Several attacks flashed past, and Huo Mian was quickly gravely injured. A rune of time and space came crashing down upon him, leaving him no chance to dodge. His already aged face instantly grew even older.
Yet what terrified him even more were the fists raining down. Each punch was unstoppable. Huo Mian felt despair, but it also ignited his final burst of resistance. Like a madman, he tried to fight back.
Unfortunately, the Red Lotus Karma Fire restrained him completely. The moment he mobilized his spiritual energy, a splitting headache wracked his skull, and his entire body convulsed violently.
So he was being beaten one-sidedly, with no chance to retaliate. Never had Huo Mian suffered such humiliation. He was about to lose his mind.
Song Wanníng's true body stood nearby, arms crossed, watching the spectacle unfold while her clone mercilessly pounded Huo Mian. At this moment, she fully appreciated the power of the Red Lotus Karma Fire.
However, she also realized that if her opponent had been prepared from the start, the Red Lotus Karma Fire wouldn't have gotten close at all. Thus, this flame was best used as a surprise attack. Only then could it unleash its greatest potential.
Just like now. Had Huo Mian not been restrained from the beginning, she might not have been able to take down both him and his companion.
"Ahhh!"
Huo Mian screamed in agony. Regret and hatred filled his eyes. He glared at Song Wanníng with unwillingness, yet his spirit remained unbroken—he never begged for mercy. He even tried to self-destruct, hoping to drag Song Wanníng down with him. But with his Primordial Soul shackled by the Red Lotus Karma Fire, he could not even choose to detonate himself.
Despair washed over him. He knew this time there was no escape from death. In a last effort, he attempted to send a message to his clan, warning them not to provoke Song Wanníng.
Yet a formation rose around them, sealing his communication entirely. He stared at Song Wanníng in shock. So this was why he hadn't been able to call for help earlier—the formation isolated them completely.
What kind of Monster was this woman?
She was terrifying.
"You… you…"
Huo Mian's hope crumbled into despair. In his fading vision, he seemed to see the Huo Clan's tragic future. They had failed their ancestors and the disciples of the clan. With his last breath, enduring unbearable pain, he pleaded with Song Wanníng, "Please… spare the Huo Clan.
Let this end here…" He could not bear to watch the Huo Clan fall. Worse, he could not accept that their downfall would be by his hands.
"You think the Huo Clan will simply let this go?" Song Wanníng's soft laugh carried undisguised mockery. "From the start, it was your Huo Clan who pressed forward relentlessly. You say this now, don't you think it's ridiculous?"
If they hadn't chased her down so persistently, would she have killed Huo Mian?
Now they knew fear?
Too late.
"You…"
Huo Mian's words stuck in his throat because Song Wanníng was right. He had no way to refute her. At last, drowning in regret, Huo Mian was killed with a single punch from her clone. His Yuányīng was consumed by the Red Lotus Karma Fire.
The once-chaotic battlefield fell into silence. It was over. Two Mahayana cultivators had died by Song Wanníng's hand. She collected their storage rings and casually tossed them into her internal world, then swept her gaze over the battlefield.
Instead of cleaning it up, she made it messier, leaving obvious signs of a fierce battle.
"Big Sister, what are you doing?" Long Ling emerged curiously, gazing at Xiao Lian with admiration. How could this "younger sister" be even stronger than their eldest brother?
"You're so dense!" Xiao Jin flew over, knocking Long Ling on the head with a sharp flick.
"Sis is baiting the Huo Clan to come to her!" He'd seen this routine plenty of times. He understood these big families well. They would never ignore this insult.
"That's right. The Huo Clan will never let this go. Since we're sworn enemies now, we can't leave them alive." Song Wanníng nodded. The other two Ancestors of the Huo Clan wouldn't let this slide.
Instead of guarding endlessly against them, she'd rather wipe them out completely, eliminating future trouble.
Besides, she was preparing to break the restrictions of the Central Region, connecting it directly with the four surrounding regions. If the Huo Clan sought revenge against her Master and the others later, what then?
Murderous intent flickered in her eyes as she gathered her companions and hid in a nearby passage.
At the same time, the two Ancestors of the Huo Clan, who had been waiting for news, sensed something was wrong. Huo Mian had been reporting to them daily. Why hadn't he sent a single update today?
Their unease deepened. They tried sending him a message, but to their horror, the communication talisman was forcefully bounced back. Their hearts sank. Both men stood abruptly, faces pale.
"Could something have happened to Third Brother?"
"Impossible. Against just Song Wanníng, Third Brother would have been more than enough. How could something happen?"
Their expressions darkened. Without hesitation, they rushed to the clan's ancestral hall. Even though they had mentally prepared themselves, the moment they saw Huo Mian's extinguished soul lamp, both men froze.
Huo Mian was their brother. They had cultivated together, supported one another, and kept the Huo Clan standing to this day.
Though there had been friction, their bond ran deep.
And now, learning of his sudden death, their hearts nearly shattered.
"Who? Who did this?!"
"That bitch Song Wanníng, wasn't it? It was her, wasn't it?!"
"What happened? What really happened?"
"Third Brother!!!"
Their anguished cries quickly drew the attention of the clan disciples. When they discovered Huo Mian's extinguished soul lamp, despair swept through them.
This was their Ancestor!
The pillar of the Huo Clan!
"What happened? What about Third Ancestor?"
The clan patriarch and elders rushed over. One look at the soul lamp nearly sent them to the ground. Everyone's faces turned deathly pale. None could believe what they were seeing. A Mahayana cultivator, one of the most powerful beings in this world, had fallen. Wasn't he supposed to capture Song Wanníng?
Everyone had been waiting for him to bring her back, to silence rumors and protect the clan's dignity. Now, even the Ancestor had been lost.
"Ancestor, was it Song Wanníng? Was it her? How could she possibly kill Third Ancestor?!" The Patriarch trembled with grief, his bloodshot eyes burning with hatred. His mind was consumed with thoughts of torture, a thousand ways to make Song Wanníng suffer.
"This has everything to do with her!" The First Ancestor's eyes darkened, his scarlet gaze twisting his face. "She's just in the Out-of-Body stage. She couldn't have killed Third Brother herself, but this all happened because of her."
"We must not spare her!" The Second Ancestor's face twisted with hatred as well. If Song Wanníng stood before him now, he'd tear her apart.
"Yes. We won't let Song Wanníng go. She must die to avenge our Ancestor!"