The Third Elder of the Demon Palace was about to speak, but Mo Yuan raised a hand to stop him.

The Third Elder understood. He simply crossed his arms and stood aside, watching West Sea dig his own grave.

"Mo Yuan, you little bastard! You actually dare to come back?"

West Sea snorted coldly. As he sized up Mo Yuan’s cultivation, his brow twitched.

He had been sent away on business, and by the time he returned, the Demon Sea had already closed.

He was already furious, but he never expected Mo Yuan to have grown so bold as to return to the Demon Palace at a time like this.

He glanced at the Third Elder again and said sarcastically, "Third Elder, I think you’ve grown old and senile, haven’t you?"

"Bringing Mo Yuan back so brazenly... Aren’t you afraid the Demon Lord will cast you into the Heart of Ten Thousand Sources when he finds out?"

The Third Elder shot him a glance, a humorless smile playing on his lips. "The Young Master is the true heir of the Demon Clan. The Demon Lord is nothing!"

"You—"

West Sea was stunned by the Third Elder’s defiant attitude. He never imagined the elder would dare to speak such treasonous words.

"Fine, fine, fine! How audacious! Truly audacious! When the Demon Lord returns, I’ll be sure to report you!" 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

In the time it took him to speak, nearly all the forces remaining in the Demon Palace had swarmed over.

Mo Yuan’s old guard also appeared. They were all thrilled to learn that the Young Master had returned.

The forces on-site immediately split into two factions, and the atmosphere was so tense it could explode at any moment.

"Third Elder, are you all truly planning to rebel?"

West Sea was incandescent with rage. These people were daring to stage a coup while the Demon Lord was away!

’We’ll see if I allow it.’

"Hah. We are rebelling today. What are you going to do about it?"

The Third Elder pressed forward, wishing a scoundrel like West Sea would just die already.

"Fine, fine, fine! Since it’s come to this, don’t blame me for disregarding our old ties!"

"Men! Seize all of these insubordinate bastards!"

At West Sea’s command, the Demon Cultivators on the scene immediately launched their attack.

The Demon Cultivators supporting Mo Yuan, seething with indignation, retaliated. The scene instantly descended into chaos.

The elders also engaged in a chaotic brawl, sparks flying everywhere.

Song Wanning watched with cold eyes, not intervening.

’This is a good opportunity for Mo Yuan to sort out the situation in the Demon Palace.’

She looked into Mo Yuan’s deep eyes. Though he appeared perfectly calm, the veins bulging on his clenched fists revealed his inner fury.

...

The flames of battle gradually spread until fighting had broken out all across the Demon Palace.

West Sea was grinding his teeth in frustration. He still hadn’t received a reply from the Demon Lord, and even that other Young Master, Qu Shang, was nowhere to be found.

This made him increasingly uneasy, and he had a growing suspicion that the situation was not in his favor.

What infuriated him even more was that the instigator of all this, Mo Yuan, was still strolling about leisurely as if in a courtyard garden.

And so, he charged at Mo Yuan.

The moment he moved against Mo Yuan, Song Wanning knew it was time for this farce to end.

She raised her hand, and her longsword flashed out.

In the next instant, the once-menacing West Sea was cleaved in two, his body plummeting from midair.

Even his Nascent Soul had no chance to escape before it, too, was shattered to pieces.

Silence!

The surroundings fell instantly silent. Everyone froze, their eyes wide as they stared at West Sea’s body.

’That was an elder at the Nascent Soul Stage... killed with a single sword strike?’

Everyone swallowed hard, their eyes filled with terror.

Even the Third Elder and his allies looked on in horror, their gazes toward Song Wanning a mixture of fear and awe.

They knew she was powerful, but to instantly kill a Nascent Soul Cultivator with a single strike was still utterly terrifying.

’It’s just too horrifying!’

Mo Yuan’s gaze swept over the crowd, taking in everyone’s expressions, and a sense of shared glory swelled in his heart.

He stepped forward and announced coldly, "I have already dealt with the Demon Lord. If any of you persist in your delusion, you will all be dragged out and executed!"

"But if you renounce the darkness for the light, I shall spare your lives!"

’These are just minions, following the orders of their masters. In many cases, their hands were forced.’

’Besides, he couldn’t possibly kill half the disciples of the Demon Palace. Otherwise, the other factions within the Demon Clan would start getting restless.’

’But as for the treacherous ringleaders, I won’t let a single one escape!’

The disciples, who had been standing there in a daze, were scared half to death by his words. With a collective THUD, they fell to their knees and began to kowtow frantically.

’The Demon Lord is dead, and an elder has been slain. What choice do we have?’

’Saving our own skins is what’s important right now.’

And so, the turmoil was quickly suppressed.

Mo Yuan led the loyal elders back to the palace hall and began organizing the subsequent cleanup.

The traitors had gotten wind of the turn of events and had mostly fled. The Demon Palace would now need to issue bounties for their capture.

He felt extreme hatred for the two Demon Monarchs, Mo Yu and Mo Yun, in particular. He wouldn’t be satisfied until they were dismembered.

As for Song Wanning, she took no further part in the Demon Palace’s internal affairs, returning to a side hall to rest.

She took out a Communication Talisman and sent a message to the Sect Master of the Heavenly Inquiry Sect.

Meanwhile, the Sect Master of the Heavenly Inquiry Sect had just finished discussing the latest disciple recruitment with the elders and was completely overwhelmed.

The Heavenly Inquiry Sect’s demotion meant that many promising disciples would no longer choose to join them.

This was a major headache for him. If this vicious cycle continued, it would be difficult for the Heavenly Inquiry Sect to ever recover.

Furthermore, the elders present were no longer as deferential as they once were. Occasionally, some would even make sarcastic remarks, seemingly blaming him for the sect’s demotion.

The Heavenly Inquiry Sect’s Sect Master was already seething with anger, and receiving Song Wanning’s message made his expression turn even uglier.

’What kind of trouble is Song Wanning stirring up now?’

He frowned and activated the Sound Transmission Talisman. An indignant voice immediately reached the ears of the elders who were just about to leave.

"Sect Master, my second disciple was killed in the Demon Sea by Ye Chuxue. I implore you to severely punish this disciple who has murdered one of her own!"

The familiar voice, tinged with grief, made everyone’s hearts skip a beat.

Everyone wore expressions of disbelief, as if they must have misheard.

"What did Junior Sister Song just say? Who killed whom?"

One of the elders cleaned out his ear, his face a mask of disbelief.

The Second Elder shot him a glare and replied, "Didn’t you hear her? Ye Chuxue murdered Lu Nanfeng!"

’I’ve known Song Wanning for a long time; I know her well. If she says it, then Lu Nanfeng is definitely dead.’

’As for how Ye Chuxue killed him, there must be more to the story, but that has nothing to do with me.’

’I could never stand that treacherous brat Lu Nanfeng anyway.’

’His death is a clean break. Good riddance.’

"Impossible!"

The Seventh Elder was the first to voice his disbelief. "Everyone has seen how close Lu Nanfeng and Ye Chuxue were. How could she possibly kill him?"

He wasn’t trying to take sides; they had all seen with their own eyes how well Lu Nanfeng treated Ye Chuxue.

The two were incredibly close. Why on earth would they turn on each other?

The Heavenly Inquiry Sect’s Sect Master also frowned deeply, strongly agreeing with the Seventh Elder.

So, he sent a reply back to Song Wanning.

"Junior Sister Song, are you certain you haven’t mistaken the culprit?"