At the Martial Practice Arena.
Han Jue's eyes were blood-red.
The cold gleam on the spear in his hand surged, killing intent roiling along its tip as though it were about to pierce the arena's formation patterns.
Ao Lie stood opposite him, Blackwater dragon aura coiling around his arms as layers of scales emerged over his dragon claws.
Their auras collided wildly.
On one side stood the Ice-Scaled Tribe's sharpest young prodigy.
On the other was the Blackwater Dragon Palace's Third Prince, now the commanding general of the Outer Gate of Dragon-Suppressing Pass.
If they were truly allowed to fight without restraint, the entire Academy Martial Practice Arena might be reduced to rubble.
The Realm Guard cultivators' expressions changed drastically.
"Commander Han!"
"Your Highness Ao Lie!"
"Stop!"
But Han Jue could no longer hear them.
The world in his eyes still overlapped with the Heart Demon illusion.
He saw Ao Lie transform into a colossal black dragon and lead the Dragon Clan Main Lineage in crushing Dragon-Suppressing Pass.
He saw Abyss Academy collapse.
He saw the Northern Darkness Sea dyed blood-red by the Dragon Clan.
He saw countless disciples from weaker races wailing beneath dragon claws.
The scene was too real.
So real that it ignited every shred of fury in Han Jue's heart.
"Ao Lie!"
He let out a low roar.
His spear shot out again like icy lightning tearing through the sky.
Ao Lie's gaze darkened completely.
He knew Han Jue had fallen under a Heart Demon's influence.
Yet the words, "The Dragon Clan will always be the Dragon Clan," still pierced his heart like a thorn.
All these years, he had guarded Dragon-Suppressing Pass.
He had blocked Ao Yin.
He had refused to return to Blackwater Dragon Palace.
Even when the Ancestral Dragon Dao Thought descended in person, he had chosen to continue upholding Abyss's rules.
Yet at this moment, he was still the first one Han Jue suspected in his Heart Demon.
His Dragon Clan identity was like a brand.
No matter what he did, it seemed impossible to erase.
Anger rose within Ao Lie, and Blackwater dragon aura suddenly surged.
"Han Jue!"
"Wake up!"
Dragon claws and spear collided once more.
Boom!
Large sections of the Martial Practice Arena's formation patterns lit up.
Fine cracks appeared across the surrounding stone pillars.
When Feng Li arrived, this was the scene she saw.
Her expression changed as she raised a hand and released Frost Phoenix Frostflame.
The ice-blue Frostflame fell along the edge of the Martial Practice Arena, forcibly freezing the leaking killing intent.
Lin Yue followed close behind, earth-vein power rising from beneath his feet to stabilize the formation foundation that was on the verge of collapsing.
Lan Shuang stepped into the Martial Practice Arena with the Book of Cause and Effect in hand.
At a glance, she spotted the faint wisp of demonic aura between Han Jue's brows.
"Heart Demon."
Her voice turned cold.
"Someone tampered with the Academy."
The killing intent around Han Jue intensified.
In his eyes, Feng Li and Lin Yue had changed as well.
The Frost Phoenix phantom behind Feng Li became a flaming phoenix burning Abyss to ashes.
The earth veins beneath Lin Yue's feet became a colossal beast devouring the Northern Darkness Sea.
In his Heart Demon, the figures of all three races had become enemies.
"You..."
"You're all going to destroy Abyss!"
Han Jue suddenly raised his spear.
This time, he actually intended to attack Ao Lie, Feng Li, and Lin Yue at once.
Lan Shuang's expression changed drastically.
Han Jue had always possessed the strongest killing intent among Abyss's younger generation.
If the Heart Demon completely magnified his battle intent, he might truly fall to the Demonic Dao.
Deep within Abyss.
Lu Chen had already heard the system prompt.
"Detected Demonic Dao Heart Demon corruption within Abyss Academy. Han Jue has lost control of his mind. Please choose, Host."
"One: Act personally and suppress all Heart Demons. Reward: one Demon-Suppressing Tortoise Shell."
"Two: Seal Abyss Academy and expel the disciples of the three races. Reward: ten Purity Talismans."
"Three: Bestow the Mind-Cleansing Tortoise Cry and allow the younger generation to break their Heart Demons themselves. Reward: Mind-Cleansing Profound Sound."
Lu Chen's gaze settled on the third option.
Suppressing the Heart Demons himself would certainly be effective.
But it would make everyone in the Academy dependent on him.
If they encountered a Heart Demon in the future and simply waited for him to save them, that would not do.
Sealing the Academy and expelling the disciples of the three races was also too extreme.
The old grievances between the three races already existed. Expelling them would only make things worse.
The third option was best.
Mind-Cleansing Tortoise Cry.
He would give them a chance to wake up.
If they woke up, they could continue following Abyss's rules.
If they could not, then the Book of Cause and Effect would suppress them.
"Choose three."
"Congratulations, Host. You have obtained Mind-Cleansing Profound Sound."
The next moment.
Lu Chen's true body, sleeping beside the Abyss Sea Eye, gently exhaled.
That breath was slow.
Heavy.
Like a Black Tortoise that had slumbered since ancient times, letting out a low cry in its dream.
"Hum..."
The tortoise cry emerged from Abyss's deepest reaches.
It was not loud.
It did not even shake the mountains or rivers.
Yet when it entered the ears of every living being, it was like a drop of clear water falling into a chaotic lake of the heart.
In the Martial Practice Arena, Han Jue's raised spear suddenly stopped.
The blood-red color in his eyes churned violently.
Within the Heart Demon illusion, the black dragon destroying Abyss was suddenly shattered by a deep tortoise cry.
The flaming phoenix phantom Feng Li had become dissipated.
The colossal earth-vein beast beneath Lin Yue's feet also turned into Clear Qi.
Han Jue's eyes widened abruptly.
He saw the real Martial Practice Arena.
He saw blood at the corner of Ao Lie's mouth, yet Ao Lie still stood in front of him.
He saw Feng Li freezing the leaking killing intent to prevent the Academy disciples from being injured.
He saw Lin Yue using the earth veins to stabilize the formation foundation.
He also saw Lan Shuang holding the Book of Cause and Effect, her eyes filled with worry.
Han Jue's arm trembled.
His spear clanged onto the ground.
He staggered half a step back, his face turning deathly pale.
"I..."
"What did I just do?"
Ao Lie clutched his chest and said coldly, "You nearly ran me through."
Han Jue opened his mouth.
For a moment, he could not say anything.
Seeing that Han Jue had regained his senses, much of Ao Lie's anger subsided.
He snorted coldly.
"Idiot."
"You believed whatever your Heart Demon showed you?"
Han Jue lowered his head.
This time, he unusually did not argue back.
Because he knew Ao Lie was right.
At that moment, he had truly believed it.
He had truly believed Ao Lie would betray Abyss.
That killing intent had risen from his heart with perfect clarity.
Had the Emperor's Mind-Cleansing Tortoise Cry not descended in time, he might truly have thrust out that spear.
Feng Li said softly, "It wasn't just Han Jue."
"I was affected too."
A trace of gravity flashed through her eyes.
"For an instant, I saw Zhu Yan leading the Phoenix Clan in burning the Frostflame Parasol Tree."
Lin Yue nodded as well.
"I saw Mysterious Peak Mountain crushed beneath the Dragon and Phoenix Clans."
Ao Lie fell silent for a moment.
"I saw all of you turn around and leave Abyss."
Those words made them all fall silent.
Youdu's Heart Demon had not fabricated things out of thin air.
It had seized upon their deepest fears.
Han Jue feared that the three races would betray Abyss.
Ao Lie feared he would never be trusted.
Feng Li feared that the Frost Phoenix Lineage would once again be dragged back onto the battlefield by the Phoenix Clan.
Lin Yue feared that the young Water Qilin lineage would lose its place to live.
Everyone had cracks in their hearts.
The Demonic Dao had slipped in through those cracks.
Lan Shuang raised a hand, and the Book of Cause and Effect floated into the air.
"The Emperor has bestowed the Mind-Cleansing Tortoise Cry. The Heart Demons of everyone in the Academy have temporarily been suppressed."
"Now, find the source."
Black-and-white radiance spilled from the Book of Cause and Effect.
This time, the Mind-Cleansing Tortoise Cry still echoed above the Academy.
The concealment of the Demon Shadow Talisman began to weaken.
In the outer city, the smile on Youdu's face suddenly froze.
"Mind-Cleansing Profound Sound?"
"This Black Tortoise can even break Heart Demons?"
He immediately tried to leave.
But the Book of Cause and Effect had already captured the source of that wisp of demonic aura.
Black-and-white radiance passed through the Academy, the outer city, and stone alleys before landing directly on Youdu.
The gray robe around him instantly burst into black demonic flames.
The disguise shattered.
The originally gentle, thin Youshui Tribe cultivator transformed into a pale-faced Demonic Dao emissary with pitch-black eyes.
The Academy bell rang out sharply.
"Demonic cultivator!"
"A demonic cultivator infiltrated Abyss!"
The Realm Guard swiftly sealed off the outer city.
Han Jue picked up his spear, killing intent reigniting in his eyes.
This time, he was fully clear-headed.
"So it was you."
Ao Lie stepped to his side as well.
"We'll settle what happened just now with him."
Han Jue glanced at him.
"You don't blame me?"
Ao Lie said calmly, "We'll talk after the fight."
Han Jue grinned.
"Fine."
Feng Li's Frostflame rose.
The earth veins emerged beneath Lin Yue's feet.
Holding the Book of Cause and Effect, Lan Shuang said coldly, "Youdu, emissary of the Demon Cult."
"You used the Demon Shadow Talisman to conceal causality, infiltrated Abyss Academy, and provoked the old grievances between the three clans."
"Abyss has recorded this crime."
Seeing that his identity had been exposed, Youdu did not flee.
He stood in the middle of a stone alley in the outer city, black mist churning behind him.
"Abyss's rules."
"The Book of Cause and Effect."
"The Mind-Cleansing Tortoise Cry."
He looked toward the depths of Abyss, his gaze cold and sinister.
"Black Tortoise, you ruined the Demonic Dao's plans."
The Abyss Dharma Body had yet to manifest.
Only Lu Chen's calm voice came from the depths of the Northern Darkness Sea.
"You entered Abyss to cause trouble."
"You have quite the nerve."
Youdu gave a low laugh.
"Amid the Great Tribulation, all living beings should enter the tribulation."
"By establishing Abyss Calamity Evasion, you cut off the Demonic Dao's resources."
"Black Tortoise, do you really think you can protect these people?"
Lu Chen sighed silently to himself.
He had known it.
Luohou would notice Abyss sooner or later.
He just had not expected it to happen so quickly.
But he could not show weakness now.
The less he said, the more imposing he seemed.
"Try me."
The two words fell.
Han Jue, Ao Lie, Feng Li, and Lin Yue stepped forward at the same time.
For the first time, Abyss Academy's younger generation truly stood on the same side.
Youdu looked at them, the corners of his mouth rising.
"Good."
"Then this emissary shall see."
"Whether the Dragon, Phoenix, Qilin, and Abyss Guardian Team can suppress the Demonic Dao's heartfire."