Suddenly, a figure emerged from the shadows, slowly approaching from the side.
Clad in a long black robe and a dark cloak, the person moved like a ghost through the night, walking straight toward the two cultivators.
A gust of wind lifted a corner of the cloak, revealing the edge of a black skirt beneath.
The two froze for a moment, then their eyes narrowed.
This person was not from the Mo clan.
Under normal circumstances, they would have stopped and interrogated her. But the situation was dire—they had to help Mo Wentian. If anything happened to Mo Wentian, their good days would come to an end. Without hesitation, the two resumed flying toward the formation.
Just then, a terrifying aura exploded into existence. The moment they took flight, their bodies were forced down by a tremendous pressure.
Startled, they looked up, only to see the figure already standing before them.
All they could glimpse was a perfect jawline, quickly obscured again by the sheer veil of the cloak.
This person... she was a Divine Transformation cultivator!
Their hearts shook with fear. Where had Mo Rou found someone in the Divine Transformation stage?
Mo Rou and Mo Wentian had been locked in conflict for years. Even the Mo clan's own Divine Transformation ancestor refused to interfere, choosing to remain secluded in cultivation. Outsiders would never dare involve themselves in Mo family matters.
Yet this woman had appeared here, without hesitation.
Mo Wentian's sudden injury was clearly her doing.
"Who... who are you?" one of them asked, his voice trembling.
"Why are you helping Mo Rou?"
They had schemed and fought so hard to reach this point, on the brink of victory, only for a mysterious powerhouse to appear out of nowhere. They tried to retaliate, only to find themselves completely suppressed. They could not even stand, let alone fight back.
In response to the question, Song Wanníng lowered her head slightly and let out a soft laugh.
"Who I am doesn't matter," she said. "What matters is that Mo Wentian must die."
She turned to look at the formation, a glimmer of light flickering in her eyes.
"You should think carefully—will you die with him, or choose to live?"
With that, she withdrew the oppressive pressure of a Divine Transformation cultivator.
The two were finally able to move again, yet there was no joy in their expressions. Instead, their brows furrowed with worry and hesitation. They rose into the sky and looked down at Mo Wentian, who was barely holding on. They should have moved to help him right away, but in that moment, they hesitated.
"What are you waiting for? Get over here and help!" Mo Wentian shouted when he saw them arrive.
Relief filled his heart. With their assistance, escape should be possible. Once he recovered and returned, it would be the end for that wretched woman Mo Rou. He was full of confidence, striking back fiercely despite his battered body. Wounds covered him, and several opponents had already forced him into a corner.
But the scene he envisioned did not appear. The two hovered in the air, clearly wavering.
"What are you doing?!" he roared. "Are you thinking of running now?!"
Did they have any idea what was at stake?
Just then, another figure slowly rose into the sky.
The wind caught her cloak, revealing a face Mo Wentian had never seen before—beautiful and unfamiliar.
He paused, surprised, clearly unacquainted with Song Wanníng.
But in the next second, he connected the dots. His expression twisted with fury.
"So you're the one working behind the scenes?"
Before he could press further, Mo Rou's whip lashed across his body.
Crack—!
Infused with intense metallic force, the strike sent him flying.
The others surged forward, giving him no chance to catch his breath.
Furious to the brink of madness, Mo Wentian hated that he had been schemed against. Otherwise, how could he have ended up in such a pitiful state?
"Aaah—!"
He let out a roar and launched another desperate counterattack, his rage completely overwhelming his reason.
High above, Song Wanníng watched it all with cold detachment.
In her previous life, when the Song clan had been besieged, Song Qingyun had tried to explain.
Mo Wentian had interrupted him impatiently, face filled with disdain.
"What's the point of all this nonsense?"
"Just kill them all."
Song Wanníng closed her eyes.
No matter how much time passed, she could never forget the blood-drenched scene or the vicious expressions of those people.
Those memories only became clearer with time.
Even faces she hadn't noticed back then were now etched into her mind.
She had been blind, and her death was the price she paid.
But the rest of the Song clan had been innocent.
Hatred never truly fades.
Only when all those people were gone would the spirits of the Song clan find peace.
When she opened her eyes again, murderous intent surged from her body.
The surrounding air stirred violently.
The cold night wind swept in. Everyone around her instinctively folded their arms, trying to fend off the chill that crept over them.
Song Wanníng glanced at the two cultivators beside her.
They immediately felt a chilling gaze of death, as if it came from the depths of the underworld.
Goosebumps erupted across their bodies.
"Have you decided?" she asked softly.
The gentle tone sent a shiver down their spines.
Then she added, "Anyone with a brain should know what to choose right now."
"Don't you agree?" Her chuckle was light, but it made their scalps tingle.
They exchanged a look. The hesitation in their eyes turned into resolve. If there was no choice, then they would minimize their losses. With that, the two flew toward the formation. Seeing them descend, Mo Wentian finally relaxed a little.
Mo Rou and her group, on the other hand, tensed up. Just when they were about to finish off Mo Wentian, these two had to show up and get in the way.
As they prepared to strike at the newcomers, something unexpected happened—the two cultivators turned on Mo Wentian instead.
Mo Rou's group was stunned.
Mo Wentian's eyes widened in disbelief as the two struck him in unison, sending him flying more than ten meters. Blood spurted from his mouth.
"You... you—how dare you betray me?!"
No matter how he tried to rationalize it, he could not understand how the people he trusted most had turned on him in such a critical moment.
Hadn't he treated them well all this time?
And yet, they betrayed him!
The always-confident Mo Wentian felt like he had been struck by lightning. He couldn't accept it. The two who had betrayed him felt some guilt at his accusation. But they did not want to die.
"A wise bird chooses the best tree. We had no choice. Besides, what you're doing now goes against the wishes of the old Patriarch."
"That's right. We only followed you in pressuring the Patriarch before. We never truly intended to seize her position."
Both had their own calculations and were spouting blatant lies. Mo Wentian's cause was already lost, and with that powerful expert present, he had no chance of escaping alive. If they kept backing him, they would die too.
Changing sides at the last moment at least gave them a chance to survive. At worst, they would be exiled from the Mo clan's core. They had worked hard to reach the Nascent Soul stage. Who would risk their lives so easily?
Between life and death, they knew what to choose.
"You—!" Mo Wentian coughed up another mouthful of blood, his face flushed red with fury.