Reborn as the Novel’s Villain: Cultivation Lost, Female Leads Take Control - Chapter 161

Not long after.

At the edge of the Life Forbidden Zone, a stalwart figure stepped out of the void.

He wore a purple-gold crown, his every step exuding the sound of the Dao. His aura was as vast as the abyss, capable of suppressing sacred mountains—a truly terrifying presence.

This figure was none other than Ji Daoxuan, the ancestor of the Ji family.

He stood at the edge of the forbidden zone for a moment, radiating a majestic aura. Dazzling divine light surged from him, pouring into the restricted area like a tide, reducing countless dry mountains within the zone to debris.

Rocks were sent flying, trees splintered, strange beasts screamed, and dust filled the sky.

The massive commotion immediately drew the attention of the ancient creatures residing within the forbidden zone.

One ancient creature, enraged, appeared at the edge of the zone. Upon seeing Ji Daoxuan, its eyes narrowed warily, a thick haze shrouded its face, and its voice was cold and biting, “It’s you? What are you doing here? Do you intend to start a war with us?”

The voice sounded imposing, but there was an undercurrent of unease, as though the creature was preparing to flee deeper into the forbidden zone at the first sign of trouble.

Ji Daoxuan, calm and composed, narrowed his eyes slightly as he looked at the ancient creature. He smiled and said, “Ah, an old friend! There’s no need to hold such a grudge. Back then, when so many of you wanted to kill me, I had no choice but to break through your side. Sure, I may have injured you, but I left the forbidden zone unharmed, thanks to your efforts. If it weren’t for you, I might have been injured.

“In fact, I owe you a debt of gratitude. Don’t worry, I always repay kindness—I’ll give you a big gift someday.”

The ancient creature’s eyelids twitched, its expression darkening as it said hoarsely, “Ji Daoxuan, enough with the nonsense. If you’re here to break into the forbidden zone again and steal treasures, then come on in. This time, I’ll make you bleed!”

“As if you wouldn’t run away the moment I step in,” Ji Daoxuan sneered.

Sighing, he said, “The older I get, the more I want to reconnect with old friends. But it seems that’s not possible.”

He raised his gaze and asked, “Just tell me—has the demon seal loosened?”

The ancient creature sneered. “Why should I tell you? This concerns the grand plans of my clan.”

“No answer, huh? Fine. I’ll go in myself. To be honest, I don’t have much life left. I just want to enjoy a bit of chaos before the end. Don’t try to stop me, or it’ll be easier for me to kill you than to squash an ant.”

Ji Daoxuan’s tone was utterly cold, his threat blatant.

The ancient creature’s expression shifted as it stared at Ji Daoxuan. After a long pause, it silently moved a few steps back and said sternly, “If you kill me, when my clan lifts the restrictions, your Ji family will be slaughtered!”

“Fine by me. I’ll be dead by then, and none of it will matter. If my descendants are too weak to defend themselves, they’ll deserve their fate. But right now, I’m alive, and since you’ve said this much, you’ll be the first to go. I’ll even hunt down the women, children, and elders of your tribe!”

Ji Daoxuan’s expression remained indifferent as he stepped into the forbidden zone.

Divine radiance surrounded him, resisting the strange laws of the zone. It was as though the world bent to his will, the sound of the Dao roaring endlessly. The power of laws surged toward the ancient creature like a tidal wave, suppressing everything in its path.

The void trembled as though it would shatter entirely under this force.

The ancient creature was gripped by a deep sense of impending doom. Its hair stood on end as it tried to flee, transforming into a streak of ghostly light. But the supreme law suppressed its every move, rendering its powers useless. It became no more than a lamb awaiting slaughter.

Fear flashed in the ancient creature’s eyes—it realized Ji Daoxuan had grown even more terrifying since their last encounter.

Last time, it had at least been able to resist. This time, it was completely powerless.

Boom!

Ji Daoxuan raised his hand, and an invisible force swept through the air.

With a single strike, half of the ancient creature’s body was obliterated, turning into a mist of blood. Its face turned ashen with terror.

“Why aren’t you coming out yet?” Ji Daoxuan said coldly, addressing the unseen beings. “Do you not care about your companion’s life? Fine, I’ll deal with it myself.”

With a casual wave, Ji Daoxuan struck down the ancient creature as though swatting a fly.

At that moment, another ancient creature attempted to intervene in secret. However, its attack was obliterated by the ultimate power of law before it could even reach Ji Daoxuan.

“Look, I asked you to come out earlier. Now it’s too late—the person is dead, and all I can do is ask you to express your condolences!”

Ji Daoxuan said helplessly. He raised his gaze, looking into the void in the distance. His eyes shot out several beams of light, forcing all the ancient creatures hidden in the darkness to reveal themselves.

The ancient creatures glared at Ji Daoxuan with murderous intent, their expressions dark and cold. They looked ready to attack at any moment but were clearly intimidated by the terrifying combat power he had just displayed. None of them dared to make the first move, fearing he would exploit any weakness to strike them down.

Ji Daoxuan, having dispatched one ancient creature, made no further moves. Standing calmly, he regarded the gathering of ancient creatures with an expression of complete ease, as if he were standing in his own backyard.

The two sides stared at each other in a tense stalemate for a while until one of the ancient creatures could no longer hold back and shouted angrily:

“Ji Daoxuan, you’ve trespassed into the restricted area time and again, killing our kin. Do you really think you’re invincible?”

“Invincible? Not quite,” Ji Daoxuan replied with a wave of his hand, his tone modest. But then his expression shifted, and his voice grew confident:

“However, those old monsters you keep hidden in your ancient tribes have shorter lifespans than I do. Without the elixirs propping them up, they would have died long ago. If they dare to fight me, nine out of ten will perish, and the last one won’t last long either!”

“So, yes, I suppose I’m somewhat invincible. At the very least, before I die, I can take a few of your ancient tribes with me as I go. Consider it a service to the world!”

“How about it? Want to give it a try?”

The ancient creatures were furious at Ji Daoxuan’s words but hesitated nonetheless. They didn’t know if he was bluffing, but his overwhelming combat power left no doubt that he could take down one or two ancient tribes with him if he so desired.

While the loss of one or two tribes wouldn’t destroy the entire restricted area, no tribe wanted to be the sacrificial lamb. Having endured for so long, they had no intention of perishing before the chance to see the light of day again.

“Ji Daoxuan, don’t think we’re afraid of you! We simply don’t want to waste our energy fighting a dying man. If we wanted to, we could easily surround you and kill you!”

“Now tell us—why have you stepped into the restricted area again?”

One ancient creature hurled harsh words but quickly shifted to questioning Ji Daoxuan, clearly signaling a willingness to negotiate. None of them wanted to risk a full-scale confrontation with someone who had nothing to lose.

“I’m here for one reason—to find out if the demon’s seal has loosened,” Ji Daoxuan replied matter-of-factly, going along with the opportunity to de-escalate.

“It has loosened, but it was reinforced by the demon itself,” one of the ancient creatures answered reluctantly, its tone heavy with frustration.

“Ah?” Ji Daoxuan’s eyebrows shot up in disbelief. He scrutinized the creatures before him with suspicion.

“You’re not lying to me, are you? The demon’s seal loosened, and instead of escaping, it reinforced it? What, did the demon hit its head or something?”

The ancient creatures’ expressions darkened further at Ji Daoxuan’s mocking tone. His words stung deeply, rubbing salt into their wounds.

They had counted on the demon’s emergence as their own opportunity for freedom. Instead, not only had the demon refused to break free, but it had also reinforced the seal. It wasn’t just irrational—it was humiliating.

“Ji Daoxuan, we’ve answered your question. Believe it or not, we’ve done our part. Now leave, or we’ll have no choice but to fight!”

“Leave now!”

The ancient creatures’ eyes were like blades, their voices sharp with restrained fury.

‘Their anger is real, and their faces look like they’ve been stabbed in a sore spot. This must be true,’ Ji Daoxuan mused.

‘Still, this demon’s behavior is beyond strange. Is it afraid of something?’

‘Whatever. If the demon reinforced the seal itself, it saves me a lot of trouble.’

Ji Daoxuan assessed the situation, his expression shifting to one of mock annoyance.

“You could’ve just said so earlier. I didn’t even plan on killing anyone this time. You forced my hand.”

Seeing Ji Daoxuan take the upper hand yet again, the ancient creatures seethed with rage. One of them began to radiate divine light, shrouded in a misty gray aura. Daoist runes flickered in the void, and it seemed ready to attack, even at the risk of paying a steep price.

“Alright, alright. So this is how your ancient tribes treat guests? Noted. Until next time!”

In a flash, Ji Daoxuan disappeared from the restricted area, crossing the void and vanishing without a trace.

“This Ji Daoxuan is infuriating!”

“I’m so angry I could explode!”

“Why didn’t we stop him? There are so many of us—he could’ve only taken out a few tribes at most!”

“If you hadn’t held me back earlier, I would’ve fought him myself…”

The ancient creatures beat their chests in frustration, their hatred for Ji Daoxuan surging as their qi and blood churned uncontrollably.

T/N: I was thinking about converting the chapters I have done into epub format that way you can read it on your books app and what not. Let me know if any of you would like that and I can get started on it!