True Heir of Chaos: From Villainess to Empress

As the white mist spread across the entirety of Huancheng, cultivators began collapsing one after another from inhaling the gas. The more alert among them shut off their five senses and started to seek shelter. Though the mission was meant to eliminate those possessed by alien black beetles, there was no guarantee that personal grudges would not be settled along the way.

Following Jin Liuli's voice transmission, Wei Zhengrong activated a talisman and flung it toward a group of Dao cultivators already marked by the Heavenly Sword Sect. Flames erupted from the Blaze Talisman, instantly turning a Foundation Establishment cultivator to ash. From the remains, a black beetle the size of a quail egg emerged and lunged at a nearby frightened cultivator.

"Trying to harm more cultivators? Not so easy!"

Wei Zhengrong had already summoned a golden, hollowed orb. With a swift hand seal, the orb spun rapidly, creating a suction force that pulled the black beetle inside.

"Next target!"

The two moved in seamless coordination, stepping out in unison toward their next objective. The cultivator who had nearly been attacked finally came to his senses, activated a defensive barrier, and slipped into a nearby teahouse.

Lü Mingyi Zhēnrén, working with He Jintang of the Enforcement Hall, had lured two late-stage Golden Core cultivators into his shop. The moment they received the order to strike, Lü Mingyi activated the defensive wards.

He Jintang struck first, catching one male cultivator off-guard and cutting him down with a single sword stroke. The cultivator didn't even have time to react. A black beetle emerged from the corpse and was quickly captured by Lü Mingyi using the same golden orb.

"Please, spare me. We may be Dao partners, but I had no idea he was possessed!"

The Golden Core female cultivator dodged He Jintang's attacks and circled inside the shop, trying to explain her innocence.

He Jintang suddenly halted. His usually stern and composed face carried a hint of mockery. The woman mistook this for mercy and tried to plead further, but a flying sword pierced through her back, straight into her heart.

Shocked, she turned to see Lü Mingyi standing behind her, cold and expressionless, all the warmth of a shopkeeper gone. In one hand was his blade, and in the other, the golden orb that had just absorbed another black beetle from her fading body.

"Thank you for your help, Senior Brother Lü. My assigned targets are handled."

"No need to be so formal. We're fellow sect brothers."

Lü Mingyi smiled as if nothing had happened.

"I'll go check on our sect juniors. Senior Brother, take care. Once this mission ends, the sect has ordered your withdrawal. Others will be assigned here in your place."

"Understood. I'll start packing now. You be careful too. There will definitely be some who use this chaos to fish in troubled waters. Don't get caught off guard."

"I won't."

After cupping his fists in farewell, He Jintang disappeared in a flash. Lü Mingyi erased all traces of the battle in the main hall and went to the back to prepare for a swift departure.

The demon sect cultivators, as always, acted with ruthless efficiency. The black-robed guards of the Heavenly Demon Palace acted the moment orders were issued. They subdued their targets instantly. Any resistance was met with lethal force. When a cultivator's body exploded and a black beetle emerged, there was nothing left to question.

Once the accuracy of the intel was confirmed, the demon sects intensified their operations. At Mo Yin Sect, their sonic arts sent shockwaves down the streets, causing cultivators to clutch their ears in agony. But the sound pierced directly into the soul.

The masked cultivators from the Life-Death Pavilion worked in pairs, slaughtering their way from the end of the street. Their coordinated spellwork destroyed several shopfronts in passing.

The Dao sects known for pill, artifact, and formation expertise provided critical support. Heavenly Sword Sect, Purple sky Sect, Cloud Sea Sect, and Yin Yang Sect relied on these for alchemical supplies, artifacts, and formation plates.

The beast cultivators had fewer infected among them, but those that were had immense power. The lead warrior of the Moonhowl Wolf Clan transformed into his true form, standing over two meters tall, and howled at the moon before charging into the city with the Cheetah Clan. In the skies, the Peregrine Clan unfurled their two-meter wings, surveying the battlefield and reporting target locations.

Huancheng was thick with the scent of death. Battles erupted everywhere.

A Loose Cultivator named Zhang San, who usually ran a small business, was torn in half by a whip before his blood could even spill. A beetle burst from his forehead, only to be crushed by another whip strike. The attacker was a cultivator from the Cloud Sea Sect, who didn't hesitate to take Zhang San's storage pouch.

Even patrol guards in the city were being killed. One was slain by a Heavenly Sword Sect cultivator, and the black beetle from his corpse was sealed within a golden orb.

These golden orbs were crafted by Su Chui Zhēnjūn of the Artifact Sect and had proven indispensable in this operation.

By now, all trapped cultivators realized that this was a joint extermination effort by the three factions. Anyone possessed by black beetles was being purged. For the unlucky bystanders, the best option was to stay put, maintain their defenses, and hope not to be caught in the crossfire or let a beetle slip through.

In the skies above Huancheng, sword light flashed without pause. Jian Ning Zhēnjūn of the Heavenly Sword Sect and Hai Yue Zhēnjūn of the Cloud Sea Sect were fighting a late-stage Nascent Soul Loose Cultivator together.

Jian Ning's usual gentle demeanor now bore a faint red flush. She led the offensive. Her sword, Ning Huan, glowed a fiery red. She unleashed three consecutive strikes, cutting off her opponent's retreat. Meanwhile, Hai Yue attacked with a flowing blue ribbon, targeting her opponent's blind spots: the back of the head, chest, and legs.

Their target had once been the leading Golden Core elder of the Loose Cultivator Alliance who fled during the Cuilang Secret Realm incident. Back then, he had abandoned his allies when he saw the massive black beetle tearing through the realm's barrier. He had since been parasitized and controlled.

Strangely, his cultivation had risen steadily since. Now mid-Nascent Soul, he returned to the cultivation world. He had come to Huancheng after hearing that Demon Abyss might hold a Divine Transformation opportunity. But within three days, he was surrounded.

"Sword Rain!"

Jian Ning shouted. Crimson points appeared in the air above the enemy. In seconds, they turned into a downpour of scarlet blades, increasing in speed and density.

At first, he parried a few. Then he began losing rhythm. Sword qi slashed his skin repeatedly. Hai Yue raised her brows and shook her head. This gentle-looking Jian Ning had terrifying combat power.

There were rumors that she had gained fame in mid-Golden Core stage after being harassed. In truth, she had been out training with a fellow cultivator when a Nascent Soul rogue took an interest in her beauty and tried to abduct her. Without a word, Jian Ning drew her sword and killed him with a single strike. Their friendship had been forged through blood.

With a final scream, the Loose Cultivator was cleaved in two. His Nascent Soul didn't even have time to escape. A black beetle shot toward Jian Ning, but midway, it veered sharply and flew at Hai Yue Zhēnjūn.