Zi Lingling frowned, sighed, and transmitted to the two, "Fear in the heart leads to failure in all endeavors; fearlessness in the heart makes anything possible!"
"What separates you from your opponents is not cultivation, but the belief in victory. If you dare to risk your life, you can overthrow the emperor. If you dare to fight to the death, they may not. So, what are you afraid of?"
Zhuang Xing and Li Bo were slightly taken aback, and were then sent flying by their opponents' attacks.
Zi Lingling shook her head in disappointment.
In a battle between masters, a millimeter's difference can lead to a thousand-mile divergence.
Zhuang Xing and Li Bo, fighting against opponents a minor realm higher, could still be distracted. Wasn't that inviting trouble?
Indeed, one cannot place too high hopes on some people.
Xuanyuan Xun, Rong Guang, and Shen Liuxing also shook their heads in disappointment.
One must not be distracted in a fight; distraction means death. Such a basic mistake that even Body Tempering Realm spiritual practitioners wouldn't make, yet it appeared on Zhuang Xing and Li Bo, both Divine King Realm experts. Wasn't this absurd?
Fortunately, Zhuang Xing and Li Bo quickly regained their senses and narrowly dodged the next attacks from Cao Youcheng and Cao Zhengben.
Just as everyone's attention was focused on Zhuang Xing and Li Bo, Cao Zhengyuan, who had been arguing with Shangguan Yulin earlier, suddenly attacked Zi Lingling.
In his opinion, capturing Zi Lingling would end this farce.
Because Cao Zhengyuan's attack was so sudden, by the time Xuanyuan Xun, Rong Guang, and Shen Liuxing realized it, it was too late.
However, they were not flustered; instead, they smiled gleefully.
Cao Zhengyuan had no idea that the "soft persimmon" he chose to attack was the most unfathomable among the invading enemies.
Zi Lingling's divine sense had already covered a radius of ten miles.
Therefore, the moment Cao Zhengyuan attacked, Zi Lingling had already detected him.
She smiled coldly, slowly turned her head, and said, "Shangguan was not wrong. Your Cao family's shamelessness is indeed identical!"
Then, she slowly raised her hand and drew an arc in the air.
"Slap!"
A crisp sound rang out.
Cao Zhengyuan, who had launched a sneak attack, was slapped flying. A bright red palm print appeared on his left cheek.
Zi Lingling's slap, though delayed, was perfect in its force, speed, and angle, like a natural, traceless move.
Cao Zhengyuan, as if he had run into it himself, was sent reeling, dizzy, and face-planted onto the ground.
The other members of the Cao family were also startled by the crisp slap.
They looked at Cao Zhengyuan, who was lying on the ground, bleeding from the mouth and filled with resentment, then shifted their gaze to Zi Lingling.
They were extremely curious as to how Zi Lingling, who was only at the peak of the Great Divine Realm, could have inflicted such a miserable state on a late-stage Divine King Realm expert.
Zi Lingling indifferently shook her wrist, as if she had done something trivial.
She said calmly, "Your skin is quite thick; it made my wrist hurt! Others dismount ten feet from the city walls, but your Cao family needs thirty feet!"
Cao Zhengyuan, still on the ground, suddenly jumped up and gritted his teeth, "Brat, how dare you ambush me!"
Zi Lingling was amused and retorted sarcastically, "It seems your Cao family not only has thick skin but has also mastered the art of twisting things around!
"Don't you think about it, I've been standing here without moving, how could I have ambushed you? Truly, fools are abundant every day, but today there are especially many!"
Cao Zhengyuan's attempt to shift blame was exposed on the spot, making his face turn pale.
He pointed menacingly at Zi Lingling and said, "Brat, do you dare to fight me?"
As soon as he said this, even the usually good-tempered Xuanyuan Xun's face turned cold, and he taunted, "Someone as low-class and trashy as you is even worthy of Miss Zi's attention?"
"It seems Brother Shangguan was indeed insightful. Your Cao family, besides bullying the weak, preying on the disadvantaged, and having thick skin and dirty minds, is utterly useless."
"Fine, if you still wish to be slapped, then this King will reluctantly grant you your wish!"
As Xuanyuan Xun spoke, he gripped his Overlord Spear, its tip pointing at Cao Zhengyuan.
"This King has always been upright and never resorts to sneak attacks, which are beneath me. Make your move, and don't say this King is bullying you!"
Cao Zhengyuan's eyes gleamed fiercely, "You're just an early-stage Divine King, am I afraid of you?"
With that, a long sword appeared in his hand, emitting a dazzling light and exuding the power of laws.
Without any warning, he swung the sword directly at Xuanyuan Xun.
Xuanyuan Xun snorted coldly, "A dog cannot change its ways, nor can you change your habit of ambushing! Take this!"
He then twirled his Overlord Spear into a bloom and thrust it towards the incoming sword.
"Clang! Clang!"
The sword and the Overlord Spear collided, sending sparks flying.
Xuanyuan Xun's combat experience was far beyond that of Zhuang Xing and Li Bo.
Though his words were dismissive, his heart was not relaxed in the slightest.
While speaking with Cao Zhengyuan, he had secretly gathered his strength, increasing his combat power to sixty percent.
Therefore, Xuanyuan Xun's seemingly ordinary spear thrust contained an indomitable momentum and his fearless confidence.
Cao Zhengyuan, on the other hand, was different.
His previous sneak attack had been thwarted by Zi Lingling's slap.
Therefore, even though he was now enraged, he had to start gathering his strength from scratch.
The first attack of a cultivator could only raise their combat power to fifty percent, with the exception of peerless geniuses like Xuanyuan Xun, Rong Guang, Shen Liuxing, and Shangguan Yulin.
And monstrous geniuses like Zi Lingling and Ye Lingyuan could not be judged by common standards and were also exceptions.
In other words, although Cao Zhengyuan was a late-stage Divine King expert, he could only exert fifty percent of his combat power. Xuanyuan Xun, despite being only an early-stage Divine King, was exerting sixty percent.
With this disparity, Xuanyuan Xun gained the upper hand, directly sending the pre-emptive Cao Zhengyuan flying.
Following up, Xuanyuan Xun pressed forward, his Overlord Spear transforming into a staff, and directly smashed towards Cao Zhengyuan's chest.
Cao Zhengyuan, mid-air, had no leverage and no escape. He could only watch as the Overlord Spear landed on him.
"Bang!"
Cao Zhengyuan took the full impact and, before he even landed, spat out a mouthful of blood.
Xuanyuan Xun did not give Cao Zhengyuan any chance to recover. The Overlord Spear changed from a smash to a thrust, targeting Cao Zhengyuan's abdomen.
A master's move reveals their skill.
Xuanyuan Xun unleashed three consecutive moves in one fluid, elegant, and graceful motion.
The elders and Divine Kings of the Cao family who were not participating in the fight were stunned, their eyes wide.