I am Villain Cultivator
Chapter 39: Challenge to Kilvis Clan

Chapter 39: Chapter 39: Challenge to Kilvis Clan

The ancestral hall of the Kilvis Clan lay steeped in shadows, the flickering soulfire torches casting eerie reflections upon the obsidian table. Around it sat the clan’s most formidable figures, their oppressive auras intertwining like colliding storms.

At the head of the table, Patriarch Charles Kilvis sat with regal poise, his sharp black beard framing a face that bore an uncanny resemblance to Kaal’s. His fingers steepled before him, he spoke, his voice smooth yet edged with steel.

"The final round of the True Dragon Competition will be a duel tournament," he announced, his dark eyes sweeping across the assembled elders. "At least, that is what we have told the other sects."

A weighted silence followed.

Grand Elder William, seated at Charles’s left, smirked into his tea, the steam curling around his knowing expression. He, like the others, understood the true intent behind the Patriarch’s words.

Charles leaned forward slightly, his voice lowering to a dangerous murmur. "The real trial lies beyond our borders. The finalists will be sent into Jeral Clan territory to eliminate their so-called ’promised geniuses.’ "

A ripple of tension passed through the chamber. Elder Alvin, his grip tightening around his cup, felt the old embers of vengeance stir within him. The Jeral Clan had taken his grandson, Raven, and burned him alive. This mission was not just a test; it was retribution, sanctioned by the clan itself.

Elder George slammed his fist onto the table, the sound echoing sharply. "You would send our youths on a suicide mission? My Lauren just—"

"Your Lauren," Alvin cut in, his voice dripping with bitter satisfaction, "chose to compete, just as my Raven once did." His lips curled into a humorless smile. "Or do the rules only bend for your bloodline, George?"

Before George could retaliate, Charles released a sliver of his Sea Realm pressure, a suffocating weight that forced both elders into silence. The torches flickered violently, as if recoiling from his displeasure.

"Enough." The single word cut through the tension like a blade. "The Jeral Clan slaughtered our disciples in the Mist Forest last month. They burned Alvin’s grandson alive. This is no mere competition—it is war waged in the shadows."

Everyone in the Azure Sky Continent knew the enmity between the Kilvis and Jeral Clans. Their territories bordered one another, their grudges as old as the mountains, fueled by blood, betrayal, and the unyielding hunger for dominance.

Grand Elder William set down his cup with deliberate calm. "But due to the... incident in the second round, only four remain in the finals. Two of them have awakened their bloodlines: my son, Samrat, and that Ashen child, a genius of this generation. Sending just four into enemy territory is too great a risk."

Elder Alvin, the Elder of the Punishment Hall, clenched his jaw. He wanted to argue to demand justice for Raven, but a quiet thought gave him pause.

’Raven is gone. Putting Divya in danger for my revenge... is that what I truly want?’

He remained silent.

After a long deliberation, Charles exhaled sharply, his decision final. "Very well. The final round will proceed as originally announced, one against one, until only the strongest remains. The plan to infiltrate the Jeral Clan is... dismissed."

With that, the meeting was adjourned.

Yet, as the elders dispersed, the air remained thick with unspoken schemes.

For in the Kilvis Clan, even discarded plans had a way of resurfacing, drenched in blood.

{At Kaal’s Courtyard}

Mia burst into Kaal’s courtyard, her steps light with excitement, only to skid to a halt when she spotted Jane. A grin split her face as she dashed forward.

"Sis! You should’ve seen that maid of Lady Divya’s Rubina Face! I told her our Young Master’s bloodline is nothing less than Lady Divya’s! He’s fully integrated it now, his cultivation’s soaring, and even his looks—" She gestured wildly, as if words failed to capture Kaal’s newfound divinity.

But then she paused, her bright eyes narrowing as she took in Jane’s disheveled state.

"Sis... why is your hair down? And why do you look... different?" She circled Jane like a curious kitten, scrutinizing her from every angle.

Jane’s patience snapped. With a swift motion, she pinched Mia’s ear, earning a yelp.

"Ow! Sis—!"

"Always thinking nonsense," Jane chided, though her cheeks warmed. "I slipped while cleaning the bathtub. My hair got wet, so I left it loose. That’s all."

"Sorry, sorry! I was wrong!" Mia whined, rubbing her ear the moment Jane released her.

Shaking her head, Jane turned to leave. "Come on. We need to prepare dinner for the Young Master."

But the moment she took a step, her legs trembled, forcing her to clutch the nearby railing. Mia’s eyes widened.

"Sis! Did you hurt your legs too?"

Jane hesitated, then sighed. "...Yes. I stubbed my toes."

Mia immediately ducked under Jane’s arm, offering her shoulder for support. "You should rest today. I’ll handle the work."

This time, Jane didn’t argue. She nodded, too weary to protest and too relieved that Mia’s innocence had shielded her from suspicion.

As they walked, Mia prattled on, blissfully unaware.

And Jane, hiding a wince with every step, thanked the heavens for small mercies.

**********************************************************************

In one of the finely adorned guest chambers of the Kilvis Clan, a storm was silently gathering.

The air crackled faintly with static as a figure sat at ease, yet his presence filled the room with subtle pressure. His silver-white hair shimmered with strands of electric blue, flickering and crackling with lightning energy. His eyes gleamed with the same hue, piercing, vibrant, and brimming with raw, contained power.

This was Elder Adaeze of the Storm Clan, one of the famed Ten Heavenly Dragons, and a cultivator who stood just a step below the Divine Realm.

Seated before him on the opposite side of the room were several teenagers, all members of the prestigious Storm Clan. Among them sat a youth who radiated pride and untapped potential. His silver-white hair and piercing blue eyes mirrored Elder Adaeze’s own, a reflection of lineage and legacy.

This youth was Kevin, known throughout the younger generation as the Young Storm Dragon, next heir to the Storm Clan, and one of the esteemed Five Young Dragons, Three Phoenixes.

Elder Adaeze’s gaze slowly swept across the room before resting on Kevin. A faint smile tugged at the corners of his lips.

"This generation of the Kilvis Clan... is truly something else," Adaeze remarked, pausing deliberately. His eyes held wisdom and an unreadable depth. "Four among them can give you a real fight, Kevin."

The words landed like a thunderclap.

Kevin flinched ever so slightly. He had admired Elder Adaeze since childhood, holding him as both a role model and a goal. To hear such an evaluation, one that placed him on par with not one but four members of the Kilvis Clan, was unsettling.

"Elder Adaeze..." Kevin said, trying to maintain his composure, "You must be underestimating me. Kaal’s strength during the Earthcore Beast battle was, I admit, remarkable. He might be my equal. But the others? One of them is only a Rank 3 warrior; he hasn’t even stepped into the Foundation Realm."

Kevin’s voice held confidence, but beneath the surface was a tremor of bruised pride.

Elder Adaeze didn’t reply. He merely smiled—calm, mysterious, and knowing.

As one of the Ten Heavenly Dragons, Elder Adaeze stood at a level where even truth itself bent before him. Unlike Charles, the spirit of the Nirvana Tower, or even Grand Elder William, Adaeze could see through the veil of the Absolute Shadow Veil, perceiving what others could not. He had seen the truth behind Ashen’s hidden cultivation Foundation Realm, concealed with the talent of the founder of the kilvis clan [Absolute Shadow].

Kevin noticed the elder’s silence and the faint curve of his lips. A sudden realization struck him. If he did not prove himself now, Elder Adaeze would never accept him as his disciple. That was a future Kevin refused to accept.

After Elder Adaeze left the room, Kevin called over one of the younger members of the Storm Clan. His expression was calm, but his fingers trembled with restrained determination as he began to write. The ink shimmered with lightning Qi as he finished the final stroke of a challenge letter.

"Deliver this to the Kilvis Clan," he ordered. "Let them know the Young Storm Dragon challenges four of their stars to a duel."

Outside the room, Elder Adaeze stood quietly with his hands behind his back, his spiritual sense having picked up everything. He closed his eyes and smiled.

The letter arrived like a thunderbolt within the upper circles of the Kilvis Clan. Whispers turned to murmurs, murmurs to roars. A challenge from the Storm Clan’s heir, this wasn’t just a duel request. It was a declaration, a question aimed straight at the heart of the Kilvis Clan’s pride. If they lose means that the younger generation of the Kilvis clan is not good enough. That is something one of the Azure continent’s giants Kilvis clan, accepts.

Meanwhile, far removed from the chaos, Kaal lay in his room, deep in slumber. The aftermath of his battle in Bed had left him drained, both physically and spiritually. His breathing was even, his body still, unaware of the storm rising outside his door.

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