Wei Chusheng's expression turned cold. "You're outright insulting me. That's too much!" he said coldly. His words carried a hint of threat.
"Too much?" Zilin Ling waved her hand, smiling. "No, no, no! Compared to your Hehuan Sect, I'm far from it!" Though she smiled, her eyes held no warmth.
Wei Chusheng's voice grew colder. "Do you perhaps have some misunderstanding about our Hehuan Sect?"
Zilin Ling shook her head. "It's not a misunderstanding. I'm merely seeing the whole through a single glimpse."
"You say you're seeing the whole through a single glimpse, but isn't that a bit one-sided?" Wei Chusheng scoffed.
Zilin Ling sneered. "One-sided? Nie Rufeng is your Hehuan Sect's Holy Son, isn't he? And Xiao Shan is your Grand Elder?"
Wei Chusheng's pupils constricted sharply. "You've seen our Holy Son and Grand Elder?"
Zilin Ling nodded. "Of course, I have! If it weren't for them, why would I have the time to study your Hehuan Sect's array formations?"
"Because of them? What do you mean?" Wei Chusheng's voice carried a hint of anger. Their Hehuan Sect's array formations were created by a Royal-level array master and were renowned throughout the Xuanyuan Dynasty. For years, it was precisely the protection of these Royal-level arrays that had prevented them from being annihilated, given their blatant acts of rape and plunder. Now, Zilin Ling dared to call these near-invincible arrays "broken formations." It was no wonder Wei Chusheng was furious! If Zilin Ling hadn't mentioned their Holy Son and Grand Elder, he would have attacked already.
Even Zilin Ling's cold smile vanished. "What do I mean? I should be asking you what you mean by indulging your Holy Son's misconduct and your Grand Elder's complicity!"
Wei Chusheng finally understood. Zilin Ling was here to hold them accountable and cause trouble. From Zilin Ling's words, he could detect killing intent. It seemed Nie Rufeng had attempted to take advantage of Zilin Ling but failed, prompting Grand Elder Xiao Shan to intervene. However, it was clear neither of them succeeded.
Wei Chusheng's face was extremely grim. "So, you've come to cause trouble for our Hehuan Sect?"
Zilin Ling waved her hand. "I dislike trouble. Why would I cause trouble? I've come here today specifically to deliver a gift!"
"A gift? What gift?" Wei Chusheng felt his mind struggling to keep up. The atmosphere had been tense, bordering on a fight, and now the mood had shifted so drastically.
Zilin Ling declared, "Naturally, a grand gift!" With a wave of her jade hand, two bloody heads appeared on the ground. They could only belong to Nie Rufeng and Xiao Shan.
"You court death!" The moment Wei Chusheng saw the two heads, his rage was unleashed. He immediately launched an attack, its power not to be underestimated. In his fury, he wished to kill Zilin Ling with a single blow.
However, as soon as Wei Chusheng attacked, he regretted it, remembering Li Hehuan's words. But it was too late. As he moved, the four people behind him also attacked. Seeing Zilin Ling about to be engulfed by five assaults, Wei Chusheng inwardly cursed, forcing himself to retract ninety percent of his attack's force.
"Pfft!" The sudden retraction of force instantly damaged Wei Chusheng's meridians, and he spat out a mouthful of blood. At the same time, he saw a cunning smile appear on Zilin Ling's face.
"Tricked!" Wei Chusheng realized it instantly, but it was too late. The other four's attacks landed on empty air, not even ruffling Zilin Ling's clothes. Yet, the four individuals mysteriously vanished.
"This is... an array?" Wei Chusheng's pupils contracted. How could he have forgotten? Someone who could break over five hundred and sixty mountain-entering arrays couldn't possibly not know how to set them up!
"Ah!"
"Ah!"
"Ah!"
"Ah!"
Four screams rang out simultaneously. Wei Chusheng's face changed drastically. Those four were all peak Emperor Realm powerhouses. An array that could cause them all to scream must be terrifying.
He asked cautiously, "What did you do to them?"
Zilin Ling picked at her ear. "Nothing much. Just put them to sleep for a while! Of course, if their will isn't strong, they might not wake up!"
Wei Chusheng's face contorted again. "What exactly do you want?" Zilin Ling's words made it clear: those four might die!
"What do I want?" Zilin Ling shook her head. "How would I know? What does your Hehuan Sect want?"
Wei Chusheng forced himself to calm down and said after a moment's thought, "Release them, and you can leave unharmed. The Hehuan Sect will not pursue the charges of killing the Holy Son and Grand Elder, nor the transgression of breaching our mountain."
A glint of killing intent flashed in Zilin Ling's eyes. She sneered, "You're thinking too highly of yourself! It is I who will pursue the Hehuan Sect's crimes now!"
Wei Chusheng laughed coldly. "Pursue our Hehuan Sect's crimes? Hmph! You truly dare to say that! To be frank, our Hehuan Sect's strength is far beyond your imagination. If anyone could bring charges against us, we would have been destroyed countless times over! I advise you to know when to stop. Whatever compensation you desire, I can make decisions on your behalf. But if you are determined to seek death, feel free to try!"
His words indicated Wei Chusheng was willing to compromise. This wasn't just to save the four lives, but also because he sensed a threat from Zilin Ling. Her ability to break over five hundred and sixty arrays in one go, and to set up an array capable of killing peak Emperor Realm powerhouses, filled Wei Chusheng with immense unease.
"Make decisions on your behalf? You can make decisions just because you say so? Why should I believe you?" Zilin Ling sneered.
"I am precisely Wei Chusheng, the Second Elder of the Hehuan Sect. I naturally have the authority to make decisions regarding Hehuan Sect matters!" Wei Chusheng assumed Zilin Ling was considering peace and quickly revealed his identity.
"I don't care if you're a real beast or a fake one. In the end, I have only one goal: to annihilate the Hehuan Sect and uproot this malignant tumor!" Zilin Ling's killing intent was no longer concealed. Those who crossed the bottom line of her Ghost Hand Poison Doctor and still lived were unprecedented. The Hehuan Sect was no exception.
Wei Chusheng's face turned ashen. He threatened, "Are you determined to be an enemy of our Hehuan Sect?"
Zilin Ling coldly replied, "An enemy? Does your Hehuan Sect even qualify? A place like your Hehuan Sect, full of filth and corruption, should have disappeared long ago. The only reason it has managed to linger on is because you haven't offended me!"