Villains Aren't Stepping Stones!

Chapter 156: Chapter 156: Might Makes Right

The Heavenly Dao.

To the common cultivator, it was a source of wisdom, a goal of transcendence, and for some, it is the ultimate arbiter of justice.

But now, Haoran learned that it was actually nothing more than petty control freak of a thief.

It hid and worked in the background, influencing the entire world as if it were a grand, cosmic game of chess where the pieces were living souls.

It possessed a terrifying, nigh omnipotent reach and could alter a person’s mind, rewrite the scripts of fate, and even distort the very fabric of reality—all for a singular, selfish purpose.

It worked tirelessly to protect its ”Dogs,” those chosen protagonists, from being killed so that the luck it had invested in them could remain secure and continue to plunder the world’s essence.

This influence was so pervasive, so absolute, that even the Supremes, beings who could swallow an entire universe and and shake the shatter the heavens and earth with a thought, found themselves helpless against it.

They could strike a protagonist, but they could never deliver the final blow.

A sudden space-time quake, a spontaneous power burst, some unknown teleportation method, a lightning strike from the heavens, or even the unexpected arrival of a hidden expert who would always intervene.

There are even Supremes who, for whatever reason, would agree to a bet proposed by a protagonist, and would suffer a loss, causing them to let the protagonist go.

Why? Some would say pride, some would say reputation...but honestly, it was just completely illogical.

Even Haoran’s own mother, the Ruthless Empress Chu Xueyu, had not been immune.

Years ago, after she had ruthlessly extracted the divine physique from the boy Shen Hao to give to her son, the Heavenly Dao had subtly altered her consciousness.

Known for her ”cut the grass and pull the roots” philosophy, it was entirely out of character for her to spare the boy’s family.

Yet, in a moment of uncharacteristic ”mercy” that was actually a forced mental command, she had left them alive, providing the perfect setting for a future revenge-driven protagonist to rise.

No one, it seemed, could escape the silent, invisible puppet strings of the Heavenly Dao.

With the sole exception of Shen Haoran, of course.

On that fateful day when Haoran had first confronted his cousin, something had changed.

Perhaps it was a strange, one-in-an-infinite coincidence, or perhaps the Heavenly Dao had momentarily turned its gaze toward another part of the galaxy.

Whatever the cause was, a ”glitch” allowed Haoran to grow suspicious of his cousin’s calm and mature behavior.

It allowed him to bypass the mental fog that usually protected protagonists, prompting him to ask Chu Xueyu to extract the boy’s memories.

And then... the impossible happened.

Haoran had actually been able to kill him.

He had snuffed out a ”Dog of Heaven” before its narrative could truly begin.

When the sleeping Supremes in the Hall heard of this, a tremor of hope had rippled through their suspended animation as they thought the influence of the Heavenly Dao had finally weakened, that the ”Thief” was losing its grip on the world.

So without hesitation, they immediately mobilized the Clan’s most elite shadow assassins, ordering them to hunt down every high-luck youth identified in the Central Region.

The result was a catastrophic failure.

The assassins were struck by lightning, their weapons shattered for no reason, or their targets were saved by ”fortuitous” coincidences that defied all logic.

Those failures proved that the Heavenly Dao was still as strong as ever.

But the fact remained: Haoran had succeeded where all others failed.

The Supremes were forced to reach a singular, startling conclusion: Shen Haoran was a special case.

Perhaps he was a ”Protagonist” himself, a favored Dog of Heaven designed to cull the others.

Or perhaps, more likely, the unique circumstances of his birth, the fusion of the Three Extremes into a single soul, had created a frequency that the Heavenly Dao’s influence simply could not latch onto.

They didn’t know the ”why”, but that really doesn’t matter.

He was the only one who could kill them, that’s all they need to know.

Shen Daiyu smirked, her petite form silhouetted against the sea of stars. ”That’s why, Haoran, you’re the only one who can do this. Because for whatever reason, the Heavenly Dao has very little to no influence over your will.”

Haoran stood silent for a long moment, his golden eyes reflecting the infinite darkness of the void.

He felt the weight of the Trinity soul within him, a power that stood outside the established order.

And at that moment, he understood now that his life wasn’t just about cultivation; it was a war against the heavens themselves who seek to dominate him.

And if there is one thing that Haoran absolutely despised...it is when someone wanted to rule over him.

He looked at his grandmother and gave a sharp, resolute nod. ”Don’t worry, grandmother. I know what to do. If the heavens want to play a game, I’ll be the one to flip the board.”

Shen Daiyu snapped her fingers, and the dark void dissolved. Instantly, they returned to the white floating platform under the boundless blue sky of the Supreme Hall.

She stepped forward and patted his chest with the back of her hand, her eyes looking up at him with a mixture of pride and something resembling ancient hunger. ”Your greatest chance, your true hunting ground, will be in the Imperial Academy over a year from now. All sorts of people, geniuses, monsters, and ’Chosen’, will be gathered there.”

She let out a short, mocking laugh. ”The Imperial Academy... the world thinks the Imperial Family opened it out of a desire to nurture the youth of the empire. In truth, the Shen Clan suggested it—no, we forced them to open it. That is because we wanted a central location where every high-luck individual from every corner of the Empire would be funneled, making it easier for our descendants to plunder the luck of others, and if possible, kill those dogs... unfortunately, not even my granddaughters succeeded.”

Haoran listened, his mind already mapping out the strategies for the year to come.

”That academy is the ultimate survival of the fittest,” Daiyu continued, her voice growing cold. ”In that place, your background in the outside world, your family’s wealth, or your noble titles don’t matter. Only your strength and your luck are recognized. Plunder their fortunes, subdue their spirits, offend the great powers without regard, kill whoever you want... the Shen Clan will stand behind you. You can do anything you want there, as long as you are the one standing at the end.”

Haoran smiled, a look of absolute, unshakeable confidence crossing his face. ”I understand. Basically, I just need to be the strongest, and everything will fall into place, isn’t that right?”

Shen Daiyu grinned, showing her white teeth. ”You brat, I really like you more and more. As long as you don’t lose that pride, I will surely be all over you.”

Haoran chuckled. ”That’s natural, grandmother.”

But as Haoran spoke, Shen Daiyu snapped her fingers again, and the massive wooden double doors once again appeared in the air, shimmering with silver light. ”I would like to chat more, but the resonance of this place is starting to affect your Nascent Soul. I also have things to attend to... and I believe you have a feast to return to.”

Haoran nodded, bowing slightly to the petite Supreme. ”Very well. I will see you around, grandmother. And stay prepared... once I reach the Supreme realm, I might just take you up on that offer of yours.”

Shen Daiyu’s eyes sparkled. ”I’ll hold you to it, lad. Don’t keep a lady waiting.”

With that, Haoran turned and walked through the doors, his silhouette vanishing into the white light as the doors groaned shut and disappeared, leaving the sky empty.

A moment later, Shen Daiyu’s playful smile vanished as she put her hands on her hips and looked up at the boundless blue. ”Alright, come on out, you old fogies! I know you’ve been eavesdropping on our family time!”

In an instant, the sky was no longer empty.

Dozens of figures, men and women of varying ages, some looking like withered husks and others like statues of marble, appeared, floating in the sky and surrounding the small platform.

They were the Sleeping Supremes of the Shen Clan, the hidden foundation that kept the world in check.

”Shen Daiyu!” a voice boomed, sounding like the grinding of tectonic plates. ”Why did you inform the kid about the truth?! He is too young! Such knowledge is a poison to those who haven’t touched the Saint realm!”

”That’s right!” another female Supreme added, her voice a sharp hiss. ”Thankfully this realm is secluded and shielded by the World-Tree wood, or that thing might have heard your treasonous talk!”

”Exactly!” a third elder added, his aura flickering with anxiety. ”If that kid even whispers about what he learned here today in the outside world, the Heavenly Dao will not let any of us go! You’ve put the entire lineage at risk for the sake of your radicalness!”

Shen Daiyu faced them all, her petite frame unyielding against the combined pressure of dozens of Supremes as she let out a loud, mocking laugh. ”What are you afraid of? Haoran’s a smart kid, he’ll figure out what not to say. Especially with the ’commotion’ you walking corpses caused with your accidental aura leaks earlier, I’m sure he already knew to keep his mouth shut.”

”You! Show some respect to your elders, you brat!” a bearded Supreme roared, his energy causing the blue sky to flicker.

”Respect? Elders?” Shen Daiyu laughed, her voice ringing out across the dimension. ”Since when did such things become relevant in our bloodline? Have you all been so badly beaten by the Heavenly Dao and its dogs that you became senile!? In the Shen Clan, only strength is respected! And right here, I call the shots!”

”You—!”

Shen Daiyu grinned, ”What!? Come on! You don’t like the way I do things? Then make me change my mind! As long as one of you can beat me, I’ll obediently follow you and go back to sleep! If not, then get lost!”

One of the Supremes stared at her, ”Shen Daiyu... We admit, being able to kill those dogs indeed proves that he is special, but that doesn’t mean he can shake the rule of the Heavenly Dao. And if he failed and the Heavenly Dao found out that we knew its true nature, it would certainly annihilate us. Just like what they did to the Ancient Babylonian Empire!”

For the majority of these Supremes, the fate of the Plane’s Consciousness doesn’t matter to them, as even if it was swallowed by the Heavenly Dao, it just means their continent has a new master.

Shen Clan would still exist.

But if they rebelled and failed, and the Heavenly Dao found out that they knew the truth, then they will certainly be erased from existence.

For them, who ever rule this plane doesn’t matter, as long as their Clan still exists, then that’s all that matters.

But....

”Hahaha! I, Shen Daiyu, have never bowed to anyone in my life! Why should I be content with being under the rule of a thief!? If it can do it, then why can’t we!? Why can’t we be the one to take over this plane?”

Just like Shen Haoran, Shen Daiyu absolutely despised being ruled over, especially by some petty thief.

Unfortunately, that thief was too strong and she can’t really find any method to win... But now, Haoran was here.

As long as she can protect Haoran until he grow up, he can surely lead the Shen Clan away from the clutches of the Heavenly Dao.

Shen Daiyu would rather have Haoran ruling over them than the Heavenly Dao.

”It seems you’ve gone mad.”

”Mad?” Shen Daiyu tilted her head, ”Far from it. But I’m not here to argue... Like I said before, if you don’t like how I do things, then beat me.”

The Supremes stared at her, and she stared at them in return.

The atmosphere grew so tense that it could probably cause a black hole, but eventually, they relented.

Shen Daiyu was right.

In the Shen Clan, might makes right.

And in the Supreme Hall, Shen Daiyu calls the shot.