True Heir of Chaos: From Villainess to Empress

"Why are you looking at me like that, Jūnshàng?"

Jian Dan's lips curved slightly. She met the question with a hint of amusement, as if she didn't understand what there was to be curious about.

"That Cao Daoyou is from the Heavenly Sword Sect."

"You suspect I leaked the information?"

"Didn't you?" Mo Su countered calmly.

Jian Dan rolled her eyes inwardly. Even if she had, it wasn't something she could admit.

"Cao is a bit too upright for his own good. I found it amusing, that's all. Just teasing him to pass the time."

Mo Su didn't press further. It was only his suspicion anyway.

While they spoke, Jian Dan's teacup had already emptied. Mo Su took the opportunity to hand her a black jade slip.

"This contains the general structure of power within the Heavenly Demon Palace, as well as some information about your peers. You might work with them in the future, so it's good to familiarize yourself."

"Understood. Thanks." Jian Dan accepted it. She knew this was Mo Su's way of helping her integrate more quickly into the palace. She acknowledged the gesture.

"Also, before I entered seclusion, I received an invitation from Yunrong's aunt for a casual drink. My cultivation wasn't stable then, so I didn't go. I hope that didn't cause trouble?"

Mo Su's expression darkened noticeably. His tone was flat. "No trouble. Yunrong is in seclusion for retraining. Her aunt was worried, so she accompanied her. You won't be able to see her for now."

"Good. I didn't want the Zhēnzūn to think I was neglecting courtesy."

"Mm." Mo Su's short reply made it clear he didn't want to discuss that woman any further.

Half an hour later, Jian Dan returned to her own cave and lowered the protective array. She summoned Shi Ci inside and casually tossed him a storage pouch.

"You've done well managing the cave. Keep it up."

"Thank you for the reward, Jūnshàng."

Shi Ci peeked into the pouch. It contained just the kind of resources he needed for his current cultivation stage. He bowed gratefully.

"Where's Miao Yanli?"

Shi Ci blinked. Hadn't they just confirmed that she went with the Young Palace Mistress into seclusion? "Jūnshàng said she accompanied the Young Palace Mistress…"

Jian Dan didn't even glance at him. Her voice was cold.

"What, you don't even know your master's real whereabouts?"

Shi Ci paled and dropped to his knees.

"Jūnshàng, I serve only you. I dare not harbor disloyalty."

"Didn't you rush off to report to your master the moment I went into seclusion?"

Shi Ci knew there was no hiding now. He bowed lower, trembling.

"Please spare me, Jūnshàng. I was forced. From now on, I swear my loyalty to you alone."

Sweat poured down his face. The pressure Jian Dan exuded wasn't even direct, yet it crushed him.

Jian Dan hated this kind of opportunistic coward. If he'd shown some backbone, she might have kept him. But now she had to reconsider.

She tapped her finger lightly against the table. The rhythm was steady, but Shi Ci's heart began to pound in time with it. His pulse accelerated until it grew erratic.

With a gasp, he coughed up blood and collapsed, face pale. Jian Dan withdrew her hand and gave him a dispassionate look.

"You may go."

"Yes, Jūnshàng…"

Shi Ci wiped the blood from his lips and stumbled out of the cave at once.

Three days after Jian Dan entered seclusion, her silver-armored insect had returned. It brought with it exactly the information she had been waiting for.

Miao Yunrong had met with her father and told him the truth behind her Dream of Forming a Yuányīng. She even swore a heavenly oath in his presence—if her words were false, she would be struck down on the spot. There was no turning back after that.

Mo Lie had been shocked. He scanned Yunrong's body with his divine sense but found nothing wrong.

That was when she remembered Jian Dan's words. She told her father to examine her again two nights later, when the illusion Jian Dan cast would wear off.

As expected, on the night of the second day, Yunrong collapsed from pain. The scorching Yang energy overflowed from her body. Mo Lie didn't even need to inspect her—he could feel it immediately. Rage flared within him.

Yunrong handed over every pill her aunt had given her.

Within them, Mo Lie found Blazing Sun Grass and Nurturing Fruit, cleverly hidden inside her daily cultivation pills. The pills were coated in sweet disguise, and the crude, careless Yunrong would never have noticed.

Everything was laid bare before him.

And he had no one to blame but himself. He had always provided his daughter with spirit stones and resources, giving her everything she asked for, yet never truly paid attention to her daily cultivation.

Cultivators defy the heavens, and often a shift in the Dao reveals hidden dangers. Yunrong had shown reluctance toward cultivation for years, repeatedly delaying her breakthroughs. With her talent and resources, she should have advanced far beyond the Nascent Soul stage by now.

The truth became clear. The more her cultivation advanced, the more complete her Blazing Sun Physique became—and the easier it would be to extract it. Worse, if the physique was transferred, even her cultivation could be stolen along with it.

Her avoidance of cultivation had been a warning sign, but Mo Lie had missed it.

The matter exploded only because Yunrong formed her Nascent Soul outside and had that prophetic dream. With Jian Dan's subtle guidance, the truth finally reached him.

Mo Lie acted swiftly. He invited his master, Mo Yan Zhēnzhūn, to forcibly remove the Blazing Sun Physique from Yunrong and dispersed her cultivation entirely. She took a Youth Retaining Pill and would begin again from the start.

Then, Mo Lie stormed into Miao Yanli's cave. He didn't give her a chance to speak. With a single gesture, he immobilized her. A soul search revealed her depraved thoughts toward his disciple, Mo Su.

He didn't hesitate. He drew out her Yuányīng and sealed it before handing it over to his master.

But what shocked him more was a memory buried deep in her soul.

Ten thousand years ago, when Mo Mei Zhūnzhǔ was attacked, she had been involved. It was Miao Yanli, then a child, who passed on a message with her innocent five-year-old face, luring Mo Mei out of the Heavenly Demon Palace.

Behind that setup had been the Ma family, a major clan power that had long since inserted itself into the sect. That part, Jian Dan still didn't know yet.

Only now did Mo Lie understand why his master had repeatedly warned him not to let Miao Yanli interfere in sect affairs again.

She had installed spies in nearly every peak and was actively grooming secular disciples from the outer sect as her future pawns.

They seemed insignificant now, but who could say? In a thousand years, one or two might rise. And when that time came, they would be her bargaining chips.

In the main hall of the Heavenly Demon Palace, Mo Yi Jūnshàng was already making his report to the Palace Lord. It was about the purge in Huanle City—the hunt for the black-armored insects.