"Just take good care of his body, Mother. Do not let him destroy it."
The Feng family also had soul tablets. If Feng Youming died, the Feng family would certainly notice. That was why Song Wanníng did not dare to kill him outright. Besides, Feng Youming was still useful. Letting him die now would be far too wasteful.
"I understand."
Mu Yuan nodded in agreement, then gave her daughter a few more reminders before watching her leave. Gazing at her daughter's resolute back, her eyes reddened and heat welled up. She quickly raised a hand to wipe at the corners of her eyes. Her daughter was right. Since she had enjoyed the clan's resources since childhood, she now had to shoulder her share of responsibility.
At this point, the survival of the clan outweighed any individual. The three of them, each working in their own way, would surely be able to save the Song family from fire and water.
…
After leaving the spirit vein, Song Wanníng did not return to the Song family. She had more pressing matters to attend to. She sent several transmissions in a row to the Hundred Ghosts Gate's palace master, seeking information about Xirang, but received no useful answers.
Xirang was an innate earth spirit. Whoever obtained such a sacred item would hide it jealously. Even the Hundred Ghosts Gate could not find news of it.
Disappointed, Song Wanníng set the transmission talisman aside. Refining a clone was now urgent. It was not for ruling the demon race, but to enter the hidden realm and investigate.
Yet the Feng family's patriarch was an enigma, and there were many Divine Transformation cultivators. She feared that if she was exposed inside, her life would end there. But if she did not go in, she would never find a way to awaken the dragon vein.
Either way, the choice was grim.
That was why her thoughts returned to creating a clone. Even if the clone perished, she would live. There were still a little over three months until the next rift opened. If she could not refine a clone in time, she would have to come up with some excuse to stall the Feng patriarch.
…
"Hmph, with this news out, I refuse to believe you will not come."
Liu Yiyi's eyes gleamed darkly as she looked at the message she had spread. She had paid dearly this time for the chance to kill Song Wanníng. But she reminded herself, if you cannot bear to part with the child, you cannot catch the wolf. She had to survive first.
And if she killed Song Wanníng, she might even strike it rich, enough to more than make up for her losses.
With a vicious glint in her gaze, she stowed the realm token and slipped into hiding. She had to make sure Song Wanníng came. Only then could she follow her in. Otherwise, all her efforts would be wasted.
"Brother, rest assured. I will avenge you. That bitch Song Wanníng must die."
…
"Hey, have you heard? There's a swamp over on the southwest slope that's supposed to be a treasure ground."
"I've heard, but I'm sure it's just a rumor."
"Same here. I rushed over two days ago, only to find a huge crowd already there."
"Everyone's wandering around looking for signs of a restriction, but not even a bird showed up. What treasure ground is that supposed to be?"
"Haha, so you went too. I thought I was the only one fooled."
"Think about it. Who would spread the news of a real treasure ground? Not even a fool would do that."
"Still, whether it's true or not, who can rest easy without taking a look? What if you miss a chance of a lifetime?"
"Exactly, so everyone's been played like fools. Hahaha…"
Inside the inn, most people were talking about the latest rumor.
Song Wanníng had just arrived in town that day. When she overheard the talk, her brows furrowed. A treasure ground?
Her first instinct was to suspect it had something to do with Ye Chuxue.
But according to reliable news, Gu Qingyuan and Ye Chuxue had been driven to the beast territories and were now on the run somewhere. Since Ye Chuxue still had no chance to refine a pill, Song Wanníng had no way to sense her location.
Then what was this treasure ground about?
She could not recall anything like it from her previous life.
Still, the others were not wrong. Anyone who heard the news would want to take a look. Better to believe it might exist than to assume it did not. Missing such a chance could be something one regretted for life.
After eating, Song Wanníng headed for the swamp mentioned in the rumors.
Just as described, the swamp was ringed by a huge crowd. From a distance it was a sea of people, with no space to even set foot. She wanted a closer look, so she released her aura to clear herself a path.
"Wait, that's Song Zūnzhě!"
Someone recognized the figure in midair and cried out.
Instantly, countless heads turned upward, eyes filled with awe and fear. A Divine Transformation cultivator was far beyond their reach. All the more so when such a young cultivator had already reached that realm. Her future was limitless.
Under all those gazes, Song Wanníng stopped at the front. Before her, the swamp looked utterly ordinary, calm and still.
There was nothing unusual to see.
As she studied it closely, Liu Yiyi's eyes lit up from her hiding place. Finally, she had come.
She had waited so long that she almost thought Song Wanníng would never show.
"Song Wanníng, since you are here, you will not be leaving."
Her eyes flashed with malice as she quickly drew out the realm token and activated it according to the method she had prepared.
In the next moment, the seemingly ordinary swamp suddenly erupted in a seven-colored radiance. It rose from beneath the ground, drifting upward like mist, ethereal and shimmering with beauty.
"Look! What's that?"
"Could the treasure ground be revealing itself?"
The crowd burst into excitement. If this really was a treasure ground, then fortune had smiled on them.
Song Wanníng's brow arched. "What a coincidence."
For someone whose luck had always been "good but not good" in equal measure, this was highly unusual.
In the past, her so-called lucky encounters had only served to make her a foil for others. Now that Ye Chuxue was not around, could she really stumble into something good?
It felt strange.
Soon, the seven-colored light shot higher into the air, then began to whirl violently.
Then came a shocking sight: beneath the light, the faint outline of a tall tower emerged.
After several shimmers, it solidified before everyone's eyes. It was a seven-story tower, its whole body glowing with a hazy treasure light.
"It really is a treasure ground!"
"What kind of tower is that?"
The crowd erupted into chaos. The moment the tower appeared, people could not wait to rush inside.
Danger or not, this was the nature of cultivation. Wealth and fortune lay within danger.
Song Wanníng did not act rashly. She rose into the air, watching from above without joining in.
Coldly, she observed the people surging toward the grand door on the lowest level, vanishing the instant they crossed the threshold.
No danger at the entrance.
The crowd grew even more frenzied, each person desperate to get in before the others.
In her hiding spot, Liu Yiyi nearly choked with frustration. This had been her secret, and now she had been forced to expose it just to deal with Song Wanníng.
At least the tower required a realm token to enter. Without her, these people would never get inside again. With that thought came a petty satisfaction. She looked down on the crowd, seeing them as dogs scrambling for a bone.
Her eyes never left Song Wanníng, silently urging her to go in.
If Song Wanníng did not enter, the entire ploy would be wasted.
Liu Yiyi's fists clenched in impatience.
At last, Song Wanníng took a step toward the great door.