Among those five leaders from the Mouse, Rabbit, Wolf, Bear, and Earth Shark races, the strongest was from the Earth Shark clan. He was a low-level Epoch Core realm person.
His race was humanoid with strange bumpy fins on the neck area and along the skull. The shark characteristics were present together with a tail and a large fin on its back.
Their stature was giant, about four meters tall, and their body was bulky.
The earthly color of their skin and powerful webbed fingers ending in claws probably developed to allow them to swim in the land.
However, even with their imposing body and aura, before Tengliu, he was nothing.
"There are people from all your clans. What do you have to say about this."
"My Earth Shark race has nothing to do with this."
"My Lightning Rabbit Race has nothing to do with this."
"My Bone Mouse race has nothing to do with this."
"My Mountain Bear Race has nothing to do with this."
"My Steel Back Wolf Clan has nothing to do with this."
Tengliu snorted.
Back in the room, Yasenia blinked. 'Bone Mouse… I had a conflict with them, right? I remember that they were part of a power… Ah. [Five Shadow Fangs].'
The auctioneer spoke respectfully. "Lady Tengliu, thank you for intervening, our-"
"Save it. I haven't done it for your Auction house. A friend of mine has auctioned a few items, and some of them are there, so I intervened."
The attempt to create a connection with Tengliu failed miserably, and the dragon woman could only stay silent and smile.
Tengliu looked back at those planted on the ground and asked. "You said the Astral Sky Clan stole those, right? Prove it."
The person was giving a bit of time to create a compelling story, so he blurted it out. "The Astral Sky Clan is a power that's not even a year old. The masters of that power, no matter how skilled, it is impossible to create this kind of treasure! Therefore, they either have stolen them or are lying while saying that they can create them."
Tengliu couldn't begin to count how many holes that explanation had, but she asked. "So, why are you stealing them? Do you feel that they must belong to your group since they are stolen?"
The man was stumped.
Tengliu said with a bored expression. "Sorry for not being exalted enough not to be worthy of buying the High-level Heaven-ranked treasures that have appeared."
Yasenia descended from the VIP room and landed beside Tengliu.
Yasenia's appearance was like a lightning bolt for most people.
She was wearing her revealing [Empyrean Cosmos Dress], and her [Empyrean Dragon Authority] aura was released.
Just these two things complimented her beauty and charisma to the point that some fell in love at first sight.
Yasenia's make-up was still on her, so she had a different attraction than usual. Although the make-up was not perfectly done, the wearer was Yasenia. Hence, as someone who could even make a sack of potatoes look good, it gave her a different allure.
Of course, that group didn't expect that Yasenia herself would descend and face them directly.
Yasenia looked at them calmly and spoke, her slightly deep and alluring voice spreading around. "So, you said that my clan stole these items? Since my clan is being accused, I should step forward. I'm also curious to know how they think I robbed these items. Since, as you've said, I'm a weak and newly established power, right?"
The man wanted to speak but couldn't. Yasenia sighed.
Fearing for their lives, one of the bear women stuttered. "H-How is it possible for an upstart power like yours to own so many Heaven-ranked treasures!? It is impossible! You are either a branch of some major power or deceiving everyone!"
One rabbit man shouted. "That's right! In the recent tournament, your clan only ranked high in the Formation and Alchemy sections. You were disqualified from Blacksmithing! Having blacksmiths strong enough to create this and get disqualified is impossible!"
The golden orbs moved and landed on the bear-woman and rabbit man. Yasenia mocked. "Do you think this attempt at stealing makes sense if I'm part of a power strong enough to produce so many Heaven-ranked treasures?"
Everyone looked at Yasenia. Seeing her facial expression, a few gulped.
Yasenia's eyes were filled with so much disdain and disgust that it looked as if she was looking at garbage at the side of the road.
Yasenia commented. "If the respected Nine Sects do not participate with their best juniors and are suddenly disqualified, will you think their items were stolen, too?"
Finding arguing more useless, Yasenia commented. "That's it? Did you decide to steal our items because of that asinine thought process? How about you stop treating all of us as retarded people and tell us who was the one behind this."
Elder Yu from the Nine Molten Hammer Sect spoke from the stands. "Lady Tengliu, if that's all their argument, then there is no point in arguing with them. I recommend either killing them or sending them away to discover who is behind."
The bear woman's eyes widened, and she shouted toward the bear man who had descended previously.
"Third U-Uncle, you can't be deceived by her."
Yasenia blinked. 'Oh? This bear woman truly thinks I stole them. It seems that a few of them are here with righteous indignation instead of truly bad intentions.'
Tengliu also felt it, but she couldn't care less.
The one who answered was actually someone that Yasenia knew. Elder Yu shouted. "Shut up! Don't call yourself my niece when you are doing this. The moment you took this route, you were already not related to my Yu family."
The usual grinning and easygoing Elder Yu's face was cold and indifferent.
Yasenia looked around calmly and stated. "If any of you still doubt us, you can ask our blacksmiths, alchemists, tailors, or formation masters to recreate any of the treasures we are selling today. I made sure that all the things we've sold are items we can properly recreate with enough time and materials. Naturally, the process will be formally done, and appropriate payment is required."
Yasenia didn't bother anymore and jumped up into the VIP room.
Tatyana chuckled. "Taking advantage to promote the clan?"
Yasenia smirked. "Yup~."
The people who thought that these people had a point felt embarrassed after Yasenia declared her stance so firmly and also heard the holes in their arguments.
Tengliu asked. "Will you answer my question of who was behind this stupidity?"
The mouse woman answered quickly and fearfully. "It was an Elder from the rabbit clan!"
The rabbit man's eyes widened. "Why are you lying? We clearly have nothing to do with this?"
A bear man shouted. "The wolves are the ones behind it!"
Fu Hao answered calmly. "Let's not believe them and send them to rooms to extract information. Lady Tengliu, since we are in my city, I would ask you to let me do the questioning."
With a wave of her arm wing, all of them felt their soul being squeezed. The pain manifested physically and made them faint.
Tengliu moved between all of them in less than a second and made them faint.
"No need. I'll deal with them and investigate this matter myself. Whoever the culprits are, this is your chance to come out clean and at least have an honorable death. If you come out now, I'll spare the clans related by only killing the perpetrators."
Tengliu was met with silence as her violet eyes looked around.
"I see. I will give your clans a month or until I find the culprit. The clan who knows about it and tells it first will be spared. My residence will be the Astral Sky Clan manor."
With a wave of her wing, the twenty-plus people floated and were carried away by her into the VIP stand.
The room was luxurious and extensive, so holding extra people when piled up was not difficult. It didn't even bother them.
Yasenia sat with crossed legs and sighed. "Even while lying low, there are people trying to take advantage of me."
Tatyana disagreed. "I think this time you are being too paranoid and misguided by the last-moment desperation movement."
Yasenia blinked. "Right. Not me, but the treasures. Their aim was the treasures. However, the fact that they spoke my name so quickly should be because they know about me, right? I think that suspecting that something's up is not a stretch."
Tatyana agreed.
Cecile summoned an ice dagger and pierced it into the leg of the one who tried to slander Yasenia.
"ARGH!"
The piercing cold dagger breaking even the bone as it went from side to side felt as if it was burning his nerves with pain, making him wake up and scream.
Cecile's eyes were cold as she moved and twisted the dagger to slowly break the muscles and bones, making blood drip.
"Speak. Who told you to mess with Yasenia?"
Yasenia smiled. "Have you not listened, sweetheart?"
Cecile snorted and didn't stop.
The man grinned with bloodshot eyes because of pain. "Do you think I will tell you? This little pain is not enough!"
Cecile smiled. "That's a relief."
The man was stunned at the unexpected response.
Cecile clarified. "If you don't tell me anything, I'll be able to play and torture you more. After all, I haven't had enough fun with you. I also need to vent a few emotions that a certain bird woman created in the past."
Tengliu coughed but didn't say anything.
The Harpy Matriarch kept the others constricted with ease, even when they were starting to wake up.
Tatyana built a restraining and anti-spatial formation during the whole thing and activated it.
"You can stop if you want, Tengliu. They can't even use their spatial rings right now… Speaking of which. We've earned quite the haul."
Yasenia's eyes glittered. "You are right! We'll gain a lot of new treasures~."
"Don't worry, I'm having fun squeezing their bodies and creating small fractures all around." Tengliu moved her fingers, and a few cracks were heard.
Ghana's eyebrow twitched. "I was wondering why they had such constipated faces. They are suffering."
Tengliu couldn't help but marvel. "This pill is really powerful. To think I can now control my aura with such precision? Who has received these kinds of pills in the past?"
Yasenia answered. "Five of the Nine Sects." Yasenia thought back. "They received ten each, I think. I might be wrong, though."
Ghana nodded. "That's correct, Yasenia."
Yasenia nodded and heard another scream coming from the man Cecile was playing with. 'Hm… I need to let her release her pent-up emotions on me~.'
Cecile looked Yasenia's way and locked onto her.
Yasenia sighed. 'When we return, I'll be with you one entire night and more when I can.'
Cecile stopped and nodded.
***********************************************
Evelyn: Those people are quite…
Andrea: Desperate?
Evelyn: Stupid.
Andrea: Pfft, well, you are right. The excuse was mediocre at best.
Tatyana: If they weren't that stupid, they wouldn't have tried the theft in the first place.
Andrea: That's…
Evelyn: A reasonable argument.
Author: Well, let's get with it. I summon you!
Andrew Miles: It's been a while!
Andrea: Hello.
Andrea Miles: Hello, Andrea. Well, let's get with it. Mirrory, what are the effects of a heart demon on a cultivator in this universe? Is it just something that can send them insane and onto the demonic party? Or are there more things they can do apart from what we have seen?
Mirrory: That's a too broad question. However, heart demons are things that reside in the heart, feed on trauma, and grow enough to corrupt a cultivator eventually. They also tend to be strengthened during the tribulation, and it is the biggest cause of death among cultivators who die during tribulations.
Mirrory: Honestly, they are an existence as old as the first cultivator. They are the manifestation of the negative thoughts of a cultivator created by energy.
Mirrory: In short… They are quite an eluding concept that affects cultivators in various ways. Not all go insane. Some become lust-starved, others become eternally hungry, others become battle-crazed, some become monsters that only seek revenge… It depends on what's the root cause of the heart demon that defeated them.
Andrew Miles: I see.
Author: And this is all for today's theater.
Yasenia: Oh? Quite short.
Author: No need to extend it further ~. Bye-bye~.