Great Villain: Starting by Humiliating the Son of the Heavenly Fate-Chapter 367: A Short-Lived Plan

"The Immortal Martial Cave Heaven? Lord Jiang Chen?" Ying Luo tilted her massive dragon head, pretending to think real hard. She squinted a little, like she was trying to remember if any of that rang a bell. After a few seconds of playing the part, she gave a small shake of her head.

"Never heard of him," she said flatly. "Can't contact someone I don't know."

Then, without missing a beat, she turned her sharp gaze to Mo Hao. "Human boy, you're in charge of this group now."

Just like that, she handed the whole crowd of anxious cultivators over to him—following Jiang Chen's hidden orders, of course.

Mo Hao blinked. His smile wobbled for a second. Babysitting a bunch of weaklings was not part of his plan. He wanted to focus on impressing the dragon, not dragging around a bunch of extras.

Still… he couldn't say no. Not in front of her.

He puffed out his chest. "Alright! I'll take the lead."

As for Ying Luo pretending not to know Jiang Chen? Mo Hao didn't question it for a second. Why would he?

Seeing the group all looking to her for direction, Ying Luo let out a powerful breath, the air around her humming with energy.

"Well, since the continent's crawling with danger, let's find a safer path," she said, her voice booming with authority.

And just like that, she took off into the sky, wings slicing through the cold wind like blades.

"Let's move!" Mo Hao shouted, and the crowd scrambled after her, doing their best to keep up.

Thankfully, under Jiang Chen's quiet command, Ying Luo slowed her pace a little. If she hadn't, the poor humans would've been left in the snow in seconds.

And so it began.

From the shadows, Jiang Chen—still unseen—watched it all from atop the dragon's back.

He had just tricked the protagonist, Mo Hao, into leading the group on a journey to find the demons... thinking it was all part of his heroic rise.

...

Deep inside the Vibrant Blaze Domain, Bo Luncang—the demon army's commander—stared at the report in his hands. His eyes darkened, and a wave of pure rage crashed through him.

"What?!" he snarled. "We already lost five Transcendence realm elites?! Two of them were Late-stage?! All in just a short amount of time?!"

He slammed the scroll down, breathing hard. His voice dropped, filled with suspicion.

"Is there a Peak-stage Transcendence realm cultivator hiding on the Immortal Martial Continent?"

He paused, eyes narrowing.

"Could it be… that Jiang Chen they mentioned? The one who killed Lang'er and crushed our army of a million?"

His whole body tensed. Then came the explosion.

"Damn it!!" he roared, and the space around him cracked with pressure. His fury was so strong, even the air seemed afraid.

"I'll rip you apart, Jiang Chen! I'll grind your bones and scatter the dust to the winds!"

This wasn't how it was supposed to go.

Bo Luncang had planned everything—his army had been spread across the continent, and he expected a clean sweep. Easy win. Total takeover.

But instead of good news… all he got were reports of crushing defeats.

Snarling, he clenched his fists until his claws dug into his palms.

"Send the order!" he barked. "Get the nearby units moving! Surround them and trap them—I'm going to handle this myself!"

Too bad for him… Jiang Chen had already slipped out through the Immortal Martial Cave Heaven and was long gone, heading straight for the Western Ice Domain.

...

Up in the sky, Jiang Chen sat calmly on top of Ying Luo's dragon head. As the wind rushed past him, he stretched out his divine sense, scanning the icy land below.

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Not long after, he picked up on something.

Huh. A demon squad… but it's pretty small. Just a few thousand of them, he thought.

He narrowed his eyes slightly.

The strongest one's only at Early-stage Transcendence realm? That's nothing to worry about.

Jiang Chen looked further, sensing the layout of the battlefield ahead.

So, the demon army here in the Western Ice Domain has over a hundred thousand troops… but they've split up into smaller groups, he realized. They're spreading out to wipe out the humans bit by bit.

It was a smart move—but not their own idea. Jiang Chen knew exactly what was behind it.

Heavenly Fate, of course. Setting the stage so Mo Hao can look cool again, he scoffed to himself. These weak little demon squads are perfect for him to show off without facing any real danger.

He looked down at the scattered force again, then smiled coldly.

Too bad, Mo Hao. Hiding your true strength is useless. Your biggest mistake was coveting my dragon and tagging along on this journey.

Without saying a word, Jiang Chen gave Ying Luo a quick signal.

She turned her massive head and glanced at Mo Hao, making sure he noticed. A silent heads-up.

Mo Hao caught the look and perked up instantly. "Wait—demons? There's demons ahead?" he asked, his eyes shining with excitement. "How many?"

Jiang Chen wasn't about to give anything away. He left it to Ying Luo, who just shrugged and said, "You'll see when we get there."

"Uhh…" Mo Hao's mouth opened, but he didn't push it. He was still trying to figure out this proud, powerful dragon, and didn't want to say something that would annoy her.

No big deal, he told himself, puffing up a little. I'll just wait for the right moment and show off later. She'll be impressed for sure.

Feeling confident again, he turned and waved his arm forward.

"Come on! Let's go!"

And with that, he led the crowd of human cultivators ahead, completely unaware of what Jiang Chen had planned behind the scenes.

At the same time, the group of demons Jiang Chen had sensed earlier was flying right toward them. As expected, in the original storyline, these guys were supposed to bump into Mo Hao first—just a warm-up act so he could strut his stuff and look cool.

Jiang Chen watched them come, a faint smile tugging at his lips.

Nice. Saves us the trouble of chasing them down, he thought.

A moment later, the demons entered the edge of Mo Hao's divine sense. The second he noticed them, his whole face lit up.

Perfect! he grinned. These guys are just right for my next big moment.

Plans were already forming in his head.

I'll show off a little, let them escape and call in backup—then show off even harder. A bigger audience, a bigger show.

The more he thought about it, the more pumped he got. In his mind, this wasn't just a fight—it was the perfect stage to skyrocket his reputation.

But while he was busy getting excited, the demon squad flying toward them had finally gotten a good look at the group ahead—and what they saw made their blood run cold.

"Th-th-th-that's a dragon!" the demon leading the squad stammered, his voice shaking. His eyes nearly popped out of his head.

"And not just any dragon—a true dragon?! What the hell?! How is there a true dragon here on the Immortal Martial Continent?!"

He spun around in a panic, barking orders like a madman.

"Go! Go! Get out of here! If the Dragon Race is stepping in, we're completely screwed!"

He didn't wait for anyone. The second he finished yelling, he turned and ran like his life depended on it—because it probably did.

The demon soldiers blinked in confusion.

"My Lord, did he say a true dragon?"

"What's going on?!"

"Wait, why's he running?! Is this for real?!"

Their doubt didn't last long. The panic in their leader's voice was contagious. If he was running, it had to be serious.

One by one, the rest of them followed, breaking formation and scattering like terrified rabbits.

Mo Hao was completely stunned.

He'd been all geared up—ready to strike a pose, throw out a few lines, and show the world just how amazing he was.

But what actually happened?

The demons ran.

Before he could even say a single cool thing, they took one look at him—and bolted.

They didn't wait for a fight. They didn't talk trash. They didn't even look at him. They just ran like their lives depended on it.

Which, okay, fair. But still!

"What the—?! How am I supposed to show off if they're already gone?!" Mo Hao fumed, clenching his fists.

This wasn't how it was supposed to go. Not at all.

I need those demons, he thought, frustration bubbling up inside him. I was going to impress everyone! This was my scene!

Without thinking, he kicked off the ground and shot forward, chasing after them.

But right then, Ying Luo's voice rang out like ice breaking through steel.

"Heh. Think you can run after bumping into me? Keep dreaming."

In the blink of an eye, her speed doubled. Then she was gone—just a silver blur streaking across the sky. Mo Hao didn't even get a chance to react.

"Wait! Lady Dragon, no!" he shouted, reaching out helplessly. "Let me handle it!"

But she was already gone. Totally ignoring him.

Up ahead, the fleeing demons were losing their minds.

"It really is a true dragon!" one of them screamed.

"We're finished! We actually ran into a true dragon!"

"Out of all the creatures in the universe… why that?!"

"I don't wanna die! Someone help me!"

They were falling apart—fear taking over, hope completely gone.

And then, it happened.

With a roar that shook the sky, a massive claw came crashing down from above like a falling mountain.

It was like the heavens themselves were splitting open.

In one brutal moment, the weaker demons were crushed—torn apart like they were made of paper.

Ying Luo didn't stop to celebrate. She shot forward again, eyes locked on the one demon who hadn't died—the Early-stage Transcendence realm one who tried to escape first.

But against a Late-stage Transcendence realm true dragon?

He didn't stand a chance.

A few heartbeats later, her claw came down again—and that was the end of him.

Just like that, the entire squad was wiped out.