Dao Xuzi had no way to stop it and could only let the whispering voices rise. The elders of Tianji Sect flushed red with embarrassment; some could not bear to listen any longer and wanted to call a halt, yet Tianji Sect’s sworn enemy, the Qianyuan Sect, seized the chance to mock and sneer. Without Dao Xuzi stepping forward, there was, for a time, simply no way to stop this absurd public execution.

Among the Eight Great Sects, face was the sect’s façade—above all, they prided themselves on the bearing of a great sect.

Yet the juniors of Tianji Sect were truly too shameless. If it were the pills routinely supplied by the Medicine Hall, that would be one thing—after all, that was indeed within the duties of Medicine Hall disciple Shu Tiantian. But those self-use Foundation Establishment Pills and Rejuvenation Pills—they also took from Shu Tiantian for free… These pills were not cheap outside, yet on Shu Tiantian’s account, this group of juniors simply took them as though pills cost nothing.

Bu Nanxing of the Medicine Hall had reported the matter to the sect master, hoping the other elders would restrain their own disciples, but several elders paid it no mind, thinking they were merely pills refined by someone at the Qi Refining stage—at most just a few trifles. How could it be so serious that Bu Nanxing had to personally come to collect payment for Shu Tiantian?

Even when, after Shu Tiantian left, the Medicine Hall’s monthly expenditure soared to over a hundred thousand, the elders still did not take it to heart. They only felt that Shu Tiantian was merely a small sacrifice, destined to die anyway, so they naturally did not care.

Yet when those figures were placed before them, surrounded by countless whispers and strange gazes, they finally felt a long-lost sense of embarrassment and fury.

The Eight Great Sects were also astonished—so many pills, enough to supply a pill shop for several years of sales! After all, they were righteous sects, each priding themselves on moral virtue. How could they look favorably upon such behavior? To put it more harshly, it could simply be called unbefitting of their age and status.

Even the Pill Sect sighed in regret, clearly shocked by this astonishing output, their gaze toward Tianji Sect growing even more contemptuous.

Even if this extraordinarily gifted young disciple was destined to be sacrificed, was there any need to be so petty? Considering her contributions to the sect, should she not have been treated well and compensated in every possible way?

The elders of Tianji Sect were all highly respected figures; the more they listened, the worse their expressions became. One must know that in the past, Tianji Sect relied on its title as the foremost sect of the lower realm—its sword cultivators held their heads high, as aloof as could be. Now that layer of face had been torn off and trampled on the ground—how could they endure it?

After all, they were elders of a righteous sect, each valuing face greatly. It was not that they were truly shameless enough to take advantage of juniors, it was simply that they had never taken it seriously before.

But who could have imagined that those seemingly small amounts, once added together, would become an astronomical figure!

Thinking of the disciples who had recently been complaining that pills were not enough, the elders felt as though they were vomiting blood inside, thinking—having been raised into the habit of treating pills like candy, how could they ever be enough?!

Fortunately, by the time Shu Tiantian chattered herself dry, someone even handed her a cup of water. Trapped in her heart-demon tribulation, Shu Tiantian had no awareness at all of how strange it was that someone had given her water.

Soon, when the faces of Tianji Sect’s elders had worsened to the extreme, when their mental state had basically reached its breaking point, Dao Xuzi finally regained the ability to move. That terrifying sensation of having his mind seized receded like the tide, and only then did he realize that he was drenched in cold sweat.

His first thought was Ji Wushu—but the Nine Yin Profound Baleful Energy Formation was in operation; it absolutely could not be him!

Yet he had no time to think further. In haste, he manipulated the heart-demon and interrupted Shu Tiantian’s words, “So many spirit stones. The sect cherishes you so much. As long as you go and take the blood, the sect will certainly…”

It had to be said—seeing that toe-curlingly embarrassing public execution finally end, the elders of Tianji Sect all let out a sigh of relief.

This was simply painting her a big promise. After all, someone who had gone mad would be muddled, driven only by obsession—so long as they coaxed her and got her to go do the task first…

Ji Wushu narrowed his beautiful phoenix eyes and reached out, tapping the little spy’s forehead.

As long as the little spy recovered a trace of clarity, she would naturally refuse without hesitation…

Sure enough, Shu Tiantian immediately gave a derisive snort.

The young man’s lips curved upward. As expected—how could this little spy possibly…

The slightly smarter little spy: “You say you’ll repay the money and you will? I don’t believe it.”

The slightly smarter little spy: “Unless the sect’s elders swear a Heaven-and-Earth Oath that they will definitely repay it! If they don’t repay, their cultivation must regress to the Qi Refining stage and they’ll be poor beggars for life!”

The slightly smarter little spy: “I don’t want just one person to swear, I want to hear ten people swear!”

The long-haired great demon who had just given the little spy a bit of wisdom: …..

Heh heh.

Everyone of Tianji Sect: …..

So vicious.

A Heaven-and-Earth Oath would be bound by the Heavenly Dao, and for the elders present, having their cultivation regress to the Qi Refining stage was simply more terrifying than being killed.

The Eight Great Sects would not sympathize with their predicament. They would only think that Tianji Sect had handled this matter improperly from the start. As the leading sect, they were still dragging their feet and making excuses—voices rose one after another in dissatisfaction, urging them on. Even the envoy from the upper realm wore a face full of growing impatience.

On one side was the great dragon-slaying plan; on the other, ten million spirit stones and such a vicious Heaven-and-Earth Oath. At this moment, the elders were already being roasted over a fire.

Dao Xuzi took a deep breath and said coldly, “Swear it.”

The other elders looked at one another, wanting to say that the sect still needed to receive the envoys from the upper realm and truly could not spare so many spirit stones. But as the urging voices grew louder and louder, they knew they had no choice but to swear.

Thus the elders endured the pain of the loss, their faces ashen, swearing one by one, transmitting their voices to Shu Tiantian through the heart-demon.

Suppressing its anger, the heart-demon replied, “Now then, you can go take the blood, yes?”

The long-haired youth raised his brows coolly and flicked the sword body. The Dragon Bone Sword trembled slightly, thinking—this little spy had better not agree to such a death-seeking proposition…

But Comrade Shu Tiantian nodded decisively, happily agreeing to go do the task.

Though the long-haired youth said nothing, and his expression remained unchanged, the wind around them fell silent in that instant.

Naturally, this matter could not really be blamed on the little spy. The sinful dragon did not even feel the slightest trace of rage—only that deep in his eyes, there passed a faint, utterly bored sliver of disappointment.

Then he saw Shu Tiantian stand up and walk straight past him.

The youth: ?

The Dragon Bone Sword: ?

Wasn’t the sinful dragon called Ji Wushu? Who was she going to find?

This time, it was not Shu Tiantian’s muddled heart-demon tribulation to blame—it was entirely the heart-demon’s doing.

Tianji Sect had set up the Nine Yin Profound Baleful Energy Formation, but aside from this precious ancient formation, they had no means to deal with Ji Wushu. They could not even probe the central mountain peak of the Void Abyss. They only knew that Ji Wushu had a palace spread throughout the formation, and naturally assumed he was inside it.

Thus, by the time the little spy had already wandered dazedly a long way toward that palace, Ji Wushu finally withdrew his gaze.

The Dragon Bone Sword understood its dog-like master well. If someone wanted to take his heart’s blood, anyone else would surely flee at the mere scent of danger—but its dog-like master was different. He was the type who would sit there waiting for someone to come take it, and then crush their head afterward.

But would the sinful dragon crush the little spy’s skull?

The youth really did go back to wait. He even assumed one of his usual seated postures, waiting calmly and leisurely. He even closed his eyes to feign rest—it could be said that he had set the entire stage for the little spy.

Yet the Dragon Bone Sword noticed something—there was no killing intent. Hm? The little spy was about to take his heart’s blood, why wasn’t he angry? It found itself not particularly surprised, somehow feeling it had grown used to the sinful dragon and the little spy sharing the same famous double standards.

At this moment, the people in the council hall never could have imagined that Shu Tiantian would simply walk straight into the grand hall atop the central peak of the Void Abyss—the place they had been watching so intently—without encountering the slightest obstruction.

However, they were extremely confident in the Nine Yin Profound Baleful Energy Formation and did not grow suspicious.

Guided by the heart-demon, Shu Tiantian walked before the long-haired youth who was feigning rest on his seat.

The heart-demon tempted her, “Raise the blade and stab in. You only need to take a single drop of heart’s blood, and your spirit stones will return.”

Shu Tiantian asked it, “Heart’s blood—just one drop is enough, right?”

Before the heart-demon could say anything more, it saw Shu Tiantian stride forward without hesitation.

Just as the youth suddenly tensed—

She crouched in front of him, grabbed that beautiful, distinct-knuckled hand, and then, with sharp canine teeth, fiercely—chomp—bit down hard on his finger.

Grind grind grind grind grind…

The youth emanating cold air all over: ?

The heart-demon: ?

Sharp canine teeth biting did not hurt—it was just a little itchy from all the grinding. After biting for quite a while, there was still not the slightest wound.

The long-haired youth did not open his eyes, but he was originally a manifestation of divine sense and did not need to see with his eyes.

So though he appeared to be feigning sleep, he was actually watching the little girl biting him fiercely, with wild intensity.

Soft lips, vividly red. Pupils enlarged to take up two-thirds of her eyes—a sign of heart-demon entanglement. Slightly reddened eyes—signs of qi deviation, and also of irritation from biting for so long without managing to break the skin.

Fierce—she really was a bit fierce.

Without changing expression, he pressed his tongue lightly against his back molars. This sinful dragon who had not eaten for several thousand years suddenly felt… a little hungry.

Appetite surged, his throat bobbed—but in order not to give himself away, he endured it. Only his dragon horns were a bit difficult to hide, wanting to emerge outward.

The sinful dragon, whose thoughts had already begun drifting far away, and whatever reaction he might have—of course the heart-demon, busy bewitching Shu Tiantian, knew nothing of it. It endured for a while, but finally could not help asking the question of the soul, “What are you doing?”

Shu Tiantian released her bite. Though muddle-headed, this kind of question required no thought to answer, “Taking heart’s blood.”

With patience, it explained, “No, you are mistaken. That blade was given to you by the sect master—you have always carried it with you, have you not? You should use the blade to cut open his heart, take a drop of heart’s blood, and then…”

Shu Tiantian, eyes reddened, interrupted it, “Why does heart’s blood have to be taken from the heart?”

The heart-demon was about to go mad—if not from the heart, then from where?

But Dao Xuzi, who was controlling the heart-demon, had forgotten—something like heart’s blood belonged to the category only mentioned in forbidden texts within the cultivation world. What proper person would go study how to extract someone’s heart’s blood? So Shu Tiantian, upright and orthodox, naturally would not have learned the contents of forbidden texts. As an excellent medical student, she could also rely on instinct to tell this uncultured heart-demon with deep disdain—

Did it even understand the basics of blood circulation? That blood from the heart could reach the fingertips in mere dozens of seconds—did something that simple still need to be taught?

Shu Tiantian chattered on and on about the left ventricle, right ventricle, the aorta, and so on.

In the heart-demon’s ears, it was just: @#￥%……&!

The heart-demon was completely baffled and roared in anger, “You’re talking nonsense!”

But on the other side, the people waiting in the council hall could wait no longer.

The round moon at the horizon slowly faded; soon, the pale light of dawn would appear.

The envoy from the upper realm could no longer endure it. He sprang to his feet. “Stop wasting words with her… On this trip, I can help you activate the Soul-Seizing Formation!”

Almost at the instant the envoy’s words fell, the sinful dragon who had been distractedly watching the little girl’s beautiful crimson lips with his divine sense suddenly opened his eyes.