By the time Yuchen reached the Demon Palace, his vision was nearly black.
Blood soaked through his robes. Chenxi was unconscious in his arms, his skin unnaturally warm from the lingering poison.
The palace gates opened instantly the moment the guards sensed their chaotic aura.
"What happened?!" one of the demon generals shouted.
Yuchen staggered forward.
"Snake Fairy Clan… ambush… it wasn't random…"
The great hall doors burst open.
Mo Zhu stepped out first, eyes narrowing sharply at the sight before him.
Li Feng followed behind, expression darkening.
Yanluo moved quickly to support Yuchen as he nearly collapsed.
Inside the throne hall, Yuchen forced himself to speak clearly.
"They lured us… using charm poison. Chenxi was heavily affected. They were draining his energy." He swallowed painfully. "Snake Fairy Clan usually feeds on mortals… not cultivators. Not half-demons."
Li Feng's eyes turned cold.
Mo Zhu's voice dropped to something dangerous.
"Snake Fairy Clan takes nourishment from mortals only. Targeting you two makes no sense."
Silence fell.
"Which means," Li Feng said slowly, "someone ordered them."
Yuchen nodded weakly. "Yes… and Chenxi's poison… it's not normal venom."
Mo Zhu stepped forward, examining Chenxi's pale face. His fingers hovered just above Chenxi's chest, sensing the corrupted spiritual flow.
His expression changed.
"This venom is refined. Enhanced." His jaw tightened. "I can detoxify it."
Yuchen let out a breath of relief.
"But," Mo Zhu continued calmly, "only me."
Li Feng turned slightly.
"Then take him."
Mo Zhu nodded once.
"Yanluo," Li Feng ordered, "take Yuchen to the medical chamber. Treat every wound properly."
Yanluo bowed. "Yes, uncle."
Li Feng's aura began to shift, the temperature in the hall dropping.
"I'm going to the Snake Fairy Clan."
Yuchen forced himself upright. "Alone?"
Li Feng glanced back over his shoulder, a faint smile curving beneath the coldness.
"They are insects."
And with that, he vanished in a streak of shadow.
The Chamber
Mo Zhu carried Chenxi into a sealed inner chamber deep within the palace.
No one was allowed entry.
The doors closed with a heavy echo.
He gently laid Chenxi onto the bed.
Chenxi's breathing was uneven, faint traces of foreign spiritual threads still clinging to his aura.
Mo Zhu removed his outer robe slowly, eyes dark.
"There is no other method," he murmured to himself.
Snake fairy venom intertwined with spiritual energy. It couldn't be removed by ordinary means.
The only way was to draw it out through resonance.
Dual cultivation.
He leaned down slowly, brushing his fingers along Chenxi's cheek.
"You always cause trouble."
Softly, he pressed a kiss against Chenxi's lips.
Spiritual energy flowed.
Dark demonic aura merged with the corrupted poison, pulling it outward, dissolving it within Mo Zhu's own core where it was instantly purified.
Hours passed.
The room glowed faintly with intertwining red and black light.
By dawn, Chenxi's breathing had stabilized.
Mo Zhu sat beside the bed, eyes slightly shadowed from exhaustion.
The door remained sealed.
Morning
Chenxi's eyelids fluttered open.
His head throbbed faintly.
The first thing he saw—
Was Mo Zhu staring at him.
Not gently.
Not affectionately.
But with blazing irritation.
Chenxi froze.
"Uh…"
Mo Zhu's eyes were cold and dangerously narrow.
"Your entire body reeks of other women."
Chenxi blinked.
"What?"
"I had to wash you," Mo Zhu continued flatly.
"You were covered in their scent. Were you enjoying yourself?"
Chenxi shot upright in panic. "What?! No! I was enchanted!"
"Oh?" Mo Zhu leaned closer, voice low. "You seemed very willing."
"I thought—" Chenxi stammered desperately, "I thought they were you! I was hallucinating! I swear! If I knew— would I go with other women like that?!"
Mo Zhu stared at him for several long seconds.
Chenxi swallowed nervously.
"Please forgive me… I didn't do it intentionally. I won't go anywhere alone again."
Silence.
Then Mo Zhu finally leaned back slightly.
"You're fortunate Yuchen was there."
Chenxi's expression shifted instantly.
"Yuchen! Is he okay?"
"He's alive," Mo Zhu replied. "Injured. But stable."
Chenxi exhaled.
"And Li Feng?"
"He went to settle scores."
Chenxi's eyes widened. "Alone?"
Mo Zhu's lips curved faintly.
"Yes."
Snake Fairy Clan Territory
The forest was silent.
Too silent.
The snake fairies gathered within their clearing, tension thick in the air.
"We injured them badly," one hissed nervously.
"But we failed to secure the target."
A shadow fell over the clearing.
A masked figure stepped forward from the darkness.
The aura alone made the ground tremble.
Black robes.
Silver mask.
Shadow Emperor.
Every snake fairy froze.
One dropped to her knees instantly.
"Y-You…"
Li Feng's voice was calm.
"Who gave you the courage to touch my people?"
No one answered.
He moved.
Faster than sight.
In one motion, he sliced through the nearest fairy. Her body fell before her scream finished.
Panic erupted.
They attacked together.
It didn't matter.
Shadow blades tore through scales like paper.
Within minutes, the clearing was painted dark.
Only the clan leader remained, trembling, pinned to the ground by invisible pressure.
Li Feng stepped closer.
"Who ordered this?"
She coughed blood.
"We… we were promised power…"
"By whom?"
Her lips trembled.
"Someone stronger than us… far stronger…"
Li Feng pressed his aura down harder.
"A name."
"I don't know her name!" she cried.
"She wore black robes! A woman! There was a mark on her hand—"
"What mark?"
"A lotus."
Silence.
"A black lotus."
Li Feng's eyes sharpened behind the mask.
A lotus.
He remembered.
Su Yan.
She bore a lotus mark on her wrist.
But this…
This felt calculated.
She was gone crazy.. How did she recovered?
Su Yan alone did not possess the power to command clans.
"Was she alone?" Li Feng asked coldly.
The leader shook her head weakly.
"I sensed… another presence behind her. Something ancient. Watching. She obeyed someone else."
Li Feng's gaze darkened.
So Su Yan was merely a piece.
He withdrew his aura.
The leader gasped for air—
And in the next second, her head fell lifelessly to the ground.
Li Feng turned away.
The forest fell silent once more.
Demon Palace — Later
Li Feng returned as dusk settled.
Mo Zhu was already waiting in the hall.
Chenxi and Yuchen stood nearby, both pale but conscious.
"What did you find?" Mo Zhu asked.
Li Feng removed his mask slowly.
"A black lotus."
Chenxi's breath caught.
"Su Yan…"
Yuchen frowned. "It can't be just her."
Li Feng nodded once.
"She is involved. But not alone."
Mo Zhu's expression darkened.
"Someone is moving pieces."
Chenxi looked between them nervously.
"So… what now?"
Li Feng's gaze sharpened.
"Now we wait."
Yuchen frowned. "Wait?"
"Yes," Li Feng said calmly. "If they targeted you once, they will try again."
Chenxi swallowed.
Mo Zhu stepped beside him, placing a possessive hand on his shoulder.
"Next time," Mo Zhu said softly, eyes cold, "we will be ready."
Far beyond the palace walls—
In a distant tower cloaked in mist—
A woman in black robes stood before a shattered mirror.
A faint black lotus mark glowed on her wrist.
But behind her reflection—
For a split second—
Another pair of eyes appeared.
Ancient.
Watching.
Smiling.