This buffer, however, negated most of the force for Song Wanning. She immediately took flight again, rapidly shooting out of the giant crater without once glancing at the Sealing Demon.

The Sealing Demon was about to die from sheer rage!

BOOM—

Another bolt of Divine Thunder descended.

The Tai Chi Pattern inside her body appeared once more, filled with defiance as it squared off against the Divine Thunder.

But Song Wanning clearly sensed that the Tai Chi Pattern looked fainter this time.

’This can’t go on!’

’I have to think of a way.’

Song Wanning’s gaze hardened, the wheels in her mind turning at high speed.

At the same time, she was once again smashed downward by the Divine Thunder...

In the midst of her fall, she suddenly glimpsed two familiar figures.

’It’s them!!!!!!’

Song Wanning snapped her head up, her gaze turning to the sky with arrogance and disdain.

"Come on! Hit me if you’ve got the guts!"

"Is this all you’ve got??"

"Pah—"

She spat viciously.

The Divine Thunder paused, and then an even heavier pressure descended from the sky.

This time, several bolts of Divine Thunder split the clouds at once, striking toward Song Wanning.

It seemed to want to completely annihilate her right then and there.

’How terrifying!’

This feeling arose in the hearts of all the humans and demon beasts at the same time.

Song Wanning, however, just gave a wicked smile. Her figure flashed as she suddenly flew toward the mountain below.

At that moment, Bai Yang and Ye Chuxue were hiding behind a giant boulder, trying to use an Array to conceal their tracks.

They had originally planned to find a cave to hide in, but with all the demon beasts returning to their lairs, they had no choice but to hide behind a rock.

Before the two could sense the danger, a figure descended, grabbing one in each hand and hauling them into the air.

The entire process took less than a breath. By the time they realized what was happening, they were already high in the sky.

"AHHH—"

Ye Chuxue let out a terrified scream, and Bai Yang’s face was pale with fright.

The two immediately tried to struggle free, only to find they couldn’t even move a finger, completely suppressed.

What was even more terrifying was that those bolts of Divine Thunder were already descending upon them.

’It’s over!’

’It’s over!’

’We’re dead for sure!’

’Who in the world did we offend? Why would this Demon Cultivator grab us?’

"Hahaha—"

Song Wanning laughed wildly and arrogantly, roaring at the Divine Thunder, "Come on—strike us all dead!!!!"

The Divine Thunder, just a meter from striking the three of them, abruptly changed direction and crashed into the giant crater to the side.

BOOM—

"AHHH—"

All that was heard was the pained scream of the Sealing Demon...

Then, there was no more sound from the bottom of the crater.

The few bolts of Divine Thunder had practically blasted half the mountain into dust.

Countless demon beasts fled in all directions. Although they weren’t the primary targets, many were still struck dead by the Heavenly Thunder.

The scene was utterly gruesome.

An arrogant smirk once again played on Song Wanning’s lips. The hostility in her heart surged, and the Demonic Qi around her grew even heavier.

She held the two tightly, continuously provoking the Heavenly Dao.

’Come on.’

’Kill us all!’

’Kill your precious chosen ones along with me! If it comes down to it, we’ll all perish together!’

Song Wanning’s eyes were filled with madness as she roared silently in her heart.

The Heavenly Dao sensed her provocation and grew enraged once more. The final few bolts of Divine Thunder shot straight for her.

Song Wanning’s eyes shifted, and she directly lifted the two of them above her head.

BOOM—

The bolts of Divine Thunder drew near, but in the end, they abruptly veered away just a few meters off and struck the giant crater instead.

In the end, it couldn’t bear to sacrifice its own chosen ones. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Song Wanning had won her bet.

"Hahaha—"

She let out a wild laugh and, as if tossing away trash, threw the two people in her hands down into the giant crater.

The Heavenly Dao was clearly furious, yet it could only grudgingly follow the rules and send down the Heavenly Dao Rain. A radiant light bathed the land, and the destroyed mountain was once again brimming with life.

Song Wanning stood high in the sky, receiving the baptism of the radiant light. Her aura changed once more as she officially stepped into the Divinity Transformation Stage.

In that moment, every corner of the mountain appeared clearly before her eyes.

She could even hear the mountain’s "breathing."

The Divinity Transformation Stage—a stage where one could begin to touch upon the Heavenly Dao Laws.

Song Wanning lowered her gaze, concealing the ambition in her eyes. She gave a faint, sweeping glance around before her figure dropped rapidly, vanishing in the blink of an eye.

The Heavenly Tribulation ended. The tribulation clouds slowly dispersed, and the bright sunlight returned to the land.

The pressure bearing down on everyone finally disappeared.

Everyone scrambled to their feet, each one shaken with lingering fear.

"That was terrifying. Just how powerful is that Demon Cultivator? To have triggered such a fearsome Heavenly Tribulation?"

"For such a powerful Demon Cultivator to appear here is definitely not a good thing. It seems we must all discuss this matter thoroughly!"

"Quick, notify the other Sects! We must all convene to discuss this!"

"Who knows where that Demon Cultivator is now?"

"That was so scary! I thought I was going to die just now!"

"..."

...

Long after the Heavenly Tribulation ended, the borderlands remained eerily quiet. Not a single demon beast dared to show its head.

"Ugh—"

Ye Chuxue slowly regained consciousness, feeling as if every bone in her body had been shattered.

She was dazed for a moment, but immediately sensed something was wrong and scrambled to her feet.

"Bai Yang! Wake up!"

Rushing to Bai Yang’s side, she shook him forcefully, her limbs still trembling uncontrollably.

Bai Yang’s brows furrowed as he came to. He suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood and clutched his chest in pain.

New injuries were piled atop old ones, and he hissed from the pain.

"Are you alright?"

Ye Chuxue worriedly took out an Elixir Pill and pushed it into his mouth, her face a mask of worry and anger.

"That damned Great Demon actually used us to block the Heavenly Tribulation! It’s a good thing fortune was on our side, otherwise we’d be..."

The more she thought about it, the more frightened she became. She hadn’t even faced her own tribulation yet, but the prospect already filled her with dread.

Bai Yang’s expression was just as grim. He silently clenched his fists, his eyes filled with hatred.

’Just let me find out who that Great Demon is. If I do, I’ll make sure "he" doesn’t get off easy!’

The two helped each other up. Just as they were about to leave, they suddenly spotted a corpse not far away.

It looked like a demon beast...

All that remained of the demon beast was a skeleton; its flesh and fur had long since been turned to ash.

Ye Chuxue walked over, intending to search for an inner core.

But the moment she touched the skeleton, it crumbled into a pile of black ash and dissipated into the air.

"Ah... no inner core."

She sighed in disappointment and turned to leave.

Taking out a Flying Artifact, she carried Bai Yang away gracefully.

A Great Demon of his generation...

He perished so silently, without ever even realizing his true love.

...becoming the only true casualty of this Heavenly Tribulation.

...

The various Sects gathered to discuss the matter of the Demon Cultivator’s tribulation. Because the Heavenly Inquiry Sect was centrally located, it was chosen as the meeting place.

In the midst of the solemn atmosphere, Song Wanning suddenly appeared, striding menacingly toward the Heavenly Inquiry Sect Master.

Seeing her enter, the Heavenly Inquiry Sect Master’s heart sank, and he was instantly filled with guilt.

He avoided Song Wanning’s gaze.

But Song Wanning directly questioned him in a loud voice, "Sect Master, my grand-disciple Bai Yang is missing and his fate is unknown! Why did you not have someone inform me?!!!!"