What Do You Mean I’m Supposed to Be the Villain, But Everyone’s Chasing After Me? - Chapter 22:

Chapter 22: No Wonder They Say the Emotionless Dao Has No Graduates…

“Li Changju, you crippled me! When I get out, I’ll castrate you first, then kill you!” In the cold prison cell, Ye Yan shouted in anger, his voice hoarse with rage.

“Elder Chen, you once said there was a secret technique that could temporarily increase cultivation. Hurry, teach me!” Ye Yan looked at Elder Chen with desperation in his eyes, clinging to a faint hope.

He had already been trapped here for days. Every day he starved, couldn’t sleep well, and was tortured until his body was covered in wounds, barely clinging to life. The torment was unbearable, and now, more than anything, Ye Yan longed for strength.

Elder Chen was silent for a long time before saying slowly, “If one cannot endure the small, they will ruin the greater plan…”

“I can’t endure anymore!” Ye Yan roared. “I’d rather die fighting than wait for death in here! Look at this broken body of mine—I must take revenge, I must!”

Elder Chen glanced at Ye Yan’s mutilated body and fell silent again. He did possess a pill that could be paired with his secret method to unleash terrifying power in a short time. However, that pill required Yin-Yang Ice Soul and a thousand-year Blood Ganoderma to balance its medicinal force. 

Otherwise, the backlash afterward would be fatal. And besides… the secret technique required strong masculine energy to cultivate, which Ye Yan no longer had. Elder Chen couldn’t bring himself to tell the cruel truth and instead said, “This pill is for saving lives. Unless it’s a last resort, I can’t let you use it.”

Ye Yan stared at him speechlessly, then clenched his teeth in hatred. 

For ten years, this old thing had secretly absorbed his spiritual Qi. 

Without that, he wouldn’t have fallen from a once peerless genius to a cripple. 

Without that, his fiancée wouldn’t have humiliated him and demanded to break their engagement. 

Without that, he wouldn’t have suffered disgrace time and again.

All of this was Elder Chen’s fault!

“Give it to me!” Ye Yan snarled, his fists clenched, his eyes burning with cold light.

“You can’t take it yet,” Elder Chen insisted. “This pill is too dangerous. With your current state, going mad would be light, losing your life is the real risk.”

“I don’t care anymore! The sect competition is about to begin. Only the top ten can enter the Immortal Alliance’s secret realm trial. If I miss this chance, I’ll have to wait another three years! Do you know how I’ve endured these years? Three years and then another three years—how many more three years do I have to waste?” Ye Yan’s voice thundered, his eyes bloodshot, veins bulging on his forehead.

He had enough. Ten years as a cripple, and just as he saw hope, he was told to wait another three years. Too much could change in that time. He could no longer wait.

Elder Chen knew Ye Yan was right, but he still said, “Calm down first, let me explain.”

“There’s nothing to explain! I believe in myself. With your help, I can succeed!” Ye Yan said, his hands creaking from how tightly he clenched them.

Finally, Elder Chen compromised. “Very well, then try it…” He produced a golden pill and handed it to Ye Yan. “This is the Eightfold Body Tempering Pill. It strengthens the flesh and bones, awakens hidden potential, and pushes one’s physique to a higher realm.”

“Eightfold Body Tempering Pill?” Ye Yan repeated several times. The name sounded unfamiliar. “This… will really help me break through?”

Elder Chen nodded. “Yes. But its side effects are severe. It may cause mental collapse or madness. I’ve always told you, if one cannot endure the small, they will ruin the greater plan. Whether this is fortune or disaster, that depends on your choice.”

“I’ll take it!” Ye Yan bit his teeth and swallowed the pill. 

Immediately, a burning sensation spread through his stomach. His face twisted in pain, sweat beading on his forehead. It felt as if his skin was being torn apart piece by piece, agony beyond endurance.

“Hold on!” Elder Chen said sternly. “You must endure this! This is your only way out!”

Ye Yan gritted his teeth, his lips trembling. “And the secret technique?”

“That technique requires a body filled with masculine essence. You… can’t cultivate it anymore,” Elder Chen admitted awkwardly.

“What?” Ye Yan’s eyes widened. “You old dog, you tricked me!”

His qi sea churned violently, spiritual power crashing like raging waves. He trembled uncontrollably, his throat releasing hoarse screams. He was on the verge of losing control, showing signs of going mad.

“I won’t accept this!” Ye Yan roared at the sky, his eyes blood-red, his body trembling violently.

Suddenly, mist spread around, obscuring his sight. A graceful figure stepped lightly into the prison, her beautiful face carrying a faint, cold smile. “So much resentment, murderous intent soaring. You’re quite a fine seedling for demonic cultivation. Boy, you’re dying. If you become my disciple in the Demon Clan, I can save your life.”

It was Xue Fulan, who had been hiding here with nowhere else to go. She looked at Ye Yan, her eyes glimmering with eerie darkness.

Ye Yan felt his head pounding, his breath suffocating. “N-no…” he squeezed out painfully.

“Hehe, ungrateful fool,” Xue Fulan sneered. “Forget it, since you’re determined to die, I won’t waste my words. I’ll just send you on your way!” 

She raised her slender, pale arm, her fingertips gathering a ball of dense black qi, striking toward Ye Yan’s chest.

Ye Yan’s pupils shrank. At the last moment, he shouted, “…Much obliged!”

“Hmph, at least you know your place!” Xue Fulan retracted her hand and tossed a black book before him. “This is a secret technique created by a Demon Venerable. Practice it, and you’ll avoid death.” With a cold snort, she cast him a disdainful glance, then swiftly vanished into the void.

Ye Yan stared blankly at the book on the ground. On its cover were four large characters—Sunflower Demonic Canon!

He flipped it open. The first line read: To master this art, one must first castrate oneself.

Ye Yan blinked, then burst out laughing. “Isn’t that just perfect? Heaven itself aids me!”

But on the next page, he froze. It read: Even without castration, one can succeed.

“…,” Ye Yan muttered speechlessly.

…

“Didn’t they say the cultivators of the Emotionless Dao can’t stand even the sight of a dog?” Li Changju’s eyes nearly popped out as he rubbed them in disbelief. “Didn’t they say the Emotionless Dao cuts off all emotions and desires? Didn’t they say the Emotionless Dao is about turning righteousness into evil?”

He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Senior Sister’s cold goddess-like image had collapsed completely. “No wonder they say the Emotionless Dao has no graduates. Senior Sister, look at that lovestruck smile—do you think you’ll ever graduate?”

Was this the distortion of human nature or the downfall of morality?

Wait! Beneath his pillow lay Xiao Hongyan’s undergarment and her silk stockings. Did she notice something? Li Changju panicked.

“Hmm? What’s this?” Bai Shuyue suddenly reached under the pillow, pulling something out slowly with a face full of confusion.

“Ball sack!” Li Changju nearly jumped out of his skin.