Chapter 16: The Transformation of the Heart and Mind

Western Finals, Blood Killing Sect.

On the last remaining city ruins in the Qiu Sea stood an exquisitely luxurious palace, its walls inlaid with rare gems and exotic treasures, dazzling to the eye. Yet upon closer inspection, one would notice that within the radiant, colorful ravines flowed a crimson hue resembling blood.

“Clink, clink clink… crack…” The rare-grade azure blade, along with the hand clutching its hilt, was crushed inch by inch beneath a silk-embroidered boot.

Pain nearly pushed him to the brink of unconsciousness. Yet the figure in the gray divination robe, lying face down on the ground, dared not utter a sound. The pure white mask on his face wavered precariously, obscuring the intricate black hem embroidered with golden thread.

The sound of shattering knuckles caused the others clad in gray divination robes on either side to lower their heads silently, none daring to plead.

At that moment, the door at the end of the corridor opened. An elderly man with black hair and white eyebrows bowed respectfully and said, “Miss is out of danger. Though the Endless River corrodes flesh and bone, fortunately the Sect Leader’s timely rescue has awakened her. She wishes to see the Sect Leader.”

Finished speaking, he bowed and stepped aside.

The one called Sect Leader responded with a faint “Hmm,” his clear youthful voice starkly contrasting with his ruthless actions.

The boot lifted from the bloodied, mangled hand, and soon a servant knelt to wipe the blood from its sole.

Huan Yao’s face was pale, her brows still etched with lingering shock. She looked toward the figure who had entered, his golden mask concealing his entire face, the heavy stench of blood sharp in the air.

“Sister, how is she?”

Huan Yao shook her head slowly. “Tan’er, I want to ask you for a favor.”

Ming Tan stood by the door, arms folded. Upon hearing this, a trace of annoyance flashed in her eyes, but her tone was affectionate. “Sister, just say the word. I will do my best.”

Huan Yao said, “My plan to seize the Sword Bone was flawless, but a woman keeps sabotaging me. Now she carries the evil fruit within her body—I am no match for her…”

As she spoke, the soft, demonic voice from when she fell off the cliff came to mind, involuntarily sending a chill down her spine.

“Sister, you mean the one who destroyed my Blood Killing Formation, right?”

Huan Yao’s brows furrowed slowly upon hearing the formation was destroyed, surprise flickering in her eyes before she nodded.

“Simple. I’ll send someone to kill her.”

Before Ming Tan finished, Huan Yao sharply interjected, “No! She harbors the purest chaotic power. She shattered the Blood Killing Formation; killing her won’t be easy. Until our brother leaves the Endless Abyss, the Blood Killing Sect must not suffer any further damage.”

Huan Yao frowned, withholding another thought: To obtain the Sword Bone, the bearer must not resist or reject it. Though the witch imprisoned Xuan Yi, she sensed something unusual between Xuan Yi and that woman. She even felt that if that woman were killed, the Sword Bone might never be extracted...

She could not forcibly take Xuan Yi away; she needed to find an opportunity to approach him and gain his trust.

But with that witch around, not only was it impossible to take him away, even approaching was difficult.

Unless...

She abandoned the witch herself!

“Tan’er, you’re beautiful. Go and approach that witch. Make her despise Xuan Yi.”

Ming Tan’s eyes narrowed slightly as she looked at Huan Yao, a ruthless killing intent flashing within her gaze.

“Sister wants me... to seduce her?”

Huan Yao, lost in thought, nodded. “For our brother’s sake, Tan’er, you can do it.”

Ming Tan chuckled softly. “Very well. For sister and brother, I’m willing to do anything.”

When the succubus finishes wiping out the Immortal Sect, that foolish Huan Yao will perish without a trace!

---

Huan Yao rubbed her forehead. “How many days have I been unconscious?”

Ming Tan glanced toward the bloodied corpse hanging outside the window and replied gently, “Half a month.”

A crescent moon hung in the sky as fierce winds swept the sands of Qiu Sea eastward.

Inside a dim cave, thick iron chains, as if formed from demonic mist made solid, extended from the rocky walls, winding tightly around the pale, almost translucent wrists of a young man.

Xuan Yi stood at the cave entrance, his phoenix-shaped eyes slightly raised, gazing at the figure cocooned on the bed, shrouded in dense dark mist.

In the interplay of darkness and moonlight, emotions churned in his eyes. He closed them briefly, then reopened, his gaze calm once more.

The moon hung at its zenith. As every night during this half-month, the demonic aura surrounding the figure continued to spread, enveloping him. When he regained focus, he was already bound to the bed.

His body was cold, but for some reason, the emanating demonic aura felt even colder, as if it were relentlessly drawing out the faint warmth within Xuan Yi, binding him tightly.

Growing colder by the moment, Xuan Yi slowly closed his eyes.

The moon gave way to sunrise.

Harsh sunlight poured in, casting the youth on the bed in a deathly pallor. His ebony lashes trembled. Unlike before, the other side of the bed was now empty.

The cave was deathly silent. Xuan Yi looked toward the entrance; the barrier had vanished, but the chains on his wrists seemed even more secure.

His gaze swept over the empty bed, his brows knitting in concern as he stepped outside.

The demonic mist chains spread with his movement. Just as he stepped out, he locked eyes with a pair of jet-black eyes.

Startled, Xuan Yi’s gaze fixed on the girl’s face, lingering without moving away for a long time.

The host had changed somewhat.

This was the system’s first thought upon awakening with Jiu Wu.

The girl bathed in sunlight still wore the pale dress she usually donned, but her face resembled a white hawthorn blooming in a decadent prison.

The original white hawthorn was pure and flawless. Now, the delicate petals were stained with a fiery hue; the fuzz on the branches had grown thorns—a mesmerizing beauty both complex and contradictory, impossible to look away from.

She lifted her eyes, the shadows at their corners exuding an irresistible charm.

“Senior Brother, come here.”

Jiu Wu glanced at Xuan Yi nearby, beckoning with a slight gesture.

Her hair was no longer tied back as before; black strands flowed down her shoulders and waist casually. Her pale cheeks lacked color, but her soft lips were plump and crimson as if infused with the essence of blood.

Xuan Yi sensed the difference in Jiu Wu. His brows tightened, his aura shifting sharply in a brief moment—there was only one possibility.

He had fallen into a heart demon.

In the next instant, the chains on his wrists moved, dragging him clumsily before Jiu Wu.

She leaned against a boulder, lazily lowering her eyes to look at him.

The chains on his wrists felt weighted like a thousand pounds. Xuan Yi braced himself on the ground, veins bulging on his temples.

A cool palm lifted his chin, forcing him to tilt his head back. A stray lock of hair fell over his narrow phoenix eyes.

“I told you to come, didn’t you hear me?”

Xuan Yi felt the ache from the restraint on his jaw. When he looked at Jiu Wu, his eyes were like a still, clear spring.

He did not answer her, but said, “Having fallen into a heart demon, you can never return to the sect.”

Jiu Wu stared at him coldly. “Thanks to you, senior brother, I’m lucky to still be alive, let alone harbor a heart demon.”

Xuan Yi’s heart tightened. Out of guilt, his eyes darted away in panic.

Jiu Wu’s fingertip trailed downward, lightly touching the slight bulge of his throat. She leaned close, her breath soft against his ear.

“Don’t forget what I said.”

Xuan Yi’s breath caught, recalling what she told Huan Yao at the cliff’s edge:

“When I’ve had my fun with him, I’ll send him down to join you.”

“How do you plan to have fun?”

Xuan Yi sighed calmly, his gaze settling on the vermilion mole that mysteriously appeared at the corner of Jiu Wu’s eye.

She smiled slyly at him. “That depends on whether you can make things interesting for me, senior brother.”

Her finger hooked the thin fabric of his robe, pulling him close, then wrapped around his neck as she sat on his lap.

Her watery eyes brimmed with seductive intent, enchanting as a spirit that could steal souls.

Xuan Yi’s earlobes flushed red; her soft, rosy lips hovered just inches from his, occasionally brushing the corners of his mouth but always maintaining a slight distance.

Recalling what previously pleased her, his eyes deepened.

His hands were bound by chains, unable to move, so he leaned in to seal the softness with his lips.

“Smack!”

Xuan Yi turned his face sharply, his whole body stiffening.

The woman before him laughed, arms still wrapped around his neck, her slender waist trembling in his embrace.

The burning pain on his right cheek left him dazed. His gaze flickered, unusually vacant.

Jiu Wu cozied up to the statue-like man, her fingertips tracing the vivid handprint on his cheek as her tongue gently licked his earlobe.

“Fun, isn’t it?” Xuan Yi’s hoarse voice carried a chill.

Warm breath brushed his ear as Jiu Wu whispered, “Nothing’s more fun than humiliating you.”

With that, she mercilessly stood, towering over him.

“Be a good senior brother and change your clothes. We’re going to have more fun.”

“Of course, if you don’t want to change, I can help you.”

After she left, Xuan Yi glanced aside to find a pile of clothes he hadn’t noticed before.

His fist clenched on the ground, trembling slightly from the emotional turmoil.

Butterfly-wing-thin gauze, a semi-transparent inner shirt, a robe without belt or clasp...

Not a single piece was something a normal person would wear.