173: Show off your financial power! I, a pillar of the righteous path, will not be seduced by a vixen!

Ten Thousand Bones Plaza.

After the Nine Nether Demonic Cult Elder suppressed the riot with the vague excuse of "the Saintess's guest," the atmosphere on the scene became incredibly subtle.

The Loose Cultivators with empty pockets automatically gathered together, looking at the "big shots" walking toward the payment counter, their eyes filled with the disdain born from spiritual victory.

"Heh, just a bit of stinking money, what's so great about it?"

"Exactly! We demonic cultivators believe in strength above all! Once I break through the Ten Thousand Devils Heart-Refining Array and seize the Devil Emperor's Legacy, I'll definitely smash their faces with Spirit Stones!"

"Right! Come on, let's go line up to enter the array and show them what a true powerhouse looks like!"

A group of broke demonic cultivators huddled together for warmth, boosting each other's morale with grand words, as if they could already see their future of a Heaven-Defying change of fate.

On the other side, the atmosphere in the "rich area" was completely different.

In front of the temporary payment counter, the group of undercover prodigies from the Righteous Path were lining up with various expressions.

Several female cultivators from the Hehuan Sect were in charge of collecting fees; each one breathed like orchids and was born with seductive bones, turning this place into their home turf for business.

"This Young Master, seeing your restrained Devilish Qi and extraordinary bearing, you must be the direct descendant of some immortal demonic Sect, right? This humble servant will help you register?"

"Oh my, this Fellow Daoist's Devilish Qi is so vigorous, it makes This humble servant's heart tremble."

If it were any true demonic cultivator, they would likely be lost in lust by now, wanting to drag the demoness away for an "in-depth exchange" on the spot.

But today, they encountered a group of "Pillars of the Righteous Path" whose style was seriously off.

"Amitabha!"

The young monk, Monk Jiese, who was at the front of the line, shuddered all over when he was provoked by a female cultivator's soft and sweet voice.

He immediately pressed his palms together, closed his eyes tightly, and looked solemn and dignified.

"Female benefactor, please conduct yourself with dignity! Form is emptiness, and emptiness is form! You and I are both but pink skeletons, a bag of foul skin; why cling to appearances?"

The female cultivator was stunned, then laughed so hard she trembled: "You're so interesting, little brother. This humble servant just loves your act of being serious."

As she spoke, she deliberately puffed out her already impressive chest even more.

Monk Jiese was so scared his face turned pale. He retreated three steps, his mouth rapidly reciting the Great Compassion Heart-Clearing Mantra.

[Sinful, sinful! This place is filled with overwhelming demonic obstacles. My Buddha-heart is unstable; I almost attained Nirvana on the spot!]

Behind him, Jian Buping watched this scene coldly, his eyes filled with undisguised disgust.

He hated those who acted coquettishly the most in his life.

When it was his turn, a heavy Storage Pouch was slammed onto the table with a muffled "thud."

"One billion. Count it clearly," he said in a cold voice, devoid of any emotion.

The female cultivator in charge of fees was taken aback by this attitude, but she still habitually threw a flirtatious wink: "This big brother is so cold, This humble servant..."

"Shut up!"

Jian Buping barked softly, a sharp Sword Intent erupting from his body. "Say one more word, and believe it or not, I'll split this table of yours with one strike?"

[If not for the sake of the grand plan, I would surely uphold the Dao for Heaven and slay you demonesses under my sword!]

The female cultivator was so frightened by the genuine Killing Intent on him that her face lost its color. She didn't dare say another word and hurriedly picked up the Storage Pouch to count it obediently.

The line slowly moved forward in this extremely bizarre atmosphere.

Gu Changfeng from Jixia Academy, holding a feather fan, was conducting a "live lecture" for his fellow Disciples.

"Everyone, please look. According to the 'Records of Demonic Realm Customs,' the charm techniques of the Hehuan Sect's female cultivators have reached the Transcendent level. Their every word, action, frown, and smile all secretly align with the fluctuations of the Law. If we can see through their illusory nature, it will be an excellent tempering for our Dao Hearts."

A fellow Disciple nearby asked in a low voice: "Senior Brother Gu, how should one see through it?"

Gu Changfeng pushed up the non-existent glasses on the bridge of his nose, his voice steady and powerful.

"It's very simple."

"You only need to repeatedly recite the Eight-Character Mantra 'National Prosperity, People as the Foundation, Rites and Music, Great Harmony' in your heart, and you can cleanse all evil ways with supreme Noble Spirit!"

Everyone: "..."

When it was Qian Duoduo's turn from the Shenji Gate, his eyes were glued to the fee-collection table.

"Hiss... This table is actually made from a complete piece of Ten-Thousand-Year Soul-Nurturing Wood! What a waste of natural treasures! Too extravagant! Too wasteful!"

While paying the money with a pained heart, he also pretended to accidentally reach under the table, his fingernails quickly scratching at it.

"Fellow Daoist, what are you doing?" The female fee-collector stared at him warily.

"Nothing, nothing!" Qian Duoduo immediately retracted his hand and put on an extremely upright expression. "I just feel that this wood is of excellent quality. If used to set up a Spirit Gathering Array, it could effectively increase your efficiency in counting Spirit Stones. I'm thinking of you, out of the goodness of my heart!"

[What a pity! There's actually an anti-theft Restriction carved on it! I can't scrape it off! Otherwise, just this small piece of wood would be worth tens of millions of Spirit Stones!]

Qian Duoduo walked away with a face full of regret.

This group of "demonic cultivators," whose style was bizarrely off the charts, made all the Hehuan Sect female Disciples present begin to doubt their lives.

They felt that those lining up today weren't Devil Heads.

But rather... a group of bizarre species they had never seen before.

Finally, after experiencing a bout of "mental torture" and a "lingchi of the wallet," the Righteous Path Prodigy group finally paid in full with tears in their eyes and received that thin entry permit.

Each one of them grimaced in pain as they walked toward the Ten Thousand Bones Arena.

"One billion! That's a full one billion High-Grade Spirit Stones! The private savings I've accumulated over three hundred years have returned to zero overnight!" A True Disciple from a small Sect almost burst into tears.

"Be content," Jian Buping said coldly. "Money can be earned again, but if your life is gone, everything is gone. If we had gone to face the life-and-death trial of the Ten Thousand Devils Heart-Refining Array, that would be a true total loss."

"Brother Sword is absolutely right." Gu Changfeng shook his feather fan, deeply agreeing. "We carry a heavy responsibility; how can we lose the big picture for small gains? The priority now is to enter the Secret Realm as soon as possible, find Lady 'Cold Moon Immortal,' and regroup with her."

At the mention of "Cold Moon Immortal," everyone's expressions became strange again.

That ice beauty walking hand-in-hand with Su Chen through the market had given them too much of a shock.

"Speaking of which... what exactly is the relationship between Lady 'Cold Moon Immortal' and the Godchild of the Everlasting Su Family?"

Yue Qinghan adjusted the angle of her veil inconspicuously as she walked, ensuring that any side of her face was flawless.

"What else could it be?" a female Disciple nearby said sourly. "A handsome man and a beautiful woman, a match made in heaven."

"Humph! Just a pretty boy who lives off his face!" Jian Buping's tone was full of disdain. "If he weren't from the Everlasting Su Family, how could someone like Lady 'Cold Moon Immortal' take an interest in him?"

"Amitabha."

Monk Jiese pressed his palms together and stepped in to smooth things over at the right time.

"The beginning and end of fate are all predestined; we don't need to speculate too much. The matter of Benefactor Su and Benefactor 'Cold Moon Immortal' has its own Karma. We should still look after ourselves first."

As they discussed, they stepped onto the magnificent arena built from hundreds of millions of white bones.

Looking at the entrance to the Yellow Springs Secret Realm, which seemed capable of devouring everything, they finally put away all distracting thoughts, and a solemn expression appeared on their faces in unison.

The true test was only beginning now.

They took a deep breath and stepped into that pitch-black spatial crack one by one.