Can a Scholar Be Called a Villain

Chapter 87: Exposing Sheng Yi

The Willow Sword Saint embodied an extraordinary mastery of Sword Dao, and he also possessed the Barren grade scripture acquired through the transaction with Sheng Yi. But despite all this, he was still at the cultivation of the first layer of the Sky Reaching realm, and a person that hadn’t grasped the Barren grade scripture.

Amidst the tumult of battle, the concerted efforts of the ‘Flowering Steel Trees,’ whose cultivation matched his own, led to a clash of remarkable intensity.

Meanwhile, on a separate front, Liu Sheng’s brother, Liu Wu, found himself pitted against the three carriage drivers. Though outnumbered threefold, Liu Wu’s mastery over martial arts was evident as he skillfully suppressed his adversaries.

Across the fray, Sheng Yi battled the last three of the once-mighty ‘Eight Great Butcher Kings’, his fury a mirror to their own seething rage.

The ‘Three Great Butcher Kings’ channelled their collective anger over the loss of their five brothers at the hands of Sheng Yi, who was aided by Nie Su.

Meanwhile, Sheng Yi seethed with his own fury, stoked by the relentless pursuit they had inflicted upon him and his deep-seated resentment towards Murong Lin. In an instant, he channelled his ire into a potent surge of spiritual energy, unleashing a formidable skill aimed squarely at the trio.

The three battles unfolded with an electrifying intensity, the glinting light reflected upon their blades painting a dazzling spectacle across the battlefield.

Suddenly, Sheng Yi summoned forth an ultimate technique, a ritual gesture.

Shadowy fingers descended from the skies, akin to a multitude of spectral beings stretching out to grasp the trio of blade-wielding men. The resounding crash of impact reverberated as an overwhelming aura of suppression engulfed them, triggering a jarring response from their sixth sense.

Their expressions changed dramatically as they instinctively raised their blades in a desperate bid to intercept the attack.

Yet, against the might of this assault, their defences crumbled.

It was the ‘Great Desolation Forbidden Sky Finger’ – an ultimate technique from Sheng Yi’s previous life, a spiritual skill of the higher Barren grade.

Though he had tempered the attack’s intensity to a lower tier of the Sky grade, its forceful unleashing proved ample to subdue the trio.

Desperately wielding their blades, the trio brandished their blades to repel the onslaught, only to falter in the face of its power.

In truth, their cultivation matched Sheng Yi’s own, and by all accounts, each possessed the prowess to hold their own against 2-3 peers of similar standing. But who was Sheng Yi?

He was a protagonist.

A figure beyond compare within his realm, he was an existence that grew even mightier with each battle.

Seated within the carriage, Murong Lin remained passive, a silent witness to the miserable demise of the three men as they succumbed to the piercing assault of the shadowy fingers.

Abruptly, a frigid snort resonated from within the confines of the carriage.

Time pressed upon Sheng Yi’s patience. The exertion of unleashing this potent attack had drained nearly half of his spiritual power, and now his gaze fell upon Murong Lin, who sat inside the carriage.

With unyielding determination, he channelled his energy into a relentless assault, directed toward the heart of the carriage.

Sheng Yi’s form charged forward, his sights firmly set on the seated figure of Murong Lin.

The once-veiled curtains that shielded Murong Lin were obliterated, the ripping of fabric echoing through the air. In swift succession, a clenched fist hurtled forth.

Drawing upon his spiritual power, Murong Lin blocked the attack.

In the aftermath, his true cultivation at the peak of the Manifestation realm was unveiled.

“You!?” Sheng Yi’s astonishment flickered briefly, swiftly replaced by a solemn expression.

“You’ve concealed yourself remarkably well.”

Without hesitation, Sheng Yi harnessed the remaining of his spiritual powers, forcefully unleashing the ‘Great Desolation Forbidden Sky Finger’ once more.

Meeting Sheng Yi’s assault head-on, Murong Lin unleashed the ‘Bloody River God Finger.’

In one direction, illusory and transparent fingers coalesced in mid-air, emanating an aura of overwhelming suppression as they reached out for Murong Lin.

In the opposing direction, shadowy fingers tinged with a bloody hue, resembling entities that rose from a blood-soaked river, encircled Sheng Yi.

Verdant, ancient fingers clashed with the ominous, blood-coloured fingers.

An explosive collision reverberated through the air as the two opposing attacks negated each other, propelling both of them backwards with potent shockwaves.

Sheng Yi’s teeth clenched, his gaze seething with resentment as it bore into Murong Lin. “Who exactly are you?”

For in the early hours of the previous day, he had launched an ambush on a disciple of the Murong clan, melding their blood with that of a Xue clan disciple, whose corpse he had dug up.

Facing Murong Lin today, Sheng Yi deployed a secret technique he had acquired during his past life within his sect. The technique unveiled the undeniable truth: the person standing before him possessed the bloodlines of both the Murong and Xue clans.

This revelation held significant implications: Murong Lin was, if Sheng Yi’s deduction was correct, the third prince. However, the strength and influence he displayed far exceeded the previous third prince’s.

Internally taken aback, Sheng Yi maintained his intense gaze, resentment simmering within.

“You are definitely not Murong Lin!”

He spoke certainly.

Vividly etched in his memory was the Murong Lin of his past existence—a madman who had led the Blood Spirits in a frenzied spree of chaos for a brief but tumultuous period. The man before him not only surpassed the strength Sheng Yi remembered, but he also exuded a shrewdness that the madman never possessed.

In a sudden flash of realization, Sheng Yi’s voice surged with astonishment, “You’ve usurped his body!”

His experiences as a Majestic realm expert in his previous life had acquainted him with the existence of ancient freaks who pilfered and inhabited others’ bodies. He had even witnessed the tragic fate of his possessed junior, who was eventually surrounded and killed.

However, in Yan, a realm where the pinnacle was embodied by those merely within the Sky Reaching realm, the existence of an entity with such capabilities was virtually implausible.

This oversight could be attributed to the requirement of cultivating a primordial spirit, a feat achievable only within the Cognizance realm – a tier beyond the Majestic realm.

While Sheng Yi’s considerations had been confined to his own and Yan’s realm of strength, he had inadvertently neglected the potential existence of those within the Cognizance realm.

And now, it all came rushing back to him.

Fixing his gaze on Murong Lin, who bore the cultivation at the peak of the Manifestation realm, Sheng Yi’s realization solidified into conviction.

“Hah, you’re not wrong.” Came Murong Lin’s response.

Fueled by anger, Sheng Yi advanced. Upon reaching the carriage, he demanded, “Since you’re not Murong Lin, why did you attack Duke Sheng’s estate?

What grievances do you hold against us? How could you unleash such vicious harm upon our estate?”

Murong Lin watched as Sheng Yi stepped into the carriage, a grin of elation spreading across his face. He chuckled heartily, “Hahahaha! Sheng Yi, aren’t you a reincarnator? How is it that you still haven’t pieced it all together?”

He extended his palm, and in an instant, a radiant glow illuminated the interior of the carriage.

What?

He…….

He actually knew that I was a reincarnator?

Sheng Yi’s complexion drained of colour in an instant, a stark paleness sweeping over his features.

The grip of fear he now experienced was unlike anything he had ever encountered before in his entire existence.

It was no wonder. Even in his previous life as a Majestic realm expert, Sheng Yi had never come across anything that could send someone back thirty years.

Spiritual skills, arrays, and medicines—none possessed the capacity for such a feat.

Initially, when he had found himself in this unfamiliar reality, Sheng Yi had been inclined to dismiss it as an illusion, a manifestation of some Heart Demon or sinister plot. He had grappled with the notion that he was ensnared within a scheme.

However, as the events unfurled in line with his memories, the inescapable reality set in: he had truly reincarnated.

The fear of discovery, of someone else uncovering this improbable secret, had perpetually shadowed him. The concept of reincarnation was fantastical, unfathomable. If the truth ever surfaced, it would undoubtedly plunge the entire continent, perhaps even the world, into chaos and greed of an unparalleled magnitude.

This underlying fear had kept Sheng Yi from ever daring to reveal the truth to another soul.

But now, the person that sat before him, Murong Lin, the third prince.

A figure whose actions starkly diverged from the narrative of his past memories.

It was plausible that every divergence, every deviation from his past life, had been orchestrated by this very individual.

He had actually uttered the truth of his origins.

A reincarnator!

How much did this man truly comprehend about him?

“You know? Are you, too?” Sheng Yi’s words tumbled out, his mind entangled in a web of uncertainty.

“No! My demise during the tribulation was a result of an intricate scheme. No living being was present in my vicinity when it occurred. So who are you?”

“Impossible, this is impossible!”

Murong Lin’s smile played across his lips as he observed Sheng Yi, who stood with fists clenched in a state of bewilderment. Meanwhile, the voice of the system resounded within Murong Lin’s mind,

“Ding! The protagonist Sheng Yi’s ‘Little Protagonist Halo’ is continuing to shatter, his protagonist value has dropped by 100.”

“Ding! Congratulations to master for obtaining a villain value of 100, you may use it to purchase items in the shop.”

In this moment, Sheng Yi found himself ensnared, his very being constricted by the luminous constraints within the confines of the carriage. Simultaneously, a complex array adorned the wooden floor beneath them, bending his form into a submissive posture.

“What? An array? You’ve woven an array into your carriage?” Sheng Yi’s expression morphed dramatically as he gazed upon the restraining array. In a swift surge of determination, he lunged forward, making a desperate bid to once again attack Murong Lin.

Regardless of Murong Lin’s knowledge about him, Sheng Yi couldn’t afford to let him escape!

The repercussions of his escape would entail an unrelenting pursuit by countless forces under the heavens for Sheng Yi!

Regrettably, Murong Lin’s strategic ploy had lured Sheng Yi into this very carriage, deliberately orchestrating a spectacle of the Three Great Butcher Kings’ demise as the bait.

Although concealed from the casual gaze, the intricate array within the carriage was susceptible to keen scrutiny, a facet that Murong Lin had meticulously taken into account. This consideration underpinned his strategy.

With calculated intent, he had discreetly exited through the side entrance and boarded this carriage. He purposefully observed, biding his time until Sheng Yi recklessly charged headfirst into this very trap.

Then, through a deft gesture, he activated the hidden array.

“Hah, a Soul-Snatching Array,” Murong Lin’s words dripped with venom, “A spiritual array of the higher Sky grade. I refuse to believe that it won’t suffice to contend with the likes of you.”

Translator’s note

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