Zi Linling spoke, her mind moved, and the fire circle with a radius of three meters rapidly shrunk. The temperature around Xie Lianhua surged. In a moment of carelessness, her tattered clothes were directly ignited by the flames.
Anger surged, followed by extreme fear.
At this moment, although her body was not fully covered, the key parts were still concealed.
But if these coverings were burned away, she would truly be an eyesore.
Thinking of the lustful gazes of ordinary people, Xie Lianhua shivered.
No! Absolutely not!
Xie Lianhua spun her Hua Ling Sword into a flourish, swiftly slashing away the burning clothes.
Yet, even so, she still revealed a bit more of her skin.
In these exposed areas, the skin was exceptionally fair and delicate due to being covered by clothing previously.
This caused a chorus of swallowed breaths from the viewing area.
"Bitch, I'll tear you to pieces!"
She roared, wielding her Hua Ling Sword to fend off the encroaching flames.
Although she also possessed a fire spirit root and could communicate with fire spirit energy elements, the difference in strength was apparent.
How could she, at the late stage of the Huayuan Realm, "snatch" control from Zi Linling, who was already in command?
Therefore, she could only constantly swing her sword to cut through the flames, attempting to break free from their encirclement.
Since she couldn't win with spiritual power, she had to find a way to get close to Zi Linling and fight hand-to-hand.
She figured the "Hua Ling Sword Art" wouldn't disappoint her.
Zi Linling's eyes glinted with killing intent.
"Since you've proposed such a good plan, I can't refuse!"
She never indulged those who sought to kill or insult her.
Zi Linling's divine sense swept over the Nine Spirit Ring, and a gleaming surgical scalpel appeared in her hand.
Although this surgical scalpel wasn't even a spirit artifact, its advantage lay in the wielder, Zi Linling.
In the face of absolute strength, all external factors were rendered insignificant.
Zi Linling flicked her slender wrist, and the first move of the Autumn Wind Falling Leaf Saber Technique, "Leaves Fall in Autumn," was unleashed.
The blade light was sharp, carrying surging spiritual energy, and exuding a chilling aura, it directly slashed towards Xie Lianhua.
Xie Lianhua was already struggling to deal with the intense flames. Now, with the approaching blade light, she became flustered.
However, she was not unworthy of being a sect leader.
She fiercely swung her Hua Ling Sword, cleaving the flames in front of her. The fire paused for a moment.
Though brief, it was enough for her to parry the approaching scalpel's blade light.
"Boom!"
As the Hua Ling Sword and the scalpel's blade light collided, a deafening roar erupted, causing the very platform beneath their feet to tremble.
"Stumble, stumble, stumble!"
Zi Linling retreated three steps, dissipating the residual force.
But Xie Lianhua was not so fortunate.
She was not as strong as Zi Linling, and coupled with her internal injuries, under the impact of this immense force, she retreated five steps and fell into the flames.
Fortunately, she had preemptively channeled a stream of spiritual energy to protect her body, narrowly escaping being burned alive.
However, her clothes were once again ignited by the flames.
"Ah!"
Xie Lianhua let out a hysterical scream.
She swung her Hua Ling Sword again, slashing close to her body.
The section of clothing ignited by the flames instantly detached from her body, turning into ashes at a visible speed.
"Ah... Bitch, you forced me into this!"
Xie Lianhua's eyes were filled with venomous killing intent.
From somewhere, she produced a dark, lumpy pill and, without a second glance, stuffed it into her mouth.
Her throat rippled slightly as she swallowed the pill.
Then, Xie Lianhua's aura began to grow rapidly.
Late stage of Huayuan Realm, early stage of Shengwang Realm, middle stage of Shengwang Realm...
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, her cultivation surged to the late stage of the Shengwang Realm and stabilized there.
Although her realm had reached this level, her foundation was unstable due to the lack of corresponding realm comprehension.
But even this was enough!
A late stage Shengwang Realm cultivator should be more than capable of defeating a Juyuan Realm opponent.
Of course, this was Xie Lianhua's wishful thinking.
Zi Linling frowned.
A spirit-boosting pill?
The spirit-boosting pill, an emperor-grade pill, could bypass all realm restrictions and directly elevate one's cultivation by a full major realm.
In terms of effect, it was akin to the Bodhi Barrier-Breaking Pill.
However, the difference was that the Bodhi Barrier-Breaking Pill had no side effects after consumption, as the Bodhi Leaf, one of the Three Treasures of Bodhi, was quite potent.
But the spirit-boosting pill was different. The elevated cultivation it provided would only last for fifteen minutes, and after the medicinal effect wore off, the user would fall into a three-month paralysis.
This paralysis was genuine, with ruptured meridians, rendering the user unable to even drink, eat, defecate, or urinate on their own, essentially turning them into a cripple.
Not only that!
From the moment the user consumed the spirit-boosting pill, their cultivation would be completely stagnant, and they would never be able to advance further in their lifetime.
Therefore, despite being an emperor-grade pill, no one dared to use the spirit-boosting pill lightly.
Furthermore, due to the disappearance of alchemists on the Tian Yuan Continent for thousands of years, no one could currently refine the spirit-boosting pill.
It was likely that Xie Lianhua's pill was the only one left on the Tian Yuan Continent, and perhaps a treasured heirloom of the Hundred Flowers Palace.
Zi Linling shook her head with displeasure and muttered, "This is really troublesome!"
The onlookers below erupted into renewed chatter, with some discussing the spirit-boosting pill in Xie Lianhua's hand.
"My goodness! What did Palace Master Lianhua consume to be able to break through a major realm so directly?"
The speaker's eyes and jaw seemed about to drop to the ground simultaneously.
Of course, he was surrounded by a large group of people who felt the same.
"Idiot! That dark thing was clearly a pill, and a high-grade one at that."
A spectator spoke with a proud, seemingly profound air.
"No way? What kind of pill is that potent? Could it be from Old Valley Master Situ?"
Another person, carrying a large saber, licked his lips, drooling.
The person next to him quickly slapped his thigh, making up his mind. "No, I must go to Medicine King Valley to seek medicine once I return. Such a good thing should be kept for survival, that's the way to go."
"Hmph! Don't forget, at Medicine King Valley, especially for pills, you'd best not expect to get anything without offering something of equivalent value!" the saber-wielding person said dismissively.
The thigh-slapper became anxious and shouted, "Damn it! At worst, I'll dedicate myself to Medicine King Valley from now on!"
"Stop, stop, stop! Let me say something you might not like, and don't get angry." A scholar holding a folding fan spoke in a mysterious tone.
The saber-wielding man and the thigh-slapper impatiently roared, "Speak quickly if you have something to say, and fart quickly if you have one!"