If spiritual power were disregarded, the current situation would be akin to a marathon race site in Zi Lingling's previous world, a truly magnificent spectacle.
A group of people, some fleeing and some pursuing, coursed their way towards the inner reaches of the Misty Forest.
Thanks to her formidable divine sense and soul power, Zi Lingling managed to avoid some powerful ferocious beasts without incident.
However, the individuals behind her, with the exception of Xie Shenghua, Fu Liuyun, Xiong Tai, and Li Luo, were in a rather sorry state.
Their large numbers had alerted numerous ferocious beasts, and a bloody battle erupted frequently.
Meanwhile, at the entrance to the Misty Forest, Fatty, accompanied by Thin Monkey, the one-armed Short Dwarf, along with members of the Kuang Lang and Zhan Hu mercenary groups, were rapidly advancing towards the forest's outer perimeter.
As Fu Liuyun drew closer, a fierce glint flashed across Zi Lingling's face.
The "Phantom Heart Method" reappeared in her mind.
She began to cultivate again, following the method recorded within.
"Swift!"
This time, Zi Lingling felt a strange force surge beneath her feet.
This force was a fusion of spiritual power and her ancient martial arts inner strength.
Zi Lingling's heart leaped with joy. Just as she was about to utilize this power, she found it vanished once more.
However, having experienced a successful fusion, she knew that complete mastery was not far off.
As she prepared to attempt the fusion again, she discovered Fu Liuyun, his face etched with indecision, blocking her path.
"Damn it, what a timing!"
Zi Lingling glanced back. Xie Shenghua was only twenty meters away, while Xiong Tai and Li Luo were seventy to eighty meters distant.
This was a truly dire situation—trapped between a wolf and a tiger, with no escape!
"Girl, Soul Needle!"
Elder Du's voice echoed in Zi Lingling's mind.
Zi Lingling's eyes lit up. Had Elder Du not reminded her, she would have forgotten she possessed soul skills.
In a flash, she rapidly released a wisp of her divine sense, condensed it into a soul needle, and shot it directly at Fu Liuyun's forehead.
"Miss Zi, you..."
Before Fu Liuyun could finish his sentence, he felt a surge of soul fluctuations and a sense of danger washed over him.
Although he had not yet broken through to the Saint King realm, he was no stranger to divine sense.
Thus, as Fu Liuyun combined the two, he quickly deduced the source of the danger.
Amidst his astonishment, he rapidly dodged to the side.
Now!
Zi Lingling took a deep breath and dashed forward.
By the time Fu Liuyun dodged the soul needle, Zi Lingling had already surged a hundred meters ahead.
She once again followed the method recorded in the "Phantom Heart Method," fusing spiritual power and ancient martial arts inner strength and channeling it into her feet.
This time, Zi Lingling felt a lightness in her body, and she flew forward fifty meters.
Zi Lingling's face was filled with astonishment.
This speed was simply incredible! No wonder Elder Du said it was comparable to teleportation!
Elder Du, within the Nine Spirit Ring, felt his heart straining.
What kind of prodigy was this cheap master of his? Her comprehension and cultivation speed could practically infuriate half the people on the Tianyuan Continent!
After dodging the soul needle, Fu Liuyun directly pursued her.
But as soon as he closed the distance to twenty meters, he saw a blur before his eyes, and the gap between them suddenly became one hundred and thirty meters.
What kind of speed was this?
Fu Liuyun's jaw nearly hit the ground.
Was this truly the useless daughter of Zi Guochang, the useless granddaughter of Zi Jitian?
In just a few days, not only had her cultivation reached the ninth level of Body Tempering, but she could also escape from so many powerful cultivators at the Spirit Gathering and Yuan Transformation realms.
And then there was the divine sense attack just now, her current heaven-defying speed, and the earlier contract with the little divine dragon. How could any of this be accomplished by a mere weakling?
Fu Liuyun began to doubt the rumors about Zi Lingling.
Such a genius, even if not for the little divine dragon, he had to ensure she joined the Liuyun Sect.
With this thought, Fu Liuyun chased after her again.
Behind them, Xie Shenghua, Xiong Tai, and Li Luo were furious, their noses practically steaming.
This cunning girl was far too slippery!
It was understandable that they had underestimated Zi Lingling's intelligence and she had slipped away once before.
But now, with her so close, and a peak Yuan Transformation realm cultivator blocking her way, she had still managed to widen the gap so significantly. This was an utter humiliation.
Xie Shenghua: "When I catch this little brat, I will break her legs. Let's see if she can still run!"
Xiong Tai: "Little brat, when this lord catches you, I will first cripple your spiritual power, extract the little divine dragon, and then toss you into a beast den!"
Li Luo: "This little brat actually toyed with this servant. When I obtain the little divine dragon, I will throw you into the Yi Chun Tower, and let you be consumed by pleasure every night!"
Zi Lingling was unaware of their thoughts, otherwise, one day, she would unleash such torment upon them herself.
At this moment, Zi Lingling had used the Phantom Dragon Steps countless times, yet she still couldn't shake off the peak Yuan Transformation realm cultivator Fu Liuyun.
Yes, Zi Lingling had named her new movement technique, a fusion of the Phantom Heart Method and the Dragon Steps, the Phantom Dragon Steps.
As they neared the inner perimeter of the Misty Forest, Zi Lingling was already utterly exhausted.
The inner perimeter of the Misty Forest was extremely dangerous, harboring not only ninth-level ferocious beasts but also a vast number of demonic beasts.
Ninth-level ferocious beasts were equivalent to human cultivators at the ninth level of Body Tempering, while demonic beasts, at their lowest, were comparable to human Qi Guiding realm cultivators, and the highest could rival human cultivators at the peak Yuan Transformation realm.
In other words, once Zi Lingling entered the inner perimeter of the Misty Forest, she would be facing more than just Fu Liuyun.
However, with Fu Liuyun relentlessly pursuing her from behind, any delay would allow Xie Shenghua and the other two to catch up.
Therefore, even though Zi Lingling was reluctant to enter the inner perimeter, she gritted her teeth, steeled her resolve, and stepped inside.
As her foot crossed the threshold, a foul odor assailed her nostrils, and her vision was met with a dense, swirling miasma of poisonous fog.
Fortunately, she still had some detoxification pills in the Nine Spirit Ring. To ensure absolute safety, Zi Lingling did not use ordinary detoxification pills but instead took out a universal detoxification pill.
Only then did she slow her pace and cautiously move forward.
Fu Liuyun stood at the boundary between the outer and inner perimeters, his brows furrowed deeply.
Even he dared not easily venture into this inner perimeter, let alone Zi Lingling, a young girl at only the ninth level of Body Tempering.
What a pity!
In Fu Liuyun's opinion, Zi Lingling's entry into the inner perimeter could only lead to one outcome: death!
However, because the little divine dragon was still within Zi Lingling, Fu Liuyun hesitated.
He decided to wait and see what the others planned to do.
Zi Lingling released all the divine sense from her spiritual mansion, meticulously observing every movement around her.
The ferocious beasts here were different from those in the outer perimeter.