True Heir of Chaos: From Villainess to Empress

The atmosphere in the grand hall was on the verge of erupting. Jian Dan stood calmly in one corner, smiling faintly at Hua Kun, the corners of her lips curving slightly. From behind her, countless willow branches sprouted, slithering like spirit snakes emerging from their den.

One particularly thick branch shot forth as though it had eyes of its own, lashing directly at the most vibrant man-eating flower in the hall. The impact sent it sprawling backward, petals scattering through the air.

And so the chaos began.

Willow branches tangled with blood-red flowers in a flurry of movement. Petals and leaves flew, filling the hall with streaks of green and crimson. Neither side held back as attacks flew back and forth. Slowly, the tide began to shift—Jian Dan's willow spirit, Liu Chuan, gained the upper hand, wrapping itself tightly around the largest flower like a python crushing its prey.

As the branches tightened, the trapped flower let out a shrill cry.

"Patriarch help me! I'm being devoured!"

Liu Chuan's coils gleamed with a soft green light, the glow pulsing in waves. It was drawing out the other's essence.

This time, Hua Kun truly panicked. His younger sister's probing had failed completely. He hadn't expected that the Peak Lord Mo Yue plant guardian would be so overwhelmingly domineering.

Beside him, Hua Gen was stunned. But this level of confrontation was far above his standing. He was only at the Nascent Soul stage. Between Divine Transformation experts, he had no room to intervene and could only stand by like a wallflower.

Jian Dan now sat casually atop the thickest branch, seemingly brushing her black-gold ring with idle fingers. Yet her divine sense remained fully focused on the Patriarch Hua. After all, he was late-stage Divine Transformation, two entire realms above her. If it came to real combat, she would have a hard time.

Fortunately, she soon relaxed. Liu Chuan was doing better than expected. The pressure it was exerting on the hidden "Hua Qian" was immense—it was nearly ready to consume her spirit plant.

"Peak Lord Mo Yue, please show mercy. My younger sister was impulsive. Spare her bonded plant spirit."

Jian Dan glanced at Hua Kun and spoke slowly. "Patriarch Hua, you invited me to view flowers. I didn't expect the flower to be a man-eating one. A bit too literal, don't you think?"

"Peak Lord Mo Yue..."

"Brother!" A female cultivator stepped into the hall, her features strikingly similar to Hua Kun's. She wore the same gray robes patterned with the dark motif of the double lotus. Her cultivation was also at Divine Transformation stage.

Jian Dan lightly tapped the branch beneath her. Understanding her intent, Liu Chuan halted its devouring.

"The double lotus of this generation of the Hua Clan. A pleasure. Greetings from Mo Yue."

Hua Qian stared at the woman in black robes. She knew she had lost. The Hua Clan knew nothing about this mysterious guest, while the other party clearly understood their deepest secrets. From the moment they invited her, the Hua Clan had already fallen into a disadvantage.

"Peak Lord Mo Yue, I beg your mercy. Please release my Red Blossom."

"Red Blossom?" Jian Dan almost laughed aloud. What a blunt name.

The flower, still bound by Liu Chuan, wiggled slightly in a bid for sympathy.

Jian Dan chuckled, then said warmly:

"Chuan, let her go. Red Blossom was just playing with me."

"If I had just one more moment, I'd have devoured her completely," came Liu Chuan's annoyed voice in divine sense.

"That's enough. Let's not push it. We came here to make allies, not enemies. If you eat her spirit plant, Hua Qian's cultivation will be affected. She'll probably come after me for revenge. Will you take the hit for me? Besides, you've already absorbed quite a bit. Show some restraint."

The exchange was brief and private.

To the others, all they saw was the Peak Lord Mo Yue lightly patting the branch, and in the blink of an eye, every tendril retreated behind her. The largest one transformed into a seat beneath her and gently lowered her back to the ground.

Red Blossom, as soon as she was released, darted into Hua Qian's dantian without hesitation. One petal had been torn off, and she was cradling the gap miserably as she whispered through divine sense:

"Master, that Mo Yue is dangerous. Her plant spirit is terrifying. And it wasn't even at full strength—it's clearly wounded. You'd best stay friendly. Until this petal grows back, don't even think of summoning me again. I'm not coming out."

With that, Red Blossom dove into Hua Qian's spiritual root and went silent.

Though her face showed nothing, Hua Qian's heart skipped a beat.

Red Blossom was her bonded spirit plant. She had been born clutching its seed. They had cultivated side by side for nearly a thousand years. Red Blossom had always been bold and fearless, never once submitting to anyone. For her to cry out for help today... it was nearly unheard of.

Which was why Hua Qian had appeared in person. Damage to her cultivation was secondary. She couldn't afford to lose Red Blossom.

"Patriarch Hua, Hua Qian Daoyou, please, sit."

Jian Dan took the lead, inviting the pair to sit, though their expressions were still uneasy.

Hua Gen stepped forward quickly and used a spell to repair the ruined hall. He arranged fresh refreshments and returned behind the Patriarch.

"Hua Qian Daoyou, you attacked me just now. Was it something I said? Or did I stumble upon a taboo of the Hua Clan?"

This time, Hua Kun did not deflect. He gave a small cough, preparing to explain, but Hua Qian interrupted.

"Peak Lord Mo Yue, your words are half correct, half mistaken. But when you said that our ancestor devoured his twin brother in the womb... was that meant as an insult?"

"Oh? So that's why you attacked me." Jian Dan's voice was calm. "Seems we have different interpretations of the same event. A simple misunderstanding."

Neither replied, so Jian Dan shook her head and pulled out a folding fan from her storage ring.

"Let me explain something. The principle of heterozygotic twins."

She flipped open the fan and began.

"When your clan's ancestor was conceived, you should have confirmed the presence of twins, correct? As Hua Qian Daoyou said, twin brothers."

"Correct."

"But during the long gestation of the spiritual womb, one of the twins slowly disappeared. Only your ancestor was born. Correct?"

"Correct."

"If I'm not wrong, your ancestor was born with two spirit plants."

This time, both Hua Kun and Hua Qian were truly stunned. Because what Jian Dan had just revealed... was a secret known only to the Patriarch and the guardian. Not even the elders were aware.

"You—" Hua Kun began, but Jian Dan stopped him with a wave of her fan.

"Your ancestor cultivated rapidly because of those two powerful spirit plants. He reached the Mahayana stage in record time. Let me think... it took him, what, ten thousand years?"

Hua Qian nodded, waiting for the rest.

"In the mortal world, there's a saying: 'Success and failure stem from the same source.'"

"What that means is... your ancestor's rise and his downfall both trace back to one root cause."

Jian Dan looked them in the eye.

"The twin brother who disappeared in the womb."

Hua Kun seemed to grasp her meaning and responded:

"Yes. During gestation, one was weaker. The stronger twin absorbed more of the shared energy, gradually overpowering the other. The weaker one, unable to grow, was eventually absorbed and dissolved."

Both nodded silently, accepting the truth.

Jian Dan continued:

"But this is the cultivation world. Your clan's womb was a spiritual womb. Even if devoured, one soul remained."