The Empress Begs for Forgiveness? I, the Villainous Overlord, Won't Pretend Anymore! - Chapter 6:

Chapter 6:

Northern Frontier, Zhenbei City, early dawn.

Eighteen spirit-powered flying boats surged forth in formation, rising from the horizon at daybreak, rumbling through the sky.

Xu Ning stood with his hands behind his back, overlooking Zhenbei City from above. His calm gaze carried an aloof and commanding aura.

Yao Ling’er stood beside him in a pale blue dress, gently brushing aside a strand of hair behind her ear.

Her delicate face was slightly pale. Clearly, yesterday’s events had taken a toll on her.

Noticing her discomfort, Xu Ning reached out and gently held her soft hand, “What is it? Still thinking about Long Lingtian?”

“Husband…” Her face turned even paler, her beautiful eyes shimmering with a mix of emotions.

As a married woman, the fact that she still thought of another man made her feel deeply ashamed—not only toward Xu Ning, but toward herself.

As for Long Lingtian?

Ever since their wedding day, when Xu Ning had made her see Long Lingtian’s true nature, she no longer had any lingering feelings for him. In fact, she was now filled with disgust.

She had once believed Long Lingtian to be her ideal match, but now she realized he was nothing more than a hypocritical schemer who lusted after her Mystic Spirit Physique.

The cruel truth had shattered her heart.

In these past two days of interacting with Xu Ning, she had discovered that he wasn’t the depraved, hedonistic young master the rumors claimed. On the contrary, although cunning and calculating, he treated her with sincere kindness.

On their wedding night, though she felt conflicted, she had still prepared herself to offer her body to him…

But Xu Ning never came.

She didn’t know whether he had sensed her reluctance, or if he simply didn’t care for her at all.

Xu Ning smiled gently, like a warm spring breeze, then softly pulled her into his arms and consoled her with a soothing voice.

“Ling’er, you are my woman. I won’t let you suffer the slightest grievance.”

Her body trembled slightly at his warmth. A wave of unfamiliar emotion rose in her chest, and she instinctively buried her face in his chest as tears streamed down her cheeks.

Looking down at Yao Ling’er, who wept like a rain-drenched blossom in his arms, Xu Ning’s lips curled into a faint, cold smile.

A heartbroken woman was always the easiest to win over. As her husband, a wealthy and handsome heir, it was only natural that a pure girl like Yao Ling’er would fall into his hands.

“Husband, I’m sorry!” After a long moment, Yao Ling’er finally spoke.

[Ding! Host has subdued Fate-Blessed Woman Yao Ling’er. From now on, she will help the host gather Fate Points.]

Xu Ning was momentarily stunned by the system prompt, then a rush of joy filled his heart.

He had only comforted her out of pity, but unexpectedly, it triggered a system mechanism.

This was a pleasant surprise indeed!

“So that means… as long as I collect more Fate-Blessed Women, I can gain an endless supply of Fate Points?” he muttered in his heart.

At that moment, a loud shout echoed from the distance.

“Who goes there? Halt immediately!”

The voice was filled with powerful spiritual energy, audible even from a kilometer away.

Looking into the distance, Xu Ning saw a man floating above the dark city walls, wearing an ornate purple-gold robe. His aura was vast and profound, seemingly one with the heavens and earth.

A Heaven Venerable.

Beside him stood two young women, both stunningly beautiful—one elegant and graceful with long flowing hair, the other petite and lively with twin ponytails swaying behind her, radiating youthful charm.

Behind them stretched a formation of black-armored soldiers, densely packed and extending as far as the eye could see.

Xu Ning’s pupils narrowed slightly as he glanced at the two women.

Both were Fate-Blessed. The twin-tailed girl carried four strands of purple qi; the long-haired girl had eight!

[Ding! Host has discovered Fate-Blessed Women.]

As if confirming his suspicion, the system’s notification chimed in.

“Fate-Blessed Women? Both of them?” he asked in his mind.

[Fate-Blessed Women and the Child of Destiny complement each other. There can only be one.]

The system didn’t give a direct answer.

Xu Ning furrowed his brow slightly. From the system’s reply, he deduced a critical piece of information.

Only one Fate-Blessed Woman could belong to a Child of Destiny. Since Yao Ling’er was Long Lingtian’s, one of these two women must belong to another Child of Destiny!

“You dare block my path?” Xu Ning stepped forward and spoke indifferently.

The middle-aged man sneered at Xu Ning’s youth and low cultivation, seeing only a 5th stage Creation Realm. “I am Yuwen Wuji, patriarch of the Yuwen family!”

“You dare approach my Zhenbei City without cause? If you don’t give me a proper explanation, don’t blame me for being ruthless!” His voice was sharp and mocking.

The news of the Empress killing Yuwen Wushuang hadn’t yet reached this remote region.

Seeing this, Xu Ning let out a quiet chuckle and signaled his servant with a glance. Immediately, one stepped forward holding an imperial decree.

“By the Mandate of Heaven, the Empress decrees: Yuwen Wuji, General of the Northern Frontier Army, colluded with the Beiming Divine Domain and betrayed the Xuansheng Immortal Empire. The Empress is enraged and cannot remain at peace—therefore, the entire Yuwen family shall be punished by association!”

“Xu Ning, young and talented, exposed Yuwen Wuji’s treachery and is hereby appointed General of the Northern Frontier and lead confiscator. He is tasked with eliminating the remaining Yuwen rebels and replacing Yuwen Wushuang. So decrees the Empress!”

The words were like thunder in Yuwen Wuji’s ears. His face changed drastically.

His expression turned dark, shadowed brows nearly dripping water.

He knew full well the truth of their betrayal. He also knew that the family’s old patriarch had gone to the capital with twenty Heaven Venerables yesterday to wipe out the Xu family as an offering of loyalty…

But he never imagined that the patriarch would die there!

Trying to seize the initiative, he shouted, “Hmph! How dare you spread false decrees in the Empress’s name! Treasonous lies!”

“Northern Frontier Army, hear my command—kill these rebels!”

With a roar, spiritual energy exploded from his body. The terrifying pressure of a Heaven Venerable erupted like divine thunder as he stepped hundreds of meters forward and slammed his palm down toward Xu Ning!

Yao Ling’er trembled and instinctively stepped in front of Xu Ning.

Xu Ning’s expression remained calm, “Xuan and Ming Elders—act.”

He had anticipated this long ago. That’s why he had requested six Heaven Venerables from the family as his escort.

The Yuwen family might still be strong, but after losing their patriarch and twenty Heaven Venerables in the capital, they had no chance of stopping six more here.

As soon as he spoke, two figures—one in black, the other in white—appeared in front of him and struck out!

BOOM!

A deafening explosion erupted. The once-proud Yuwen Wuji was sent flying, coughing blood.

“Damn it! These rebels came prepared!” Yuwen Wuji growled, then pulled out a command token from his robe and shouted, “Activate the city’s defensive array!”

As his words fell—

The ground around Zhenbei City trembled. A massive invisible barrier formed around the entire city!

The moment it appeared, the expressions of Xuan and Ming Elders changed. They quickly unleashed their strongest attacks, blasting the barrier with devastating power.

But their attacks only caused faint ripples.

Their faces grew grim. Despite repeated bombardment, the protective barrier remained intact.

Inside the barrier, Yuwen Wuji wiped the blood from his lips and glanced back at Xu Ning with scorn.

“This is the Four Symbols City Protection Array. You rebels can’t break it. Give up.”

With that, he turned and began retreating back into the city, planning to use secret arts to help his clan escape.

Helpless, the two elders returned to the flying boat and dropped to their knees before Xu Ning.

“Young Master, this old man was careless and allowed a grave mistake. Please punish us!” said Elder Xuan, dressed in white robes and exuding an immortal air.

Given the Yuwen family’s deep foundation, they would surely escape.

If that happened, Xu Ning’s mission to eliminate the rebels would be a failure. And knowing how strict the Empress was, that could mean death—or even the execution of his entire clan!

But Xu Ning remained calm as ever, shaking his head slowly.

“No need to blame yourselves.”

He had long anticipated that the Yuwen family would rely on the city’s array. That’s why he had requested the Empress’s personal Realm-Breaking Decree before departure.

This decree could break any city-protecting formation within the Xuansheng Immortal Empire, made specifically for rooting out rebels like the Yuwen family.

Xu Ning pulled a scroll from his robe and hurled it into the sky. The scroll unfurled midair, radiating divine light.

As that light touched the protective barrier, the entire formation began to melt away visibly.

Yuwen Wuji, watching from within the city, stared in disbelief, eyes nearly popping from his skull.

“Yuwen traitors, kneel and accept judgment. Capture all of them. Those who surrender will be spared. Those who resist—kill without mercy!”

Xu Ning stood tall with his hands behind his back, looking down upon Zhenbei City.

Slaughter the traitors. Build a tower of heads. Seal victory in the northern frontier.

Now this… this was the image of a true villain.