Too many words often sound insincere.
Yu Cheng, however, smiled warmly at Song Wanníng, his expression sincere.
Feng Lanxi was completely baffled. "Senior Brother, what are you talking about? What great kindness?"
"Nothing."
Yu Cheng smiled without answering. This was a matter between him and Song Wanníng. There was no need for a third person to know.
Feng Lanxi pouted at his response but didn't press further.
"By the way, I heard Daoist Song is still searching for Western Wind Sand?"
"Mm."
Song Wanníng nodded. That was, after all, her main reason for coming to the Wuyou Sea.
"I've seen Western Wind Sand before. Would you like to travel together?" Yu Cheng offered to help her find it, and naturally, Song Wanníng accepted.
"Let's go."
She gave a simple nod and brought the two merfolk along with her.
Three humans and two merfolk made for quite an impressive party.
Since all of them were fairly strong, they encountered no major obstacles along the way and successfully gathered the Western Wind Sand.
Yu Cheng more or less guessed what Song Wanníng intended to do with it, but he didn't ask. He simply exchanged messaging talismans with her.
"If anything comes up, feel free to contact me. I'll answer to the best of my ability."
"Take care."
After parting ways with the sibling duo, Song Wanníng watched as they left the Wuyou Sea, then turned her attention back to the merfolk.
She raised a hand and gently patted the merfolk's head. Its dazed expression didn't change as her palm hovered over its crown. In just a few breaths, the master-servant contract dissolved.
The merfolk's eyes widened in shock. "Master, what are you doing?"
It had already prepared to leave the sea and follow her.
Song Wanníng looked at it with her usual cool gaze.
"You're no longer of use to me. We won't meet again."
She turned and swam toward the surface without the slightest hesitation or sentiment.
The merfolk watched her go, stunned. For some reason, its eyes welled up.
"Master… always harsh in words but soft in heart!"
Clutching Xiao Jiao's hand tightly, it bit its lip, but in the end, it didn't chase after her.
It still had a responsibility to shoulder. And it couldn't bear to part from Xiao Jiao.
"Please… live well, Master."
…
"Hmph, that girl really has a sharp tongue!"
Feng Jiuxiao had witnessed the entire scene and rolled her eyes.
It was honestly a miracle Song Wanníng had lived this long.
She lowered her gaze to Ye Chuxue lying at her feet, a cold gleam flashing in her eyes. This girl had nearly caused her to suffer a huge loss. She couldn't let that go.
If the Heavenly Dao insisted on shielding Ye Chuxue, then she would do the opposite.
As for Heavenly Punishment...
Feng Jiuxiao's lips curled, her eyes brimming with defiance.
She was just a wisp of divine consciousness If it was destroyed, so be it.
Whoever made her uncomfortable, she would make sure they couldn't rest easy.
With that thought, she glanced one last time in Song Wanníng's direction, then raised her palm and struck toward Ye Chuxue.
This palm strike carried every bit of energy she had left.
As her hand descended, thunder rumbled violently from above.
But she was still faster. Her palm landed first, power surging forth and completely engulfing Ye Chuxue.
A moment later, the thunderbolt, heavy with murderous force, came crashing down.
"Hahaha—!"
Feng Jiuxiao laughed freely as her Soul parts scattered into the lightning. When the storm cleared, what remained was Ye Chuxue's broken and battered figure. Her clothes were shredded. Bones fractured. Her dantian damaged...
Spiritual energy leaked from her body in torrents, her cultivation plummeting at a terrifying pace. As the glowing pearl disappeared, she slowly sank to the bottom of the sea.
…
Wentian Sect
Gu Qingyuan suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed to the side.
His face was ashen. Blood streamed from his lips.
His wisp of divine consciousness was shattered, his spirit injured.
Eyes trembling with pain, Gu Qingyuan forced himself upright.
"Chuxue…"
Something had happened to Chuxue.
He wiped the blood from his mouth with trembling hands and quickly swallowed two pills from his storage pouch. But damage to the soul wasn't something that could be healed quickly, no matter how many pills one took.
Still, he forced himself to open his storage pouch and pulled out Ye Chuxue's soul lamp. What was once a lively, flickering flame now sputtered weakly, as if a single gust could snuff it out.
His breath caught. Another wave of blood rose to his throat.
Who did this?
Who had the strength to shatter his wisp of divine consciousness with a single blow?
What kind of enemy had Ye Chuxue provoked?
His mind spun chaotically. If he had known this would happen, he never would have let her leave the sect alone.
The more he thought, the more regret consumed him.
Disregarding his injuries, he broke his seclusion and followed the direction of the soul lamp into the night. He moved fast. By the time Lu Nanfeng reached the doorway, Gu Qingyuan was already gone.
All Lu Nanfeng saw was the barely flickering soul lamp in his hand—and his heart dropped. There was only one person whose lamp Gu Qingyuan would personally carry.
Ye Chuxue.
Did something happen to her?
His face turned deathly pale. He immediately pulled out a messaging talisman and sent a message to her.
There was no response.
His chest tightened.
She really was in trouble.
"I have to go find Junior Sister Ye!"
The thought alone was enough to make his heart ache with panic.
Without even informing the sect, Lu Nanfeng dashed after Gu Qingyuan.
Just before he left the gates, he hesitated and thought of Bai Yang. Another person searching meant more hope.
But…
His own selfish desires won out.
If he saved Ye Chuxue, maybe she would fall in love with him.
He only hesitated for a heartbeat. The next moment, he charged out the gates and vanished into the starlight.
…
After leaving Wuyou Sea, Song Wanníng soared toward the nearest forest.
Breathing in the fresh air of the outside world, her mood was incredibly light.
With Feng Jiuxiao's temperament, Ye Chuxue would definitely suffer.
The Heavenly Dao always liked handing down powerful legacies to Ye Chuxue—but the stronger the gift, the harsher the backlash.
Now, the one who should be panicking was Gu Qingyuan.
That thought made Song Wanníng smile faintly as she found a tree branch and sat down to rest.
A golden miniature sword clunked softly onto her shoulder.
"Big Sis, why did you let the merfolk go? That mutated merfolk was pretty rare!"
It could both heal and poison. A valuable companion by most standards.
The sword had thought its master would keep it. But instead, she had severed the bond herself.
Seated cross-legged on the tree, Song Wanníng closed her eyes and answered calmly, "Getting the immortal artifact and legacy this time was, in part, thanks to the merfolk's help."
"Besides, whether it's healing or poison, I don't need it.
Better to let it go free."
She wasn't the selfless type. If the merfolk's strengths complemented hers, she would've kept it. But unfortunately, its talents overlapped with her own specialties.
Calling it useless wasn't a lie.