The morning air was thick with tension. The Nine Flames Heavenly Clan, once serene and orderly, now pulsed with the undercurrent of fear and anticipation. Feng Xuanlong's rise had unsettled not only the clan but the surrounding sects. Intelligence reports had predicted this moment: external factions had mobilized to confront the prodigy who had devoured three elite geniuses, humiliated a Heaven's Chosen, and consolidated five powerful disciples under his command.
Xuanlong, however, remained calm. Black flames licked along his robes, coiling like living serpents. Crimson eyes scanned the approaching forces—dozens of elite disciples from neighboring sects, their aura radiating aggression and arrogance, all under the banner of vengeance.
The Villain System whispered:
[Alert: External threat detected. Recommended strategy: Utilize Core Formation mastery, Dao-Plundering Chains, and inner circle coordination. Optional: Defeat entire force to gain massive VP and Fate Fragments.]
He smiled faintly. Perfect. Let them taste the abyss.
The first wave advanced through the eastern gates. Twin elements clashed in midair—lightning and flame, earth and wind—disguising the strength of the attackers. Feng Xuanlong's five loyal disciples stood ready, their combined aura amplifying his own. Yan Ruyan, Meiyu, Qiao Ling, Meilin, and the final candidate moved with perfect synchronization, each a master of their respective arts.
Xuanlong's crimson eyes swept over the battlefield. He had prepared traps, contingency plans, and subtle manipulations of fate threads. Every move calculated, every action decisive.
He extended a hand. Black flames erupted into the sky, coiling into Dao-Plundering Chains, writhing like vipers eager to taste the enemy's cultivation.
[Action: Deploy Dao-Plundering Chains to weaken enemy elites and absorb partial Dao insight.]
The first elite, a fire-element prodigy from a neighboring sect, charged boldly. Black chains shot forward, wrapping around his arms and chest. His flames sputtered, devoured by Xuanlong's abyssal fire. In seconds, his aura dimmed, strength sapped, leaving him gasping on the ground.
[VP gained: 700. Dao insight partially absorbed.]
The next wave pressed forward. Lightning, wind, and earth attacks clashed with Xuanlong's defenses, but the five disciples acted as extensions of his will. Yan Ruyan's precise strikes disarmed and disrupted, Meiyu's spirit manipulations provided crowd control, Qiao Ling's elemental mastery shattered enemy formations, Meilin's intellect anticipated enemy maneuvers, and the final disciple executed coordinated flanking maneuvers—all under Xuanlong's silent command.
Every movement, every clash, every strike was a testament to the power of loyalty intertwined with cultivation mastery.
Xuanlong stepped forward, the ground beneath him scorching black from his flames. Crimson eyes locked onto the enemy leader—a golden-armored disciple whose aura rivaled that of the fallen Heaven's Chosen.
"You dare lead this assault?" Xuanlong said, voice low and commanding. "I warned you: fate bends to me."
The golden-armored elite sneered. "You may have humiliated one Heaven's Chosen, but you cannot stop the wrath of many! Today, your rise ends!"
A clash was inevitable. Black flames met golden light, Dao-Plundering Chains lashing out to steal not just strength, but comprehension. The battlefield became a tempest of energy, sparks flying like stars being torn from the heavens.
[New Technique Deployed: Tribulation Devourer—usable against multiple elite targets simultaneously.]
The golden-armored disciple struck first, spear blazing with divine light. Xuanlong did not evade. Instead, he met the strike, black flames erupting from his palm, chains snapping forward to entangle the spear and siphon the user's Dao comprehension.
The clash sent shockwaves through the battlefield, throwing nearby disciples off balance. Yet Xuanlong remained calm, crimson eyes blazing with cold calculation. Every strike, every feint, every movement manipulated both physical and spiritual threads, gradually unraveling the enemy's formation.
[VP gained: 1,200. Multiple Dao insights absorbed.]
As the skirmish escalated, the five disciples moved seamlessly. Yan Ruyan intercepted incoming assassins, Qiao Ling unleashed a storm of fire and ice that shattered enemy ranks, Meiyu's spirit threads manipulated weak-willed soldiers to collapse or flee, Meilin provided tactical insight mid-battle, and the final disciple flanked, taking down the enemy's rear.
Xuanlong watched with a faint smile. The clan and my loyal circle are mine. The enemy is merely practice.
Finally, the golden-armored leader faltered. His Dao weakened by continuous siphoning, his attacks slowed, and his aura flickered under the pressure of Xuanlong's combined Core Formation mastery and Devouring Chains.
Xuanlong stepped forward, black flames coiling like serpents around his wrist. "Yield," he said, voice calm but deadly. "Or be consumed entirely."
The elite staggered, chest heaving, eyes wide with disbelief. "I… cannot… lose… to a villain… of this magnitude…"
Xuanlong's crimson gaze sharpened. "Then die—or join me."
A subtle flick of his palm, and the chains wrapped the elite, draining the last remnants of his Dao. He collapsed to his knees, defeated, yet alive—an example to the remaining forces.
[Quest Complete: External assault repelled. VP gained: 3,000. Dao-Plundering Chains strengthened.]
The remaining forces, witnessing their leader's defeat and the unmatched coordination of Xuanlong's inner circle, faltered. Panic spread like wildfire. Retreating factions fled, leaving the battlefield in ruin and silence, only the black flames of Xuanlong and his disciples remaining.
The clan's disciples, once fearful, now looked upon him with reverent awe. His name—Feng Xuanlong, the Heaven-Devouring Villain—echoed in their minds, a mix of fear, admiration, and submission.
That night, Xuanlong stood atop the tallest tower, crimson eyes reflecting the moonlight. Around him, his five loyal disciples bowed slightly, silent but radiating power and loyalty.
The Villain System spoke:
[Alert: External threat neutralized. Recommended next steps: Exploit weakened neighboring sects, further increase cultivation, prepare for Ye Tianxing's counterattack. Reward: VP and new Dao insights.]
Xuanlong exhaled slowly, black flames swirling in the night. Let them come. Let Heaven send its chosen. Let all who oppose me see the truth.
Above, golden threads of fate trembled and recoiled, bending toward him, uncertain, fearful. The storm of power, influence, and destiny had only just begun.
Feng Xuanlong, the Heaven-Devouring Villain, had survived the first true test of external forces—and emerged not just unscathed, but strengthened.
The world would remember his name.