The stone man bolted in an instant, vanishing without a trace.
Song Wanníng didn't even glance his way. She didn't have time to care, because the moment he fled, she was already being pulled into another space altogether.
In front of her stretched a strange corridor, walls glowing with blinding light that stung her eyes so badly she could barely keep them open. Symbols flickered and danced at both ends of the corridor, weaving together in patterns that radiated mystery and power.
She could only open her eyes a crack, her body dragged forward by an unseen force she couldn't resist or control.
The symbols around her seemed ancient and unfamiliar, and no matter how she tried, she couldn't make sense of them.
She compared them to several unique runes she knew, but none matched.
This was a realm she'd never touched before.
Time slipped by quickly, though she couldn't tell how long she'd been moving. Her figure darted endlessly through the corridor, impossibly fast, yet no matter how far she went, there was still no end in sight.
Sometimes she even wondered if she was stuck in place, running in circles. But her body wouldn't listen to her. It just kept moving forward. Finally, when she thought she'd fallen into some strange loop, an exit appeared ahead.
Unlike the radiant corridor behind her, the exit was pitch black. A heavy thud echoed as she was hurled out of the tunnel, slamming hard onto the ground.
"Ugh!"
The sudden weightlessness left her dizzy and uncomfortable.
She pushed herself up quickly, only to realize something alarming—her spiritual power had been sealed. Her expression darkened. She immediately tried switching to several other forms of power, but nothing worked.
Left with no choice, she called on the last trace of immortal qi in her body—and the restraints vanished instantly. So, this place restricted all kinds of energy, except immortal qi. That alone made her feel a little better. Even if her immortal qi was limited, it was enough to handle emergencies.
She suppressed it again, returning herself to an ordinary "mortal" state.
When she looked up, everything around her was swallowed in darkness. She summoned Yi'er for light, but even then, the glow only reached about ten meters. Beyond that, everything faded into shadow.
Her brows drew together. "Where is this place?"
"Big Sister, the yin energy here's really heavy, but there's also some kind of demonic aura mixed in," Long Ling whispered. "I don't like it. It feels like something evil's watching us."
"I think so too."
Xiao Jin's voice rang out next, nervous but sharp. "Sister, doesn't this place feel creepier than the Underworld itself?"
The Underworld was thick with yin energy, yet none of them had ever felt such dread there. That alone said plenty about where they were now.
"Yeah, it's definitely strange," Song Wanníng muttered, her tone serious.
She'd thought this was the Heavenly Dao's guidance, but now it felt like she'd stepped into a trap.
It was as if someone had deliberately lured her here.
"Big Sister, what if it really was on purpose?" Xiao Jin lowered his voice, hovering near her shoulder. "If no one can use power here, and you didn't have immortal qi, wouldn't that make you a sitting duck?"
That thought hit hard, and everything started making sense.
The Cultivation Realm had collapsed. That prophecy—only she had believed it.
And if that realm fell, why had Wuyang City remained untouched?
Clearly, someone had predicted she'd pass through the city and set up this trap long ago.
If that was true, it was terrifying.
This entire setup had been crafted for one purpose—to target her.
"Big Sister, we should go! This place reeks of danger!" Xiao Jin's voice cracked, full of panic. He hated himself for not realizing sooner. If he had, he'd never have let her come here.
Long Ling and the others grew tense as well, forming a protective circle around Song Wanníng.
She glanced at the worried little group and couldn't help but smile.
"Don't worry," she said softly. "Since the Heavenly Dao didn't stop me from coming here, it must mean there's still a chance to rebuild the world. And my immortal qi might be the key. You know what they say—fortune favors the bold. I'm not turning back now."
Her eyes shone with resolve as she looked into the darkness ahead, almost as if she were challenging whoever lurked beyond it.
"Let's go. I want to see who's been plotting against me all this time."
A sharp gleam flashed through her eyes. Whoever went to such lengths to lure her here clearly had a big goal in mind—probably her life.
"Then we're coming too! We'll protect you, Big Sister!"
The little ones chimed together, hovering around her protectively, ready to face whatever was coming.
As they pressed deeper into the darkness, the demonic aura grew thicker and heavier, coiling through the air like smoke.
A suspicion took root in her mind, sharpening her gaze.
When Song Xue had died, that demonic creature had appeared out of nowhere.
And since the Cao Mu Clan had once been poisoned by similar monsters, she'd long suspected some of them still existed somewhere in this world.
These demonic creatures weren't like demon cultivators. They didn't think or reason. They were beasts controlled entirely by their own inner demons—monsters that killed for pleasure and slaughtered without restraint.
Encountering one meant only one thing—kill it before it killed you.
But even after walking for what felt like forever, the world around them didn't change. The darkness was endless, the ground barren, no grass or insects, not even the faintest sign of life.
Her unease deepened. She was about to warn the little ones to stay alert when a shadow flashed toward them at incredible speed.
"Watch out!"
She shouted just as the figure came into view—and her eyes widened.
It was another stone man.
The same stone head, the same rocky body, but this one's eyes burned with demonic energy. There was no consciousness left inside, only an empty shell under someone's control.
Boom!
The ground shook as the stone giant loomed over her. She barely reached its knee. With no spiritual power available, all she could rely on was her physical strength. And she couldn't even fly.
Song Wanníng leaped forward, landing a solid kick against the giant's leg.
That was as high as she could reach, and honestly, it was a little embarrassing. But she couldn't afford to waste her immortal qi yet. That was her last trump card, to be used only when it truly mattered.
Even if things got dangerous, she had to endure it.
"Let me handle this!" Xiao Jin's voice rang out, and the little golden sword shot forward like lightning, followed by the others.
They hadn't been affected by the restrictions here, so they quickly became the main fighting force. Each of them went all out, throwing themselves into battle with reckless determination. After all, their sister had always been the one protecting them. Now that they finally had the chance, there was no way they'd let her face danger alone.