"Besides, those words came from your own mouth. I never threatened or coerced you, so how exactly did I set you up?"
Song Wanníng suddenly pressed a hand to her chest and spoke with sorrow, "If anyone set someone up, I should be the one saying you and your brother were scheming against me..."
Her expression of heartbreak hit Liu Yiyi like a gut punch.
"Urgh—"
She coughed up a mouthful of blood.
"Yiyi!" Liu Yáo rushed forward in alarm, catching her as she staggered, his concern mixed with reproach. "What on earth were you thinking?!"
Liu Yiyi's eyes gleamed like a beast driven mad, her face contorted with rage. She clutched his arm tightly. "Brother, cripple her. Cripple her!"
She had long thrown aside any pretense of softness or charm. Her thoughts were consumed by one thing:
"Destroy Song Wanníng."
Liu Yáo's face darkened. Sensing her condition deteriorating, he quickly transferred spiritual energy into her body and tried to calm her down.
It was just a sparring match. No need to ruin her reputation over it.
On the stage, Liu Yiyi trembled with fury. On the high platform, the elders and sect leaders remained silent, but the atmosphere was suffocating.
So Liu Yiyi had willingly offered to fake a match with Song Wanníng?
How dare she?
Song Wanníng was the most likely to reach Divine Transformation in Wentian Sect. She was the number one target. Liu Yiyi had already taken a challenge slot and now resorted to underhanded tricks?
Did she think they were fools?
The Wangshan Sect members didn't dare breathe, while the gazes from the other sects were downright terrifying.
The more silent they were, the more dangerous it became.
...
With Liu Yáo's help, Liu Yiyi finally calmed down, but the hatred in her heart still churned. The murderous gleam in her eyes couldn't be hidden.
Worried something worse might happen, Liu Yáo urged her to leave the stage.
"Don't worry. I'll defeat her. Then I'll explain everything and say you only did it to provoke Song Wanníng into accepting the challenge."
It would hurt her reputation, yes, but that was still better than being labeled a traitor.
"...Fine. Brother, make her pay!" Liu Yiyi ground her teeth and squeezed his arm before leaping off the stage.
In the crowd, Bai Yang and Li Ruo wore uneasy expressions. They had no idea what their master was thinking.
If she cared about Liu Yiyi, it didn't show.
If she hated Liu Yiyi, why had she gone so easy on her?
Why would she even expose the "partnership" between them?
The two were full of questions. They couldn't make sense of her intentions.
And it wasn't just them. No one present could grasp Song Wanníng's mindset.
But when Liu Yáo stepped onto the platform, tension rippled through the audience.
The Beast Taming Sect's leader frowned. "I don't think Liu Yáo should be allowed to fight. If Liu Yiyi could collude with Song Wanníng, what makes you think her brother won't go even further?"
She glanced at Liu Yáo, her eyes glinting cold.
If those siblings were really trying to play them all for fools, then Wangshan Sect could forget about getting a share of anything.
"I agree," said the Seven Stars Sect leader. "Everyone knows Liu Yáo has feelings for Song Wanníng. There's no way we can trust him."
Others chimed in as well, voicing their disapproval.
If Liu Yáo "lost" and Song Wanníng used exhaustion as an excuse to refuse further matches, no one could stop her.
Wentian Sect had clearly planned this.
The atmosphere grew more strained. The Wangshan Sect leader clenched his fists and forced himself to speak.
"Please be assured. I swear on my honor, Liu Yáo knew nothing about this beforehand and would never put on an act with Song Wanníng."
They had no other choice. Liu Yáo had to fight. And he had to win.
Otherwise, Wangshan Sect would be left with nothing.
As their only Nascent Soul peak cultivator, Liu Yáo was the sect's only hope.
Puffing up his chest, the Wangshan Sect leader promised, "Liu Yáo will go all out and defeat Song Wanníng!"
Liu Yáo, no fool, quickly grasped the situation.
If he didn't want to become the sect's disgrace, he could not lose.
He cupped his hands toward the high platform. "Please be at ease, Daoyou. I will not let personal feelings cloud my judgment."
With those reassurances, the protests died down.
Finally, Liu Yáo stood opposite Song Wanníng.
"Forgive me, Song Daoyou. I can only give it my all now. I hope you won't take it personally."
Worried she might misunderstand, he lowered his voice and added, "I'll apologize properly after the match." The thought of losing never even crossed his mind.
His false sincerity made Song Wanníng laugh.
Some people really had no shame.
Liu Yáo's face was thicker than a city wall.
But the more smug he looked now, the more pitiful he would be later.
Her smile was dazzling, her demeanor calm and unhurried. "Alright, let's both give it our all, so no one can accuse you of going easy."
She didn't care about her reputation or whether others acknowledged her strength.
With no attachments, she was free to act however she pleased.
They both cupped their hands. The battle was about to begin.
Everyone leaned forward, waiting to see whether Liu Yáo would truly fight with everything he had.
Under immense pressure, he made the first move.
Like Song Wanníng, he had a fire spiritual root. His opening strike was a mass of blue-black flames.
"Is that the Nine Nether Sacred Flame?"
"No way! Liu Yáo actually possesses the Nine Nether Sacred Flame? That's ranked top twenty on the Heavenly Flame List!"
"Heavens, as far as I know, Master Song doesn't have any heavenly flames..."
"Then how can she win? That flame can burn through anything. Despite being fire, it's chilling to the bone. It can even lock down meridians and spiritual energy."
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
Heavenly flames were extremely rare.
And the Nine Nether Sacred Flame ranked among the top twenty.
Even Nascent Soul cultivators narrowed their eyes.
No wonder Liu Yáo had reached peak Nascent Soul. He must have formed a contract with the sacred flame.
This was no warm-up. He was going all in.
The fire radiated a deep, dark glow, releasing specks of light like ghostly stars.
Before it even touched her, Song Wanníng could feel a chill seeping into her bones.
She shivered.
Still, her expression remained unchanged. As if she had expected this.
In her previous life, this had been Liu Yáo's trump card.
Its power was undeniable.
But so what?
Song Wanníng smiled faintly and slashed out with her sword.
An invisible ripple shot out, surging toward Liu Yáo.
A strange sensation struck him. Alarmed, he immediately swung his heavy blade.
One slash, and a hundred flames roared to life.
Whirlpools of fire howled across the stage, ready to explode.
Boom—
The entire dueling platform vanished in a sea of flames.
Disciples stared wide-eyed, frozen in shock.
The blaze surged so fiercely, even the protective formation struggled to contain it.