The Immortal Furnace hadn't even been used, but Heaven's Punishment still came right on time, striking the flood dragon and blasting him away.
The thunder, charged with divine fury, wrapped around Gong Ye completely. Lightning rained down on him, ripping his scales open and scorching his flesh. The pain was unbearable, his body trembling uncontrollably as his vision spun.
He was shocked, confused, and overwhelmed. The agony didn't even compare to the disbelief crushing his heart. He just stood there, dazed, letting the thunder crash down on him again and again.
Even after the heavenly punishment finally faded, he still couldn't come back to his senses.
"No… impossible…"
His voice was hoarse, filled with disbelief. Even now, he refused to accept it.
"This has to be a coincidence! A coincidence! I know you can summon thunder, you did this on purpose, didn't you?!"
He raised his blood-red eyes, glaring fiercely at Song Wanníng.
He refused to believe it.
"Haah…"
She sighed softly, her expression calm and distant.
"You still haven't accepted reality, have you? In that case, let's do it again. Whether I summoned the thunder or not, you'll know it soon enough."
If he still refused to believe, then she'd show him one more time, until he completely gave up.
Gong Ye's claws began to tremble. He wanted to test it again, but part of him was terrified of the answer.
Even so, he couldn't stop himself.
He roared and lunged at her once more.
Boom!
Heaven's Punishment fell again, slamming into him and throwing him straight to the ground. His massive body hit the earth hard, and the last glimmer in his eyes finally faded away.
"You were never meant to kill me," Song Wanníng's voice came faintly from afar. "From the very beginning, our ending was already decided."
Gong Ye's eyelids fluttered as he shut his eyes, a single tear slipping free.
"Heh… hehehe…"
He chuckled weakly, tears streaming down his battered face.
Only now did he truly understand.
No matter what he did, he could never kill Song Wanníng. Wasn't that the same as waiting for death?
This battle had only one possible outcome. He was the invader she spoke of, the intruder destined to be purged.
Then what did all his years of struggle mean? What was the point of everything he'd endured?
How pathetic.
How utterly pathetic!
"Hahahahahaha!"
He burst out laughing, his Dao heart shattering completely.
Song Wanníng watched him coldly, no pity in her eyes. An invader was destined to become a puppet of the Mùsù star system, a threat to the entire Cultivation Realm. Not to mention, he'd even planned to raise monsters and enslave the world. No matter how you looked at it, Gong Ye couldn't be allowed to live.
"Now… do you believe it?"
She slowly walked toward him, watching as the light in his eyes faded bit by bit.
At first, his heart was still filled with rage and unwillingness. But now, it was completely dead. He stared blankly at her and managed to pull his lips into a faint smile.
"They say the cruelest heart belongs to a woman. Guess I finally understand that today."
He finally realized everything had been part of her plan from the start.
But so what if he knew?
The ending was already written. No matter how much he struggled, he was still going to die. Even if he somehow escaped today, he'd still end up dying by her hands sooner or later. Because Song Wanníng had something he could never compete against—an unshakable reliance.
"Song Wanníng, you're nothing but a dog of the Heavenly Dao. When your value's gone, do you really think it'll still keep you?
Secrets like these should be buried in the ground. Only the dead can keep them, don't you think?"
His voice dripped with mockery. He'd lost all will to live, yet still tried to corrupt her Dao heart, to plant doubt between her and the Heavenly Dao.
But did she care?
Not at all.
Looking down at him, her voice was steady and cold. "Even if the Heavenly Dao abandons me, I'll still have the courage to fight back."
"You and I, Gong Ye, we were never walking the same path."
Just like when she was in the lower realm, even when she thought she was being targeted by the Heavenly Dao, she never broke. She stayed firm, guarded her Dao heart, and fought back.
Her words made Gong Ye freeze. Then, he laughed again. Only now did he understand the real difference between them. The resentment in his heart flared one last time.
"Song Wanníng, losing to you… I guess I can live with that. But remember this. You won't win forever.
One day, there'll be another invader who surpasses you and kills you."
There was a strange mix of conviction and darkness in his eyes. Whether it was a threat or self-comfort, even he didn't seem to know.
Then his body flared with violent light.
He self-destructed.
It happened so fast, faster than a blink.
But Song Wanníng had been ready. The instant his body started to explode, she flashed behind him and slammed her palm down on his head.
At the same time, the Immortal Furnace appeared in front of her, forming a shield around her body.
Boom!
His head exploded at the exact moment of detonation.
The terrifying blast swept through everything nearby. Trees, rocks, and soil were hurled into the air, the ground torn apart like paper. The formation shattered instantly, ripped apart by the force. The shockwave spread outward, expanding fast.
This was the self-detonation of a Mahayana cultivator!
A massive mushroom cloud shot into the sky, swallowing everything within a ten-mile radius. The mountain beneath them cracked and collapsed, crumbling in every direction.
Song Wanníng took the full brunt of the explosion, but the Immortal Furnace shielded her from most of the damage. Her robes whipped wildly in the storm, but her eyes stayed firm. Even when the shockwave burned her skin, she didn't flinch or let go.
Gong Ye's last hateful stare still lingered in her mind.
She exhaled slowly and, in that final moment, drew in his remaining memories. Once she had what she wanted, she retreated quickly, shooting up through the chaos into the air.
Looking down, Gong Ye's body had already been reduced to dust. Not even ashes remained. Even in death, he'd tried to drag her down with him.
In the end, he'd still been unwilling. If he could've seen her now—completely unscathed—who knows what he would've felt.
But it didn't matter anymore.
Gong Ye was dead.
Finally.
…
When the shockwave finally died down, everything around had turned to ruin. The land for hundreds of miles was devastated, but the worst damage was near the cave. The mountain was gone, reduced to rubble, unrecognizable.
Li Qingya's body had been obliterated in the blast, leaving no trace behind.
Song Wanníng spread her divine sense and saw several figures standing far away, too scared to approach. She ignored them, glanced one last time at where Gong Ye had fallen, then turned to leave.
The last invader of the Spirit Realm was finally gone. One more burden lifted from her heart.
And yet…
Her brows furrowed slightly. Something still didn't feel right. Even now, she couldn't shake the unease pressing against her chest. She looked up at the sky. Step by step, she was still following the path laid out by the Heavenly Dao.
Next, she had to find a way to restore both realms.