By the time Gou Shiren reacted, the Gou family's protective formation was already shattered.
Gou Shiren immediately felt a surge of sweetness and blood in his throat.
He roared with immense fury, "You... *cough*!"
Alas, as soon as the word "you" left his lips, blood gushed from his mouth.
Zi Linling regarded him with cold eyes, ignoring his rage.
"I'll ask again, does your Gou family wish to submit to me?"
"Never... *cough*!"
Gou Shiren's eyes were filled with hatred.
However, he only managed to utter the first character, "Never," before spewing out another mouthful of blood.
Zi Linling let out a chilling laugh. "Never what? Gou Shiren, you'd best not test my limited patience! Otherwise, don't blame me for completely eradicating your Gou family from Chixue City!"
"You... *cough*!"
Gou Shiren was filled with anger, fury, hatred, and resentment.
Overwhelmed by his rage, he coughed out a third mouthful of blood.
Then, he closed his eyes and fainted.
Gou An, the Great Elder of the Gou family, who was locked in a fierce battle with Zhuang Xing, saw this. He quickly forced Zhuang Xing back with one move and leaped back to Gou Shiren's side.
He lifted Gou Shiren's neck and forcefully pinched his philtrum, finally managing to wake him up.
Then, he loudly berated Gou Fugui, "You brat, why aren't you coming over quickly to help up your father!"
Gou Fugui cast a timid glance at Zi Linling, then at Gou Shiren, who was half-lying in Gou An's arms. He hesitated for a moment before turning and fleeing in panic towards the depths of the Gou family.
Gou An stared at Gou Fugui's retreating back, momentarily stunned.
When he came to his senses, he couldn't help but curse, "You scoundrel! You've completely disgraced our Gou family!"
Despite his curses, Gou An knew he couldn't drag Gou Fugui out of the Gou family.
However, with a formidable enemy at their doorstep, Gou Fugui, the young master of the Gou family, fleeing without a fight had severely damaged his reputation and left a terrible impression on the Gou family elders.
This meant that regardless of whether the Gou family won or lost this battle, Gou Fugui was no longer in contention for the position of family head.
A cold glint flashed in Zi Linling's eyes, but she didn't intend to kill Gou Fugui.
Although she despised traitors, the Gou family had not yet submitted to her, and it was not appropriate for her to interfere in their family affairs.
However, after this incident, Zi Linling's impression of Gou Fugui had plummeted.
Therefore, when the Gou family submitted to her, she would certainly exclude Gou Fugui.
But Zi Linling's silence did not mean others would not add insult to injury.
Zhuang Xing sneered at Gou An, "So, this is the Gou family's backbone? It seems the Gou family's backbone is nothing special!"
Gou An glared at Zhuang Xing, mentally cursing Gou Fugui profusely.
He carefully helped Gou Shiren up and said with disappointment, "This is the son you've raised so well! Fearing danger, he abandoned his own father without a second thought. What right does he have to bear the title of family heir?"
"Hmph! No matter how much you dote on this son, after this matter, a new family heir must be chosen!"
With that, Gou An turned to Zhuang Xing and said, "The Gou family's backbone is not for an outsider like you to comment on! Aren't you also a traitor to the Cao family?"
"You..."
Zhuang Xing was enraged.
Although it was wise to understand the times and follow the "chosen one" as the right path, he had indeed betrayed the Cao family.
Therefore, Gou An's words struck a nerve, igniting his fury.
"Gou An, let's fight another three hundred rounds!"
As Zhuang Xing spoke, he once again threw a punch towards Gou An!
"If you want to fight, then fight!"
Gou An replied and moved to meet him.
At the same time, he did not forget to send a telepathic message to Gou Shiren, "With a great enemy at our doorstep, our bet is temporarily void. You must handle this carefully and absolutely must not disgrace our Gou family again!"
"Yes, Great Elder!"
Gou Shiren responded, rallying his spirits, and said to Zi Linling, "You've broken our Gou family's protective formation. There's nothing more to say between us! Let's fight!"
Then, his voice, like rolling thunder, echoed through the Gou family's skies.
"All members of the Gou family, hear my command: Annihilate the invading enemy! Annihilate the invading enemy! Annihilate the invading enemy..."
"Yes!"
With a deafening response, dense crowds of heads appeared outside the Gou family's main gate.
The Gou family members swarmed out, from outside to inside, ranked by Divine King Realm, Great Divine Realm, Lesser Divine Realm, and Emperor Realm!
As for those below the Emperor Realm, they didn't even qualify to participate in the battle.
"Kill, kill, kill!"
The Gou family, numbering three thousand strong, instantly surrounded Zi Linling layer upon layer, employing what was known as a human wave tactic.
At this, Xuanyuan Xun, Rong Guang, Shangguan Yulin, and Shen Liuxing's faces changed drastically.
They quickly unleashed their ultimate moves, forcing their opponents back, and rushed towards Zi Linling.
However, the Gou family's human wave tactic became their obstruction.
With so many people, even carving out a path of blood would take time.
Although Xuanyuan Xun, Rong Guang, Shangguan Yulin, and Shen Liuxing were anxious, they could only kill one person at a time as they pushed towards Zi Linling.
Zhuang Xing and the other ten Divine Kings also looked grim.
They had betrayed the Cao family and pledged allegiance to Zi Linling, so they had to advance and retreat with her.
Therefore, seeing Zi Linling so tightly surrounded, they also became anxious.
They wanted to push back their opponents, but how could Gou An and the other nine give them the opportunity to support Zi Linling?
Gou Shiren looked at Zi Linling and said, "Originally, I didn't want to be your enemy, but who asked you to go too far?"
"Now, the ten Divine Kings of the Cao family are tied down by our Gou family elders, and your four companions are blocked by our human wall. What other reliance do you have?"
Zi Linling smiled brilliantly. "Gou Shiren, do you think you've already won? Do you think that since I dared to come, I would be unprepared?"
Seeing the Gou family gaining the upper hand, Gou Shiren immediately became arrogant.
"What if you were prepared? With over three thousand people in our Gou family, even if we just stood there and let you kill us, you'd be exhausted to death!"
Zi Linling let out a mocking laugh. "Is that so? Gou Shiren, should I call you foolish, or foolish?"
"You don't even know what my trump card is, yet you dare to commit your entire Gou family? Aren't you afraid of their annihilation?"
Gou Shiren said dismissively, "Boasting! I'd like to see how you annihilate my Gou family!"
Zi Linling let out a cold laugh. "Gou Shiren, if your numbers were small, I truly wouldn't find it easy to act. However, you've brought out the Gou family's entire foundation in one go. It would be rude of me not to act!"
"I suppose your Gou family has been around for quite some time, right? So, you must have heard of a profession called..."
Zi Linling's aura suddenly stilled, and her voice became sharp.
"Formation Mage!"