She proudly held the Seven Star Lotus Flower in her hand, flashing an unbearably sweet smile at the two of them.
At that moment, both Ye Chuxue and Gu Qingyuan finally snapped out of their shock, their stunned gazes locking onto the sudden appearance of Song Wanníng.
"You again?!"
Ye Chuxue's eyes instantly filled with blood, hatred surging up from the depths of her heart. Just seeing Song Wanníng was enough to shatter her reason.
Gu Qingyuan's expression also darkened at once. "Song Wanníng, what are you doing here? We found the Seven Star Lotus Flower first. Hand it over!"
He struggled to half-lift himself off the ground, glaring at her with barely concealed menace.
Even in this state, he still acted like he was above her.
When Song Wanníng only smiled without answering, Gu Qingyuan grew even angrier. "We haven't even held you accountable for harming Chuxue before. And now you're stealing from us again? Song Wanníng, how did you turn into this kind of person?"
His accusatory tone made Song Wanníng chuckle aloud.
"Gu Qingyuan, I used to think you were just blinded by love. Turns out you never had a brain to begin with."
She genuinely hadn't realized before how unbelievably foolish Gu Qingyuan was. The more she thought about how she used to like someone like this, the more her mood soured. She felt deeply insulted.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Gu Qingyuan's face remained stormy. His entire mind was fixated on that Seven Star Lotus Flower.
"If you hand over the Seven Star Lotus Flower right now, I won't report you to the sect for attacking Chuxue before."
He knew full well that Song Wanníng was no longer the obedient girl she used to be. And with both of them badly injured, they stood no chance of snatching it from her by force.
After speaking, he shot Ye Chuxue a look meant to calm her down, hoping she would understand his intent.
Ye Chuxue wasn't stupid either. She forced herself to stay calm. She couldn't let Song Wanníng lead her around by the nose.
"Master is right. If you return the Seven Star Lotus Flower to us now, I'll let the past go."
She was boiling with hatred inside, but she still had to choke down those words against her will. Her nails dug deep into her palm as murderous intent surged through her.
After hearing the master and disciple speak, Song Wanníng let out a mocking laugh.
"Don't you two dare let the past go. I insist you report me to the sect patriarch. Let him deal with me properly. Since I'm already the one you love to call vicious, I might as well own it."
She shrugged, her tone light and unconcerned.
"But before that, I'd like to make sure I earn the title properly. Hope you're satisfied."
Right in front of them, she brazenly stored the Seven Star Lotus Flower into her storage ring, lips curved in a smile full of provocation.
"Song Wanníng, give that back!"
Ye Chuxue forced herself upright and lunged at her, madness flashing in her eyes.
Gu Qingyuan's face flushed with fury, neck muscles tight as he pointed at Song Wanníng and roared, "How can you be this shameless? Give the Seven Star Lotus Flower back!"
"Do you really think we won't report this to the sect?"
At this point, he finally realized that aside from the sect's authority, he had nothing that could restrain Song Wanníng.
Song Wanníng shifted slightly to the side, and Ye Chuxue lunged at nothing, crashing to the ground face-first.
She lifted her head, her mouth full of dirt. The sight was downright pathetic.
"Whoa, what's with the grand salute? I'm not accepting disciples, you know."
Song Wanníng's playful remark nearly made Ye Chuxue cough up blood from rage.
"Song Wanníng, you're only ahead because you started cultivating a few years earlier than I did..."
What Ye Chuxue hated most was that she had begun her cultivation path over a hundred years after Song Wanníng. Otherwise, she wouldn't keep ending up in these humiliating positions.
But Song Wanníng just pursed her lips. "Your master started cultivating even earlier than I did, right? Still turned out to be trash. If you're not capable, don't go blaming the heavens, time, or anyone else."
On the path of cultivation, besides talent and fortune, the state of mind was just as critical.
Song Wanníng kept provoking Ye Chuxue again and again, all with the intent of shattering her Dao heart and severing her path forward completely.
No matter how much the Heavenly Dao tried to tilt the scales, there were some things it couldn't change.
Song Wanníng looked down on them both from above, her smile deepening.
After several confrontations, her understanding of the Heavenly Dao had grown clearer.
The Heavenly Dao wasn't all-powerful. Especially in secret realms like this one, fragmented world shards existed outside of its full control. All it could do was enhance the female lead's luck as much as possible.
At worst, it might send down a Heavenly Tribulation at a critical moment. But beyond that, it had limited means of interference. If it could truly act at will, Lu Nanfeng would never have succeeded.
If the Heavenly Dao could just do whatever it pleased, this world would have already fallen into chaos.
It was this very flaw that boosted Song Wanníng's confidence. Her hope for the future grew stronger and brighter.
"Song Wanníng!!"
Gu Qingyuan couldn't bear the humiliation anymore and vomited blood on the spot. He truly didn't understand. All he had done was end an engagement. Did she really have to take it this far?
But Song Wanníng had no desire to waste another second. She still had treasures to hunt and cultivation to resume.
Without any preamble, she pulled out a Immortal Binding Rope and swiftly tied them both up, dragging them toward the direction of the Demon Cavern.
The two of them were dragged across the ground mercilessly. Just as they opened their mouths to curse her out, they inhaled a mouthful of dust and choked so badly their eyes squeezed shut.
"Cough, cough—!"
The coughing fit was immediate.
Song Wanníng paid them no mind. She moved quickly, while the two behind her suffered one blow after another, bumping into countless stones along the way.
Their faces turned black and blue from the bruises.
Ye Chuxue's once-delicate skin was torn and shredded, looking utterly horrifying. These injuries were minor, truthfully. Nothing that couldn't be healed.
But the humiliation behind them was unbearable.
Especially for two people as prideful as them. When had they ever suffered such disgrace?
Gu Qingyuan finally shouted through gritted teeth, "If you have a problem, take it out on me! There's no need to drag in the innocent!"
His heart ached for Ye Chuxue. Watching her be toyed with like this, he wished he could kill Song Wanníng on the spot.
But the next second, Song Wanníng suddenly changed direction.
And Gu Qingyuan's face collided headfirst into a massive pile of demon beast dung. His mouth had been open to yell. The next instant, a clump of it went straight in. His mind went blank. Before he could even react, he was dragged through the entire pile.
The stench engulfed him completely.
Even Ye Chuxue was stunned, too dazed to care about the rocks smashing into her face.
What was in her master's mouth just now...
"Yue—"
She stared at the black mess and could no longer hold back. She threw up.
Gu Qingyuan was on the brink of collapse. That foul stench and sickening texture struck him like a bolt of lightning.
Only after spitting some of it out did he finally accept what had just happened.
This was beyond disgrace.
"Aaaaah—!"
Gu Qingyuan's teeth clenched so hard they nearly shattered. Bloodshot eyes blazing, he used the last of his strength to lunge at Song Wanníng.
"I'll kill you!!!"