Despair? Yes.

It was because of Song Zhi'ang that Sha had managed to escape using the Soul Guiding Lamp, bringing about immeasurable consequences. Were it not for her, Sha would never have escaped death last time. Nor would Ye Feng have turned into this wretched shadow of himself because of Sha's escape! And their brothers would not have had to fight with their very lives on the line. In Li Guanqi's heart... Whatever reasons or excuses Song Zhi'ang might have, she had to die! Boom! Li Guanqi calmly watched the sky full of spikes hurtling toward him. With a wave of his hand, the Red Lotus Sword blurred into countless afterimages. Wherever the sword light swept, every spike shattered into dust. Violent thunderous power suppressed heaven and earth, crisscrossing sword qi cleaving through the air. Fissures split open across the void of the domain, yet behind those tears lay only endless, churning demonic qi. "Song Zhi'ang, whatever past bond existed between us was severed the moment you helped Sha escape." "Your father, Song Kangning, died in deep depression. You brought all of this upon yourself." "Today, let us settle this once and for all." Song Zhi'ang's face turned faintly pale. As the Thunder Lord, Li Guanqi held an overwhelming advantage over her strength. Thunder naturally countered demonic qi, yet she had no choice now but to do everything in her power to kill him. Hearing Li Guanqi's words, Song Zhi'ang clutched her chest, feeling as though a blade were twisting inside her heart. Even in the midst of his fierce clash with Meng Wanshu, Lu Tian spared his attention to watch this side of the battlefield. He sneered mockingly, "Song Zhi'ang, if you don't do your utmost to kill Li Guanqi, I'll use every means at my disposal to torment Li Si'ang." As the words left his mouth, a faint smile suddenly played across Lu Tian's face. Raising his sword to knock Meng Wanshu back, he flipped his wrist, and a cluster of spiritual light appeared in his palm. The light was brimming with the aura of Song Zhi'ang's divine soul. Meng Wanshu frowned. Though she did not know what it was, she could sense it was immensely important to Song Zhi'ang—perhaps even the very leash Lu Tian used to control her. Lu Tian shot Meng Wanshu an amused look, speaking in a teasing voice. "Curious to know what this is?" "Hahahahahaha!" "This is that woman's love for Li Guanqi! Her longing for him! Her most cherished memories!" Ignoring the faint change in Meng Wanshu's expression, Lu Tian wrapped the spiritual light in demonic qi and shot it straight toward Song Zhi'ang! With lightning speed, the light plunged into Song Zhi'ang's body. The woman froze instantly, her disheveled hair hanging loose as she stood rooted to the spot. From atop the stone pillar, Ye Feng stared blankly at the scene. He knew that while her memories were missing, Song Zhi'ang could still bring herself to strike Li Guanqi with all her might under the instinct of a mother protecting her child. But once her complete memories washed over her mind, she would be torn apart by agony! That internal torment would be excruciating—painful enough to utterly shatter her sanity. Sure enough! Song Zhi'ang raised her eyes to look at Li Guanqi in the distance, whose gaze was filled with killing intent. Tears burst from her eyes. Tears poured like a broken dam from her bloodshot eyes. She felt only the cruelty of an unjust heaven. Why was everyone else's life smooth and untroubled, while she had never known a single day of peaceful happiness? The days of being called a whore had ended with Li Guanqi's help. Yet immediately afterward, she had plummeted into another abyss, one from which she could never climb out. Head bowed, Song Zhi'ang recalled every precious moment in her memories, as well as everything she had done within the Sha organization and the Heavenly Demon Hall. Beneath her stray hairs, blood-engorged eyes stared at her own hands. Her lips trembled; her shoulders shook. Suddenly! Song Zhi'ang threw her head back and let out a shrill, piercing shriek that tore into the clouds. In that instant, her mind was completely shattered, driven step by step into the abyss by Lu Tian. Demonic qi surged violently between heaven and earth, blotting out the sky and sun. Even Li Guanqi's heart twitched at the terrifying aura. He had no idea what had just occurred. Why had Song Zhi'ang seemed to lose her mind and completely collapse the moment that cluster of light entered her body? Two trails of bloody tears traced down from the corners of Song Zhi'ang's eyes. Then her pupils turned entirely crimson, her dark hair thrashing wildly in the wind. When she looked at Li Guanqi again, her gaze had become bloodthirsty and freezing cold—the mark of being completely taken over by a demon spirit! Which meant... From the moment the light entered her, through her dazed recollection, to her mental collapse and willing surrender of her soul to the demon spirit—only a few breaths had passed. Ye Feng watched it all unfold, his heart growing extraordinarily heavy. Perhaps among everyone present, only Ye Feng could understand Song Zhi'ang to some degree. A surge of inexplicable, complicated grief flooded Ye Feng's heart. He closed his eyes in agony, his hatred for Lu Tian reaching its absolute peak! Swish! Boom, boom! Lu Tian shot backward, dodging the incoming sword light at blinding speed. Looking at the broken woman whose soul was now fully possessed by the demon spirit, Lu Tian's hearty, mocking laughter echoed across the heavens! "Good, good, good! Hahahahahaha! Hahaha!" "The first act... magnificent! Truly magnificent! What fun!" Meng Wanshu's expression darkened. Though she did not know the details of what had transpired, as a woman, she had felt the agonizing struggle in Song Zhi'ang moments before. What was that? It was despair... The despair of being utterly powerless to change what had already come to pass. Perhaps only in the depths of utter despair would someone allow a demon spirit to devour their own soul... Meng Wanshu cast a deep look at Song Zhi'ang and her wild, thrashing hair, but her thoughts were forcibly dragged back by the man before her! Under Lu Tian's frenzied sword strikes, Meng Wanshu was forced to yield ground continuously, despite bearing the power of Frostsever. Wielding his blade with wild abandon, Lu Tian wore a look of sheer madness, every strike packed with terrifying power. The skin between Meng Wanshu's thumb and index finger tore open. She did not know what the man meant by the "first act," or if it implied there was an act to follow. Watching the thoroughly crazed Song Zhi'ang in the distance, Li Guanqi frowned, having long run out of patience. Meng Wanshu was still clashing with Lu Tian and was bound to end up at a disadvantage. At that thought, an unrivaled power erupted from within Li Guanqi. In an instant, the churning demonic qi filling the sky was shredded away. Lightning sparked beneath Li Guanqi's feet, and he vanished from the spot. When he reappeared, several clones bearing identical auras had already encircled Song Zhi'ang. Li Guanqi parted his lips and whispered softly, "Red Lotus: God Burial Dance!" Boom! A flurry of sword light burst forth like blossoms on barren branches, shimmering with purple radiance. Song Zhi'ang's expression changed. A black sword appeared in her hand. As surging demonic qi roiled around her, she gave a shrill cry. "Thousand Illusory Demons!" Instantly, dark sword light and thunderous blade radiance blossomed against the void, wave after wave of explosive shockwaves sweeping out in all directions. Ye Feng's body bore the brunt of the impact, the seals upon him loosening little by little. Behind him, the grand hall of the Heavenly Demon Hall crumbled into ruins beneath the horrifying blast. And at this moment, Li Guanqi still had no idea what was about to happen...