Great Villain: Starting by Humiliating the Son of the Heavenly Fate-Chapter 403: One Fatal Assumption

On the other side, Jiang Chen's brows knit together as the pressure suddenly spiked, almost unbearable.

Damn it. That kind of power—someone's really using a Void Tribulation-level immortal tool to track me?

Boom!

In the next moment, his body shifted dramatically. His long hair whipped around as if caught in a storm, even though the air was still. Two sharp purple dragon horns burst from his forehead, and in a flash, dark purple crystal-like dragon scales covered his body. His arms twisted into deadly dragon claws.

He had taken on his dragon-human hybrid form.

But he didn't stop there. Eyes narrowing, Jiang Chen called on the power of his Void Tribulation Soulring. Instantly, the souls of Nangong Wan and Shangguan Ning merged with his own. His body surged again, this time glowing with even greater force.

His strength shot past the peak of the Nirvana Peering realm—he was now half a step into Nirvana Cleansing realm.

That surge pushed his bloodline's concealment power to new heights, blocking outside interference even more fiercely.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Jiang Chen felt his blood boiling, his whole body on the verge of exploding—like something deep inside him was about to ignite.

...

Meanwhile, back at the Purple Crest Immortal Sect, Lu Tingyun still couldn't lock onto the target. Her eyes flew open, and tears of blood streamed down her face.

"This still isn't enough? Why? Why won't you let me find you? Do you really think I'd betray you? I wouldn't! I can't accept this! If you really don't want to see me again… then I'll die before you do!"

She had nothing left to give—so she bet everything. Even her life.

Whoosh!

Blinding beams of light burst from her body, flooding straight into the Square Inch True Expanse.

Boom!!

The artifact trembled violently—and then, at last, a red dot appeared on the board.

...

Inside the Jade Rain Golden House, Jiang Chen felt the strange power rise again. It ripped through the defenses of his bloodline in an instant and sank into him like a needle in water.

Damn it. Even after using my dragon form and the Void Tribulation Soulring, they still found me. That has to be a Void Tribulation-level immortal tool, he thought, his expression shifting as he checked his body.

Right away, he noticed something—an odd mark had taken shape inside him, small and faint like a Go stone.

But the moment his divine sense locked onto it, it blinked out of sight—then reappeared somewhere else.

No matter what method he used, he couldn't remove it. The thing was slippery, like a shadow that refused to stay still.

So I can't get rid of it for now, huh? Fine. If you're so desperate to chase me to the grave, then don't blame me for striking first. I don't care who it is—if they come for me, I'll kill them all. Once I break through to Nirvana Cleansing realm, I should be able to wipe this thing out.

His fingers brushed his chin, and a cold gleam flashed in his eyes.

...

Lu Tingyun stared at the glowing red dot on the Square Inch True Expanse. Bloody tears still streamed down her face. She lowered her head and let out a soft, broken laugh.

"I... found you."

But the moment those words left her lips, the Square Inch True Expanse gave out. With a sharp crack, its surface split, webbed with countless fractures.

"No!!" Her body jerked. The madness had faded from her eyes—she was clear-headed now—but it was already too late.

A second later, her body began to crack, just like the artifact in front of her.

Her life force drained away completely. She didn't scream. She didn't look away. Her lifeless eyes stayed locked on the red dot, refusing to blink even as death took her.

But what she didn't know… was that she'd locked onto the wrong person.

Her death meant nothing.

The Square Inch True Expanse, drained and broken, slipped from her lap and hit the ground with a dull thud, shattering into pieces.

The red light was still there, barely glowing now, but it had lost its tracking power.

...

Inside the Jade Rain Golden House, Jiang Chen suddenly noticed something strange—the Go stone hidden in his body had stopped shifting around. It had settled in his left arm, quiet and still.

Huh? It's not moving anymore?

He narrowed his eyes, focusing his divine sense. The mark was harder to detect now—almost completely invisible unless he looked really closely.

His brows furrowed. He couldn't tell what had changed, but something definitely had.

Without hesitation, he pushed his strongest power toward it, trying once again to force it out.

Nothing happened.

The phantom-like Go stone stayed right where it was, stubborn as ever.

Jiang Chen figured he'd need to reach the true Nirvana Cleansing realm before he'd have the strength to fully purge it.

"Well… at least it stopped jumping around. That makes it easier to deal with," he muttered, curling his lip. "Still, I'd love to know what happened on the other end."

He didn't wait around. In the next moment, he vanished from his spot.

He couldn't afford to stay in Golden Cirrus City any longer.

...

At the quiet mountaintop where Lu Tingyun lived, Sun Xiangyuan sat in a small pavilion outside her meditation chamber, sipping tea as he waited for news about the killer's location.

It's been a while now. There should be something soon. With Lu Tingyun's skill, she's bound to pull it off—she'll definitely find the murderer.

Though he looked calm on the outside, his mind was racing. Cold intent flickered in his eyes with every sip.

He kept drinking, occasionally glancing toward the chamber's entrance.

Time passed, minute by minute.

What's going on? Why is it taking so long? Lu Tingyun's supposed to be the best diviner on the Prosperous Stone Immortal Star. Since returning from the front lines, her abilities have only grown. She can even read into those at the Void Tribulation level. Why haven't I heard anything yet? Don't tell me she's playing games with me.

Frustration creeping in, Sun Xiangyuan set down his teacup—he'd refilled it too many times already. His grey brows tightened.

Finally, unable to wait any longer, he stood and walked to the chamber door.

Knock, knock, knock.

He rapped sharply.

No response.

"What the hell is going on?" His brows drew together, annoyance flashing in his eyes. "Lu Tingyun, what's the delay? Why haven't you come out?"

He slammed his fist against the door.

Crack!

The door burst open.

Inside, the room was still. A low table. A cushion. A lifeless body. Fragments of a Go-like board scattered across the floor.

"What!! Lu Tingyun is… dead? How—how is that even possible? She was just divining a demon… how could that kill her? What happened in here?"

He froze, stunned, eyes wide as the pieces refused to make sense.

Then—Boom!

Before he could react, two powerful auras crashed down from the sky—both Nirvana Cleansing realm.