I Really Am A Villain
Ch. 97 - The Palace of Paintings Emerges

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In the stillness of the long night, a cold wind swept across the mountaintop.

It brushed gently over the hills, causing the tall trees on either side to sway. Soft silver moonlight cascaded down like water.

A young man sat on the hillside with a sword at his waist and a jug of strong wine in his hand. He drank slowly, letting the cold wind wash over him.

The fiery alcohol brought a little warmth to his heart.

Chu Yang looked down at the wanted poster in his hand with a wry smile, his mind still in a daze.

“What do I have to do with the Saintess of the Immortal Spirit Sect? Why am I suddenly wanted in every major city across the entire Western Region?”

“You’ve probably been framed,” said the Lord of Samsara with a sigh.

He had experienced countless storms in his life. Many things were clear to him at a glance.

“I can go explain myself to them and clear things up.” Chu Yang said firmly.

“It won’t work. The moment you show up, they’ll try to kill you,” the Lord of Samsara replied. “Life is cheap to them. They’d rather kill the wrong person than let someone go. These so-called major sects are often more ruthless and tyrannical than ordinary folk.”

“But I can’t hide like this forever,” Chu Yang said helplessly.

“That’s nothing. I can teach you disguise techniques,” the Lord of Samsara chuckled. “My method is highly advanced, unless someone is an Imperial Meridian Realm cultivator with True Fate, most people won’t see through it.”

…

At the Sacred Spring Sect, the inner court tournament had concluded successfully. Grand Elder Tianzhen was preparing to return to the True Martial Sacred Ground with his group aboard the Sageship.

Xu Zimo approached Grand Elder Tianzhen with a smile. “Seventh Grand Elder, I won’t be returning with you.”

“Why?” asked the elder, puzzled.

“I want to go out and train for a while. There's nothing urgent waiting for me back at the sect,” Xu Zimo smiled.

“Alright then, just be careful,” Grand Elder Tianzhen replied after giving Xu Zimo a long, thoughtful look before boarding the ship with the others.

The match against Mo Lei had changed how Grand Elder Tianzhen viewed Xu Zimo.

Of course, everyone has their secrets, but the elder believed Xu Zimo was far from ordinary.

Xu Zimo set out alone, having declined Xiao Guizi’s offer to accompany him.

He watched as the Sageship soared into the sky, shrinking into a small black dot on the horizon.

With his curved blade on his back, Xu Zimo adjusted his robes and began heading toward Violet Sun City.

Violet Sun City was the capital of the Violet Sun Empire. The empire had stood for thousands of years, surviving countless wars. The ancient city carried immense honor and history.

In earlier times, Violet Sun City had already been more prosperous than most cities.

Now, with the Palace of Paintings rumored to be emerging, people from all directions were flooding into the grand city. It was nearly bursting at the seams with crowds.

…

After three days of travel, Xu Zimo finally arrived at the gates of Violet Sun City, one of the oldest cities in the Western Region.

The city was divided into inner and outer parts. The inner city housed the imperial palace, which was off-limits to commoners.

On the main streets of the outer city, vendors were everywhere, selling weapons, meridian techniques, and immortal medicines in dazzling variety.

As Xu Zimo entered the city, he found every inn completely full.

The streets bustled with more than just unaffiliated cultivators, most were sect disciples.

They were easy to recognize in their uniform sect robes. Xu Zimo walked down the main street and identified disciples from at least ten different sects.

Passing through the bustling crowd, he stopped in a quieter alley.

In the center of that street was a tavern called Situ Inn, which was doing brisk business.

Xu Zimo hadn’t expected Situ Yunqing to move so quickly. In just a short time, she had opened a restaurant in the capital of the Violet Sun Empire.

Of course, besides her personal capability, this success was also due to Xu Zimo’s substantial support in resources.

…

Entering the restaurant, Xu Zimo found the first floor full, with no private rooms available either.

By luck, he found an open table by the window on the second floor.

Pouring himself a drink, he looked out at the lively crowd below.

He knew that most people here were after the legacy of Heartless Painter and the Palace of Paintings.

Heartless Painter had once caused a huge stir across the Western Region.

Legend says he was born into a wealthy family and loved painting from a young age.

His family was well-off and could afford his passion. By the age of fifteen, he was already a renowned master of calligraphy and painting.

Many were obsessed with his works. Some even waited seven days at his door just for a chance to acquire one.

Though his family was rich, they were still ordinary people, not martial cultivators.

It was said that during an autumn outing, he once stumbled upon a wolf-hair brush.

The brush seemed to resonate with him. Drawn by an unseen force, he dripped his blood onto it out of curiosity.

In that instant, the brush erupted in golden light, and a complete cultivation method was transmitted into his memory.

After absorbing it, he discovered it was a technique for cultivation.

When practiced to a high level, it could supposedly turn items painted on paper into real, physical objects.

In theory, the technique had no limit, even if he drew a Grand Emperor on paper, it could be brought into the real world.

But to achieve that level, the cost would be greater than becoming an actual Grand Emperor.

Heartless Painter lived during the same era as Grand Emperor Wu Chen and was one of his strongest rivals in the struggle for destiny.

In the final, ultimate battle, he was defeated and disappeared completely.

Years later, he reappeared when the legendary World Pearl, ranked first on the World’s Rarest Treasures List, emerged, causing bloodshed across the Eastern Continent.

Even the True Martial Sacred Ground and five other Imperial Lineages joined the fight for the pearl.

That day, Heartless Painter descended from the sky and, by himself, overpowered eight Empyrean Meridian Realm experts.

He took the World Pearl and left as casually as he had come.

Since then, Heartless Painter vanished again, and even the Palace of Paintings he founded disappeared overnight.

…

As the waiter brought his food, Xu Zimo’s thoughts returned to the present.

He ate while planning his next steps.

His purpose for coming to the Palace of Paintings was to obtain the World Pearl.

He was now at the peak of the True Meridian Realm, and his next step was to condense his True Fate and ascend to the Desolate Meridian Realm.

In fact, had it not been for the need to condense his fate, he would have broken through long ago.