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

Chapter 245: Learning Gu Ran’s Secret

’This guy’s alertness is something else!’ Jiang Chen thought, a trace of surprise crossing his mind. ’I merely glanced at him, and his intuition kicked in immediately.’@@@@

Despite his surprise, a satisfied smile spread across his face. In front of him, Gu Ran’s profile panel floated in mid-air.

[Name: Gu Ran

Realm: Late-stage Mysterious Platform

Status: Protagonist

Heavenly Fate Value: 29688/29688]

Seeing Gu Ran’s Heavenly Fate Value nearly reach thirty thousand, Jiang Chen wasn’t particularly shocked. He had anticipated that the new protagonist’s Heavenly Fate Value might exceed the last one’s.

Even so, a hint of seriousness crept into his expression—this high value implied that Gu Ran’s unique advantage was even stronger than Fang Yuan’s!

With this realization, Jiang Chen began analyzing the recent events he’d witnessed.

From the beginning, Gu Ran’s actions had escaped his divine sense entirely.

It was worth noting that Jiang Chen’s divine sense was enhanced by the lingering souls of two mighty powerhouses, Nangong Wan and Shangguan Ning.

And yet, Gu Ran was only at the Mysterious Platform realm.

The difference in their cultivation levels was stark. For Jiang Chen to miss detecting him suggested that Gu Ran’s stealth abilities were truly exceptional.

’I wonder how much higher my cultivation realm would need to be to penetrate his concealment technique,’ Jiang Chen mused. Gu Ran’s stealth skills were so refined for surprise attacks, making it hard to anticipate his moves.

Jiang Chen’s thoughts then shifted to the moment when Gu Ran extracted pure essence from the tortoise-like demonic beast’s cultivation base.

The sight of that gleaming light stirred a sense of déjà vu in him—specifically, it reminded him of the pure cultivation essence he usually received from the Burning World Red Lotus.

After absorbing it, Gu Ran’s cultivation base clearly surged. It appeared that one of Gu Ran’s abilities allowed him to extract part of the cultivation base from creatures he had personally killed.

From this, Jiang Chen deduced that Gu Ran’s unique advantage was straightforward and powerful: he could increase his strength through killing.

Truly astounding—like leveling up in a game!

As he pieced these observations together, Jiang Chen managed to draw several accurate conclusions, though the nature of that blood-red glow remained a mystery.

However, even if he couldn’t fully grasp it, he could always seek help.

With the likes of Nangong Wan and Shangguan Ning, two mighty figures who had reached the Void Tribulation realm, there were no limits to the insights and experiences they could provide.

"Wan’er, Ning’er, do you know how that crimson glow is created?" Jiang Chen asked, his voice echoing within the Void Tribulation Soulring. "Have you noticed any unique treasures on Gu Ran?"

If not for Gu Ran’s previously lackluster aptitude—which only transformed into rapid advancement after his resurrection and the extraction of the Ten Thousand Stars Dao Embryo Bloodline—the two women might not have identified his bloodline based solely on his abilities.

With a cold glint in his eyes, Jiang Chen asked, "What’s the connection between the Endless Dark Blood Moon Bloodline and the Ten Thousand Stars Dao Embryo Bloodline?" He had an inkling but wanted confirmation.

"They counterbalance each other within the same realm," Shangguan Ning explained.

"But it’s rumored that, through certain unique methods, they can fuse to form the Endless Blood Stars Dao Embryo Bloodline," Nangong Wan added.

"Since Gu Ran possesses both bloodlines simultaneously, his true status is undeniably extraordinary!"

"At the very least, it suggests a link—however indirect—to a great powerhouse who has reached the Fourth Step of the Cultivation Path."

Nangong Wan and Shangguan Ning continued, their voices filled with gravity.

Learning about the counterbalancing nature of the two bloodlines, Jiang Chen shook his head slightly, sneering to himself. ’Heh, my hunch was right. The Ten Thousand Stars Dao Embryo Bloodline really is a poisoned apple.’

Though he wasn’t entirely sure what was wrong with it, he sensed that anything related to the Son of Heavenly Fate couldn’t be as simple as it seemed. There had to be something more to it.

That’s why, since arriving at the Ageless Spirit Heavenly Sect, he had never once mentioned the Ten Thousand Stars Dao Embryo Bloodline to Ji Yilan, leaving it with her. Caution had become second nature to him.

Setting this matter aside, Jiang Chen considered the other insights shared by Nangong Wan and Shangguan Ning, which helped explain why Gu Ran’s Heavenly Fate Value was so high.

With two Fourth Step bloodlines that could potentially fuse and a direct or indirect link to a powerful figure at the Fourth Step of the Cultivation Path, it was possible that Gu Ran was even the reincarnation of such a being.

No wonder things were as they were.

Still, after uncovering most of Gu Ran’s secrets, especially the nature of his heaven-defying trump card, Jiang Chen felt little worry.

True, Gu Ran possessed the formidable Endless Dark Blood Moon Bloodline, but no matter how powerful it was, it needed time to fully develop, didn’t it?

Gu Ran could only activate his bloodline by personally slaying his enemies, allowing him to seize their cultivation base.

From this unique characteristic of Gu Ran’s heaven-defying trump card, Jiang Chen could infer Gu Ran’s likely behavior and growth path.

It indicated a pattern: Gu Ran would likely provoke conflicts for various reasons, then eliminate his opponents to absorb their cultivation base.

This cycle would naturally attract even stronger foes, each destined to meet the same fate, creating a continuous loop of escalating battles and power absorption.

Of course, other experiences would inevitably intertwine.

For example, he would meet female lead characters, encounter male supporting characters, and form friendships that would shape his journey.

Still, countless battles would undoubtedly remain the core of Gu Ran’s life.

Thus, to curb Gu Ran’s growth, the most direct approach would be to prevent him from engaging in battles and stop him from killing.

In doing so, the formidable potential of the Endless Dark Blood Moon Bloodline could be significantly restrained.