True Heir of Chaos: From Villainess to Empress

After getting the answers she wanted from Jian Dan, Miao Yunrong did not linger. She turned and left the cave, quietly returning to her courtyard and pretending to enter secluded cultivation.

As for what Miao Yunrong saw in her Dream of Forming a Yuányīng, Jian Dan had her own suspicions.

Earlier that day, when Miao Yunrong met her aunt, the flicker of murderous intent in her eyes did not escape Jian Dan. She had seen it clearly, and it seemed no one else had noticed.

A newly advanced Nascent Soul cultivator showing killing intent toward a Divine Soul stage senior—and a blood relative, no less—was intriguing to say the least.

And Jian Dan had also noticed something else. That Palace Lord's younger sister, Miao Yanli, seemed to harbor feelings for Mo Su.

Though she made a show of playing matchmaker, the sour stench of jealousy radiated from her body. Jian Dan could smell it from a mile away. Compared to the fake sweethearts she had encountered in the lower realms, this woman was on another level entirely.

At dawn the next day, Jian Dan was still meditating when the formation at her cave's entrance was triggered. Outside stood a demon cultivator at the Golden Core stage.

She waved a hand to lift the barrier. The visitor entered respectfully and presented a black invitation slip.

"Greetings, Mó Yuè Jūnshàng. I am Shi Ci, newly assigned by the Core Disciples' Hall to assist you with daily affairs."

Jian Dan nodded slightly and glanced at the invitation. It was from Miao Yanli, inviting her over for a casual drink. But the intention behind it was clearly not just wine.

"Anything else?"

"I seek your instruction, Jūnshàng. Would you like a few personal attendants? And how should the cave residence be managed?"

"I prefer quiet. Pick four to assist and plant some dahlias nearby. Don't change anything else. I quite like the scenery here. If I need anything, I'll summon you."

"Yes, Jūnshàng."

"I'll be entering a short seclusion. Unless it's urgent, do not disturb me. Do you understand?"

As she spoke, her fingers tapped the blood-jade table beside the invitation.

Shi Ci paused briefly before realizing what Jian Dan meant.

She had no intention of accepting the invitation. But rather than openly decline a Divine Soul expert, she was subtly passing the message to Shi Ci: by the time the invitation arrived, she was already in seclusion and thus couldn't attend.

"Is there a problem?"

Jian Dan gave him a glance. Shi Ci immediately understood. This wasn't a suggestion—it was an order. He bowed quickly in response.

After all, she was a Divine Transformation Jūnshàng. If she wanted him gone, she could do it with a word. As for the task Miao Yanli had entrusted to him, he would have to approach it much more carefully.

With a flick of her sleeve, Jian Dan closed the cave's barrier. She didn't return to meditation, instead pulling out a scroll and reading slowly, savoring this rare moment of peace. As for Miao Yanli's invitation, she couldn't be bothered to care.

Yesterday, the flash of panic in Miao Yanli's eyes when they met—Jian Dan had felt it distinctly. And she was certain the reaction came from her current attire.

To be fair, Jian Dan had assumed the style worn by Mó Mèi Zhūnzhǔ represented the standard look for female demon cultivators. So, she had copied it, even matching the makeup. She figured it might help leave a favorable impression when she eventually met Mó Yàn Zhēnzhūn.

But before that meeting could happen, she had already caught a big fish. One who couldn't even wait for a reply—sending an invitation the very next day. There was no need to rush. The fish would come leaping to her hand in time.

Elsewhere, Du Yanran had survived the battle at Huanlecheng. The next day, she obediently followed Bao Junshang back to Yinyang Sect. Seeing that she was unharmed, he didn't question her. After sweeping the battlefield, he led the group back.

Once home, Du Yanran became much more subdued. She stopped trying to curry favor with Bao Junshang and instead threw herself into cultivation. She took on sect missions and began honing her combat abilities.

Bao Junshang hadn't been particularly interested in her to begin with. Over time, he grew even more distant.

At first, Du Yanran didn't feel much difference. She still had her personal space and enough resources to support her cultivation. With her missions, she could gather some gains, and for a while, she genuinely worked hard.

But soon she began to feel the strain. Cultivation resources were no longer enough. Sect missions took time, and while she remained in the sect, she couldn't just freely draw from her private stash.

By the time she realized what was happening, Bao Junshang had stopped summoning her altogether. That meant the resources granted to her as a concubine had been cut off. Bitterness grew in her heart.

Du Yanran was a dual-root cultivator with water and wood attributes. These elements complemented each other, and her progress had been smooth. But Jian Dan had left her with a heart demon, and it had begun to take root.

Every time she reached a breakthrough in cultivation, the dream returned. In it, she would lose her space ring—always in some new way.

Each time she woke, she could feel it clearly—that pain in her spiritual consciousness as her space was torn from her. She became convinced that Jian Dan would one day take it from her for real. Her paranoia deepened.

And when she looked at their current gap, despair followed. Jian Dan had already entered the Divine Transformation stage and joined the top demon sect, Heavenly Demon Palace. She was considered the disciple of a Mahayana Zhenzūn and was said to possess a powerful natal artifact, though no one had ever seen her fight. She kept a low profile.

In comparison, Du Yanran was still a concubine, stuck at mid-Golden Core. What could she possibly use to compete? She couldn't accept this. She had to do what she did in her past life—step on Jian Dan and rise above.

She had always been cunning. Realizing her situation, Du Yanran decisively broke away from Bao Junshang and began crafting a new image: the struggling yet independent female cultivator. Rumors began spreading that she had been taken in as a concubine only because he coveted her family's treasure.

As the gossip gained momentum, Du Yanran quietly took on a sect mission and left Yinyang Sect. Her disappearance added fuel to the fire. In the cultivation world, killing for treasure was hardly rare.

Du Yanran was exploiting the greed of cultivators. She knew the rumor would eventually reach the higher-ups, because it wasn't a lie. The treasure did exist, and her concubine status had indeed been forced. Now that she was missing, there were plenty of possible explanations.

One way or another, she would not let Bao Junshang get away with it. Her treasure wasn't his for the taking.

Her departure served three purposes. First, to let the rumors spread and tarnish Bao Junshang's name. Second, to search for opportunities from her past life. Third, to preserve a path of return—because her identity as a sect disciple still had value.

With her plans in place, the first thing she did after leaving Yinyang Sect was head into the remote Cangmang Mountains. There, hidden away, she began the path toward forming her Nascent Soul. Only with power could she reclaim what had once been hers.

In her previous life, she and Jian Dan had entered the cultivation world together. The early years had been harsh until they joined the Pill Sect. Du Yanran's talent in alchemy earned her a place as a Zhenzūn's disciple.

There were encounters and chances they had both shared—opportunities that had carried them through until the sect's recruitment.

This life, those things still belonged to her. And she would take them back.