He struggled to rise into the air, slashing straight at Song Wanníng with everything he had left.
She didn't even flinch. Her gaze stayed cold as she suddenly vanished, reappearing behind him in an instant. Reaching out, she grabbed one of his horns and yanked hard. With her other hand, she drew her sword and, without hesitation, slashed it down.
Steel rang out.
"Roar!"
Gong Ye screamed in pain, his body twisting violently as he thrashed in midair. His massive tail whipped through the air again and again, trying to swat Song Wanníng away.
She narrowed her eyes, quickly pulling back and retreating to a safer distance.
The flood dragon's screams tore through the air, echoing across the entire formation. The sound spread for miles, filled with agony and rage.
Every beast nearby bolted in terror, fleeing in all directions. Within ten miles, there wasn't a single living thing left.
"Roar!"
Gong Ye's howls only grew wilder, his cries sharp with pain and despair as he lunged again at Song Wanníng. He didn't care about the clone attacking him. All he could see was Song Wanníng's true body. Even if it killed him, he was determined to drag her to hell with him.
At this point, Gong Ye had completely lost his mind.
Song Wanníng's strength had skyrocketed in such a short time, while everything about him had fallen apart.
Everything had changed.
If that's how it was, then fine. They'd go to hell together!
Together!
He charged at her again, completely reckless.
Even as her sword slashed across his body, tearing open gashes that bled nonstop, he didn't seem to feel a thing. He just kept going, obsessed with taking her down with him.
Watching him ram through the air like a mad beast, she dodged as fast as she could.
But the flood dragon's body was terrifyingly tough, its scales far harder than any ordinary beast's hide. After blocking a few blows, even her hands started to ache from the shock.
The dragon's body was injured, but far from crippled.
Song Wanníng frowned, darting between the shattered clouds to hide.
But he was too fast, barreling through everything in his path. One furious swing of his tail finally caught her, sending her flying.
She crashed through the air before the clone caught up and blocked the next attack, sparing her from taking even worse damage.
"Cough, cough…"
She spat out blood, the corners of her lips smeared red.
Looking down, she saw the spot under her neck swelling rapidly where the tail had hit.
A faint purple tinge spread beneath her skin.
Poison.
Her expression darkened as she shoved a detox pill into her mouth, then swung her sword again, aiming straight for the flood dragon's head. Her sword intent surged, fierce and overbearing, but even so, it couldn't fully pierce the dragon's skull.
A deep gash opened across its face, splitting Gong Ye's features in two.
The sight of his own blood only drove him deeper into madness. He roared and slammed his body through the air again, crashing into the formation with such force that the barrier started to tremble.
The air around them rippled violently. Winds howled, and cracks in space began to flicker faintly in the distance.
"Roar!"
With another furious bellow, the flood dragon dove down at her once more, completely unhinged. He didn't care about his life anymore. He just wanted to drag her down to death. The sight of it was horrifying.
Song Wanníng's eyes grew solemn.
He might be ready to die, but she wasn't.
She couldn't meet him head-on.
But then...
She suddenly smiled. Pulling out the Immortal Furnace, a mischievous glint flashed in her eyes as she charged straight toward him.
Gong Ye roared and lunged forward, throwing everything he had into one last suicidal strike. But just as his massive body crashed down, the Immortal Furnace materialized between them, shielding her completely.
Boom!
His tail slammed into the furnace with a dull crash, the impact echoing through the air. The dragon shuddered, tail curling up in pain, and let out another furious roar.
He quickly pulled back and turned on the clone instead.
But in the next heartbeat, Song Wanníng hurled the Immortal Furnace toward it.
As the dragon rammed forward, the furnace unfolded like a barrier, protecting the clone completely.
Another thunderous crash rang out, and the dragon recoiled, even angrier than before. It whipped around to attack the real body again, only to see the furnace already back in her hand.
The dragon froze midair, staring in disbelief.
Then she threw it again.
And again.
For a moment, even Gong Ye's madness faltered. He let out a broken, despairing roar that split the air.
"Aaaah!"
The worst thing wasn't losing, it was losing everything inside. And right now, that was exactly what had happened to Gong Ye. His mind was gone. If he'd stayed calm from the start, he might've stood a chance. But his heart had cracked long before the battle began.
Few invaders could stay steady under such a fall from glory.
Even Song Wanníng had only learned to stay detached after walking through death once herself.
And that—human nature—was always the biggest weakness.
Her eyes glinted. She gave the clone a quick look. The two moved in perfect sync, rushing at Gong Ye from both sides.
He snapped out of his daze for a moment, but blood was already seeping from his eyes.
Drop by drop, like the despair pooling in his heart.
"Song Wanníng…" He glared at her, eyes full of regret. "I should've killed you from the start."
Regret was all that was left in him. If he'd gotten rid of her back then, none of this would've happened. Her growth had been terrifying.
But when she heard that, she only laughed softly.
"Gong Ye, do you really think you could've killed me? You think if time went back, anything would've changed?"
Her eyes glowed with taunting amusement as she raised her sword again.
"Go ahead. I'm standing right here. Let's see if you can actually kill me."
Just like with Li Qingya, she wanted him to realize it—the futility of it all. Only when he understood that no matter how much he fought, the ending was already set, would his mind finally break completely.
Then everything would be over.
Song Wanníng chuckled quietly. She never thought she'd use the same cruel trick she once hated so much. Funny how things turned around.
"What do you mean by that?"
Gong Ye's brow furrowed tight, his instincts screaming that something was wrong. But the chance was right in front of him. How could he back down now?
Even if it meant dying together, he'd take her down. He gritted his teeth and let out a dark laugh.
"Fine. Let's see what game you're playing!"
Then he lunged.
His massive tail whipped toward her head, fast and brutal. One hit and her skull would explode. He braced himself, watching closely, ready for her to pull out the furnace again.
But what happened next made his heart sink completely.