True Heir of Chaos: From Villainess to Empress

While Hua Shisan was happily bonding with his newly awakened plant companion, the sting of losing his spirit stones quickly faded into the background.

At the same time, the head of the Hua Clan personally traveled to Pill Sect, hoping to persuade Dan Yang Zhēnzūn to refine a Soul-Nourishing Pill.

Meanwhile, Du Yanran had scoured every corner of Morong City and finally confirmed that the Lingrong Pill could solve her current predicament. Though only a fourth-tier pill, it was obscure and difficult to find, mainly used for stabilizing cultivators at risk of qi deviation. She had no choice but to search through various pill shops and auction houses.

Shop after shop turned her away empty-handed. One merchant initially claimed to have it, only to abruptly change his story, saying he had confused it with something else.

Du Yanran, wearing only a light veil and posing as a naive young cultivator, had not disguised herself too thoroughly. It was a tactic to invite sympathy or gain attention—another layer of protection.

But this rejection triggered her wariness. She suspected that someone from Yin Yang Gate had distributed her likeness. Quickly, she retreated to a hidden location and altered her appearance.

This time, she disguised herself as a capable middle-aged female cultivator, wearing a badge that marked her as a steward of a reputable family. It worked. After repeating the same search, she successfully acquired the Lingrong Pill.

However, the Hua Clan had already flagged her presence. Due to an internal alert, her movements were closely monitored. Every action she took was recorded and sent back to the clan.

Sensing that she was being tracked, Du Yanran kept moving. She slipped out of Morong City within a departing group and set her sights on the central region of the Lingyun Continent, a place filled with influential families and numerous cultivators.

There, she planned to hide among the masses and reestablish her network. More importantly, she had not forgotten about the Chengli Secret Realm.

In her past life, this secret realm hadn't seemed significant at first, but it was later revealed to house a hidden immortal's legacy. Those who entered came out stronger, many reaching the Nascent Soul stage, some even stepping into Divine Transformation.

If she couldn't form her Yuányīng before then, Du Yanran intended to enter the secret realm herself, using it as both a refuge and an opportunity for breakthrough.

She disguised herself once again and left via teleportation array, unaware that Jian Dan's earlier maneuver to block her had unintentionally redirected her toward Chengli. As a result, she would soon cross paths with Cao Chenfeng, complicating his quest for the True Dragon Blood.

In the territory of the White Crane Clan of the beast race, Yingge was furiously training his claws against a massive brown stone. Each swipe left only a shallow mark, but he didn't give up. Again and again, he struck.

Watching from the side, Bai Jue felt gratified. His younger brother was finally taking cultivation seriously. As an elder brother, it was his responsibility to guide him well.

Just days ago, he had received a transmission from Elder Yin, warning that the demon clans would soon make a move. Several sects from the Heavenly Demon Palace would send demon cultivators into the Ming Valley, and they would be passing through the bamboo forest at the border shared with the beast clans. Preparations had to be made.

That sense of impending storm weighed heavily on Bai Jue. He focused even more on Yingge's training.

"Yingge, your claws are your most vital weapons. You must hone them well, but use technique, not brute force. Otherwise, you'll injure your own tools without doing real damage."

Having grown slightly larger, Yingge took the advice to heart. He adjusted his stance and swiped again. This time, the mark on the stone was still shallow but visibly darker.

Bai Jue Zhūnzǔ nodded in approval and continued, "Now try focusing your beast power into your claws before you strike."

Yingge obeyed. He had reached the third tier now, and the beast energy surged as he swiped again. This time, a visible crack split the stone's surface.

"Brother, brother, look! I did it! I left a mark on the trial stone!"

"Yes, that's progress. Now look again."

Yingge fluttered around Bai Jue excitedly before landing back near the brown trial stone. But the crack he had made had already vanished.

Confused, he tapped the stone with his wingtip and turned to Bai Jue, clearly upset.

Bai Jue chuckled and tapped his brother's forehead. "Impressions made with beast power fade quickly. Only marks made with your true physical strength remain."

"But beast power makes deeper marks!"

"Yes, but what if you run out of beast power during battle? What will you rely on then?"

Yingge paused.

"Our physical bodies," Bai Jue continued. "That is the beast clan's true foundation. Besides the bloodline talents passed down from our ancestors, it is our powerful bodies that allow us to thrive in this world. If we lose our beast power, we still have our original forms to fight with."

"When a beast cultivator passes the Divine Transformation tribulation, we can take human form. That's only because human forms are better suited for cultivation and allow us to study alchemy and crafting techniques. But when we face life-and-death battles, we always return to our beast forms."

Yingge listened carefully and nodded.

"I understand now. Training the body is preparing our trump card. When all else fails, we still have the strength to fight."

"Exactly. Yingge is clever."

Bai Jue's smile reached his eyes. His brother was growing fast, not just in strength but in spirit.

Their training session was interrupted when a subordinate arrived with a respectful bow.

"Bai Jue Zhūnzǔ, this was sent from the Hua Clan's auction house in Tian Mo City. They requested it be delivered to you personally."

Bai Jue was surprised. He rarely interacted with the demon clans. Why would they send him anything?

"Did you check what it is?"

"I wouldn't dare."

"Hmm?"

"Along with it was a jade pendant carrying your aura."

From the side, Yingge tilted his head curiously, staring at the white jade box sealed with a charm.

When the red phoenix pendant was taken out, Yingge immediately panicked. He snatched the pendant with his beak and delivered it to Bai Jue.

"Brother! Brother! Is something wrong with Xiao Zhuzi?"

His anxious voice made Bai Jue feel a pang of jealousy.

"Calm down. Let me look."

The phoenix pendant was indeed the one Bai Jue had given to Shan Yunzu outside the Purple-Ranked Secret Realm. The protective seal within had already been triggered, meaning Shan Yunzu had faced a powerful foe.

"Is there anything else?"

"The sender said we would understand once the box is opened."

Bai Jue took the jade box in hand, sliced across the sealing talisman, and as the box opened, a projected image emerged.

A familiar voice echoed.

"Yingge, how have you been? Are you cultivating properly?"