"Master, I’m sorry..."

Bai Yang smiled as he looked at Song Wanning, but his face was stained with tears.

"If I die, will you forgive me?"

’If there is a next life, I will never break Master’s heart.’

’Never, ever again.’

Hearing this, Song Wanning’s expression remained indifferent, without a trace of emotion.

Her heart had long since died to Bai Yang.

She stared into Bai Yang’s eyes with a resolute expression and said seriously, word by word, "I—will—not."

’I have no right to choose forgiveness on behalf of the many members of the Song Family.’

’Nor do I deserve to!’

"Heh heh..."

Bai Yang stumbled back a step, no longer able to maintain his final, forced smile.

He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, all that remained in their depths was the resolve to face death calmly.

’This is what I owe Master. I can only repay it with my life.’

"Master, do it."

He took one last, deep look at Song Wanning.

"To have been your disciple in this life is the luckiest thing that has ever happened to me."

"But in the next life..."

"Don’t take us as your disciples again..."

The few of them were not worthy.

At his words, Song Wanning’s hand, holding her Longsword, paused for a moment.

’If there truly is a next life, I will absolutely never take the three of them as my disciples again.’

’Never.’

’I don’t even want to meet them.’

’It would be best if we never met at all.’

’Not for all of eternity.’

She raised her Longsword, her cold eyes showing no hesitation as she swung it down again.

Sharing those memories just now was not only to let Bai Yang die with understanding, but also to resolve one of her own lingering attachments.

’I was never the one who needed to repent.’

A flash of the blade.

Bai Yang’s body was sliced in two.

In the moment he lost consciousness, Bai Yang actually felt a sense of release.

’This way, what I owed Master... it should be paid in full, right?’ 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

A faint smile touched his lips as he fell to the ground with a THUD, losing consciousness completely.

Bai Yang was dead.

He had died by Song Wanning’s sword.

The Heavenly Dao did not send down Heavenly Thunder; everything was calm and peaceful.

Just like Song Wanning’s heart, which felt not the slightest ripple.

She turned and waved a hand at the corpse behind her.

In that instant, a ball of fire shot toward Bai Yang.

The next moment, his body burst apart.

It was like a brilliant firework, detonating behind Song Wanning.

She walked toward Ye Chuxue, step by step.

Illuminated by the dazzling explosion, her beautiful face looked like that of a celestial Goddess, transcendent and detached from the mortal world.

Ye Chuxue stared blankly at the scene, unable to believe that Song Wanning had actually killed Bai Yang.

And even obliterated his body after death, turning him to ash like a firework...

She shuddered violently and looked at Song Wanning in terror.

"You’re a madwoman! A complete lunatic!"

"He was your most beloved disciple!"

’Was all that affection in the past a lie?’

’Why did Bai Yang’s anger suddenly turn to guilt, to the point where he calmly accepted death?’

’What in the world happened between them?’

Too many questions swirled in Ye Chuxue’s mind, tormenting her to the brink of madness.

"A lunatic?"

Song Wanning tilted her head and smiled at the accusation. Then she raised her hand and slapped Ye Chuxue again.

"AH—"

Ye Chuxue was sent flying once more. As her body tumbled to the ground, a Memory Stone rolled out and clattered on the floor.

Ignoring the pain, she scrambled to grab it and held it protectively to her chest before warily looking up at Song Wanning.

But Song Wanning’s expression was calm, not at all surprised. She had clearly known all along that Ye Chuxue was using a Memory Stone to record evidence of her killing Bai Yang.

’I suffered because of a Memory Stone before. I wanted to give Song Wanning a taste of her own medicine, but she found out. What do I do now?’

A flash of panic crossed Ye Chuxue’s mind, but Song Wanning remained as composed as ever.

With a lift of her hand, she pulled Ye Chuxue through the air and into her grasp, her fingers closing around her throat.

As if admiring a toy, she stared at Ye Chuxue, her eyes a mix of madness and excitement.

At that moment, Ye Chuxue felt like a mouse caught by a cat, toyed with wantonly and unable to resist.

She struggled for her life, not forgetting to put the Memory Stone in her Storage Ring.

Seeing this, the amusement in Song Wanning’s eyes deepened.

"You’re much more interesting, Ye Chuxue. Don’t you think?"

She slowly raised her other hand and gently caressed Ye Chuxue’s face.

As if admiring a piece of art, her focused gaze made Ye Chuxue’s entire body go rigid. It was as if her life was in Song Wanning’s hands, and she dared not make the slightest move.

The fear in her eyes as she looked at Song Wanning intensified.

It wasn’t just fear of her power, but of that indescribable look in her eyes that made one’s hair stand on end and sent a chill down one’s spine.

"Song Wanning, what are you trying to do?"

"If you have the guts, then kill me! But you’ll never have the Master’s heart in this lifetime!"

She shouted at Song Wanning, her voice harsh but her bravado a thin veil for her inner terror.

"Tsk. Even at a time like this, you’re still thinking about romance?"

Song Wanning raised an eyebrow. This Ye Chuxue was clearly even more love-struck than she herself had been in her past life.

’At least after I fell into demonic cultivation, I never thought about love again. My only focus was revenge.’

But Ye Chuxue, even when pushed to this point, was still thinking about Gu Qingyuan.

’It seems those two are truly in love!’

"Tell me, what exactly does the Heavenly Dao see in you?"

Song Wanning sized Ye Chuxue up and down, truly unable to understand what quality in her had caught the Heavenly Dao’s eye.

’There are millions of people in the Cultivation World, and countless exceptional individuals. Why choose Ye Chuxue to be the female lead?’

’What’s so special about her?’

"And because you like him, Bai Yang got to ride your coattails to godhood, becoming the male lead and blessed with great fortune."

"The Heavenly Dao is so unfair!"

She murmured softly, seemingly to herself, but she was intentionally letting Ye Chuxue hear every word.

’Just like with Bai Yang, sometimes knowing you’re special just makes you arrogant and leads to your own downfall.’

’Now, I’m deliberately letting Ye Chuxue know her own status, making her understand she has the Heavenly Dao as her backer.’

’Those whom the gods wish to destroy, they first make mad.’

’Isn’t that right?’

Song Wanning’s eyes were dark, and her words made Ye Chuxue’s heart sink.

’Song Wanning actually knows my identity?’

’Who is she, really? And what else does she know?’

A cold glint appeared in Ye Chuxue’s eyes, but at the same time, a trace of smugness and secret delight emerged.

"Song Wanning, since you know everything, you should just accept your fate!"

"No matter how hard you struggle, you’ll only ever be paving the way for my success!"

"This whole world is destined to be mine! When I ascend, a vicious side character like you will only have one fate: utter annihilation!!"

As she spoke, she burst into loud laughter, venting the frustration and anxiety that had been building up for days.

Her wild laughter made the smile on Song Wanning’s lips fade.

She stared at Ye Chuxue with an eerie gaze, and in the next instant, she struck out, aiming for her head.

’I can’t kill her, but that doesn’t mean I can’t cripple her!!!’