Should I Become a Villain? - Chapter 19 The Image Of IRO

Anton is a great-grandfather. He is living quite a happy life, despite his advanced age and declining health… until a group of cultivator bandits moves into the area. The nearby guardians of the area, the Order of Ninety-Nine Stars, are unable to track them down as they continue to ravage nearby towns. During one desperate winter Anton is out on a hunt when his family- his entire village- is killed or taken as slaves by the bandits. He lacks the strength to fight them, and he wasn’t even present for their arrival to die with his loved ones. At the pit of his despair, he wonders if he ever had any chance to change things. What could he even do? He cannot even pull his best bow, and his eyesight is failing. If he had been a cultivator… perhaps there might have been a chance, but he was decades- perhaps even most of his life- too late.Participant in the Royal Road Writathon challenge (2022)Notes on cultivation levels:There are five general stages of cultivation, though the fifth is extremely rare. Each cultivation style might have their own name for the stages.1. Body Tempering2. Spirit Building/ occasionally System Creation (Ninety-Nine Stars)3. Constellation Formation (Ninety-Nine Stars)4. Life Transformation/Galaxy Construction (Ninety-Nine Stars)5. Ascension

Deep Sea, the mental network connecting the Five Continents, is rapidly propelling human civilization forward, but no one knows that eternal night is coming. When the transcendence awakens, the grand buildings will collapse. When flesh and blood are bitter and weak, how can people ascend? The tale begins with an encounter and the receiving of a ruler carrying truth. Gu Shen, an ordinary young man, unveils a corner of the truth about this transcendental world and becomes the largest moth among thousands being drawn to a flame. When the bitter winter comes… I will ascend against the tide, overturn the thrones of kings, shatter the crowns of hypocrisy, and destroy the scepters of injustice. I will become humanity’s final Light Barrier.

Damien's life was ruined two decades ago by betrayal: his dearest friend Ethan and sister Serena betrayed him, leaving him impoverished and broken. Damien was consumed by vengeance and spent years rebuilding his kingdom, preparing to strike revenge.His plan is now being carried out: he sends his son Nate to seduce Ethan's daughter Evangeline, with the intention of breaking her heart and destroying her family. But as old secrets resurface, Nate discovers harsh facts about his father's betrayals, compelling him to doubt everything.Meanwhile, a shadow from Damien and Ethan's past, James, reappears with his own desire for vengeance, threatening to destroy both families in the concept of killing two birds with one stone.Betrayal by Love is a compelling story about love, vengeance, and the deadly consequences of justice.Who will ultimately triumph in this battle?