Master: This Villainous Disciple Is Not The Holy Child

Chu Xiu watched from the shadows.

Ye Fan circled the mountain several times before finally selecting a spot in a valley. He pulled a formation disk from his storage pouch and began to disable the barrier.

Three hours later, the mountain trembled, rocks tumbling down its slopes. A circular opening, about eight meters tall, appeared on the mountainside, spewing dragon qi and shimmering light.

“Here I come, treasure!” Ye Fan, hovering on his sword, smiled and flew into the opening without hesitation.

He didn’t notice the shadowy figure that had slipped in ahead of him.

Chu Xiu, utilizing the Xing Secret Technique, moved with incredible speed through the winding tunnel.

The tunnel, carved through the heart of the mountain, spiraled downwards, its length and destination unknown.

Chu Xiu’s expression remained unchanged, his mind calm despite the knowledge that a Quasi-Emperor’s treasure lay ahead. He moved swiftly but cautiously, his senses alert for any hidden dangers.

As he descended deeper, closer to the earth’s veins, the concentration of spiritual energy increased dramatically, so thick it was almost liquid. The air thrummed with potent dragon qi. Cultivating here would be several times faster than in the outside world…

The tunnel leveled out, winding forward instead of down.

Chu Xiu slowed his pace and made a series of hand seals, his fingers glowing faintly in the darkness. He etched concealment runes onto his body, masking his presence, his aura fading into the shadows.

He rounded a corner, and a brilliant light assaulted his eyes. He shielded his face, allowing his eyes to adjust.

He gasped, his eyes widening in surprise and delight.

A thousand meters ahead lay a vast cavern, ten times the size of a soccer field at least, its high ceiling adorned with massive stalactites, dripping with a crystal-clear liquid. The droplets landed on the stone floor with a soft plink, their sound echoing through the cavern.

But that wasn’t all. The floor of the cavern was covered in a profusion of spirit herbs and medicinal plants, their fragrant blossoms glowing with an otherworldly light. They grew in wild abundance, their roots intertwined, their leaves unfurling towards the light.

Mystic-grade, Earth-grade, Heaven-grade…

And deeper within the cavern… he even spotted a few clusters of Immortal-grade spirit herbs, their leaves shimmering with a rainbow of colors.

He stepped into the cavern, his gaze sweeping across the treasure trove, his heart pounding with excitement.

And then, he saw it.

Coiled around a massive stalactite, a gigantic white serpent, its body thicker than a dozen men, its scales like polished mirrors, each one two meters in diameter.

The serpent slumbered peacefully, unaware of the intruder’s presence.

Chu Xiu’s mind reeled.

The serpent’s aura… it was at the Other Shore Realm! The peak of the Other Shore Realm!

‘Impossible…’

‘How… how can such a powerful creature be here?’

He moved cautiously, careful not to disturb the sleeping serpent, his heart pounding in his chest.

He pulled out a jade bottle, collecting the dripping ten-thousand-year stone milk as he moved deeper into the cavern, gathering Earth-grade and Heaven-grade spirit herbs, his movements swift and efficient. He didn’t even bother with the Mystic-grade ones; they were beneath his notice now.

Three-Flower Grass… Azure Sky Sprout… Crimsonheart Fruit…

He gathered them all, his storage pouch filling rapidly.

[Ding! Your Fate Value +5]

[Ding! Your Fate Value +5]

[Ding! Your Fate Value +8]

[Ding! Your Fate Value +7]

[Ding! Your Fate Value +6]

[Ding! Your Fate Value +15]

He reached the four clusters of Immortal-grade spirit herbs. Without even bothering to identify them, he plucked them like weeds, tossing them into his storage pouch. His actions, so casual, so disrespectful of their immense value, would have sent any other cultivator into a frenzy.

His rapid and ruthless harvesting of the cavern’s treasures triggered a series of system notifications, his Fate Value steadily increasing.

He glanced around, his gaze settling on a shimmering stone chamber nestled within the rightmost wall of the cavern.

‘I think I know why my Fate Value is increasing…’

[Jie jie…]

‘Jie jie yourself…’

‘I’m stealing the protagonist’s opportunities! I’m siphoning his fate!’

[Indeed. If it weren’t for you, Ye Fan would have received these treasures, and his cultivation would have skyrocketed.]

‘Over a thousand Earth-grade spirit herbs, more than a hundred Heaven-grade, eleven Immortal-grade, three jade bottles of ten-thousand-year stone milk… enough to make even a pig rich!’

He chuckled, unable to contain his glee.

And then… his smile froze.

His gaze fixed on two objects floating above a white jade platform in the center of the chamber.

A palm-sized fragment of a light green stone mirror, radiating an ancient, primal aura, its surface shimmering with an otherworldly light.

And a red-and-black mottled egg, covered in intricate runes, pulsing with a vibrant, life force, its surface shimmering, its heart-like beat echoing softly through the chamber.

The egg was roughly the size of an ostrich egg.

‘These two… these are the true treasures of this place…’

He approached the platform and reached for the stone mirror fragment.

It was cold to the touch, its weight surprising, like a small mountain in his hand. The stone beneath his feet cracked under the pressure.

He tried to store it in his spatial pouch…

…but it wouldn’t fit.

‘What… what kind of mirror fragment is this?’ He frowned, wrapping it in a piece of Mystic-grade cloth and storing it for later study.

BOOM!

A sudden explosion rocked the cavern.

Ye Fan had triggered the formations Chu Xiu had left at the entrance.

A deafening roar echoed through the chamber as the white serpent awoke, its massive form uncoiling, its eyes blazing with fury. It had sensed the intruder, the thief who dared to invade its lair.

Rocks rained down from the ceiling as the serpent thrashed, its rage shaking the very foundations of the cavern.

‘Time to go!’ Chu Xiu grabbed the egg, wrapping it carefully in cloth, and etched concealment runes onto both treasures, masking their auras, their light dimming. He slung the bundles over his shoulder and activated the Xing Secret Technique, his movements a blur as he raced out of the chamber.

He saw it then.

The white serpent, its single horn gleaming, its massive body coiling and uncoiling, its eyes burning with a cold fury, unleashed a torrent of icy energy towards Ye Fan, who stood frozen in terror.

The serpent was enraged, ready to crush the insignificant ant who dared to steal from it.

Chu Xiu, seizing his chance, slipped past the battling duo, his movements unseen, his presence unnoticed, and vanished into the tunnel.

He could faintly hear Ye Fan’s frustrated cry echoing from the cavern: “Damn it! My luck’s run out!”

Chu Xiu raced upwards, his heart pounding, the Xing Secret Technique propelling him forward.

Whoosh!

He burst out of the tunnel and disappeared into the forest.

…

The moment Chu Xiu left, the white serpent’s aura, previously at the terrifying peak of the Other Shore Realm, began to weaken.

Peak Other Shore Realm… Mid Other Shore Realm… Initial Other Shore Realm… Peak Divine Bridge Realm…

Its eyes, once blazing with fury, dimmed, their light fading.

Ye Fan, his body encased in ice, his limbs numb, suddenly felt a surge of hope.

‘You… you’re weakening!’

“Haha! Looks like your time’s up, you overgrown lizard!”

“I’ll take care of you now, you demonic beast!”

He drew his sword and charged, a wild grin on his face, his fear replaced by a surge of adrenaline-fueled excitement. The cavern shook as they clashed, the battle between man and beast echoing through the earth.