The five-colored ball rapidly shrank, condensing into a marble in an instant before flying towards the Ghost Emperor.
"Five Elements Burst!" Zi Linling shouted.
The Ghost Emperor's eyes brightened, a hint of surprise on his masked face.
The same technique, yet its power magnified tenfold; this was not something an ordinary person could achieve.
While the energies contained within the techniques differed, the ability to grasp new concepts and apply them innovatively demonstrated extraordinary talent and rare abilities.
"Not bad, not bad! But it's not enough!"
The Ghost Emperor smiled faintly and, with his right hand clenched into a fist, repeated his earlier action, using his colossal spirit-energy palm to grasp the five-colored law marble.
"Boom!"
The five-colored law marble detonated violently, and the colossal spirit-energy palm that held it was also blasted into nothingness.
At the center of the explosion, the void tore open, revealing a black hole.
Within the black hole, spatial wind blades raged, and a terrifying suction emanated from it, chilling the ten Ghost Messengers, Elder Du, and Shen Liuxing, who were watching from the sidelines.
"Damn! That's too awesome! Thank goodness I didn't resist back then, or I, Sun Bu Er, wouldn't exist in this world anymore!" Sun Bu Er said from his predicament, bound by the Ghost King Vine, his voice trembling with lingering fear.
Chu Hezhou chuckled bitterly, "Too terrifying! My defeat is not unjust! Our defeat is not unjust!"
"Where did this girl come from? She's practically a monster!" Shi Liuxiang said, shrinking his head.
The thought of having berated Zi Linling sent a chill down his spine that drilled into his very backbone.
The others also secretly rejoiced that they hadn't made a move against Zi Linling, or they would have been sent back to their mother's womb to be reformed.
Shen Liuxing gazed at the graceful figure in the air with burning eyes, a sense of pride mixed with a spreading bitterness in his heart.
He had trained diligently precisely to protect Zi Linling, but at some point, the gap between him and Zi Linling had widened relentlessly.
The word "genius" had never felt so ironic as it did at this moment.
Elder Du, however, was filled with immense relief.
He had personally witnessed Zi Linling's journey from being a despised prodigal to reaching her current heights.
The Ghost Emperor's eyes gleamed with amusement. "Little girl, you are increasingly to my liking. How about you reconsider and become one of my people?"
Zi Linling's gaze was icy. "Sorry, I feel nauseous! Take this!"
With that, the Dragon Scale Dagger appeared in her hand.
Spirit energy surged, and laws intertwined.
The light on the Dragon Scale Dagger rapidly intensified, and a colossal phantom dragon emerged, letting out a fierce roar.
"Roar..."
The phantom dragon's eyes were wide and fierce, fixing their gaze upon the Ghost Emperor opposite it with pure ferocity.
Upon seeing the phantom dragon, the Ghost Emperor's eyes shone even brighter.
"You even possess a divine artifact! Excellent, excellent! Little girl, you're making me more and more interested!"
Zi Linling's fighting spirit surged. "Take this!"
"Dragon Fights in the Nine Heavens!"
With her command, the phantom dragon impatiently charged towards the Ghost Emperor.
The Ghost Emperor laughed heartily, pushing his hands forward. Two colossal palms, connected side-by-side, formed a shield before him.
"Boom!"
The phantom dragon collided fiercely with the palm shield, igniting a series of spirit-energy explosions.
Zi Linling's and the Ghost Emperor's clothes billowed violently.
Sand and stones were swept up from the ground, stinging the eyes.
The ten Ghost Messengers' mouths hung open, filled with dust.
Shen Liuxing and Elder Du also raised their sleeves to shield their eyes.
In the sky, the virtual dragon and the virtual palms were locked in a stalemate, neither able to overcome the other.
The phantom dragon was gradually shrinking, while the palm shield was slowly fading.
Moments later, with a soft "pop," both the phantom dragon and the palm shield vanished simultaneously.
The Ghost Emperor calmly retracted his hands, placing them behind his back as he subtly flexed his slightly numb wrists.
Zi Linling staggered back more than ten steps, barely managing to steady herself and grasp the returning Dragon Scale Dagger.
Blood from her hand flowed onto the dagger, emitting an eerie red glow.
Zi Linling took several deep breaths, finally calming the surging blood within her body.
But she dared not relax, her fighting spirit burning intensely.
A look of appreciation flickered in the Ghost Emperor's eyes. "Little girl, how about we make a deal?"
Zi Linling remained fully alert. "If it's still about me becoming yours, then please spare your breath!"
"Heh heh!"
The Ghost Emperor chuckled softly. "So young, don't be so fiery! I've changed my mind. If you agree to become my disciple, I'll give you the Ghost Gate Pass as a betrothal gift, how about that?"
The Ghost Emperor's offer was already a significant concession.
Although poaching a disciple was somewhat unorthodox, Zi Linling's talent was simply too astonishing.
At worst, he and Zi Linling's master could share the responsibility of teaching her.
Zi Linling was momentarily stunned, clearly not having anticipated such a request from the Ghost Emperor.
The Ghost Emperor, a peak expert on the Azure Star!
To be accepted as his disciple was a chance most people would beg for.
Yet, Zi Linling hesitated.
The Ghost Emperor's nature was neither entirely righteous nor entirely evil; while not inherently wicked, he was not a figure of conventional righteousness.
With the impending great tribulation of world destruction, if the Ghost Emperor were to imprison her, how could she save the world?
Thinking this, Zi Linling smiled faintly and said, "I'm sorry, I cannot accept this deal!"
The Ghost Emperor's gaze turned icy. "Why? Are you afraid your master will blame you?"
He was utterly perplexed.
In this deal, Zi Linling clearly stood to gain immensely, so why would she refuse?
Zi Linling shook her head. "It has nothing to do with that. It's just that I have very important matters to attend to and cannot become your disciple!"
The Ghost Emperor was displeased. "As long as you become my disciple, I can send others to help you with those matters. You only need to focus on your cultivation!"
Zi Linling shook her head. "What I need to do is something others cannot help me with, because it is my responsibility!"
As the chosen one, it was her responsibility to help the beings of the Azure Star overcome the great tribulation of world destruction. Only then could she return to her past life's home, the Water Blue Star.
Furthermore, Ye Lingyuan had not yet awakened, and she had to gather three drops of ultimate true love's tears to save him.
"Your responsibility? What does becoming my disciple have to do with your responsibility?" the Ghost Emperor pressed.
Zi Linling sighed helplessly. "You wouldn't understand!"
Beneath the mask, the Ghost Emperor's expression turned terrifyingly cold.
"Since that is the case, I shall capture you and imprison you until you agree to become my disciple!"
With that, the Ghost Emperor rapidly began to form hand seals.
Instantly, the sky of the Ghost Domain darkened.
Chilling ghost energy surged in, covering a thousand-mile radius around the Emperor's Hall.
"Heh heh heh heh... Woo woo woo..."
Ghostly laughter echoed, and countless weeping sounds filled everyone's ears.