Great Villain: Starting by Humiliating the Son of the Heavenly Fate Chapter 247: A Frustrated Young Master

What’s going on?

Gu Ran wondered, shuddering. The mont Jiang Chen’s gaze fell upon him, he felt a sudden wave of confusion and apprehension, as though soone had swept their gaze over him again.

There were no other cultivators in this remote sea area. ’What exactly is happening?’ he pondered, a chill prickling across his skin.

However, this ti, the sensation wasn’t as intense as before. It felt as though whoever—or whatever—was observing him wasn’t particularly interested, rely casting a fleeting look before moving on.

Gu Ran breathed a sigh of relief. Staying vigilant, he pressed on, continuing his flight forward.

Throughout his journey, the mysterious gaze did not return, nor did he encounter any demonic beasts worth hunting.

Before he realized it, ten days had slipped by.

"Ten days! An entire ten days without finding a single suitable demonic beast!" After roaming the sea aimlessly, frustration and near desperation crept over Gu Ran. Not a single demonic beast of value had appeared.

He couldn’t go on like this.

The disappearance of the demonic beasts might even be a sign of sothing significant on the horizon.

’All the demonic beasts in the nearby seas above the Spiritual Awakening realm have completely vanished,’ he thought. ’And there’s an intimidating presence with a powerful divine sense lurking around.’

He had a strong suspicion these two events might be connected.

’No, I can’t stay in this sea region any longer,’ Gu Ran thought, anxiety tightening his chest. If sothing major unfolded, his cultivation level—still below the Heavenly Origin realm—might not even allow him to escape in ti!

These thoughts stirred his caution, deepening the resolve in his expression. "I must leave imdiately."

Without hesitation, he retrieved his flying artifact and set off toward Black Wood Island.

Just as Gu Ran made his decision to retreat, system notifications echoed in Jiang Chen’s sea of consciousness.

[Ding! You have successfully altered the plot, claiming a share of protagonist Gu Ran’s opportunities. Gu Ran’s Heavenly Fate Value has decreased by 1000 points!]

[Ding! You have gained 2000 Villain Value points!]

Under normal circumstances, this sea region would have yielded Gu Ran considerable gains—enough to elevate his cultivation to the Heavenly Origin realm and perhaps even reach the Inquiring Journey realm.

But aside from the black, tortoise-like demonic beast he had slain at the start, Gu Ran hadn’t encountered a single demonic beast above the Spiritual Awakening realm.

This hunting subplot had been pivotal for him. These sea-dwelling demonic beasts, originally intended as his prey, were ant to be his first significant bounty.

Now, with nothing to show for his efforts, the situation had taken a drastic turn, and his Heavenly Fate Value naturally suffered.

’Dropped by 1000 points!’ Jiang Chen mused, satisfied as he processed the system’s notifications.

Not bad, not bad!

A grin spread across his face. The days spent tirelessly watching the seas and wiping out the encroaching demonic beasts weren’t wasted.

Just then, a group of cultivators caught his attention. Previously just passersby whose information panels were inaccessible, they had now suddenly turned into supporting characters.

And not just any supporting characters—these ones had shockingly low Fate Values.

One look, and Jiang Chen knew they were practically on death’s doorstep.

’What the hell,’ he thought, rolling his eyes in annoyance. ’Don’t tell this group of cultivators has been dragged into supporting roles by Heavenly Fate just to give Gu Ran a few easy kills.’

It was obvious that, to prevent Gu Ran from leaving empty-handed, Heavenly Fate had set up these cultivators as convenient prey for him.

On closer inspection, the group consisted of eleven cultivators, with the strongest among them at the Late-stage Mysterious Platform realm.

Leading them was a young man dressed in extravagant attire, exuding an air of privilege and arrogance. He was Fu Huacan, an Early-stage Mysterious Platform cultivator with a flamboyant deanor—a typical pampered young master.

The setup was painfully obvious: a carefully crafted opportunity for the protagonist.

’I can’t let Gu Ran encounter these cultivators!’ Jiang Chen’s eyes flashed coldly. With a swift movent, he transford into a streak of light and sped off.

But the distance was significant.

Fu Huacan and his entourage were already uncomfortably close to Gu Ran, and their abrupt transition into supporting characters felt almost intentional.

In an instant, this group of cultivators, practically an offering on a silver platter, had entered the range of Gu Ran’s divine sense.

As Gu Ran noticed Fu Huacan and his group, they, too, beca aware of his presence—he hadn’t bothered to conceal himself.

Fu Huacan scowled at the sea beneath his feet, clenching his fists. "Damn it! Why haven’t we encountered a single demonic beast of the Spiritual Awakening realm or higher!?" His voice rang out, laced with irritation.

"This area was crawling with beasts until recently. What’s caused this sudden change?" one of his lackeys muttered.

"We’ve been scouring this place for days and only managed to slay a few demonic beasts at the start. The results are pathetic!" another chid in.

"When I set sail, I made plenty of boasts. Going back empty-handed? Unacceptable!" Fu Huacan exclaid, his frustration plain.

"Yes, yes, we can’t return like this. People would laugh at us!" the lackeys echoed, fawning over him.

Watching from a distance, Jiang Chen found himself at a bit of a loss for words.

Under normal circumstances, the sudden, large-scale disappearance of demonic beasts would have set off alarm bells, urging anyone with sense to retreat imdiately.

Yet here was Fu Huacan, still grumbling about his ager gains, stubbornly refusing to head back.

It was as if his intelligence had taken a nosedive.

The cultivators with him seed no better. Not a single one offered any prudent advice; instead, they simply fawned over him, parroting his complaints.

When a protagonist enters a scene, common sense goes out of the window

, Jiang Chen mumbled to himself, watching as Fu Huacan and his entourage inevitably crossed paths with Gu Ran.

From Gu Ran’s perspective, the sight of Fu Huacan and his entourage instantly put him on guard, sensing trouble approaching.

In the Ageless Spirit Heavenly Sect, he’d dealt with countless arrogant young masters, and Fu Huacan’s deanor fit the type exactly.

These privileged heirs were the hardest to deal with, quick to bear grudges over even the slightest offense.

All Gu Ran wanted was to cultivate and advance peacefully, with no interest in unnecessary conflicts.

The mont Fu Huacan spotted him, he broke into a wide grin. "Well, well, Daoist friend!" he called out, approaching with the ease of a social butterfly. "eting in such a vast sea… we’re truly fated!"

Then, his eyes gleaming with curiosity, he added, "So, have you managed any impressive hauls?"

The rest of his entourage chid in, each flashing a grin as they sized up Gu Ran.

Gu Ran glanced calmly at Fu Huacan and his group. "Indeed, it seems we’re fated to et here."

"Unfortunately, sothing unusual seems to have happened in this sea area—all the demonic beasts of the Spiritual Awakening realm and above have disappeared." He sighed slightly. "I haven’t managed to procure anything either, so I’m planning to head back to Black Wood Island."

"Oh?" Fu Huacan’s eyes flickered with interest as he gave Gu Ran a thorough once-over. "So, you ca up empty-handed too. Looks like we’re both in the sa situation."

His gaze eventually settled on the flying artifact beneath Gu Ran’s feet. Pausing thoughtfully, he then suggested, "I’m planning to return to Black Wood Island as well. How about we travel together?"

For an outer disciple of the Ageless Spirit Heavenly Sect like Gu Ran, owning a flying artifact was fairly typical. But in a remote area like Black Wood Island, it would indeed be sothing of a rarity.

The fact that Gu Ran’s storage artifact hadn’t been stripped when his corpse was previously handled was, indeed, baffling. This could only be attributed to the protagonist’s halo, courtesy of Heavenly Fate.

At this mont, Fu Huacan finished scrutinizing Gu Ran, quickly deducing that he was a loose cultivator with no notable background, though he seed to have so wealth.

Fu Huacan imdiately decided to get rid of Gu Ran and seize his belongings.

One of Fu Huacan’s lackeys caught his calculating look and instantly understood his intentions. Putting on his friendliest expression, he turned to Gu Ran and said, "My friend, let’s travel together! This part of the sea seems strange. It would be safer to have so company on the journey back."

Another follower chid in, "Yes, let’s not waste any ti. We should head back right away!"

The rest of Fu Huacan’s entourage eagerly echoed the suggestion, creating such an enthusiastic and welcoming atmosphere that, if Gu Ran refused, it might seem rude.

Most people in his position would likely agree, if they were open-minded enough.

But Gu Ran was anything but most people.