Mo Yuan stood tall, his posture straight as a blade. Every step he took carried the force of wind beneath his feet.
Joy lit up his face, impossible to hide.
"Senior!" He strode up to Song Wanníng and gave her a deep, solemn bow. "The grace you've shown me, I will never forget. From this day forward, if you ever require assistance, the Demon Clan will go all out for you!"
His eyes sparkled with emotion, his gaze filled with boundless gratitude. Without Song Wanníng, he would not be where he was today.
Song Wanníng accepted the bow without hesitation and offered a casual lift of her hand in return.
"You worked under my auction house for quite some time. I suppose it counts as fate bringing us together. But from now on, the Demon Clan will be your responsibility alone."
Her words made Mo Yuan's heart clench.
"Senior, you're leaving? Can't you stay a little longer?" Things had finally settled down, and deep down, he selfishly wanted to spend more time with her.
But Song Wanníng only frowned slightly and sighed. "Ye Chuxue killed my disciple. I can't just stand by. I must seek justice for him. Even if there were tensions between us, he was still my disciple."
She smiled faintly after speaking. "If there's a chance, I'll return to the Demon Palace another time."
The soft curve of her lips bloomed like spring flowers under the blazing sun—stunning and unforgettable.
Mo Yuan was momentarily dazed by her beauty, but quickly looked away. After a moment of silence, he offered, "Senior, allow the Demon Palace to handle the hunt for Ye Chuxue. Stay here a while longer. I swear I'll have someone bring her back to you."
Those two had fallen into the Demon Abyss. Even if they hadn't died there, they were in no state to last long. Sooner or later, they would be captured.
"This is a personal matter between her and me. It wouldn't be right for the Demon Palace to get involved."
Song Wanníng's gaze darkened slightly, her brows pinched in visible concern.
"You just took over as Demon Sovereign. If you make a show of force too soon, the others may not take it well."
She spoke as though thinking only of Mo Yuan's best interests, and he was deeply moved by her sincerity.
"Don't worry, Senior. The Demon Palace is busy, yes, but we still have the manpower to spare for Ye Chuxue! Besides, she and I have a deep grudge already. I'll just be avenging myself. You don't have to worry about appearances."
Just thinking about how close he'd come to becoming a cripple made Mo Yuan grind his teeth in fury.
"That bitch... she wouldn't live much longer!"
Dark demonic energy curled around him, and Song Wanníng smiled faintly as if nothing were amiss. She asked, "What exactly happened between you two?"
Mo Yuan was instantly caught off guard.
He couldn't exactly tell her he'd tried to steal a pill and was almost crippled by Ye Chuxue.
So he gave a vague, half-hearted reply and brushed it off.
Seeing this, Song Wanníng's smile deepened. Let them hate each other more with every misunderstanding...
"Senior, come. Let me show you the Demon Palace's treasure vault."
In an effort to change the subject, Mo Yuan tugged at her sleeve and led her out of the room.
A few minutes later, they arrived at the vault entrance.
It was a massive structure, seven floors tall, with each level housing a different kind of treasure. These were the Demon Palace's accumulations from hundreds of thousands of years, primarily used to reward disciples.
On the top floor, the most valuable treasures were kept. Although the last two Demon Sovereigns had squandered many of them, there were still countless riches left. Mo Yuan waved his arm with a flourish. "Anything that catches your eye, Senior, it's yours."
Now that the palace was under his command, he could do as he pleased.
Song Wanníng glanced around. Her gaze swept rapidly over the floating orbs of light containing rare items.
There were many treasures, but few of any real use to her.
After a while, her eyes paused on a single spiritual herb.
"Spirit-Cleansing Grass?"
Song Wanníng blinked, clearly surprised to see such a rare item in the Demon Palace's vault.
The Spirit-Cleansing Grass was rumored to wash away one's spiritual roots, allowing them to be reborn anew. What kind of roots would emerge after the cleansing, however, remained entirely unpredictable.
Right now, her young disciple Li Ruo was struggling to advance due to the limitations of her spiritual roots. If she could reshape them, it might offer a path forward.
Ever since she had taken Li Ruo in, she'd been preoccupied with revenge, constantly on the move. She had only managed to spare brief moments to guide her. While she had provided some materials, she no longer allowed Li Ruo to take whatever she wanted as she once did. She hoped this shift in approach might yield a different kind of result.
"I'll take this one."
With an assertive point, the Spirit-Cleansing Grass flew directly into her hand. Whether or not to gamble everything on it—that would be Li Ruo's decision. After taking the herb, Song Wanníng wandered through the vault for a bit longer, picking out a few small items.
She showed no restraint, but Mo Yuan was delighted. He kept urging her to take more.
Knowing when to stop, Song Wanníng eventually took out two monster cores and handed them to Mo Yuan.
These cores came from the former Demon Sovereign's storage ring. They were spoils of war. For now, she would let Mo Yuan use them to strengthen himself.
Those old foxes in the Demon Palace might claim to support Mo Yuan, but his cultivation was still too low. It was only natural some would think of controlling him.
She needed him to stabilize his position. At least until she could finish cultivating her avatar.
"These are for me?"
Mo Yuan stared at the two monster cores, his emotions surging.
Cores from fifth-rank demon beasts—extremely rare and precious. Yet Senior had given him not one, but two.
His eyes reddened slightly, but he swallowed the emotion down.
For her, he'd offer up his life without hesitation.
...
Days passed.
Song Wanníng settled comfortably into the Demon Palace. Her days were peaceful. When she wasn't cultivating, she strolled the gardens or played with the palace hounds.
Mo Yuan even bestowed upon her the honorary title of Guardian of the Demon Clan, giving her free rein within the palace.
Meanwhile, the palace itself was thrown into chaos. With the former Demon Sovereign dead, many of the demon cultivators who had pledged loyalty fled or were killed.
The remaining cultivators were busy hunting down deserters and, on top of that, searching for any trace of Ye Chuxue. They were so overwhelmed, they barely had time to eat or sleep.
Back in Wentian Sect, they were also in a panic. Gu Qingyuan and Ye Chuxue had not responded to a single message. To make matters worse, Song Wanníng was pressing them relentlessly. If things kept going like this, they would have no choice but to issue an order to hunt Ye Chuxue down.
What they didn't know was that Ye Chuxue and Gu Qingyuan were already living a nightmare. Both had suffered heavy injuries in the Demon Sea. After finally escaping, they struggled to reunite and barely managed to purchase a few pills using spirit stones.
But before their wounds even had a chance to heal, they were attacked by demon cultivators. At first, they assumed it was a mistake. After all, they had never offended the Demon Clan. But the demon cultivators said nothing. They simply attacked, heads aimed straight for the kill.
The two of them could only flee toward the city outskirts, eventually hiding in the mountains. But the enemy never relented. Wave after wave came, and even after killing several attackers, more arrived in their place.
Their injuries worsened with each battle, and the few pills they had were quickly depleted.
Ye Chuxue's heart was filled with disbelief and anger. She followed Gu Qingyuan, dodging through mountains and forests until they finally found a secluded cave to rest in. Only then could they catch their breath.
"What the hell is wrong with these demon cultivators? What did I ever do to them? Why are they hunting me like this?"
Her face twisted in frustration. The whole situation felt cursed.
"Whatever, I'll just check who's been flooding me with message talismans."
With a bitter scowl, Ye Chuxue activated the talisman.
The moment she saw the messages, her face turned ghostly pale.