the touch, and the tornado form was carved with intricate detail.

It was about palm-sized and cold in his hand.

If Situ Yunfei hadn’t previously mentioned the Wind-Destroying Pearl, Xu Zimo wouldn’t have made the connection.

“Since this thing is already yours, can you tell me what it’s for?”

Lu Yangu struggled to ask.

“Curiosity killed the cat,” Xu Zimo smiled.

Then slammed his fist down like smashing a watermelon.

Bang!

After obtaining what he wanted, Xu Zimo returned to the underground tunnel.

“Handled?” Situ Yunfei asked as he looked at him.

“Take these kids home. Once that’s done, your task is complete,”

Xu Zimo said calmly.

Situ Yunfei hesitated briefly, then nodded.

…

After parting ways with Situ Yunfei, Xu Zimo returned to his room at the inn.

Before leaving, he gave Lu Yangu’s storage ring to Guo Xiaoyun.

The resources inside, as long as she worked hard, wouldn’t make her very powerful, but would at least help her protect herself.

By the time morning came, the servants might finally notice the deaths of Lu Yangu and his son.

As for others in Fearless City who were also plotting against Lu Yangu, Xu Zimo didn’t bother with them.

After staying the night at the inn, Xu Zimo left Fearless City at dawn, heading north.

He released the Darksky Tiger from his storage ring and rode off into the fading night.

The Northern Continent was vast. Traveling north from Fearless City, it would take over a month to exit Slaughter Empire’s territory.

Therefore, among the Thirty-Six Empires, teleportation arrays were connected to one another.

Using them was the fastest way to travel between the nations.

But because the cost of maintaining them was extremely high, the fees were also expensive.

Only the wealthy could afford to use them; most ordinary people couldn’t.

Xu Zimo planned to go to the Celestial Tiger Empire. After securing the Wind-Destroying Pearl, he’d use the teleportation array to reach the Phoenix Perch Empire, where his maternal grandfather's Wenren Clan lived.

He had already asked around, there was only one teleportation array from Slaughter Empire to the Celestial Tiger Empire, and it was located in Slaughter Empire’s capital, Slaughter City.

So Xu Zimo had to travel from Fearless City to Slaughter City.

…

After half a month of hard travel, Xu Zimo stopped in front of a large city around noon one day.

It was a necessary stop on the road to Slaughter City.

At the city gates were three big characters: Vermilion Bird City.

The characters were red, with powerful brush strokes that seemed alive.

Staring too long at them gave the illusion of one’s mind being pulled in, with the faint pressure of a divine beast.

If you asked which city was most famous in Slaughter Empire, it wasn’t Fearless City at the frontlines, nor the capital Slaughter City.

It was this one, Vermilion Bird City.

From afar, the city’s red-brick walls looked like a Vermilion Bird engulfed in flames spreading its wings to soar.

The city was vast and grand.

It was one of the largest cities within Slaughter Empire, all because of the Vermilion Bird Academy built within it.

…

The Heavenly Dao Academy was the most prestigious academy on the Primordial Heartlands.

It dated back to the ancient times.

Its main campus was in the Middle Continent, and it had four branch campuses in the East, West, North, and South.

They were named Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise respectively.

Back in the Eastern Continent, Xu Zimo had visited the White Tiger Academy.

In fact, Lin Ruhu’s Celestial Tiger Tyrant Physique had come from there.

Now that he was in the Northern Continent, he also wanted to check out Vermilion Bird Academy.

Entering the city, he found its prosperity unlike any other city he’d seen.

There were students in red robes from the academy everywhere.

It was early spring, the academy’s recruitment season.

So the city was bustling with energy.

Talented youths from all over came hoping to enroll.

After all, getting into Vermilion Bird Academy meant gaining a connection to the Heavenly Dao Academy.

After trying several inns and taverns, all full, Xu Zimo finally found an empty room.

Once he settled in, he decided to stroll through the streets.

The lively atmosphere had rubbed off on him.

The streets were packed, and merchants at the stalls called out loudly.

The smell of food filled the entire block.

As Xu Zimo wandered through the crowd, a child suddenly squeezed through and ran straight into him.

The child shouted in panic and crashed into Xu Zimo.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to,” the child quickly apologized.

Xu Zimo looked at the child.

Judging by the voice, it was a boy, but his head was completely covered by a large, pure-black hat.

The hat even covered his neck, so Xu Zimo couldn’t see his face.

He found it odd, how could the kid see anything with his whole head covered?

“You okay?” Xu Zimo asked calmly.

“I’m fine, I’ll be more careful next time,” the boy said, shaking his head and running off in a panic.

“Interesting,” Xu Zimo muttered, narrowing his eyes at the boy’s retreating figure.

He reached to his waist, only to find the pouch of spirit stones he’d been carrying was gone.