"Hateful…"
Ye Fan's voice was hoarse, his nails digging into his palms until blood seeped out. His eyes burnt red as he glared at the porcelain vial lying quietly on the damp stone floor.
"Xiao Tian", he spat, trembling with rage, "I swear it. I am sworn to death with you!"
Those words, that mocking gift—like a devil's whisper gnawing at his heart, each syllable was torment.
The vial seemed to glow faintly in the dim dungeon light, as if mocking his weakness. His fury surged, and for a moment he truly wished to crush it beneath his heel.
But then a gentle voice drifted into his mind.
The sword spirit's figure shimmered faintly within his consciousness, her expression calm, but her words cutting sharper than any blade:
"Ye Fan… Perhaps you have misunderstood His Highness. From my observation, Xiao Tian is not the irredeemable villain you imagine."
Her tone was soft but unshakeable. "On the contrary, he has much to admire. Strategy, courage, talent, strength, and—most importantly—a heart not blinded by arrogance. He is not simply leaning on his background. He truly is… remarkable."
Her words stabbed deeper than any prison chain.
Ye Fan's features twisted, his whole face contorting in disbelief and anger. "You... you still call him His Highness? After everything?!"
His chest heaved violently. "If he's so damn good in your eyes, then go follow him! Why pretend to care about my life at all?!"
"Xiaofan, calm yourself," Lingyu tried to soothe. "We can discuss—"
"Discuss?!" he roared, his voice raw. "You claim you won't submit to him for now. Then tell me—when do you plan to?! Tomorrow? The moment he waves another bottle in your face?!"
His heart felt as if it was being torn apart, as though every bond he clung to was betraying him one by one.
Li Suxin had abandoned him. Now even his master, his sword spirit—the one existence he thought would never waver—seemed shaken by Xiao Tian's poisonous charm.
His fist slammed into the dungeon wall, stone cracking under the blow. His voice turned hoarse, half roar, half plea:
"Is that bottle of spiritual liquid really so important to you?!"
His bloodshot eyes stared into the void where Lingyu's figure shimmered.
"Then take it! Drink it! Use it! See if I care anymore!"
For the first time, he raised his voice against the one he once revered like heaven itself.
Silence.
Lingyu's lips parted, then closed again. She could not answer.
She had nobody—she could not use the vial herself. It could only be absorbed if Ye Fan willingly infused it into her sword.
But the boy who had always obeyed her word, who had always treated her as his guide and guardian—now looked at her as if she were a stranger.
And so, with a faint sigh, she withdrew into silence. The ethereal glow of her figure dimmed, fading back into the sword. Even the faint warmth she usually brought to Ye Fan's mind vanished, leaving only cold emptiness.
…
[Ding! The rift between Ye Fan and Lingyu has deepened. Luck value: -100. Villain value: +2000.]
Outside the dungeon, Xiao Tian couldn't help but shake his head when he heard the system's notification.
"These so-called sons of fortune…" His lips curved with disdain. "So stupid. Even a little sowing of discord is enough to make them crumble. Without the protection of luck, they'd already be corpses in forgotten ditches."
Another crisp chime echoed:
[Ding! New Villain Mission: Secret Realm Treasure Hunt] Objective: Seize the supreme spirit treasure in the nearby secret realm. Reward: +10,000 villain value, Ancestral Dragon Soul Bone.
[Ding! Villain Mission: Dominance] Objective: Defeat ten Sacred Land Sons, Holy Maidens, or Geniuses. Reward: +10,000 villain value, Ancestral Dragon Blood Essence ×3.
Xiao Tian's eyes glowed as he read the rewards, his heart stirring slightly.
"Ancestral Dragon… Soul Bone? And Blood Essence?"
Even Beiyang's royal treasury had none of these. They were things only protagonists, blessed by fate, stumbled into when ancient relics cracked open. With these treasures, his foundation would rise beyond ordinary understanding.
If refined, the blood essence would grant him a fragment of the Ancestral Dragon's might, placing him above nearly all bloodlines beneath heaven. And the soul bone… even rarer. It could forge treasures within the body itself. A sword bone, a keel bone—the very foundation of invincibility.
He chuckled lowly. "So be it. A villain's path is to seize, not wait."
"Still", his gaze turned thoughtful, "when it comes to secret realms, who but the sons of fortune are best at sniffing out hidden opportunities? Ye Fan can be my hound. He digs; I harvest."
He browsed the store again, pausing on a new item:
[Spirit Devourer – 3000 villain value] Effect: Once inhaled, it hides within the host. The user can sense the host's position at all times. At command, it detonates, locking the host's entire body, cutting off all power.
"Perfect," Xiao Tian mused. "Let him sniff out treasures… while leashed. One command, and he breaks."
His smile grew sharper. "Now, how to make him swallow it willingly…"
…
Meanwhile, in a faraway sect, a Serene Cloud Valley conversation stirred.
A young woman in a purple skirt stood beneath the evening wind. Her slender shoulders were half-bared, her gown tracing graceful curves, her jade legs pale against the fluttering silk. Her blue-black hair spilt down like a waterfall, eyes gleaming with stubborn determination.
Zi Lianyou. The Holy Maiden of Serene Cloud Valley.
"Mother," she said softly, though her tone was firm. "Ye Fan once helped me when I was in danger during my travels. I cannot ignore him now."
Her mother frowned. "You're...have you not heard? He clashed with His Highness Xiao Tian himself and nearly dragged Tianchi Sacred Land into disaster. He is locked in a dungeon for good reason. Why risk yourself for such a reckless boy?"
Zi Lianyou bit her lip. "It doesn't matter. Right and wrong may not be so simple. Tomorrow, I will go to plead for him."
The older woman sighed deeply, looking at her daughter with helpless eyes. "You've always been soft-hearted. I know—you've taken a liking to that boy. But the world is vast; countless men more worthy exist. You've simply not seen enough of them."
She hesitated, then added meaningfully, "Look at your elder sister. Li Suxin chose His Highness Xiao Tian and now stands at the peak of glory. To be favoured by him is to rise beyond heaven itself."
Zi Lianyou turned away, her expression unreadable. The evening breeze tugged at her skirt, her heart a swirl of confusion.
His Highness Xiao Tian… Is he truly as flawless as everyone says? Even my sister was willing to bow her head…
But then her hands clenched. "No," she whispered. "I must see with my own eyes."