Villain: My fate is in my own hands, not in the heavens.

She knew in her heart that Xie Zheng's Gathering Spirit Pill was not just a "gift" but also a thorn, a thorn stuck between her and Ye Chen.

This thorn will only grow deeper over time, until it completely severs the bond between the master and his disciple.

Xie Zheng, standing outside the dungeon, seemed to be able to guess what was happening inside, a smug and cunning smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

This Spirit Gathering Pill is just an appetizer; more "surprises" await you.

He raised his hand and touched his chin, thinking to himself: The retribution for the Tai Xuan Holy Land should be coming soon, and Ye Chen's side will probably be unable to resist causing trouble soon. Perfect, take this opportunity to harvest another wave of leeks, and at the same time look for clues about the Eight Desolate Demon Halberd.

After all, his true purpose in descending to the mortal realm was never Ye Chen, but rather that peerless weapon capable of slaughtering all the heavens, the Eight Desolate Demon Halberd.

As long as he can obtain the Eight Desolate Demon Halberd, he might not even care about Ye Chen, let alone the powerful figures of the entire Upper Realm.

Ye Chen's feelings towards Xie Zheng weren't just prejudice; he absolutely hated him to the core, wishing he could tear the guy to pieces and grind his bones to dust.

At this moment, his head was buzzing like a buzzer. With just a few words and a broken pill, his master had been bribed by Xie Zheng?

His face was twisted like a pretzel, his expression both painful and contorted, as if someone had stolen his most precious possession.

Looking at him like this, Yan Ji wondered what grudge Ye Chen held against Xie Zheng. However, she could roughly guess that it was probably related to that woman, Su Qingge.

In terms of talent and methods, Xie Zheng is far superior to Ye Chen in every way. To put it bluntly, it's just that young people are blinded by jealousy. Ye Chen is ultimately too inexperienced; his temperament is not mature, and he acts entirely on impulse, without any sense of proportion.

Yan Ji advised softly, "Xiao Chen, don't be too envious of Young Master Xie. I believe you will definitely be better than him in the future."

She genuinely wanted to resolve the feud between the two. If Xie Zheng really wanted to kill Ye Chen, why would he have kept him alive until now?

However, she had no idea that Ye Chen was God's favorite son, blessed with good fortune. Otherwise, Xie Zheng wouldn't have used this to stage that charade a few days ago.

"You keep saying thank you, young master!" Ye Chen suddenly interrupted her, his teeth grinding and his eyes as red as a rabbit's.

"Master, if you like him so much, just go find him directly! Don't pretend to be kind to me!"

Su Qingge is gone, and now even his master, who has been with him all the way, is siding with his enemy.

This blow felt like the sky had fallen, and Ye Chen almost couldn't hold back. Anyone else would have coughed up blood and fainted by now, but only because his mentality was stronger than the average person's did he not go mad.

Yan Ji was stunned for a moment, then lowered her eyes, her beautiful eyes filled with disappointment. She really didn't expect Ye Chen to say such childish things. This wasn't jealousy; it was clearly a lack of common sense.

She sighed inwardly, and a thought popped into her mind: If it had been Xie Zheng who woke her up back then, would there have been so many troubles?

Her tone had lost its previous gentleness and gained a touch of coldness: "No matter what you say, I must take this pill. Even if Xie Zheng has other intentions, he would never imagine that I would use the power of this pill to bring you out of the dungeon."

This Spirit Gathering Pill can not only alleviate her current weakness, but also stabilize her remnant soul, allowing her to unleash even greater power.

Ye Chen was stunned. So that's what Master was thinking?

He opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing.

His mind was in complete turmoil, and he desperately needed to find a place to calm down. But he had a vague feeling that something very important was slipping away from him little by little.

On the other side, inside the main hall.

"Ding—Ye Chen's relationship with his master has developed a rift. He has lost 80 points of luck and gained 400 points of destiny."

As soon as the system notification sounded, Xie Zheng's lips curled into a half-smile. He tapped his fingertips lightly on the table, a hint of smugness hidden in his eyes: "Wonderful, you really didn't disappoint me."

In just a few days, Ye Chen's luck points dropped from over 500 to just over 200. Although this was still unbelievable compared to ordinary people, for Ye Chen himself, this was definitely the worst he had experienced in over a decade. The female lead had run away, and his master had also become estranged. This chosen one of luck, let's see how he can still cause trouble.

Xie Zheng didn't dare to get carried away. His purpose in dealing with Ye Chen was to exploit him, gain Fate Points, and increase his strength; he couldn't put the cart before the horse. With a thought, he opened his attribute interface.

The interface appeared before his eyes. He glanced at it and muttered to himself, "True disciple of Dao Tian Immortal Palace, Demon Heart and Dao Bones, early stage of the Marquis Realm... Not bad."

Owner: Xie Zheng

Identity: True Disciple of Daotian Immortal Palace

Physique and Bloodline: Demonic Heart and Daoist Bones

Cultivation level: Early stage of the Marquis Realm

Cultivation Techniques and Supernatural Powers: Daoist Celestial Scripture

Mandate: 1100

Luck Points: 50 (Black)

System Shop: Now Open

Warehouse: Domain Breaking Talisman x1, One-Third World Seed x1

Xie Zheng stroked his chin and analyzed, "A little over a thousand Destiny Points are probably only enough to slightly improve the progress of the Dao Celestial Scripture, far from enough to break through. It seems that the Dao Celestial Scripture is of a high level, so there's no rush to accumulate enough points."

"As for the Devouring Immortal Demon Art, it absolutely cannot be revealed before reaching the Divine Realm. For now, I can only use the secret techniques within it. Fortunately, I have thoroughly mastered these secret techniques, so I don't need to waste any Destiny Points."

He clicked his tongue and added, "This Devouring Immortal Demon Art is too heaven-defying. If it were exposed, the whole world would probably be after me, and that would be troublesome."

Combining the original owner's memories, Xie Zheng couldn't help but think to himself: So the original owner's identity as the big villain is a done deal?

This Devouring Immortal Demon Art is a forbidden technique that would strike fear into the hearts of old monsters even in the Upper Realm. It has long been extinct, yet it has fallen into his hands.

"Alright, it seems I'm destined for this villainous path, and I'll only go further down it." He shrugged, no longer dwelling on it, and focused all his attention on the system shop.

The items in the shop were pretty much as he had guessed, divided into three main categories: cultivation techniques and treasures, supernatural abilities and talents, and auxiliary items. Xie Zheng directly clicked on the main cultivation technique section under cultivation techniques and treasures, scrolling down through it.

"Heavenly level, God level, Saint level, Supreme level..." He raised an eyebrow. "Oh, not enough Fate Points? Supreme level isn't open yet? They don't even accept anything below Heavenly level?"

Looking at the price tag, Xie Zheng couldn't help but gasp: "So cheap? A Heaven-level cultivation technique that can lead to the Void God Realm only costs 50 Fate Points? So Fate Points have such strong purchasing power here?"

He scanned the names of the cultivation techniques one by one, muttering to himself, "Holy Yang Heavenly Technique, gathers the power of Holy Yang to forge... Holy Yin Heavenly Technique, gathers the power of Holy Yin... There are quite a few good things in this shop."

You have to understand, in the Eastern Wilderness, any Heaven-level cultivation technique can cause fierce competition among various forces, leading to a bloodbath. For him to exchange fifty Destiny Points for one is practically like finding a bargain.

Xie Zheng stroked his chin, a sly glint in his eyes.

It seems that following Ye Chen, the chosen one, to fleece the common people won't be too bad. Being a villain is quite comfortable.