Reborn as the Novel’s Villain: Cultivation Lost, Female Leads Take Control - Chapter 136

The sun in the sky was completely obscured!

White Emperor City fell into utter darkness as if the entire world had been swallowed by an endless night.

A surging and boiling demonic energy spread like a black ocean, flooding every corner of the city. The once vibrant city was now a land of desolation, its lush greenery reduced to barren wasteland, and all life seemed to wither under the oppressive force.

“What is the origin of this arm?”

“Why do I feel like my soul is about to be torn apart just looking at it?”

Casual cultivators trembled as chills coursed through their bodies. Fear drove many to consider fleeing the scene.

“This is the Demon Arm—an accursed relic of ultimate evil! But how could it emanate such overwhelming power? This monstrous demonic energy is spreading across the entire city!”

“It must be the work of the vile scum lurking in the shadows of the demonic path!”

“What do they intend to do with this Demon Arm and the entire White Emperor City?”

A protector’s grave explanation left everyone terrified and in turmoil.

According to ancient records, in times long past, there was a powerful cultivator who fell into the demonic path and transformed himself into a demon. He transcended the Mahayana realm, coming within a single step of becoming an immortal.

This demon’s birth brought unprecedented catastrophe to the Five Regions of the world. Countless cultivators—hundreds of millions—were reduced to mere sustenance, their life force devoured to fuel the demon’s power. It was a time of devastation, where all creatures teetered on the brink of extinction.

This horrifying event was etched deeply in ancient books!

When the crowd realized that the arm originated from this legendary demon, their fear reached an uncontrollable peak.

The demon’s emergence spelled disaster for all living beings, and only an Immortal Emperor could defeat it.

But now? The Five Regions lacked even Mahayana Saints, let alone an Immortal Emperor capable of banishing such evil!

“This place is no longer safe! Everyone, I must take my clan’s divine son and leave immediately!”

A protector, foreseeing the looming danger, emerged from the void. He quickly grabbed his clan’s divine son and attempted to tear open space for their escape.

The panic among the audience only intensified as they saw a Venerable Realm protector—a figure of great power—show fear. People scrambled desperately toward the edges of the city, each hoping to escape the impending doom.

But as the crowd surged toward the city’s boundaries, a frigid wind blew through, carrying an ominous whisper that seeped into their souls. Cultivators below the Nascent Soul realm felt their spirits being tugged and twisted, and many turned pale as if their lifeblood had been drained.

Suddenly, thick gray fog materialized between heaven and earth, carrying an aura of sinister malice. It descended slowly, blanketing the fleeing masses.

The next moment, thousands of dim, glowing arrays appeared in the void, their patterns spreading out like intricate spiderwebs. Invisible threads connected them, weaving a massive formation that encased White Emperor City in an impenetrable barrier.

“Why can’t I get out?!”

One cultivator who had reached the city’s edge screamed in pain as dim light struck him, melting half of his body instantly. The agony coursed through his form as his anguished cries echoed across the darkness.

“I can’t use my powers!”

Many casual cultivators with weaker cultivation found their qi fading rapidly. Their faces paled as fear seized them entirely.

“The demons have activated the Heaven-Sealing and Source-Locking Array! They plan to trap and kill us all!”

Several protectors who had tried to evacuate their clan’s heirs were intercepted by the array. One was caught off guard and took a devastating hit to the shoulder, leaving him disheveled and injured. Forced to retreat to the high platform, these protectors shielded their divine son from harm, but it was clear that they were trapped like everyone else.

“Hehehe, you guessed right!”

A chilling, maniacal laugh echoed across the void, its sound like dead branches scraping against each other. It was as eerie as it was unsettling.

Everyone instinctively looked toward the source of the voice.

Above their heads, six black fogs emerged from the void, each shrouding a figure. Their forms—both men and women—emanated overwhelming demonic energy, making them appear like avatars of pure evil, descending upon the mortal world to bring slaughter and chaos.

Accompanying them, hundreds of cultivators hidden within the crowd suddenly revealed their true nature. These figures wore masks of red, orange, yellow, green, and blue. Each held five-inch flags, inside of which countless anguished souls wailed in torment. They floated into the void, their cold gazes locking onto the trapped crowd below.

“The demons have gone all out!”

“This was premeditated!”

The crowd was horrified, and in their fear, they instinctively huddled closer to the high platform where Xu Yang sat. His presence was a small, flickering light of hope in their despair.

The formation and the demons’ actions made their intentions clear: they intended to refine everyone present into energy for the source stones.

If successful, everyone in White Emperor City would perish, their bodies reduced to nourishment for the demons. Even their souls would be sucked into the soul-refining flags, condemned to eternal torment without any hope of reincarnation.

This plan was vile beyond measure, a crime against the heavens and all living beings.

The crowd erupted in outrage.

The guardians of the divine son—figures of immense power in the Void Shattering realm—were especially enraged. They shouted furiously at the demons above.

“You vile creatures, how dare you plot against the heirs of our immortal clans! Do you not fear the wrath of our saints?”

“Do you have any idea what you’re doing? By targeting us, you’ve declared war on the immortals. Once the saints learn of this, they will obliterate your entire demonic sect!”

“Break this array at once and crawl back into the filth you came from, you gutter-dwelling vermin!”

A hoarse, grating voice emanated from the lead figure shrouded in black fog.

“Hehehe, the golden age approaches, and the seal of the Heavenly Demon weakens. We, envoys of the temple, have been summoned by the gods to harvest your pitiful lives and offer them as tribute for His resurrection!”

God?

No—Demon!

The Heavenly Demon was nearing rebirth!

Even the Immortal Emperor could only seal the Heavenly Demon, unable to destroy him completely.

And now, the strongest beings in the Five Regions were merely Mahayana Saints!

If the Heavenly Demon truly returned, who could possibly stop him? The world would collapse into chaos, leaving no living creatures—only endless death and desolation.

When the crowd realized the implication of these words, an icy chill gripped their hearts. Goosebumps erupted over their skin as terror surged from the soles of their feet to the tops of their heads.

“You lowly chickens and pottery dogs think you can slaughter so many of our Venerables?”

One of the protectors, known for his fiery temper, couldn’t hold back his derision and sneered openly.

Even under the suppression of the Heaven Sealing and Source Locking Formation, he could see that among the demons present, only the six figures in black fog matched the power of a Venerable.

Though their individual mana was weakened, the sheer number of protectors present gave them an advantage. If a one-on-one fight wasn’t feasible, a group assault could turn the tide.

Encouraged by his words, other protectors chimed in:

“We don’t need you to deactivate the formation! We’ll kill you all, and the array will collapse on its own!”

“A bunch of rats hiding in the shadows—bold enough to spring your trap, but now you’ve bitten off more than you can chew!”

“You think you’re qualified to face us?”

Old Tian, the venerable protector from the Immortal Mountain, remained silent, his expression grim. Through a private transmission, he reached out to Xu Yang, “Fellow Daoist Xu, these demons are too confident. They must have a backup plan. If things escalate, I will do everything in my power to escort you and my young mistress to safety!”

Xu Yang responded with a faint smile, his tone calm and unbothered:

“Old Tian, there’s no need for alarm. Let’s wait and see what these demons’ so-called backup plan is.”

“Fellow Daoist Xu, you—”

“Old Tian,” Xu Yang interrupted with an air of ease, “You don’t understand. This array is like a fishbowl for me—absolutely comfortable and natural.”

As he spoke, Xu Yang casually sent a stream of mana into Qin Kewan’s body. His voice remained as light as the wind.

Old Tian froze, stunned by Xu Yang’s words.

The Heaven Sealing and Source Locking Formation, an ancient and infamous creation of the Demonic Path, was known for suppressing all cultivators except those aligned with the demons.

Within this formation, anyone not of the Demonic Path would find their strength drastically diminished; weaker cultivators couldn’t even access their mana.

Yet as Old Tian observed Xu Yang, he noticed something unbelievable: instead of weakening, Xu Yang’s aura grew even stronger—more vigorous and commanding than before.

Old Tian’s pupils dilated as shock coursed through him. He stared at Xu Yang, his mouth agape, utterly at a loss for words.