Liu Lanyi moved on instinct to block, but Song Wanníng reacted faster, yanking Liu Lanyi behind her and hurling the immortal furnace straight at Gong Ye.
The immortal furnace met his descending palm and forced it back. The shockwave rattled the water prison, iron bars humming as the cells around them boomed. Startled cries rose from the other captives.
In that instant, everyone silently hoped Song Wanníng would cut Gong Ye down.
The commotion drew the guards outside.
The doors crashed open. Subordinates of Bai Yao Palace flooded in. Seeing the sudden intruder, Song Wanníng, they blanched, then charged without a second thought.
Someone had slipped in under their noses. If they failed to perform now, the consequences would be unthinkable. There was only one path left, to fight like madmen and maybe live.
In a blink, Song Wanníng and the others were surrounded.
"Martial Uncle, you two go first!" She urged Liu Lanyi again, then swept her sword in a clean arc. A streak of sword light flashed out, scything toward the onrushing beast cultivators.
Boom!
A dominant sword dao domain crashed down, enveloping them all.
Song Wanníng did not linger. She ghosted forward, reappearing behind Gong Ye and driving a fist at his back.
Gong Ye turned with a cold smile. Seeing her recklessness, he lifted his arm to block. He had expected to swat Song Wanníng aside, maybe pulp her with a single blow. Instead, the impact rocked him too, forcing him back several steps.
Both were driven a few meters by the collision. Even that was enough to startle Gong Ye.
Liu Lanyi, who had hesitated before, finally believed Song Wanníng was not trying to deceive her.
"Be careful. I will wait for you!" She sent a hurried voice transmission to Song Wanníng, feinted with a small flourish, and triggered the talisman.
The next moment, she grabbed the trembling Mei Huan, and both vanished from the water prison.
Gong Ye, seeing Liu Lanyi disappear, instinctively reached out, but Song Wanníng did not give him the chance. She pressed in again.
Having suffered a loss, Gong Ye recognized the terrifying toughness of Song Wanníng's body. He tried to open the distance and switch to spell techniques.
But her movement was impossible to pin down, and the runes she unleashed were bizarre. No matter where he dodged, the very next instant she was there.
Boom!
Fist met fist again. The blast shattered the local barrier of the water prison, ripples of force surging outward. The entire dungeon quaked, ready to come down at any moment.
Sensing a once-in-a-lifetime chance, the prisoners began struggling against their restraints in every way they could.
Everyone wanted out.
By now the beast cultivators had forced their way free of the sword dao domain. One swing had left corpses and cripples in its wake.
The losses were not small.
Weapons in hand, they moved to attack Song Wanníng again, but their nerve was gone. Fear showed plainly on their faces.
Song Wanníng's gaze turned icy. She released Xiao Jin and Yi'er. Lian'er was still a hidden card. She would save it to catch Gong Ye unprepared.
In a heartbeat, the beast cultivators were tangled up with Xiao Jin in a dazzling melee. Gong Ye rubbed the aching web between thumb and forefinger, and at last his eyes changed when they settled on Song Wanníng. He narrowed them, killing intent surging.
"You are not a beast cultivator. Who are you?"
So he had been fooled after all.
And this woman's physical body was outrageously strong. If he had not tempered his own flesh by chance, he would have been no match for her in pure fists.
"Who I am is not something you need to know."
Murder flashed in Song Wanníng's eyes, but she understood clearly that she still could not defeat Gong Ye head on.
She was buying time, long enough for Liu Lanyi to reach the prepared location. Then she would shake Gong Ye and rendezvous with her Martial Uncle.
"You only need to know I came to take your life."
She surged toward him again.
There was no helping it. Against a Mahayana cultivator, her only counters were her body and the immortal furnace that could block incoming arts. Her progress had been lightning fast, but it was still not enough.
A fighting heat rose in Song Wanníng's chest. Even if she could not kill Gong Ye today, she would at least drive him mad. She grinned and threw down a boast.
"I am not only taking her away. I am freeing everyone in this water prison. Hahaha!"
She laughed with wild arrogance, so brazen that Gong Ye's killing intent ran red.
"Heh." Gong Ye let out a mirthless chuckle. "It has been a long time since I saw arrogance like yours."
Ever since his cultivation soared, few dared to posture before him. This woman was as infuriating as the snake clan.
"Is that so? Then let me broaden your horizons today, in case you keep thinking you are unmatched under heaven."
Song Wanníng winked at him playfully. In the next heartbeat, Gong Ye's face went completely dark, a storm gathering in his eyes.
They clashed again, trading blows through the water prison until only the thunder of impacts remained.
With each exchange, Song Wanníng's competitive fire burned brighter.
Her eyes shone.
It had been so long since she had sparred like this, all-out and unrestrained. She felt only exhilaration, her whole being slipping into a heady battle state. She did not feel tired at all. Immortal energy coursed through her body, sharpening and reinforcing her flesh.
Boom!
Gong Ye blasted her away. She hit the ground hard.
"Pff—"
Blood splashed from her lips. She did not fear it. One flicker of movement and she sprang up again, rushing Gong Ye a second time.
Gong Ye snorted. He tried to hammer her with beast power, but the immortal furnace blocked it yet again. He could not help but curse in his heart. Helpless for the moment, he traded fist for fist with Song Wanníng.
The frustration gnawed at him. Where had she found this furnace with such properties?
It blocked every spell outright. How was he supposed to fight that?
A shield that only defended one way. Far too unfair to his opponent.
Gong Ye's gaze grew fiercer. His thoughts turned toward the immortal furnace itself. With such a treasure, could it be used to withstand the thunder during heavenly tribulation?
If so, his odds of ascending would soar. In that instant, hope flickered again in his eyes. With that and another item he had prepared, his chances of flight to the Immortal Realm would reach nine-tenths. He could finally savor what it meant to become an immortal.
Heat flared in Gong Ye's eyes. His strikes turned even more vicious.
Song Wanníng sensed the shift and only grew more excited.