Song Jue's eyes turned sharp, and his aura suddenly skyrocketed, shooting straight to the peak of the Mahayana stage in the blink of an eye. There was even a faint sense that he might surpass it.
Boom!
The clone smashed the heads of the Monsters in front of her with a single punch, blood mist bursting through the air. When she caught sight of Song Jue's cultivation, her movements froze for a split second before she changed direction instantly.
The moment she vanished, a blade slashed down right where she'd been standing.
The air itself seemed to split apart.
"You're at the peak of Mahayana?!" The clone steadied herself and shouted toward him.
Inside the formation, both Song Wanníng's true body and Liu Xingzhi turned their heads, their eyes changing instantly. Who could've guessed Song Jue had hidden himself this deeply, even masking his cultivation so perfectly?
At this point, what else about him was even real?
That thought flashed through Song Wanníng's mind.
"What's wrong? Scared?" Song Jue smirked wickedly, his lazy gaze filled with arrogance. "Too bad, it's already too late."
With that, he lunged at the clone. He threw a palm strike, but the lingering energy of the Sheyin Flower still affected him. Even with his quick reaction, he almost hit himself by mistake. His eyes darkened, a wave of deathly aura leaking from his gaze.
The next moment, an enormous hand materialized in the sky, crashing down toward the clone like a mountain. The earth quaked. Stones rattled, trees trembled, and leaves poured down like rain.
Meanwhile, more Monsters swarmed forward.
Even with Song Wanníng's strength, she was forced onto the defensive under the combined assault. She tried to counter with her fists, but the giant hand sent her flying.
Another palm descended immediately after.
The clone gritted her teeth, pushing herself up to fight back again, only for the Monsters to surge toward her once more. In an instant, she was completely surrounded.
Inside the formation, the real Song Wanníng's situation was much better.
Fighting side by side with Liu Xingzhi, and with the help of a few little companions, none of the Monsters could get close.
Since Song Jue was busy attacking the clone, he couldn't focus on them, which gave them a rare chance to fight back. But there were just too many Monsters. Every attack wiped out a wave, yet the swarm never seemed to end.
This time, their numbers were higher than ever before—and worse, they were smarter, attacking in coordinated waves.
Song Wanníng glanced toward her clone. Surrounded by Monsters and bombarded by Song Jue's relentless attacks, the clone was in rough shape, her body covered in injuries after just half an hour.
Her eyes hardened as she shouted, "If you've got guts, fight me one-on-one! Bullying the weak with numbers, is that all you can do? Didn't you call yourself so arrogant?"
She was trying to provoke him. If he ordered the Monsters to back off, the clone could focus on him and regain the advantage.
But Song Jue only sneered. "Don't take me for one of those idiots. You think I don't know what you're capable of?"
He wasn't stupid. If Song Wanníng could wipe out the Huo Clan in the Central Region, that meant her combat power rivaled a Mahayana cultivator's.
He had helpers. Why wouldn't he use them?
Her jaw clenched tight with fury.
Damn him!
"I really overestimated you," she spat, still trying to goad him.
Most high-level cultivators were proud and would've refused to stoop so low. But Song Jue was different. When she'd returned to the sect, she hadn't bothered to hide her strength, so he knew exactly how strong she was.
"Hahaha! You'd better think about how to die with some dignity instead!" He laughed loudly, delighted, but his attacks never stopped. They only grew fiercer.
The two clashed midair, the roars of dying Monsters echoing like a twisted symphony around them. Realizing provocation wouldn't work, Song Wanníng began studying the battlefield carefully.
The real problem wasn't the Monsters. It was Song Jue himself. Once she killed him, the rest would fall apart.
She sent a quick transmission to Liu Xingzhi. "Can you handle things alone?"
He swung his long blade, replying with just a curt "Yeah."
Hearing that, she ordered the little ones to keep helping him while she took out her immortal hairpin. Then she shot out of the formation in a flash. Her figure flickered, and in the next second, she was behind Song Jue, slamming her fist toward his head.
At the same time, she summoned her immortal furnace, using it like a small shield to block incoming attacks.
Her sudden appearance caught him off guard. Just as he was about to dodge, that strange wave of sorrow struck again, slowing him for a heartbeat.
That was all she needed. Her fist crashed down on his shoulder, slicing through with a sickening crack.
Crack!
The sound of bones breaking rang out, and agony twisted his face. He roared and swung a counterpunch at her.
The air itself trembled from the force of his fury.
Then—Clang!
His fist slammed into the immortal furnace, and the impact sent him flying backward over a hundred meters before he managed to stop.
By then, the clone had attacked from the other side. They were connected by their souls, perfectly synchronized without needing words.
Song Jue gritted his teeth, trying to move his shoulder, but the sharp pain made him gasp. The bones in his shoulder were completely shattered. He released a surge of intent, and more Monsters swarmed in like a tide, densely packed like ants, no gaps in sight.
Wiping the blood from his mouth, his hair whipped around wildly behind him. "Looks like I really underestimated you!"
Murderous intent flared across his handsome, wicked face as dark thoughts began to surface. Strange markings crawled across his skin, spreading rapidly.
Song Wanníng felt the shift in aura and her heart skipped a beat. "You're a demon creature?!"
He'd clearly fallen into demonic corruption! If he hadn't revealed it himself, she never would've noticed. How the hell had he managed to hide it so long?
"Heh."
Song Jue chuckled lowly. "A demon creature? No. I'm the master of this world."
When he raised his head, his eyes were already covered in gray. "You humans are the real demons! All of you deserve to die!"
The instant he spoke, a dark shadow emerged behind him, streaking toward Song Wanníng's clone like a meteor.
At the same time, Song Jue grinned evilly and lunged toward her real body.
"Pff—!"
The clone lifted her palm to strike the shadow, but it vanished like smoke, turning into nothing. The next moment, it transformed into a long blade and pierced straight into her abdomen.
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If you forget what is demon creature, you can read back to the chapter 286: Bai Yang Falls into Demon, or you can read more about it on The Xianxia Handbook: A Guide to Cultivation and Beyond, chapter: More about Path and Dao Heart