When she turned around, all she saw was a shadow crashing down from the sky. The pressure that came with it was so overwhelming it felt impossible to resist.
Li Qingya reacted fast, throwing out all her poison powder at once and summoning her Monsters. But with the formation active, the Monsters couldn't reach her in time. Without them to take the hit, and since her poison didn't work on Song Wanníng, she knew she was done for.
She tried to fight back, but in the blink of an eye, the clone's massive hand slammed down toward her head.
When that palm pressed against her skull, her body froze completely.
Li Qingya's face twisted in terror. "Gong Ye, help me!"
At that moment, the only one who could save her was Gong Ye.
But he only turned to glance at her, his expression cold. He hadn't expected Song Wanníng to have a clone and clearly didn't care about Li Qingya's life. "You brought this on yourself. You should've died long ago."
The clarity in his eyes had long vanished, replaced by madness. He already knew how strange Song Wanníng was, but he refused to accept it. Right now, he was fighting not her, but his own fate.
When Li Qingya saw that he'd abandoned her, despair hit her harder than any attack. She struggled desperately to break free, but she couldn't even move Song Wanníng's hand. She looked like a complete fool.
That was when she realized Song Wanníng's power was far beyond what her cultivation level suggested. Her strength completely broke the limits of her realm.
Gong Ye obviously knew, but he'd never told her. He'd just watched her walk straight into her own death.
The thought filled her with nothing but hatred.
She'd planned to use Gong Ye, yet she'd been the one used instead. She was the biggest fool of all. But now, it was far too late for regret.
Song Wanníng had kept her alive until now on purpose. Everything had been deliberate.
Li Qingya's eyes broke apart in despair, then turned wild.
Fine then. If she had to die, she'd blow herself up. At least she'd drag someone down with her!
Just as the thought formed, a surge of power flooded into her sea of consciousness.
In an instant, her mind went blank.
"You dare soul search her?"
Gong Ye roared in fury, but his body was pinned by Song Wanníng's real self. He could only shout helplessly from the side.
"You'd better worry about yourself first."
Song Wanníng's true body sneered, pouring out more spiritual power as she clashed with him again.
Gong Ye's face turned bright red, rage boiling over. He wanted nothing more than to tear her apart with his bare hands. His eyes burned with a dangerous light, like a beast driven completely mad. There was nothing left in his mind now except one goal: kill Song Wanníng.
Even if he had to die with her, he'd take her down.
While he raged, the clone had already finished scouring Li Qingya's Primordial Soul. When it saw the memories of Song Jue training her, its expression darkened.
So, Song Jue had been raising Monsters long ago, even grooming Li Qingya since she was a child. If not for Song Jue, maybe Li Qingya would've never gone down this path.
The clone sighed softly, then, after getting what it needed, gave her a quick death.
Li Qingya's body stiffened midair before crashing to the ground.
Her soul shattered into dust.
Thud—
Li Qingya was dead.
Gong Ye's expression flickered, his heart tightening—not for her, but for himself. He didn't want to believe Song Wanníng's words, but Li Qingya's death seemed to prove them right.
That was his future too.
"Song Wanníng!"
Gong Ye gritted his teeth, glaring at her with pure hatred. For the first time in his life, he felt true fear—and disgust—for someone.
"Gong Ye."
Song Wanníng's real self and her clone stood side by side, both staring coldly at him.
"Today, you die. There's no second outcome."
He'd escaped too many times before. Back then, she wasn't strong enough to stop him. But now, she wouldn't let him slip away again.
Anyone who could block the Three Lives Mirror's tracking was far too dangerous to live. Even if she had to pay half her life, she'd kill him here today.
"Hahaha!"
Gong Ye burst into wild laughter. The corners of his eyes turned hot as his rage mixed with grief.
How could he accept this?
Why was he the one abandoned by fate?
Why did the identity he once took pride in turn out to be that of an invader?
He couldn't accept it.
Not then, not now.
His eyes turned blood-red as madness consumed him, and he launched himself at Song Wanníng like a beast gone berserk.
She stayed calm.
While her clone charged forward, she summoned the Blood Lotus. This time, the crimson lotus no longer looked timid. It floated silently in the air, emanating a terrifying aura.
Song Wanníng's expression hardened as she summoned the twin Blood Lotus from within her body.
The three lotuses merged into one, releasing a suffocating wave of bloodlust that swept across the battlefield.
At the same time, Lian'er and Yi'er flew out, hurling themselves straight at Gong Ye.
The blood aura exploded outward, tearing into his body from within. There was nowhere to run. He couldn't dodge it.
The twin flames circled him, burning at his flesh while the clone pressed the assault.
"Ahhh!"
The agony hit all at once, and Gong Ye screamed in torment. Before he could recover, Song Wanníng's fists and kicks landed, crashing into him one after another.
The clone moved like a shadow, syncing perfectly with the real body, leaving him no room to fight back.
Each blow slammed into him like a hammer.
The blood burst from the lotus caused cracks to form across his flesh, and his beast power failed to gather properly, breaking apart at every crucial moment. He couldn't even launch a full attack.
This was exactly what Song Wanníng wanted. If she wanted to finish him once and for all, she had to leave him no chance to think, no time to stabilize. And clearly, the proud man couldn't handle the truth. He'd already gone half-mad.
Now that she had the upper hand, could Gong Ye still turn the tide?
What a joke.
Her gaze sharpened as she attacked even harder. So what if his true form was a flood dragon?
Her body had been reforged in the Immortal Washing Pool. She wasn't inferior to him in the slightest.
Boom!
Boom!
Gong Ye flew backward like a rag doll.
Thud!
He crashed into the ground, his form reverting to his true body, the enormous flood dragon. The veins under his scales wriggled like serpents trying to burst free. At any moment, his body could rip itself apart.
Blood gushed from his mouth as the Karma Fire burned relentlessly over him. He twisted and thrashed in agony.
"Song Wanníng! I'll kill you!!!"
His screams turned to roars, his fury fueling his madness. The flood dragon's blood-red eyes flared open, glowing like they could devour the world.