Zi Linling woke up to daylight.
She had slept soundly, unaware that some people had been busy all night because of her words.
Five days passed in a flash.
Although Zi Linling possessed the cheat device of the Seven-Colored Space, she had not managed to break through to the Huayuan realm, which greatly frustrated her.
She could feel that her body's strength had significantly improved, and her meridians had been forcibly widened by more than double.
Logically, her body should be able to withstand the spiritual power of even the Saint King realm.
Yet, the barrier between the peak of the Juling realm and the initial stage of the Huayuan realm, though it seemed on the verge of collapse, showed no signs of breaking. Sudanshu.com
So, where exactly was the problem?
Zi Linling had to seek help from Elder Du again, but no one had ever touched the realm above the peak of the Juling realm.
Therefore, Elder Du could offer no explanation, only suggesting she try to gradually merge her spiritual power, divine sense, and physical strength together.
However, merging was not a simple process and required a great deal of time.
But today, Zi Linling had to rush to Jiujue Peak at Duanhun Cliff to fulfill the life-and-death contract with Mo Qingcheng and complete the duel to the death.
Otherwise, without Mo Qingcheng even lifting a finger, the power of the Heavenly Dao would directly erase her.
Thus, the dejected Zi Linling ate a little something, gave a few instructions to the four elders and Zi Jitian, and then sped towards Duanhun Cliff.
Duanhun Cliff was located north of Anyecheng, directly opposite Nanshan.
Duanhun Cliff, ten thousand zhang deep, one step to death and the gate of hell.
Jiujue Peak on Duanhun Cliff, not a sliver of life can be found.
Duanhun Cliff was already a desperate situation on earth, unfathomably deep; if anyone fell in, there would be absolutely no chance of survival.
And the danger of Jiujue Peak was a hundred times greater than that of Duanhun Cliff.
It was suspended in mid-air on all sides, connected to Duanhun Cliff only by chains.
The summit of Jiujue Peak had only a platform with a radius of ten zhang. If one fell from here, their bones would surely be ground to dust, with no possibility of survival.
Moreover, the natural environment of Jiujue Peak itself was the preferred location for spirit cultivators with irreconcilable grudges to duel.
Although three months had passed since Zi Linling and Mo Qingcheng's agreed-upon battle, it seemed no one had forgotten this life-and-death struggle.
Duanhun Cliff today was packed with people.
They had waited for three months, all to witness how a nobody would challenge a genius and turn the tables.
Though the hope for such an outcome was extremely slim, people always hoped for miracles.
Of course, some had witnessed Zi Linling's display of power at the Zi family patriarch's succession ceremony.
However, the vast majority had not seen it with their own eyes, and in their opinion, it was merely exaggerated rumor, not to be trusted.
But regardless, this earth-shattering battle today had finally captured countless eyes.
What's more, a certain wealthy individual had even set up a betting pool.
The odds for Mo Qingcheng to win were 1.5 to 1, and for Zi Linling to win, they were 3 to 1.
Naturally, most people bet on Mo Qingcheng.
Because in their eyes, a spirit cultivator at the peak of the Juling realm facing a nobody, the outcome was completely predictable.
Of course, a small minority bet on Zi Linling to win.
These people had either witnessed Zi Linling's display of power firsthand or were holding onto a sliver of luck, enthusiastic about low-probability events.
But no matter what, Duanhun Cliff was bustling with noise and activity.
The onlookers were even more enthusiastic than the two protagonists, arriving early to secure good vantage points.
When Zi Linling arrived, there was hardly any space left to stand on Duanhun Cliff.
At this moment, Mo Qingcheng had not yet arrived, or at least had not shown himself.
Therefore, Zi Linling was not in a hurry to reveal herself; she found a rather concealed spot and sat down cross-legged.
Under these circumstances, cultivating was not realistic; if someone were to accidentally interrupt her, there was a danger of qi deviation.
So, she wasn't here to cultivate.
While resting with her eyes closed, she extended her divine sense, which was at the late stage of the Emperor realm.
Carefulness ensures a journey of ten thousand miles.
In the duel about to take place, as long as Mo Qingcheng was still at the peak of the Juling realm, it would be effortless for her to win.
It wasn't that she was arrogant; it was simply that only she knew the vast difference between the peak of the Juling realm and the realm above it.
Simply put, Zi Linling, above the peak of the Juling realm, could contend with a peak Saint King, while Mo Qingcheng, at the peak of the Juling realm, could at most contend with an early stage Huayuan realm cultivator.
This was the gap.
But even so, Zi Linling dared not be careless.
Even a lion strikes with all its might when hunting a rabbit.
What's more, that vague sense of strange loss of control still lingered in her heart, refusing to dissipate.
Therefore, what Zi Linling needed to do now was to use her vast divine sense to search every inch of the surrounding area, eliminating any unknown dangers.
Because no one could guarantee that among these onlookers, there weren't any mantises waiting to catch cicadas, or jackals lurking to pounce.
Her divine sense searched inch by inch, and soon she discovered two familiar individuals.
One, dressed in red, was lying on a large tree, leisurely drinking wine.
With that flamboyant demeanor and those distinctive peach blossom eyes, who else could it be but Situ Yunfeng?
As for the other person, it was a sickly young man.
The young man exuded the aura of a boy next door, but a hint of malevolence occasionally flashed in his eyes.
This young man was precisely Shen Liuxing, the young master of Fengyun Merchant House.
Speaking of which, Zi Linling had not seen him for nearly three months.
The last time she saw Shen Liuxing was on the day Zi Linling and Mo Qingcheng agreed to their duel.
Three days later, although Zi Linling went to Fengyun Merchant House again, intending to treat his illness, she was "driven out" by Ji Ran, the offering elder of the Shen family.
Since then, Zi Linling had never seen Shen Liuxing again.
Even though she had left a message when she left, saying that Shen Liuxing could come to the Zi family to find her anytime if he needed anything.
After that, she went to the Misty Forest and was gone for nearly a month.
However, after returning, she heard no news of Shen Liuxing coming to find her.
Since others didn't need her, the Ghost Hand Poison Doctor wouldn't go out of her way to be snubbed.
Moreover, Zi Linling deliberately avoided Fengyun Merchant House in all her transactions, cooperating with Shuiyue Merchant House instead, so the two of them had no contact since then.
Therefore, Zi Linling was quite surprised at the moment her divine sense discovered Shen Liuxing.
Shen Liuxing before her looked even more gaunt than before, and his smile was less frequent.
Zi Linling paused for a moment, her divine sense not stopping, and continued to extend outward.
A moment later, she discovered two interesting individuals.
These two people, though she had only met them once, had left a deep impression on her.
One was an old man with a gray beard, and the other was an old woman carrying a flower basket.
They had appeared at Ye Lingyuan's tribulation site and witnessed the entire process of Ye Lingyuan undergoing his tribulation.
Furthermore, after Ye Lingyuan's tribulation was complete, the two clearly wanted to say something but ultimately did not.