I Truly Am The Villian

But Bai Meng's shout was already too late to stop it. The void closed, and Xu Zimei didn't know where he had been teleported to.

"It's nothing serious. These principles are limited. It's probably just a challenge from the White Emperor," the Seven-faced Demon General said from the side.

"We just don't know whether the White Emperor is friend or foe. Our Lord being in front of the Great Saint now is still quite dangerous," Bai Meng replied.

...…

When Xu Zimei's vision recovered, he had already arrived in a starry sky.

Countless shining stars stretched across the heavens, and a round moon illuminated the firmament.

The chessboard reappeared, but this time, the man on the opposite side was no longer a stone statue — he had become an actual person.

"It seems someone has passed the test," the white-haired man opposite him said calmly.

"Are you… the White Emperor?" Xu Zimei asked.

"That's correct," the man answered directly without hesitation.

"If you pass the test, you'll receive my inheritance."

"What kind of test?" Xu Zimei asked.

"Look at this chessboard," the White Emperor pointed with his right hand and said.

Initially, the chessboard was filled entirely with black pieces, but as Xu Zimei looked down again, the board no longer had actual chess pieces — it had turned into the myriad of living beings.

The entire chessboard seemed to cover the Ghost God Realm.

Among countless black pieces, there was only a single white piece.

Hundreds of black pieces surrounded that lone white piece, sealing off every escape route.

There was absolutely no way out.

"Some say life is like chess, but how can real life be as simple as chess?

The chessboard pits black against white, with equal numbers of pieces, but in the true game of life, there's only one white piece."

The White Emperor shifted the chessboard, placing the white piece at the central point, and continued, "The rest are all black pieces. So, where should the lone white piece go?"

After speaking, he let out a long sigh.

"Darkness always prevails!"

"What do you want me to answer?" Xu Zimei looked up and asked.

"This chessboard represents a deadlock. If you were the white piece, how would you break it?" the White Emperor asked.

Xu Zimei remained silent for a moment, then chuckled lightly and said, "Have you ever heard of this saying?"

"What saying?" the White Emperor asked.

"If you can't beat them, join them," Xu Zimei stretched out his right hand.

His fingertip lightly touched the white piece, and radiant white light emerged before the piece turned black.

The transformation startled the White Emperor.

"What does that mean?" he asked, puzzled.

"As long as the white piece remains, it will be relentlessly attacked by all the black pieces. But if it becomes one of the black pieces…

Once all the black pieces form a unified whole, it would no longer stand out and can plan its growth slowly and strategically," Xu Zimei explained calmly.

"This…" The White Emperor was briefly stunned and then said, "Though your reasoning seems unconventional, it is straightforward and understandable.

The words you've spoken align with the principles we have been acting upon."

"Does that mean I've passed this test?" Xu Zimei asked.

"You've passed. But I have an unrelated question for you," the White Emperor nodded and said.

"What's your view on the ultimate battle against the heavens?"

"Those who attempt to defy the heavens do so for their reasons. Each person's destiny follows a different trajectory.

Such matters cannot be questioned of others; they can only be questioned of one's own heart," Xu Zimei said.

"Some strive to challenge the heavens because they've glimpsed the truths of this world and seen far enough to attempt reshaping it according to their desires.

But many more people remain ordinary, accustomed to the rules of this world."

"I hope we meet again someday. I also hope we never meet again," the White Emperor cryptically replied in the end.

Then his figure completely shattered.

This was merely a trace of his will left here; in truth, he couldn't meaningfully alter anything.

The chessboard broke apart, the starry sky cracked, and Xu Zimei returned once more to the mountaintop of White Emperor Mountain.

Bai Meng and the other two had been waiting for quite some time.

At the sight of Xu Zimei, before either of them could speak, the entire White Emperor Mountain suddenly began to tremble.

The booming sounds of "rumble rumble" accompanied the motion.

The mountain fractured, and a colossal rift split through its center.

The towering White Emperor Mountain divided in two, and three beams of light flew out from the middle.

These light beams seemed to possess intelligence, scattering across the firmament as soon as they emerged.

Xu Zimei waved his hand grandly, enveloping all the beams of light and pulling them toward him.

The first light was pierced, revealing a fruit — a sapphire-blue fruit brimming with a unique aura.

It didn't resemble Taoist Charm but seemed to embody Tao itself.

"What is this?" Xu Zimei looked at Bai Meng and the other man, asking.

"Never seen it before," Bai Meng shook his head and replied.

"If the White Emperor left behind this fruit, it likely holds special significance. Better to keep it for now," Bai Meng added.

Xu Zimei nodded and then opened the second light beam.

Inside was the compass, Traceless, which he had been searching for.

The compass was a perfect circle, made from an unknown type of wood with two inner rings and three outer rings.

Its surface was inscribed with characters whose meanings were unclear.

Xu Zimei could only vaguely make out a few: "Qian, Kun, Jia, Yi, Zi, Chou..."

"This is the Heavenly Secret Script. It records the Bagua, Heavenly Stems, and Earthly Branches," Bai Meng looked at it and explained.

"As for the rest of the characters, I'm unfamiliar.

The Heavenly Secret Script is intrinsically linked to the secrets of the Heavenly Dao; ordinary people rarely have the chance to glimpse it."

"With this compass, the inheritance of the Wood God Ju Mang can be found," Xu Zimei solemnly collected it.

He then opened the third light beam.

Inside was a book with a crimson cover.

On its surface were four large characters: "Two Lives as One."

Xu Zimei flipped through it briefly and discovered that the manual explained cultivation methods for developing an external body.

Similar to the relationship between the robed man and the White Emperor.

"Interesting," Xu Zimei muttered as he put it away.

"Let's go!"

Bai Meng and the others returned to the Divine Continent, while Xu Zimei set off toward the Half-Ghost Domain.

Passing through White Emperor City, he saw that the battle among the three Great Saints had reached a climactic stage.

To Xu Zimei's surprise, Chu Kuangren was currently in a rampaging state.

His ultimate Sword Dao seemed to have driven him mad.

His scarlet eyes emitted constant bloodlust, and his aura oscillated between the realms of Mixed Yuan and Eternal.

His overpowering aggression was forcing back the Evil Demon King.

Chu Kuangren was like a true madman, devoid of self-control or consciousness.

He fought purely on instinct and muscle memory.

This form of combat was akin to that of a zombie, yet his strength was utterly suffocating.

The Evil Demon King found himself completely overpowered. Every move he made was drowned out by endless waves of sword intent.

Even the Crimson Blade Bull Demon couldn't intervene, forced to stand aside and watch passively.

"No wonder he's called the Madman," Xu Zimei remarked.

After glancing briefly, he continued on his way.

...…

The Half-Ghost Domain is located in the northwest region of the Ghost God Realm.

Legend has it that this land was once the headquarters of the Ghost Tribe. Back during the Ghost God's decisive battle, the Ghost Tribe had occupied it.

The domain is perpetually shrouded in eerie, gloomy energy.

The Half-Ghost Domain is connected to the Half-Burial Domain, stretching eastward from Eternal Peace City to the west at Chaotic Burial Valley.

Following the paths marked on his map, Xu Zimei flew through the skies for seven days before finally arriving at the Chaotic Burial Mound.