True Heir of Chaos: From Villainess to Empress

The four attendants looked rather pale at this moment. Still, as retainers of the Mó Yuè Jūnshàng, they could not afford to lose face. After offering a respectful salute, they withdrew from the main hall to begin preparing for the moon-viewing banquet that night.

Jian Dan turned her head, gazing at the dazed attendant standing nearby.

"Continue."

With Mó Qǐ Jūnshàng giving a nod of permission, the attendant swallowed hard and resumed his report.

"After you activated the mountain protection array, the cultivators of Mo Ying Peak immediately sent out communication talismans. News of you killing over a hundred people in a single strike spread quickly."

"Some say you did it to solidify your position as Peak Lord, killing as a warning to establish authority, silencing opposition with a show of force. They're even planning to report this to the Palace Master."

"Others claim that a recording stone was shared, revealing that all those you killed had been parasitized by black-armored beetles from a foreign realm. They say you acted decisively and eliminated hidden dangers from Heavenly Demon Palace."

"Some even say..."

"What did they say?" Mo Su interrupted, pressing urgently.

"They say the reason Mó Yuè Jūnshàng stirred up such a commotion when the Ma clan arrived was to settle an old grudge, one from when they nearly schemed against you. It was a deliberate move to humiliate them. They believe the Ma clan will have a hard time surviving on Mo Ying Peak from now on."

"Hah! That's absolutely right! That's exactly what I intended!" Jian Dan said, sipping her spirit tea leisurely, entirely unbothered.

"Junior Sister, you're not afraid?"

"Afraid of what? If someone has something to say, let them say it to my face. If I don't like it, they can take a challenge letter and meet me on the dueling platform. Anything said behind my back? I treat it as nonsense. It won't cost me a single shred of cultivation anyway."

"Heh, I never expected Junior Sister Mo Yue to be this bold and forthright."

Mo Qi chuckled aloud at her response.

"I'm just stating the facts, that's all."

Their conversation flowed smoothly, exchanging information and analyzing the current situation. But elsewhere, things weren't going so well.

In the Receiving Guest Hall, Ma Wen sat alone on a meditation cushion in the inner chamber, circulating his energy to recover from his injuries. His face looked terrible, new lines of stress etched into his skin.

He hadn't expected that, despite his Void Refinement cultivation, just probing for a scrap of information would lead to such a swift and overwhelming counterattack. He was caught completely off guard. Only now did he realize that when Mo Yue mentioned those above Unity, she was referring to Mahayana Zhēnzūn. It was a bitter realization, one that came far too late.

Outside the chamber, Ma Chengjun paced restlessly. He no longer had any confidence that their group could achieve its original goal. Mó Yuè Jūnshàng was slippery and left no weaknesses to exploit. She was proving nearly impossible to pin down.

His grandfather was injured and he had no idea of his current condition. With so much uncertainty, he dared not act rashly. All plans would have to wait until the elder recovered.

Back in the Heavenly Demon Palace's main hall, the Palace Master, Mo Lie, studied a jade slip in his hand. His brows shifted between ease and tension before he finally tossed it onto the desk and ordered the servant beside him:

"Summon Mo Zang."

Before long, Mo Zang entered the grand hall. After offering his greeting, he asked, "Palace Master, what do you require of me?"

Mo Lie gestured at the jade slip.

"Take a look. Today, Mo Yue took over Mo Ying Peak and wasted no time making a move."

Mo Zang read through the contents, then nodded. Though his face remained stern, the corners of his lips lifted slightly.

"Palace Master, wasn't that your intention in sending Mo Yue there?"

"It was. I had hoped she would proceed slowly, step by step. I didn't expect her to start with such a heavy blow. Any news from the Black Robe Guard?"

"There is. The information matches yours for the most part, but there's one additional detail. Apparently, a Divine Soul stage cultivator hiding on Mo Ying Peak may have also been parasitized by those beetles. Mo Yue said she wasn't confident in handling it alone, so she had Gong Yi report the matter directly to me."

Mo Lie tapped his fingers against the desk, his expression thoughtful.

"Have someone take care of it immediately. Don't delay. With all the commotion Mo Yue caused today, the hidden puppet cultivators are likely already alarmed."

"Understood. I'll handle it at once." Without wasting a moment, Mo Zang turned and vanished from the hall. His men were already in position, awaiting the midnight hour to strike.

Meanwhile, across the various peaks, the other Peak Lords had already received word as soon as Jian Dan deactivated the protective array. Though each message came through a different channel, they all conveyed the same explosive news. No one could pretend to be surprised anymore. Their own inner peaks were practically being claimed by someone else. Any thought the Ma clan had of reclaiming the Peak Lord position from Mo Yue was now impossible.

One more thing was circulating from Mo Ying Peak—a registry of names. More than a hundred people, all slain by Mo Yue, were listed on it. Every one of them had once walked the halls of Heavenly Demon Palace. All cultivators who had contact with them would now have to be investigated.

The other Peak Lords were no fools. They had been practicing demonic cultivation for a thousand years. Since Mo Yue had already tugged at the thread, they knew how to follow it back to the source. Each began their own investigation, starting with their respective peaks. The pests would have to be rooted out.

Almost simultaneously, each Peak Lord received a flying sword message from Mo Qi Jūnshàng, accompanied by a jade slip. But the voice that played upon opening the letter was Mo Yue's.

"Fellow Peak Lords, today I, Mo Yue, officially assumed the position of Peak Lord. I had intended to invite you all to visit, but unfortunately, there were some small mishaps. I trust you've already heard. Enclosed is a jade slip. Once I've finished dealing with the trivialities here, I will personally visit each of you."

Both inner and outer peak lords of Heavenly Demon Palace received this message. They all acknowledged Mo Yue's tact—swift with her actions, yet still mindful of etiquette. The jade slip contained detailed information on those she had eliminated, along with their recent activities. It was a gesture that gave everyone clarity, and more importantly, face.

Soon after, the entire Heavenly Demon Palace quietly sprang into motion. Outsiders couldn't detect anything, but within each peak, the core disciples had received secret orders to monitor those with close ties to the individuals listed in the registry.

At midnight, beneath a radiant full moon and a sky glittering with stars, a banquet of spirit dishes and wine was set on the open ground before the Mo Ying Peak main hall. Mo Su kept Mo Yue company as they shared a quiet drink. Mo Qi Jūnshàng, having received Jian Dan's parting gift, had already returned to her own peak to begin cleansing her ranks.

Gong Yi had completed his mission perfectly, delivering a storage bracelet into Mó Yuè Jūnshàng's hand.

Jian Dan scanned it with her spiritual sense. It held quite a bounty. The high-grade spirit stones alone were enough to cover the cost of activating the protective formation, and there were also magical plants and ores of various types. Quite the harvest.

"Jūnshàng, among those individuals, some seem to be spies sent from other peaks. How should we handle them?"

Gong Yi continued his report.

Jian Dan paused briefly, then replied:

"Detain them for now. Tomorrow, return them to their respective peaks one by one. Be sure to ask for something in return, but keep it discreet."

Gong Yi nodded and disappeared back into the shadows near the main hall, ready to act at a moment's notice.

Mo Yi, for once, wore a solemn expression. The levity of the day was gone. He could sense it clearly—Mo Yue was in battle-ready state. Her aura was brimming with demonic power, her defensive barriers fully active. As a fellow Divine Transformation cultivator, he could feel the immense pressure. Gong Yi and the others made sure to keep their distance from her.

"Are you planning to act tonight?"

"I hope we won't have to."

A blinding pillar of light suddenly shot into the sky from the rear mountain. It thickened, spreading outward in all directions, as if attempting to engulf the entire peak.

"Not good!"