In truth, the Ghost Emperor's shock was no less than Zi Linling's.
A peak Divine Lord realm expert, pushing his aura to the absolute limit, yet unable to faze a mere early Divine King realm young girl. This wasn't just being slapped in the face; it was a brutal humiliation.
The Ghost Emperor mused inwardly, "Where did this little girl come from? At such a young age, she's already cultivated to the early Divine King realm. If given time, becoming a peak Divine Lord realm expert wouldn't be difficult."
"What's even more terrifying is that this little girl, with her early Divine King realm cultivation, can withstand the aura pressure of a peak Divine Lord realm. If she were to reach the Divine Lord realm, wouldn't she be invincible in the world?"
The more the Ghost Emperor thought, the more he trembled. Having never known fear, he unconsciously felt a sliver of dread.
He asked solemnly, "Little girl, who exactly are you? Who is your master?"
Zi Linling, though giving her all, maintained a calm exterior and replied, "No comment!"
The Ghost Emperor's face darkened slightly with annoyance.
He had initially intended that if Zi Linling were willing to reveal her identity, he would spare her for the sake of her master.
In the Ghost Emperor's view, a peerless genius like Zi Linling must have come from a reclusive family or been trained by some ancient monster.
In that case, he would be forging a good relationship.
Although he was a peak Divine Lord realm expert, there were individuals on the vast Azure Star whom he did not wish to offend.
However, Zi Linling's refusal directly severed the Ghost Emperor's hope of forging such a connection.
"Hmph! Little girl, since you refuse to speak, then I shall discipline you on behalf of your elders!"
This showed that despite his anger, the Ghost Emperor still had no intention of killing Zi Linling.
How could such thoughts escape the cunning Zi Linling?
Seeing that the Ghost Emperor did not intend to kill her, Zi Linling became emboldened and said, "You should focus on your own Ghost Domain's affairs! As for disciplining me on behalf of my elders, that's unnecessary. After all, overreaching can be detrimental!"
"Hmph!"
The Ghost Emperor was provoked, and his anger intensified.
On the entire Azure Star, no one had ever dared to speak to him in such a manner.
This young girl, barely twenty years old, had repeatedly tested his patience. He could tolerate it no longer.
"Little girl, since you are unwilling to speak, then do not blame me for being ruthless!"
As the Ghost Emperor spoke, the fist he had kept behind his back clenched violently.
Instantly, behind Zi Linling, a colossal hand formed of spiritual energy materialized.
The spiritual energy giant palm had distinct knuckles and clear palm lines. It moved slowly but with extreme speed, reaching out to seize Zi Linling.
Zi Linling was greatly alarmed. It was already too late to evade using the Phantom Dragon Steps.
What should she do?
Seeing herself about to be caught by the giant palm, Zi Linling was filled with anxiety.
Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck her, and she withdrew her entire aura.
Originally, Zi Linling's aura and the Ghost Emperor's had been evenly matched, creating a balance.
Now, with Zi Linling's aura withdrawn, she was immediately pressed to the ground by the Ghost Emperor's oppressive aura.
Although this caused her internal organs to be injured by the squeeze of the Ghost Emperor's pressure, it allowed her to narrowly escape the spiritual energy giant palm.
Fortunately, she had cultivated body-refining techniques and the Myriad Poisonous Body. Therefore, despite being injured, Zi Linling was not seriously harmed.
Such a cunning and ingenious move was likely something only Zi Linling could come up with.
The ten Ghost Envoys observing from the side had their eyes bulging out.
"That actually works?"
Shen Liuxing's eyes widened in disbelief as he exclaimed.
Old Du wiped away a non-existent bead of cold sweat, his heart pounding like a drum.
"Little girl, you are quite clever, understanding how to avoid the greater threat. Very good, very good!" The Ghost Emperor did not spare his praise, saying with a smile.
Having dodged the spiritual energy giant palm, Zi Linling once again unleashed her aura, resisting the Ghost Emperor's pressure. She stood up from the ground and said with a faint smile, "Such a trick is not for polite company and has made a fool of me! However, for a mere Emperor of a domain to resort to a sneak attack, isn't that rather petty?"
The Ghost Emperor chuckled softly, "You are mistaken. The techniques of the Ghost Domain are inherently covert, achieving surprising effects. Besides, I had already slowed my movements. You yourself were too slow to react, so who can you blame?"
For the first time, Zi Linling was left speechless.
The Ghost Emperor was right. When an enemy attacks, how could they possibly issue a warning?
Since one is on the battlefield, one must observe all directions, listen with all ears, and remain constantly vigilant to avoid being ambushed.
Zi Linling had committed a grave military error.
She had assumed that the Ghost Emperor had no intention of killing her, so she relaxed her guard. Precisely because of this, she was too slow to react and ended up in such a sorry state.
However, learning from her mistakes, Zi Linling was certainly not someone who would fall twice in the same place.
She was fully alert, releasing her divine sense to meticulously perceive everything around her.
"I admit I was careless just now, but from this moment on, I will not give you any opportunity to sneak attack. Take this!"
As Zi Linling spoke, a massive, five-colored spiritual energy sphere appeared before her. The sphere rotated and compressed, eventually shrinking to the size of a marble.
The entire compression process, though described as slow, took only the blink of an eye.
The five-colored spiritual energy marble shot out, smashing forcefully towards the Ghost Emperor.
"Five Spirit Burst!"
The Ghost Emperor's lips curved slightly, and a hint of a smile appeared in his eyes.
He raised his right hand, slowly clenching his five fingers.
As he moved, a giant spiritual energy palm intercepted the five-colored spiritual energy marble and grasped it within its palm.
All the actions, though appearing slow, were still faster than the attack.
"Bang!"
The five-colored spiritual energy marble exploded within the palm of the spiritual energy giant palm, shattering it. That was all; no energy leaked out, let alone attacked the Ghost Emperor.
The Ghost Emperor stood there, as calm as ever, his expression unchanged.
Zi Linling's pupils contracted sharply.
As her cultivation continued to grow, the power of "Five Spirit Burst" was now leagues beyond what it once was.
Even someone a major realm higher than Zi Linling, who had reached the early Divine Lord realm, would be injured by an unprepared "Five Spirit Burst."
Yet, with just a gentle clasp from the Ghost Emperor, the "Five Spirit Burst" was rendered completely ineffective.
"Truly worthy of the peak Divine Lord realm! Truly one of the strongest cultivators on the Azure Star!"
Zi Linling was utterly shocked, her mind racing.
Since "Five Spirit Burst" was insufficient, then there was only one way...
"Again!"
Zi Linling let out a sharp cry, and another five-colored sphere appeared before her.
This time, however, within the five-colored sphere was not spiritual energy, but the power of the Law.