what makes a novel villain truly terrifying and memorable

Xu Zimei found himself reborn, carrying with him all the heaven-shaking cultivation and memories from his previous life. But something was off about the script. Isn’t reincarnation always the protagonist’s theme? However, I was cast as the villain! This is the story of a villain's step-by-step journey to becoming the Demon King. —————————— In an era of great strife, where mystical arts resonated! An elder of the True Martial Holy Sect sat at the Willow Bank River Fishing Platform when suddenly he heard the dragon’s roar. Three thousand carps knocked at the gate of life, transforming into the Measureless Golden Dragon, soaring through the firmament, graceful as a startling swan! There were strongmen who measured the heavens and earth with their strides, monks who sat in meditation in temples for three thousand years, achieving sudden enlightenment—auspicious clouds descended, and all laws of magic cheered in chorus. Blood moons darkened the night, rainbows cut through the daylight. There was a swordsman with a wooden sword on his back who, with a turn and a raise of his hand, shattered thousands of miles of rivers and mountains. In the south of the city, a ragged beggar with a broken willow twig dared to assault the Holy Court of a sect that boasted three emperors.