This time, the emotions were even more extreme, dragging her into a despair so deep it made life feel meaningless. The fleeting thought of ending it all flashed through Song Wanníng's mind.
The terrifying idea jolted her fully awake.
After everything she'd survived, there was no way she could entertain thoughts of suicide. What kind of mist could affect her Primordial Soul to this degree? It was almost unbelievable.
Her face darkened as she started trying other methods to counter the effect. But no matter what she tried, nothing could dilute the influence. She quickly realized this was a trial she had to endure. Taking a deep breath, she pushed forward into the mist again. The instant she stepped in, the intense urge to end it all hit her like a wave.
Song Wanníng clenched her hands tightly, forcing herself to resist the flood of negative emotion. She repeated over and over that she didn't want to die, that she'd only entered a dangerous place, and that these feelings weren't real.
Even so, she couldn't completely suppress the despair. Every instinct screamed to stop, to retreat. Her heart leapt with alarm. This test was far more dangerous than anything before, striking at her very core with no mercy.
To stay grounded, she drew a dagger and stabbed her own thigh sharply. Blood gushed out, and finally, a sliver of clarity returned to her eyes. She forced her legs to move, painfully pressing onward.
Inside the mist, bizarre flowers bloomed everywhere, lending the place an eerie, otherworldly feeling. Her expression tightened further. After walking about ten meters, a new threat appeared.
A long blade materialized right in the center of the path, as if waiting for someone to pass. It seemed to beckon her forward.
Song Wanníng's heart sank, resistance flaring up inside her, but her legs moved on their own toward the blade. When she reached it, her hand reached out almost involuntarily, brushing against the sharp edge.
Just before the blade could touch her skin, she suddenly struck, sending it flying.
The blade, caught off guard, tumbled through the air before regaining composure and lunging back at her angrily.
Song Wanníng tensed, her whole body on alert.
The blade itself wasn't terrifying. What was dangerous was the emotional control it exercised. Fortunately, her dao heart was steadfast, and her survival instinct fierce. That's what let her survive the ordeal.
After a few more clashes, the blade finally split into two pieces.
It clattered to the ground.
Still, the onslaught of intense emotions didn't stop, making her expression momentarily unnatural. She exhaled slowly and pressed forward. The path remained treacherous, full of hazards that closed in relentlessly. Coupled with the manipulative emotions, resisting felt nearly impossible.
After struggling several times, she finally emerged from the mist. What greeted her made her pause in astonishment. Before her twisted a massive tree trunk, thick and coiled like a giant serpent, spiraling upward until it obscured the sky.
At the very top, a small white flower bloomed quietly, ordinary at first glance, like any roadside blossom. If it weren't for the map given by the Patriarch, she might never have noticed it.
Now, knowing its power, she wouldn't miss it.
The Sheyin Flower, a bane of the Snake Clan, had her suspicion that the mist outside was somehow linked to it. The effect it had on the Primordial Soul before still made her shiver. If used during combat, it could yield shocking results.
Song Wanníng looked at the flower with growing interest. She carefully climbed upward, and after about a quarter of an hour, reached the Sheyin Flower.
Reaching out, she tried to pluck it.
A guardian beast lunged at her to protect it, but Song Wanníng, prepared as always, knocked it away with ease. Sensing her overwhelming aura, the guardian beast panicked and fled, abandoning the flower.
She plucked the Sheyin Flower successfully.
But before she could move, venomous snakes gathered around, coiling at the base of the trunk, tongues flicking, their eyes fixed on her like she was the sweetest meal.
Seeing the dense mass of snakes, Song Wanníng was reminded of the monster hordes she'd faced before. The sheer number made her scalp tingle. Fighting them the same way she fought monsters could take forever.
A smile curved on her lips as she pulled the Sheyin Flower from her storage ring.
Wasn't this the Snake Clan's weakness? Time to put it to the test.
Whether the flower got damaged didn't matter. Against Gong Ye, it alone wasn't enough.
She threw the Sheyin Flower down without hesitation.
As it hit the ground, the snake horde froze for a moment before erupting into chaos. The snakes writhed wildly, trying to climb over one another, creating jams and confusion. Even more astonishing, the flower emitted a strange energy.
Song Wanníng felt her head swim, the same indescribable sorrow from the mist washing over her. She smiled faintly, glancing down to see the snakes turning on themselves.
Each frantic python coiled, biting its own neck. Some became so vicious they even dragged nearby snakes into their frenzy. Soon, blood covered the ground, spreading through the horde. The madness rippled outward, infecting more snakes further back.
Watching the carnage made even Song Wanníng feel a twinge of physical discomfort. She turned her cold gaze away, focusing solely on the Sheyin Flower. If used correctly, it could become a powerful weapon.
…
In a fragrant mountain valley, Song Wanníng and Liu Xingzhi were once again trapped in the center. Surrounded by countless monsters, they remained cold and composed, striking out quickly. They'd anticipated this, so the sudden appearance of the horde didn't surprise them. The people behind this clearly wanted them dead, a measure of their hatred.
They weaved through the monsters, cutting each one down. But luck wasn't on their side this time. Many monsters could evolve. A few weaker monsters merged into stronger ones, making each battle far more difficult than before.