Systemless Villain

Chapter 178 Unmasking the New Hero

Long Tian's gaze scrutinized each of the Undead he had recently resurrected. With 7 Undead under his command, including the formidable tiger he had raised days earlier, he felt a newfound sense of power.

Examining the transformed humans, now fully embraced by the darkness, their bodies exuding an ominous energy complemented by piercing red eyes.

Long Tian stroked his chin, sensing something odd. "Seems like everything I resurrect follows my strength. They're all in the Flowing Qi realm," he mused.

Previously, he sensed one person in the Nascent Soul realm, but now he felt none of it, replaced by the aura of Flowing Qi.

"Well, 6 Undead in the Flowing Qi realm—not bad at all," Long Tian smirked, a glint of self-approval in his eyes.

With the form of Undead, the cultivation base drop wasn't an issue since they only had three weaknesses: Purification Fire, darkness, and divine power—three exceptionally rare elements.

"Now, I might explore this forest further," Long Tian muttered.

With those words, he made his way out of the cave.

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More than three hours had elapsed, the forest sinking into darkness with the eerie symphony of animal and insect sounds echoing from all sides.

In the heart of the woods, Long Tian stood with arms crossed, observing his nine Undead confronting a towering 7-meter gorilla, a formidable 3-star soul beast.

During his exploration, he encountered two 2-star soul beasts in the forms of wolves and hyenas and now both become his Undead legion.

"GRAAAAAWR!" the gorilla bellowed, pounding its chest, releasing a roar accompanied by an intimidating aura.

However, the Undead stood impervious, for they were, after all, Undead.

They charged towards the gorilla, executing coordinated and structured attacks.

Despite the gorilla being a formidable 3-star beast, facing nine Undead in the Flowing Qi realm proved to be a daunting challenge.

The Undead swarmed it, launching attacks from all angles. The humanoid Undead employed supernatural techniques mastered in their previous lives, while the animal-shaped Undead struck blindly.

Long Tian observed with satisfaction as his Undead forces overwhelmed the gorilla.

However, the gorilla suddenly roared forcefully, sending all the Undead airborne.

It leaped, smashing one of the Undead—a large wolf—with both hands, producing a resounding "GRACK!" that shattered the ground.

Dust enveloped the scene, concealing the view. Long Tian's gaze remained fixed on the battleground, eager to know the fate of his wolf.

As the dust settled, clarity returned.

Upon seeing this, a grin adorned Long Tian's face. The wolf appeared unscathed, its compressed form regenerating as if untouched by wounds.

Yet, Long Tian sensed a drain in his power; it seemed the Undead relied on the dark energy within him.

Meanwhile, the gorilla looked astonished. Its ability to express it was cut short as, suddenly, one of the Undead, Song Hu, materialized behind it, brandishing a sword in a battle stance.

With a swift motion, Song Hu thrust the sword into the gorilla's neck, creating a sharp "STAB!" as it pierced through.

The gorilla groaned, dropping to its knees—the sword striking a vital point, rendering its body limp.

Observing this, the other Undead relentlessly attacked from all sides, mercilessly besieging the weakened gorilla.

After a few moments, the gorilla appeared feeble, covered in a mosaic of slashes, scratches, and bites.

Long Tian, witnessing this, unsheathed his darkblade. "Let's end this," he declared.

Swiftly, he darted forward and beheaded the gorilla. Its massive head dropped, followed by its colossal body.

Long Tian smirked and approached the fallen creature. His body emanated a dense dark aura.

"Arise," he commanded.

In response, the gorilla's lifeless body surged with darkness. In the next moment, it resurrected as an Undead, standing at 7 meters, draped in darkness, its eyes glowing red.

Long Tian grinned in satisfaction; his Undead forces now numbered ten.

Although it was a 3-star fierce beast with a soul ring, he had no intention of absorbing it. Doing so would strip the Undead of the gorilla's unique abilities.

"Alright, I suppose that's sufficient in this forest," he muttered.

With that, the ten Undead melded into his shadow, leaving him alone.

Long Tian stood with the wings of darkness unfurled on his back. In the next moment, he leaped and soared away from the Tianzhou forest.

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More than 15 minutes had elapsed, and Long Tian descended right at the forest entrance, coincidentally intersecting with a group entering.

Surprised, their expressions shifted more towards reverence, as few cultivators boasted the ability to soar through the skies.

Long Tian, however, maintained an air of indifference as he strolled towards Fusu village. Several pairs of eyes tracked his movements, yet he proceeded undeterred.

Upon reaching his destination, instead of immediately retrieving his car, he opted for a visit to a nearby restaurant.

Inside, he headed straight to the cashier, where a beautiful woman greeted him with a smile.

"Hello, can I assist you?" she inquired politely.

"Yes, I'd like to order a 2-kilogram bison soul beast steak and a bottle of aged wine," Long Tian responded.

"Alright, please wait at the available seats," replied the cashier.

Long Tian nodded and made his way to the seating area.

Unexpectedly, he spotted a familiar figure—a woman in her thirties, none other than Ning Yuan, the math teacher.

He approached her.

"Well, well, I didn't expect to encounter you here, Teacher Ning," he remarked, a playful smile on his face.

Ning Yuan, just finishing her meal, was taken aback by Long Tian's presence. However, her demeanor swiftly shifted to displeasure.

"Long Tian, it's you. What are you doing here?" she questioned, her expression now stern.

Seating himself in front of her, Long Tian retorted, "Come on, Teacher Ning, don't be so stern. Isn't this a good day? You might get old quickly, you know," a playful tone accompanying his words.

Long Tian's words failed to easily provoke Ning Yuan, but suddenly, a memory resurfaced on her brain.

"By the way, Long Tian, do you know where Qin Chen is?" she inquired, curiosity lacing her tone.

"I don't know. Isn't he your little boy? You should know where he is. Or, isn't he a wanted man now? I think he's probably dead at the hands of the empire," Long Tian responded with a smirk.

Ning Yuan's expression filled with surprise, "How do you know?" she pressed.

"After his poster was spread everywhere, you're still asking?" Long Tian countered.

Silence enveloped Ning Yuan upon this realization. Indeed, Qin Chen's wanted posters lingered in various cities and even graced the pages of newspapers.

Her gaze towards Long Tian turned colder, "I haven't seen Qin Chen for several days. Are you involved in his disappearance?" she asked coldly.

"What if I am?" Long Tian retorted, a smirk playing on his face.

"Then you'll face my wrath," Ning Yuan declared coldly, her Nascent Soul level aura exerting pressure.

Yet, Long Tian, now devoid of his former weakness, retorted with a chilling resolve, "What if fear no longer holds sway? I could ignite a war with the Ning family this very moment," a sinister aura, intertwined with demonic energy, radiating from his being.

Ning Yuan's expression hardened; she sensed the gravity in Long Tian's words. Glancing around, where other patrons observed their exchange, some even preparing to escape.

She gritted her teeth, and without uttering a word, promptly exited the restaurant, putting distance between herself and Long Tian.

A collective sigh of relief swept through the customers; it appeared a confrontation had been averted.

Long Tian, on the other hand, bore a cold expression. "She's becoming so annoying; it seems I need to prepare a plan to kill her," he declared coldly.

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About 20 minutes passed, and Long Tian completed his meal. Exiting the restaurant, he made his way directly to the vehicle area.

But suddenly, a familiar aura caught his attention. He turned around, spotting a slender man in his forties, standing at 170cm tall with black hair – Guan Ji.

"So, Guan Ji, how did the task unfold? Did you successfully kill Lin Fan?" he asked casually, arms crossed.

Guan Ji immediately bowed earnestly. "I am prepared to face death for failing in my duty, young master!" he declared sincerely.

Rather than expressing anger or disappointment, Long Tian raised an eyebrow with intrigue. Then, a grin spread across his face.

Considering Guan Ji's profession as an assassin and his failure to eliminate Lin Fan, Long Tian's deduction was correct – Lin Fan was a new protagonist!

"Raise your head, Guan Ji," he commanded.

Guan Ji lifted his head, his expression still marked by sweat and guilt.

"I am prepared to accept any consequences, young master!" he declared resolutely.

"No need for that. You remain one of the most talented members of the Long family. Moreover, I am not overly disappointed with your failure. In fact, you've brought me good news," Long Tian said with a smirk, patting Guan Ji on the shoulder.

Confusion crossed Guan Ji's face, but he refrained from speaking.

"Now, enlighten me. How did you falter in killing him? Does he possess extraordinary powers or something?" Long Tian inquired, his tone brimming with curiosity.

"Well, initially, I was convinced he was Lin Fan, especially since he transferred to Tianzhou High School and joined your class today. Confidently launching a swift and covert attack, he somehow anticipated my move. We engaged in a brief skirmish where I had the upper hand, but suddenly, his eyes gleamed with a golden hue, rendering one of my eyes blind, and he managed to escape," Guan Ji explained earnestly.

Listening to this, Long Tian stroked his chin. Eyes shimmering with a golden glow, reminiscent of Qin Chen's ability.

"Did he mention anything about a system or any other peculiarities?" he probed.

"I didn't catch him uttering a word about a system or anything similar," Guan Ji responded.

Furrowing his brow, Long Tian pondered. According to Guan Ji's account, Lin Fan wasn't a system user, intensifying his curiosity about the nature of Lin Fan's protagonist status.

"Then, do you have any information about him, such as where he went today or anything else?" he continued.

"Yes, young master. I overheard that he plans to visit the antique market in the Gunji district tonight," Guan Ji revealed.

Long Tian's interest was piqued at this information. An antique market... Clearly a part of the storyline where the protagonist discovers a valuable item or encounters pivotal characters.

"Good job, Guan Ji. Don't dwell on your failure. And now..." Long Tian's voice trailed off as he retrieved a card from his spatial ring, handing it to Guan Ji.

"Visit Elder Long Ju; he will use this card to treat your blinded eye," he instructed.

Upon hearing this, Guan Ji's eyes widened, and he bowed deeply. "Thank you so much, young master!" he expressed sincerely.

"Alright, you may depart from here," Long Tian said.

Guan Ji raised his head again, nodding. "Then, I'll take my leave, young master," he conveyed.

With that, he swiftly departed, vanishing from sight.

Near his car, a grin adorned Long Tian's face. "The antique market in Tianzhou... We'll cross paths there, Lin Fan!"

Shortly after, he entered his car and drove directly to his villa.

It was now 4 o'clock in the afternoon, with just a few hours remaining until nightfall.