"Demon God, grant me your power!"
Song Jue spread his arms wide and roared at the sky. The moment his voice fell, his aura turned bottomless, like a deep sea no one could see through.
A shroud of demonic energy crept across his face, flickering between light and shadow until he looked like a monster crawling out from the abyss. His eyes turned pitch black, the whites completely gone.
He twisted his neck and grinned, cruel and twisted. "You forced me into this! You wanted to die, so don't blame me!"
He burst into wild laughter, the sound echoing like madness itself. Then he raised his hand, and a massive demonic shadow appeared, sweeping straight toward them.
Song Wanníng's heart sank. The words "Demon God" still echoed in her mind. Was he talking about the one she knew?
No… that was impossible. The true Demon God's origin was within her, and she felt no trace of connection. That meant the "Demon God" Song Jue spoke of wasn't the same one.
A surge of killing intent flared within her. In that instant, she felt the real Demon God had been insulted.
Any random fool dares call themselves a Demon God now? What a joke!
Her gaze sharpened, and her strikes grew more ruthless.
Yun Yangzi noticed something was wrong too. He tried every technique he knew, but then he understood why Song Jue was so confident.
No matter what kind of attack they used, the demonic shadow turned into mist the moment it was hit, slipping through every strike. Then it'd reform and counterattack even stronger than before. Under such conditions, both of them started taking hits.
The situation turned dire fast, and Song Wanníng began thinking rapidly. If this kept up, their odds of winning were slim. Killing a peak Mahayana cultivator was already tough, and Song Jue's strength clearly surpassed that level.
Now that he had that shadow guarding him, it was almost impossible to even scratch him. Anxious but calm, she steadied her hands and started thinking of a countermeasure. Her mind turned to her elemental powers. Space could let her move freely through the battlefield, but it did almost no damage.
Time, though—time was different.
That was something that could truly threaten him.
But with her current mastery, she could only shorten an opponent's lifespan. The damage was minor. If she used it too soon, Song Jue would become wary, and then she'd lose her chance. Her mind spun like lightning, and within seconds, she made her decision.
She blocked his attacks while diving deep into her sea of consciousness, seeking to grasp an even deeper layer of time's power. But splitting her focus came with a cost. She was hit hard and sent flying.
"Pffft!"
Blood spilled from her lips as she crashed into a pile of monster corpses. Her body trembled, but her eyes gleamed with fierce excitement. No matter how desperate the situation, it would never crush her. It only fueled her drive to grow stronger.
Because she believed—true breakthroughs are born in battle!
Wiping the blood from her mouth, she shot back into the sky. The Immortal Furnace that had always shielded her was tossed to her clone instead.
She couldn't rely on it forever. She needed to face danger head-on, to grow stronger through life-and-death trials.
That moment of clarity sharpened her heart and elevated her state of mind.
All this time, the Immortal Furnace's protection had slowly made her timid. She'd grown too used to being guarded, forgetting what it meant to rely on her own strength.
Only when she became strong on her own would she truly be powerful.
Only her own strength would never betray her.
Her eyes blazed brighter and brighter, shining with an almost divine light. She looked like a goddess of war, fearless and radiant, charging straight toward Song Jue.
Boom!
Another shockwave exploded as their powers clashed. Song Wanníng was blown back again, crashing into the ground. She pushed herself up without hesitation, ignoring the blood on her face like it didn't exist.
"Courting death?" Song Jue frowned, sensing something strange about her aura. His expression turned colder. "A genius who can't grow is no genius at all!"
He sneered, and the shadow behind him shifted shape again, radiating crushing pressure as it lunged toward her.
"Watch out!" Yun Yangzi shouted, rushing forward, but the shadow split into two, one half intercepting him before he could get close.
"Song Jue, do you really mean to destroy everything?!" His voice rang out in fury, filled with bitter hatred.
Song Wanníng was the most promising genius of her generation. If she died here, the loss would be catastrophic.
"Hahaha!" Song Jue threw his head back and laughed like he'd heard the funniest thing in the world. "Even now, you still don't get it. How stupid can you be?"
Mockery glinted in his eyes as his attacks grew more vicious.
"Song Jue, surrender now!" Yun Yangzi's tone turned harsh. "I've already called for help. Reinforcements will be here soon. If you tell us where the monsters' nest is, maybe I can spare your life!"
He was genuinely afraid now.
Song Wanníng's strength was clearly faltering. She couldn't die here. As for Song Jue, if they couldn't kill him today, they'd do it next time.
But Song Jue just laughed harder, like he'd heard a joke.
"Cloud Yangzi, you're really killing me here!" His smile twisted into madness. "No one's walking out alive today! Not you, not her, not anyone!"
As soon as he finished, Song Wanníng was struck again and sent flying.
She looked utterly battered, blood soaking her robes, her clothes torn to shreds. But her eyes still burned with defiance, so full of fighting spirit and excitement that even Song Jue felt uneasy looking at her. She stood once more, wiped her lips, and glared at him with a mocking smile.
"Song Jue, if you've got the guts, kill me!"
"Wanníng!"
The others shouted anxiously. They'd been watching the battle the whole time, hearts aching as she took hit after hit. But the monsters kept coming, giving them no chance to intervene.
They couldn't understand why she'd given the Immortal Furnace to her clone when it could've kept her safe.
Song Wanníng just smirked and glanced their way. Seeing the worry in their eyes, her grin widened. "Relax. He's not strong enough to kill me."
Her tone dripped with arrogance, so absolute it was almost divine.
Even Song Jue couldn't help but laugh. "Heh… fine then, Song Wanníng," he said, his voice dripping with malice. "Let's see if I can or can't kill you today!"
Then he struck again, every move aimed squarely at her.