195 - Destroyer of Ice and Fire

Ning Songwu quietly observed her for a moment and then suddenly burst into laughter. Her laughter was light, but it quickly turned hysterical. "Stop here? Impossible! Unless you give me an answer!" Ning Songwu squatted down and grabbed Yuan'er's face fiercely, her expression twisted. "Speak up! What's so hard to say? Tell me! Why! If you really are her, then tell me!" In that instant, Ning Songwu's eyes gradually turned red. The rabbit demon seemed utterly terrified and struggled with all her might. "Let go of me! Let go! You're insane!" This terrified expression didn't match any of Ning Songwu's memories. In times of despair, Yuan'er was never like this. She would scream and curse, saying, "Why don't people like you just die!" Suddenly, Yuan'er stopped struggling. Her body and the surrounding environment began to collapse, and then the world in front of Ning Songwu's eyes reassembled into a different scene. Ning Songwu's pupils contracted. Before her stood Yuan'er, covered in blood, her eyes filled with resentment. Even her snow-white hair was stained crimson as she screamed with all her might, "Why are you still alive? Why do people like you still exist!" Calm down, Ning Songwu. This is an illusion. Ning Songwu repeated this to herself in her mind and closed her eyes again. "Open your eyes, you beast! Why don't you just die!" "Is it because I'm a demon that you had to kill me? Did I ever, ever harm you in the slightest?" The string of rationality suddenly snapped. What crushed Ning Songwu was not the illusion itself but the guilt it invoked. Pain is like wine; the older it gets, the more intoxicating it becomes. She whispered softly, "I'm sorry." Beyond Ning Songwu's sight, the blood-soaked Yuan'er began to smile. But her voice remained venomous and filled with temptation, "I said, stay here with me, in hell. This way, you can find redemption. After all, don't you think this world has already become utterly rotten? If you don't exist, there will be no more pain." Ning Songwu stopped crying. She murmured, "Yes, if I don't exist..." The clear sound of a bell rang out, startling Ning Songwu and causing her to break out in a cold sweat. When she opened her eyes, she saw that a bell given to her by her Shifu was floating in front of her, glowing faintly and dispelling the surrounding darkness. Ning Songwu reached out her hand, and the bell gently descended, landing in her palm. A warmth spread through Ning Songwu's heart. She thought, "Right, I still have Shifu." Just as success was within reach, it was abruptly ruined by a bell. The fake "Yuan'er" was extremely displeased and sneered, "Now that you have a life, you've forgotten the past. You know you owe me." Guilt flashed in Ning Songwu's eyes, but Yuan'er was long gone. This whole time, she had been tormenting herself. She gathered her emotions and casually wiped her tears with her hand. "You're not her, so don't speak with her face." With that, Ning Songwu struck the fake "Yuan'er" with her palm. Knowing it could no longer control Ning Songwu, the fake Yuan'er engaged her in a direct confrontation. This entity, which had taken Yuan'er's form, was actually an autonomous consciousness generated by the formation. It sensed a threat from Ning Songwu and attacked her first, driven by greed to erase her consciousness and seize her body. After several exchanges, Ning Songwu found that her flowery and ornamental martial arts were no match. In a careless moment, her right arm was slashed by the formation spirit. Ning Songwu gritted her teeth against the pain and, instead of retreating, aggressively counterattacked while the formation spirit was still gloating. The formation spirit assumed Ning Songwu would retreat after being injured. Unexpectedly, this madwoman charged forward despite her wounds. Caught off guard, the formation spirit received a punch to the face from Ning Songwu. The formation spirit staggered back two steps. At this moment, Ning Songwu was only in the Gold Core stage, while the formation spirit's level was much higher. Shocked and enraged, the formation spirit could no longer maintain Yuan'er's appearance. It lost its human guise and, unable to be wary of Ning Songwu's devouring abilities, dissolved into countless pieces of dark mist and attacked her. Ning Songwu resisted the pressure brought by the formation spirit with all her might. Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth. For the first time, she thought not of giving up her life but of surviving, of living to see someone. A figure in blue, eyes clear of any dust. She hadn't yet left her mark in her Shifu's eyes. If she died now, someone else might take Shifu away from her, and that was absolutely unacceptable! Ning Songwu shouted, "Ah! Live! I must live!" The bell suddenly rang again, this time urgently. At this critical moment, Ning Songwu remembered her devouring abilities. She recalled Helan Mianmian's words and began concentrating her spirit on the formation spirit. The dispersed dark mist of the formation spirit suddenly lost its momentum. After losing its strength, it surged toward Ning Songwu's body. The formation spirit abruptly regained clarity. It tried to withdraw its malice and hide. After absorbing the malice, Ning Songwu's face turned pale, creating an eerie yet beautiful contrast with her crimson eyes. Ning Songwu's legs trembled as she took a step forward, her gaze fixed on the formation spirit. The formation spirit was utterly terrified: "Stay away from me!" Ning Songwu smiled and spat a mouthful of blood. "You want to kill me? Now you're the prey." The formation spirit sensed Ning Songwu's poor condition and viciously threatened, "If you absorb more malice, you'll die too! Don't you want to see your Shifu?" Ning Songwu persisted, clutching her injured right arm as she stepped forward. The formation spirit retreated with her every step, its power draining under Ning Songwu's fixation. Ning Songwu felt increasingly faint. She struggled to focus but couldn't. She couldn't fall here. She told herself this firmly. Suddenly, the sound of a barrier being torn open echoed from behind her. Accompanied by a cool voice, albeit tinged with panic. "Ning Songwu!" Ning Songwu turned her head and saw a blurry figure in blue. She thought to herself, "It's a pity I can't see Shifu worrying about me. But Shifu's panic shows he cares. That's nice. So tired, can I sleep now..."