Villains Aren't Stepping Stones!-Chapter 44: The Great Era

Shen Haoran was the most talented youth that had ever appeared in the history of the Shen Clan—no, even counting the entire history of the Tian Yuan Empire or the boundless expanse of the Prime Origin Realm, his talent stood at the absolute pinnacle.

Considering this status, Shen Haoran was protected and spoiled with a ferocity that bordered on religious devotion, not only by his own mother but by every Elder of the Clan.

He was the hope of their bloodline, the "True Dragon" destined to rule and shoulder the Heavens Will.

Because of this, not only does he have Qing’er, a Peak Profound Saint, shadowing his every move; his spatial ring was also a literal fortress of treasures.

It contained countless life-saving artifacts that guaranteed his safety regardless of where he wandered in the universe.

The obsidian knife he pulled out was the crown jewel of those protections.

It wasn’t a physical artifact, nor was it forged from any material found in nature.

It was the hardened, materialized Sword Intent of an ancient Supreme from the Shen Clan.

It had only one function: to attack.

And although it was a single-use weapon, its power—the manifestation of a living Supreme’s lethal will—was enough to obliterate Earthly Saints and leave Heavenly Saints fighting for their lives.

And what stood before Haoran was merely remnant spirit.

No matter how majestic Lei Yin had been in life, he was currently nothing more than a fading echo, so faced with the sword intent of a living Supreme, he was a candle standing before a hurricane.

"What...is that...?!" Lei Yin’s eyes widened in fear and shock.

But Haoran didn’t give him time to think and slashed the knife down.

For a heartbeat, the world turned a monochromatic gray, as space and time itself seemed to freeze in a paralysis of pure terror.

Then, a burning, dark purple sword intent erupted from the knife, causing to shatter as it was now done with its use.

And as the "blade" shattered, the intent transformed into a streak of absolute erasure, flying toward Lei Yin with speed that surpasses light.

There was no sound as the attack hits, there weren’t even any aftershock!

It was as if the attack transcended the physical dimensions of the hall as Lei Yin was instantly engulfed by the purple void.

Once the last remnant of the sword qi disappeared, the time resumed its flow, and the world regained its vibrant color.

There were no traces of the attack left in the air, but the proof of its lethality was undeniable: the spirit of Lei Yin had vanished completely.

Xueli blinked, her jaw dropping. One moment she was glaring at the arrogant ghost, and the next, the space where he stood was empty.

"W-What happened? Did you kill him?" she asked, her voice trembling with awe.

Haoran’s expression remained flat as je observed the empty space and spoke to the air. "No need to act dead. Show yourself."

"Bastard!" A cry of pure, undiluted rage echoed through the chamber.

Silver mist coalesced once more, forming the image of Lei Yin, but the "Emperor" was now a pathetic sight, his body was translucent, riddled with jagged cracks that bled motes of silver light. He was literally breaking apart.

He glared at Haoran, his spectral form flickering like a dying lamp.

"Are you going to give us your inheritance, or not?" Haoran asked again, his tone bored.

"You think I’ll give you anything!? Dream on! I’ll kill you here! Who cares about the Shen Clan when I’m already dead!?" Lei Yin roared, his remaining power erupting in a desperate, final surge.

In response, Haoran reached into his storage ring and pulled out a second, identical obsidian knife.

Lei Yin froze mid-roar. His spectral jaw hung open. "Y-You... just how many of those do you have!?"

"Enough," Haoran answered.

He wasn’t lying. He had enough of these materialized intents to fight evenly with a Heavenly Saint in a serious sparring match.

If he truly wished, he could spam these knives to execute a Saint, though those were all simply theoretical as a living Saint could manipulate space or utilize speeds that would make it difficult to land a hit.

But against a stationary, trapped remnant spirit? Haoran could do this all day.

Lei Yin remained silent for a long time, the cracks in his form glowing a dull silver. Finally, he let out a heavy, defeated sigh.

"Very well... you win. The Shen Clan’s foundation is truly... terrifying."

Haoran smiled, but he didn’t put the knife back, he held it casually, the dark purple intent flickering like a flame. "Good choice. Now, have Xueli inherit it."

"This girl...?" Lei Yin observed Xueli, his gaze critical. "Well... her luck is sufficient, and her will is hardened. I can make do."

Haoran’s eyes narrowed slightly. "Why do you look so reluctant, anyway? Is there someone more suitable to inherit your legacy? Xueli is a diamond in the rough. With my assistance, she will shine even in the heart of the Imperial Capital."

Lei Yin sighed, looking toward the distant stars visible through the hall’s ceiling. "Well, I guess I can tell you. You see, when I was alive but already on my deathbed, a Seer, a true master of the Heavenly Secrets, came to see me. He told me that I should leave behind my legacy not for the strongest, but for the ’Fated One.’ He said a Great Era is coming, an era where the heavens will weep and the earth will be reborn."

Haoran frowned, finding it rather familiar.

"He told me," Lei Yin continued, his voice growing distant, "that the one meant to take my mantle would be a boy born of the stars, someone who would rise from nothing to challenge the very foundations of the Prime Origin Realm. And if I played it right, I may even have big chance of being revived."

Haoran’s brow furrowed, his golden eyes darkening with a contemplative shadow.

A Great Era... The prophecy also aligned too perfectly with the whispers echoing through the halls of the Shen Clan.

The Great Seer of his own clan—a man who had blinded himself to see the threads of fate—had predicted that the Immortal Gates, shut for eons, would finally groan open in this very generation.

Not only that, but the memories of his cousin tells the rise of the Flame Empress, where she would rise suddenly and burn like a wildfire, suppressing the geniuses of every continent, shoulder the Heavenly Will, and finally ascend to the Immortal Gates to claim her throne among the stars.

As for those ’fated ones’... they are undoubtedly the anomalies, Haoran thought silently. It seemed the masters of the ancient times had peered into the river of time, seen the arrival of these "protagonists" who appeared in droves, and made their preparations.

But a cold, sharp question pierced his mind: Did they see me? In their visions of the fated heroes, did they also see me who would track them down and strip them of their luck?

He kept his expression a mask of indifference, not showing any intention to ask.

He had dabbled in Clairvoyance as part of his study of the Six Great Professions, and he knew the first rule of the craft; never talk about them, especially if you mention their names.

Seers are the most mysterious and sensitive of all practitioners.

And just speaking their name or question their vision would likely result to something of a bell ringing in their ears, allowing them locate you, regardless of the distance.

Some incredibly power seers can even peek into the past, present and future.

"Well, whatever that prophecy is, it is now void," Seijirou said, his voice cutting through the Emperor’s nostalgia. "Basic rule of Cultivation world; any good things belongs to those with the strength to take it."

Lei Yin looked at Haoran, seeing a terrifying conviction in the boy that no prophecy could account for.

The phantom let out a long, weary sigh, his spectral form beginning to glow with a brilliant, starlight intensity.

"Very well," the spirit whispered, his voice gaining a sacred, ritualistic cadence. "Let us begin. I will now give you my legacy, girl. Whether you can carry the weight of the stars remains to be seen."

Lei Yin drifted toward the center of the platform, his arms spreading wide as the silver coffin behind him shattered into a million sparkling shards, which didn’t fall but began to orbit the phantom in a beautiful, lethal dance.

The very air then began to hum with the frequency of a thousand dying suns.

"Come forward," Lei Yin commanded.

Xueli looked at Haoran one last time,and seeing his silent nod of approval, she stepped forward with her chin high.

From this moment on, she will no longer be a girl from a desolate region anymore; but a rising star ready to ascend to the apex.

"Sit," Lei Yin ordered. "I will first teach you my cultivation and engrave the first three volumes directly into your sea of consciousness. If your will falters for even a second, your mind will be burned away by the starlight."

Xueli nodded sat cross-legged, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.

"I’m ready!"