What she needed now was the element of surprise. Only then could she seize the upper hand. That was why she had provoked the two of them moments ago, to force an opening to strike. Now that she had made her move, she would go all out.
For this punch, Song Wanníng poured immortal qi straight into her fist. A thread of pale light flashed across her knuckles, and in a blur faster than the eye could follow, her fist drove for the First Ancestor's dantian.
The First Ancestor reacted quickly and raised his hand on instinct to counter. The moment her fist connected, his hand shattered. A sound limb became a spray of mangled flesh. Even the bones were crushed to powder and scattered through the air.
White-hot pain stabbed through him, and the First Ancestor threw himself backward without thinking. He tried to unleash oppressive pressure to force Song Wanníng back, only to discover it had no effect on her at all.
Song Wanníng gave him a slight smile and closed the distance again at speed. By now the First Ancestor had recognized the terrifying strength of her physical body and had no intention of letting her get close. He did everything he could to evade.
But Song Wanníng wielded spatial runes. One moment she was here, the next she appeared somewhere else entirely. He could not lock down her true position. After only a few exchanges, she drove a heavy kick into his shin.
"Ah!"
He could not help crying out, his face twisted with pain as he lashed out at her in a flurry. Who would have thought she would pull out an immortal furnace from who knew where, using it to block his attacks with ease.
Nearly struck by his own rebounding force, the First Ancestor was furious. He glared daggers at Song Wanníng. This woman was too cunning.
Tricks and nasty surprises came one after another. No wonder she dared to be so arrogant.
Meanwhile, the Second Ancestor was not faring much better. The clone's strength matched the true body, and she fought with a fearless ferocity. She hounded him relentlessly, fists flying like a storm.
The Second Ancestor raged and counterattacked with full strength, but he gradually grew afraid of that reckless momentum. He suffered repeated injuries, and half of one shoulder was smashed to pieces.
Fortunately, his movement technique was decent, letting him respond quickly. Otherwise, he really might have fallen to this woman. The shame if that got out would be unbearable.
"Was Third Brother really killed by you?" At this point, both of them had to accept it. Third Brother had indeed been slain by Song Wanníng.
Song Wanníng did not answer. Her response was speed, faster and faster, and fists that struck even harder. At first, she had only infused immortal qi into her punches. Their power had already risen.
Now, she drew several forces from within the circle she controlled and poured them together into her fist. As that punch fell, the First Ancestor felt a horrifying force roll toward him. His whole body went cold, every hair standing on end.
On instinct, he retreated while hurling out every artifact in his arsenal to meet the blow.
The fist still landed.
Boom!
A thunderous detonation split the air. A shockwave erupted outward. In the blink of an eye, trees within a ten-li radius were ripped from the earth and flung aside.
The First Ancestor was swept up and hurled away by the blast. He could not arrest his tumble.
Song Wanníng seized the opening and drew another spatial rune, flashing to a point behind him.
That fist, packed with multiple forces, crashed down on his back without restraint.
"Ah!" The First Ancestor screamed again. A crisp crack tore through his spine as every bone across his back shattered. The blow also severed the flow of spiritual power in his body, and he plummeted downward.
Song Wanníng pressed the advantage, closing in once more. She repeated the method and swung her fist again.
The First Ancestor wailed in misery. At last he understood where Song Wanníng's lethality lay. Ordinarily, a Mahayana cultivator could sense the ripples of another's power with ease. No matter how quick the opponent's footwork, they could still read a hint of intent.
Song Wanníng was different. Her strange runes let her change direction instantly and completely evade detection. In other words, he could not read her trajectory at all. Once she got on him, he fell into a completely passive state with no way to turn the tide.
Panicking, he glanced toward his second brother and nearly ground his teeth to dust.
The Second Ancestor was being pummeled even worse by the clone. Wounds covered him from head to toe, and his aura was visibly flagging.
At this rate, Second Brother was going to be beaten to death.
"Song Wanníng, stop!" The First Ancestor was anxious now, and regret finally crept in. Had he known Song Wanníng was this formidable, he would never have provoked her. If Third Brother was dead, then so be it. With the two of them still alive, the Huo Clan could at least stand tall. But if the two of them also fell, the Huo Clan would be finished.
The more he thought, the more frightened he became. He began looking for a way to escape. He sent a hurried transmission to his brother. "Run. This woman is not someone we can handle."
Who would have thought a mere Out-of-Body cultivator could suppress them like this?
This was no genius. This was a monster.
The Second Ancestor wanted to flee too. He had wanted to flee for a while.
Reality said no. Song Wanníng's clone also knew spatial runes. No matter where he ran, she would catch up.
And then she would lay into him again. It was enough to make him spit blood from rage. His greatest regret now was underestimating Song Wanníng.
Too late.
The two exchanged a look and gave up their fixation on revenge. They started coordinating, doing everything they could to break away.
Song Wanníng read their intent at once. Murder rose colder in her heart, and her strikes grew even more ruthless. If they truly escaped, killing them later would be far more difficult.
So the two immediately faced even more terrifying attacks.
…
In less than half an incense stick's time, the three had traded countless blows.
The First and Second Ancestors were injured all over. Song Wanníng, behind her immortal furnace, had blocked every wound.
Her clone did not have an immortal furnace and was soon hurt as well. She looked battered, but the gleam of excitement when she fought was exactly the same as the true body.
"Lunatic. You lunatic!"
Driven into a frantic scramble, the First Ancestor darted and dodged while cursing Song Wanníng. All dignity of a Mahayana cultivator was gone.
"Song Wanníng, stop now and there is still time!" The Second Ancestor shouted from the side. A sliver of fear rose in his heart for the clone's fearless way of fighting. No matter how they raged, Song Wanníng gave no response. She just kept pressing the attack.
Before long, they had no breath left for cursing and could only focus on evasion.
Their only plan now was to exhaust Song Wanníng's spiritual power. No matter how strong she was, there had to be a point where her energy ran dry.