"The plan has changed." The next morning, Mu Xiaoxiao tossed a set of casual clothes to Chi Shangling. "Han Feng has eliminated our undercover agents in China. Now he's going to target the ancient martial arts forces in R country. We must strike first."

Aya Ikegami's fingers trembled slightly as she folded the clothes: "We...go back to Japan?"

"That's right." A ruthless glint flashed in Mu Xiaoxiao's eyes. "It's time to let the Star Soul Lord see the true Moon Eye. Besides, don't you want to take revenge on your family?"

On the last night before her departure, Aya Ikegami stood alone before the crystal. She placed her palm on its surface and whispered, "Once I return to my clan, the first thing I'll do is set up the Moon Demon Clan's teleportation array. Then what should I do?"

Silver light flowed deep within the crystal, and a tiny, dust-like speck of light seeped out, silently merging into her moon-like pupil. The Moon Demon's voice echoed in her mind:

"You just need to wait for the Star Soul Lord to make a move and let him fight the Nether Crystal Clan, while you sit back and reap the benefits."

The next day at the airport, Aya Ikegami observed the crowd through her sunglasses. Her Moon Eyes allowed her to see the different energy fields on each person—most were ordinary white light, with a few having a faint blue light, who were probably ordinary people who had been exposed to the energy of the Ghost Crystal Clan.

And Mu Xiaoxiao... there were actually a few barely perceptible strands of silver mixed in with the blue mist surrounding her. Chi Shangling's heart skipped a beat, and she suddenly understood something.

(Could she have also been influenced by the Moon Demon Clan?)

This discovery kept Aya Ikegami tossing and turning on the plane. When the flight landed at the capital airport of R country, she looked out the window at the familiar city—it was both her home and the prison she had once loathed.

"Welcome back to your battlefield." Mu Xiaoxiao pulled down her sunglasses, concealing her striking heterochromatic eyes. "Soon, you'll meet Han Feng, the one who gives the organization a headache."

---This is the dividing line---

Aya Ikegami stood beneath a thousand-year-old camphor tree outside the Imperial Palace, her fingers gently tracing the deep veins on the trunk. These crisscrossing grooves resembled silver threads flowing in the moon's eyes—beautiful yet dangerous.

She had already sent Mu Xiaoxiao to take revenge on the Chishang family in her place. Mu Xiaoxiao was surprised that Chishang Ling didn't take action herself. Chishang Ling said, "The main thing now is to integrate the ancient martial arts forces in R country. The Chishang family, though small, still has some use. After we resolve these matters, I will personally destroy them. Please give them a warning first."

So Mu Xiaoxiao went to the Chishang family, while Chishang Ling went to the residence of the royal family.

"His Majesty is waiting for you." The attendant, dressed in traditional attire, bowed deeply, his voice filled with undisguised confusion. This woman who had suddenly appeared was carrying a royal decree, yet she was not on any visitor list.

Aya Ikegami withdrew her finger, a cold smile playing on her lips: "Lead the way."

As she traversed the numerous corridors, she deliberately slowed her pace, allowing her moon-like eyes to fully register the energy flow of this ancient building. Behind every corner and every screen might lurk secret guards of the royal family, but in the face of absolute power, these precautions were utterly ineffective.

"Please wait here a moment." The attendant stopped in front of a sliding door painted with the sun, moon, and stars, and gently knocked. "Your Majesty, the guest has arrived."

An aged voice answered from inside the door. Aya Ikegami removed her sunglasses, her heterochromatic eyes gleaming faintly in the dim corridor. The moment the door slid open, she saw the old man in the wheelchair—Emperor Tokugawa.

"You..." The Emperor's cloudy eyes suddenly widened, clearly recognizing those distinctive heterochromatic eyes. "The Ikegami family..."

"Shh—" Aya Ikegami raised her index finger to her lips, and a silver light surged from her moon-like eyes like a tide. "Look into my eyes, Your Majesty."

The Emperor's body suddenly stiffened, and swirling silver vortexes were reflected in his pupils. His mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water. A few seconds later, when the silver light dissipated, his eyes had lost their luster, becoming empty and submissive.

"Stand up," Aya Ikegami commanded softly.

A chilling scene unfolded—the supposedly paralyzed Emperor stood up shakily, his movements stiff, yet he had indeed broken free from the confines of his wheelchair.

"Very good." Aya Ikegami nodded in satisfaction, taking three prismatic crystals from her small bag. "Give these to your troops and have them immediately deploy them in Tokyo Bay, the Seto Inland Sea, and the waters near Hokkaido. Remember, place them in areas of underwater volcanic activity."

The Emperor mechanically received the crystals. Inside these seemingly ordinary, transparent minerals, silver specks of light moved as if they were alive.

"Yes, I understand," the old man murmured, his voice strangely much younger.

Aya Ikegami narrowed her eyes. The spiritual seed of the Moon Demon Clan had been planted; the old man's remaining life would be like that of a puppet on strings. She turned to the trembling servant in the corner: "You, come here."

The attendant crawled closer on his knees, his forehead pressed to the ground. Aya Ikegami crouched down, forcing him to look her in the eye: "From this moment on, you are His Majesty's spokesperson. All those who wish to see him must go through you, understand?"

A flash of silver light, and the servant's eyes glazed over: "As you command."

After arranging the royal family's pieces, Aya Ikegami put her sunglasses back on. Before leaving, she took one last look at the map of R Country's waters hanging on the wall—three red circles marked with an invisibility potion were slowly appearing. Once the crystal was in place, the Moon Demon Clan's interdimensional portal would open.

At that time, both Han Feng and Mu Xiaoxiao will become sacrifices for the Moon Demon Clan's arrival.

At dusk, the two women reunited at the top of Tokyo Tower.

"The Imperial Family is all taken care of," Aya Ikegami reported, a silver glint in her heterochromatic eyes. "The Emperor will mobilize all resources to cooperate with us."

Mu Xiaoxiao chuckled, "I've already taken care of Chishang Zheng for you. You can go and take over the Chishang family in three days." She suddenly frowned, "However..."

\"What's wrong?\"

"I feel like things have gone too smoothly." Mu Xiaoxiao looked at the city lights gradually illuminating the distance. "So much time has passed, and they still haven't issued an obituary."

Aya Ikegami chuckled softly: "The ancient martial arts families of Japan have long been corrupt. They're used to being high and mighty; they don't understand what true power means at all."

A sea breeze blew in, carrying a salty, fishy smell. Mu Xiaoxiao suddenly turned and stared at Chi Shangling: "Is everything alright on your end?"

"What could possibly go wrong?" Aya Ikegami met her gaze calmly. "A useless emperor who needs help even to walk."

The two stared at each other for a few seconds before Mu Xiaoxiao looked away first: "Maybe I'm overthinking it. Now we just have to wait for those self-proclaimed righteous families in China to come knocking on our door."

Aya Ikegami nodded, but a strange glint flashed in her heterochromatic eyes behind her sunglasses. In the direction of Tokyo Bay, within her line of sight, the first energy crystal had sunk into the underwater volcano, greedily absorbing geothermal energy.

The whispers of the Moon Spirits echoed in her mind: "Well done... When the Star Soul Lord and the Nether Crystal Clan are both severely weakened, that will be our time to return to this world..."