The thunder rolled endlessly across the skies, its roar echoing over the crimson mountains of the Lian Family Domain. The clouds bled red as if the heavens themselves were drenched in fire. From the outside, it looked like the end of days had come—yet, within the boundaries of this sinister land, the clansmen of the Lian Family called it home.
In this very moment, a young man opened his eyes for the first time in this world.
His name was Lian Zhen, a soul that didn't belong here.
"Ugh…" he groaned as his vision adjusted to the flickering torchlight on the walls. He sat on a stone bed, his body trembling as fragments of memory overwhelmed him—memories of a modern Earth life, a car crash, the suffocating darkness, and then… silence.
And then, voices.
A thousand voices.
No—ten thousand.
No—a hundred thousand.
"At last… another inheritor."
"So young… so fragile… yet within him lies the seed of chaos."
"We have waited centuries. Rise, child. Rise as our vessel."
The flood of voices crashed inside his skull, a storm of whispers filled with hatred, ambition, and bloodlust.
Zhen clutched his head, nearly screaming. What is this? Whose voices are these?
That was when the glowing blue screen appeared before his eyes, cutting through the chaos.
[100,000 Villains System Activated]
Welcome, Heir of the Lian Family.
You have inherited the System Space, sealed with the legacies of 100,000 Villains.
Your destiny: To lead the Lian Family to supremacy, and ascend as the Final Villain Emperor.
Zhen's breath caught in his throat.
"A… system?" he muttered, eyes widening. He wasn't unfamiliar with the word—on Earth, he had read countless webnovels about protagonists blessed with cheat-like systems. But this… this felt different. Darker. Heavier.
Immediately, the System chimed again.
New Host Detected.
Synchronizing with host's soul… complete.
Basic Functions Unlocked: System Space, Villain Archive, Villain Summoning (Locked).
Suddenly, his surroundings shifted. The torchlit stone chamber faded, replaced by a vast void. It was endless, but filled with looming black doors that stretched into infinity. Each door bore a name, carved in runes that oozed killing intent.
Zhen staggered back, overwhelmed by the sight. The closest door swung open with a loud creak, and out of it poured a shadowy figure clad in dark robes.
"Ahh… so this is the boy?" the figure rasped. His eyes glowed with a crimson madness. "I am the Poison Monarch of the Fallen East. They called me a scourge upon nations. My legacy rests with you now."
Before Zhen could reply, another door opened. A towering man, muscles forged like steel, stepped forth. A jagged scar crossed his chest, and in his hand he held a blood-soaked halberd.
"I am Kongtu, the Slayer of Heroes," he thundered. "Ten thousand righteous fools fell beneath my weapon. Their cries still echo. My fury shall be yours to command."
One by one, the doors trembled. Shadows stirred. Laughter, weeping, roaring, and chanting filled the void.
It was suffocating.
It was intoxicating.
And yet, Zhen felt an inexplicable surge of power coursing through him.
They… they're inside me?
The System confirmed it.
Villain Archive Unlocked.
Currently accessible villains: 3 / 100,000.
Poison Monarch of the Fallen East (Alchemy, Venoms, Corruption Arts)
Kongtu, Slayer of Heroes (Martial Domination, Halberd Arts, War Command)
Shadow Maiden Yue (Assassination, Stealth, Illusions)
Zhen's heart pounded. "Wait… one hundred thousand?!"
His shock was cut short by another surge of pain—this time from his physical body. The illusion faded, and he collapsed back onto the stone bed in the real world. Sweat drenched his robes, his breathing ragged.
A voice suddenly called out beyond the stone door of his chamber.
"Zhen! The Elders demand your presence."
The door slammed open, revealing a tall, grim-faced man clad in black armor. His aura radiated killing intent so thick it nearly crushed Zhen to his knees.
This was his father—or rather, the father of the body he now inhabited—Patriarch Lian Xu, leader of the Lian Family.
"Enough sulking," the Patriarch barked, his eyes sharp as knives. "Today, your fate shall be decided. Do not embarrass me before the Elders."
Zhen's mind reeled. He barely had time to process the System, and now he was being dragged into some trial?
Yet as he stumbled after his father, he recalled the voices, the promises, the overwhelming power of the villains sealed within him.
Maybe… just maybe… this was fate.
The Lian Family's Grand Hall was a place of dread. Massive black pillars lined the chamber, carved with scenes of slaughter and conquest. Dozens of Elders sat upon obsidian thrones, their eyes glowing with faint, sinister light.
At the center lay the Bloodstone Altar, a crimson slab said to test one's bloodline.
"Step forward," an Elder hissed. "Let us see if the Patriarch's son truly carries the Lian blood."
Zhen hesitated. Lian bloodline? If I fail, I'm finished.
The System's chime rang once more.
Quest Generated: Trial of the Bloodstone.
Objective: Survive the family's bloodline test.
Reward: Unlock 10 additional Villain Archives.
Zhen's pulse quickened. The rewards were insane. He clenched his fists and stepped onto the altar.
The moment his blood touched the stone, agony exploded through his veins. Flames surged from the altar, burning his skin, branding his soul. He bit down on his lip until blood ran.
I… I won't die here. Not after getting this system.
Suddenly, within the System Space, a door flung wide open.
The Shadow Maiden Yue emerged, her eyes like pools of black mist.
"You dare falter before mere flames?" she whispered, her voice sharp as a blade. "Use my power. Become shadow. Endure."
Zhen gasped as a surge of cold energy rushed into his body. Darkness wrapped around him, shielding him from the searing bloodflames. The Elders' eyes widened in shock as the flames bent unnaturally around his body.
Moments later, the altar went still.
The crimson carvings on its surface glowed faintly before forming a single symbol: Lian Heir Confirmed.
The hall erupted in gasps.
Patriarch Lian Xu's lips curved into the faintest smirk.
But Zhen—inside—was laughing madly.
Not because he had passed the trial.
But because he now knew the truth.
With 100,000 Villains sealed within his system, his destiny was no longer to inherit the Lian Family.
It was to rule the whole world and dominate it.