Villain: Manipulating the Heroines into hating the Protagonist

After the long meeting with the Pope, Hong Meilin and the two bishops were left feeling drained.

As they made their way back to the main hall, they were greeted by Ye Chen's beaming smile.

He rushed towards them with a look of excitement, his eyes sparkling with anticipation.

"So, what did the Pope say?" Ye Chen asked eagerly. "I am sure he must have been full of praise for me."

Hong Meilin couldn't believe what she was hearing. This guy was completely clueless.

It was all because of his reckless actions that the Pope had scolded them in the first place. She shot him with a cold and angry glare, her eyes narrowing as she spoke.

"You have no idea what you've done," she said through gritted teeth. "Your actions have caused huge trouble for the church. Why would you be so stupid and attack the seventh prince?!"

The two bishops stood by Hong Meilin's side, their faces twisted in anger. They had been humiliated in front of the Pope, and they weren't about to let Ye Chen off the hook so easily.

"Your reckless behavior has cost us dearly," one of the bishops spoke up.

"To appease the seventh prince and the Emperor, the church has been ordered to send three percent of the Church's annual income, along with three Holy Blossom Fruits and three Phoenix Flame Fruits to the seventh prince. Additionally, we need to gift the Holy Aegis Pendant as well."

Ye Chen's smile faltered as he heard this. "What? That's a lot!" he exclaimed.

The other bishop's face twisted in anger as he retorted, "Yes, it is a lot. And the seventh prince will receive these gifts only because of you!"

Ye Chen's expression turned anxious as he exclaimed, "What? No, that can't be true!"

He then demanded, "What about my reward? I saved your lives by slaying those Crimson Cult members."

His words only served to provoke Hong Meilin and the bishops further.

With a frosty glare, Hong Meilin retorted, "We are already going out of our way to pay for the consequences of your foolishness! Your reward was negated by your foolish actions. If not for us, we could very well have you executed and offer your corpse as a gift to the seventh prince."

Ye Chen seethed with anger and humiliation at her words.

As the two bishops followed Hong Meilin out of the hall, Ye Chen could not help but ask, "Where are you going?"

"To the seventh prince's estate," Hong Meilin spat venomously. "I will personally deliver those items and beg for forgiveness. Perhaps I can mitigate some of the damage that you have caused."

With a curt nod, she strode out of the room, leaving Ye Chen alone with his thoughts.

He had traveled with Hong Meilin and the others to the central cathedral with the expectation of being handsomely rewarded for his heroic actions in saving the entire group from the Crimson Cult members.

However, as he watched Wang Jian receive the compensation that he believed was rightfully his, his heart sank with disappointment and frustration.

Moreover, Ye Chen's ulterior motive for accompanying Hong Meilin was to spend some more time with her, hoping to win her heart with his charms. He was mesmerized by her beauty and wanted to make her fall in love with him.

However, his plan backfired when Hong Meilin announced that she would soon be leaving for Wang Jian's mansion, leaving Ye Chen feeling hopeless and defeated.

"What a disaster," he muttered to himself, feeling lost and helpless. He couldn't help but wonder if there was anything he could do to turn things around in his favor.

'Before she returns, I need to improve the Church's impression of me. For that, I need to make them earn a massive profit. I should use the Chaos Essence Bead.'

This Chaos Essence Bead was the source of Ye Chen's exceptional abilities and resources.

It is similar to a spatial space hidden within Ye Chen's dantian.

It is a rare and powerful treasure that is said to contain a small amount of the essence of chaos itself.

It radiates an aura of pure energy that can assist the user in absorbing and purifying forms of energy, allowing its wielder to understand these energies on a profound scale.

It is also a powerful and mysterious treasure that is capable of enhancing the growth and vitality of living things that are placed within it.

By throwing spiritual objects such as corpses, and beast cores into the black soil contained within the bead, the vitality inside will rise, allowing medicinal herbs and normal shrubbery to grow ten times faster than they would outside.

However, the real power of the Chaos Essence Bead lies in its ability to amplify this growth even further.

When Ye Chen channels his energy into the bead, the growth rate of the plants inside can multiply by thousands, allowing a year's growth to be shortened to just two hours.

Ye Chen murmured to himself, "Perhaps if I can acquire a few rare herbs, I can cultivate them in the Chaos Essence Bead and offer them to the Church as a gesture of goodwill. If I offer them ten fruits of equal worth to the Holy Blossom Fruit, they might forgive me."

He realized that it was improbable for Hong Meilin or anyone else in the church to provide him with a Holy Blossom Fruit to replicate using the Chaos Essence Bead.

Therefore, Ye Chen concluded that he must venture into the Crimson Canopy Woods to acquire rare fruits.

Ye Chen left the cathedral with a determined expression, his mind set on finding the rare herbs that would redeem him in the eyes of the Church.

As he ventured deeper into the Crimson Canopy Woods, he couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding in the air.

Nevertheless, he persisted, driven by his desire to make things right.

Meanwhile, back at the Heavenly Blade Sect, the sect master received a shocking message from the Emperor.

The message accused Ye Chen of attempting to ambush Wang Jian, and even though the attempt had failed, the Emperor demanded that the sect forge a sword for Wang Jian in renumeration, utilizing the precious Tyrant's Emperor Crystal.

The sect master was flabbergasted and furious upon reading the message.

The Heavenly Blade Sect boasted only ten kilograms of the formidable Tyrant's Emperor Crystal, and forging a sword for Wang Jian would consume at least two kilograms of this precious material.

It was one of the rarest and most potent stones in existence, capable of enhancing an Emperor Realm expert's fighting prowess while being compatible with all elements.

Upon receiving the order, the sect master immediately contacted his predecessor, seeking counsel.

The former sect master was also infuriated by the directive but realized the consequences of disobeying the Emperor.

To defy such a command was to invite the Emperor's wrath, and no one in the Heavenly Blade Sect dared to risk that.

The sect master reluctantly agreed to comply with the Emperor's order, despite his dissatisfaction with the situation.

Old Chu, the previous sect master of the Heavenly Blade Sect, was livid upon hearing about Ye Chen's actions.

"I need to have a long talk with that brat," he muttered to himself. "Just because he is my disciple doesn't mean he can go around offending anyone! I have already cleaned up that brat's mess too many times!"

The current sect master, who overheard Old Chu's grumblings, couldn't resist the opportunity to poke fun at his former master.

"Isn't that all because of how you boast in front of him?" he quipped. "He must have believed your boastful words when you mentioned you didn't even fear the Emperor."

Old Chu's face flushed with embarrassment.

"Well, maybe I exaggerated a little," he admitted sheepishly. "But still, he should know better than to cause trouble like this!"

Old Chu looked at the sect master. "Where is that brat?" he asked.

The sect master sighed. "The last news we had of him was that he went to Yuelu City with the Saintess of the Church of Divine Light."

"I see," Old Chu said thoughtfully. "I suppose I'll have to have a talk with him when he returns." He rubbed his chin, deep in thought.

"But for now, let's focus on the task at hand. Make sure you create a sword that is flawless. The Emperor will not tolerate any mistakes, and if we fail to deliver, he will use that as an excuse to loot us."

The sect master nodded nervously, already dreading the difficult task ahead.

Old Chu's eyes narrowed as he asked his disciple, "And what of the demons? Have you discovered anything about their base?"

The sect master's shoulders drooped in defeat. "I'm sorry, master. We've had no luck. The last report we received was that they had retreated to the Grimwood Forest. They've found some way to mask their auras, making it impossible for our Mystic Aura Compass to detect them."

Old Chu sighed heavily. "We can't let them continue to run rampant. Keep searching. They'll slip up eventually."

"Yes, master."