I Shall Steal The Heavens 134 Chapter 133: Xianxia Villain Logic

"WHAT THE f.u.c.k IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" I exploded, unable to endure the absurdity of the situation any longer.

Everyone turned to stare at me. Jiang Jun Hao's face darkened as he glared at me. Pointing his spear at me, he snarled, "brat, stay out of this. This doesn't concern you."

"You're threatening my friend, of course it concerns me!"

"Your friend, eh?" Jiang Jun Hao's lip curled into a sneer. "Then you shouldn't mind dying together with him."

"See, that's the problem! What the f.u.c.k is wrong with you?!" I snapped, annoyed at his callous disregard for life. "Killing and dying, or whatever! What, you think this is ancient China or something!? Or some sort of ridiculous 'kill or be killed' xianxia setting?! That you can go around casually murdering people? What do you think the law is for?"

"Watch your tone," Jiang Jun Hao warned, his expression growing graver. I snorted and showed him my middle finger.

"Why should I? You're not somebody worth my respect. I mean, just listen to yourself." I gestured at his spear. "You're basically saying, 'you dared to s.n.a.t.c.h the weapon I was trying to kill you with, you have to give me your weapon in compensation.' What kind of f.u.c.ked-up logic is this? So you can go around killing anybody as you please, and we're not allowed to fight back?"

"Of course! Do you know who I am? I'm from the Heavenly Way Sect!" Jiang Jun Hao didn't seem to notice the utter lack of logic in his statement. I couldn't help but bury my face in my palm before I rolled my eyes and turned to Zhu Jiao.

"Yeah, give him the gauntlets…smash them right into his chest."

"I intend to do so," Zhu Jiao replied as he cracked his knuckles. "This b.a.s.t.a.r.d has been getting on my nerves for a while now."

"Same here."

Zhu Jiao turned to confront the bristling Jiang Jun Hao with a steely expression and cold, hard eyes.

"You know the rules for martial artists trying to obtain treasures. If you fight and compete for it, it's only natural that someone gets injured."

"Brat, you still dare to argue!"

Jiang Jun Hao flared up furiously. My jaw dropped at his complete lack of logic.

"Then what is he supposed to do?" I demanded, clutching my head at the utter bulls.h.i.+t the b.a.s.t.a.r.d was spouting. "Accept your unfair terms? Are you even listening to the nonsense you're spewing? That you can attack people, but they can't attack back? That we should hand over the treasures we fought so hard to obtain to you, just because you're from the Heavenly Way Sect? And we're not allowed to argue against such a tyrannical and clearly criminal intimidation?"

"Of course." Jiang Jun Hao was so shameless that his skin must be meters…no, kilometers thick. "I'm from the Heavenly Way Sect. That's how the world of martial arts works. The strongest rule over the weak. The Heavenly Way Sect is the strongest, therefore we dictate the rules, and everyone has to accept our decision."

"And you call yourself an Orthodox Sect?" I spluttered in disbelief. "What happened to values of justice and compa.s.sion?"

"Strength is justice!"

The f.u.c.ker continued to insist on his incredibly flawed logic. My vein twitching in my temple (and I wondered why I even bothered to debate with this idiot – more likely this whole scene was just a chance for me to rant about the complete lack of logic and practicality in every wuxia and xianxia novel that existed on the Internet, rather than being meant for realism), I raised a finger.

"Firstly, if you're talking about the strongest, the Heavenly Way Sect isn't the strongest. You can't even beat any of the other seven major sects."

"Hah!" Jiang Jun Hao snorted. "It's not as if either of you are from a major sect! Losers like you definitely belong to some minor sect on the verge of being disbanded. It's your duty to listen to us direct disciples from the major sects!"

"HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!"

Jiang Jun Hao seemed to inflate with rage, his complexion turning red as he glared at me, his grip on his spear tightening.

"What's so funny, you f.u.c.king weakling?"

"You," Zhu Jiao replied in my place because I was too busily laughing. Not that he wasn't amused. He had to fight to control his laughter as well. Jabbing a trembling thumb at me as he sort to suppress a chuckle, he continued, "My friend is from the Nine-Tailed Fox Sect. So your a.s.sumption about either of us not being from a major sect is completely off the mark."

"T…that's impossible! Judging from your amount of qi, you're too weak to be from the Nine-Tailed Fox Sect!" Jiang Jun Hao refused to believe Zhu Jiao's words. "Ah! I get it! You're just trying to bluff, to prevent me from attacking, aren't you?!"

"This guy is deluded," I told Zhu Jiao. He nodded in agreement.

"Yeah…he can't accept the truth even if it's staring right at him in the face."

"Furthermore…" I turned back to Jiang Jun Hao. "The whole 'survival of the fittest' and 'strong eat the weak' rhetoric has been outdated for centuries now. The real world doesn't work like that. The world operates on principles of democracy, such as the rule by the majority, and it is the duty of the nation-state to look after its citizens. All humans are ent.i.tled rights – the right to live, the right to be protection, the right to freedom. Why do you think the military exists and is subordinate to the government? Because it is the military's job to protect the citizens, not to rule over them tyrannically. The nation-state relies on every citizen, or it cannot survive. What use is a king without subjects? What use is a soldier without civilians to protect? If you bully the weak and kill all the farmers, who's going to grow crops and produce food for you? If you slaughter merchants, who's going to sell stuff to you? If you torture the laborers and enslave them, won't they rebel? Then you'll be wasting money, time and resources trying to put down rebellions instead of having a working economy and efficient industry, and if you kill all of them in the end, who's going to run the factories and manufacture goods for you? Your clothing? Your weapons? Your equipment? Who do you think made those? Fellow warriors? You think you can bully everyone just because you're strong? No. You're just as reliant on the different cla.s.ses and vocations to maintain your current lifestyle and survive as the people depending on you to protect them."

"f.u.c.king bulls.h.i.+t!" Jiang Jun Hao roared. "If they don't obey, then I'll kill one of them to set an example! I'll force them with strength!"

"Again, violence isn't the answer. Like I said, if you kill all the proletariats, then who is going to work in the factories? If you kill all the farmers, or abused them to the point where they end up starving to death because you extorted all their food, then who is going to grow crops for you the next year round? You're just as dependent on them as they are on you!"

"Oh, shut up!"

Unable to rebut my argument and sound logic, Jiang Jun Hao resorted to trying to silence the truth. His eyes swept toward Zhu Jiao's spatial pouch, where the gauntlet-type Spirit Treasure Weapon was stored.

It was clear what he was thinking. To Jiang Jun Hao even a low-grade Spirit Treasure was an extremely precious item. Despite the power and influence of the eight major sects, they couldn't possibly afford to equip every single genius within their sects with such valuable Spirit Armaments. Jiang Jun Hao had invested a lot of resources and efforts into acquiring his Heavenly Spear. That was why he was on the verge of panic when Zhu Jiao almost stole it.

Admittedly, Jiang Jun Hao had keen foresight and was able to tell that the gauntlet-type Spirit Treasure Armament inside Zhu Jiao's spatial pouch was definitely an extremely amazing treasure. That was why, unlike the others, he refrained from aiming for the seemingly most powerful sword-type Spirit Treasure Armament and instead chose to compete for the gauntlet-type Spirit Treasure Armament instead.

Initially he had gotten complacent and believed that with the support of his own Spirit Treasure Armament and his own skills, he would be able to effortlessly acquire the treasure gauntlets. Who would expect that he would be denied by a "n.o.body" like Zhu Jiao? If he had lost his Heavenly Spear, he would have ended up suffering a major blow instead!

The f.u.c.ker obviously thought it was unfair. And I couldn't believe just how self-ent.i.tled that b.a.s.t.a.r.d was. Did he think every treasure he set his eyes on had his name on it or something? Just how self-centered could he get?

Zhu Jiao calmly watched Jiang Jun Hao for his reaction, then he suddenly brightened up when he had an idea. Circulating his qi, he then retrieved the gauntlets from his bag. He raised a finger to his mouth and bit it, drawing blood. Then in a single, fluid motion, he swiped the gauntlets with his blood, leaving a mystical, red mark that pulsated with qi.

Whoos.h.!.+

As the symbol drawn with Zhu Jiao's blood pulsed and seeped into the gauntlets, the treasure armament began to glow. The silver sheen vanished, replaced by blinding rays of gold light, and the mark of a Golden Kirin was suddenly carved into the surface of the gauntlets.

"Isn't that…the mark of the Golden Kirin Sect?"

It seemed that one of the people in the crowd nearby possessed quite a bit of knowledge regarding the sects, and voiced it out. Unfortunately, with the Golden Kirin Sect destroyed for a couple of centuries, the name did not register in the arrogant and utterly ignorant Jiang Jun Hao, who was clearly a frog in the well.

Golden scales covered the gauntlets in a dragon-like pattern, imbued with the power of a celestial dragon. Serrated spikes or horns usually featured on that mythical creature grew along the sides of the gauntlets, gleaming ferociously. A menacing aura was emanated from both gauntlets, which seemed to have taken a fearsome life of its own.

Zhu Jiao stared at the transformed Spirit Treasure Armament, his eyes wide in awe. He put them on and swung his arms. Waves of golden qi rippled outward, causing violent tremors in the earth that surged throughout the entire cavern. Even the spectators cl.u.s.tered within the main hall to watch the inevitable fight were thrown off balance, staggering around as they tried not to get swept off their feet by the unexpected quake.

"Heavenly Golden Draconic Gauntlets!"

Zhu Jiao read the four Chinese characters that were etched alongside the blood mark shaped like a Golden Kirin that he placed on his Spirit Armament earlier. He nodded in satisfaction as he sensed the flow of qi flooding across his new weapon.

"What a formidable pair of gauntlets!"

"Can you stop copying Lin Dong?" I complained, glancing nervously at the existences gathering behind the fourth wall and hoping they wouldn't accuse us of plagiarism.

"You b.a.s.t.a.r.d! How dare you leave a Blood Essence Imprint?!"

Ignoring me as always, Jiang Jun Hao bellowed in fury. Zhu Jiao had moved quickly before the Heavenly Way Sect disciple realized what he was doing, and by the time the latter comprehended his intent, it was way too late. The color drained from his face as he digested the events unfolding before his eyes.

Earlier, the Heavenly Golden Draconic Gauntlets did not have any owner. But by being the first to leave his Blood Essence Imprint, Zhu Jiao had officially attained owners.h.i.+p over it, becoming the rightful wielder of the precious Spirit Treasure Armament.

Even though it was still possible for Jiang Jun Hao to erase the Blood Essence Imprint if he was able to rob Zhu Jiao of the weapon, it would require the expenditure of a lot of time, resources and effort. In other words, it would be extremely troublesome.

"Why would he not dare to?" I snapped, getting tired of the b.a.s.t.a.r.d's self-ent.i.tled att.i.tude. "The weapon is his to begin with. He claimed it fair and square after beating the rest of you to it. Or are you going to steal all the other Spirit Treasure Armaments too?"

At my words, the other winners who had succeeded in acquiring the Spirit Treasure Armaments hastily became on guard, watching Jiang Jun Hao warily and preparing for battle. It was clear that they would all ally with each other and crush the idiot if he admitted that he had such an intention. But they wouldn't bother to intervene if Jiang Jun Hao didn't attack them.

By the way, not all of the Spirit Treasure Armaments were claimed just yet. The spear and gauntlets clearly had been taken, but at least four of the remaining six were still up for grabs. Unfortunately, the compet.i.tion for them remained fierce, particularly the vicious combat that surrounded the still unclaimed sword-type Spirit Treasure Armament.

Not that Jiang Jun Hao was interested in any of them. Nor did he switch his attention to the remaining unclaimed ones now that his original target had been taken. No, instead he insisted on s.n.a.t.c.hing the gauntlets from its current owner.

Why Jiang Jun Hao only attacked Zhu Jiao and selectively targeted him, I had no idea. Even though the logical move would be to switch his attention to some other unclaimed Spirit Treasure Armament. Probably for plot purposes, for the protagonist to fight against an antagonist for no reason other than to show off the protagonist's skills and luck, make the antagonist jealous of him, to set up future conflicts or to justify the protagonist kicking his a.s.s. I couldn't help but sigh at the ridiculous, yet utterly predictable development.

Overwhelmed by fury, Jiang Jun Hao finally launched his attack. Arching his back backward, he gathered as much destructive qi into his Heavenly Spear as possible, curling his arm as far back as he could in a throwing motion. Blazing crimon qi swirled around it, creating a visible halo similar to that of the sun.

"Gae Bolg!"

Jiang Jun Hao then hurled his crimson spear at the awaiting Zhu Jiao. Just like the Servant from whom he ripped the attack from, the Heavenly Spear streaked across the cavern with terrifying power and speed.

"Hmph!"

Zhu Jiao snorted when he saw that Jiang Jun Hao finally attacked him. He gathered as much qi as he could, and I recognized his Golden Kirin Sacred Beast technique, which he applied to his gauntlets to boost its power tremendously. He raised a brightly glowing golden gauntlet, and then spun around to punch the incoming Heavenly Spear.

Bang!

There was a brief explosion, and then the Heavenly Spear was sent hurtling backward. Even as Jiang Jun Hao caught the weapon, astonished, incredibly powerful shockwaves were buffeting the vast main hall, knocking over stunned spectators and eliciting shocked cries. Zhu Jiao, however, remained standing firmly on earth, completely unscathed. Despite being hit by the shockwaves, his glowing gauntlets seemed to absorb them, dispelling the kinetic energy and rendering it harmless before it could reach their wielder.

"How…?!" Jiang Jun Hao gasped. Even I couldn't help but marvel at the incredible sight.

A Spirit Treasure Armament was really awesome. Man, I wanted one of my own, but because I wasn't a protagonist, I wouldn't get it. Such was life, and the mediocre fate that we commoners and mob characters were doomed to.

Zhu Jiao was already stronger than Jiang Jun Hao to begin with, so having a Spirit Treasure Weapon wasn't going to make much of a difference. Only the foolish would overly rely on their Spirit Armaments for victory.

Weapons didn't determine the outcome. The skill of the wielder did. You could have a G.o.d-tier Treasure Weapon, but if you don't know how to wield it, it would be useless in your hands and even someone with a low-quality sword could defeat you if he possessed the skills. Conversely, in the hands of a master, anything could be a weapon. Even a blade of gra.s.s.

The quality of weapons only mattered if the skill of the users were too close. Admittedly, the more skilled you were, the better quality your weapon had to be, because most low quality weapons wouldn't be able to handle the amount of qi you infuse it with, or the techniques you used. But if you were weak to begin with, then it didn't matter how powerful or G.o.dlike or high-quality your Spirit Armament was. It would just be little more than dead weight.

Unfortunately, the spectators did not understand this principle. They were all staring greedily at the golden gauntlets that Zhu Jiao wore, completely discounting his skills and believing it was the Heavenly Golden Draconic Gauntlets that gave him the edge in battle. That also mean that he had just become the center of attention.

Typical protagonist…always drawing the stupid crowd's attention so that they could flame and bash him at first, then get slapped in the face when he won and proved them wrong, and end up praising him to high heaven. Someone ought to eliminate all these stupid token crowds who exist for the most inane reasons ever conceived by xianxia writers. Just look at Lin Feng from Peerless Martial G.o.d, for example. Or Li Fu Chen from Eternal Reverence.

To be fair, the battle for all the other Spirit Treasure Armaments in the main hall had finally ended after ferocious conflicts, and the remaining seven Spirit Armaments were now in the hands of their current owners, each of whom had prevailed after fighting off compet.i.tor after compet.i.tor. With those fights concluded, everyone naturally turned to watch the only match that was still ongoing.

"Senior Jun Hao!"

Now that the fight for the other Spirit Treasure Armaments was over, the other Heavenly Way Sect members realized that their second senior was dueling with Zhu Jiao. When they saw Zhu Jiao casually punch away Jiang Jun Hao's killer move, they couldn't help but be stunned.

"That kid has also acquired a Spirit Treasure Weapon!"

Was it just me, or was the author trying to make every Heavenly Way Sect disciple greedy b.a.s.t.a.r.ds who were envious of Zhu Jiao's success for no reason other than he was the protagonist? I mean, yeah, it was natural to be jealous of other people if they have something you want, but why only Zhu Jiao? Why weren't they staring at the other Spirit Treasure Armaments in the hands of the other wielders with the same expression?

"Such a powerful Spirit Treasure Armament!"

Similarly, Jiang Jun Hao was staring at the Heavenly Golden Draconic Gauntlets that clad Zhu Jiao's hands. For those gauntlets to easily repel his killer move that he executed with his high-grade treasure weapon, Heavenly Spear, they had to be on par with them, meaning they were at least a high-quality Spirit Treasure Armament as well.

Upon that realization, Jiang Jun Hao's desire swelled up, and his grip on the Heavenly Spear tightened as he harbored the intent to drill it into Zhu Jiao (though I would think that Zhu Jiao would be more of the seme rather than the uke). Evidently he was under the sad misconception that if he acquired the Heavenly Golden Draconic Gauntlets, he would be able to stand at the peak of his generation. Again, that was nonsense and nothing short of fantasy. A powerful, high-quality Spirit Treasure Armament did not automatically make you stronger. The outcome of a battle was completely dependent on your own skills and techniques, not the weapon you wielded.

"That brat tried to steal my Heavenly Spear and s.n.a.t.c.hed that Spirit Treasure Armament from me! Let's attack and kill him together!"

His eyes gleaming maliciously, Jiang Jun Hao shouted.

"Are you kidding me?!" I yelled. "You tried to kill Zhu Jiao with your Heavenly Spear and you're the one blatantly trying to s.n.a.t.c.h his Heavenly Golden Draconic Gauntlets from him! How the f.u.c.k are you acting like you have the higher moral ground?!"

"Uh, he's right, you know," one of the Heavenly Way Sect disciples said.

"Wouldn't this make us…you know, bullies and robbers?" another Heavenly Way Sect disciple agreed.

"Master wouldn't be happy if he hears about this," another added.

Finally…somebody with an ounce of common sense. Perhaps Jiang Jun Hao was an anomaly in a sect that was supposed to be orthodox.

Unfortunately, Jiang Jun Hao was their second senior (and their first senior was locked away in isolation training, trying to make a breakthrough), and thus he held authority over his fellow disciples. Meaning he could order them about.

"Oh, shut up and help me! If n.o.body tells Master, then he won't hear about this!"

"You do realize there's a lot of witnesses here, don't you, Second Senior?" the first guy piped up as he indicated the large crowd of spectators surrounding them.

Whoos.h.!.+

"!!!!"

He was almost punished for his insolence with death when Jiang Jun Hao threw his Heavenly Spear at him. A slight trickle of blood dripped from a graze on his cheek and he froze, staring up at his second senior in fear.

"Anyone who questions me will lose their head. Is that understood?"

The f.u.c.k?! How the f.u.c.k did this b.a.s.t.a.r.d get into an orthodox sect?!

Unfortunately, that threat motivated the cowed Heavenly Way Sect disciples into obeying their second senior's command. Reluctantly shuffling about, the dozen or so of them got into formation and prepared to a.s.sault Zhu Jiao.

"Sorry, man," one of them called out apologetically. "But we have to obey Second Senior."

Zhu Jiao didn't reply. He merely clenched his fists and steeled himself for the battle, his eyes staring icily at the dozen Heavenly Way Sect disciples. A golden aura surged from his body and a gigantic Golden Kirin appeared behind him in an intimidating manner.

He wasn't alone.

"Mind if I join in?" I asked as I stepped up beside him, gathering my qi and also bracing myself for battle. Even though we were still vastly outnumbered, the odds of two against twelve were twice as good as one against twelve.

"Thanks," Zhu Jiao murmured. "But don't worry about me. You should fall back. I don't want to drag you into this."

I smiled wryly. "Too late for that, don't you think? I've already involved myself in this ever since I did the tsukkomi role against Jiang Jun Hao's completely illogical villainous behavior. Besides, I believe in your plot armor."

"Huh? Plot armor? What the h.e.l.l are you talking about?"

Before I could explain, another voice cut across the vast hall.

"Jiang Jun Hao, what do you think you're doing?"

Just before Jiang Jun Hao and his fellow disciples could charge Zhu Jiao and me, exploiting their ma.s.sive advantage in numbers, a cold voice echoed calmly across the main hall. Glancing in the direction of the familiar voice, I saw Bai Ning Xue and the White Tiger Sect swiftly approaching us. Kuang Hu, in particular, was grinning, his expression filled with bloodl.u.s.t.

"Do we get to kill someone?" he asked, rubbing his hands in glee. Bai Ning Xue gave him a baleful stare.

"No. None of you are to move without an explicit instruction from me. Especially you, Kuang Hu. Understand?"

"Yeah, yeah…"

Kuang Hu rolled his eyes and swallowed any complaints he had about her decision. The rest of the White Tiger Sect, on the other hand, nodded quietly, trusting in their vice-leader. Unlike Jiang Jun Hao, Bai Ning Xue didn't need to threaten her fellow disciples to get them to obey her.

She had earned their respect long ago.

The White Tiger Sect glanced at Zhu Jiao, impressed that he had managed to snare a Spirit Treasure Armament. Bai Ning Xue looked proud of her boyfriend, but she concealed that emotion well. Easy enough, as right now she was filled with rage as she glared at Jiang Jun Hao.

"Do you seriously intend to rob a martial artist in broad daylight? And you call yourself an orthodox martial artist? You should adhere to the law and protocol set down by the Martial Arts Alliance! As members of the Heavenly Way Sect, you should be ashamed of yourselves!"

"We told you so," one of the discples muttered grumpily, sending an accusing glare at Jiang Jun Hao.

"So what?" Jiang Jun Hao sneered, ignoring the snipe. "And what does this have to do with you? This brat isn't part of the White Tiger Sect, so you have no right to interfere!"

"Actually, we do."

One of the other martial artists who had claimed the Spirit Treasure Weapons stepped up. I saw that it was the guy who succeeded in grabbing the staff and attaining owners.h.i.+p over it. He was drawing his newly obtained staff and pointing it at Jiang Jun Hao now.

"As orthodox martial artists, we have a code of conduct to adhere to. Otherwise we might as well become demonic martial artists and join the demonic sects. Are you sure you're from the Heavenly Way Sect and not the Heavenly Fiend Sect?"

"This is none of your business, Gun Bang!" Jiang Jun Hao snarled. Gun Bang smiled thinly.

"Oh, but it is. How can I, a warrior of the righteous way, stand by and watch injustice being meted out? Not only are you bullying someone, you're ganging up on him. Not to mention your treatment of your own sect members, threatening them to obey you."

"Yeah!" the guy who claimed the spear, who I traded blows with earlier, also stepped out. "And if you're already pulling this sort of stunt and trying to rob Zhu Jiao, then how do we know you won't be bold enough to rob the rest of us too? That you'll stab us in the back and s.n.a.t.c.h our Spirit Treasure Weapons when we let our guard down!"

"There you have it."

Bai Ning Xue nodded and then proceeded to draw her sword. No…two swords. The first, I recognized as the one she used during the semifinals against Zhu Jiao and in the last sixteen against Tang Qi Hong, a beautiful silver sword that was elegantly crafted with White Tiger markings embroidered into the blade. The second sword was a pink Spirit Armament that emanated a fearsome amount of qi that was not inferior to the golden aura exuded by Zhu Jiao's Heavenly Golden Draconic Gauntlets. Evidently Bai Ning Xue had won the battle and acquired the sword-type Spirit Treasure Armament inside this hall.

Well…that was to be expected of the main heroine, I guess?

"You…!"

Jiang Jun Hao turned pale when he saw the swords that Bai Ning Xue was wielding, trembling when he was. .h.i.t by the incredible qi pressure they emitted. He swallowed, understanding the grim situation he was in. Never mind the other two Spirit Treasure Armament wielders, which included Gun Bang, he would have difficulty fighting Bai Ning Xue alone. Not to mention his target, Zhu Jiao, had earlier clearly demonstrated that he was able to wield the full power of the Heavenly Golden Draconic Gauntlets.

The Heavenly Way Sect Second Disciple realized that he was at an overwhelming disadvantage.

"You b.a.s.t.a.r.d…just you wait! I will definitely grab back what is rightfully mine!"

"Really now…?" I sighed. "Haven't we been through this already? It's not as if your name is written on the Heaveny Golden Draconic Gauntlets. Stop being a sore loser and accept that they don't belong to you."

Though, clearly, with his antagonistic att.i.tude, Jiang Jun Hao would surely attack Zhu Jiao in the near future to s.n.a.t.c.h away his Heavenly Golden Draconic Gauntlets in an underhanded manner. Of course, this would justify Zhu Jiao ruthlessly killing the b.a.s.t.a.r.d, for what was a xianxia story without senseless murder? But it would do Zhu Jiao no credit if he just killed without good reason, which was why poor Jiang Jun Hao was reduced to a ridiculous, one-dimensional, shallow caricature who existed solely to be "evil" and for Zhu Jiao to kill.

I had seen all this before, and quite frankly, it sickened me. If only there was a way to avoid all these cliché tropes and have Jiang Jun Hao reform instead of just indulging in villainous deeds for the sake of being the guy the protagonist killed.

Unfortunately, right now, I couldn't think of anything.

"Sooner or later, we'll settle this once and for all!"

Suppressing the fury building up in his chest, Jiang Jun Hao spun away and stomped off after glaring fiercely at Zhu Jiao. The rest of the Heavenly Way Sect members glanced at each other, but then decided not to follow him.

After all, he had nearly killed one of them just because they questioned his…uh, questionable orders.

"Sorry about that," one of the disciples told Zhu Jiao as he dabbed at the cut on his cheek. "Our Second Senior is known for being…pretty extreme."

"I can't believe Master still hasn't straightened out his character," the second Heavenly Way Sect disciple complained. "We ought to report this."

"If the f.u.c.king b.a.s.t.a.r.d doesn't kill us first," the third disciple muttered under his breath.

When even your fellow disciples hated or were afraid of you, something was very wrong. Not that Jiang Jun Hao would listen to reason.

"Don't worry about it," Zhu Jiao a.s.sured them. "It's not your fault. If anything…" he smiled as he glanced in the direction where Jiang Jun Hao stomped off toward. "I will welcome a fight anytime, anywhere."