But Jiao Jiao had a troubled expression on its face. It bit its lip, looking very uneasy.

"Chuxue, I... I don’t think my body can take much more!"

After much hesitation, it decided to tell the truth.

Ye Chuxue hadn’t been paying it any mind, so she failed to notice what terrible shape it was in.

"What?"

Ye Chuxue was startled and finally turned to look at Jiao Jiao.

"I’m so sorry, I didn’t even notice!"

Seeing Jiao Jiao looking as frail as a willow in the wind, she was struck with guilt, but also immense disappointment.

’I thought Jiao Jiao could help me, but I never expected this...’

It wasn’t that she blamed Jiao Jiao; she just couldn’t help but feel it was useless.

Just as she was debating whether to give up, the Water Mirror that had vanished suddenly reappeared. This time, however, there were other people in its reflection.

Ye Chuxue looked up, her pupils suddenly contracting. Her face twisted for a moment.

"Song Wanning—!"

Her voice shot up, her face filled with astonishment.

In the next instant, extreme indignation and killing intent filled her chest in the blink of an eye.

She saw Song Wanning speaking with a beautiful woman, while Yu Cheng stood just below, looking up at the beauty with reverence!

’That beautiful woman must be the master of this inheritance.’

"Why? Why is Song Wanning here too? Why?"

"Why does she haunt me like a ghost? Why?"

Ye Chuxue’s composure began to crumble, and she staggered backward unsteadily.

Song Wanning was like a cursed circlet tightening around her head, following her like a shadow ever since she entered the Sect.

She was like the brilliant sun in the sky, scorching and radiant.

No matter how hard Ye Chuxue tried, the other woman was always above her, suffocating her.

’It was one thing for Song Wanning to be so accomplished in Alchemy, but is she even better than me at Arrays, too?’

Ye Chuxue felt something inside her collapse. From that moment on, a time bomb was officially planted in her heart.

Cracks finally appeared in her Dao Heart, which had once been devoted to the path.

She watched everything before her with a devastated expression, her heart filled with overwhelming resentment.

She could lose to anyone, but she could not lose to Song Wanning again.

Absolutely not!

A cold light filled Ye Chuxue’s eyes as she suddenly whipped her head around to look at Jiao Jiao.

In that moment, Jiao Jiao felt that the person before it had become a complete stranger. Those cold, sinister eyes were especially frightening.

It shuddered. Before it could speak, Ye Chuxue grabbed its hand.

"Jiao Jiao, I’ll definitely find a way to make it up to you and help you recover afterward. Just help me one more time!"

Ye Chuxue felt she had been pushed into a corner. Her mind was now consumed by the obsession to defeat Song Wanning.

Without waiting for Jiao Jiao’s consent, she began to frantically absorb its healing power for herself.

"No—!"

Jiao Jiao was already at its limit. Now, as the healing power within its body drained away frantically, it was seized by a great panic.

’If this keeps up, I might die once my energy is gone!’

Jiao Jiao was terrified. Through its sobs, it cried out, "Chuxue, please let me go! We can find another way, okay?"

"I don’t have much energy left! I can’t hold on!"

Its words sparked a moment of guilt in Ye Chuxue, and she paused. But when she saw Song Wanning apparently enjoying a pleasant chat with the beautiful woman, rage and resentment once again swept through her.

"Jiao Jiao, I will compensate you! Trust me!"

"Once I get the inheritance, I’ll give you anything you want! And I will absolutely not let anything happen to you!"

Ye Chuxue didn’t stop absorbing the energy. The words she spoke were merely to make herself feel a little better.

Having been educated in a later era, she had always felt she was different from the people of this world.

She prided herself on a kindness that set her apart, on ideals that transcended the mundane.

Yet now, her inner selfishness surfaced. The bloody, complex reality of human nature was laid bare before her, forcing her to confront it.

The clash between her ambition and her ideals dealt another blow to her Dao Heart.

But in the end, her desires triumphed over her so-called conscience. ’I’ll compensate Jiao Jiao afterward anyway, won’t I?’

’I’m just borrowing a little energy. I’ll make it up to it later with even better Elixir Pills.’

Driven by extreme ambition, Ye Chuxue absorbed the energy faster and faster, completely disregarding Jiao Jiao’s condition.

Jiao Jiao soon felt an intense pain, and tears began to fall. PLIP. PLOP.

Beyond the physical pain, it was even more heartbroken by Ye Chuxue’s actions.

’So, what Little Jiao said was true... Humans from the outside world really are bad people!’

It was filled with regret.

’I should never have revealed my secret.’

Jiao Jiao cried with a broken heart, and the watching Merfolk’s heart broke along with it.

"Master, please save Jiao Jiao! If this goes on, that woman will kill it!"

Why did the Merfolk race go extinct?

First, they participated in that great war. Second, their healing abilities were coveted by both humans and demon beasts. Everyone wanted to capture them and use them as living health potions, with no regard for whether the Merfolk lived or died.

Its face was deathly pale as it clutched Song Wanning’s arm tightly, its eyes filled with pleading.

Song Wanning, however, glanced at Feng Jiuxiao with a smile playing on her lips. "The person you should be begging is her. After all, this entire Immortal Mansion is under her control."

"Isn’t that right, Senior?"

’The Merfolk is the Immortal Mansion’s Guardian Beast. Feng Jiuxiao would surely not sit back and do nothing.’

But the one who had so confidently boasted of her sharp judgment now wore a murderous expression, her face taut and unsightly.

The armrest under Feng Jiuxiao’s hand was about to be crushed. Her eyes were filled with disappointment and fury. She had thought she’d found an exceptionally talented and outstanding successor, only to discover it was a disciple with an unsteady Dao Heart.

’Everyone has selfish desires, but this young girl is unwilling to face her own. It’s causing problems with her Dao Heart, and her cultivation will surely be hindered.’

What was even more terrifying was that she had likely developed a Heart Demon.

And that Heart Demon was none other than Song Wanning.

Her previous words now felt like slaps to her own face. Feng Jiuxiao’s cheeks burned, and Song Wanning’s amused expression as she watched the drama unfold only made her more frustrated.

’This girl is always so confrontational, showing me no respect whatsoever!’

And yet, that was exactly what she liked about her...

’I really am a glutton for punishment.’

Feng Jiuxiao lifted her eyelids slightly and said coolly, "It’s good for it to learn a lesson."

Jiao Jiao is even more naive than Little Jiao and easily fooled.

This will be a good lesson for it.

Hearing this, the Merfolk grew even more anxious, but there was nothing it could do but pace frantically around the Water Mirror.

Yu Cheng, unaware of the wager between the two women, had his full attention on his junior sister’s figure. Watching her comprehend things bit by bit, he felt very gratified.

’It’s just... the atmosphere between Song Wanning and the Senior is really a little strange.’

Just as he was pondering this, Jiao Jiao could hold on no longer and collapsed with a thud.

The flow of energy was suddenly cut off, and Ye Chuxue’s expression instantly turned ugly.

’What use is this thing? It couldn’t even last this long!!’