Villains Aren't Stepping Stones!-Chapter 131: Return

At this moment.

In the heart of the Shen Clan Domain, a place where the mountains were carved from spirit jade and the waterfalls cascaded with liquid Qi, the atmosphere was filled with anticipation.

Three women stood before the Great Ascension Altar, each an embodiment of power that could make entire galaxies tremble.

Leng Shuang, the silent tyrant that dominated the twelve realms; Feng Yuyan, the mistress of forbidden creation and cosmic horrors; and Chu Xueyu, the Ruthless Empress herself.

They stood in a triangular formation, their robes fluttering in the high-altitude winds that swept across the jade platform.

"Once he returns, the Heaven’s Chosen Tournament will commence," Feng Yuyan remarked, her voice carrying a sharp, melodic edge as she toyed with a strand of her hair, her eyes gleaming with a predatory light. "Honestly, it’s about time we give those arrogant ’Crowns’ a beating of a lifetime."

The Ten Crowns was a title of immense prestige, given only to the ten most talented and ruthless youths of the Shen Clan’s various branches.

In the year that Haoran had been absent, hunting variables in the lower realms, these ten had begun to grow restless.

Deprived of the shadow cast by the true successor, they had started to develop delusions of grandeur, openly declaring in the banquet halls and training grounds that they were superior to Haoran.

Thankfully, Feng Yuyan’s daughter, Feng Yanmei, had taken it upon herself to remind them of their mortality. Known for her "eccentric" love for high-level explosives and chaotic formations, she had spent the year "bombing" the Ten Crowns from time to time, often dragging the increasingly ruthless Ning Xueli along to participate in the carnage.

In fact, they were bombed so much that the ten crowns actually developed a fear of being dominated by "Fat Man" and "Little Boy".

"It’s not appropriate to call it a tournament," Leng Shuang corrected calmly, her eyes fixed on the dormant runes of the altar. "A tournament implies that there will be a competition, but there is not. This is merely a stage for Haoran to demonstrate to the clan exactly why he is the number one genius of the Shen lineage. It is a reassertion of the natural order."

Yes. For them, there is no doubt that Haoran is the most superior genius of this era, bar none.

Even if he were to compete with those geniuses from another empires and continents, they believe Haoran will still reign supreme.

Just like the three of them back then, where they completely dominated the entire Prime Origin Realm, challenging every geniuses in every corner of the known realm until they can no longer lift their heads.

Chu Xueyu remained silent, her arms were crossed over her chest, her presence a vacuum that seemed to drink the light of the setting sun.

She did not engage in the banter; her gaze was a physical force, locked onto the exact coordinates where her son would manifest.

’He should arrive right about... Now.’

At that moment, the altar erupted.

A pillar of golden light, wider and more blinding than any that had come before, struck the platform.

It turned the world into a featureless white void, the sheer pressure of the ascension forcing the nearby spirit trees to bow.

However, none of the three women so much as blinked. Their gazes pierced through the brilliance as if it were nothing more than a morning mist.

As the light began to dim and the humming of the spatial ley lines died out, four figures stood in the center of the jade platform.

Shen Haoran stepped forward, his midnight-blue robes shimmering with the dust of dimensions.

Behind him, Qing’er stood like a faithful shadow, followed by the two shell-shocked women of the Pagoda, Ling Luochen and Shangguan Mu’er.

Haoran’s gaze swept over the familiar landscape of his home before landing on the three women as a rare, genuine smile touched his lips. "I have returned, mother. Aunt Shuang, Aunt Yuyan."

Chu Xueyu’s eyes, normally cold enough to freeze a soul, softened by a fraction.

She turned her gaze momentarily toward Ling Luochen and Shangguan Mu’er, scanning their foundations with a single, clinical sweep before disregarding them entirely.

To her, they were merely interesting pebbles Haoran had picked up on his journey, so her focus immediately returned to her son. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

"Welcome back," she said, her voice like velvet wrapped around steel. "How was the pest? Did he provide any entertainment for you before he expired?"

She was, of course, referring to Jiang Chen—the reincarnation of Haoran’s father, the man she had personally executed and stripped of his Dao Bone more than two decades ago.

Haoran shrugged, his expression one of bored dismissal. "Trash is trash, mother. No matter what fancy new garbage bin you throw it into, the contents remain the same. He died screaming about destiny and stuff that honestly got annoying."

In his first life, the man had been a "Hero" who was tricked and slaughtered by Chu Xueyu, his very essence harvested for her son.

And in this second life, despite the "Heavens" granting him a new body and a new chance, he was still the same mediocre soul that couldn’t even stand in the shadow of the Shen.

"However, the Heavenly Dao is really way too troublesome," Haoran added, walking toward them with an easy, regal stride. "It keeps trying to stitch the world back together around these anomalies."

He thought back to the unreasonable protection of the heavens towards their favored children and couldn’t help but feel annoyed.

He paused, turning his head slightly toward Qing’er. "Go and arrange proper accommodations for our guests. Teach them the proper etiquette of the Shen Clan and let them get used to the life here. I want them functional by the time the tournament begins."

"At once, young master." Qing’er nodded, bowing with her usual flawless grace before gesturing for Ling Luochen and Shangguan Mu’er to follow her.

The two Northern women, who had thought themselves "Masters of the World" only days ago, walked behind the Shadow Guard with wide, humbled eyes, overwhelmed by the sheer density of the Qi in the air.

Feng Yuyan watched them leave, her eyes narrowing as she smirked at Haoran. "Your lovers? You’ve certainly picked up some exotic specimens, Haoran."

Haoran shook his head, his voice light. "Not yet. But that might change. They have proven themselves to be more than just pretty faces; they have a certain... appetite for power that I find useful."

"Hehehe, I can see that," Yuyan chuckled, her gaze lingering on the retreating backs of the girls. "One is artificially forging a demonic physique using forbidden marrow-washing techniques, and the other... the other seems to possess the pure bloodline of the Gula Demons. How... fascinating. I can already hear the dissection table calling."

Despite having performed countless experiments on the Gula remnants in the wilderness, someone with a bloodline as pure as Shangguan Mu’er’s was a rarity.

And the idea of Ling Luochen artificially creating a demonic physique—a process that usually ended in a messy explosion of meat—piqued Yuyan’s scientific madness.

"In the nigh-infinite archives of our clan," Yuyan mused, "there are only two recorded instances of a human successfully creating their own physique through sheer artifice. Both of them ascended to the Immortal Realm and became legends of the dark ages. I wonder if your little pet has the stomach to be the third."

"She has. Only someone completely insane in their search for power would choose such a painful nonsensical method to forge their own physique." Said Haoran.

And it is indeed true. After all, taking someone’s physique for yourself is much more efficient than just undergoing in hell-like pain.

Not to mention the chance for failure was so incredibly high you might as well try finding a needle in a haystack.

Leng Shuang stepped forward, her expression more practical. "Haoran, I trust your time wasn’t entirely spent on these distractions? Did you find any opportunities while you are down there?"

Haoran nodded. "I did, aunt. The trip was fruitful. Beyond the elimination of the variable, I managed to secure the Origin of the Formless Void Divine Physique, which I’ve currently sealed. And... I found an Imperial Artifact."

"An Imperial Artifact?" Both Feng Yuyan and Leng Shuang perked up, their auras flickering with sudden interest.

To find an Imperial Artifact, a weapon capable of protecting a clan for countless era and supressing all opponents, hidden in a backwater, lower-tier realm like the Saint Burial Realm was a discovery of the highest order.

It was the kind of treasure that could change the balance of power between the Immortal Clans.

Chu Xueyu took a step forward, her hand resting briefly on Haoran’s shoulder, with the heat of her pride being palpable.

"That’s enough for the public platform. The walls have ears, even in my domain. Let us talk inside my private bedchambers." She looked at her son, her gaze unyielding. "I believe Haoran must be exhausted from the dimensional transit. He can lie down on my bed as we discuss these ’treasures.’ I want to hear every detail of how you crushed that man’s hope."

Haoran smiled. "As you wish, mother."