Mo Yuan closed his eyes, forcing back the heat welling up in them. Once he finally composed himself, he teleported Song Wanning back to the mountain cave.

Now that the Demon Sea was about to close and the Demon Lord was dead, Mo Yuan could finally deal with those traitors without worry.

"Senior, I will now handle these people. Some of them are not in the Demon Sea, so I’ll deal with them after I leave!"

"When the Demon Sea closes, please come back to the Demon Clan with me, Senior. Let me repay you properly for saving my life!"

Mo Yuan’s expression was sincere. He could finally repay Song Wanning in some small way.

For so long, she had been the one helping him, while he had no way to reciprocate. The frustration he felt was immense.

Hearing this, Song Wanning furrowed her brow. She didn’t look particularly keen on getting involved.

But after a moment of thought, she nodded in agreement.

"That works. If you encounter anyone who refuses to submit, this Venerable One can lend you a hand."

’If he doesn’t clean up those people in the Demon Clan, how will he control it in the future?’

Song Wanning raised a delicate brow, her thoughts turning back to where she might find the Breathing Soil.

When Mo Yuan heard her words, another wave of warmth washed over his heart.

Now, the person who treated him best was this Senior.

"Thank you, Senior. Please rest here for now."

With that, he began his cleanup.

Any traitor he could recognize was sent to face demonic beasts or into perilous lands. It was best if they died. If he couldn’t kill them directly, they would be hunted down by the Demon Clan.

After making these arrangements, he flickered and appeared before Qu Shang.

At this moment, Qu Shang was already covered in wounds. He had collapsed on the ground, clutching his chest in agony.

Just a moment ago, a sudden, inexplicable palpitation had seized his heart.

It left him feeling that something was terribly wrong, and his heart was pounding with panic.

Now, seeing Mo Yuan appear before him, his ominous premonition intensified.

"You—how are you here?"

Qu Shang asked, clinging to his last sliver of hope.

"That animal is already dead. Why do you think I’m here?"

A sneer played on Mo Yuan’s lips. "I’m here to see you off, of course. To reunite you with your father!"

"What?"

Qu Shang’s pupils trembled, and the last of his hope vanished like smoke.

He’d had a premonition earlier, but his father was at the Peak of Divinity Transformation. How could Mo Yuan possibly have killed him?

"Mo Yuan, he was your father!"

A flash of hatred crossed Qu Shang’s eyes, and his pupils were filled with bloodshot grief.

The words grated on Mo Yuan’s ears.

"Father? He was nothing but an animal. Was he worthy?"

"An animal can only be the father of a little animal!"

A murderous glint flashed in Mo Yuan’s eyes as he drew his Longsword and pointed it at Qu Shang.

"You and your father killed my mother and tried to kill me time and again. Your deaths would be no great loss!"

"As for your dream of becoming the Demon Lord, you can figure that out in your next life!"

With that, he thrust his sword viciously toward Qu Shang.

Qu Shang, knowing his fate was sealed, roared in fury:

"Mo Yuan, you should have died decades ago."

"Even if you kill us, you won’t necessarily secure your position as Demon Lord!"

"Urk—"

Qu Shang froze. Blood sprayed from his neck, splattering across the ground.

He stared at Mo Yuan, his eyes wide with defiance.

’Why? Why, when I was so close to succeeding...’

No one could answer him.

Qu Shang fell, consumed by endless resentment and indignation.

Still not satisfied, Mo Yuan took his Longsword, hacked the corpse into pieces, and then minced them further before tossing them to the demonic beasts.

’Such methods... He’s truly cut from the same cloth as the female lead.’

A cynical smile touched Song Wanning’s lips. She closed her eyes again and continued to sort through her own condition.

’Now that this business is concluded, it’s time to make Lu Nanfeng’s death count for something.’

’However wretched I was back then, I’ll make them both suffer through it all now.’

...

The time had come for the Demon Sea to close.

Everyone who was still alive was teleported out. However, their destinations were all different, completely random.

After Song Wanning emerged, she received a message from Mo Yuan. By the time she arrived, he was already surrounded by a crowd of Demon Clan members.

"Young Master, we’ve finally found you! Where have you been all these years?"

"Ever since the Demon Lord fell, we have been searching for you in secret, without pause!"

"That damned Qi Yang, he actually dared to murder the former Venerable Lord! It was just a shame his Cultivation was too high. We were no match for him, so we could only endure the humiliation for all these years!"

"Now that you’ve returned, Young Master, we will fight to the death to get justice for the former Venerable Lord!"

"That’s right! We only recognize the Young Master!!!"

The people surrounding him were all loyal old subordinates. They had all received favors from the former Venerable Lord, and they were overjoyed to see Mo Yuan.

A smile finally touched Mo Yuan’s face. So many people still thought of him and remembered his mother’s kindness.

He said in a heavy voice, "Everyone, don’t worry. Qi Yang is already dead!"

These words were like a clap of thunder on a clear day, stunning everyone into silence.

’The Demon Lord is supposed to be one of the most powerful cultivators in the world. How could he have died?’

"Young Master, you must be joking, right?"

someone asked in disbelief.

The others also looked skeptical, finding it impossible to believe that Mo Yuan could have killed the Demon Lord.

Not until Mo Yuan produced the Heavenly Pillar Seal did everyone’s jaws drop in astonishment. They stared at him, shocked and overjoyed.

The Heavenly Pillar Seal was the symbol of the Demon Lord. It had previously fallen into Qi Yang’s hands, but now it was in Mo Yuan’s. The Demon Lord was definitely gone!

"Young Master, how did you do it?"

"Heavens, Qi Yang is actually dead?"

The crowd cheered, clapping their hands in delight. They had wanted to kill Qi Yang for a long time.

Mo Yuan smiled again and turned toward Song Wanning, who was obscured by a black bamboo hat. "This was all thanks to Senior’s intervention. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be standing here alive, let alone have been able to watch Qi Yang die."

Everyone turned in unison to look at Song Wanning.

All they could see was a figure shrouded by a black bamboo hat—mysterious and intimidating.

’To be able to kill the Demon Lord, this person must be some peerless, powerful figure.’

Their expressions immediately became respectful, and they bowed to Song Wanning.

Song Wanning nodded in return and walked to Mo Yuan’s side. She had already gone through the Demon Lord’s Storage Ring. Aside from the Heavenly Pillar Seal, which she returned to Mo Yuan, she kept everything else for herself.

Including the inner cores of those demonic beasts.

This was her well-earned payment.

As for the soul token, Song Wanning had also carefully put it away. An item that could protect one’s Divine Soul and help it survive a Heavenly Tribulation was extremely useful to her.

She had a premonition that the Heavenly Dao would never allow her to ascend smoothly.

...

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Mo Yuan was escorted back to the Demon Palace by the crowd, with Song Wanning following close by his side like a shadow.

She was there for protection, but also as a deterrent.

However, many people in the Demon Palace were still unaware that the Demon Lord had fallen. Mo Yuan instructed his subordinates to keep it a secret, planning to use this opportunity to eliminate all the traitors.

Just as they reached the main hall of the Demon Palace, a group of people swiftly surrounded them.

Each one held a weapon, their expressions hostile.

The leader was a Nascent Soul Stage Demon Cultivator named West Sea, who had been one of the Demon Lord’s most capable generals.

He aggressively ordered his men to encircle Mo Yuan’s group while continuously calling for more subordinates to hurry over.