’It’s willing to risk the collapse of its own rules just to forcibly obliterate me and stop me from awakening the dragon vein.’

’What is it all for?’

’Just to pave the way for Ye Chuxue?’

Song Wanning’s eyes shifted as the doubt in her heart was stirred once more. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

But her answer came in the form of an even more intense Divine Thunder, which fell straight down upon her.

"SPURT—"

With no way to evade it, Song Wanning was struck again. She collapsed into a pool of her own blood, unable to so much as twitch a finger.

Blood flowed out from under her. Her aura faded with incredible speed, and in just a moment, her condition worsened. She looked like a flower, its life force rapidly wilting away.

"Sister!!!"

The Golden Small Sword’s gaze turned fierce. Its pupils flashed red as it charged toward the lightning’s glow.

The Divine Nether Profound Fire also charged recklessly toward Song Wanning.

But both were flung back before they could even get close.

They could even feel a powerful sense of gloating and disdain.

As if mocking them for their insolence.

"Sister—"

Furious and frantic, the Golden Small Sword and the Divine Nether Profound Fire charged again, refusing to give up. Yet they were still intercepted by the overwhelming power, unable to get even an inch closer to Song Wanning.

Just then, another Divine Thunder descended from the sky.

The Divine Thunder was magnificent in its terror, carrying an astonishing killing intent that seemed to tear the very sky asunder.

In a single breath, the sky above the Song Family was shrouded in darkness, with not a single ray of sunlight to be seen.

The crowd looked up in terror, only to see a streak of Divine Thunder plummeting down.

In that instant, a powerful and terrifying pressure bore down, forcing everyone to bow their heads simultaneously.

Even the Divinity Transformation cultivator, Song Huai, was unable to resist and was forced to bow his head.

When the Heavenly Dao rages, none can defy it.

Those with lower cultivation levels fell to their knees with a THUD, their very bones seeming to grind against each other with a constant CREAKING.

"This is bad!!!"

Song Huai’s heart seized with alarm. He let out a shout of shock and fury, but he was powerless to stop it.

The mighty Divine Thunder, determined to annihilate everything in its path, struck straight down toward the base of the rockery.

The Family Heads who had just arrived via the Transmission Array happened to witness this very scene, and their hearts leaped in shock.

’Is that the legendary Nine Heavens Divine Thunder?’

’The last time we saw this was during the Great Beast Tide War, when that Demon Cultivator was undergoing their tribulation...’

’What in the world did the Song Family do to draw the Nine Heavens Divine Thunder here?’

The Family Heads exchanged glances, their expressions turning incomparably grim.

Meanwhile, atop the dragon vein, Song Wanning stared weakly at the sky.

The Divine Thunder was descending again. The thick killing intent it carried made its purpose clear: it wanted Song Wanning’s life.

This was the first time its malice had been displayed so directly. Just as Song Wanning had realized, it was willing to risk the collapse of the Heavenly Dao Rules just to ensure her destruction.

Once this bolt of Divine Thunder landed, there would be no coming back for Song Wanning.

But she wasn’t afraid.

’How could someone who has already died once be afraid of dying again?’

She was simply indignant. Unreconciled.

More than anything, she refused to yield.

"RUMBLE—"

The Divine Thunder smashed down, hurtling toward Song Wanning.

"Sister—"

The Golden Small Sword shrieked, but it could only watch helplessly as Song Wanning was engulfed by the Divine Thunder.

In that instant, it felt as if all its strength had been drained away.

The moment the mighty Divine Thunder engulfed Song Wanning, she seemed to arrive in an endless world of darkness.

There was no light before her; it was pitch-black.

Suddenly, a flash of light cut through the darkness.

Song Wanning jerked her head up to see a brilliant, endless explosion of fireworks.

"HAHAHAHA—"

A wild laugh echoed throughout this world.

In that moment, Song Wanning seemed to see the Demon God once more.

The Demon God looked at her with a smile.

"Little one, watch closely. I’m about to show you some real fireworks."

They were the same words as before.

Immediately, the faces of more than thirty Heavenly Gods changed as they launched a frenzied counterattack.

But in the end, one by one, they were blown into spectacular fireworks.

The rumbling was incessant. Song Wanning once again watched the scene unfold before her, her expression one of utter shock.

Even seeing it for the second time, she was still completely stunned.

The world collapsed, the lands were torn asunder.

In that moment, everything began anew.

Song Wanning stared blankly, a boundless impulse rising in her heart.

In that moment, she too wanted to be like the Demon God and destroy everything.

The aftershocks of the world’s collapse lingered on.

The Demon God smiled and looked at her again.

"No one has ever been able to control my destiny."

"Not even the Heavenly Dao."

"And certainly not some mere outsiders."

"None of you are worthy!"

"HAHAHA—"

The Demon God laughed with wild abandon, and the very space around her began to tremble.

Song Wanning was deeply shaken, her eyes fixed on the Demon God’s defiant figure.

’That is the future I want.’

’That is the person I want to become!!!’

’No one, and nothing, can control my destiny.’

’My life is mine to command!’

"BOOM—"

A sudden rumble echoed from within her body.

In a daze, Song Wanning seemed to see the Demon God transform into a wisp of black light, which flew into her body in the blink of an eye.

Before she could even react, her body rumbled violently. The immense impact destabilized her Divine Soul, yanking it swiftly from her body.

And in that same instant, she returned to the real world.

Although it felt as if a long time had passed, when she came to her senses, it was still the very moment the Heavenly Thunder was descending.

Song Wanning’s Divine Soul shot back into her Sea of Consciousness.

The instant her Divine Soul reconnected with her body, the Tai Chi Diagram within her began to spin wildly.

A terrifying power immediately began to radiate outward from her body.

In a flash, the descending Divine Thunder clashed violently with the Tai Chi Diagram.

"BOOM—"

With a deafening roar, the entire city began to shake violently.

A powerful aura radiated out from the courtyard, instantly blanketing the entire city.

Everyone was frozen in place, as if they had lost consciousness.

In that moment, it was as if time itself had frozen.

The entire city had become an "Ice City."

...

Amidst the powerful collision, the Tai Chi Diagram, both potent and frenzied, charged recklessly at the Divine Thunder.

The Divine Thunder raged, its killing intent growing even more menacing as it burned all its power in an attempt to put Song Wanning to death.

But in the blink of an eye, the wisp of black light that had flown into Song Wanning’s body shot out with a WHOOSH, actively merging itself into the Tai Chi Diagram.

"SPURT—"

At the moment of fusion, Song Wanning violently coughed up a mouthful of blood.

Her body was instantly engulfed by Demonic Qi.

Endless Demonic Qi coursed wildly through her body, even flowing backward through her meridians, aggressively forcing her Spiritual Energy out.

Instantly, her meridians flowed in reverse and her aura fell into disarray. She had entered a state of Qi deviation.

Song Wanning’s expression darkened, and a flash of red streaked across the depths of her eyes.

She drew her longsword and, without hesitation, plunged it into her own wrist.

Her vital point was sealed by this unorthodox method, and out of an instinct for self-preservation, the Spiritual Energy began to flow back.

It swiftly began to battle the Demonic Qi once more.

Neither would yield to the other, seemingly determined to fight until one was victorious.