Trapped, Zi Linling produced a surgical knife from her hand and, turning, slashed towards the shorter of the two men.
The shorter man was in a similar predicament to the taller one, but because Zi Linling had chosen to deal with the taller one first, he had gained a brief moment to breathe.
However, just as he managed to scramble to his feet, Zi Linling's attack arrived. Under a hasty block, he was once again sent flying by Zi Linling.
His landing point was also precisely calculated by Zi Linling.
Before the shorter man could react, he was already ensnared within the formation.
Instantly, a synchronized roar echoed from within all three formations.
Zi Linling collapsed onto the ground with a thud, gasping for air.
Everything that had just happened was incredibly perilous, akin to walking a tightrope high in the sky.
A single misstep and she would have been utterly finished.
While catching her breath, she again produced several Soul Enhancement Pills and stuffed them into her mouth in one go.
In that brief moment, her five-tenths soul power, which she had just recovered, was completely depleted again.
"Girl, hurry and speed up your recovery. The strength of those three is constantly increasing, and the formations won't hold for long," Elder Du's anxious voice rang out.
"I know. Watch them for me for a while; I need to recover with all my might!"
After speaking, Zi Linling sat cross-legged and closed her eyes.
The *Ren Huang Yao Dian* (Imperial Medicine Canon) emerged from her body, hovering above her head. Golden light and a rich aroma enveloped her, making her appear exceptionally solemn.
Most of the surrounding spiritual energy had already been siphoned off by the sect-protecting grand formation.
However, the *Ren Huang Yao Dian* was incredibly overbearing, directly drawing upon the spiritual source beneath the Hehuan Sect.
This spiritual source was the foundation of a sect, representing its destiny.
As a thousand-year-old major sect, the accumulated destiny of the Hehuan Sect was unimaginable.
Although it had been considerably depleted due to karmic retribution, a starved camel is still larger than a horse.
Even the remaining portion was enough to sustain the entire Tianyuan Continent for three years.
Therefore, with the spiritual source's amplification, Zi Linling's depleted soul power rapidly recovered.
Not only that, but her soul power also became more refined.
After the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, Zi Linling had fully recovered to her peak state.
Zi Linling opened her eyes, and the *Ren Huang Yao Dian* quickly retreated back into her body.
At this moment, the Imperial Grand Formation, where the first person to wield a sword—the master and ancestor mentioned by the short and tall men—was located, had already consumed more than half of its energy.
With two more strikes, the formation would be broken.
Zi Linling took a breath and said with a sigh, "They really don't give me a moment to rest!"
Despite her words, her feet were swift.
With a flash of her figure, she was already outside the formation.
She frowned, as she discovered that the person inside, after such a prolonged period of exertion, now exuded an aura even stronger than before.
What was going on?
"What's going on? He just woke up from his slumber, and his control over his body and energy wasn't precise; he could only unleash about seventy percent of his strength. Now, after such a long period of adaptation, his strength has fully returned, and naturally, his aura has become more powerful," Elder Du explained irritably, adding, "If you don't quickly eliminate this old man, in fifteen breaths' time, you'll be besieged by the three of them again!"
Zi Linling nodded. "It seems I'll have to use the Law of Judgment. Otherwise, facing a peak Divine Sovereign realm expert, I have almost no chance of winning."
Elder Du scoffed, "You're quite self-aware! However, have you thought it through? The side effects and backlash of wielding the power of a Heavenly Law Enforcer are no joke. Will you still be able to deal with the remaining two then?"
Zi Linling rolled her eyes. "Do you have a better solution?"
Elder Du shook his head. "If I were at my peak, even if I couldn't kill the remaining two, I could hold them off for a while. But now, I am merely a soul body, and my combat power is not much different from yours. So, even if I were to intervene, I would only be annihilated."
Zi Linling was speechless. What was the point of saying all that?
She steeled herself and said, "No matter what, I'll eliminate one. Things will work out when the time comes!"
Elder Du said with a hint of urgency, "Since you're going to do it, then hurry. The formation is about to break!"
Zi Linling nodded and began to commune with the unseen laws.
However, the Law of Judgment, being superior to all other laws and second only to the power of the Heavenly Dao, could not be instantaneously communicated with or grasped.
"Boom!"
A tremendous roar sounded.
The formation broke from within, and the person emerged, radiating a ferocious aura.
But Zi Linling, at this moment, had only just sensed the fluctuation of the Law of Judgment and had no time to mobilize its power to fight.
"Die!"
The sword-wielding man spoke no further words, raising his sword and thrusting it towards Zi Linling's brow.
Zi Linling gasped in alarm and was about to use the Phantom Dragon Step to evade when, at that very moment, the tip of the sword, just two inches from her brow, was clamped between two fingers and held firmly in place.
A familiar scent wafted towards her, and a familiar voice sounded beside her.
"Scram!"
With this roar, the sword tip, held by two fingers, snapped at the point of contact.
The sword-wielding man was then sent flying by a tremendous force, crashing heavily more than thirty feet away and coughing up blood violently.
"Lin'er, I'm sorry, I'm late!"
The gentle voice was a stark contrast to the domineering roar just moments before.
"Ye Lingyuan, you're not late at all!" Zi Linling's eyes shimmered with a sweet smile.
"I should have come to find you sooner, but suddenly..."
As Ye Lingyuan was speaking, his cool lips were sealed by a slender, jade-like finger. "Between us, there's no need for explanations!"
"Lin'er!"
Ye Lingyuan's voice was filled with doting affection.
He naturally reached out to embrace Zi Linling's waist, but Zi Linling said, "We can talk later. Let's deal with the present situation first!"
Ye Lingyuan said dotingly, "Alright! Whatever the Princess Consort says, that's what we'll do! But since I'm here, you don't need to bother with killing. I'll do it for you, alright?"
Zi Linling smiled, "But I've already killed thousands of people; I don't mind one or two more."
Ye Lingyuan raised an eyebrow. "You don't mind, but I do. Didn't we agree? You take care of the arson, and I'll take care of the killing?"
Zi Linling hesitated for a moment. "Fine, then!"
Ye Lingyuan nodded, turned to face the sword-wielding man, his gentle expression vanishing instantly, replaced by killing intent. "Will you do it yourself, or shall I do it personally?"