"Let me out, damn it!"
The Demon Sovereign roared in fury, but the only answer he got was another massive strike of thunder.
Outside the Sword Dao domain, blood spilled from the corner of Song Wanníng's lips. Her spiritual energy drained at an alarming rate. In just half a minute, she was nearly emptied.
The fusion of the Taiji with the Sword Dao domain had actually summoned lightning tribulation. That caught her completely off guard. More shocking still was the spiritual energy consumption. Even after swallowing several top-grade pills, it made no difference.
When the very last wisp of spiritual power drained from her dantian, her complexion turned pale. She couldn't even stand. Her sword tip dug into the ground as one of her legs buckled. She dropped to one knee. If this continued, even her dantian might collapse.
But victory was right in front of her. She couldn't bring herself to give up now. Song Wanníng's gaze sharpened. She bit through her lower lip. If spiritual energy wasn't enough, then she would use demonic energy instead.
Until now, most of the demonic energy in her body had entered passively. Aside from a bit she absorbed from the spiritual spring, she had never actively drawn in magic power.
But in the Demon Sea, demonic energy surged in abundance. Since she could absorb it, why not try? If it failed, she could still stop in time.
With that thought, Song Wanníng dropped all restraints on her aura and began absorbing demonic energy at full force.
The moment her suppression lifted, countless streams of demonic energy rushed toward her like they had found their home, fighting to flood into her body. Her recently emptied dantian filled up instantly, then just as quickly emptied again as the energy funneled into the Sword Dao domain.
Boom!
"Ahhh—!"
Stronger bolts of heavenly thunder came crashing down. The Demon Sovereign could no longer get up. He lay sprawled on the ground like a dying dog, forced to take each strike head-on.
Within the Sword Dao domain, Song Wanníng was the embodiment of the Heavenly Dao. Everything within was under her control.
Now that she had demonic energy as fuel, the lightning tribulation only grew more intense. What could the Demon Sovereign possibly use to fight back?
He stared up at the thunder with red eyes, furious and unwilling to accept this fate. He cursed out loud.
"Bitch! Let me out if you've got the guts!
You think this is enough to kill me? I'm telling you, as long as I have a single breath left, none of you will leave this place alive!
Mo Yuan, you ungrateful bastard. You're turning on your own father. Aren't you afraid of karmic retribution? Half the demon race is in the Demon Sea right now. Any moment now, they'll find their way here. If you don't let me go, you'll all die!"
...
He threw out every threat he could think of. Deep down, he knew none of it would work on the two of them, but he couldn't just lie there and wait to die.
Song Wanníng simply increased the flow of demonic energy.
Soon, the Demon Sovereign's voice was drowned completely beneath the crash of thunder and the roar of spiritual storms.
Mo Yuan remained silent, watching the barrier of light. He couldn't see the scene inside the Sword Dao domain. All he could see was the Demon Sovereign's crumpled body writhing in pain, his aura growing weaker with each second.
A wave of satisfaction rose in Mo Yuan's chest. His whole body trembled with excitement, veins bulging at his temples. He had waited so long to see that bastard die, even if it wasn't by his own hands.
As for Song Wanníng being able to absorb demonic energy, he was surprised at first but quickly accepted it.
This senior of his had always carried an air of mystery. She was unreadable, unfathomable.
Which only deepened his awe for her.
Only someone this powerful deserved his devotion.
The demonic energy kept surging into Song Wanníng's body and was immediately guided through her meridians into the Sword Dao domain.
Gradually, Song Wanníng began to notice something.
As more demonic energy poured in, even though it only lingered briefly in her dantian, she could clearly see the Taiji diagram shifting.
The white half had always been more prominent. But now, the black half, filled with demonic energy, was catching up, little by little.
A hunch stirred in her chest.
When the black and white sides reached perfect balance, the absorption might stop on its own. Almost like the world was trying to make up for all the demonic energy she hadn't absorbed throughout her life.
And if that was true…
The Demon Sovereign was finished.
Her lips curved upward in a faint smile. She simply sat down cross-legged and began to absorb without restraint.
At the same time, she ordered the golden sword spirit to keep a close eye on Mo Yuan, just in case he turned on her. And just as she expected, the demonic energy continued pouring in. Eventually, even she couldn't stop it.
Fortunately, the fusion of the Taiji and the Sword Dao domain had created a small self-contained world, strong enough to bear the energy influx.
Otherwise, she might have been torn apart by the sheer volume.
The Demon Sovereign, meanwhile, had the worst luck of all. He had walked right into her trap and become the sacrificial offering. His body was already charred black. He barely clung to life.
Half-conscious, he stared numbly up at the falling thunder.
A hazy scene formed before his eyes.
He was seven again.
Back then, he was just an average child, with poor talent. He had always been slower at cultivation and often got bullied by others in his clan.
They beat him. Forced him to eat filth. Threw him to wild beasts.
He was their toy, tormented for fun.
From that moment, he had longed to rise above, to fight for justice for others who were oppressed.
But as his power grew, he forgot all of that. Ambition crept in like poison and took over everything. He forgot what it meant to protect the weak. He had become the very monster he once hated. Without realizing it, he had become unrecognizable, even to himself.
The Demon Sovereign closed his eyes. The breath of death settled over him like a shroud. But he didn't regret it. He had suffered enough as a lesser being. Even if he only got to enjoy his position as Demon Sovereign for a few decades, it had still been worth it.
It was just… he was so close to ascension.
And now he was dying at this woman's hands.
It was too bitter. Too cruel.
Unacceptable!
Boom!
Boom!
Thunderbolts rained down one after another, completely consuming his figure. The Sword Dao domain flashed with blinding lightning. Mo Yuan tensed, a strange light flickering in his eyes.
That bastard… was finally going to die.
With a sudden flicker, Mo Yuan vanished and reappeared beside Song Wanníng. He wanted to be there to witness the Demon Sovereign's final moment. The instant he arrived, the golden sword spirit flared to life. It bristled with killing intent, a warning for Mo Yuan not to come any closer.
Mo Yuan paused, stunned. Then his expression turned pale. A trace of hurt flashed in his eyes.
"So even now, the senior still couldn't fully trust me."
His fists clenched, but after a moment of silence, he let it go. He relied on her. But hadn't he also kept a sliver of wariness deep in his own heart?
This didn't mean anything. It was just… pain. Pain from too many betrayals. From a life where trust always led to ruin. He looked at Song Wanníng with a tenderness that hadn't been there before.
She had been betrayed by her fiancé and her disciple. Her heart must be in pieces.
Maybe that was why the heavens had brought them together.
They were the same.
Mo Yuan's expression softened. He stepped around Song Wanníng to the edge of the Sword Dao domain, his gaze turning cold and dark as he glared into the storm.
Then he summoned his artifact and launched an attack.
===
Hey everyone!
Guess what? My body is completely fine now!
It's been about 2 or 3 days without any foggy brain, laggy thinking, or body aches.
Ha ha ha, finally!
I've made it through all those stacked cosmic events—Sura, lunar eclipse, Earth shifting, Lion's Gate— you name it. (｀∀´)Ψ –
And here's the best part: just yesterday, I translated 100 chapters of The Villainess Refuses to Repent in one single sitting!
Usually after my last update of my condition, I could manage maybe 10-15 chapters at a time or per day for one novel… but now? One hundred chapters in a row! Wow.
Thank you so much for your concern and your prayers. I'm feeling completely healthy and healed again, and I'm super excited to keep going full speed ahead~
Stay tuned for more, and thanks for sticking with me!
— Your happy, fully charged translator, Reiya (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧