Zi Linling's mind raced, and a plan quickly formed in her mind.
Yue Wudi, having been tricked into revealing information, immediately listed her among the dangerous individuals.
The two temporarily ceased communication, with only spiritual energy and dark energy swirling on Nine Absolute Peak.
The onlookers at the edge of Soul Severing Cliff were already stunned, their eyes and jaws dropping at the spectacle.
The sudden transformation of Mo Qingcheng into Yue Wudi had already been difficult for them to process.
Now, Zi Linling was locked in an even match with Yue Wudi.
Furthermore, the fluctuations of spiritual energy at the peak of Nine Absolute Peak made them feel an extreme sense of danger.
Yue Wudi was one thing; Mo Qingcheng, who possessed his body, was already at the peak of the Spirit Gathering Realm.
But what about Zi Linling?
Could she fight an opponent at the peak of the Spirit Gathering Realm to such an extent, implying she was also at the peak of the Spirit Gathering Realm?
No! Judging by the residual power of the battle, this was no longer a fight between those at the peak of the Spirit Gathering Realm.
A fantasy!
A fantasy!
Yet, this fantasy was unfolding before the eyes of these onlookers.
It was a divine blessing that they hadn't suffered myocardial infarctions from shock.
Of course, there were those who had witnessed Zi Linling's display of power at the Zi family's patriarch's succession ceremony.
These individuals smugly watched the bewildered faces of those around them, their mockery undisguised.
"Patriarch Zi, go for it!"
Someone shouted, jolting the stunned crowd.
Then, a wave of cheers, each louder than the last, erupted.
"Patriarch Zi, go for it!"
"Third Miss Zi, we're counting on you!"
"Miss Zi, beat that clueless buffoon!"
...
All the cheers were for Zi Linling.
Especially the bookie who had organized the betting, he was shouting the loudest.
He wasn't stupid; if Zi Linling won, he and his patrons would profit.
But if Zi Linling lost, he would have to pay out an enormous sum, enough to make his grandmother unrecognizable.
Uh...
Even though it was his patrons who would ultimately pay, it was still money lost, wasn't it?
Therefore, he spared no effort in cheering her on.
Seeing the unanimous support, Yue Wudi's face darkened like a pot's bottom, and his attacks became even more ferocious.
Zi Linling sneered inwardly. She feared not his rage, but his lack of it.
When a person is enraged, their emotions fluctuate wildly, especially since the demonic energy Yue Wudi used was a manifestation of negative emotions.
"Yue Wudi? You dare to bear that name? Hilarious! If someone like you is 'invincible,' then dogs are invincible too!"
Zi Linling dodged Yue Wudi's attacks while goading him on, fanning the flames.
Yue Wudi's fury intensified. "Brat, you're seeking death!"
Demonic energy swirled, demonic roars echoed, and dark clouds pressed down upon the sky.
Is this... a lightning tribulation?
No!
It's not a lightning tribulation!
It's the Five Thunders Strike!
Zi Linling was momentarily stunned, then chuckled coquettishly. "Clueless fool, even the heavens can't stand you and want to smite you with five thunders!"
It turned out that this life-or-death duel was a contract established between Zi Linling and Mo Qingcheng, recognized by the Heavenly Dao.
Therefore, if an outsider interfered in the battle, the Heavenly Dao would automatically deem it an act of provocation and naturally deliver punishment.
This was why, previously, although Yue Wudi controlled Mo Qingcheng's body, he dared not completely suppress Mo Qingcheng's aura.
As long as the Heavenly Dao could lock onto Mo Qingcheng's aura, it wouldn't do much to Yue Wudi, merely considering him as "external force" borrowed by Mo Qingcheng.
But now, in his rage, Yue Wudi's own aura had erupted completely, utterly suppressing Mo Qingcheng's aura.
Originally, this wouldn't have been a major issue, perhaps just a minor punishment, expelling him from the battle zone.
After all, the Heavenly Dao wasn't a foolish tyrant who delighted in killing.
The problem was that the power Yue Wudi used not only didn't belong to the Tianyuan Continent but was also demonic energy, which the Heavenly Dao could not tolerate.
Thus, all these factors combined turned Yue Wudi's actions from ordinary provocation to an act that challenged the very foundation of the Heavenly Dao.
Challenging the Heavenly Dao's limits naturally enraged it.
If the Heavenly Dao was enraged, whom would it destroy if not him?
Therefore, the Heavenly Dao descended the Five Thunders Strike, vowing to annihilate Yue Wudi.
The so-called Five Thunders referred to the Five Elements tribulation lightning, formed by gold, wood, water, fire, and earth lightning.
From the time the Ancestral God created heaven and earth, a single force gave birth to Yin and Yang, Yin and Yang contained the Three Essences, and the Three Essences formed the Four Symbols, which then gave rise to the Five Elements.
Thus, all things in the world, without exception, fall within the purview of the Five Elements.
Humans are no exception.
Unless one's cultivation could reach the level of the Ancestral God, transcending the Three Realms and being outside the Five Elements.
But ordinary cultivation is not achieved overnight.
Let alone reaching the level of the Ancestral God; breaking through each realm is incredibly difficult.
After all, geniuses like Zi Linling and Ye Lingyuan, who treated breakthroughs as casually as drinking water, were rare, encountered once in a millennium, and even rarer in ten thousand years.
The destructive power of the Five Thunders Strike targeted all beings and objects within the Five Elements.
Yue Wudi was greatly alarmed.
He disregarded Zi Linling's taunts, as he could feel an aura locking onto him.
The Five Thunders Strike was no laughing matter.
It was a tribulation of annihilation, offering no time to the target.
Once locked onto by the tribulation, the five bolts of lightning would descend rapidly, with no interval.
What Yue Wudi needed to do now was to conceal his aura before the tribulation completely locked onto him.
Thus, he quickly curled up in a corner within Mo Qingcheng's body, returning control of the body to Mo Qingcheng.
Indeed, the tribulation could not lock onto him. It could only roar in the sky, but it refused to retreat.
The moment Mo Qingcheng regained control of her body, she felt the world-destroying power within the tribulation.
She couldn't help but shiver, and her attack faltered for a moment.
That momentary pause was a fatal opening.
With Zi Linling's keen eyesight, how could she miss such a golden opportunity?
Her Phantom Dragon Step instantly shifted, and she appeared behind Mo Qingcheng.
"Wood Spirit Cage!"
"Autumn Wind Sweeping Fallen Leaves!"
By the time Mo Qingcheng reacted, it was too late.
The "Wood Spirit Cage" bound her body, and the blade of the scalpel pressed against her throat, slicing it open.
Am I going to die?
No! I am not reconciled!
The demonic energy within Mo Qingcheng began to surge, and a bright light shot out from the demonic energy.
Although the lightning tribulation in the sky found the source of the demonic energy, it could not descend due to the contract between Zi Linling and Mo Qingcheng.
After all, it was Mo Qingcheng herself controlling the demonic energy at this moment, not Yue Wudi.
Zi Linling's eyes grew solemn.
Known as the Ghost Hand Poison Doctor, her understanding of the human body was exceptionally profound.
And at the moment she cut open the opponent's throat, she felt that what she had cut was not a human body.
A substitute talisman?
No!
Because at this moment, the demonic energy before her dissipated, and a corpse appeared on the ground.