Great Villain: Starting by Humiliating the Son of the Heavenly Fate - Chapter 396

Chapter 396: Sun Tianlin’s Gamble
Just then, a middle-aged man with sharp, sword-like eyebrows and long, flowing hair stepped forward and spoke up.

“Forgive me for speaking out, Daoist Tianlin, but why have you called all the cultivators back? Are we just abandoning the defense of the Immortal Martial Continent?”

The man was Lang Xingyuan from the Compassionate Sword Immortal Palace—one of the major powers on the Prosperous Stone Immortal Star. His sect held sway over a huge region and rivaled the Purple Crest Immortal Sect in both strength and influence.

Sun Tianxin shot him a cold glare. “If you know you’re crossing the line, then shut your mouth.”

He really didn’t have time for this. The two sects had always been at odds, and the Sun and Lang clans had clashed more times than anyone could count.

Lang Xingyuan scoffed and raised his voice. “So you’re just going to leave the Immortal Martial Continent unguarded? That place protects the rear lines of the Profound Jade Immortal Domain. What happens if something goes wrong and the Profound Jade Alliance comes asking questions? Will you take the blame?”

Sun Tianlin barely glanced his way. “I’ll explain everything to the Sect Master myself. No need for you to stick your nose in, Daoist Xingyuan.”

Lang Xingyuan chuckled coldly. “If your Purple Crest Sect can’t give a good explanation, don’t blame us for going straight to the Star Lord.”

With that, he turned on his heel and walked off with his followers close behind.

Sun Tianlin’s face darkened. He let out a breath and gave a quiet order.

“Disband the army. Everyone, go home.”

“Yes, sir!” the army of a million cultivators responded in unison. Without wasting time, they scattered and began heading toward the exits in an orderly flow.

Everyone who had gathered to welcome the army home was left speechless when the order came to disband.

It didn’t make sense. They had just won a massive victory—shouldn’t there be celebrations? Cheers? A parade through the city?

Why had they suddenly been told to go home?

What none of them knew was that this wasn’t a strategic command—it was Sun Tianlin trying to save his own skin.

But hidden among the massive crowd of returning soldiers, Jiang Chen wasn’t fooled. His cold voice rang out inside Sun Tianlin’s mind.

“Sun Tianlin. Explain yourself.”

Sun Tianlin flinched. Panic shot through him as he quickly sent a message back with his divine sense.

“My Lord! If we hadn’t disbanded right away, we’d all have to return to the Purple Crest Immortal Sect through the teleportation array for inspection,” he said in a rush. “The underground palace is sealed right now. The teleportation array is the only way out.”

“But if we use it, you’ll appear right in the middle of a detection zone monitored by a Nirvana Cleansing realm expert. You’d be exposed instantly—and if that happens, I’m finished too.”

“By scattering the army, I can shut down the palace’s formation barrier, which will make it easier for you to slip out without being seen.”

“This is the only way I can help you escape safely. If you’re caught, we both die.”

Jiang Chen’s voice came back, cool and slightly amused.

“Oh? So you’re doing this to help me get out, is that it?”

“Yes!” Sun Tianlin answered quickly. “I know your priority is leaving this place without drawing attention. It’s pointless for you to clash head-on with the Purple Crest Immortal Sect right now—there’s no benefit.”

“Helping you leave quietly is the smartest move I can make to stay alive. Once you’re gone, I hope we can put this behind us. No more grudges. No more trouble between us.”

He paused for a moment, then added carefully, trying to sound as honest as possible:

“I won’t tell anyone the truth. I swear. In fact, given my rank in the Purple Crest Immortal Sect, I could even help you—pass along resources, give you a little breathing room.”

For a moment, there was silence.

Then Jiang Chen let out a low, cold laugh.

“Is that so? You really mean it? Even after I killed your three sons?”

Sun Tianlin felt like his heart was being cut to pieces—but he forced himself to stay calm. He kept his voice steady, pretending to sound just as sincere as before.

“So what if I lost three so-called genius sons? I can always have more. Ten thousand, if I want.”

“If anything, you saved my life back on the Immortal Martial Continent. If those Nirvana Peering realm demons had joined forces with Bo Luncang, I wouldn’t have made it out alive. Honestly, you should just leave while you can. Let’s both move on.”

“Fine,” came the flat response from Jiang Chen, and their mental exchange ended just like that.

Sun Tianlin felt a rush of relief wash over him.

He’s gone! I’m safe now, he thought, heart pounding with excitement. But he quickly forced himself to stay calm—he couldn’t afford to celebrate too soon. One wrong thought, one suspicious twitch, and Jiang Chen might turn around and kill him on the spot.

What Sun Tianlin didn’t know, though, was that Jiang Chen hadn’t left at all. He’d only pretended to agree.

And before Sun Tianlin could relax for even a second, trouble struck again.

Lang Xingyuan, who had just been about to leave, suddenly turned back around and snapped, “Sun Tianlin! Just what do you think you’re doing? Disbanding the army like this makes no sense! What if you didn’t win at all? What if you’ve been replaced by demon spies trying to sneak intel back to the Prosperous Stone Immortal Star?”

Sun Tianlin narrowed his eyes, still trying to keep his cool.

“That’s nonsense. We just fought the demons—don’t throw wild accusations around unless you’re ready for a fight,” he said sharply, though in his head he was cursing Lang Xingyuan’s entire family tree.

Sun Tianxin, standing nearby, sensed the tension and frowned.

“Cousin, what’s going on?” he asked quietly. “Something doesn’t feel right.”

Sun Tianlin waved a hand, trying to brush it all off. “It’s nothing. I’m just letting the soldiers visit home for a bit. Don’t you trust me? If it comes to it, I’ll gather everyone again later for an inspection by the Sect Master.”

He smiled, acting casual—but deep inside, the pressure was mounting.

“Hmph! Don’t worry, Sun Tianlin. I’ll be reporting your reckless behavior to both our Palace Master and the Star Lord himself,” Lang Xingyuan said with a sneer before turning away. He led his people off in a huff. There wasn’t much else he could do—they were badly outnumbered.

Sun Tianlin’s face twisted in irritation. “What are you all standing around for? Disperse!” he barked, waving a hand behind him.

With a whoosh, the massive army of cultivators started moving, quickly streaming out of the underground hall like a flood. The defensive formation that had sealed the space vanished completely, clearing the way for everyone to leave.

Only the core members of the Sun Clan stayed behind—people like Sun Liu remained at Sun Tianlin’s side.

In the blink of an eye, the underground space was nearly empty, apart from a handful of Sun Clan elites.

Sun Tianlin turned and gave a quick hand signal. “Let’s go.” He shot into the air, flying ahead. His wife, Sun Tianxin, and a group of loyal clan members followed closely behind.

But they weren’t alone.

Jiang Chen stayed hidden in the shadows, silently tailing them from a safe distance.

Sun Tianlin’s only acting obedient because he knows I can kill him at any moment, Jiang Chen thought, his expression cold.

But my Ten Thousand Soulseed Art is only a Transcendence-level technique. It wouldn’t stand a chance against a Nirvana Cleansing realm powerhouse. If Sun Tianlin makes it back to the Purple Crest Immortal Sect and gets help from someone that strong, they could easily break my control over him.

A dangerous glint flashed in Jiang Chen’s eyes.

Which means… I can’t let him live.

At that moment, Sun Tianxin glanced over at Sun Tianlin and gave him a polite fist-and-palm salute.

“Cousin, I have urgent business to attend to. I’ll be taking my leave now.”

Sun Tianlin nodded without showing much emotion. “Go ahead.”

At first glance, the exchange didn’t seem like much—but Jiang Chen’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Sun Tianxin definitely noticed something, he thought.

It wasn’t hard to see why. Sun Tianlin’s decision to suddenly disband a million-strong army on the spot was… strange. Sure, you could come up with an excuse for it, but it wouldn’t really hold up under scrutiny.

And considering how close Sun Tianxin and Sun Tianlin seemed to be, there was probably a strong level of trust and understanding between them. Once Sun Tianxin left, there was no doubt he’d report his suspicions to someone powerful—most likely a Nirvana Cleansing realm expert.

Even if Sun Tianlin didn’t go back to the Purple Crest Immortal Sect himself, Sun Tianxin could still find someone strong enough to break the soul seed binding on his cousin.

On top of that, there was the army. A million cultivators had scattered in every direction. Secrets that big never stayed buried for long. Sure, people might stay quiet out of fear at first—but what if their families were threatened? What if the Sect started asking questions and putting pressure on them?

Sooner or later, someone would crack. And once that happened, Jiang Chen’s identity and involvement could be exposed.

If revenge is coming either way, I might as well deal with Sun Tianlin now, before things get messy, Jiang Chen thought to himself, a cold smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.

And then there’s his wife… He glanced in her direction. She looks like she’ll be a handful too.

After all, families should stick together—especially in death.

Heh.