Su Luo glanced around at the people, deeply disgusted by their behavior, but she kept it to herself.
"Senior Brother," she said calmly, "with me here, you can act without hesitation."
Li Tianjue nodded slightly.
He had finally received Su Luo's assurance, and since she had said so, it meant she was confident.
The Poison Toad King, however, mistook Su Luo's words as urging Li Tianjue to commit suicide. He let out a triumphant, roaring laugh. "Hahahaha, excellent! A wise man knows when to cut his losses. Li Tianjue, hurry and end yourself, or this venerable one will have to act..."
Suddenly, a cold glint flashed, and Li Tianjue drew his Cold Light White Feather Sword.
But instead of slitting his own throat, he shot towards the Poison Toad King like lightning. His sword was sharp and menacing, radiating killing intent.
At the same time, Su Luo's gaze turned icy.
Seal God Art—
Activated!
Seeing that Li Tianjue wasn't killing himself but attacking the Poison Toad King, everyone cried out in alarm. "No!" They had made a mistake, and their children were about to be harmed by the Poison Toad King.
The Poison Toad King had anticipated this. With a sinister grin, he intended to make his move and poison the children first.
But as the thought formed, he suddenly found himself unable to move.
It wasn't just his hands; his entire body was paralyzed, as if petrified. The Poison Toad King's heart was filled with dread.
His pupils dilated in shock as he watched Li Tianjue's sword descend upon him.
The dazzling sword energy, brimming with killing intent, blinded the Poison Toad King. As the surging power washed over him, he felt a sharp pain in his shoulder. His right arm was severed at the shoulder, and blood spurted out like a fountain.
"Ah—" the Poison Toad King shrieked. He could no longer control the silk threads in his hands. The dozens of children he held suspended in the air began to fall towards the ground like dumplings.
Lu Shanhou's face turned ashen with fear. "Yu'er, my Yu'er..."
"No, Little Princess..."
"Save them, quickly save them!"
Chaos erupted as people rushed towards the sky.
Li Tianjue, however, remained rooted to the spot. With a gentle wave of his hand, translucent flowers materialized from the void, transforming into chains that nimbly wrapped around all the children.
Their descent halted. Each child was ensnared by a flower chain, suspended steadily in mid-air.
While Li Tianjue was saving the children, Su Luo also launched her attack.
Taking advantage of the critical moment when the Poison Toad King was immobilized by the Seal God Art, her shining sword descended instantly.
This was Su Luo's first full-power attack, unleashing the maximum might of the Shang Qing You Sword Art. Her swordsmanship was as swift and powerful as thunder, piercing directly through his chest.
The Poison Toad King spat out another mouthful of blood and crashed to the ground.
All the children finally landed safely. Countless people rushed forward, embracing their little sons and daughters and weeping. The children, having been frightened for a long time, also burst into tears. The scene was filled with a cacophony of voices, a mixture of sorrow and joy.
"Rou'er, are you alright?" Chu Tianshu rushed forward and hugged his younger sister.
Rou'er ignored him, showing no sign of fear. She looked around the crowd, quickly found Jun Mubai, and ran to him, leaving her brother behind. "Little Bai, are you alright?"
Watching his sister's solicitous concern for their junior brother, Chu Tianshu rolled his eyes.
Even at such a young age, she already favored her crush over her brother!
Li Tianjue and Su Luo stood thirty feet away from the Poison Toad King, motionless. They simply watched him as he lay there, on the verge of death.
One minute...
Five minutes...
Ten minutes passed...
The Poison Toad King finally couldn't hold on any longer, his head drooping powerlessly.
"You, you have to be so vigilant? This venerable one is already, already gravely injured... and yet you, you still keep such a distance..." he complained weakly.
Damn it!
These two were too cautious, preventing him from using poison.
Su Luo's lips curved into a slight smile. "You're unhappy that you couldn't sneak attack us, aren't you?"
As soon as she finished speaking, she unhesitatingly brought her sword down, severing all of the Poison Toad King's tendons in his hands and feet.
The Poison Toad King screamed, his voice filled with a soul-rending roar. "Brat, if you want to kill me, do it sooner! Why wait so long?"
Su Luo chuckled teasingly. "You were trying to poison and sneak attack us just now, weren't you? If I didn't give you some hope, how could I see your despair now?"
Poison Toad King: "..."
This brat was simply a demon!
He cursed and roared madly, but he was powerless to retaliate, left only with despair and pain.
What he couldn't comprehend was why his cultivation had suddenly vanished, why he had been unable to move, and why he had ultimately lost so miserably.
Li Tianjue walked up to the Poison Toad King, sealed his acupoints, finally silencing him. He then called out to Lu Jixing. "Take him back and interrogate him thoroughly. We must find out what happened with Fifth Brother's poisoning back then."
Lu Jixing, knowing the gravity of the situation, quickly took the Poison Toad King back to Qingxu Heaven.
With the matter dealt with, Li Tianjue finally let out a sigh of relief. He turned to Su Luo, a flicker of relief and tenderness in his eyes. "Su Luo... it's a good thing you were here just now. Otherwise, even I wouldn't have known how to save those children."
"Senior Brother, why are you being so polite to me?"
Su Luo chuckled. "Now that we've captured the Poison Toad King together, we can claim his bounty. Eighty million, let's split it fifty-fifty. However, you promised to help me earn money earlier, so your share should also be mine."
Li Tianjue looked at her unapologetic demeanor, speechless.
So, all his hard work amounted to nothing, and he wouldn't even get a single spirit coin?
This girl's mind was filled with nothing but money.
All the children were saved, and as people rejoiced, they rushed forward to thank Li Tianjue and Su Luo.
Chu Tianshu said with a stern face, "From now on, please don't ask my Senior Brother to go to his death, and I'll be grateful to you."
Everyone exchanged glances.
Lu Shanhou, in particular, offered some insincere apologies before shamefully taking his grandson and leaving.
Others praised Li Tianjue for his righteousness and his being a nemesis to demonic sects, expressing their admiration and deep gratitude.
Li Tianjue remained stoic throughout, unfazed. Su Luo also showed no expression, having seen through the hypocrisy of these people. No matter how eloquently they spoke, she remained unmoved.
Chu Tianshu was left to handle the aftermath. Li Tianjue led the others back to Qingxu Heaven.
The immediate priority was to interrogate the Poison Toad King about the events of the past, and nothing else mattered.
However, as they reached the entrance of Qingxu Heaven, they suddenly heard a loud explosion.
Boom...
The entire ground trembled as if from a powerful blast. Su Luo looked at Li Tianjue, and both of them simultaneously realized something was wrong. Dropping everyone else, they rushed towards the Hall of Punishment.
Something had happened!
From a distance, they saw the area near the Iron Blood Hall in utter chaos. Many Qingxu Heaven disciples and servants were fleeing from within, and a thick smell of blood permeated the air. Li Tianjue quickened his pace, rushing in and calling out, "Jixing!"
Su Luo followed closely behind him into the hall. Seeing the utter devastation within, she was stunned.
The main hall of the Iron Blood Hall was littered with dismembered limbs and shattered bones, a scene of crimson. Flesh and entrails were splattered everywhere, some clinging to the walls, others hanging from lamp posts, a gruesome sight like hell itself.
"M-Master Brother..."
Lu Jixing stood there, covered in blood. After a long moment, he finally reacted, looking shocked and dejected. "The Poison Toad King... he self-detonated..."