One misstep leads to a barrage of attacks.
Xie Shenghua had just dodged a blade and hadn't caught her breath when she felt a sharp presence once again at her chest.
Alarmed, she retreated three more steps. As she prepared to counter, she sensed a third, piercing aura.
It was the second move of the Falling Leaves Autumn Wind Saber technique: "Rustling Autumn Wind."
Having gained the advantage, Zi Linling was not about to let Xie Shenghua escape.
She intended to use Xie Shenghua to establish her dominance, to show Fu Liuyun and the other two that she, the Ghost Hand Poison Doctor, was not to be trifled with.
"Lingering Autumn," "Autumn Wind Rises Again"...
Zi Linling unleashed one move after another, giving Xie Shenghua no chance to breathe.
Being relentlessly pressured ignited Xie Shenghua's fury.
However, Zi Linling's attacks were so continuous that she couldn't find an opening to retaliate.
In her agitation, Xie Shenghua momentarily lost focus and had a lock of her hair sliced off by Zi Linling.
Zi Linling's attacks grew faster and faster, especially with three other figures eyeing them menacingly.
With a flicker of thought, she activated her wood spirit energy, entangling Xie Shenghua's ankles.
Just as Xie Shenghua tried to retreat, she found her feet immobilized.
Seizing the opportunity, Zi Linling channeled spiritual energy into her scalpel, which flashed towards Xie Shenghua's neck.
While shocked, Xie Shenghua instinctively leaned back, narrowly evading the fatal blow.
Zi Linling let out a cold smile and kicked Xie Shenghua in the stomach.
Of course, she had withdrawn the wood spirit energy binding Xie Shenghua before delivering the kick.
As a result, Xie Shenghua was sent flying, crashing heavily five meters away and spitting out a mouthful of blood.
Zi Linling activated her Phantom Dragon Step, appearing instantly before Xie Shenghua.
Her killing intent surged as she prepared to finish Xie Shenghua off, but she felt a powerful earth spirit energy hurtling towards her.
"How dare you!"
Xiong Tai's voice boomed with full force.
Despite his imposing physique, he was no fool, holding the position of the Black Water Hall's Left Protector.
In his view, if Zi Linling were allowed to kill Xie Shenghua today, then he, Li Luo, and Fu Liuyun would face severe repercussions, even if they survived.
Thus, he intervened.
A cold glint flashed in Zi Linling's eyes.
With a thought, her water spirit energy formed a protective shield around her.
Then, she redirected her scalpel, sending it spinning towards Xiong Tai.
"Well met!"
Xiong Tai roared, "You react quickly!"
He leaned back, evading the scalpel.
"Earth Crack!"
Xiong Tai willed it, and a fissure opened beneath Zi Linling's feet.
Zi Linling's Phantom Dragon Step danced, allowing her to leap over the chasm and appear before Xiong Tai, catching the returning scalpel.
She said coldly, "Big Black Bear, since you're so eager, I'll deal with you first."
Xiong Tai laughed heartily, "Stinking girl, you're small but speak with a big voice!"
"Bitch, I'll kill you!"
Xie Shenghua, having recovered her senses, screamed hysterically.
She was in a sorry state, blood trickling from her lips, her hair disheveled, and her body covered in dust.
Zi Linling looked down at Xie Shenghua with contempt. "A defeated foe dares to threaten to kill me? Hmph! I don't like flowers, so I don't spare them. But I do enjoy crushing them!"
Enraged, Xie Shenghua lunged at Zi Linling.
Zi Linling coldly snorted, "Seeking death!"
Her vast divine sense bore down on Xie Shenghua.
Simultaneously, a silver needle shot from her hand, propelled by spirit energy, directly at Xie Shenghua's forehead.
Dizzy from Zi Linling's immense divine sense, Xie Shenghua snapped back to awareness just as the needle was an inch from her brow. Sudan Fiction Network.
"Careful!"
A feminine shriek echoed, and Li Luo's orchid-like finger had already caught the silver needle.
"Stinking girl, your attacks are truly venomous!"
Xie Shenghua, having narrowly escaped death, took several deep breaths.
Zi Linling laughed in frustration, retorting, "You try to steal my possessions, even my life, and then call me venomous? How reasonable of you!"
"You..."
Li Luo was speechless, glaring at Zi Linling with fury.
Zi Linling sneered, her cold gaze then settling on Fu Liuyun. "What? Sect Master Fu, aren't you going to join them?"
Her words instantly drew the attention of Xiong Tai, Li Luo, and Xie Shenghua towards Fu Liuyun.
Fu Liuyun sighed and took a step forward.
His intention was clear: he would join the other three.
Zi Linling's cold aura intensified as she swept her gaze over the four. "Very well! I, Zi Linling, swear that from this moment on, I am in eternal opposition with the Black Water Hall, the Holy Cult, the Hundred Flowers Palace, and the Flowing Cloud Sect!"
As her icy voice faded, a muffled thunderclap echoed in the sky.
The vows of spiritual cultivators communicated with heaven and earth, and this thunder was the testament of the Way.
The faces of Xiong Tai, Li Luo, Xie Shenghua, and Fu Liuyun turned extremely grim.
Fu Liuyun, in particular, found himself with no room for maneuver, no matter how unwilling he was to oppose Zi Linling.
After speaking, Zi Linling addressed Long'er, Xiao Hu, and Bai Ze. "You three, come out and do your work!"
"Roar~"
"Grrr~"
"Awooo~"
Three beastly roars erupted, and a dragon, a tiger, and a white lion appeared beside Zi Linling.
The dragon from the clouds, the tiger from the wind, the white beast patrolling the sea. As the three beasts appeared, winds surged and rain followed.
Fu Liuyun and the other three were utterly stunned.
The white lion, in particular, instilled great fear in them.
The white lion was, of course, Bai Ze.
Their apprehension stemmed from Bai Ze's ability to wield the power of past and future, the power of time and space.
The expressions of Fu Liuyun and the other three grew even more somber.
Zi Linling's previously displayed abilities had already made them wary, which was why they had ganged up on a junior.
Now, with three divine beasts added to the fray, not to mention the mysterious white lion, the dragon and tiger alone were more than enough to contend with.
With their discernment, they could tell that Long'er was already an adult dragon, with a cultivation level equivalent to at least the peak of the Huayuan realm.
The Winged Phantom Tiger was surely a match for a human Saint King.
"Master! These few wimps are nothing. The two of them are enough. Why did you call me out?"
Bai Ze cast a disdainful glance at the three and looked at Zi Linling with displeasure.
It just wanted to watch the show, alright?
Zi Linling blinked in surprise. "What do you mean?"
Bai Ze rolled its eyes. "Once this beast makes a move, they won't even be reduced to ashes. But my abilities can't be used carelessly, or it will affect the fortune of the sages."