True Heir of Chaos: From Villainess to Empress

Chapter 228: When Help Arrives in Time



"Mo Yue, why are you just standing there?"

Mo Qi's crisp voice rang out, and a figure appeared beside Jian Dan. Almost simultaneously, Mó Yì's figure emerged as well.

"Junior Sister Mo Yue, watching the fun without calling me?" he teased.

The last to appear was Mo Su, silent as always, but already holding a black token in his hand. It pulsed with the unmistakable pressure of a Void Refinement Zhūnzhǔ. A protective talisman like that was clearly on the verge of activation.

Hua Chunshan hadn't expected that his moment of hesitation would cost him the chance to act. He didn't care about four Divine Transformation cultivators, but that token exuding the pressure of a Void Refinement stage Zhūnzhǔ made him wary. And with this place being so close to the Heavenly Demon Palace, it was best not to expose himself.

"There seems to be a misunderstanding, young friends. I was simply curious why Fellow Daoist Mo Yue here assisted a cultivator from the Heavenly Sword Sect. I only wanted to ask. No need to be so tense."

"Oh? Then I've misunderstood you, Senior," Mo Yi replied with a lazy grin. "I'm just the type who sticks up for people I like. Since I helped out a friend from the Sword Sect, why didn't a Dao expert like yourself lend a hand?"

Hua Chunshan chuckled. "Your reaction was swift. I fell behind, that's all."

With that, he wasted no more time. He tore open a rift in space, stepped through it, and vanished.

Only then did everyone breathe a sigh of relief. Jian Dan immediately turned around and gave a deep bow.

"Thank you, Senior Brother, Senior Sister, for arriving in time. I made you all worry. Please accept this bow from Mo Yue."

"You should thank us," Mo Qi said bluntly. "Why were you standing off against a Divine Soul stage cultivator in the first place?"

"I ran into someone from Cao Daoyou's sect and stepped in. That old man was hiding nearby and didn't seem pleased when I interfered. A bit of his aura leaked out, and I caught it."

"Looks like that Cao fellow from the Sword Sect really has your heart," Mo Yi said teasingly.

"Enough of that. Since you're all here, did you find the defensive artifact you were looking for?"

"You haven't been back in a while, and this is your first time here. With the Ma family issue coming up, we figured we'd look for you ourselves."

"Exactly," Mo Yi added with a grin. "We felt the aura of your Mó Yuè Zhǎn from a distance. You looked ready for a fight. Of course we had to come running."

"Well, you've made enough noise already. The city guards will be showing up soon. I'll go smooth things over."

"Alright," the group replied.

Mo Qi tossed Jian Dan a brocade box. "Here's the Heartguard Mirror you wanted."

"Thank you, Senior Sister. Here's the spirit stones I prepared—see if it's enough."

Jian Dan handed her a storage ring without hesitation.

Qi Hua considered herself lucky that day. That Jian Jūnshàng had ordered her to leave the Heavenly Demon City immediately and return to the sect.

She had felt an eerie sense of unease behind her the entire time, so she trusted her instincts. Finding a secluded place, she activated her directional long-range teleportation talisman and was instantly transported back to the Heavenly Sword Sect.

Only after resting and regulating her breathing for half a day in her own cave dwelling did Qi Hua finally feel alive again.

Her ancestor had warned her when handing over the talisman. It was for emergency use only. Because her cultivation was low and her body wasn't strong enough, the forced transmission would certainly cause discomfort.

Now she understood why she was told to use it sparingly. After another half day of rest, she headed straight to the sect's Law Enforcement Hall.

"Qi Hua greets Jian Ning Zhēnjūn. I bring urgent news."

Seeing her pale face and strained composure, Jin Ning nodded, letting her speak directly.

"I was assigned by Jian Sheng Zhēnjūn to lie in wait outside Huan Le City. We were investigating traces of the Hua family, and we did find them there.

The Hua clan members had hidden their identities. On the surface, they dealt in medicinal pills. But secretly, they were collaborating with the Jiǎ family of Líng Yùn City in the central region to traffic human cauldrons."

She paused briefly before continuing.

"They ran two establishments, Jun Pavilion and Xiu Pavilion, which catered to high-level cultivators. In reality, they were a front for the cauldron trade."

Jian Ning listened carefully. When Qi Hua paused, she nodded. She already knew part of the story—Cao Chenfeng had been caught in Jun Pavilion, and the incident had only come to light because a young mistress of the Heavenly Demon Palace intervened.

The Heavenly Sword Sect had two teams on the case. One investigating the cauldron trade among righteous cultivators, the other tracing the Hua family's hidden presence in Hun Le City.

In the end, both trails led to the Hua and Jia clans.

"They went even further. They used drugs to control high-level cultivators and make them work for them. I even saw the Hua clan's old ancestor return to their base in the city. That's when people began hunting me down."

"It was only thanks to Junior Brother Cao's admirer, Jian Jūnshàng of the Divine Transformation stage, that I made it back alive. She asked me to deliver this jade slip to him."

Jian Ning accepted the slip and immediately noticed the unique seal of the sect's secret "shadow division."

"Anything else?"

"I'm certain the ones hunting me weren't Hua clan cultivators. Once I noticed something was off, I changed course and went straight into the Demon Sect's territory to throw them off."

"Smart thinking. Go on."

"They were focused on capturing me, not killing me. They drained my spiritual power rather than going for a lethal strike. But the truly dangerous moment was when that demon cultivator, Jian Jūnshàng, appeared.

I thought I was done for. I was ready to use the protective jade talisman passed down by my ancestor. But she wiped out all six of the 'Ends of the Earth' assassins chasing me.

Before she left, she told me to return to the sect using the fastest method possible. So I used the directional teleportation talisman."

Qi Hua grimaced like she'd just lost a piece of her soul.

"You're lucky to have someone shielding you. That's not the time to worry about material goods. Don't whine to me about it. Go cry to your ancestor. I'll personally give the jade slip to Cao Chenfeng once I verify it."

"Understood. Thank you, Zhēnjūn. I'll return to rest, and I'll handle my report to the Disciplinary Hall myself."

Jian Ning watched her leave, then turned and handed the jade slip to Jian Li Zhūnzūn.

Jian Lu took the ordinary-looking slip and tapped it a few times. The seal unlocked.

A three-dimensional projection appeared. It depicted a sprawling forest, running east to west. The farther west, the sparser the trees.

Five hundred meters below the forest floor was an independent space spanning the entire underground area. Three glowing words marked it: "Zang Long Hall."

The image rotated once to highlight a hidden route leading to the main palace, then faded.

A final line appeared:

"Incident at Ming Valley. Stationed with the team. Return date uncertain. Signed: Yunzu."

A flicker of amusement passed through Jian Li's eyes. He turned to Jian Ning and said,

"Qi Hua is fortunate. She must have sent a distress signal that Yunzu picked up. Someone stronger had targeted her. Yunzu had no choice but to show herself."


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