Chapter 90

Chapter 90: Handled with Ease!
Liu Yao hadn’t just wiped away the friendship they’d once had—he’d even spread vile rumors, claiming he loved Gu Qing Yuan, dangling him with honeyed lies.

It made his already rotten reputation even more despised.

The memory cooled Song Wan Ning’s eyes to ice.

That brother and sister were both heartless beasts.

Today, she would collect a little interest first. The rest could be settled later.

…

Sensing Song Wan Ning’s gaze, Liu Yao curved his lips and nodded at her in greeting, as if they were still close.

At this point, he still didn’t know Ye Chu Xue. In his heart, there was only Song Wan Ning.

A few days ago, Gu Qing Yuan and Song Wan Ning had dissolved their engagement. When Liu Yao heard, he’d been overjoyed—so thrilled he’d nearly rushed straight to the Heaven-Questioning Sect to confess and propose on the spot.

Now, seeing Song Wan Ning even more radiant than before, his emotions swelled until they felt impossible to contain.

Liu Yi Yi caught her brother’s excitement at a glance. She looked back at him, annoyance flashing in her eyes.

Spineless. Absolutely spineless. Bewitched by a woman to the point of stupidity—enough was enough.

“Since everyone’s here,” the Seven Stars Sect’s Sect Master said, drawing all attention back, “why don’t we begin?”

“Of course.” Someone smiled. “Who’s going first?”

Polite courtesies circled the high platform.

Liu Yi Yi stepped forward with a sweet smile. “I’ll go first, then. But if I lose, please don’t laugh at me. After all, the gap between my cultivation and Fellow Daoist Song’s isn’t small.”

Two dimples appeared on her cheeks as she deliberately emphasized the difference in their realms.

The bigger the gap, the more shocking it would be when she won.

Song Wan Ning could just wait to become her stepping stone.

And if she won, it would be a heavy blow to the Heaven-Questioning Sect. Once their morale cracked, the duels afterward would be even more dangerous.

The more Liu Yi Yi imagined it, the brighter her face became—nearly glowing.

Yet the people around her looked at her strangely.

The higher one’s cultivation, the harder advancement became. The gap between realms was like an unbridgeable chasm.

Challenging someone above your level was rarely anything but a fool’s dream.

Was Liu Yi Yi simply too confident… or was there something else?

The Gazing Mountain Sect’s Sect Master looked frustrated and helpless.

He had persuaded her countless times, but she refused to budge. She insisted on challenging Song Wan Ning—and had even sworn she wouldn’t lose.

No matter how he weighed it, he could only see a loss waiting for her.

“Yi Yi.” Song Wan Ning smiled warmly. “We’ve been friends for many years. Later, watch your limits. Don’t get hurt.”

That gentle, friendly expression instantly lifted the Heaven-Questioning Sect’s spirits.

It seemed Liu Yi Yi didn’t truly understand the current Song Wan Ning…

Liu Yi Yi’s smile stayed sweet. “Don’t worry, Wan Ning. But there are no friends on the battlefield. You don’t need to hold back just to spare my pride.”

“Of course.” Song Wan Ning’s smile deepened.

She leapt onto the battle platform.

Liu Yi Yi followed, stopping opposite her.

The formation rippled and sealed them inside.

All eyes locked onto the two of them.

“Please!”

Liu Yi Yi flicked her wrist. Her expression sharpened in an instant as she drew a silver-white silk ribbon and sent it snapping forward like a swimming dragon.

The ribbon gleamed with a watery luster. The moment it flew, it transformed into a ceaseless mountain waterfall, surging down like the Milky Way pouring from the Nine Heavens.

Thunder roared in everyone’s ears.

So loud it made their skulls ache.

Quite a few disciples turned pale.

“Yi Yi has improved so fast. That Milky Way Falls from the Nine Heavens is impressive—what an eye-opener.”

“Last time we met, she was still a little girl. The waves of the Yangtze really do push the old aside.”

Praise rose on the high platform.

From that single move, it was clear she’d worked hard. Perhaps she really could overwhelm Song Wan Ning.

“Fellow Daoist Song’s cultivation is higher,” someone murmured, “but pill cultivators are usually weaker in combat. She might only tie with Liu Yi Yi.”

“I don’t think so,” another countered. “Peak Nascent Soul is peak Nascent Soul. That gap isn’t so easily crossed.”

Whispers spread, cautious and sharp. These duels weren’t only battles—they were measurements. Everyone wanted to weigh the strength of every sect present.

Song Wan Ning didn’t care what any of them thought.

She had no intention of sparing Liu Yi Yi’s pride.

The instant she moved, her Sword Dao Domain unfurled. Killing intent surged like a tide, crashing straight toward Liu Yi Yi’s face.

For a heartbeat, Liu Yi Yi’s vision swam.

A sea of flames flooded the world before her eyes, heat scorching her skin until it stung.

Then came countless fire arrows—whistling in from every direction.

Liu Yi Yi snapped into motion, whipping her ribbon with fierce momentum. Walls of water rose one after another, dense and churning, shielding her body.

Song Wan Ning stayed calm.

She swung her sword again—one clean, effortless slash.

A dragon phantom roared into the sky, and even the colors of the world seemed to dim beneath its shadow.

The formation trembled violently, like a storm about to tear it apart.

In that flashing instant, the raging waterfall was cut cleanly in two.

Boom!

The waterfall shattered.

The dragon’s roar returned, earth-shaking.

Liu Yi Yi looked up in shock as a beam of sword light blasted toward her.

She raised her treasure to block.

The beam pierced straight through the ribbon—then swept past her cheek with a cold hiss.

A chunk of flesh peeled away.

Pain punched through her so hard she sucked in a sharp breath.

Her pupils trembled. A word almost burst out—“You—”

She bit down before it could fully form.

Rage flushed her face. Blood ran down her cheek, turning her once cute, sweet features faintly terrifying.

[Didn’t Song Wan Ning say her cultivation was all fake?]
[Then why is she this strong?]
[Did she lie to me?]

Her heart sank.

[That bitch. She played me.]

The thought had barely formed when another sword light struck.

Liu Yi Yi snapped her ribbon up to meet it—only for the sword light to vanish midair.

A chill crawled down her spine.

She spun and blocked in panic.

This time the ribbon caught it.

A brief, frantic relief flickered through her—

And then endless sword lights erupted around her.

So dense they looked like a wall of blood-red flame.

Oh no—

Liu Yi Yi slammed up her defenses, but she was still a step too slow.

Myriad Swords Pierce the Heart descended in the blink of an eye.

Pff!

Her body was riddled through.

Several strikes hit her meridians directly, severing her flow of spiritual energy.

Song Wan Ning’s pressure crashed down like a mountain.

Liu Yi Yi dropped with a heavy thud.

She lost.

It took only a few breaths—so fast she hadn’t even fully processed the start before it ended.

And yet, it was exactly what everyone expected.

The gap between realms was real. If Liu Yi Yi had somehow won, that would have been the true shock.

Song Wan Ning steadied herself and withdrew her hand, expression indifferent.

She could have ended it in a single move—but she had held back, saving a little “surprise” for Liu Yao.

With Liu Yi Yi’s temperament, after taking such a humiliating loss, she would definitely push Liu Yao to stand up for her.

Song Wan Ning looked down at Liu Yi Yi’s stunned face and suddenly covered her mouth, eyes wide.

“Oh my… I’m so sorry. I didn’t rein it in just now.”

Then she blinked innocently, imitating Liu Yi Yi’s sweet manner. “Yi Yi, are you okay?”

Liu Yi Yi’s rage surged so hard she almost coughed blood.