As Ji Liuyun struck out in anger, her power was world-shaking.
The claw, condensed from Phoenix Divine Fire, seemed as if it would tear the entire sky apart.
A full-power strike from a late-stage Great Transcendence expert was enough to shatter mountains and rivers, dimming the sun and moon.
“Master!”
Gu Qinghuan’s face instantly turned deathly pale.
Without a second thought, she shielded Lu Ning behind her, simultaneously pushing the Lunar Power within her body to its absolute limit.
A massive ice shield formed from endless freezing air appeared before her.
Lunar Runes flowed across the shield, radiating a terrifying chill.
However, before Ji Liuyun’s furious strike, this ice shield appeared incredibly fragile.
“A mantis trying to stop a carriage!”
Cold killing intent flickered in Ji Liuyun’s eyes.
The phoenix claw slammed into the ice shield.
Crack — !
A crisp shattering sound rang out.
The supposedly indestructible ice shield lasted for less than one breath before it shattered into pieces.
Gu Qinghuan let out a muffled groan as a trace of blood leaked from the corner of her mouth.
Yet, she remained standing firmly in front of Lu Ning, refusing to retreat even half a step.
Nearby, Su Yuexi’s gentle expression finally shifted to one of gravity as she watched Ji Liuyun’s sudden outburst.
She had not expected this Empress, known for her patience and composure, to act so impulsively and recklessly.
Su Yuexi’s figure blurred as she prepared to intervene.
However, just as she moved, an aged figure appeared before her like a ghost, blocking her path.
It was Madam Cloud.
“Sect Leader Su, your opponent is this old servant.”
Madam Cloud’s voice was hoarse and calm, but her cloudy eyes flashed with a sharp light.
Immediately after, the terrifying pressure of the Peak Great Transcendence Realm locked onto Su Yuexi.
Su Yuexi’s expression changed slightly.
She knew she was pinned down.
With Madam Cloud there, she had no way to break free and help Lu Ning.
At that moment, the eyes Lu Ning had used to play the role of the weak and innocent changed fundamentally.
It was a look of absolute control, viewing all living beings as ants and the world itself as a chessboard.
She gently pushed aside Gu Qinghuan, who was blocking her way, and stepped forward alone to meet the world-destroying phoenix claw.
“Master!”
Gu Qinghuan cried out in alarm.
“Lu Ning!” Su Yuexi’s face also paled.
Seeing Lu Ning’s cold eyes, Ji Liuyun spoke with a mocking tone.
“So, the Grand Demon of the Heavenly Demon Sect finally stops pretending?”
A flash of satisfaction crossed Ji Liuyun’s eyes, mixed with an excitement she hadn’t even noticed herself.
She wanted to force out the demon’s true side.
Afterward, she planned to imprison and torture her, repaying every bit of the mockery Lu Ning had previously subjected her to.
At that moment, Lu Ning issued a command in her mind to the system that had been silent for so long.
‘System, use the 50/50 Experience Card.’
‘Target: Madam Cloud.’
[Ding! 50/50 Experience Card used. Target locked: Peak Great Transcendence Realm cultivator, Madam Cloud.]
[The host’s cultivation will forcibly equalize with the target’s for a short duration. Duration: 1 minute.]
[Countdown beginning: 59, 58…]
The moment the system notification faded, an unimaginable, terrifying power woke up within Lu Ning’s body!
Her cultivation, which had just recovered to the Golden Core Stage, began to skyrocket at an impossible speed!
Nascent Soul!
Deity Transformation!
…
Peak Great Transcendence!
Boom — !
A terrifying pressure that caused the world to lose its color radiated from Lu Ning.
The phoenix claw, carrying the power to destroy heaven and earth, stopped abruptly less than 3 inches above Lu Ning’s head.
Ji Liuyun discovered to her horror that her body, along with the divine essence within her, was frozen by an invisible force.
“This… this is…”
Ji Liuyun’s phoenix-like eyes were filled with unbelievable terror.
“Peak Great Transcendence… how is this possible!”
She cried out in shock, her voice trembling.
Madam Cloud was even more shaken.
As a genuine Peak Great Transcendence expert, she understood better than anyone what the aura Lu Ning was currently emitting represented.
This aura was even purer and more vast than her own!
How was this possible?
Wasn’t this rumored Grand Demon supposed to be heavily injured with a regressed cultivation?
Could it be… that this was all a trap?
A terrifying scam set up by this demon from the very beginning to keep everyone in the dark?
Waves of shock crashed through Madam Cloud’s heart.
For the first time, a look of “fear” appeared on her normally calm, aged face.
On the other side, Gu Qinghuan and Su Yuexi were also completely stunned by this sudden turn of events.
Gu Qinghuan stared blankly at her master, whose black hair drifted in the wind and whose eyes were cold.
Her mind went completely blank.
She had always believed her master was a “sickly beauty” who had lost her cultivation and needed her protection.
She had enjoyed the pleasure of pulling a deity down from her pedestal and manipulating her.
She had even been smug about having her master wrapped around her finger.
But now it seemed… she was the most ridiculous fool of all.
Su Yuexi’s reaction was no better.
The composed smile vanished from her gentle face for the first time.
She looked at Lu Ning, who was radiating world-destroying power, her water-like eyes filled with shock.
She thought she had treated everyone as pawns and controlled the entire chessboard.
In reality, the person she had hated for so many years, the one she wanted to surpass and take revenge upon…
Had stood at a height she couldn’t even reach by looking up from the very beginning.
Amidst this silence, only one person’s reaction was different.
Ji Linglong, whose mind was like a child’s due to Su Yuexi’s medicinal control, did not feel afraid upon sensing Lu Ning’s powerful aura.
Instead, she clapped her hands excitedly.
“Big Sister! Big Sister is so amazing!”
Pure, golden stars of admiration sparkled in her innocent phoenix eyes.
Lu Ning ignored everyone’s shock.
She simply raised a hand and extended a slender, fair finger, tapping the phoenix claw hovering above her head.
With a soft sound, the phoenix claw—the full-power strike of a late-stage Great Transcendence expert—vanished silently like a popped soap bubble.
There was no world-shaking explosion, nor any rampaging energy.
It simply turned into nothingness with effortless ease.
After finishing this, Lu Ning slowly raised her eyes to look at Ji Liuyun.
“Lady Empress, how about we end this farce here?”