Villains Aren't Stepping Stones!

The soft purr of the four-winged pegasi cut through the cool sky.

Inside the purple sandalwood carriage, thin silk curtains danced with the breeze, letting in the golden light of the afternoon sun.

Ye Hongyan leaned by the small window, resting her pale cheek against her hand.

Down below, the clouds parted, showing a vast, magnificent view.

A giant wall built of dark grey stone circled the horizon like a sleeping dragon.

Inside those walls, thousands of high pavilions, grand courtyards, and wide avenues spread out across the green plains.

Streams of clear water ran through the city districts, and tall towers with shiny glazed tiles caught the sunlight.

Ye Hongyan sighed.

She pulled back a strand of her pink hair that had blown across her cheek, her dark eyes looking down at the rooftops.

She couldn’t help but think of how this city had changed since the last time she observed it like this.

A thousand years ago, when she was just a young girl running around with a wooden practice sword, the streets had been narrower, the walls shorter, and the buildings simpler.

Now, the clan had paved over the old orchards to make way for grand stone plazas, and high watchtowers stood where quiet flower gardens used to grow.

More wealth had flowed into the clan’s vaults, but with that gold came more rules, more walls, and more cold faces.

Although she did visit a year ago during the first academy trial, she didn’t really explore.

When she had appeared back then, her heart had been heavy with distaste for her family’s schemes.

She had skipped the greeting banquets, ignored the elders who gathered at the gates, and simply slipped into the quiet room to stay with her mother and observe the trials.

Sitting across from her on the soft velvet cushion, Haoran did not look out the window.

Haoran simply closed his eyes, arms crossed over his chest.

His long black and gold robes fell neatly over his legs, not showing a single wrinkle.

His breath was slow and steady, his face as still as carved jade.

To someone who had grown up in the grand territory of an Immortal Clan, this so-called great city was nothing impressive.

The Shen Clan held countless domains across the endless skies, where entire continents floated on lakes of liquid star energy, and cities were built from ancient stones that glowed in the dark.

Compared to the grand fortresses of his own clan, the stone walls and wooden roofs of the Ye Family looked crude, small, and dusty.

He did not care to look at things that were so far beneath his own standards, so he didn’t show much appreciation.

Whoosh.

The rushing air outside began to slow down.

The two pegasi pulled back their large feathered wings, tilting their bodies as they glided down from the high clouds.

At that moment, the carriage slowly landed on the landing site of the Ye City.

The wide landing plaza was made of pure white marble, polished so smooth that the sky was reflected on its surface.

The wooden wheels of the carriage touched the stone with a soft, quiet tap, rolling a few paces before coming to a complete stop right in front of the grand palace stairs.

A servant dressed in clean blue silk hurried forward, placed a small carved wooden step beside the carriage door, and pulled back the curtain with shaking hands.

Haoran and Ye Hongyan got out.

The cool mountain air of the plateau brushed against their faces.

Haoran stepped down with an easy, relaxed stride, his robes fluttering with the wind.

Right beside him, Ye Hongyan stepped onto the marble, her own robes catching the bright sunlight, her posture proud and straight.

And immediately, the moment thet walked out, they were greeted by thousands of servants all lined perfectly, welcoming them back home.

On both sides of the wide marble platform, long rows of men and women dressed in neat blue and silver tunics knelt on the cold stone.

Their knees were pressed tight against the ground, their foreheads bowed low, their hands folded neatly in front of their chests.

From the landing platform all the way to the red gates of the inner courtyard, the line of kneeling servants stretched on and on, looking like two endless walls of blue fabric.

”Welcome home, Eldest Young Mistress! Welcome, Honored Young Master Shen!”

The unified shout of thousands of voices echoed across the open square, loud enough to shake the dust from the eaves of the nearby towers.

Just then...

”Hahaha! Hongyan! My good daughter, you have finally returned!”

The booming laugh rolled through the courtyard with heavy, cheerful warmth.

It was Ye Liuman, father of Ye Hongyan and Head of Ye Clan.

He wore a rich robe made of golden dragon-silk, tied with a heavy belt made of dark green jade.

A tall gold crown held up his hair, and his face was sharp, musculine, and carried the smooth, glowing skin of an expert who had lived for thousands of years on top-grade spirit herbs.

A broad, joyful grin stretched across his lips, his eyes crinkling at the corners as if he were the most loving, caring father in the entire world.

There were also various elders behind him.

More than twenty old men followed closely at his heels, their hands tucked into the wide sleeves of their grey, dark blue, and black robes.

These were the core leaders of the Ye Family—the men who controlled the city’s treasuries, managed the weapon halls, and directed the border garrisons.

Usually, these old men wore stiff, proud expressions, looking down on everyone with cold arrogance.

But right now, every single one of their faces was plastered with broad, flattering smiles, their eyes darting eagerly toward the youth standing beside their young mistress.

Ye Liuman hurried down the three stone steps, stopping just a few paces in front of Haoran and Ye Hongyan.

He clasped his hands together in a deep, respectful greeting, bowing slightly from the waist.

”Young Master Shen! It is a great honor for our humble clan to receive you!” Ye Liuman said, his voice dripping with thick, honeyed warmth. ”I have heard of your grand deeds in the lower realm! You took an entire star, swept away the stubborn sects, and made the Imperial Academy bow its head! Truly, a dragon among men! A peerless talent that only the grand Shen Clan could produce! Looking at your bearing today, it is no wonder my daughter speaks of you with such high regard!”

One of the grey-bearded elders behind him stepped forward, nodding his head vigorously like a chicken pecking at grain.

”Indeed, indeed! The patriarch speaks the truth!” the elder praised loudly. ”Look at the young master’s spirit! Look at those clear eyes and that unshakeable foundation! To have such an extraordinary figure visit our Ye Heavenly City brings boundless glory to our ancestors! And our Eldest Young Mistress—what a perfect match! A peerless hero and a brilliant beauty standing side by side! It is like two bright stars meeting in the high sky!”

Another elder with a crooked nose chimed in, rubbing his palms together with a greedy, eager grin. ”Our Hongyan has always been the pride of our clan! Ever since she went to the Imperial Academy, her name has brought honor to our gates! Now that she has brought the Young Master of the Shen Clan to our home, our Ye Family’s future will surely rise above the nine heavens! Today must be celebrated with the finest wine from our oldest vaults!”

They crowded around, throwing compliments, praise, and sweet words into the air like handfuls of cheap copper coins.

They smiled, they laughed, they praised Haoran’s noble bloodline, and they praised Ye Hongyan’s wisdom, acting as if they had always loved and supported her with all their hearts.

And though Haoran was simply smiling, looking at them with a cool, polite nod as if watching an amusing street performance, Ye Hongyan was already starting to get annoyed.

Her fair brow pulled tight, forming deep, irritated creases between her eyes, her hands curled into fists beneath the wide sleeves of her crimson dress, her knuckles turning pale.

She knew these men too well.

She remembered how, when she was younger, these exact same elders had looked at her like a piece of livestock to be traded away.

She remembered how they had sat in the council chambers, counting the spirit stone mines and trade routes they would gain by throwing her into the arms of the Shi Clan’s young master.

Not one of them had cared about her feelings, her cultivation, or her tears back then.

Now, seeing that she had walked back through the gates with the sole heir of the most terrifying family in the upper realm, they wagged their tails like eager stray dogs, pretending they had always treated her like a treasure.

Their wide, fake smiles made her stomach churn with pure disgust, and the thick, oily words coming out of her father’s mouth felt like worms crawling over her skin.

Ye Liuman took another step forward, reaching out his hand as if to take Haoran’s arm to lead him toward the main banquet pavilion.

”Come, Young Master Shen! The grand hall has been prepared! The finest dancers have been summoned, and the roasted beasts are already on the tables! We must sit together and—”

”Enough!”

A sharp, icy voice tore through the courtyard like a cutting blade as Ye Hongyan erupted.

BOOM!

The temperature on the wide marble platform plummeted in an instant.

A heavy, suffocating pressure exploded from her crimson robes, spreading outward in a violent wave that made the white marble flagstones under their boots crack with sharp, snapping sounds!

The wind picked up, whipping her long dark hair around her shoulders like a storm cloud, her dark eyes blazing with cold, dangerous fury!

That shut everyone up.

The flattering words died in their throats. The broad smiles on the elders’ faces froze, turning into masks of pure, pale terror.

Several weaker elders took three stumbling steps backward, their chests heaving, their faces turning the color of chalk as the cold aura wrapped around their throats like an iron band.

Even Ye Liuman’s outstretched hand froze in mid-air, his fat fingers twitching as the cold wind bit into his skin.

They dare not move. After all, Ye Hongyan is a dignified Sage and a Heavenly Saint Realm expert, they cannot afford to provoke her.

She was not the helpless, frightened girl they could push around in the meeting halls anymore.

She was a master who had broken through the grand gates of the Heavenly Saint realm, a respected instructor who taught genius students of the Imperial Academy!

With her strength, if she truly lost her temper, she could flatten this entire landing platform and break the bones of half the elders present with a single sweep of her palm!

In this world, bloodline status was strong, but raw, crushing strength was the only law that truly mattered.

In front of a living Heavenly Saint, their elder titles were nothing more than dry leaves waiting to be swept into the dirt.

The entire square was dead silent.

Even the thousands of servants kneeling on the stone stopped breathing, their faces pressed flat against the marble, trembling in absolute terror.

Ye Hongyan didn’t look at the pale faces of the elders, nor did she spare a single glance for her frozen father.

She simply turned to her side, reached out her slender, pale hand, and gently grabbed Haoran’s hand, interlacing her fingers with his.

Her touch was soft and warm, completely different from the icy fury that had just shaken the courtyard.

She looked into his golden eyes, her expression softening into something quiet, gentle, and tired.

”Come,” she said softly, her voice carrying only for him to hear. ”I will introduce you to my mother.”

Haoran smiled faintly, returning the gentle squeeze of her fingers, and nodded without a word.

Without looking back, she turned her back on the patriarch, turned her back on the elders, and led Haoran down the side path toward the quiet, secluded gardens in the east, leaving everyone standing in the cold silence of the landing platform.

Ye Liuman stood alone on the marble, his outstretched hand slowly dropping back to his side.

His chest rose and fell in hard, ragged gasps, his face flushing from pale white to a deep, dark purple.

His thick fists clenched so tightly inside his golden sleeves that his fingernails bit deep into his palms, his teeth grinding together with a harsh, grating sound.

’That unfilial daughter!’ he raged inwardly, his eyes glaring at the retreating red and white figures disappearing around the stone corner. ’To show her temper in front of the entire clan! To slap her own father’s face before thousands of servants and all the family elders! Does she think having a high cultivation means she can treat the head of her own house like a stray dog on the road?!’

He was trembling with fury, his blood boiling behind his eyes.

But he didn’t say anything.

He kept his mouth shut tight, forcing the venomous curses back down his throat.

After all, that’s his daughter.

He knew her stubborn, unyielding temper better than anyone.

If he pushed her right now, if he tried to use his fatherly authority to force her to turn around, she would draw her blade without a second thought.

And worse, the young master of the Shen Clan was walking right beside her, holding her hand with an easy, protective familiarity.

Offending Ye Hongyan today meant offending the monster standing at her side, and that was a disaster the Ye Family could never survive.

Besides, in his own twisted mind, he felt wronged as well.

No matter how much Ye Hongyan liked to think, he believed he had never wronged her aside from forcing her to marry into the Shi Clan.

’I gave her the finest pills when she was small!’ he thought bitterly, his jaw working as he tried to swallow his anger. ’I gave her the best instructors, the cleanest courtyard, and used the clan’s merit to send her into the Imperial Academy! When the Shi Clan offered thirty spirit stone mines and three ancient cultivation techniques as a bride price, wasn’t I doing it for the clan’s future?! A woman must marry anyway! What was so wrong with marrying a young master from a prominent house?! She has held this grudge against me for almost a thousand years, treating her own father like an enemy!’

He let out a long, sour breath of hot air through his nose.

He snorted loudly, turning his thick frame around to face the pale, shivering elders and the endless rows of kneeling servants who were still too terrified to lift their heads.

”What are you all staring at?!” Ye Liuman barked, his voice sharp, harsh, and dripping with foul temper. ”The show is over! Return to your duties! Clean the halls, check the banquet tables, and make sure the guards are at their posts! If I find a single speck of dust in the main pavilion tonight, I will break your legs!”

The elders scrambled to bow, hurriedly murmuring their obedience, while the thousands of servants rose from the cold marble with shaking limbs, scattering across the wide courtyard like a flock of frightened sparrows.