Thinking of this, Yue Anlan's eyes were filled with coldness.
Carrying this chill, she rushed straight to the Moon Demon Palace.
What she did not expect, however, was that the moment she stepped inside the Moon Demon Palace, she was intercepted once again.
And by a familiar face, no less.
"What do you think you're doing? Why are you stopping this Princess?"
"Please forgive us, Princess Anlan. We only dared to offend you because Her Highness the Consort has requested your presence. Please come with us."
Seeing once again the familiar maid who served her mother, Anlan's anger reached its boiling point.
Yet—
"Lead the way!"
"Understood, Princess Anlan, please!"
Perhaps because Anlan's imposing aura at that moment was simply too overwhelming, the maids who had originally intended to pick a fight actually lowered their heads under this terrifying pressure, treating Anlan as a true Princess for the first time. This realization startled them slightly.
One of the senior maids, who fancied herself long-accustomed to serving by the Consort's side, tried to regain her footing and put on airs, but the moment her gaze met Anlan's half-closed eyes, she was frightened back by the monstrous killing intent leaking from them.
Was—was this really still that cowardly and dull Eldest Princess?
At this moment, the terrifying aura enveloping her entire body was identical to that of Lord Agares.
Trembling with fear, she no longer dared to throw her weight around and obediently led the way, guiding Anlan straight to the main hall of the Moon Demon Palace's Consort, where she saw her mother—a woman of peerless beauty who looked at her with utter disgust.
The moment she laid eyes on her, noting the aura radiating from her whole body—especially the externalized spiritual energy resulting from a recent breakthrough—her mother paused in slight astonishment.
Their eyes met. Out of politeness, Anlan cupped her fists and bowed in greeting.
"Greetings, Mother!"
These words snapped the Consort out of her deep thought. All expression vanished from her face, replaced once again by the familiar coldness and aversion etched in Anlan's memories.
"Wretched girl, get on your knees!"
It was the same old opening line, but Anlan was no longer the original Yue Anlan, so even after these words, she remained standing stiffly in place.
"I wonder what this is all about, Mother? This daughter believes she has behaved properly of late and done nothing wrong to displease you. Why is Mother so angry?"
"Nothing wrong?"
Hearing what seemed to be a laughable remark, the Consort's voice grew even colder.
"If you did nothing wrong, how is it that you implicated Prince Abao and caused him to suffer punishment unjustly? Wretched girl, don't tell me you think that just because your wings have hardened, this Palace wouldn't find out about the shameful deeds you've been up to? As a princess of the Moon Demon Clan, your behavior is utterly vulgar and crude. Not to mention that this string of recent disasters has caused your father to be troubled on your account—that alone is an unforgivable sin!
Therefore, today this Palace is going to properly discipline you, so you learn the proper manners and conduct expected of a noble princess of the Moon Demon Clan!"
Her voice was like frost-chilled ice, and she truly moved to strike.
The moment Anlan sensed the fluctuation of spiritual energy, she instinctively knew something was wrong. Relying on her exceptional reflexes, she sidestepped instantly, feeling a whip crack formed of Light Element spiritual energy graze right past her ear.
"Light Element?"
Her anger at being attacked vanished instantly. Anlan stared in utter shock at the light whip her mother had just unleashed, scarcely believing her eyes.
That was Light Element spiritual energy!
Although she knew Yue Anlan's mother was a human, no one had ever told her that her mother was a cultivator! And a Light Element cultivator at that!
This meant her mother's identity was by no means simple. A Light Element cultivator—could she possibly be from the human Six Great Temples?!
Yet she had become the Consort of the Moon Demon Clan?!
Anlan admitted she was truly shocked.
"Wretched girl, you still dare to dodge! You truly are a crude and despicable wretch! You are utterly unworthy of being a princess of the Moon Demon Clan! Today, as your mother, I will discipline you properly!"
"Bang! Bang!"
Two more light whips lashed fiercely toward Anlan. Possessing the Darkness attribute, the Light Element was her greatest enemy, so Anlan dared not take the blows head-on. However, standing still to be beaten was out of the question either, so she dodged left and right to evade the light whips while observing her mother.
Strange, this was far too strange!
In Yue Anlan's memories, there was not a single trace of information indicating that her mother originated from the Six Great Temples. So who on earth was she?
"Mother, please calm down! Anlan knows her mistake!"
Unable to figure it out, and seeing that not a single servant around dared to intervene, Anlan had no choice but to temporarily admit fault as her mother grew increasingly frantic.
Something was wrong—something was terribly wrong!
For some reason, Anlan felt that the scene unfolding before her was entirely too bizarre. Moreover, she couldn't afford to directly confront her mother; dealing with Agares alone would be more than enough trouble.
This was different from Yueye. An older sister disciplining a younger sister could be chalked up to proper guidance, but a mother was a different story entirely.
Yet Anlan's plea for mercy caused the woman to pause for only a fraction of a second before resuming her attack.
"Slap! Such an ignoble daughter is simply the disgrace of the Moon Demon Clan; she cannot be easily forgiven!"
A trace of imperceptible moisture flashed across the woman's eyes before she continued her assault.
It happened in a flash, but it was caught by Anlan, whose spiritual soul was immensely powerful. This time, Anlan chose not to dodge, allowing the light whip to land solidly across her body.
"Smack! Urgh—"
"You!"
Taking the whip full force, Anlan let out a cry of pain as the sound of sizzling flesh—as if boiling oil had been poured over it—echoed through the air. Needless to say, the blow was far from light, and it successfully brought the Consort's punishing hand to a halt.
"Why didn't you dodge? Do you want to die? Then I'll grant your wish!"
Just as that fierce, formidable light whip was about to lash out at Anlan once more, an even more overwhelming attack shattered the whip to pieces. At the same time, a cold, frosty voice rang out.
"Enough! All of you, stop this instant!"
"Lord Agares!"
In an instant, everyone in the room dropped to their knees. Anlan also noticed that the moment her father arrived, her mother's body stiffened, her expression turning dark and unreadable before she joined the others in bowing to Agares.
Immediately afterward, Agares stepped forward to examine Anlan's injuries. Upon discovering the raw, lacerated wound on her flesh, a flash of distress crossed his eyes, and he grew deeply anxious.
He immediately summoned a physician to tend to Anlan's wounds. Anlan looked toward her mother, wanting to say something, but the woman didn't even spare her a single glance.
Even when faced with her husband's questioning, she remained as cold and aloof as ever, merely adding one sentence at the very end.
"Has my Lord grown weary of this concubine?"
Her tone was flat, yet it inexplicably felt wrong to Anlan, carrying a faint trace of anticipation. Thoroughly bewildered, Anlan departed. But as she brushed past her mother, the woman's fingertips lightly grazed her own, causing a slight tremor to run through her entire body.
Was that a secret message?
"Why... did you... not keep... acting?" Back in her room, Anlan quickly decoded the hidden message, only to become even more baffled.
"Yue Anlan, what riddle is your mother trying to play? 'Keep acting'—could it be that her supposedly beautiful romance with Agares has a hidden backstory? What could it be? Could it be that this Consort position wasn't her own choice, and everything was forced upon her by Agares?"
Anlan wasn't sure, but all the signs pointed to something very strange indeed. Yet just as Anlan was deep in thought, the very person she wanted to find came knocking on her door, practically courting disaster and asking for trouble.