[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-i-really-am-a-villain":3,"chapter-i-really-am-a-villain-i-really-am-a-villain-chapter-340":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","I Really Am A Villain",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1433265,1885,"Chapter 340 - The Real Culprit","i-really-am-a-villain-chapter-340",340,"\u003Cp>A man in black robes was sitting directly across from him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one knew when he appeared. There was no sound, yet there he was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His entire body was cloaked in black, with only his dark, gloomy eyes visible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I knew you’d come sooner or later,” the ragged man said calmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Since you didn’t expose me earlier today, I won’t kill you,” the black-robed man replied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then why are you here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just to remind you,” the black-robed man said. “Your sect’s uncle-master and master are still in my hands. If you don’t want them dead, you’d better behave.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I know,” the ragged man replied calmly, though a flash of killing intent passed through his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My patience is running thin,” said the black-robed man coldly. “Hand over the fragment of the True God Sword, and I’ll release your sect members. It’ll benefit both sides.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You think I don’t know?” the ragged man replied flatly. “If we don’t have the fragment, we might survive. But if you get it, there’s no point in us staying alive.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The black-robed man went silent for a moment, then said, “Suit yourself. It won’t be long before the fragment is mine anyway.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As his words fell, the room fell silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as he turned to leave, his body froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the windowsill, someone was reclining.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one had noticed him. But he’d heard everything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“All done talking?” Xu Zimo asked with a smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When did you get here?” the black-robed man asked, his voice steady.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hadn’t sensed him at all earlier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I heard everything. What I should and shouldn’t hear,” Xu Zimo smiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he turned to the ragged man. “Why aren’t you pretending to be insane anymore? I saved you, and you deceived me. How heartbreaking.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The black-robed man’s eyes narrowed. He turned to flee through the front door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But as he pushed it open, Death God Qin was already standing there calmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No escape,” Xu Zimo said, smiling. “Take off the mask. Let me see who you are.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I think we’ve met before.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That depends on whether you’ve got the skill,” the man sneered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A powerful aura surged from his body, peak Empyrean Meridian realm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He charged at Xu Zimo with a punch filled with fierce energy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How foolish,” Xu Zimo said flatly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He sidestepped the punch, grabbed the attacker’s wrist, and broke it with a twist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he kicked him hard in the abdomen, sending him flying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was only a few simple moves, but Xu Zimo used full force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The black-robed man hit the ground hard. All his limbs were broken, blood dripping from his mouth. He lay there like a pile of mud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But his spiritforce was already healing his injuries. He’d recover before long.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Zimo walked up and tore off his mask.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m not surprised,” he said with a chuckle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the young monk from earlier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So the enemy who destroyed Duskblade Sect was you,” Xu Zimo smiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The monk sighed and said softly, “One wrong step leads to many.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let’s make a deal,” Xu Zimo turned to the ragged man. “The sword fragment for the lives of your sect.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re no different from him. Why should I trust you?” the man replied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You don’t have a choice,” Xu Zimo said. “I’m not very patient. If you refuse, I’ll just soul-search you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the mention of “soul-search,” the ragged man’s eyes narrowed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He could tell Xu Zimo wasn’t ordinary. Not many people could perform soul-searching.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a cruel method, at best, the victim went insane. At worst, they died.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even within True Martial Sacred Ground, soul-searching was rarely used because it was unnatural.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll make the deal,” the ragged man finally said after some thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s better,” Xu Zimo smiled. “I only want the sword fragment. I’ve got no grudge against Duskblade Sect.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he looked back at the young monk. “Want to live?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I understand. I’ll take you to where they’re held,” the monk said, accepting his fate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He led them to a room inside the Buddhist lodge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knocked on one side of the wall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A rumbling came from beneath their feet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A staircase to the underground appeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The monk led the way down the dark passage, with the others following close behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The tunnel wasn’t completely dark. Night pearls were embedded in the walls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Footsteps echoed clearly as they walked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the bottom, the space opened up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A strong stench filled the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the stone gate ahead opened, everyone was stunned by what they saw.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A giant iron cage, where people were chained like animals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dim yellow lights flickered on both sides. A rough count revealed nearly a hundred people inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All looked thin and lifeless, clearly tortured.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The stench came from the fact that everything, eating, drinking, defecating, happened in this cage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ragged man was frozen in place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master! Uncle-master!” he screamed, running toward the cage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The people inside looked at him blankly, their eyes devoid of emotion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just then, another loud “boom” echoed above.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The monk’s figure disappeared, and iron bars fell from all sides, trapping Xu Zimo and the others inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The entire secret room was, in fact, a hidden cage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clapping came from the side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The monk stepped out from the shadows, looking smug.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Surprised?” he laughed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I wasn’t going to spare you anyway,” Xu Zimo said calmly. “But now you’ve really pissed me off.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He glanced around. The cage wasn’t made of ordinary material.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was forged from a rare mineral called Heaven-Bear Earth-Fiend Stone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Extremely tough, even a God Meridian cultivator couldn’t break it easily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Seems you were well prepared,” Xu Zimo said, narrowing his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>",942,"2026-06-06T01:06:40.721Z",1,"novelbin.me","1a894bca1cd1085e168d8ed081a24500adb3411d86f6cff77aa3c1ab47c16707","i-really-am-a-villain-chapter-341","i-really-am-a-villain-chapter-339",1822,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-really-am-a-villain-cover.jpg"]