Great Villain: Starting by Humiliating the Son of the Heavenly Fate-Chapter 401: Tracking the Killer

"Go to sleep," Jiang Chen said with a soft smile, tucking Ying Luo gently into the fold of his collar.

He could tell she needed time to settle into her new power. But for someone like her—carrying the pure bloodline of the Dragon Clan—adjusting to a breakthrough was as easy as taking a nap.

After making sure she was comfortable, Jiang Chen turned his focus to the Wordless Heavenly Jade. A quick glance told him it was completely drained.

Guess that's it for now. No more high-level training, he thought. Time to slow down—build a solid foundation with regular cultivation, train my body a bit, and stretch my divine sense to get a feel for the whole Prosperous Stone Immortal Star.

With that, he began channeling the Supreme Pure Creation Heart Sutra.

The moment the spiritual energy started flowing, his cultivation sped up again. thanks to the continuous enhancements from the Burning World Red Lotus, his aptitude had climbed close to the legendary Peerless Grade. And with the Death Calamity Dark Star Moon Dao Embryo—a fusion of three powerful bloodlines—his cultivation speed was now practically on par with those born with god-tier potential.

And the effect?

Inside the quiet courtyard of the Jade Rain Golden House, where he was currently staying, the air shimmered with Spiritual Qi. It was far richer than anything found outside. A powerful spirit-gathering formation constantly funneled energy into the space.

But even with all that, it still wasn't enough. Jiang Chen's demand for Spiritual Qi was so high, he was draining it faster than the formation could supply it.

The owner of the Jade Rain Golden House wasn't just anyone—he knew right away that whoever was using up Spiritual Qi at this rate had to be someone powerful. And definitely not someone he wanted to upset.

So without wasting a second, he activated extra spirit-gathering formations to send even more Spiritual Qi toward Jiang Chen. There wasn't time to build new ones from scratch, but this would do for now.

Back in Jiang Chen's courtyard, the flow of Spiritual Qi finally balanced out. The energy coming in now matched what he was burning through.

A wave of Spiritual Qi poured into his body like a rushing tide. Every drop of it was quickly refined into Origin Power, fueling him from the inside out. Each cell in his body soaked it in, growing stronger as they slowly absorbed and adjusted to the power of the Great Dao.

And that wasn't all—his Ten Thousand Stars Dao Embryo Bloodline was starting to show its true power.

Jiang Chen tilted his head and looked toward the sky. His gaze seemed to cut through the clouds and reach deep into space, where countless stars glowed like gems in the dark.

These weren't just any stars—they were bigger, brighter, and more ancient than anything he'd seen back in his old life in the Milky Way.

From those faraway stars, beams of starlight had traveled across the vast universe for who knows how long, and now they were shining down on him—drawn in by the power of his bloodline.

Under the influence of the Ten Thousand Stars Dao Embryo, that starlight didn't go to waste. His body soaked it up completely, layer by layer, building him up from the inside.

Even before, thanks to his true dragon bloodline, Jiang Chen's body was far stronger than other cultivators at his level. But now, that gap was growing fast—leaving his peers even further behind.

...

Back at the place where Sun Tianlin and the other Sun Clan members had been killed, an old man in a flowing black robe hovered in the air. His face, calm at first, slowly twisted with fury. Rage boiled beneath his skin, ready to explode.

"How… how is this possible? HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?!" he roared, his voice shaking the sky.

This was Sun Xiangyuan. As soon as he got word of the slaughter, he rushed straight to the scene where Sun Tianlin, Sun Tianxin, and the others had fallen.

The air still carried faint traces of their presence—flickers of aura, the sharp, metallic tang of blood that had soaked into the ground and drifted on the wind.

He even picked up the lingering energy of whoever had done it.

But no matter what technique he used, he couldn't track them down.

Every spell. Every secret art. Every shred of experience.

All useless.

Why? he fumed. Why aren't my arts working? How can this be?! Is the killer not just some Nirvana Cleansing realm cultivator, but someone with a powerful artifact that hides their trail? Either way… I'll find them. And when I do, I'll make them pay—ten thousand times over!

Eyes blazing with hatred, Sun Xiangyuan spun on his heel and shot toward the Purple Crest Immortal Sect.

Before long, he landed at the sect's entrance and went straight to find one person: Lu Tingyun.

Lu Tingyun was one of the Supreme Elders of the sect, and a powerhouse in the Nirvana Cleansing realm. She was especially skilled in tracking and divination—an expert in the Dao of Cause and Effect and the mysterious Dao of Heavenly Secret.

Sun Xiangyuan had talent in tracking too, but compared to Lu Tingyun, he knew he was out of his league.

Normally, the two of them didn't get along. Lu Tingyun came from another major faction within the sect, and she and the Sun Clan had always been rivals, sometimes even outright enemies.

But this time, Sun Xiangyuan didn't care about pride or politics.

His clan had been attacked. His kin were dead.

And he was ready to do whatever it took—even swallow his pride and ask his rival for help—to hunt down the one responsible.

...

At the same time, word of Sun Xiangyuan's return and his actions spread fast—like a spark catching dry grass. Before long, half the Purple Crest Immortal Sect had heard the news.

"Did you hear? Elder Sun Xiangyuan's back—and he actually went straight to see Elder Lu Tingyun!"

"No way! You mean he still hasn't found the killer?"

"Hah, considering that demon got in through Sun Tianlin, do you really think tracking them down would be easy?"

"If you ask me, the one who slipped into our Prosperous Stone Immortal Star has to be a Nirvana Cleansing realm expert. Maybe there's even more than one."

"The Profound Jade Immortal Alliance warned us about possible demon attacks not long ago… Who would've thought one would actually show up this fast?"

"It's such a shame. Sun Tianlin was supposed to be a rising star. And yet he still ended up dead, even after doing something so desperate just to stay alive."

"Hold on—where are you getting that from? Those are rumors from the Compassionate Sword Immortal Palace. They've always had beef with our Purple Crest Immortal Sect. Can we really trust anything they say?"

"Exactly. No solid proof, just gossip. People should stop spreading nonsense."

"Still... if it wasn't a demon, who else could've done something like this?"

As the rumors flew, the whole sect buzzed with talk and speculation. Heated debates broke out in every corner. The story was everywhere, stirring up unease and tension with every retelling.

...

Deep within a quiet mountain peak of the Purple Crest Immortal Sect, inside a simple room filled with thick Spiritual Qi, everything looked peaceful. A soft red carpet covered the floor. In the center sat a low purple wooden table with two cups of hot tea resting on top, thin trails of steam curling into the air.

But for Sun Xiangyuan, who sat next to the table, there was no peace in his heart.

Across from him sat an older woman with a calm but sharp presence. Her hair was pure white, like crane feathers, and she wore a flowing white robe. Though her figure was slightly plump, there was an undeniable grace in the way she held herself—echoes of the great beauty she once was. Her eyes were deep, focused, and not easily fooled.

"Daoist Lu Tingyun, you already know the situation," Sun Xiangyuan said, doing his best to keep his anger under control. "This isn't just about my clan's loss. We're dealing with a powerful demon here. As long as they're running loose on the Prosperous Stone Immortal Star, no one is safe. They need to be taken down—fast. And right now, you're the only one in our sect with the skill to find them. I'm asking you to help."

Lu Tingyun gave him a short, unreadable look. "Are you certain it's a demon?"

"The aura isn't obviously demonic," Sun Xiangyuan admitted, pulling out a trace of energy he'd gathered. "But demons aren't fools. Of course they'd disguise themselves to look and feel human."

He handed over the remaining bit of the aura. "This is the only lead we've got. And it won't last forever."

Lu Tingyun studied it for a moment, then slowly picked up her teacup and took a sip.

"A Nirvana Cleansing realm expert who managed to slip past even your tracking arts… finding someone like that won't be easy," she said quietly. "It'll cost me a lot."

She set her cup down and looked at him again. "And you'll be the one paying that cost."