"Since that is the case..."
As Zi Lingling drew out her words, three wooden spirit energy whips had already formed.
With a thought, the three spirit energy whips coiled around Qing Dian and the two hidden guards' waists.
Looking at Zi Lingling's expression, the three were already prepared to fight to the death.
Suddenly, they felt their waists tighten, and then all three were flung outwards of the encirclement.
Before they could react, they had already landed on the ground, precisely in the direction of the tribulation clouds.
Zi Lingling shouted, "Hurry and protect Ye Lingyuan!"
"You..."
"Princess Consort!"
The three cried out in alarm.
If Ye Lingyuan knew they had abandoned Zi Lingling, they would be in serious trouble.
Zi Lingling frowned, "What are you shouting about? Hurry up and go!"
The three tried to speak, but were interrupted by Zi Lingling.
"Tell Ye Lingyuan, if he doesn't come back alive for this mother, I'll raze his Underworld King's Manor to the ground!"
The three were stunned. The Princess Consort was so formidable.
But why did it always feel like she spoke the harshest words while doing the gentlest deeds?
Qing Dian, who had initially been hostile towards Zi Lingling, felt a reduction in his animosity.
The other two hidden guards, with sincere gratitude, knelt before Zi Lingling and said, "Princess Consort, we will not leave!"
Zi Lingling's gaze turned cold, and she sternly said, "What, my words no longer carry weight?"
The two hidden guards were filled with trepidation. "Your subordinate would not dare!"
Zi Lingling coldly ordered, "Then why aren't you leaving quickly!"
Although she knew these two meant well, she couldn't help but feel a little angry.
Ye Lingyuan was undergoing his tribulation, and countless people were watching with covetous eyes.
If they were to attack Ye Lingyuan when he was at his weakest, she dared not imagine the consequences.
Therefore, she was eager for Qing Dian and the other two to return, as an extra person meant an extra bit of strength.
The two hidden guards exchanged glances, then looked at Qing Dian, and spoke again, "Princess Consort..."
"Let's go!"
Qing Dian interrupted their words and was the first to turn and leave.
The two hidden guards were taken aback, then sighed and followed Qing Dian's footsteps.
Zi Lingling breathed a sigh of relief, then her gaze swept over Fu Liuyun and the other three, Fatty, and Shorty. Her aura began to turn cold.
"Now, it's time to send you on your way!"
As her words fell, the spirit energy in her hands began to surge.
Crimson fire spirit energy, green wood spirit energy, blue water spirit energy, yellow earth spirit energy, and golden metal spirit energy instantly formed spirit energy orbs, which she threw towards Fu Liuyun and the other three.
The four were greatly alarmed, not expecting Zi Lingling to act so decisively. They hurriedly channeled their spirit energy to resist.
Zi Lingling sneered, then employed the Shadow Dragon Steps, combined with the Dragon Evasion technique, and instantly appeared before Shorty.
Before Shorty could react, the surgical scalpel in her hand had already severed his throat.
Shorty was enraged, did she really think he was a pushover?
He roared, "Bitch, you..."
But before Shorty could finish speaking, he felt an unbearable pain in his neck.
He subconsciously reached to touch it, only to find blood gushing out.
"How is this possible?"
Shorty looked at the girl before him with disbelief, his vision starting to blur.
At this moment, that peerless beauty was right before his eyes, yet she wore a devilish smile.
"Am I going to die?"
The thought flashed through his mind, and Shorty collapsed heavily onto the ground, kicking up dust.
His eyes were wide open, his last trace of unwillingness settling into the dust.
Though it seemed like a long story, it all happened in an instant.
Until Shorty's death, everyone had not recovered from their shock.
Zi Lingling's cold voice echoed, "Since breaking your arm didn't teach you a lesson, I'll have to take your life!"
Her words were like a pronouncement from hell, jolting the stunned onlookers.
"Xu Feihu..."
Fatty trembled as he looked at the lifeless Shorty on the ground, a trace of fear creeping into his heart.
This woman was too terrifying!
In just one exchange, she had ended Xu Feihu's life, and Xu Feihu was a late-stage Spirit Gathering realm cultivator.
Fatty finally realized he had provoked someone he shouldn't have.
He retreated rapidly in terror, trying to put distance between himself and Zi Lingling.
Zi Lingling let out a cold laugh.
She glanced at the surgical scalpel in her hand, unstained by any blood, and said coldly, "It's your turn!"
Then, the surgical scalpel flew towards Fatty's neck at an extremely strange angle, spinning as it went.
Fatty was greatly alarmed. He could feel the potent spirit energy fluctuations from the scalpel.
He also knew he could neither dodge nor block it.
What should he do?
What should he do?
As the scalpel was about to slash across his neck, Fatty's eyes lit up.
Then, a talisman paper appeared in his palm. He crushed it with all his might, and his entire body vanished from everyone's sight.
A space teleportation talisman?
Sensing the spatial fluctuations left in its wake, Zi Lingling's brows furrowed slightly.
She truly hadn't expected Fatty to possess such a valuable item.
What a shame!
Zi Lingling caught the returning scalpel and muttered, "Since that's the case, I'll let you live a few more days!"
Then, her gaze swept over the other members of the mercenary group.
Those mercenaries couldn't help but shiver and scattered in all directions.
It was only natural!
Their vice-captain had fled; why would they stay to die?
Looking at the corpses left on the ground, Zi Lingling wore a look of disdain.
With a thought, a sea of fire engulfed the corpses. In just a moment, the bodies turned to ashes, blown away by the wind, leaving no trace behind.
After dealing with them, Zi Lingling finally turned her attention to Fu Liuyun and the other three.
"Now that the extraneous matters are handled, it's time we settled our score!"
The four had already been greatly shocked by Zi Lingling's previous attack.
Fighting six opponents alone, killing one and scaring off another, demonstrated that Zi Lingling's strength had grown immensely in just over ten days.
"Settle scores? This immortal maiden would like to see how you plan to settle them!"
Xie Shenghua's voice held a hint of disdain.
She refused to believe that Zi Lingling's cultivation could have reached such heights in just over ten days.
"Hmph! Then I'll let you witness it!"
Before her voice had faded, Zi Lingling had already disappeared from her original spot.
When she reappeared, she was before Xie Shenghua.
Xie Shenghua felt a trace of killing intent locking onto her and was instantly greatly alarmed.
She instinctively retreated a couple of steps, narrowly dodging an attack from Zi Lingling.
Zi Lingling hadn't expected to succeed in a single blow, so when Xie Shenghua dodged, she began to unleash her Autumn Wind Falling Leaf Saber technique.
The first move: Leaf Fall Returns to Autumn.
She raised her hand in reverse, and the dagger slanted upwards from below, aiming for Xie Shenghua's chest.
This move was the opening stance of the Autumn Wind Falling Leaf Saber technique, so the angle of attack was exceptionally peculiar.