The Demon Sovereign didn't believe for a second that Song Wanníng and Mo Yuan could escape.
On the contrary, Mo Yuan had already lost consciousness, and Song Wanníng was severely injured. Surviving in the perilous Demon Sea would be near impossible.
And he had no intention of letting them go that easily.
Still, advancing in cultivation took precedence. The Demon Sovereign had to race against time if he wanted even the slimmest chance of completing his breakthrough and ascending.
He had forcibly extracted demonic qi from that woman before. Though it allowed his cultivation to progress quickly, it had also left his foundation unstable and made it difficult to accumulate more demonic qi through regular cultivation.
Only the Demon Sea could assist him now.
With a dark expression, the Demon Sovereign pulled out a transmission talisman and informed Qu Shang and his trusted subordinates that Mo Yuan and Song Wanníng had entered the Demon Sea.
Mo Yuan would be easy enough to handle. But Song Wanníng… Qu Shang wasn't capable of taking her down. He needed the demon generals to hold her off first so that he could finish her himself.
That woman had ruined his plans again and again. She deserved nothing but death.
"Pffft—"
Song Wanníng's hand slipped from the cave wall, and she collapsed to the ground.
Blood spilled from her mouth in several coughs. The spiritual and demonic qi inside her surged chaotically, threatening to spiral out of control.
She shut her eyes and forced down the metallic taste rising in her throat, quickly pulling out a pill and swallowing it. This was the first time she had so clearly experienced the combat strength of a peak Divine Transformation stage cultivator.
They had only exchanged a few moves, yet she was completely overwhelmed. A flicker of battle intent ignited in her eyes like a flame, fierce and blinding. One day, she would stand where everyone had to look up to her. She would decide the fate of others with ease.
Never again would she be forced into such a desperate escape.
She steadied her breath, calming the turbulent energy in her meridians, then looked around to examine her surroundings.
The moment they entered the Demon Sea, she had managed to grab hold of Mo Yuan and was preparing to drag him out with her. But in the blink of an eye, the stars spun, and they had been transported to this place.
Song Wanníng wasn't unfamiliar with the Demon Sea. After all, anywhere the female lead shone brightest, she—the contrast character—would inevitably be dragged in.
In her past life, when the Demon Sea opened, she had fled across the Demon Realm. She certainly hadn't missed this event.
But even after entering, she hadn't gained anything worthwhile. Instead, she'd run into Ye Chuxue.
At the time, Ye Chuxue had already reached the Nascent Soul stage, nearly equal to her own cultivation. Not only had Ye Chuxue snatched a valuable treasure right in front of her, she'd also pushed her into a demonic abyss where she was burned by demonic flames.
For three full months, Song Wanníng had been scorched day and night, her body stripped of any intact skin. It was there that she had fully succumbed to demonic corruption. The last shred of rationality was burned away, leaving behind nothing but a creature driven by emotion and rage.
Only when the Demon Sea closed had she been ejected and spared from that inhuman torment.
"Pffft—"
Just remembering that suffering caused her to cough up more blood. Demonic qi surged around her, shrouding her completely. The torture of that abyss had carved itself into her soul like a scar. Even reliving it, she felt the cold grip of fear.
She shut her eyes, forcing the malice rising within her back down. The only way to rid herself of that shadow… was simple. She just needed Ye Chuxue to go through the same thing.
Song Wanníng pushed herself upright, her cold gaze sweeping across the cave once more.
This cavern was around a hundred square meters, dry and spacious, with a flat floor. Clearly it had been carved out by someone.
She had never been to this spot in her previous life, but she speculated that it must be part of the Demon Sea's inner sanctum—perhaps even the stronghold of its guardian.
Mo Yuan had once told her that if he entered the Demon Sea, he would become its master. That might be connected to this place. After all, back then, there had been no random teleportation when entering.
Song Wanníng wiped the blood from her lips, her gaze turning icy.
The Demon Sovereign likely had no idea the guardian held such power. If he had known, he would never have allowed Mo Yuan to enter the Demon Sea, even at the cost of his life.
The previous Demon Sovereign must have kept this secret from him.
That made things easier. So what if he was peak Divine Transformation?
A smirk tugged at her lips. She pulled out an eighth-grade pill and placed it in Mo Yuan's mouth. She then helped guide the medicine through his system, ensuring its effects spread throughout his entire body.
One pill after another, she continued without hesitation. These pills had been refined from ingredients provided by the Wentian Sect during the beast tide. She hadn't spent a single coin on them. And if there was one thing she had in abundance, it was pills.
As long as it achieved her goal, she didn't care about the cost. Her top priority now was to wake Mo Yuan, then wait for Ye Chuxue and Gu Qingyuan to walk into her trap.
The opening of the Demon Sea hadn't remained a secret for long. A demonic cultivator movement of such scale was impossible to keep quiet.
When word spread that a secret realm had opened, both righteous and demonic cultivators went mad with excitement.
Especially since there was no cultivation restriction—anyone could enter, even a stray dog. No one wanted to miss out. Within half a day, thousands upon thousands of cultivators had arrived and plunged into the Demon Sea.
Ye Chuxue and Gu Qingyuan were among the first to arrive. As they stood before the vast expanse of dark water, Ye Chuxue couldn't suppress the surge of excitement in her heart.
She had the uncanny feeling that this place had been opened just for her.
After all, ever since she transmigrated, nothing around her had ever been peaceful. Secret realms, ancient inheritances—these things were practically routine.
But…
"Master, could Song Wanníng be here too?"
Ye Chuxue unconsciously clenched her fists. The shadow Song Wanníng had cast over her heart had never truly left.
Gu Qingyuan frowned at her words. "Logically speaking, Song Wanníng should have left some time ago. But it's not impossible."
Seeing his disciple so anxious made him ache with concern.
"Don't worry, Chuxue. As long as I'm here, even if Song Wanníng shows up, she won't be able to stir up any real trouble. And besides, I haven't even settled the score for what she did to you before—nearly killing you."
A flicker of killing intent crossed Gu Qingyuan's eyes. Ever since the engagement was broken off, Song Wanníng was no longer the obedient junior martial sister she used to be. Whatever feelings he once had for her had long been exhausted. He didn't owe her anything anymore.
"Master… thank you."
Ye Chuxue was once again moved, her eyes warming.
Only her master would stand so firmly against Song Wanníng for her sake. Bai Yang couldn't compare.
When she thought about it clearly, whether in cultivation or character, what did Bai Yang have that could rival her master?
In that moment, her heart quietly let go. She no longer clung to Bai Yang.
She was the powerful, transmigrated female lead. Without her, Bai Yang was nothing.
Without hesitation, she followed Gu Qingyuan into the Demon Sea. As long as he was beside her, she no longer feared the dangers ahead, no matter how deadly.
Meanwhile, Lu Nanfeng, who had also come searching, finally arrived. While asking around, he was stunned to discover that not only was Ye Chuxue perfectly fine… she had even advanced to the Golden Core stage.
Lu Nanfeng stood frozen for a moment. Then a wave of inferiority washed over him.
Junior Sister Ye was already at Golden Core.
And he? He was still just a lowly Foundation Establishment cultivator.