The swarm of demon bees was instantly scattered by the impact.
The scalpel exuded blade energy, and another layer of demon bee corpses fell to the ground.
"Buzz buzz buzz!"
The ferocious growl from deep within the demon bee swarm became more urgent.
Zi Lingling could feel the anger in that sound, but what of it?
This was a fight to the death, and the brave would win on a narrow path!
Zi Lingling showed no mercy, and her third move, "Autumn's Fading," was perfectly executed.
A sense of melancholy, of flourishing then declining, brought a trace of helplessness and solitude to this dark world.
Demon bee corpses fell one after another, forming a thick layer on the ground.
Zi Lingling had entered a peculiar state – enlightenment!
"The autumn wind rises again!"
"Autumn waters shimmer!"
"The autumn wind sweeps away fallen leaves!"
...
The Autumn Wind Fallen Leaves Saber Technique was practiced by her again and again, and the demon bee corpses on the ground piled up layer after layer.
But she seemed tireless, constantly wielding her scalpel.
In her enlightenment, Zi Lingling seemed to witness the fleeting moment of the changing seasons of spring, summer, autumn, and winter.
Spring gives birth, summer grows, autumn harvests, winter stores; the sun and moon alternate, life and death are interdependent.
It turned out that life was like the cycle of the seasons, seemingly devoid of vitality, but in reality, it was gathering strength.
So, what is life? What is death?
Zi Lingling's heart suddenly gained a glimmer of understanding: life is death, and death is life.
So it is! So it is!
Only when placed in a position of death can one be reborn, a phoenix from the ashes! A phoenix from the ashes!
At this moment, a strange power surged from within her, illuminating the dark world like the sun.
A faint green appeared on the dark earth, extending into the distance.
In an unknown place, the beautiful, snow-haired man from before opened his eyes in surprise and murmured, "As expected, extraordinary! Interesting, interesting!"
Zi Lingling's eyes snapped open, a flash of green darting through them.
The demon bees in the air had all been slain by her, leaving only a giant queen bee, trembling as she looked at the god-slayer, Zi Lingling.
"Enough, heaven has a benevolent heart. You may go!"
After her awakening, Zi Lingling gained a new respect for life.
She let the queen bee go, leaving a sliver of hope for the swarm.
Zi Lingling spoke, and without heeding the queen bee's bewildered gaze, she turned and walked forward.
At this moment, the progress bar read "Nine Hundred and Ninety-Nine"!
This meant that if she had killed the queen bee, she would have passed the trial.
However, at the last moment, she gave up!
Did she regret it?
No!
Zi Lingling turned and left with a flourish, unaware that a faint green appeared wherever she walked.
Perhaps, in not too long, this world would no longer be a black world.
...
Ye Lingyuan felt a blur before his eyes and found himself in a strange place.
It was more fitting to describe it as a world than a place.
Everything that met his gaze was black: black sky, black earth, black mountains, black water.
Yes, he and Zi Lingling had arrived at the same place, a world of black.
That voice had not separated them by much, but rather kept them within a thousand meters of each other.
Of course, Ye Lingyuan did not know this, and Zi Lingling did not know it either.
Ye Lingyuan frowned. Although he could not use his spiritual power or divine sense, his eyesight and perception were extremely powerful.
Yet, even so, he could not sense Zi Lingling's location, which made him worried and irritable.
But fate, or rather, a demon beast, had to cross his path.
The demon beast was a Demonic Wind Giant Wolf.
The Demonic Wind Giant Wolf, being hungry, had come out to forage.
It had originally intended to catch smaller demon beasts to satisfy its hunger, but somehow, it had inexplicably come here.
The moment the Demonic Wind Giant Wolf saw Ye Lingyuan, its green eyes were filled with covetousness.
In its eyes, if it ate this human, it would no longer have to go hungry.
Besides, this human had no spiritual energy fluctuations, so it was a lucky find.
Thus, the Demonic Wind Giant Wolf pounced on Ye Lingyuan without a second thought.
Ye Lingyuan dodged the Demonic Wind Giant Wolf's attack with a slight sidestep, and a palm strike landed on its neck. Sudan Novel Network
The Demonic Wind Giant Wolf was sent flying and crashed heavily onto the ground.
It let out a pained roar, then pushed off the ground with its claws and quickly stood up.
Having suffered an initial loss, the covetousness in the Demonic Wind Giant Wolf's eyes was quickly replaced by rage.
It let out a sky-piercing howl and attacked Ye Lingyuan again.
Ye Lingyuan's brow twitched, a trace of impatience appearing in his eyes.
He needed to kill the Demonic Wind Giant Wolf quickly and then find Zi Lingling.
Although he believed Zi Lingling could protect herself, he couldn't help but worry.
Therefore, as the Demonic Wind Giant Wolf lunged, a sharp glint flashed in Ye Lingyuan's eyes.
He hooked the tip of his toe on the ground, and a black stone appeared in his hand.
Ye Lingyuan aimed at the Demonic Wind Giant Wolf's eyes, calculated the trajectory, and flicked it with all his might. The stone flew like a speeding bullet.
Just as the Demonic Wind Giant Wolf was about to leap, it felt a sharp pain in its eye, and blood spurted out.
It howled in agony and rolled to the ground.
Ye Lingyuan lunged forward, concentrating his strength in his right palm, and struck down towards the Demonic Wind Giant Wolf's head.
Having lost an eye, the Demonic Wind Giant Wolf already harbored a deep hatred for Ye Lingyuan.
Seeing him lunge at it now, how could it stand idly by?
It rolled on the ground, quickly stood up, revealing its fangs, and lunged towards Ye Lingyuan's neck.
Ye Lingyuan leaned back slightly, avoiding the Demonic Wind Giant Wolf's bite, and his palm, intended for the wolf's head, missed.
The Demonic Wind Giant Wolf then pressed its claws onto Ye Lingyuan's shoulders and lunged again towards his neck.
Ye Lingyuan took two steps back and kicked out at the Demonic Wind Giant Wolf's soft abdomen, sending it flying.
With a "thump," the Demonic Wind Giant Wolf landed heavily on the ground, kicking up dust.
Ye Lingyuan leaped several times to the Demonic Wind Giant Wolf's side and swung his fist down at its head.
The Demonic Wind Giant Wolf, ignoring the pain, rolled outwards, narrowly dodging Ye Lingyuan's fist, but a clump of fur was torn off by the wind of the punch.
It rolled a full three times before leaping to its feet and howling at the sky.
Compared to the last time, its howl now carried a trace of urgency.
Ye Lingyuan's expression tensed; the Demonic Wind Giant Wolf was clearly summoning its kin.
Wolves, by nature, were pack animals. They were united and protective, yet also cruel and violent.
Seeing this, Ye Lingyuan raised his hand, snapped off a tree branch, and thrust it towards the Demonic Wind Giant Wolf's throat.