Inside the grand hall, Ye Ziling sat in the main seat. Surrounding her were various seats, all made of precious materials. The furnishings exuded an air of nobility without sacrificing elegance, and the interior was arranged with a dignified and refined ambiance, clearly indicating meticulous planning.
To the side of the palace was a lotus pond. Lotuses bloomed in the pond, and the clear water rippled gently. Occasionally, fish would leap, scattering water droplets. A breeze swept across the pond's surface, carrying a misty fragrance of lotuses that swirled around, creating a hazy and ethereal atmosphere, as if it were a celestial palace.
"I thought you had abandoned the empire you built yourself," Mu Heng said, flopping down beside her and crossing his legs. He pouted, "I've been managing Jiuling Palace for you all these years, constantly either interrogating or executing. Every night, the bloody scenes replay in my mind, preventing me from sleeping soundly for the past few years." He then glanced at Ye Ziling with a smile, "Palace Master, when will I get a promotion?"
"I think you're doing quite well, enjoying yourself," Ye Ziling replied softly, resting her forehead with one hand and taking a sip of tea.
"Of course, who do you think I am?" Mu Heng didn't detect the sarcasm and maintained his smug expression. He picked up a teacup from the table, gently blew on the steaming tea leaves, and took a small sip.
"However, you must get tired of it sometimes. You promised that if I managed Jiuling Palace well, you'd promote me. Palace Master, you won't go back on your word, will you?" He winked his peach blossom eyes at her, smiling like a fox.
Mu Heng was a minor demon whom Ye Ziling had brought back. More than ten years ago, when she descended to the mortal realm to investigate, she happened upon a small demon being beaten and tormented by several celestial beings for amusement. Although the demon's celestial power was weak, his movements were agile and his tongue was quick. Thus, she intervened and brought him back to Jiuling Palace, granting him the position of commander, specifically in charge of punishments.
Jiuling Palace was an "empire" Ye Ziling had incidentally established during her descent to the mortal realm. At that time, Jiuling Palace was not called Jiuling Palace but had another name, Jiuling Palace. She changed its name to Jiuling Palace after seizing power.
Jiuling Palace was merely a small sect, with limited power and shallow foundations. To contend for several celestial titles, they had allied with the Shaolin Sect, the Seven Immortal Pavilions, and the Cui Ling Xuan, slaughtering the Sacred Physician clan overnight.
Ye Ziling's fingers beneath her sleeves tightened slightly, her eyes darkening, and a bloodthirsty cold light flickered within them.
She would never forget the tragic sight of her clan members struggling in pools of blood.
Mu Heng caught sight of the familiar murderous aura in her eyes, his teacup wavering, nearly spilling its contents.
He swallowed and shifted his gaze elsewhere, quickly closing his mouth.
Was she unwilling to grant him a promotion?
Ye Ziling calmed her emotions and looked at Mu Heng with slightly dimmed eyes, her tone devoid of any fluctuation, "Bring me the Heavenly Chronicle."
"The Heavenly Chronicle?" Mu Heng smacked his forehead, confused. "This is the mortal realm, where would we find the Heavenly Chronicle? That thing is only in the Heavenly Court."
"Don't play dumb with me," Ye Ziling glanced at him indifferently. "Do you want a promotion?"
Upon hearing the word "promotion," Mu Heng's face lit up. He curled his lips, "It's just the Heavenly Chronicle, isn't it?" He pulled a booklet from his robe, "Who doesn't have this sort of thing?"
If it weren't for the juicy gossip concerning the Emperor and the Goddess Tuyao, he wouldn't have gone to such lengths to steal the Heavenly Chronicle from the Heavenly Court.
Moreover, he had grown tired of his life in the mortal realm. Mortals could easily ascend to immortality through the celestial examinations, while he had to cultivate for thousands of years to achieve a minor celestial position in the Heavenly Court, which was utterly unfair.
Tsk, the key was that he wasn't cut out for immortality. The previous time he impersonated a mortal to participate in the celestial examinations, he failed after repeating the test five times. Only then did he settle down to work in Jiuling Palace. After staying for too long, he became bored and sought entertainment to pass the time.
So, he secretly went to the Heavenly Court to gather gossip, hearing that the Heavenly Chronicle contained all the major gossip of the celestial realm. In his boredom, he stole a copy to play with, never expecting it to be useful now.
"Check the events from ten years ago."
Mu Heng nodded, opening the chronicle, and muttered to himself, "Ten years ago, which means ten days ago in the Heavenly Court."
Mu Heng carefully reviewed the book and suddenly his eyes lit up.
"You mean the gossip about Goddess Tuyao and Emperor Qingbai?" Mu Heng looked at her in astonishment, slammed the book shut, and then chuckled, "So Palace Master wants to eat melons! What Heavenly Chronicle? I can recite all that gossip from memory!"
Mu Heng patted his chest, casually leaning against the table corner, picked up the teapot, and poured himself another cup. "I heard that more than ten years ago, Goddess Tuyao descended to the mortal realm to investigate worldly affairs and met the King of the Demon Realm. They fell in love at first sight, and it became unstoppable. But everyone knows the Emperor's feelings for Goddess Tuyao. How could he let himself be cuckolded? So, guess what?"
Mu Heng's smile was sly. He intended to tease Ye Ziling, but the moment he glanced at her, he saw her face had almost turned as dark as charcoal.
Sensing her mood was off, Mu Heng cleared his throat and spoke seriously, "Afterward, Goddess Tuyao betrayed the Heavenly Court, allied with the Demon King, and attacked the Heavenly Palace. She pushed all the way to the Emperor's chambers, stabbed the Emperor, destroyed the Sun and Moon Divine Lamps, and fell from the Nine Heavens. Her whereabouts are still unknown."
Ye Ziling let out a scornful laugh, then suddenly slammed the teacup in her hand to the ground in a fit of anger.
Mu Heng was stunned and stood frozen, not knowing what to do. Had he angered her again?
Was this mad girl so capricious?
Ye Ziling closed her eyes and took a deep breath to calm herself.
Damn it, is this how these people outside talked about her?
What nonsense about falling in love at first sight with the Demon King? They were simply cooperating allies. If it weren't for the Demon King Jing Mo telling her the truth, she wouldn't have known who the mastermind behind the slaughter of her clan was.
The fierceness on Ye Ziling's face vanished without a trace. Seeing Mu Heng's nervous expression, she chuckled, "Alright, you can go."
Seeing that Ye Ziling had finally relented, Mu Heng felt as if he had received a great pardon and quickly slipped away.
"Wait."
Mu Heng stopped, his heart tightening, and turned back, "Anything else?"
"Help me find someone."
Mu Heng looked up, startled, and forced a smile, "Palace Master, please tell me."
Ye Ziling handed him a handkerchief.
As soon as Mu Heng took the handkerchief, he smelled a strong beastly scent. He looked at Ye Ziling, confused, "Beast control powder?"
"Find someone who has this beast powder on them. A treasure of mine has fallen into their hands."
"Understood."
Ye Ziling added, "Remember, if you can't steal it, then snatch it. No matter what methods you use, bring the treasure back to me."
As soon as Mu Heng stepped out of the hall, he breathed a sigh of relief, his hanging heart finally settling.
Close call, so close. He thought he was going to be killed. This mad girl had become increasingly unpredictable and difficult to serve. Not only was she a ruthless killer, but she was also a master of torment. The blood pool in the underground palace, the extraction of hearts, the roasting on pillars... who would have thought that a girl of eighteen or nineteen years old would come up with such a series of bloody punishments?
Mu Heng, having narrowly escaped, tremblingly put the Heavenly Chronicle back into his storage bag. As soon as his hand went in, he saw another page of the chronicle fall inside.
On the pristine white Xuan paper, a few golden characters flashed.
"Due to Goddess Tuyao's immortal body being made from the flesh and blood of the War God Jun Lan, anyone who resists him with immortal magic will be met with ineffectiveness or backlash."
Mu Heng was about to go back and read this passage to Ye Ziling, but his feet refused to move.
The thought of that mad girl's expression made him tremble. He wouldn't read it to her. He didn't want a promotion anymore; he just wanted to save his own life.
Ye Ziling had barely settled into her seat when she noticed a golden light flash on the table, coalescing into a few small lines of text.
Three days later, the martial examination will be held in the mortal realm, with Jiuling Palace providing the questions.
Ye Ziling's eyebrows furrowed slightly. She had served as a civil official in the Heavenly Court and naturally knew the rules of the celestial examinations.
The celestial examinations consisted of two rounds: the martial examination and the written test. The martial examination was held in the mortal realm, while the written test required participants to go to the Heavenly Court, where celestial officials would personally oversee it.
The martial examination involved collecting demon cores in the mortal realm, with a deadline of one month. Celestial examination disciples would hunt demons according to their abilities. By the designated time, the top two hundred participants with the most demon cores would ascend to the Heavenly Court to participate in the final written test. The written test subjects included beast taming, alchemy, medicine, music, and dance, among others. Celestial candidates could choose to apply based on their areas of expertise.