Chapter 70: Rebirth: I Am the Villain (Part 8)

Leaving the ancient ruins, only Su Chen remained of the entire Ancient Clan's younger generation of prodigies; the rest had perished in the battle for the sacred medicine.
Fortunately, Su Chen's journey had been fruitful.
News of the sacred medicine's discovery within the ancient ruins quickly spread throughout the realms.
Su Chen also learned that the final sacred medicine had been obtained by a true disciple of the Primordial Holy Land in the Central Continent of the Heavenly Profound Domain.
Since Lin Zhan hadn't obtained the sacred medicine, it didn't matter to Su Chen who ultimately possessed it.
Returning to the Ancient Clan, having lost so many of its prodigies, left the elders heartbroken.
Only Gu Yixian felt relieved: "Thank goodness Chen'er is alright."
Everyone else could die, but his grandson could not.
Back in the clan, Su Chen cultivated even more diligently.
He knew that allowing Lin Zhan to escape this time would one day lead to Lin Zhan's attack on the Ancient Clan.
That would be the war of annihilation for the Ancient Clan.
Twenty years passed quickly, and Su Chen successfully broke through to the Void Realm.
His Qian Yuan Body was far more powerful than his acquired Sword Control Body, and his cultivation faced virtually no bottlenecks.
Besides the few techniques and martial arts that only the clan leader could learn, Su Chen thoroughly studied all the ancient clan's techniques and martial arts.
"To kill Lin Zhan, relying solely on myself is completely insufficient!"
The mysterious War God Technique and the legendary sacred artifact were Lin Zhan's reliance.
Su Chen set his sights on the clan's sacred artifact.
He needed to elevate his status within the ancient clan.
Su Chen began to change his image.
He frequently began lecturing to other geniuses within the clan, sharing his cultivation insights without reservation.
Even other elders within the ancient clan often came to listen to Su Chen's lectures, occasionally gaining enlightenment.
Outside the clan, Su Chen also began to befriend geniuses from all walks of life.
A hundred years passed, and Su Chen successfully became the young clan leader of the ancient clan.
Barring unforeseen circumstances, he will be the next clan leader.
Su Chen hasn't given up searching for Lin Zhan's whereabouts, but the outer space is vast; a hundred years is barely enough to scratch the surface.
Even several waves of spies from the ancient clans have perished.
On this day, a powerful figure arrived from the Qingxuan Dynasty.
Su Chen directly descended upon the Qingxuan Dynasty.
The Lin family, thanks to the resources left behind by Lin Zhan, has seen its power surge. With the support of the Qingxuan Martial Academy, they even produced a Spirit Soul Realm martial artist.
Su Chen sensed several auras sweeping past, and then an old man in black robes appeared before him.
"Greetings, Young Clan Leader."
Su Chen nodded.
He had long had people watching the Lin family and the Qingxuan Dynasty; if Lin Zhan showed himself, they would be caught in a trap.
Unfortunately, a hundred years have passed, and Lin Zhan has made no move.
Judging that Lin Zhan's cultivation level was now no weaker than his own, and might even be stronger, Su Chen had lost his patience.
The Lin Family
Everyone in the family prostrated themselves on the ground, staring at the terrifying young man who had suddenly arrived.
"My lord... what is the meaning of this?"
Lin Zhan's father, Lin Yunpeng, was puzzled.
He didn't know what he had done to offend this terrifying figure.
Su Chen smiled coldly: "If you have someone to blame, blame your good son. I gave your Lin family a way out, but unfortunately, your son didn't appreciate it."
Lin Yunpeng tried to struggle, but was suppressed by the powerful members of the ancient clan. Everyone with close ties to Lin Zhan was taken away and imprisoned in the ancient clan's dungeon. The remaining members of the Lin family were mercilessly killed by Su Chen.
Afterwards, Su Chen went to the Qingxuan Martial Academy. There, he brought Lin Zhan's close friends and one of his confidantes to the ancient clan.
Even a prince of the Qingxuan Dynasty, who had connections with Lin Zhan, was not spared by Su Chen; he was imprisoned in the ancient clan's dungeon.
Unfortunately, Lin Zhan still did not appear.
This made Su Chen feel somewhat troubled.
The easily angered and impulsive Lin Zhan seemed to have learned to be patient, gathering his strength, like a venomous snake lurking in the shadows, slowly cultivating.
Hatred had made Lin Zhan grow, dulling his sharp edges.
Such an enemy, possessing great fortune, was undoubtedly very troublesome.
Five hundred years passed quickly.
Lin Zhan still hadn't appeared.
Su Chen's cultivation had reached the ninth level of the Void Realm, only one step away from the Nirvana Realm.
To Su Chen's surprise, that same year, his grandfather, Gu Yixian, also successfully broke through to the seventh level of the Nirvana Realm, becoming second only to the clan leader.
The old clan leader, nearing the end of his lifespan, sealed himself away in the ancestral land of the ancient clan, and Gu Yixian became the acting clan leader.
...
Outside the Realm
After escaping from the ruins of the ancient kingdom, Lin Zhan experienced many events, large and small.
Members of the War God Palace died before his eyes, and his former confidante also died protecting him.
He failed to seize the sacred medicine, and his master, in his twilight years, was besieged by a powerful enemy.
She also died before his eyes.
These experiences matured Lin Zhan.
He began to learn to be calm, ruthless, and unscrupulous in seizing opportunities, making himself even stronger.
He rebuilt the Temple of War, gaining immense fame beyond the realms. Even some true disciples of holy lands fell to him, and he had many followers. The Temple of War was filled with powerful figures.
Outer Realm Starry Sky
Lin Zhan was engaged in battle with a powerful being from beyond the realms.
After only a few exchanges, the powerful being from beyond the realms was blasted into a bloody mist by Lin Zhan with a single halberd strike.
Killing the powerful being from beyond the realms showed no excitement; his eyes remained calm, as if it were commonplace.
Just then, a being with antennae on its head approached Lin Zhan, knelt on one knee, and respectfully spoke:
"Your Excellency, the Temple of War's 100,000-strong army has been assembled. With just Your Excellency's command, we can march back to the Heavenly Profound Domain together."
A slight smile appeared on Lin Zhan's icy face.
He had waited far too long for this day!
For revenge against the ancient races.
He had endured far too much.
Knowing his father had been captured, and that his relatives and friends in the Tianxuan Domain were imprisoned by the ancient clan, he remained unmoved. He repeatedly told himself it was a trap; if he went to the Tianxuan Domain, he would surely be caught in a net of inescapable entrapment.
He even considered the ancient clan's sacred artifact.
He knew his opponent would do just that; if he appeared in the Tianxuan Domain, Su Chen would definitely activate the artifact at all costs.
After all, this was someone so cautious that he summoned two Nirvana Realm Venerables to join his encirclement and annihilation even when he was only at the Spirit Soul Realm.
Careful...ruthless...with numerous methods, Lin Zhan had to admit that even if he encountered the likes of the Holy Sons of those Holy Lands, in some ways he wouldn't be as troublesome as Su Chen.
"Father...Grandfather...Qing'er...I will definitely annihilate the entire Ancient Clan, and use Gu Chen's head to pay tribute to you!"
The War God Palace's 100,000-strong army marches towards the Heavenly Profound Domain!