Song Wanníng didn't show a trace of fear. No matter how many times she was knocked down, she got back up again every single time.
Yun Yangzi was so anxious his lips were blistering as he launched another round of frenzied attacks at Song Jue.
But as time dragged on, everyone's spiritual power was burning out fast. Their movements were sluggish, breaths uneven, and exhaustion was written all over their faces. Yun Yangzi's injuries grew worse with every exchange, his speed dropping sharply.
Yet Song Jue looked untouched, standing tall and composed. Every strike he threw was ruthless, his calm expression making it even more unnerving. No one could tell that inside, panic and disbelief were tearing through him. Yun Yangzi was one thing, but how the hell was Song Wanníng still standing?
Her body's toughness was terrifying. Anyone else would've been shredded to dust by now, but she was still on her feet, bloodied yet unbroken. And worst of all, her mouth was poisonous. Every word she spat hit right where it hurt, sending fury bursting through his veins.
Grinding his teeth, Song Jue felt his rage boil over. He'd never hated anyone this much before!
Narrowing his eyes, he scanned the battlefield. Everyone around was wounded and running out of stamina. They wouldn't last much longer. Victory was right in front of him. All he had to do was end this quickly and cut down Yun Yangzi and Song Wanníng. Once they were dead, the rest would be nothing but meat on a plate, not worth mentioning.
Killing intent burst from his eyes as he moved again. But this time, his attack was nothing like before. A demonic shadow loomed from the sky, its pitch-black eyes cold and lifeless as it stared straight at them.
The instant its gaze locked on her, Song Wanníng froze. Her expression shifted drastically, panic flooding her face. No matter how she struggled, her body wouldn't move, as if she'd been sealed in ice.
Yun Yangzi was caught too. In just a blink, both of them were completely immobilized.
Those hollow eyes bore down on them, their devouring aura pressing on their souls so heavily that dread crawled through their minds.
At the same time, Song Jue's face went ghostly pale, and his aura plummeted like a collapsing wave. This was his ultimate trump card, a killing technique that could only be used once. But once unleashed, it devoured his spiritual power completely. He wouldn't be able to fight much longer afterward.
Still, with the monsters backing him, he dared to take the risk. A flash of viciousness gleamed in his eyes as he turned his blade toward Song Wanníng.
That threat had to die.
She had to die!
With a desperate roar, he raised his massive saber high and swung it down toward her head. If this strike landed, Song Wanníng would die instantly, her Nascent Soul obliterated.
He lunged forward, blade flashing—
But the moment he closed in, she suddenly lifted her head, her sharp gaze locking on him. Then, unbelievably, she smiled.
A chill ran straight down his spine. Something was wrong. But before he could pull back, his blade was already falling toward her skull.
At that exact instant, a rune shot out from the depths of her sea of consciousness.
Light exploded across the battlefield. And then, time stopped. It didn't just slow—it truly froze.
Everything, from Song Jue to Yun Yangzi to the monsters in the air, was locked in stillness. Even the massive blade hung suspended a hair's breadth above her head.
One more inch, and it would've split her skull open.
Cold sweat trickled down Song Wanníng's face, but she didn't waste a second. The time freeze would only last a few breaths, and she couldn't afford hesitation.
Gripping her sword, she slashed straight across Song Jue's neck. His demonic shadow was still shielding his body, so she didn't dare risk a strike elsewhere. Taking his head was the safest bet.
The sword light cut clean through his throat. And then, time started moving again.
Everything returned to motion in an instant.
Song Jue didn't even realize what had happened. One second, his blade was over her head, and the next, it was gone.
Then a sharp pain tore through his neck. He tried to look down, but his head was already rolling across the ground, tumbling into the crowd of monsters.
He froze. Yun Yangzi froze.
What just happened?
As Song Jue's body collapsed, the eyes in the sky vanished, and the bindings holding them dissolved.
Song Wanníng and Yun Yangzi immediately moved, attacking without mercy.
Song Jue's Yuányīng burst out of his body, panic and hatred twisting his ghostly face.
"You bitch! What the hell did you do?!"
His scream was full of disbelief. His body—his centuries of cultivation—destroyed in an instant. All that effort, all those years, wasted. Now he had only one choice left: seize a new body.
Song Wanníng smirked. "I told you, Song Jue. You can't kill me. From the moment you met me, your fate was already sealed."
Her voice dripped with arrogance, every word stabbing straight into what was left of his pride.
"Damn it!!"
Song Jue howled and hurled himself at her, his Yuányīng lunging for her sea of consciousness.
"You bitch! Even if I go to hell, I'm dragging you down with me!"
If his body was gone, then he'd take hers.
This woman's body, her power, everything she had—it'd all belong to him!
Madness filled his eyes as reason vanished. There was only one thought left: he had to take Song Wanníng's body.
But before he could even get close, a bolt of Nine Heavens Divine Thunder crashed down from above, carrying a power that reeked of annihilation.
Terror seized his heart. He tried to flee, summoning the monsters to shield him.
But he had underestimated her.
Song Wanníng only smiled faintly as over a dozen bolts of divine thunder fell together, sealing every path of escape.
Then a massive bolt of purple lightning—Purple Heaven Divine Thunder—struck straight from the center, its power absolute and overwhelming.
Thunder was the bane of souls. And this was no ordinary thunder—it was divine punishment.
Song Jue went completely mad, darting in every direction, trying desperately to escape, but every strike boxed him in.
As the Purple Heaven Divine Thunder came down, his eyes filled with unwilling rage and despair.
"No—!"
His scream was cut short as the divine thunder swallowed him whole.
Song Wanníng stood pale and trembling, watching as he was reduced to ash. The last bolt of thunder drained what little spiritual power she had left. Seeing Song Jue's body disintegrate, she finally lost her strength and fell from the sky.
"Wanníng!!"
Everyone shouted as they rushed over. Her clone, the closest, caught her before she hit the ground and gently lowered her down. She looked utterly wrecked. Her face was covered in blood, lips ghostly white, her body completely devoid of spiritual energy.
Seeing her like this made everyone's hearts ache.