Godslayer: Reincarnated with SSS Rank Cultivation System

"So he ran away, huh?" she muttered under her breath, a small chuckle escaping her lips. There was a hint of pride in her voice, the satisfaction of having driven him off with such ease. It wasn't often that someone underestimated her. And yet, here was a coward who had given up the fight the moment the tides turned.

But not everyone shared her sentiment.

The woman who had been thrown back onto the cold ground was bleeding from her mouth, clutching her stomach as her body shook. The damage was severe—she could feel her internal organs shattered from the impact. The pain was unbearable, but even worse was the realization that her life, or what was left of it, was slipping away. She had fought so hard, and now, as she lay there, alone and abandoned, she understood the brutal truth: she had been left to die.

Her breath came in shallow gasps as she struggled to hold onto consciousness. But even in her final moments, the bitterness of betrayal stung more than the pain. She had been nothing more than a pawn, discarded when she was no longer useful. Her hopes of survival had vanished with the man's retreat. The once-bright fire of ambition in her eyes had dimmed, leaving nothing but a cold emptiness.

"This can't be… brother Zhenhai… why?" The woman's voice cracked as she burst into tears, her body shaking with the overwhelming flood of emotions. She didn't even notice Fang Jinyao's approach. Her eyes were locked on the distance where the man had disappeared, disbelief written all over her face. She couldn't fathom it—her best friend, the person she had trusted most, had abandoned her in her moment of need. The pain in her heart at that moment was far greater than the physical ache she still felt from Fang Jinyao's earlier strike.

Fang Jinyao stood silently for a moment, her gaze darkening as she watched the woman's grief unfold. How could someone turn their back on their own? But the words that slipped from her lips next were unexpected, sharp, and filled with a rawness she hadn't expected to confront herself.

"How does it feel? To see someone you love run away, to leave you behind?"

Yet, her own words struck her harder than she cared to admit. A sharp, sudden pain pierced through Fang Jinyao's chest, like an invisible dagger twisting deep into her heart. The emotional wound was fresh, and it reminded her of a lingering doubt—one she had been pushing aside, one that she had tried to ignore. Could it be? Could Wen Ran really be so different now, his actions and choices somehow influenced by forces beyond his control?

She had been thinking about it for some time now. Her heart ached at the thought of him. The pain of not knowing his true feelings had gnawed at her every night. She had finally come to the conclusion—there was something else in him, something foreign, some soul that had invaded his body. The thought made her sick, but she couldn't ignore it. She had to save him, whatever the cost.

"Why do you care?" the woman's voice interrupted her, full of bitterness and resignation. "Just kill me already. I won't talk. I've lost everything I ever cared about."

Fang Jinyao looked at the woman, but her mind was elsewhere. The coldness in the woman's words only deepened the knot in her stomach. She could see that there was nothing left in this woman's heart—nothing but emptiness, as though all her life's meaning had just evaporated in an instant.

Without a word, Fang Jinyao drew her sword, the blade glinting in the dim light. The tip of it hovered just above the woman's chest as she made a slow, deliberate stabbing motion, her eyes unreadable.

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Yet not everyone was caught in life-or-death battles. Wen Ran, on the other hand, was staring at a small ink brush, a look of deep confusion on his face.

Even someone like him, who had spent years on the battlefield, had never encountered an artifact quite like this one. The brush was delicate, almost serene in its design, but its presence felt unusual, as if it held more than simple artistic potential.

Luo Feng, however, was eyeing the brush with barely disguised jealousy. His gaze lingered on it, filled with awe.

"Brother Wen Ran, I had no idea you were interested in the art of symbol martial arts," Luo Feng said, his voice hinting at both admiration and a little envy.

Wen Ran blinked, still holding the brush between his fingers. "What is that?" His voice was laced with confusion, the term completely foreign to him. Symbol martial arts? Was this something that this world had developed that never existed in his own? The thought alone sent a wave of excitement through him. What kind of power could this art hold? His curiosity grew as he imagined the possibilities, the desire to learn burning brightly in his chest.

"You don't know?" Luo Feng looked at Wen Ran, his brow furrowing in confusion. "In this world, there are only a few people who haven't heard of the Great Sky Immortal. He's the man who painted the heavens themselves and built this world with the strokes of his ink brush. He's the god of our world, the one everyone respects and prays to," Luo Feng said, his voice filled with awe. A proud smile spread across his face as he spoke. He had been a fan of the Great Sky Immortal all his life. If he could ever meet the god, he'd be honored to serve him for the rest of his days. That was how much people of this world revered their god.

"God, you say..." Wen Ran's face twitched for a moment before he quickly masked it with a neutral expression. This was fascinating news. This world has a god! Hahaha! His mind raced. I've been itching to get my hands on a god, he thought, a twisted excitement bubbling inside him. Let's see how this new god compares to the ones I've already known. There were always new gods born every ten thousand years in the upper skies, so it's not that surprising. But to be able to face him, to beat him at his own game with his own art... how thrilling. His blood began to boil with the idea of learning the art that the god had created and using it to bring down the very god who had created it. How delightful. What a game this will be.

Meanwhile, Luo Feng watched on, oblivious to the dark thoughts that were slowly forming in Wen Ran's mind. To him, his sworn brother was just an eager student, ready to explore the world of martial arts. But beneath the surface, Wen Ran's true intentions were far more twisted.