Ye Chuxue's pupils trembled in fear. She had never imagined that Song Wanníng would actually go through with the soul search.
In that instant of mortal danger, her first reaction was to pull out every life-saving item in her storage ring. But the surrounding space had already been sealed. She couldn't move it at all.
Despair gripped her chest. Trembling, she could only look to Gu Qingyuan for help, her entire body shivering from panic.
Several attacks came flying in at once.
Song Wanníng didn't even glance at them. A golden sword emerged from her sea of consciousness.
The small golden sword quivered gently. In the blink of an eye, it split into hundreds of glowing longswords, forming a golden barrier around her and Ye Chuxue.
A shimmering shield rose between them.
All the incoming strikes were instantly repelled, leaving behind only rings of light that faded without a trace.
Then the palm descended.
Ye Chuxue squeezed her eyes shut, hopeless.
"No! Master!"
"Senior Sister Ye!"
Gu Qingyuan and the others charged forward, eyes bloodshot, unleashing their strongest attacks in desperation.
But Song Wanníng's hand merely fell softly on top of Ye Chuxue's head.
She patted it gently. Once. Twice.
Her touch was slow and deliberate. Strangely tender.
Ye Chuxue's eyes flew open, not with relief, but with sheer terror.
She looked up at Song Wanníng.
And saw her smiling softly.
"Uurgh—"
Ye Chuxue threw up. She collapsed face-first onto the ground, retching uncontrollably.
What was Song Wanníng trying to do?
She was terrifying. Absolutely terrifying.
Gu Qingyuan and the others were thrown back by the golden sword's defense.
He was still injured from that earlier strike, and now even a mere sword spirit had forced him back. The absurdity of it all left him reeling.
Seeing that Ye Chuxue was unharmed, Bai Yang and An Ze slumped to the ground like deflated sacks.
Just now…
Just now they had truly believed their master would kill her.
The Sect Master's face turned pale from fright, and even the Seventh Elder looked shaken. Only the Second Elder had a hint of a smile and silently praised Song Wanníng in his heart.
"Uurgh—"
Ye Chuxue was still dry-heaving, and no one could fathom the terror she had just endured.
Song Wanníng's smile only grew warmer. She slowly crouched down and gently touched Ye Chuxue's head once more.
Ye Chuxue froze. Every hair on her body stood on end.
She didn't even dare look Song Wanníng in the eye, her fear rising like a tide.
Song Wanníng chuckled softly, her warm breath brushing against Ye Chuxue's ear.
"I told you I was just scaring you. Why so tense?" Her breath was warm, but Ye Chuxue felt only cold, as if ice had replaced her blood.
Then Song Wanníng suddenly laughed aloud and stood up with grace.
"So even Ye Chuxue knew fear."
With a casual flick, she recalled the golden sword and turned back toward Li Ruo with unhurried steps.
Only then did Gu Qingyuan and the others rush to Ye Chuxue's side, inspecting her from head to toe in a panic.
"Song Wanníng, have you had enough?!" The Sect Master had watched the entire farce unfold and was more convinced than ever that Song Wanníng had become uncontrollable.
If this continued, Wentian Sect would fall apart under her hands.
"Sect Master, why so anxious? I was just having a little fun with Ye Chuxue," Song Wanníng replied as she flicked her long hair over her shoulder. Her cool gaze landed on him.
"Song Wanníng, you've gone too far!" The Sect Master clenched his teeth. "You are still a disciple of Wentian Sect. You must follow its rules. Harming fellow disciples without cause deserves punishment!"
All he wanted now was to put Song Wanníng in her place, to remind her who truly held authority in Wentian Sect.
"Oh, how mighty you sound," Song Wanníng sneered, her eyes turning cold. "While I was in seclusion, they bullied my disciple. I had every reason to act. What rules did I break?
If anything, it's you. Always shielding Gu Qingyuan. Anyone who didn't know better might think he's your lover. Shame he's clearly interested in Ye Chuxue instead…"
"You—!" The Sect Master almost toppled over backward from sheer fury. "Outrageous! Unforgivable!"
If not for the fact that he couldn't beat her, he would have made her pay on the spot.
To the side, Ye Chuxue, still shaken, turned deathly pale at Song Wanníng's words. She looked up at her, shocked and furious.
What kind of garbage was this woman spouting?
Gu Qingyuan was her master! Practically a father figure!
And yet… no one looked surprised.
Song Wanníng's mocking eyes met hers, and Ye Chuxue instinctively looked away. She didn't dare meet Gu Qingyuan's gaze either. Her heart was in chaos.
Because deep down, she couldn't claim to have noticed nothing. Part of her had even been smug about it, flattered by the attention, proud of her own charm.
But that was something that could never see the light of day. She only needed to quietly accept her master's lifelong protection.
"That reminds me," Song Wanníng said suddenly. "I knew you would side with Gu Qingyuan and Ye Chuxue. So I invited the Old Ancestor out of seclusion. I do hope you'll be just as bold when you speak to her face."
With an air of nonchalance, she smoothed her robes and dropped a bomb into the crowd.
"What did you say? The Old Ancestor is coming out of seclusion? Song Wanníng! This was just a minor dispute! Why involve the Old Ancestor?!" The Sect Master paled. Everyone knew the Old Ancestor had always been close to Song Wanníng's master.
And sure enough, speak of the devil.
A breeze stirred the air. The Old Ancestor, Liu Lanyi, descended like mist, landing in their midst without a sound.
"Old Ancestor!"
"Greetings, Old Ancestor!"
Everyone immediately bowed in unison. No one dared be careless.
Liu Lanyi, Wentian Sect's Old Ancestor, was in the late Divine Transformation stage—just one step away from ascending to the Spirit Realm.
Wentian Sect had only three Divine Transformation cultivators left. The other two were stuck in the mid stage and had not made progress in years.
Liu Lanyi, on the other hand, had already restrained her cultivation. She could not afford to ascend just yet.
The other two ancestors were free to roam the world seeking fortune. She alone remained, watching over the sect in its most crucial years.
She had given too much for Wentian Sect.
In the end, she was dragged down by the very people she protected, meeting her end in obscurity.
Song Wanníng's chest tightened at the memory.
How ridiculous.
Whether it was a Divine Transformation master standing at the peak, or the Song Clan, which had flourished for tens of thousands of years—after encountering Ye Chuxue and her group, all of them became fragile as glass.
Destroyed in an instant.
Anyone who stood against Ye Chuxue was doomed to suffer a miserable end.
That same fury rose once more in Song Wanníng's heart, and the demonic energy in her sea of consciousness stirred restlessly.
The golden sword sensed it and vibrated sharply.
Only then did the demonic aura shrink back, too afraid to move.
"No need for formalities," Liu Lanyi said calmly, raising a hand.
A gentle force lifted everyone to their feet.
From the moment she arrived, the atmosphere turned solemn.
"Girl. Tell me. What exactly happened?"
She made no effort to hide where she stood.
She had always intended to take Song Wanníng as her disciple. If her old friend hadn't gotten there first, that girl would have been hers.
Of course she would protect her.