She appeared so suddenly that the Patriarch never saw it coming. The longsword filled with raging divine thunder shot straight at her back.
The Patriarch had been locked in combat. She jolted in shock and spun to the side, trying to dodge. But Song Wanníng had already predicted her move. Space folded, and she landed exactly where the Patriarch tried to evade.
The sword tip sank into the Patriarch's skin.
"You're courting death!"
The Patriarch exploded in fury and struck at Song Wanníng with her palm. She didn't retreat, she pushed the sword in another inch.
The next instant, a massive palm wind slammed into her and sent her flying.
A spray of blood burst from her mouth. She couldn't even stabilize her body and dropped straight toward the ground. Her clone panicked and rushed over, but Dragon Soul's tail swept out first. It caught her falling body and pulled her back.
"A clone?"
Dragon Soul glanced between them and instantly understood.
The Patriarch roared, drawing everyone's attention. Her once calm body now crawled with something dark purple beneath her skin. Even her face and limbs were full of wriggling shapes, like countless centipedes squirming under her flesh. It looked sickening.
"What did you do to me?"
Even she was terrified by the strange feeling inside her. A violent thunder force rampaged through her body, completely out of control. She tried her best to suppress and expel it with immortal force, but the thunder's presence was ferocious. Even her immortal force shrank back, too afraid to go near it.
The man saw her state and his expression darkened. His gaze toward Song Wanníng turned razor sharp.
She was only at the peak of Renxian, yet she had a method that could suppress a Tianxian. That alone showed she wasn't ordinary. Someone like this had to be eliminated immediately. They couldn't let her escape.
Song Wanníng wiped the blood from her lips, her eyes sharp and a little crazed. She curled her lips into a cold smile. "Obviously, it's a welcome gift."
She had drawn out the divine thunder seed within her and sent it into the Patriarch through the sword. Normal people couldn't withstand a divine thunder seed. The Patriarch definitely couldn't right now.
"You brat, you even hid a clone and dared to attack me from behind!"
The Patriarch's heart pounded with fear, but Song Wanníng charged again.
Dragon Soul didn't hold back either. He released an overwhelming surge of power and rushed in.
The Patriarch's brows slanted sharply, fury bursting in her eyes. But the next instant, the thunder inside her began to flash wildly. She gathered her immortal force, but it abruptly cut off. She couldn't even breathe properly before she fell straight from the sky.
She panicked. The man didn't even look at her. He rushed at Dragon Soul instead. But the timing had changed. With Song Wanníng's true body helping, Dragon Soul's combat strength shot upward.
Without the Patriarch's support, the man instantly struggled.
The battle shifted in an instant. He was quickly gravely injured, his moves turning frantic.
The Patriarch still couldn't control the divine thunder seed. No matter what she tried, the thunder inside her ran wild like an untamed beast, shredding through her meridians.
Bolts of violent thunder numbed her body again and again. Her skin turned charred.
Dragon Soul let out a sharp roar and attacked with even more ferocity.
Time passed swiftly. The man was blasted into the ground, blood soaking his chest.
Several of his bones had snapped and pushed against his skin, leaving him covered in bloody marks.
The Patriarch gritted her teeth and tried to attack again, but the divine thunder seed flared and she failed once more. Dragon Soul sent her flying and her whole body weakened.
Song Wanníng's true body and clone were also severely injured. The cultivation gap was too large. Even a stray ripple of their enemies' power was enough to overwhelm her.
Fortunately, she dodged quickly enough to barely stay standing. Her eyes narrowed coldly as she watched the Patriarch swallow pill after pill, trying to force the divine thunder seed out, but failing again and again.
Dragon Soul's soul grew faint and nearly transparent. No one had gained anything from this battle. But now, Song Wanníng's side clearly held the advantage.
"Good girl, with someone like you among my Dragon Clan's younger generation, I can rest easy."
Dragon Soul looked at her with deep emotion, fully satisfied with her performance. She had courage and strength. She only lacked time after ascending. Her cultivation just wasn't high enough yet. But her talent was undeniable.
"Senior..."
Song Wanníng coughed and turned toward her. When she saw Dragon Soul's increasingly transparent form, unease tightened her chest. It looked like Dragon Soul wouldn't last long.
Dragon Soul smiled lightly and glanced at the man struggling to rise. His voice turned cold. "You should know what she meant when she mentioned the Mùsù star system."
He had noticed the man's reaction earlier. Only that foolish woman would believe him.
The man said nothing. His silence was already an answer. He clutched his chest and coughed painfully. His aura weakened rapidly. But he wasn't willing to give up. As long as he wasn't dead, he still had a chance.
"So what if I know. So what if I don't. You don't seriously think you can stop me. You're just a fading remnant soul. You should've disappeared long ago."
As he spoke, the Patriarch spat another mouthful of blood. Her eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at him.
"What do you mean by that? Is that Mùsù star system really real? You got close to me because of that?"
A spike of fury shot through her heart. Flames burned in her eyes. She had treated him gently and provided him with resources. She never expected him to hide something so important.
"I approached you because you were exceptional. It had nothing to do with anything else."
His hoarse voice held a trace of tenderness, but to her, it sounded completely fake.
She held herself stiff and demanded through clenched teeth, "So my Yao Clan really is descended from invaders? Tell me. Is this really true?"
She couldn't accept it. She always thought their ancestor had acquired some treasure, which allowed their clan to flourish in the Immortal Realm.
But now she was suddenly an invader. A traitor to this world.
Wouldn't the Heavenly Dao target them?
No wonder their ancestor left a strict rule that they had to reproduce within the clan and could never marry outsiders.
Everything had been suspicious from the start. But she never noticed.
Realizing this made her tremble inside. Her gaze turned sharp as a blade as she stared at Song Wanníng and Dragon Soul.