Great Villain: Starting by Humiliating the Son of the Heavenly Fate

Chapter 283: Clues in the Stone Stele

Jiang Chen carefully read through Liu Xiong’s message, absorbing the details about the history of the Cave Heaven.

The ancient cultivators who once lived here had given it a foreboding name: Doomsday Cave Heaven.

Back then, the Immortal Martial Continent had faced a devastating crisis—the invasion of the demon race. It was a desperate battle for survival, with the entire continent’s fate hanging by a thread.

The situation at the time truly mirrored the name Doomsday, as the continent stood on the brink of complete destruction.

This catastrophe wasn’t sudden. Its roots were buried deep in the history of the Immortal Martial Continent.

The continent belonged to the Profound Jade Immortal Domain and was created and maintained by the Prosperous Stone Immortal Star. It served as a vital frontline in the endless war against the demon race.

For a long time, this warfront achieved many victories, holding off the invading demons. But as countless years passed, the Spiritual Qi of the man-made Immortal Martial Continent began to dwindle rapidly.

Sustaining the Immortal Martial Continent required vast resources from the Prosperous Stone Immortal Star, which led to growing dissatisfaction among its leaders.

Eventually, some began to suggest abandoning the Immortal Martial Continent entirely. However, the powerful alliances of the Profound Jade Immortal Domain kept watch and made such actions impossible.

Then, millions of years ago, the demon race launched a large-scale invasion. The forces of the Prosperous Stone Immortal Star and their allies staged a strategic retreat, pretending to be defeated.

In reality, they had a plan. They cut off all connections to the Immortal Martial Continent, sealing the passages that linked it to their star.

The consequences were devastating. Left defenseless, the Immortal Martial Continent fell to the demon race, with no chance of recovery or resistance.

By executing this plan, the Prosperous Stone Immortal Star freed itself from the immense burden of sustaining the Immortal Martial Continent.

Their scheme was carried out flawlessly.

Normally, the cultivators left behind on the Immortal Martial Continent would have been wiped out, and the demonic beasts corrupted by the Demonic Spiritual Qi would have lost their minds completely.

But instead of succumbing to despair, the abandoned cultivators were consumed by grief and anger—and they refused to give up.

Under the leadership of the most powerful cultivator of their time, they discovered a vast sub-space hidden within the Immortal Martial Continent.@@@@

Some believed this sub-space, later named Doomsday Cave Heaven, was connected to the demon race’s invasion route—the Bottomless Abyss.

With this knowledge, the cultivators devised a bold plan: to seize the demon race’s stronghold.

Using the Doomsday Cave Heaven, they opened a spatial channel leading directly to the heart of the Bottomless Abyss, the only connection to the demon race’s domain.

This passage could serve as a route for a counterattack against the demons. However, it also posed the risk of becoming the stage for another large-scale invasion by the demon race.

For now, this was only speculation on Jiang Chen’s part, as the specifics remained unclear.

His priority, however, was clear: to disrupt Gu Ran’s opportunities and minimize his chances of gaining powerful advantages.

Ordinary cultivation method inheritances didn’t concern Jiang Chen. What truly mattered were the advanced inheritances and the challenges Gu Ran might encounter—whether from demonic beasts or other adversaries hidden within the Cave Heaven.

These advanced inheritances could offer far more than martial techniques or secret arts. They might include rare treasures like alchemy manuals, artifact crafting instructions, or array formation blueprints.

With these resources, Gu Ran, who already possessed remarkable innate talent, could quickly become a diverse and formidable powerhouse.

Where could Gu Ran be hiding? Jiang Chen wondered, his expression sharpening as he extended his divine sense in search of Gu Ran’s location.

While he was fully engrossed in his search, his transmission jade token suddenly vibrated again.

Scanning the message with his divine sense, Jiang Chen noticed it wasn’t from Liu Xiong but from Ji Mingxiu.

Ji Mingxiu had finalized his preparations and led a group into the Doomsday Cave Heaven through the spatial channel. His team included Han Xu, Liu Mei, seven Dao Comprehension realm Elders, and several cultivators from the Inquiring Journey realm and lower.

They’ve arrived already? Perfect! More people means more support, Jiang Chen thought, a smile spreading across his face.

He quickly contacted Ji Mingxiu and exchanged a few words. Ji Mingxiu informed him that his team had remained together as a unified group, ready for action.

Following Jiang Chen’s instructions, Ji Mingxiu split his team into smaller groups, sending them in different directions to search for Gu Ran and Liu Xiong.

...

Meanwhile, in the Ninth Heaven Domain on the Immortal Martial Continent, Lu An stared intently at the kneeling cultivator in front of him.

His face showed both excitement and doubt as he asked, "Are you sure this information is reliable?"

"Did Ji Mingxiu and the others from the Purple Heaven Holy Land really enter the spatial channel?" Lu An’s voice carried a hint of suspicion as he waited for a reply.

The messenger nodded firmly. "Yes, sir, it’s true!"

He quickly added, "We also believe that the spatial channel leads to a place similar to a Cave Heaven, linked to the Immortal Martial Continent."

"It’s massive, and it was probably created by a Transcendence realm great powerhouse a long, long time ago," he explained in a rush.