Inside the room, Ye Ziling unfolded the letter and read a few lines before crumpling it into a ball.
This was a letter from Jing Mo, threatening to find her himself if she didn't meet him in person.
Mu Heng’s eyes darkened. He rubbed his hands, then said solemnly, "I'll go take care of things first."
After Mu Heng bowed and retreated, Ye Ziling rubbed her temples, her gaze gradually deepening.
This ancient demon of ten thousand years was using her identity as a threat. If she didn't meet him, her identity in the Jiuling Palace might be exposed. She had to find an opportunity to silence him.
As the night grew deeper, Ye Ziling walked to the window. After waiting for several hours, she still hadn't received any news from Mu Heng.
She had only asked him to handle a small matter, why was he taking so long to return?
Just as she turned to leave the window, several dark figures descended from outside. With a leap of light footwork, they jumped onto the eaves and sped away towards the southwest.
She recognized the figures; they were several ancient demons of a thousand years under Jing Mo. If her guess was correct, Jing Mo had sent them to track her.
Her eyes suddenly tightened, a premonition rising in her heart. She immediately chased after the direction of the shadows and disappeared into the darkness.
Ye Ziling followed the figures to a sealed-off alley. The shadows instantly transformed into several masked individuals who began to beat the youth on the ground.
"Speak, where is Tu Yao?"
Mu Heng, knocked to the ground, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth, raised his hand to wipe the blood. He sneered, "Bah! How dare you question your grandfather like this? What are you? What Tu Yao? I don't know anything!"
A masked man stepped on his chest, pressing down hard. His eyes flashed with intense killing intent. "You're playing tough with us?"
With that, he roughly pushed a young girl to the ground. The girl, dizzy from the fall, still forced herself to get up despite the pain.
Mu Heng saw Shen Yueru's face clearly and immediately wanted to kick her.
The masked man placed a foot on Shen Yueru's back and chuckled sinisterly, "You tell us, have you seen Ye Ziling?"
"Y-yes, I have," Shen Yueru stammered, too terrified to speak, her eyes full of fear.
The masked man chuckled lightly. "Continue, was she with this kid?"
Mu Heng frantically threw her meaningful glances, his eyeballs almost popping out, but the fool didn't react.
"Yes..." Shen Yueru nodded in agreement, then added, "They, they came together."
On the eaves, Ye Ziling's eyes rippled with killing intent.
The masked man laughed heartily at Mu Heng again, "Kid, I almost didn't recognize you. Haven't seen you in over ten years, still as pathetic as ever! Just like your father!"
Saying that, he kicked him fiercely again and sneered, "Anyway, you're going to die at our hands today, so why not tell you? Your entire Jiaolong clan was killed by us. And here's some good news: the way your mother knelt and let us humiliate her for your father's sake, truly pathetic! And the flesh from your father's body, eaten as sashimi, was incredibly delicious!"
Upon hearing this, Mu Heng's eyes widened. Fiery rage erupted from his bloodshot sockets. He suddenly stood up, only to be violently kicked back to the ground.
"You beasts, I'll fight you to the death!" Mu Heng roared madly, struggling to get up.
But as soon as he moved, he was kicked down again by several people.
Seeing his miserable state, Shen Yueru immediately covered her face and screamed as she fled, but she was no match for their restraint.
"I've already led the people here for you, let me go, let me leave!" Shen Yueru screamed, begging for mercy.
"You stinking bitch, you're dreaming!" The masked man stepped on her slender waist, grinding back and forth. Hearing her pained groans filled him with pleasure.
"Gather the brothers, tonight we'll roast Jiaolong meat and have women! Hahahaha..." The masked man roared with laughter, his eyes filled with bloodthirsty light.
Ye Ziling stood at the entrance of the alley, looking at Mu Heng surrounded in the center. Images of her own sect's destruction flashed through her mind, her gaze growing colder.
At that time, her mother and father's limbs were severed. Those people dug out her parents' internal organs in front of her and grinned, saying if she ate all of her parents' livers, they would spare her life if she kowtowed to them three times.
Hundreds of dark figures rained down from the night sky, surrounding the alley entrance.
"Brothers, tonight we feast, Jiaolong meat plus human flesh, to reward everyone!" The masked man waved his long saber and shouted.
Suddenly, a white shadow descended from the eaves, lunging at the leading masked man with a palm strike. A large chunk of his body was instantly gone, his bloody intestines falling to the ground.
Ye Ziling's wrists flipped, her long sword instantly unsheathed, and she bisected the man again, blood spattering the ground.
Sword light flashed, and she appeared like a phantom among the dark figures. A thin bloodstain appeared on the necks of all the masked individuals.
She sheathed her long sword, her gaze coldly sweeping over the surrounding dark figures. With a single move, she killed all the remaining masked men, leaving only a few leading great demons standing in place, looking at her in shock.
"You... who exactly are you?" one of the leading great demons asked tremblingly.
"You were looking for me, and here I am?" Ye Ziling snorted, her eyes growing colder.
Mu Heng, his face stained with blood, ignored the severe pain and stumbled to his feet. A faint smile appeared on his pale face.
"Tu, Tu Yao..." The masked men suddenly understood, swallowed hard, their fear intensifying.
Ye Ziling sheathed her long sword, slowly walked towards them, a killing intent in her eyes, and sneered, "Don't worry, every debt will be repaid. You are not worthy of dying by my sword."
She chuckled lightly, then turned her gaze to Mu Heng, "I'll give you these few great demons as your birthday gift, how about it?"
Mu Heng's lips curved upwards. A killing intent surged from his bloodshot eyes. He took the long sword from her hand and slowly advanced towards the masked men.
"Mu, Mu Heng, Lord Mu... I beg you, I was just joking with you. We are all demons, why must we fight each other!"
"Yes, after all, we are all from the demon realm. If we offended you before, we apologize..."
"All fault lies with us..."
The masked men fell to their knees with a thud and quickly kowtowed, begging for mercy.
Mu Heng gripped his sword, its blade against one of the great demon's throats, and sneered, "Apologize to me?"
"Yes... yes, I was blind and offended you, Lord Mu. Please spare me this time!" The masked man wailed, his forehead pressed to the ground, repeatedly bowing.
"Spare you?" Mu Heng sneered. He tightened his grip on the sword, and blood trickled from the man's throat.
The masked man's eyes widened in horror before he closed them in unwilling submission.
Mu Heng, heavily wounded, dropped his sword. His body swayed, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.
Seeing this, Ye Ziling flicked her foot, picking up the sword from the ground, and slew the remaining masked men.
Several corpses lay at her feet, bloody droplets sliding down the blade and onto the bluestone slabs.
Her gaze was somber as she stared at the bodies on the ground, her eyes falling on Shen Yueru.
This person was also not simple.
Shen Yueru had long since collapsed from fear, trembling uncontrollably. The moment she saw Ye Ziling's chilling expression, she immediately clutched her head and frantically shrank back against the wall, burying her face in her knees, explaining, "It has nothing to do with me..."
This person knew too much, likely ruining her plans.