Villains Aren't Stepping Stones!

"Dad...." Xiao Long stared at the glowing, semi-transparent spectral figure that gradually coalesced out of the fading green light right beside him, and immediately, hot tears started falling uncontrollably from his eyes, tracing clean lines through the layer of grime and ash on his face.

Although the current soul occupying this body was a transmigrator who had never actually met these people personally in this life, the fusion of his consciousness with the original body was so absolute that he knew deeply, from the vivid remnants of the original Xiao Long’s memories, just how unconditionally and limitlessly his parents had loved him.

They had given him everything, spoiled him, never once letting him suffer injustice.

And when they tragically "died" years ago in a sudden political purge within their home province, the original Xiao Long had completely fallen into decadence, his spirit completely shattered.

He had thoroughly neglected his studies, abandoned his daily cultivation routines, and eventually became the lazy, hollowed out trash that everyone across the academy despised, before dying alone in obscurity, right before the modern transmigrator Xiao Long took over the empty vessel.

But now, against all biological and spiritual laws, he can finally see his father once again.

The system’s final gift...

Before its coding completely dissolved, the machine program hadn’t just activated a common shield; it had utilized the massive conversion of its remaining luck values to completely alter the past.

It knew that it couldn’t protect Xiao Long, even if they escaped, the Shen Clan would hunt them down to the edge of the world.

And very soon, Xiao Long’a luck would run out.

So instead, it decided to gamble.

Xiao Long’s luck was completely drained, in other words, if Haoran decided to kill him now, there will nothing that can stop him from doing so.

However, on the flip side, Xiao Long gained a backer powerful enough to protect him.

It gambled on the fact that any mortal would fear an Immortal, and that Shen Haoran would stop his attacks, not wanting to offend a true Immortal.

As for the drained luck, Xiao Long can regain that thing in future.

As long as he survives, that’s all that matters.

Xiao Long’s father, Xiao Zhan, stood tall in his spectral armor, a gentle, deeply affectionate smile gracing his ancient features as he reached out a misty hand toward his son.

"You’ve grown up so much, son. You look strong now, more mature than when we left."

"Dad..." Xiao Long cried out like a helpless child, his voice cracking with a thousand years of unexpressed grief, entirely forgetting the presence of the executioner hovering above them.

However...

*BOOM!*

The tender, emotional reunion was violently, ruthlessly interrupted.

Several colossal, space-tearing beams of deep purple light rained down from the heavens, aimed directly at their skulls, the searing heat vaporizing the air before the kinetic impact could even land.

Xiao Zhan’s gentle expression instantly vanished, his brow furrowing into a sharp frown as he turned his spectral face toward the descending apocalypse.

He didn’t even draw a weapon, he just casually waved his translucent right hand across the air in a fluid, sweeping motion.

*SHNG!*

The moment his sleeve brushed against the vacuum, those world-shattering beams of foreign light immediately shattered, breaking apart like fragile glass into millions of harmless, drifting motes of sparkling purple lights that faded into the black metallic earth.

He looked upward, staring directly at the massive, hovering silhouette of the floating fortress with a gaze of disdain.

"Hmph. Just a crude Semi-Immortal Rank Artifact." Xiao Zhan snorted, "Boy, let me tell you something, even if you somehow possessed a genuine, fully realized Rank 1 Immortal Artifact from the Immortal Realm, you could still only dream of harming a single hair on my son’s head while my soul fragment lingers."

Inside the heavily armored central control room of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, Haoran raised an eyebrow in genuine, calculating interest as he watched the spectral projection on his holographic screen dismantle his artillery with a literal wave of a hand.

"Semi-Immortal rank..." Haoran murmured, his fingers tapping the armrest of his throne as he recorded the data. "So that’s what the Imperial Artifacts of this mortal plane are called in the nomenclature of the immortal realms."

Was he deeply worried or panicking about the sudden appearance of a genuine Immortal entity?

Not really.

Although he was admittedly a bit annoyed that this specific execution had gone slightly off the rails due to the system’s final, erratic response, his mind remained entirely cold and composed.

He still possessed several layers of hidden backup plans, and this entire operation was still thoroughly and completely salvageable.

The system indeed made the most logical choice.

Any other person would’ve completely begged for mercy the moment they knew that Xiao Zhan was a soul of a true Immortal.

But Shen Haoran? He can see that Xiao Long’s luck was almost depleted, and he knew that it was already possible to kill him.

However, he was feeling annoyed. Even if he succeeded killing Xiao Long, his luck was way too pitiful.

Thankfully, this Immortal soul was here, and that’s more than enough to compensate for the lack of luck he will get.

Down in the smoking crater, Xiao Long pointed a trembling, hateful finger straight up at the floating fortress, his face distorting into a mask of pure, vindictive malice.

"Shen Haoran! You killed my disciple, and even hunted me down! We have never offended you, so why are you so vicious" he roared, before turning towards his father, "Dad, please kill him for me! He is a complete monster! He mercilessly killed my beloved disciple Chu Yan right in front of me, and he even almost killed me out of pure, unprovoked jealousy! He’s committed unspeakable atrocities across the campus! An incarnation of evil! I’m sure he’s related to demonic cultivators as well!"

In his desperation to ensure Haoran’s death, he effortlessly made up several completely fictional crimes on the spot, weaving a narrative of complete victimhood just to make himself look as pitiful and righteous as possible to his father.

However, hearing the frantic plea, Xiao Zhan suddenly went entirely rigid.

He was completely stunned, his spectral form flickering slightly as he didn’t even seem to hear the rest of his son’s words or the fictional crimes being listed.

His entire immortal consciousness was completely occupied, frozen by that one single, terrifying word.

Shen.

The people born and raised within the isolated, restricted confines of this lower mortal world didn’t know this fact, but beyond the boundaries of this small world, there isn’t just one Immortal realm, but there are actually thousands of diverse, sprawling Immortal Realms floating within the broader cosmic tapestry, each individual realm tightly managed by its own dominant, tyrannical superpower.

Amongst these thousands of competing Immortal Realms, there stood twelve supreme factions that loomed high above every other power in existence, collectively known across the cosmos as the Twelve Great Immortal Realms.

They ruthlessly monopolized the vast majority of the natural cultivation resources, primordial energy sources, and heavenly paths in the Immortal Lands, looming over the heads of every ordinary immortal, sect master, and sovereign like an absolute, unyielding god before helpless mortals.

And one of those supreme, terrifying twelve... is the Shen Immortal Realm.

They were the newest members to forcefully carve their way into the exclusive council of the Great Immortal Realms, their meteoric, sudden rise to absolute power thoroughly astonishing and horrifying every single ancient faction who witnessed it.

It was a historical anomaly, a rise so blindingly fast it was like watching an infant grow up into a fully armed, mountain-crushing adult within the span of a single day.

And although the supreme Shen Clan weren’t necessarily considered the strongest in terms of experts or territorial size, nor the most politically influential among the ancient houses, they were universally labeled across every star system as the single clan that absolutely no one, under any circumstances, ever wants to offend.

This terrifying reputation wasn’t merely because of their overwhelming military strength, but because of their unadulterated lunacy.

Every single member of that bloodline was a certified lunatic.

No, they were completely and thoroughly, batshit insane.

The clan operated on a philosophy of disproportionate retribution.

If an external sect disciple so much as accidentally stepped on the shadow of a peripheral Shen Clan servant, the core elders of the Shen Clan wouldn’t just demand an apology; they would launch a full-scale, apocalyptic warp-strike, completely erasing that disciple’s entire sect, slaughtering their nine generations, salting their celestial fields, and shattering their home planet into dust just to make a minor philosophical point.

They possessed absolutely no concept of restraint, moderation, or self-preservation.

They were a bloodline of hyper-possessive, hyper-violent monsters who would happily burn down half the universe just to win a petty argument.

They were unhinged, completely beyond reason.

Xiao Zhan’s spectral brows furrowed deeper into a tight, anxious knot.

He had heard a vague rumor during his time in the immortal realms that the legendary, insane Shen Clan had originally originated from one of the lowliest, most obscure mortal worlds in the lower realms.

And it is that this was the reason why they are so overly protective of their own.

When the first Shen Clan Immortal ascended, he was bullied and spat at, living a life worse than shit.

At least no one would deliberately step on shit.

To survive, the Shen Clan ancestor hid and waited until the next Shen Clan Immortal ascended, and they teamed up, watching each other’s back.

In their minds, only those who are of the same blood can be trusted, and anyone are enemies.

Infightings between members are allowed, but teaming up with outsiders would result in the whole clan destroying your lineage.

This was the rule of the Shen Clan in Tian Yuan Empire, and this remained the rules of the Shen Clan in Immortal realm.

It was this rule that kept them united, and eventually rose to becoming one of the hegemons of the Immortal Realms.

So, was this the place where the Shen Clan originated? The one they have been hiding from the outsiders?

Is that calm, nonchalant boy sitting within the fortress somehow directly related to that specific Shen Clan?

If that was truly the casw, then this would be incredibly and catastrophically troublesome.

Defying a common master of a mortal empire was easy, but drawing the attention of a Shen lunatic meant courting an eternal curse.

It’s fine if he died, but those lunatics wouldn’t stop just on him, but they will also continue the vengeance for several generations.

Xiao Zhan cleared his throat, his deep voice carrying a sudden, tense gravity as he looked up at the fortress. "Boy... answer me. Are you perhaps directly related to that Shen Clan?"

Sitting on his throne, Haoran blinked once, his mind processing the specific phrasing.

That Shen Clan?

He was momentarily confused by the old spirit’s sudden, profound shift in tone, but then, his sharp, boundless intelligence connected the dots.

An Immortal soul actually knew about Shen Clan? Does that mean their ancestors who ascended actually made it big and built an Immortal Shen Clan?

"Oh?" Haoran chuckled, his golden eyes gleaming with a victorious light through the holographic feed. "I didn’t know that a mere fragmented soul would actually know about the Shen Clan. So? Where are you from?"

Hearing the calm, arrogant question, Xiao Zhan’s spectral form noticeably faltered, his mist-like hands trembling slightly.

Indeed. The boy’s utter lack of fear and his familiar mention of the name confirmed the worst-case scenario.

This child was indeed directly related to that terrifying, batshit insane Shen Clan... how utterly troublesome.