The instant Priyanshu left the throne room, a storm was already brewing within his mind. The duel was set. The kingdom's eyes would be on him. His brothers—favorites of powerful clans—would stop at nothing to crush him.
But he wasn't afraid.
He was furious.
As soon as he returned to his secluded courtyard, he activated the Hidden Villain System.
[Quest Activated]
Surpass your brothers in five days and evolve your cultivation to Mid Deity Transformation Realm.
Options:
Righteous Path — Train through hard work, refine your techniques, and gain public admiration.✦ Reward: 200 Good Karma Points + Divine Grade Martial Manual: Ten Thousand Lotus Steps
Villain Path — Devour 1,000 mid-tier beast cores in secret, cripple three outer sect disciples for their technique scrolls, and sow doubt in your brothers' supporters.✦ Reward: 300 Evil Karma Points + Forbidden Domain Technique: Create and Destroy Domain
Priyanshu smirked."Why not both?"
For the next five days, he vanished from all sight.
Day One: Blood and Steel
At dawn, he dashed into the Black Mountain Forest alone, hunting beasts ruthlessly. The air crackled as he weaved lightning into his blade, slicing down creatures with monstrous power.
[You have slain 47 Mid-Tier Beasts.]
[Reward pool rising...]
He didn't sleep. He didn't eat. He meditated between kills, circulating the Immortal Sutra of Immortals and Demons, compressing his soul energy again and again until the Nascent barriers began to rupture.
Day Two: Hacking the Domain
He returned to his courtyard drenched in blood, then activated his spiritual array.
[Hidden Formation: Time Looping Chamber – Activated.]
One day inside equaled ten outside. In 24 hours, he lived 10 days' worth of torment.
Inside, he practiced the forbidden technique: Create and Destroy Domain—a law of existence that combined entropy and genesis.
The pain was unbearable. Every breath shredded his meridians. Every mistake brought internal bleeding. He welcomed it.
Day Three: Infiltration and Corruption
Dressed as a masked rogue cultivator, he snuck into the outer sect and bribed three disciples into a duel. When they laughed at him, he crippled them in an instant.
[You have absorbed 3 rare technique scrolls.]
[Technique: "Black Void Chain Arts" has been integrated.]
He then spread false rumors of a secret alliance between his brothers and corrupt officials. Slowly, he sowed the seeds of mistrust.
Day Four: Alchemy and Weaponry
From his memories, he recreated forgotten blueprints—ancient alchemy pills and forbidden weapons.
By nightfall, he had forged:
Blackmoon Severance Blade – Cuts spiritual threads.
Heaven-Flame Rebirth Pill – Temporarily doubles battle strength.
All while perfecting his villain mask—his power rising behind a smile.
Day Five: Rebirth
He sat in lotus position, devouring beast cores one by one. With a roar, golden energy surged from his body.
[You have reached Mid Deity Transformation Realm.]
[You have unlocked Hidden Domain – Create and Destroy.]
The skies shook.
An enormous illusory realm formed behind him. Half was pure white and bloomed with stars. Half was endless black, collapsing into itself.
[You have formed a Forbidden Domain.]
[Warning: Domain classified as Tier 0 Threat by Heavenly Will.]
Priyanshu opened his eyes.
"I am no longer a mere prince... I am the balance of creation and destruction."