"Ye Shishi, I know the consequences of kidnapping you, and the Tang Sect knows too, but we still did it. Do you know what that means?"
Tang Wan'er looked at Ye Shishi and sneered, "We know the consequences and still did it, which proves we never cared about the consequences."
"A mere Dugu Jian, can she really kill you, a pregnant woman, and escape the Tang Sect?"
"Let me tell you, don't even think about it. All of you will stay here today, and Shen Lang must die."
"Is that so?"
As soon as Tang Wan'er finished speaking, a familiar voice slowly sounded, "Really? I don't believe it."
"What?"
Hearing this voice, Tang Wan'er turned her head and saw Shen Lang standing behind her, a smile playing on his lips as always, which she found extremely annoying.
"Shen Lang... How did you get here so quickly?"
Shen Lang had just broken through from the eighth to the ninth level, and behind him were even more Tang Sect powerhouses guarding the pavilion. How could Shen Lang have reached the eighteenth level in less than ten minutes?
"This Tongtian Pavilion is quite something. It has poisons, hidden mechanisms, and even many Tang Sect experts at the Heavenly Realm guarding it. Ordinary people would indeed find it impossible to ascend. However, for me, it doesn't seem to be much of a challenge. If I want to come up, I will come up."
Shen Lang chuckled and then strode up to Ye Shishi, spreading his arms.
Seeing this, Ye Shishi smiled gently and then hugged Shen Lang's chest, allowing him to hold her in his arms.
"Shishi, am I late?"
After kissing Ye Shishi on the forehead, Shen Lang said with a smile.
"Not early, not late. Just right, very timely. Thank you."
Ye Shishi looked at Shen Lang like a shy young girl, her face blushing.
"Good, as long as I'm not late, I'm relieved to see you safe."
Shen Lang looked at the woman he loved and said, "If anything happened to you, I really wouldn't know how to go on living. Fortunately, everything is fine."
Saying this, Shen Lang looked up at Tang Wan'er and sighed, "Miss Tang, that's not honorable. If you have a grudge, you should come after me. How could you attack innocent people?"
"Innocent people? Who is innocent?"
Hearing Shen Lang's words, Tang Wan'er said coldly, "You killed my Tang Zixuan, crippled one of Tang Qu Bing's hands, and even killed Tang Fenghuang and Tang Wuxiang of the Tang Sect's Eight Steeds. Our enmity is irreconcilable, and everyone related to you should die."
"Jianghu grudges do not involve family. I'm sorry, the Tang Sect's iron rules never included this. The Tang Sect's iron rule is, if you don't cut the grass by the roots, it will grow back with the spring breeze."
"No, what you said is wrong."
After Tang Wan'er finished speaking, Ye Shishi smiled and said.
"What's wrong?"
Hearing Ye Shishi's words, Tang Wan'er became furious and said.
"Tang Wan'er, you said so much just now, but you didn't get to the point, which is that the real reason for your hatred towards Shen Lang is not because Shen Lang killed your siblings and subordinates."
"Do you really care about the lives and deaths of Tang Zixuan and Tang Qu Bing? The answer is no. You only care about yourself. The real reason you hate Shen Lang is because he broke off your engagement to marry another woman, right?"
Ye Shishi smiled and said, "You need to face your heart honestly and stop making excuses, because they are all fake."
"Ye Shishi, how dare you talk nonsense. Do you really think I won't kill you today?"
Tang Wan'er looked at Ye Shishi, furious, and said.
"Kill me?"
Hearing this, Ye Shishi chuckled, "I have a chivalrous hero by my side who can defeat the martial artists of the entire Yang Kingdom, and a grandmaster of swordsmanship whom all sword users in the world respect. You want to kill me, on what grounds?"
"Ye Shishi, it seems you truly know nothing about the horrors of the Tongtian Pavilion."
Hearing Ye Shishi's words, Tang Wan'er smiled and said, "Do you know why the first to seventeenth floors of the Tongtian Pavilion are guarded by poisonous creatures, mechanisms, or Tang Sect experts, while the eighteenth floor has nothing? Because this eighteenth floor is the most dangerous place, and it requires no external guard."
"What do you mean?"
Hearing Tang Wan'er's words, Ye Shishi felt a sense of unease, her brows furrowed, and she said.
"The Tongtian Pavilion is a vital area designed by the first ancestor of the Tang Sect. Its purpose is defense, to ensure the Tang Sect's survival."
Tang Wan'er said, "The building materials of the Tongtian Pavilion are all fire-resistant and incredibly sturdy. Even Young Master Huo cannot damage the Tongtian Pavilion. Therefore, for thousands of years, when the Tang Sect members were at their wit's end, they would come to the eighteenth floor of the Tongtian Pavilion. Because of the preceding seventeen floors, no one could reach here."
"However, I didn't expect Shen Lang to be able to ascend from the first to the eighteenth floor alone, breaking through the Tongtian Pavilion's impregnable defenses. Therefore, I can only activate the final plan."
"Do you know, the Tongtian Pavilion doesn't ultimately lead to heaven, but to hell. The final plan is mutual destruction."
As Tang Wan'er finished speaking, she walked to a nearby pillar and smashed it with a heavy punch. The next second, a large hole was smashed into the pillar, revealing a large, emerald green jade sphere inscribed with four characters – "Mutual Destruction."
"Crack—"
As Tang Wan'er smashed the emerald green jade sphere with her fist, the next moment, the Tongtian Pavilion shook violently and rapidly descended, then collapsed bit by bit. The tiles on the roof began to flow with a golden liquid, and wherever it touched, it ignited a raging fire. Soon, the Tongtian Pavilion was engulfed in flames.
"Is this kerosene?"
Seeing the raging golden liquid, Shen Lang's expression changed drastically, and he said, "Do they want to die together?"
With the collapse of the Tongtian Pavilion and the burning kerosene, the scene quickly became a sea of fire. Shen Lang immediately scooped up Ye Shishi, but the violent shaking made it impossible for Shen Lang to stand firm.
"Shen Lang, this Tongtian Pavilion is your tomb. You must die here today."
Amidst the sea of fire, Tang Wan'er remained calm and composed, smiling as she said this. She brandished her soft sword and quickly stabbed towards Shen Lang.
"Damn it, Tang Wan'er, are you crazy? The Tongtian Pavilion is collapsing, and a raging fire is burning. At a time like this, instead of escaping, you're attacking me. Are you out of your mind?"
Shen Lang activated his Icy Nether Qi to envelop himself, Ye Shishi, and even Dugu Jian. The three of them, facing the raging fire, did not suffer as much as Tang Wan'er and Tang Hongyao.
Shen Lang had intended to jump down from the eighteenth floor with Ye Shishi in his arms, but he didn't expect Tang Wan'er to attack him at this moment. He cursed angrily.
"Shen Lang, do you know why I'm here? I'm here to bury you. None of you will leave alive."
As Shen Lang's voice fell, the sword in Tang Wan'er's hand, like a venomous snake, had already reached Shen Lang.