[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-turns-out-i-m-in-a-villain-clan":3,"chapter-turns-out-i-m-in-a-villain-clan-turns-out-i-m-in-a-villain-clan-chapter-223":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Turns Out, I’m In A Villain Clan!",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},60431,84,"Chapter 223: The Dragon and Phoenix Stir","turns-out-i-m-in-a-villain-clan-chapter-223",223,"\u003Cp>The divine clang of the ceremonial bell echoed nine times across the Desolate Heaven Capital.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It signaled the official opening of the Dragon and Phoenix Competition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Imperial Arena – Outer Circle!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The massive Imperial Arena spanned several li in every direction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Forged from Profound-grade materials and reinforced with powerful arrays, it could withstand even Soul Formation Realm battles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Participants were ushered into the Inner Preparation Grounds, a wide courtyard just beyond the coliseum gates.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each major sect and clan had their designated waiting area separated by spiritual barriers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Public Selection Participant Waiting Area!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were about 10 participants who had won and had been selected as the participants of the Dragon and Phoenix Competition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many were already satisfied and didn’t think they would advance even one more round, as their strongest was in the Mid Nascent Soul Realm—excluding Nie Fengzhuo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their goal had already been achieved which was to win and get selected as participants for the Dragon and Phoenix Competition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While on the other hand, it couldn’t be more different for Nie Fengzhuo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was finally going to see Bai Xueqing, the one who humiliated him when he was at his lowest, and was going to face her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Despite what Bai Zihan said, his objective hadn’t changed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was still going to challenge and win against Bai Xueqing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Heaven Sword Sect Waiting Area!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Xuan calmly tied his long hair behind his head, his fingers methodical, his movements sharp and clean.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though he stood among some of the most renowned young elites of the Desolate Heaven Empire, his expression remained indifferent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His eyes swept across the various groups: the glacial calm of the Celestial Jade Hall, the thunderous aura from the Crimson Thunder Palace, the proud eyes of the Li and Zhao disciples.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he paid them no mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t care for anyone here—except for two people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Xueqing stood a short distance away, arms folded, her aura cold and immovable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And beside her—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Ziyan, adjusting the silver hairpin in her bun, whispering something to a Heaven Sword disciple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Xuan walked over, the surrounding disciples instinctively stepping aside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Young Mistress,\" he said calmly, bowing slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It seems like Young Master will be arriving late, and since we are already in the participant arena, meeting with him at the moment would be difficult.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Ziyan froze mid-sentence. Her eyes twitched.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How many times do I need to repeat myself? Don’t call me that!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She said under her breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Xuan straightened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You are Young Master’s fiancée. So, I must address you properly.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We’re here as disciples of the Heaven Sword Sect. Just... call me Senior Sister or something.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Xuan’s brow furrowed ever so slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That would be inappropriate.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Ziyan pinched the bridge of her nose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It’s not inappropriate. It’s normal.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Xuan didn’t waver.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"As you say, Young Mistress.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You—!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Xueqing, standing nearby, let out a cold snort.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Just let him call you what he wants, Ziyan’er. It’s not like people don’t already know.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sigh!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And just why is he not participating?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Who knows? He does what he wants anyway.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Xueqing replied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Anyways, it must be something like the competition is beneath him or something.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Ziyan said. With Bai Zihan’s personality, she knew it would be something like this or similar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for the rumors about him being scared, there was no way she would believe it—even if Bai Zihan himself said so.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With his strength, it was more a question of whether he would bully others rather than being afraid of them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even those so-called geniuses under 30 were afraid of him—let alone those under 25.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Xuan, meanwhile, stood silently behind them like an unmoving shadow—gaze calm, back straight, utterly undisturbed by the commotion around him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He would’ve objected to even a small blemish on Bai Zihan’s name, but since it was Bai Xueqing and Chu Ziyan saying it, he said nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>***\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crimson Thunder Palace Waiting Area!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lei Zhensheng leaned against a wall with his arms crossed. Lightning flickered across his shoulders like twitching serpents.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Tch,\" he muttered. \"The Bai Clan sent their second-rate disciples?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A youth behind him laughed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Maybe Bai Zihan really is scared. Can’t say I blame him. After all, you are participating.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lei Zhensheng cracked his knuckles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I was in seclusion for a few months and everyone started to think that he was some kind of invincible person. I was looking forward to decimating him.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lei Zhensheng looked a bit disappointed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A pity. But whatever. My target is still here!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Indeed! Crushing Bai Xueqing would be good enough to have your fame spread far and wide.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although Bai Zihan’s fame had risen rapidly, it was only recent. Before him, it was Bai Xueqing whose talent was said to be one of the strongest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, for one looking to be crowned the strongest of their generation, she was someone that must be defeated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This would also silence those who claimed that younger generations had surpassed the older ones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I will show them what it means to fight against me!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lei Zhensheng said excitedly as his Thunder Qi flared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Celestial Jade Hall Waiting Area!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shui Lian’er sat in silence, a jade lotus blooming beneath her. Her eyes were closed, and a soft frost clung to the air around her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One of her junior sisters whispered, \"Senior Sister Lian’er... it seems like that Bai Zihan is not really going to participate.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Is that so?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She said softly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I thought I would get to challenge him—the one said to have defeated Mo Tianji. Pity!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hah? That must be a lie! You know how fearsome that devil is. How could it be possible for a junior like Bai Zihan to defeat him?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shui Lian’er’s junior sister continued.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Even the Senior Sister and Brother who went to the Ancient Ruin said that they don’t know about that. Those Bai Clan members must be the ones spreading those lies!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, of course they wouldn’t admit it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because admitting it would also mean admitting how they were humiliated and threatened by Bai Zihan in the Ancient Ruins.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nobody wanted to remember just humiliation and so they collectively decided to forget about it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those people, after reporting back to the clan, went straight into seclusion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And of course, before they went, they didn’t admit they were defeated by someone younger—or that their lives had been hanging by a thread under Bai Zihan’s threat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They simply feigned ignorance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Clan Waiting Hall!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every disciple looked at a single person, their expressions full of confidence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And it was none other than Li Meiying, the Li Clan Leader’s daughter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Meiying stood at the edge of the terrace, her long black and red robes fluttering slightly in the wind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind her, several younger Li disciples were seated, talking in hushed tones—their anger and humiliation from the last war still simmering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I still remember that battle...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One of the younger Li disciples muttered, his voice tight with suppressed rage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We lost dozens of our best that day.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"They didn’t just defeat us. They humiliated us. Our banners were trampled... our elders forced to retreat. Some of our kin never came back.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silence hung for a moment, thick with shame and fury.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This time, we’ll take it back.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The others straightened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This time, the Dragon and Phoenix Competition belongs to us.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Although it’s a pity that Bai Zihan isn’t participating, at least we can defeat other Bai Clan members.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We’ll show them that it was a fluke. That the Li Clan still deserves to be number one!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Let them remember that we were always stronger!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their words burned with conviction now, their auras flaring subtly in response. Confidence surged in their hearts—but all of it pointed toward one figure:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Meiying!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As she stood at the front, her expression calm but sharp, all eyes turned to her—filled with expectation, trust, and something more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hope!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was their spearhead. Their redemption. The one who would carve the Li Clan’s name back into glory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Meiying didn’t say anything but stood tall with confidence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(F**K! How do you think I will win?)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the outside, she was full of calm and confidence—but inside, it couldn’t be more different.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Panic! Fear!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was feeling almost every negative emotion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(What revenge? Do you think I’m stronger than Li Ming?)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ming was someone stronger than her—and look at what happened to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no way she could defeat someone that even Li Ming couldn’t.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She felt very lucky that during the war with the Bai Clan, she had been in seclusion. Otherwise, she thought, she might have been the one in a wheelchair instead of Li Ming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(Fortunately, that devil isn’t participating.)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Obviously referring to Bai Zihan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although others claimed it was a pity he wasn’t participating, she considered it their good fortune.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Otherwise... who knows?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She might end up just like Li Ming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, she couldn’t show her true self to others—as the beacon of hope and confidence for her fellow clan members.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Don’t worry. Victory is already mine!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She said with confidence as other disciples cheered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Clan Waiting Hall!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unlike the neighboring waiting halls where conversations stirred and anticipation buzzed, this room was eerily quiet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no laughter, no light banter—only the weight of resentment and long-nurtured grudges.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every Zhao disciple seated behind Zhao Chen carried the same look in their eyes: cold focus and quiet fury.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They weren’t here to enjoy the Dragon and Phoenix Competition. They weren’t even here to win.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were here to redeem themselves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The memory of their defeat—of the Bai Clan trampling their alliance, of elders wounded and disciples slain—still lingered like a fresh wound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It had been one of the darkest years in Zhao Clan history.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The pressure was suffocating. No one needed to speak it aloud—everyone already understood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no room for error. No space for mercy. No tolerance for failure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Vengeance burned in their blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Bai Clan had humiliated them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, it was their turn to prove they still deserved to stand among the Empire’s greats.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Chen’s gaze remained fixed on the arena below, as if trying to carve their victory into reality through sheer will alone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This wasn’t a tournament for them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was war!\u003C\u002Fp>",1711,"2026-05-28T18:17:14.491Z","2026-06-01T04:28:34.960Z",1,"novelbin.me","20f86527e197c1a5f7e97b72039e5db911c21eb40ff2c5946f949a309646b44a","turns-out-i-m-in-a-villain-clan-chapter-224","turns-out-i-m-in-a-villain-clan-chapter-222",580,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fturns-out-i-m-in-a-villain-clan-cover.jpg"]