The leaders of the four great families watched as Saint King realm powerhouses continuously fell, their hearts bleeding.
These Saint King realm powerhouses were their very foundation for standing above other sects!
Shen Wenqing's eyes were red, and he shouted, "Join forces and set up the Four Directions Array, or we'll all be finished!"
Zi Dongan, Dongfang Feihong, and Qin Mingyue nodded simultaneously.
Zi Lingling was too terrifying!
Despite only recently entering the Saint King realm, she could kill Saint King realm powerhouses as if plucking a blade of grass.
If they didn't join forces today, the four great families would only meet destruction.
"All Saint King realm powerhouses of the Zi family, heed my command: Form the Four Directions Array!"
"All Saint King realm powerhouses of the Dongfang family, heed my command: Form the Four Directions Array!"
"All Saint King realm powerhouses of the Qin family, heed my command: Form the Four Directions Array!"
"All Saint King realm powerhouses of the Shen family, heed my command: Form the Four Directions Array!"
As the four of them gave their orders, the Saint King realm powerhouses who had been besieging Zi Lingling immediately retreated.
However, several more were killed by Zi Lingling during their retreat!
In the span of a single breath, the Saint King realm powerhouses of the four great families had found their positions, and the Four Directions Array took shape.
Of course, this was a minor Four Directions Array, a simplified version of the Grand Four Directions Array of the four great empires.
Above the Four Directions Array, four beast phantoms emerged, exuding a bone-chilling aura.
Zi Lingling sneered, "Is this the Four Divine Beasts you summoned? You've truly opened my eyes!"
Despite saying her eyes were opened, there was no mistaking the mockery in her voice.
It wasn't that Zi Lingling looked down on them unfairly; it was that the Four Divine Beasts they summoned were truly unpresentable.
The Four Directions Array was originally meant to be guarded by the Azure Dragon of the East, the White Tiger of the West, the Vermilion Bird of the South, and the Black Tortoise of the North.
This was the fundamental reason why the Azure Dragon Empire, White Tiger Empire, Vermilion Bird Empire, and Black Tortoise Empire had stood for tens of thousands of years.
They were called "followers" because legend had it that before ascending, the Four Divine Beasts had left behind a phantom in their respective empires to ensure their prosperity!
Thus, the grand Four Directions Arrays of the four great empires, with the presence of the Divine Beast phantoms, possessed immense power, rumored to be capable of killing even Emperor realm powerhouses.
However, over the years, the four great empires had engaged in constant schemes and infighting, with each becoming increasingly dissatisfied with the others.
Therefore, to counter each other, they selected three major powers from within their empires and, along with the royal family, studied the Four Directions Array and simplified it into a minor Four Directions Array.
Over time, this method, originally intended to guard against the other three empires, became the foundation of each empire.
As the array was simplified, its power decreased, and the summoned phantom Four Divine Beasts also became grotesque mockeries.
Take the minor Four Directions Array of the Azure Dragon Empire, for instance. The Azure Dragon phantom was somewhat recognizable, but it was nine-tenths indistinct, while the other three Divine Beasts were utterly pathetic.
The White Tiger resembled a giant sick cat, possessing only the form but appearing so weak it was on the verge of death.
The Black Tortoise had become a green-shelled turtle with no limbs, and the Teng Snake on its back looked more like an eel.
And the Vermilion Bird resembled a faded rooster, lacking any divine grace.
This was why Zi Lingling had mocked them when she saw the phantom Four Divine Beasts.
"Bitch, what do you know! Noble Divine Beasts are not for you to judge!"
Zi Dongan, having been repeatedly insulted by Zi Lingling, had long harbored a killing intent.
However, Zi Lingling's immense power had filled him with fear.
Now, with the minor Four Directions Array as his backing, he was the first to step forward.
Zi Lingling scoffed, "Noble Divine Beasts? Heh heh heh..."
She laughed brazenly, mockingly, and with such infectious satire that the anger in everyone's hearts surged.
The greatest trump card of the four great families was being treated as a joke by Zi Lingling; how could they not be furious!
"Bitch! Don't you get arrogant! Four Directions Array, attack!"
Zi Dongan cursed and arrogantly took on the role of commander of the minor Four Directions Array.
This greatly displeased the leaders of the other three families, especially Dongfang Feihong.
As the Crown Prince of the royal family, Dongfang Feihong naturally should have been the commander of the minor Four Directions Array.
Zi Dongan's order was clearly overstepping his bounds.
On a small scale, it was youthful impulsiveness and ignorant arrogance. On a larger scale, it was disrespect for the royal family and an attempt at rebellion.
A sinister glint flashed in Dongfang Feihong's eyes as he silently added a small note to the Zi family's ledger.
"Hmph! This is what you call Divine Beasts? Let me show you true Divine Beasts then!"
"Long'er, Little Tiger, come out and get to work!"
Zi Lingling's dismissive voice was like a stone cast into a calm lake.
To everyone's shocked gaze, a colossal golden dragon suddenly appeared within the Four Directions Array.
Simultaneously appearing with the golden dragon was a colossal White Tiger with immense, feathered wings.
Instantly, dragon roars and tiger growls deafened the heavens.
Those with lower cultivation levels bled from their seven orifices, while even those with higher cultivation felt dizzy and disoriented.
Even the Saint King realm powerhouses felt their vision blacken.
The gathered attack of the minor Four Directions Array, due to the sudden halt in power, dissipated into nothingness.
The phantom Four Divine Beasts in the sky trembled and cowered in place the moment Long'er and Little Tiger appeared, as if paying homage to their kings.
Zi Lingling's eyes flickered.
It seemed that Long'er and Little Tiger's bloodline levels were even higher than the Four Divine Beasts, or rather, their purity was greater.
Dongfang Feihong, Zi Dongan, Qin Mingyue, and Shen Wenqing all felt a sense of unease.
The four exchanged glances and shouted, "Four Directions Array, attack!"
The Saint King realm powerhouses within the minor Four Directions Array, hearing their leaders' command, dared not delay further and unleashed their full power.
Zi Lingling made no move to intervene.
The minor Four Directions Array was mere child's play for Long'er and the White Tiger.
Her attention, meanwhile, had already shifted to the nascent world within her dantian.
This was because she had just felt the purple space and green space completely merge into the nascent world.
The nascent world could no longer be called nascent.
For, apart from the absence of sun, moon, and stars, everything else had evolved.
Mountains and rivers, green grass and trees, clouds, rain, wind, and thunder, as well as a dense power of laws.
Especially the Law of Life, which was extremely concentrated.
After all, the green space, constructed from the Spring of Life, was continuously integrating into this world.
Zi Lingling's breakthrough had further refined this nascent world.
She nodded with satisfaction and withdrew her consciousness from her dantian.
The Saint King realm powerhouses of the minor Four Directions Array were either ashen-faced or had blood trickling from their mouths.
It seemed that Long'er and Little Tiger had already drained a significant amount of their energy.