1096 - I Became a Villainess and Was Pestered by Beautiful Girls

At the Land of Cursed Spells. As if her thoughts had been suspended momentarily, the white-haired witch paused amidst the snowstorm. When she regained her senses, the vast icy landscape and the biting cold winds had vanished, replaced by a fiery terrain of molten lava stretching as far as her eyes could see. Instinctively, she projected her mental energy outward, probing her surroundings. "It's not an illusion..." One moment she was in a snowbound world, and the next, she was inhaling sweltering air. The Land of Cursed Spells certainly knew how to make an intimidating introduction. "Thirty meters ahead, there's a high-intensity energy fluctuation," Xiao Zhou noted. "Do you want to check it out?" Here, their systems were silent, leaving the task of investigation entirely up to her. Senior Xue pondered for a moment, then nodded, quickly advancing towards the source of energy at the lava lake's edge. There, the temperature was so intense it distorted the very air around the lake, where massive chains—thicker than any trunk—bound a gigantic, winged dragon-like creature. The powerful energy she'd sensed emanated from it. Sensing an intruder, the battered dragon opened its single remaining eye and spoke in a deep, ancient voice. "Who goes there?" "I seek the Magic Blade," Senior Xue replied solemnly. At this response, a glimmer seemed to light up in the dragon's eye. Slowly, with chains creaking under the strain, it stood up. "The Magic Blade? It's been ages since that name was mentioned..." "Do you know where it is?" the white-haired witch asked bluntly. "Human, do you know what this place is?" The dragon deflected instead of answering her question. Senior Xue shook her head. "The Land of Cursed Spells," the dragon regarded her from above, explaining slowly, "a place forsaken by 'It,' a land of despair, destruction, and darkness—no living being should exist here." "It?" Senior Xue frowned. "Who is 'It'? The Void's Ruler?" "Certainly not," the dragon's voice was extremely slow, as though the passage of countless years and the harsh environment had sapped its strength to the limits. "Those who can reach this place are at least capable of contending with the world's supreme ruler to some extent. 'It' refers to the 'Primordial Law,' or the 'Primordial World's Will...’" "The Primordial World's Will?" She reflected carefully, recalling that she had encountered such descriptions in the echoes of time and space. "Is it a being above even the ruler of the Void?” "'It' and the ruler are like mother and child," the dragon replied, "but 'It' is more absolute, supreme, and cannot be defied." "Then this place..." The white-haired witch listened, her frown deepening. "This place is a cage," the dragon replied, "holding those who once defied 'It' and failed. Neither living nor dead, condemned to endure endless agony over boundless time..." "Oh, cut the riddles," Xiao Zhou interjected, "just tell us where the Magic Blade is! We're in a hurry, no time for puzzles!" "Keep moving forward," the dragon's voice held a strange note of amusement, "however, the key to the next cell is with me. Fulfill my request, and I will give it to you." "What request?" Senior Xue steeled herself, ready for anything. “Kill me,” it said slowly, "please bring an end to this interminable torment." The white-haired witch gazed at it for a moment, then nodded slowly. With a divine artifact staff in hand, she unleashed her bloodline's power, extending like an infinitely long blade. “Blood Blade Slash!” With a sweep, the scarlet blade sliced through the dragon’s form, followed by countless cuts from all directions, breaking the titanic creature into pieces, which were further ground to dust by her energy. “So eager for death, didn’t even resist…” Xiao Zhou remarked wryly. Yet, in the next instant, as if time itself reversed, darkness gathered above the lava lake, reconstructing the dragon's body as if it had never been harmed. The Qi Ling maiden’s eyes widened in disbelief at the sight. “This is the curse,” the dragon spoke, "‘Its' power is far beyond easy opposition.” "I understand." Senior Xue grasped the meaning now. Faced with such a curse, most worldly powers were impotent. Yet, since she had made it here, equipped with a mission, she surely possessed the capability to complete it. In a flash, blood-red energy formed wings behind the black-haired witch, as she soared into the sky, her eyes blazing with crimson light. With a gesture, a massive red vortex appeared above the lava lake from nowhere. “I invoke ancestral blood, devour!” Tendrils of black mist peeled away from the dragon's form. This time, the dragon showed an expression that resembled 'joy.' But that was not enough. The white-haired witch wielded her staff, channeling immense energy into it. “Artifact Domain, Yin-Yang Wheel.” In the vortex, the black-and-white Tai Chi symbol surfaced, shattering the absorbed black mist into nothingness. The chains binding the dragon vibrated faster, while its aura grew calmer. “Depart in peace.” "Thank you." With a soft breath— The blood-colored vortex and Yin-Yang wheel, one devouring, the other annihilating, this time, the dragon didn’t return. Senior Xue hovered above the lake to retrieve what it left behind—a dragon heart, shrunk a hundredfold, now only the size of a fist, containing formidable power. “To have come this far, only to die…” Xiao Zhou sighed. “This wasn’t your ordinary powerful being,” the black-haired witch murmured, clutching the heart, “It must have been very close to reaching the supreme realm.” “Then what did it do wrong?” Qi Ling inquired. Senior Xue shook her head. With the dragon’s demise, the lava world swiftly collapsed, its matter falling into an unknown dark void. The white-haired witch, unfazed, clenched the heart, causing it to explode. Whoosh. Before the collapse consumed them, they were transported to the next location. This environment felt more normal, still somewhat barren, but at least safe. “Let me continue where it left off, providing you with an explanation.” Turning towards the voice, they saw a woman with sallow skin, black wings, and deep eyes, her clothes a disordered mess as she hung by chains from a tree, observing them. “We are villains, evil, disasters, antagonists, bringing death to all realms. Or at least, we used to be.” “And we are imprisoned here because we refused to succumb to that fate…” ——————————————— Got some things to handle today, so just one update for now...