If she could command both demonic and spiritual qi…
Why should she give either up?
She wouldn't.
Just like she once told Immortal King Mo Yang, she wanted to fuse the two.
To forge a path that belonged to her alone.
Song Wanníng stared into the eyes across from her, eyes brimming with power and a challenge that didn't ask for permission. It demanded acknowledgment.
The remnant of the Demon God paused. Then she burst out laughing.
"Hahaha! You really are just like her!" Tears slid from the corner of her eyes as she laughed. Not from sorrow, but from something deeper—an ache worn thin with time.
"Maybe it's just been too long for me..." she murmured.
But if the true Demon God had been here, she would've made the same choice.
She would've looked the heavens in the eye and asked confidently,
"Why should I choose?"
"I want both."
The spirit of the Demon God turned her gaze toward Song Wanníng.
"Then I'll do everything I can to help you succeed. The Demon God couldn't break the chains of the Heavenly Dao in her lifetime. May you shatter them all and carry her unfinished will forward."
Though Song Wanníng's cultivation was still modest, this era's Heavenly Dao had long since fallen from its former glory. Who would win or lose now was no longer so certain.
"Thank you, Senior," Song Wanníng said with sincere gratitude.
She rose to her feet and gave three formal bows to the spirit.
Then she lifted her head, her voice steady.
"There is… one more thing I'd like to ask."
—
Bai Yang had gone missing.
Several elders from the Wentian Sect had already searched the area multiple times, but there wasn't a single sign of him. With no leads, they returned empty-handed.
Lately, the spirit beasts had grown even more aggressive than usual. It was as if they'd suffered a provocation elsewhere and now came seeking vengeance. Everyone was worn thin from fending them off.
The sect wanted to help, truly, but the situation was tense. No one could afford to jeopardize the entire battlefield for the sake of one disciple.
Outside Song Wanníng's pill furnace chamber, the Sect Master hesitated. He was debating whether or not to tell her the news.
In the end, he learned she had been in secluded alchemy refinement this entire time, not emerging even once. Every day, the finished pills were handed out by puppets.
Staring at the still-warm batch of newly refined pills, the Sect Master fell into silent thought. After a while, he turned around and walked away.
Everyone needed pills now.
Let him be selfish this once.
He didn't just keep the news from Song Wanníng. He even ordered others not to disturb her for the time being. Then, to save face, he sent a few more people out to "search" for Bai Yang.
Ye Chuxue exited the pill room, wiping sweat from her brow, her face flushed with satisfaction. Though her complexion was still a bit pale, the string of successful refinements had filled her with pride. She didn't even feel tired anymore.
But when Gu Qingyuan informed her of Bai Yang's disappearance, the bottle in her hand slipped from her fingers and shattered against the floor.
"Bai Yang… is missing?" Her face turned white. She grabbed Gu Qingyuan's sleeve, panic flaring in her eyes. "Master, how long has he been gone?"
Gu Qingyuan's gaze darkened. A wave of bitterness crept into his chest. "So she still cares deeply for Bai Yang."
Suppressing the jealousy rising inside, he explained calmly, "During the last beast assault, Bai Yang was forced into the mountains by a high-tier spirit beast. The rest of us were pinned down and couldn't reach him. By the time the battle ended and we tried to find him… he was already gone."
Even if he resented Bai Yang's closeness with Ye Chuxue, Gu Qingyuan had never wished him harm. But that day… there was truly nothing anyone could have done.
Ye Chuxue bit her lip hard. She couldn't stop the surge of anxiety crashing through her. Yes, they had been fighting and giving each other the cold shoulder. She had even told herself to draw a clean line between them.
But the moment she heard he was missing, her entire world spun out of control.
She still cared about Bai Yang. She still loved him.
"Does Aunt Master Song Wanníng know?"
"The Sect Master ordered us not to disturb her while she's refining pills. Lu Nanfeng is still out searching and hasn't returned yet."
Gu Qingyuan answered with a somber voice. Everyone knew what the Sect Master was thinking. No one objected, though. After all, their lives mattered too. Sacrificing one person to save hundreds was a decision many would accept.
"..."
A cold chill sank into Ye Chuxue's heart. She had never fully grasped how detached the people of Wentian Sect could be—until now.
With most disciples sent out again on a new expedition, Ye Chuxue slipped away from camp under cover of chaos. Her master had told her not to go, warning that the mountains were crawling with danger. One mistake could mean death.
But she wasn't afraid.
She was going to bring Bai Yang back.
She believed in her luck.
That she would survive. That she would find him.
And deep within the mountains, Bai Yang—half-buried under a pile of waste—finally stirred.
His fingers twitched, and a vile stench invaded his nose. He opened his eyes. Everything was pitch black. Only a heartbeat passed before instinct kicked in. He shot to his feet. When he realized what he'd been lying in, his pupils shrank. He wiped his face in horror.
"Guh—"
Bai Yang retched violently, gagging until he vomited bile. Only then did the nausea ease slightly. Once he calmed, he unsheathed his sword and furiously blasted away the filth. This sent a cloud of angry ants after him in pursuit.
He fled through the forest, deep in thought.
Something felt wrong.
He had no idea how long he'd been unconscious. Somehow, he'd lost all awareness of the outside world, like he had been swallowed by a dreamless sleep.
But then… something had snapped.
His heart had surged violently, and he'd broken free.
In that moment, he had felt as if something important had been torn from him.
What was it?
Frowning deeply, Bai Yang ran while rummaging through his robes for a healing pill. His body was covered in wounds. With beasts roaming every corner of this mountain, he needed to find a safe place to hide and recover before returning to camp.
Time passed swiftly.
Back at the Song Clan's camp, Song Qingyun's brows were drawn tight as he gathered his disciples.
Song Wanníng had narrowed down the critical days from her earlier divination. They were likely within the next two.
He had hoped to stay out of trouble and weather the danger quietly. But the beast horde came anyway. There was no choice. They had to go out and fight.
"Listen carefully!" Song Qingyun called out. "When the beasts appear, you must not act recklessly. Protect yourselves above all else!"
"Understood?"
"Understood!" the disciples shouted in unison.
Their voices were full of excitement. Their eyes gleamed.
For the past few weeks, they had been raking in rewards from every battle. Even during rest, they dreamed of spirit beast corpses and spoils. They were practically hoping more would come.
Song Qingyun sighed inwardly. Their eagerness gave him a headache. He had already hinted more than once that someone might be plotting against the Song Clan. But after two peaceful weeks, no one seemed to take it seriously anymore.
One elder even asked him directly, "So who exactly is trying to harm the Song Clan?"
They probably all thought he was just being paranoid. Worse, he hadn't uncovered the enemy yet. With no proof, he could only grit his teeth and stay silent.
To make matters worse, there had been no word from Song Wanníng for the past two days. That only added to his unease. He pushed aside the gnawing dread in his chest and led his team toward the battlefield. The beasts today were still low-tier, charging the lines recklessly.
The disciples rushed forward eagerly, throwing themselves into battle without hesitation.
As a Nascent Soul cultivator, Song Qingyun moved to intercept the tier-five spirit beasts. Steel met fang, spell met claw.
The clash of war resumed.