Villains Aren't Stepping Stones!-Chapter 119: Settling Old Scores(1)

The golden light of the dissipated tribulations left a shimmering, iridescent haze in the air, a celestial afterglow that clung to the jagged remains of the Northern Branch’s highest spires.

Shangguan Mu’er stood suspended in the void for a moment longer, her 150-meter-tall Spirit Avatar—a terrifying monument of dark violet flame and gluttonous intent—slowly dissolving into the atmosphere like smoke.

She took a deep, shuddering breath, her lungs expanding with the refined, high-density Qi of a Spirit Ascension expert.

The sensation was intoxicating; it was as if she had spent her entire life breathing through a thin straw only to suddenly have the entire sky forced into her chest.

She slowly descended, her bare, ash-white feet touching the scorched and blackened debris of what had once been her opulent, secluded residence.

The jade tiles had been pulverized into fine powder, and the reinforced walls were nothing but jagged stumps of stone.

She slowly clenched her fist, feeling the fundamental change in her molecular density.

The power coursing through her meridians didn’t just feel like energy; it felt like a law of nature.

"So this is the legendary Spirit Ascension realm," she whispered, her voice echoing with a slight, demonic satisfaction. "The distance between the Nascent Soul and this... it is like comparing a puddle to the boundless ocean. I feel as though I could probably devour up this entire continent if I truly unleashed my hunger, couldn’t I?"

However, that was merely a passing thought.

She shook her head, trying to rid of the impulse to try out her newfound power. She was afraid that if she continued thinking about it, she wouldn’t be able to resist really trying to devour this entire continent.

Just then, a voice echoed.

"Congratulations, Shangguan Mu’er."

The voice was calm, cutting through the lingering crackle of static electricity as Shen Haoran and Qing’er appeared as if they had always been standing there, unaffected by the devastation.

Haoran’s golden eyes swept over her transformed state—the horns, the wings, and the void in her stomach—with a look of genuine, sophisticated approval.

"Even in the Upper Realm," Haoran continued, his voice smooth and melodic, "breaking through to the Spirit Ascension Realm before the age of one hundred is already the mark of a true, undisputed genius."

And he was not exaggerating. Those second and third-rate forces in the Central Region would surely flock to her, offering high-grade resources and elder positions just to invite her to join them.

And with that Avatar of hers, she have long since exceeded the expectations of this ’trash’ realm.

Shangguan Mu’er lowered her head, her demonic wings folding behind her back like a dark, leathery cloak before she reverted back to her human form.

"Thank you for your praise, Young Master. Without the ’push’ from your presence and the items from the secret realm, I might have remained a Nascent Soul for another century."

She turned her gaze toward Qing’er, who stood like a silent shadow behind Haoran.

Even now, having reached a realm that was considered mythical in the World, Mu’er still couldn’t sense the depths of the shadow guard’s power.

Qing’er felt like a bottomless abyss, an entity that existed on a plane far beyond the reach of her new senses.

"...Young Master," Mu’er said, her voice becoming serious, "if I may be so bold, I find myself standing on a new peak, yet I still feel like a child looking at a mountain. Can I ask... just how far away am I from the true pinnacle of power in the Upper Realm? What does the hierarchy truly look like?"

Haoran smiled, a thin, sharp expression. "Curious? Indeed, you should be. It is a healthy instinct. Knowledge of the gap is the only thing that keeps a genius from becoming complacent. Well, if you were to remain in the more secluded and desolate regions in the Upper Realm, your current power would indeed consider you a regional powerhouse—a master of a small kingdom or a minor sect."

In the Desolate Eastern Region, a Spirit Ascension Realm can be considered as the highest combat power.

His smile deepened, turning into a mocking glint. "But in the grand scheme of things—in the eyes of the Great Empires and the Immortal Clans—your power is still not qualified to be ranked even at the lowest level of the ’True Experts’."

"Not even the lowest?" Shangguan Mu’er muttered.

Her skin seemed to pale even further, and her pupils widening in genuine, soul-shaking shock.

She had just survived the wrath of the heavens, yet she was told she hadn’t even reached the bottom rung of the ladder.

"Yes," Haoran said, his hands tucked into his sleeves. "Above the Spirit Ascension Realm lies the Nirvana Rebirth Realm, where the body is unmade and reforged in the fires of the Dao. Above that is the Profound Saint Realm, then the Earthly Saint Realm, the Heavenly Saint Realm, and lastly, the pinnacle: the Supreme Emperor Realm. For you to be considered a ’True Powerhouse’ in the Prime Origin Realm—someone who can dictate the fate of millions—you must at least reach the level of a Profound Saint."

He paused to let the names sink in. "Profound Saints are the highest combat power that a major force can casually deploy into the world. That is because jnless there is a matter of absolute, world-shaking importance—a war of annihilation or the discovery of an Imperial Artifact—Earthly Saints and Heavenly Saints usually remain in seclusion, acting as the deterrent of their clans."

As for the Supreme Emperors...forget them, even if the world were to be destroyed, they wouldn’t care.

All in their mind is to ascend to the immortal realm, and they don’t care about anything else.

"...So much... there is so much more," Shangguan Mu’er trembled.

The numbers, the ranks, the sheer scale of the hierarchy made her feel as though she were standing on a grain of sand looking at a galaxy.

"Yes." Haoran smirked, his gaze piercing. "In fact, you can be considered to have only just stepped through the front gate into the beginning of true Cultivation. Everything before Spirit Ascension is merely ’tempering the vessel’."

"...Is that so?"

To Haoran’s surprise, Shangguan Mu’er actually smiled. It wasn’t a smile of despair, but one of terrifying, demonic hunger.

Her eyes flared with the light of determination and hunger, "That’s good. That is very good."

She felt a surge of excitement that made her blood boil.

Her life in the Saint Burial Realm had become so incredibly boring because she stood at the absolute pinnacle, with no one left to challenge her and no further path to walk.

Now, Haoran had handed her an infinite ladder.

Just like before, she would climb toward the top, she would devour the legacies, trample upon the arrogant geniuses of the heavens, and make the ’Experts’ of the Upper Realm fear the hunger of the demon known as Shangguan Mu’er.

Just then...

"Master!"

The sound of frantic footsteps echoed across the rubble as Ling Luochen appeared, her breath hitching as she stared at her master’s new, terrifying form.

Haoran immediately noticed the change in Luochen. The girl’s aura had stabilized and deepened, humming with the vibrant energy of the 6th stage of the Core Formation realm.

Not to mention her Asura physique was beginning to truly integrate with her soul, making her movements look as sharp as a drawn blade.

"Luochen, it seems you have benefited quite a lot from the leftovers of that secret realm as well," Shangguan Mu’er said, her voice softening slightly as she looked at her disciple.

Ling Luochen shook her head, her eyes fixed on the massive, lingering shadow of the heavenly tribulations that had only just vanished. "Not as much as you, Master. Congratulations! You have become the first person in the history of the North in several centuries to break through to that legendary realm! Your name will be etched into the stone of the Pagoda forever!"

Shangguan Mu’er shook her head, her expression indifferent. "It’s nothing to brag about, Luochen. In the eyes of the Young Master, it is merely the first step. We have a much longer road ahead than I originally imagined."

"Hm?" Ling Luochen tilted her head, confused by the shift in her master’s tone.

"Alright," Haoran spoke up, his voice regaining its tone of absolute command. "Since you’ve successfully broken through and stabilized your foundation, you can both begin preparing for your ascension. We will leave this realm once I have settled my final business here."

Both Shangguan Mu’er and Ling Luochen froze, before they stared at Haoran with wide, disbelieving eyes, the air between them suddenly becoming thin.

"No need to be so shocked," Haoran added, waving a hand dismissively. "Hurry. You have three days at most. Say your goodbyes to this world, settle some old scores, kill whoever you need to kill, or pack whatever trash you deem valuable. We aren’t coming back."

Shangguan Mu’er and Ling Luochen immediately cupped their hands, their faces brimming with a fierce, manic excitement.

The Upper Realm!

The Prime Origin Realm!

That legendary place where gods walked the earth! They were finally going to step foot on the stage that mattered!

"Alright, for now, we have something to do," Haoran said, turning toward Qing’er. "We will be leaving the Pagoda for a short duration. Once we return, we will depart this world immediately."

Qing’er stepped forward, her red eyes reflecting the dying light of the afternoon.

Then, with a casual, effortless flick of her wrist, she tore into the fabric of space and a swirling portal of pitch-black energy and silver light opened in the middle of the ruined courtyard, leading to a destination known only to her and her master.

Without a final word, Haoran and Qing’er stepped into the rift, leaving the two standing amidst the ruins of their past, staring toward a future that had just become infinitely larger.