Zhang Jingmo took out a few talismans from his bosom and placed them one by one on the reef rock.

Lu Guijiu watched carefully, but couldn't tell what those talismans were for. In contrast, Lu Shu, with his vast knowledge, could tell at a glance that Zhang Jingmo was trying to set up a formation.

The more Lu Shu looked, the more amazed he became. "You and your master are both monsters. I never thought I would see this ancient talisman formation here today..."

Lu Guijiu didn't reply, just watched intently.

Lu Shu was already used to Lu Guijiu's coldness towards him. He excitedly muttered to himself, "Your master has gone mad. He actually wants to break into the spiritual vein alone."

Lu Guijiu knew that breaking into a spiritual vein referred to what needed to be done after discovering a spiritual vein and before entering it. But he had only heard of it and had never seen anyone do it in front of him.

After all, every spiritual vein in the world was of utmost importance to the sects. The act of breaking into a vein was so important that it would never be shown to outsiders.

But looking at Zhang Jingmo's movements, he seemed very skilled, as if he had set up this formation thousands of times.

Lu Shu watched in amazement, while some other thoughts emerged in Lu Guijiu's mind. There always seemed to be many secrets about Zhang Jingmo. Some of these secrets were unremarkable, while others piqued Lu Guijiu's curiosity.

Zhang Jingmo took several days to set this up. When he finished, almost every position on the black reef rock was pasted with a talisman.

Zhang Jingmo said, "Guijiu, listen carefully."

Lu Guijiu showed a respectful expression.

Zhang Jingmo said, "You stand in that position. No matter what you see or hear, don't move an inch."

Lu Guijiu had heard this several times. When Zhang Jingmo said it again this time, he didn't take it too seriously. He said, "Yes, Master."

But Zhang Jingmo seemed a little uneasy. He repeated these words again.

Lu Guijiu just nodded and agreed, not feeling that anything would shake him - at least that's what Lu Guijiu thought at the moment. But he would soon know that this thought of his was not only wrong, but gravely mistaken.

Seeing Lu Guijiu obediently agree, Zhang Jingmo nodded, then stepped into the center of the formation.

The scale of this formation didn't look very large, set up on only a small reef rock, but the talismans used were incredibly rare.

It could be said that just this one formation exhausted all of Zhang Jingmo's possessions.

Zhang Jingmo shed his middle-aged disguise that he had been maintaining, and returned to his white-haired, white-clothed appearance. Lu Guijiu looked at his master in a place where Zhang Jingmo couldn't see, his eyes filled with infatuation.

Standing in the formation, Zhang Jingmo had a gentle smile on his face. His right hand holding the sword lifted slightly. Then, he did something that made Lu Guijiu dumbfounded - he heavily slashed the sword onto his own left shoulder.

Lu Guijiu showed a shocked expression, mixed with a hint of panic. He watched the bright red blood splatter all over the ground, then the hand that had once held his own slowly fell to the ground.

All sound disappeared. Lu Guijiu opened his mouth slightly, watching Zhang Jingmo turn his face expressionlessly and shake his head at him.

No matter what you see, no matter what you hear, don't move.

A shrill scream rang out beside Lu Guijiu's ears. That scream was so familiar - it was clearly Zhang Jingmo's scream.

But the person in front of him didn't open his mouth. That scream seemed to come from Zhang Jingmo's soul. Lu Guijiu's pupils had shrunk to small dots, unable to utter a word.

Zhang Jingmo naturally saw Lu Guijiu's stunned expression. He sighed, thinking to himself if he had shocked Lu Guijiu too much this time. But his hand movements didn't stop. Directly ignoring the intense pain, he bent down to pick up the severed arm and accurately threw it onto another key point of the formation.

"A human sacrifice?" Lu Shu had seen countless cultivators, but it was the first time he saw someone use their own body as a human sacrifice. His surprise was no less than Lu Guijiu's. "Your master has gone mad."

"No, no..." Lu Guijiu finally cried out. His voice was choked with blood, tears, and fear. He wanted to lift his foot and walk towards Zhang Jingmo, but before he could move, he looked up and saw Zhang Jingmo's cold expression.

Zhang Jingmo looked at Lu Guijiu. There was only one strong will in those eyes: Don't move.

Lu Guijiu trembled all over, but his feet felt rooted to the spot. He said in a shaky voice, "Master, I'll listen to you. Don't do this, Master..."

Zhang Jingmo was expressionless, just coldly staring at Lu Guijiu, not giving Lu Guijiu any response.

Lu Guijiu was about to collapse. He had encountered so many dangers, had been on the verge of death so many times, but had never been as terrified as he was now. He looked at the arm that fell from Zhang Jingmo's body, as if feeling that it wasn't Zhang Jingmo who was severed, but himself.

However, this was just the beginning.

Seeing that Lu Guijiu had no intention of moving again, Zhang Jingmo raised his sword again.

Seeing Zhang Jingmo's action, Lu Guijiu instantly understood its meaning. All the hair on his body stood up, feeling like his soul was being forcibly pulled out of his body and soaked in ice water.

However, Zhang Jingmo's movements didn't waver in the slightest due to Lu Guijiu's devastated expression. He swung his sword again, this time severing his own right leg.

"Ah ah ah no no..." This slash made Lu Guijiu kneel on the ground. He didn't dare leave the range Zhang Jingmo had drawn for him, but let out desperate howls from his throat, as if being stabbed in the heart again and again, then having the knife twisted viciously. He despaired, "Master, Master, stop, please, Master, stop..."

Lu Guijiu's reaction was within Zhang Jingmo's expectations. He looked at Lu Guijiu's constantly pleading appearance, his expression still unmoved.

Lu Shu had stopped talking by now. He understood what Zhang Jingmo was doing and was also extremely shocked. Opening a spiritual vein was extremely difficult and usually required several cultivators working together. But he never thought Zhang Jingmo would come up with such a method.

Because he had made sufficient preparations in advance, severing his left arm and right leg did not cause Zhang Jingmo to lose his senses from the pain. On the contrary, if it weren't for the blood everywhere, Zhang Jingmo's complexion looked even better than before at this moment.

Lu Guijiu's face was already covered in tears. His eyes were red as he stared at Zhang Jingmo, panting and roaring like a wild beast.

Zhang Jingmo didn't look at Lu Guijiu. He simply reached out, picked up his right leg, and tossed it to another vital point of the formation.

At this time, the entire formation began to emit a red glow. The light shook the reef rocks, causing them to tremble slightly, clearly taking effect.

Then, Zhang Jingmo raised his sword and severed his only remaining left foot.

Lu Guijiu had stopped talking. He seemed to be dead, silently gazing at Zhang Jingmo before him, his vacant eyes devoid of any emotion.

Seeing this, Zhang Jingmo also knew it was about time. He gently called out, "Guijiu."

Lu Guijiu shuddered, as if suddenly coming back to his senses. Hearing Zhang Jingmo call him, he thought Zhang Jingmo had changed his mind. But unexpectedly, Zhang Jingmo said to him in a gentle voice, "Guijiu, do you want to see your master again?"

Lu Guijiu nodded like crazy. He said, "Master, don't leave me, don't leave me..."

Zhang Jingmo said, "If you want your master to not leave you, will you become stronger?"

Lu Guijiu seemed to have entered a state of numbness. No matter what Zhang Jingmo said, he just kept nodding, muttering to himself, begging Zhang Jingmo not to leave him.

Seeing Lu Guijiu in this state, Zhang Jingmo should have been happy, because his plan had been perfectly realized. But for some reason, a hint of pain arose in his heart, as if seeing a child he had watched grow up being bullied, and the one bullying him was himself.

But in this matter, if one wasn't ruthless, it definitely wouldn't work.

Zhang Jingmo said again, "Guijiu, remember what you said, to become stronger."

Lu Guijiu's tears had dried. He guessed what Zhang Jingmo was going to do, and his expression became even more terrified. He said, "Master, I'll listen to you, don't-"

The roar only got halfway out before it stopped. Lu Guijiu watched as Zhang Jingmo, with a smile, reached into his chest and brutally dug out his own heart.

"Ah-" This scene was an unforgettable nightmare for Lu Guijiu. He clutched his hair tightly, pressing his forehead against the cold reef rock.

Zhang Jingmo's gentle voice still seemed to linger by his ears: If you want your master to not leave you, will you become stronger?