The Nine Flames Heavenly Clan had never seen a morning like this. Mist rolled through the jade courtyards, but beneath its silver veil, unease festered. The whispers of disciples and elders carried a single, chilling name: Feng Xuanlong.
Three elite geniuses—Feng Jinhai, Liu Yanchen, and Han Zexiong—had fallen beneath his hands. Not in conventional duels, but in a display of heretical power: black flames, abyssal chains, and stolen Dao insight. The clan's hierarchy trembled.
At the council hall, elders debated in hushed tones.
"Have you seen him?" a white-haired elder asked, voice low. "Three elites… all at his mercy. How is this possible?"
"It is no mere talent," another replied, brows furrowed. "It is… heretical. Something forbidden, ancient. I fear even the patriarch cannot contain him."
The patriarch, seated silently at the head, clenched his fist beneath his robes. His eyes, once full of pride, now burned with concern. "He has awakened something dangerous. Not just in himself, but in fate. Heaven's eyes are upon him."
Meanwhile, Feng Xuanlong walked the clan's mountainside training grounds. Black fire lingered around his feet like shadows alive. His crimson eyes scanned the peaks, the rivers, and the distant forests, already calculating what—no, who would become his next prey.
The Villain System spoke in his mind, calm and precise:
[New Quest: Survive the scrutiny of the clan and continue absorbing power. Optional: Seek first harem candidates for loyalty binding. Reward: VP and Fate Fragments.]
Xuanlong's lips curved into a faint, almost playful smile. "So the clan fears me now… Good. Fear is a tool, like any other."
It was then that a messenger arrived—an elite disciple who had witnessed the aftermath of Han Zexiong's defeat. His knees trembled as he bowed before Xuanlong.
"Senior Brother Xuanlong… word has come from outside the clan. The Celestial Star Sect… they are aware of your actions. Ye Tianxing has awakened."
Xuanlong's eyes narrowed. A flicker of crimson surged through them.
He comes sooner than expected.
The system chimed:
[Alert: Heaven's Chosen is awakening. His cultivation may rival your current Core Formation level. New challenge detected.]
Xuanlong raised his head, looking toward the horizon where the Celestial Star Sect's mountains lay shrouded in mist. "Good. Let him come. I have tasted Heaven's wrath; he will be a feast for the taking."
That evening, the clan's young disciples gathered in secret. Fear mixed with awe, and the words on every lip were the same:
"He's unstoppable…""No clan prodigy has ever surpassed Core Formation so quickly.""And he… he devours the Dao of others!"
Among them, Yan Ruyan's eyes followed him from afar. Her loyalty had shifted, yes, but she remained cautious. There was power in him—unstoppable, intoxicating—but also something darker, something that made her pulse quicken in both fear and curiosity.
She wondered silently, How far will he go?
The next morning, Xuanlong convened the three surviving elite disciples of the clan—not by invitation, but by command. They knelt in trembling submission, aware that defiance would cost them not just their cultivation, but possibly their lives.
"I offer a choice," Xuanlong said, voice low, yet carrying to every corner of the hall. "Yield your loyalty and cultivate under my guidance, or oppose me and be devoured—not just your strength, but your future."
Whispers spread like wildfire. Some knelt immediately, surrendering their fates to him. Others hesitated, pride and fear warring in their hearts.
The Villain System noted each reaction:
[Loyalty acquired: 2/5 harem candidates. +300 VP. Fate fragments obtained.]
This is only the beginning, the system murmured.
Outside the clan's borders, a storm was brewing. Ye Tianxing had awakened fully, his aura blazing with golden light. Even from miles away, the heavens trembled at his cultivation.
Yet something was off. His fate threads, once steady, quivered unnaturally. Fragments had been torn away, leaving him weakened despite his power. He could feel it: a shadow, a malignant force, waiting, calculating…
Feng Xuanlong.
The Celestial Star Sect elders murmured with unease. "The Nine Flames prodigy has deviated from the script. His rise threatens not just our Chosen, but the order of Heaven itself."
Back within the clan, Xuanlong observed the night sky from the highest tower. Black flames danced across his sleeves as he contemplated the threads of fate, now coiled in his dantian like living serpents.
He could feel them—the clansmen he had devoured, the stolen Dao, the fragmented loyalties—all bending to his will. Each victory had a cost, yes, but the price was his to pay, not Heaven's.
The system whispered one last note for the night:
[Caution: Ye Tianxing's resurgence is imminent. Seek power, secure allies, and prepare for confrontation. Future quests will escalate in difficulty and reward.]
Xuanlong smiled into the night. Crimson eyes reflecting the moon, black flames licking the air:
Let Heaven send its chosen. I am ready. Let fate come, and I will devour it all.
Above, faint golden threads trembled. Fate itself had begun to coil around him, uncertain, fearful, and pliable.
The rising storm of Heaven's chosen and clan elites had begun, but Feng Xuanlong, the Heaven-Devouring Villain, had already claimed his first victories—and tasted the intoxicating flavor of destiny under his control.