"Song Qingyun, you'd better be smart and take your people away right now! Otherwise, none of you are leaving alive today!"
The Divine Transformation cultivator from the hidden families hovered in the air, eyes sharp and aura oppressive. Their combined force numbered in the dozens, every one of them a Divine Transformation expert.
What did the Song Clan have to fight back with?
If it came down to a real battle, they'd be wiped out in an instant. There was no way out for them.
"Heh..."
Song Qingyun looked at the group before him, disgust and fury rising to their peak.
Mu Yuan stood at his side, her killing intent boiling uncontrollably.
These people were utterly shameless.
"So this is what the great hidden families have become? Cowards who ran from battle back then, now suffering divine retribution, and yet you dare to rob others of their land? Aren't you afraid Heaven will punish you again?"
His voice cut through the air like a blade, echoing in everyone's ears.
The disciples of the Song Clan stood shoulder to shoulder, united in defiance, not an ounce of fear in their eyes. Every step that brought them here had been paid for with blood and struggle. They'd already prepared for this day. A fight with the hidden families had always been inevitable.
"Song Qingyun!"
The hidden families' cultivators snapped, their expressions twisting with anger. He'd hit a sore spot they could never admit to. Their disgrace as deserters was something none of them dared bring up, yet he'd shouted it to the world.
"You still don't understand your situation, do you? Look around! Where are your friends now? Who dares to stand with you?"
Their mocking smiles were full of scorn. The world had changed overnight, and no one yet understood the new order. Everyone feared what lay beyond, especially the Spirit Realm.
No one dared move recklessly.
That meant no one would come to help the Song Clan.
"Hey, old bastard across the way! Even if no one helps us, we Song Clan disciples aren't scared of you!"
Li Ruo suddenly shouted from among the crowd. Her words ignited the fire in everyone's hearts.
"Not afraid of you!"
"Not afraid!!"
The cries roared skyward, filled with unyielding spirit.
Even the hidden families' cultivators frowned. They'd thought this would be easy, that the Song Clan would crumble without a fight. But if that was how they wanted it, then fine.
"Song Qingyun, since you're so eager to die, we'll grant your wish! Don't come crying later when your entire clan's buried because of your stubbornness!"
Everyone could see how hopeless this was. The Song Clan was doomed no matter how hard they resisted.
"Hmph, the Song Clan doesn't raise deserters like you. If we die for our clan, then we'll die with pride!"
Song Qingyun didn't take the bait. If they gave up now, that would be the clan's true end.
This land had been their ancestral home for generations, and now it held the dragon vein Song Wanníng awakened. There was no way they could surrender it.
Better to die standing than live on their knees.
"Fine, fine!"
The hidden families' Divine Transformation cultivators finally lost their patience.
"Then let's show the Song Clan what real power looks like! Attack!"
At that command, waves of hidden family disciples charged toward the Song Clan's defenders.
Dozens of Divine Transformation cultivators unleashed their power, murderous intent rolling through the sky as they struck.
Song Qingyun glanced at Mu Yuan and gave a faint, bitter smile, but his eyes were steady as iron. Neither spoke. They simply charged forward with everything they had.
Chaos erupted.
Nearby clans watched from a distance, none daring to interfere.
"Shouldn't we help them? We've always been on good terms with the Song Clan. If they fall, it'll be our turn next."
One patriarch hesitated.
"Help? What can we do? You see how many Divine Transformation cultivators they have? We'd be throwing our lives away!"
"That's right. The hidden families have gone mad since losing their lands. Even if we joined, we'd just die with them!"
"Sigh, the Song Clan's finished this time."
Every patriarch's face was heavy with worry. None were gloating, because they knew the next target could easily be their own clan.
But no one had the courage to step forward.
"Hmph, Song Qingyun brought this on himself. If he'd just given up the land, this wouldn't be happening."
A patriarch who'd long disliked the Song Clan sneered coldly.
The others shot him a look but said nothing.
After all, who'd willingly hand over their ancestral land?
Boom!
"Kill them all!"
The Song Clan was soon drowned in shouts and the clash of battle.
"Hahaha! Song Qingyun, this land is ours now!"
"The dragon vein belongs to us too!"
"Ha ha ha!"
The hidden families' Divine Transformation cultivators laughed wildly as they surrounded the Song Clan's remaining elites.
"If it weren't for that bitch Song Wanníng stealing our dragon vein back then, you'd all have been crushed long ago!"
"So where is she now, huh? Why don't you call her out to protect you?"
"Tsk, she probably turned to ash the moment she entered the Spirit Realm, hahahaha!"
At first, they hadn't even known about the dragon vein. By the time they learned, the Song Clan had already grown too powerful. The only reason they'd held back until now was because of the monsters that once lurked nearby. Otherwise, the Song Clan would've been destroyed long ago.
But when the disciples heard those insults toward Song Wanníng, their fury exploded. To them, she wasn't just their benefactor—she was their faith, their goddess, their unshakable pillar. They went berserk, throwing themselves into the fight with reckless abandon. At that moment, life and death no longer mattered.
Song Qingyun and the others were equally furious, charging without restraint.
The battlefield descended into utter madness.
Boom!
Song Qingyun and his comrades were blasted back, blood spraying from their mouths.
The difference in numbers was too great. Dozens of Divine Transformation cultivators against only a handful—there was no suspense in the outcome.
They were all gravely injured, clutching their chests as they struggled to stand.
The hidden families' patience had reached its end. They struck again, all at once. If that attack landed, Song Qingyun and the others would be wiped out.
They knew it too. At that moment, they were just grateful Song Wanníng wasn't here to see this. At least someone from the Song Clan would live on.
Song Qingyun met Mu Yuan's gaze, both eyes filled with grim resolve. They clasped hands, and their bodies began to swell with unstable energy. They were going to self-destruct. They'd rather die taking the enemy with them than let the clan's land fall into their hands.
"Damn it, they're going to blow themselves up!"
The hidden families' Divine Transformation cultivators swore and scrambled backward in panic. They had no intention of dying with them.
Seeing this, the remaining Song Clan disciples went mad as well, throwing themselves forward without hesitation.