Villains Aren't Stepping Stones!

Chapter 191: Chapter 191: Shen Clan’s Arrival

The golden light of the setting sun bathed the Myriad Dao Pavilion in a deceptive glow of peace, but inside, the air was heavy with the stench of ambition and brewing conflict.

The grand round jade table at the center of the terrace shimmered with a spiritual projection of the world’s geography.

”Now, as we all know, those evil, uncultured swines from the Vast Wilderness have actually invaded the Eastern Region,” said Xu Xiaojun, his voice booming with a forced sense of righteous indignation.

He stood at the head of the table, his hand resting on the hilt of a sword that pulsed with imperial qi.

”Although the Spirit Hall and some other local forces were fighting back with all their might, the reports we’ve received are grim. It won’t be long before their defensive lines collapse and they are utterly defeated.”

He took out a detailed silk map of the entire Tian Yuan Empire, channeling a sliver of energy into it.

The map expanded, hovering in the air for all the geniuses to see as he pointed a gloved finger at the sprawling territories of the East. ”For now, the northern side, where the Spirit Hall’s main headquarters is located, is still holding on by a thread. The Great Tao Desert to the south is also still safe, primarily due to the Lamia Tribe, those snake-women are fiercely territorial and have managed to repel the initial barbarian scouting parties. But everything else? Every city, every resource node, and every fertile valley between those two points has already been conquered or razed.”

The nobles whispered among themselves, their faces pale.

To them, the Eastern Region was a distant thought, but seeing the red stains of ”conquest” spreading across the map made the threat feel visceral.

Before he could continue his rehearsed speech, just then, Su Xishi suddenly raised her hand.

She was lounging back in her jade chair, her white fox tail swishing lazily behind her.

”Yes? Do you have any questions, Miss Su?” Asked Xu Xiaojun.

Su Xishi smiled seductively, a look that could melt the resolve of a lesser man, but her eyes were sharp and mocking.

”We need someone to take command, no? A group of this size, filled with so many... ’unique’ personalities, will fall apart in a week without a leader. And I definitely don’t want to follow someone incompetent. It would be such a waste of my time and beauty.”

Xu Xiaojun’s smile didn’t reach his eyes as he looked visibly annoyed at the implications, his fingers tightening on the table’s edge. ”Are you not satisfied with me, Miss Su?”

”I don’t know,” Su Xishi shrugged, her voice like honey laced with poison. ”I definitely don’t want to follow someone who can’t even suppress his own younger brother, despite having significantly more resources and the favor of the court at his disposal.”

The silence that followed was absolute.

It was as if the wind itself had stopped blowing through the pavilion as everyone went silent as they stared at Xu Xiaojun, whose face was rapidly turning a deep, humiliated red from anger.

Their gazes then shifted to the Fourth Prince, Xu Jingshan, who remained a statue of indifference.

He sat silently with his arms crossed and eyes closed, as if the bickering of his elders and peers was nothing more than the buzzing of distant flies.

”Hahaha!” The silence was broken by a thunderous laugh from the representative of the Diamond Titan Sect.

He is Jin Ci, a muscular man with a bald head that gleamed like polished bronze, slapped his thigh with a hand the size of a dinner plate.

”I second that! Our sect has always respected the strong, not just those with the fanciest titles. What about you guys? Are we picking a leader based on birth certificates or battle prowess?”

The representative of the Endless Path Immortal Sect, a man with short black hair and piercing green eyes named Hun Ming, smirked as he toyed with a jade pendant. ”Certainly. If it’s someone who can lead through sheer prestige, background and talent, then it should be Sister Wenxin, right? Her reputation precedes her.”

Everyone turned towards Bai Wenxin, the purple-haired beauty from the Purple Sky Immortal Sect.

She didn’t even look up from the tea she was sipping as she simply shook her head, her voice cold and final. ”I have no interest in the politics of command. You can discuss among yourselves. I am here for the sect’s objectives, not to play general for a gaggle of nobles.”

”Same here,” said Bei Nu, the man wearing glasses who looked more like a weary scholar than a world-class alchemist.

As the representative of the Pill Tower, he seemed bored by the entire proceedings. ”I have no interest in leading. In fact, we simply joined this expedition to look for some rare local herbs that only grow in the aftermath of large-scale spiritual battles in the Eastern Region. Treat us as non-combatants.”

Xu Xiaojun’s aura flared, his 2nd Stage Nascent Soul pressure rippling outward and causing the nearby tea sets to rattle. ”I am a 2nd Stage Nascent Soul realm expert! The Crown Prince of this very Empire! When it comes to strength, background, and talent, I am objectively the most capable in leading this group! Who else among you has the tactical training to lead!?”

Although Xu Xiaojun wanted to have the support of Immortal Lineages so he can suppress his younger brother, that doesn’t mean he’d allow them to insult his dignity!

And what he said was, technically, true.

Although there were some Peak Nascent Soul realm experts gathered here today, they were all well over sixty years old, cultivators who can no longer be considered as a young generation.

While those with sufficient talent, the true prodigies, were mostly at the 1st Stage or still in the Golden Core realm.

And those who were stronger often lacked the political background or the status required for the arrogant nobles to obey their orders.

Xu Xiansu remained in the background, her eyes narrowed as she watched the farce play out.

If she remembered correctly from her past life, Xu Xiaojun did eventually end up leading this expedition after a long and tedious debate.

He wanted to use the ”liberation” of the East to solidify his shaky position as the heir apparent.

Unfortunately, his leadership was a disaster of bureaucracy and hesitation.

By the time the Imperial group finally arrived in the Eastern Region, the main conflict was already over—Huo Yue, Medusa, and Shen Ming had already wiped out or had managed to repel the invaders at a catastrophic cost.

Xu Xiaojun could only lead the group to deal with the fleeing, wounded barbarians and then proceeded to take all the credit in his reports to the Emperor.

Unfortunately, because the Emperor only wanted to use this opportunity to temper the youths, he obviously sent elders to supervise everything, so he knew the truth.

Although Xu Xiaojun did get some merit, it wasn’t enough to actually solidly his position.

Xu Xiaojun looked around, wanting to see who will stand up and refute him. Then, seeing that they were all silent, he grinned.

But at that moment...

”Hah!? That doesn’t seem to be for you to decide, right!?”

The voice was loud, brash, and carried a physical force that made the map projection flicker.

Then, the next second, a figure suddenly moved past the crowd at a speed no human eye could follow—a blur of red and gold that bypassed the defensive formations of the pavilion as if they weren’t there.

The figure appeared directly on the jade table.

It was a young woman with short blonde hair that ended in vibrant green tips, who wore a red and gold robe designed for high-mobility combat.

She was currently crouched on the table, hands on her knees, grinning like a predator at Xu Xiaojun while her eyes were bright, wild, and filled with an infectious, dangerous energy.

Everyone’s eyes widened in sheer disbelief.

The noble scions gasped, and even the sect representatives sat up straight.

”That’s...!”

”Shen Xun’er!?”

”What is she doing here?! Is the Shen Clan participating as well!?”

Xu Xiansu, tucked away in her corner, looked even more shocked than the rest as her heart skipped a beat, and a cold sweat broke out on her neck.

’That woman... The Calamity Star, Shen Xun’er!?’

In her past life, Shen Xun’er was a name that inspired a specific kind of terror, the title Calamity Star was given to her because every time she arrives in the battlefield, it usually means everything was already about to get worst for the enemy.

She was the woman who, despite only being at the peak of the Heavenly Saint Realm, was able to contend against and even bruise Supreme-rank powerhouses.

She didn’t use flashy spells, swords, or complex artifacts, instead, she simply fought with her bare hands, using a fierce and unrelenting power in unarmed combat that defied the laws of Cultivation.

However, despite her strength, amongst the Ten Crowns of the Shen Clan, she was often whispered to be the ”most ordinary” because she possessed no special spiritual talent, no legendary physique, and no Supreme Bone.

She only ever knew how to punch and kick—the most basic, savage style of combat.

But she had mastered that simplicity to a degree that was god-like.

She was also fiercely loyal to Shen Haoran in the previous timeline, and was someone Xu Xiansu doesn’t want to fight the most.

This is because no matter how much she was beaten, no matter how many bones were broken or how much blood she lost, Shen Xun’er would always get back up, wipe the blood from her mouth, and smile that same terrifying, predatory grin.

She was a woman who would trade injury for injury without a single care for her own life.

’If she is here, then that means...’

Xu Xiansu slowly turned her gaze toward the entrance of the pavilion as the crowd of nobles, which had been so loud and boisterous just moments ago, was now parting ways in a hurried, almost panicked silence.

A group of blonde-haired youths entered the Myriad Dao Pavilion, their presence so overwhelming that the spiritual qi in the air seemed to bow in their presence.

They moved with a synchronized grace that made the Imperial Princes look like amateurs.

As expected.

At the center of the group, looking as if he were merely taking a casual stroll through his own garden, was the man who haunted Xu Xiansu’s nightmares and fueled her ambitions.

Shen Haoran.

He wore his iconic black and gold robes, his long golden hair catching the light like a halo.

His eyes, those deep, golden pools that seemed to see through the very fabric of reality, swept over the assembled geniuses with a look of calm, polite interest.

Behind him stood the other Crowns: Shen Tao, with his aura of internal stability; Shen Xinye, looking like a goddess of winter; Shen Ji, the towering titan of the Tyrant King physique; and Shen Ying, the elegant alchemist.

And beside Haoran, the bluish-silver-haired Shangguan Mu’er followed like a silent, loya servant.

The entire Myriad Dao Pavilion fell into a deathly hush as the ”Genius Gathering” had suddenly lost its luster.

Against the sheer weight of the Shen Clan’s Ten Crowns, the noble scions felt like children playing in the mud.

Shen Xun’er, still perched on the table, laughed and waved at her companions. ”Hey! You guys are slow! I already found the map and the guy who thinks he’s in charge!”

Xu Xiaojun stood frozen, his hand still on his sword hilt, but his face had gone from red to a deathly, chalky white.

He was the Crown Prince of the Empire, but in the face of the Young Master of the Shen Clan, he knew his title carried no more weight than a piece of scrap paper.

Xu Xiansu sank deeper into the shadows, her breath hitching.

’He’s actually here...’