She clenched her fists, golden light sparking wildly around her, but it was useless. The guards vanished once more, taking Lian Huo and Lan Xue with them.
Feng Ling's knees buckled, her fury boiling into helplessness. The golden aura around her dimmed as her breath came in ragged gasps.
Useless… She was utterly useless.
From this moment on, she would train day and night. Only by becoming stronger could she avenge her family. Feng Ling clenched her fists, determination burning through the despair clouding her heart.
Yin Zhi bowed, his ever-present smile thin and unflinching. "Your Highness, I shall take my leave. These five maidservants will attend to you from now on." With another respectful bow, he turned and exited the room.
The five maids knelt before Feng Ling in perfect sync. "Your Highness, we are at your service."
But their presence only ignited her anger further. He dares send her his people after everything he's done? Does he think she will accept this? Her golden eyes narrowed. "Get out. I don't need you. I already have my own maidservants."
She glanced around. The room was a wreck—there wasn't even a chair left intact to sit on.
One of the girls, her tone eerily polite, spoke up. "Your Highness, please don't make this difficult for us." But the glint of disdain in her eyes betrayed her fake courtesy.
"You heard what His Majesty commanded," another maid added, her smile cold. "We need to prepare you and bring you to his chambers."
Before Feng Ling could respond, a spell was cast. Invisible threads of energy wrapped around her limbs, forcing her body to stiffen. That bastard! He even sent a witch among them to control her?! Her heart pounded as she struggled against the spell, but her body refused to move.
The girl who cast the spell stepped forward, bowing. "Your Highness, our names are Qin'er, Yùyáo, Zhǐlán, Xiāngxuě, and…" She paused, her voice dripping with reluctance as her gaze sharpened, "Zǐyān."
Among them, Zhǐlán's expression was the most approachable. She gave a soft smile. "I am a witch. Xiāngxuě is of the demon clan, Qin'er hails from the beast clan, Yùyáo is from the devil race, and Zǐyān is a demon as well."
Feng Ling's lips curved into a cold smirk. "Oh, I see." But her tone was laced with disinterest.
A low, mocking mutter came from Zǐyān's lips, though she made no effort to hide it. "You really think of yourself as the empress, hmm?"
The air tensed.
Zhǐlán quickly removed the binding spell. "Your Highness, please come with us." She reached out, helping Feng Ling stand.
He won't stop until he crushes every last piece of her. Feng Ling's thoughts simmered with defiance as they led her out.
Meanwhile, in another room, the atmosphere was strikingly different. Red lanterns illuminated every corner, and the symbol of double happiness was displayed throughout. Unlike the other chambers draped in black, this room was vibrant with celebratory red—what a true wedding chamber should look like.
Mo Tian sat leisurely on an intricately carved chair, head lowered as his crimson eyes scanned a report. His wedding attire had been replaced by a loose red sleeping robe, carelessly draped over his powerful frame. The soft knock on the door was met with a cold, detached command enter.
Yin Zhi stepped in, closing the door behind him. Without the formalities, he casually sank into a chair, his lips curving into a teasing grin. "Ah Tian, you really went hard on the little witch. What if she decides to run away?"
Gone was the respectful subordinate from earlier. Here, within these walls, Yin Zhi spoke as Mo Tian's closest friend—his only true brother.
Mo Tian's gaze never left the report in his hands. "She won't run. She has nowhere to go." His tone was calm, detached, as if the chaos outside had nothing to do with him.
Yin Zhi's grin faded, his expression turning serious. "But… why admit to killing her family? You never gave that order. If I recall correctly, you even ordered them under protection."
Mo Tian finally looked up, his crimson eyes narrowing into a sharp glint. "Do you think she would believe me if I said it wasn't me? Someone is working in the shadows, poisoning her heart with lies—trying to drive her away from me." His lips curved into a cold smirk. "But that's fine. If love won't tie her to me, then hatred will."
Mo Tian flicked the report onto the table. The heavy parchment slid toward Yin Zhi with a muted thud.
"Find out who truly orchestrated their deaths," he said, his voice low but edged with command. "Quietly. The moment they sense we're onto them, they'll vanish without a trace."
Yin Zhi's brow furrowed. "Even so… provoking her like this—driving her to such fury—are you certain it's worth the risk?"
A cold smirk curved Mo Tian's lips. "Only hatred and desperation will push her to grow strong enough. The war is almost upon us, Yin Zhi. I need her to unlock the seal on my power. And time…" His gaze hardened. "…is running out."
He leaned back in his chair, every line of his body coiled with predatory tension. "Look at this." His hand tapped the report. "My father. My brothers. They're growing restless—forming alliances with the Devil Clan and Ghost Clan to take my throne.
But instead of fear, Mo Tian's face was lit with something far more dangerous—anticipation.
Yin Zhi's eyes narrowed, old memories surfacing. He saw again the scrawny boy of ten, cornered beneath a withered tree, his older brothers' fists and kicks raining down mercilessly. Any other child would have cried or begged. Mo Tian laughed—a cold, bone-chilling sound that made even his attackers falter.
And then, Mo Tian stood up. Against all odds, he defeated his brothers, absorbing their power with a terrifying ferocity. If not for the Supreme Demon Emperor—Mo Tian's father—intervening at the last moment, Mo Tian would have drained them dry.
He remembered seeing Mo Tian's father drag him to a secluded place, beating him mercilessly before ordering the guards to lock him away. Yin Zhi hadn't understood it back then.
After asking around, Yin Zhi learned the truth—Mo Tian was an illegitimate child, much like himself, never favored by his father. What shocked him more was the whispered scandal: Mo Tian's mother wasn't of the demon race at all, but from the Spiritual Beast Realm, a union both clans despised.
Yin Zhi had pitied him then. Mixed blood meant his power was shackled, mocked, and underestimated. Yin Zhi had thought to protect that boy. But fate was cruel.
When Yin Zhi lay half-dead years later, beaten by his own brothers, Mo Tian appeared—no longer frail, but a force of pure, merciless strength. He broke his attackers with terrifying ease.
Just when Yin Zhi thought he had found an ally, Mo Tian turned to him—his eyes cold with disdain.
"So pathetic," Mo Tian had said, before walking away as if saving him had been nothing.
The memory made Yin Zhi laugh aloud in the present.
Mo Tian's cold voice snapped him back. "Is the report amusing to you? Or did you not hear a word I said?"
Yin Zhi grinned. "I was just remembering how we first met." His expression sobered as he leaned forward. "But let's get serious. What are we going to do about your two brothers? If war breaks out now, it'll ruin everything we've built."
"They won't attack yet," Mo Tian replied coolly. "They're not ready. Preparing an army will take them at least a year, maybe more. By then, that little witch will be strong enough to unlock my sealed powers."
Yin Zhi nodded. "We need to secure more territories and strengthen our forces. The army needs to grow."
"We will," Mo Tian said. "Tomorrow, we'll have a court assembly. I'll meet with the Demon Lords myself."
Yin Zhi tilted his head. "There's something I've been meaning to ask. The Soul Oath during the wedding… it looked different from the usual rituals. What did you do?"
Mo Tian's lips curled into a dangerous smirk. "I tampered with the ritual. Her soul and blood are now more tightly bound to mine than any ordinary demon marriage. I can feel her emotions, her pain… and if she tries to run too far, I'll know instantly."
So that's how you sensed her fighting with the guards earlier." Yin Zhi exhaled, shaking his head. "You could've just sent Death Guards to monitor her. Isn't this a bit much?"
"It's quite fun this way," Mo Tian said with a smirk. "And who knows—it might come in handy in the future."