I Really Am A Villain
Ch. 52 - Ancient Hellblood Race

Feng Bing grabbed the man’s right arm and pulled up his sleeve.

There, on the man’s arm, was a tattoo of a grotesque creature's head, brown-skinned, hideously twisted, and monstrous in appearance.

“Ancient Hellblood Race,” Feng Bing growled through gritted teeth as he recognized the mark.

“What’s the Ancient Hellblood Race?” everyone present asked, confused.

“What’s your purpose here?” Feng Bing’s emotions surged. He grabbed the man by the collar, his face dark and serious.

The man sneered and let out a strange bird-like screech.

“He’s signaling others!” Feng Bing’s face changed instantly. Without hesitation, he struck the man dead with a single palm.

“It’s too late. His comrades probably know something’s wrong,” Wu Sanlang said, frowning.

“This was supposed to be a routine investigation about the Thirteen Cloudchain Bandits, how did it end up involving the Ancient Hellbloods?” Feng Bing said, rubbing his temples, clearly troubled.

“Decurion Feng, what exactly are the Ancient Hellbloods?” Tong Guan finally asked the question on everyone’s mind.

“They’re a race that shouldn’t even exist in this world,” Feng Bing replied grimly. “Honestly, I only know bits and pieces myself, it’s not something I can fully explain right now.”

“Then are we still going to investigate?” Wu Sanlang asked.

“Of course we are. Let’s head to the mountain peak,” Feng Bing said resolutely.

“But if they already know we’re coming, either they’ve fled or set up an ambush for us. It seems pointless now,” Wu Sanlang argued. “Given the uncertainty, I think we should report this to the main camp first.”

“It’s fine, I’ve got a plan,” Feng Bing replied and immediately led the way toward the summit.

The others exchanged glances, sighed, and had no choice but to follow.

“Elder Mo, why is Captain Feng so insistent? Something feels off,” Chu Yang asked in confusion.

“Do you know what the real issue behind the Thirteen Cloudchain Bandits is?” Elder Mo replied with a smile from within the ring.

“The Azure Cloud Battle Physique…” Chu Yang paused, suddenly connecting the dots.

“The Hundred Battle Physiques, those are things even emperors struggle to obtain. You think they’d really send ten soldiers from the Blood Wolf Guard to handle something like this?” Elder Mo chuckled.

“I get it now, we’re just the vanguard,” Chu Yang said, enlightened. No wonder Captain Feng was so driven, even if there was a trap waiting for them.

The Blackwater River had a faintly fishy smell. It split the massive Blackwater Mountain down the middle. Towering trees loomed overhead, and the damp soil underfoot released a cool moisture.

The group followed a narrow path all the way to the mountain peak. Strangely, they encountered no traps or ambushes on the way up, contrary to what they expected.

There was no wind at the summit; instead, the air was stiflingly hot. The Blood Wolf Guard began to suspect their enemy had fled.

But then they saw them, a group of people in red robes, silently waiting at the top.

At the center of the summit was a massive furnace, its flames burning in a strange purple-blue hue, crackling loudly.

Above the furnace sat a cauldron filled with fresh blood, bubbling and steaming. The stench of blood carried on the sunlit breeze.

Above the cauldron, two floating orbs spun slowly. One was azure, smooth and lustrous. The other was black, radiating a demonic aura.

“Two of the Hundred Battle Physiques!” Elder Mo cried out in shock from the ring.

“What do you mean, two?” Chu Yang asked, stunned.

“That blue one is the Azure Cloud Battle Physique, and the black one, if I’m right, is the Darkfiend Battle Physique, ranked 51st among the Hundred Battle Physiques.”

Chu Yang locked his gaze onto the two floating pearls above the cauldron.

By the furnace stood an old man in a red robe, silently stirring the contents with his hand.

Beside him stood three more men in red.

“Boss Thirteen, the rats are here,” two of them said respectfully to the man in the center.

“Zhan Yi, Zhan Er, let’s go meet them,” said Boss Thirteen with a grin as he stepped forward.

“As humans, you willingly serve the Ancient Hellblood Race, you’re a disgrace to our race,” Feng Bing said coldly, glaring at Boss Thirteen.

“The Ancient Hellblood Race? You people really are something,” Boss Thirteen sneered. “As long as I have power, who cares whether it’s evil or righteous?”

“You were lucky to escape back then, and now you’ve come back to die,” Feng Bing’s spiritual energy surged as he slowly drew out his massive hammer.

“It was the Blood Wolf Guard that accepted the mission from the True Martial Sacred Ground to wipe us out back then, wasn’t it?” Boss Thirteen asked.

“I don’t know about the details,” Feng Bing replied calmly.

“Coward. You’re all going to die,” Boss Thirteen’s eyes burned with hatred. Three of his Meridian Gates burst open, releasing a crushing aura that engulfed the battlefield.

“True Meridian Realm…” Feng Bing’s expression turned grim. He remembered clearly, back then, Boss Thirteen had only been at the peak of the Spirit Meridian Realm. In just a few years, he had reached the True Meridian Realm?

Though the breakthrough seemed unstable, it was still the genuine True Meridian Realm.

“Surprised?” Boss Thirteen sneered. “Back then, I escaped by sheer luck. While you all hunted me across the nation, I lived like a rat, hiding and scheming my revenge. But you were too strong.

“In the end, I joined the Ancient Hellbloods just one month ago, and in that month, I advanced to the True Meridian Realm.

“You can’t even imagine the power of the Ancient Hellbloods.”

“So what? No matter how strong their power is, we’ll never become their lapdogs. The catastrophe they brought upon the Central Continent is something no human will ever forget!” Feng Bing’s eyes blazed with conviction. With a shout, he charged forward, hammer raised high, and struck at Boss Thirteen.

Boss Thirteen might be a True Meridian Realm cultivator, but he only had two subordinates, Zhan Yi and Zhan Er.

On the Blood Wolf Guard’s side, everyone was at least at the Meridian Forging Realm. Some were formation masters, adding strategic support to their side. They could hold their own for a while by sheer numbers.

Yet despite the chaos of battle, the old man in red standing by the furnace never even glanced over.

He simply continued stirring the cauldron of blood, eyes blazing with fanaticism as he stared at the two floating orbs.

“Since you’re here, you might as well come out,” the old man said blandly.

“You members of the Ancient Hellblood are truly brazen,” said a cold voice from above. Du Tianyin appeared in midair, dark-blue spiritforce swirling around him. He sneered as he descended.

“You actually dare to show yourselves so openly.”