It had to be said that Zi Lingling, with her venomous tongue, truly left no one able to resist.
First, there was Mei Renxing, who died of anger, utterly inhuman and lacking any semblance of humanity. Then came Ye Yuanhao, Zi Wenchang, and Mo Qingcheng, driven mad by her words.
Now, it seemed, another name was to be added to the illustrious scroll of her achievements.
Zi Zhaocai wished he could strike Zi Lingling down with a palm, but immobilized as he was, he could only glare.
His eyes were wide with fury, bloodshot, with a trickle of blood hanging from the corners of his eyes and mouth, giving him a ferocious appearance.
Of course, the bloodshot eyes were due to the excessive strain of rolling his eyeballs.
And the blood at the corners of his mouth was from him grinding his molars to dust.
Yet, Zi Lingling showed no signs of letting up, continuing her monologue, "Money-grabbing dog, don't look at me like that, or I'll gouge out your dog eyes and use them as balls to stomp on!"
Zi Zhaocai felt utterly stifled.
Argue?
He couldn't win an argument!
Zi Lingling's tongue was unmatched, with only Ye Lingyuan as her equal.
Fight?
He couldn't win a fight!
Zi Lingling, without even lifting an eyelid, had him pinned in place, unable to move. How could he fight?
No!
If she could immobilize him so easily, didn't that mean she could also kill him with equal ease?
He had already reached the peak of the Saint King realm. Just how profound was Zi Lingling's cultivation?
Had she, perhaps, broken through to the legendary Emperor realm?
At this thought, the anger in Zi Zhaocai's heart quickly extinguished, replaced by a flood of fear to fill the void of his frustration.
Having cultivated to the peak of the Saint King realm, he had already lived for six hundred years.
Anyone with a modicum of sense, no, anyone not utterly foolish, knew which to choose between life and death.
Zi Zhaocai looked at Zi Lingling in shock and asked, "May I ask you two questions?"
His voice, devoid of its former arrogance, now carried a sense of defeat.
Zi Lingling's divine sense had been locked onto Zi Zhaocai the entire time, and she had observed every change in him.
She chuckled faintly and said, "Not bad, you've finally learned to speak like a human!"
Zi Zhaocai: "..."
"Wouldn't it have been better to act like this earlier? Did you have to transform from a human into a beast, and then back into a human? Aren't you tired of all this back and forth?"
Zi Zhaocai: "..."
"Fine, seeing as you're speaking like a human, I'll give you a chance. Ask away!"
Zi Zhaocai took a deep breath, suppressing the embers of his anger that had begun to flicker once more.
He couldn't help it; Zi Lingling could so easily ignite his fury.
But with his previous suspicions, did he dare to get angry now?
Frustration!
Utter, unadulterated frustration!
Zi Zhaocai, in his thirty-plus years of life, had never felt so utterly frustrated.
This was the first time.
He swore it would be the last.
Of course, this was assuming he didn't encounter Zi Lingling again, or that Zi Lingling's cultivation was not as formidable as he imagined!
But was that possible?
Impossible!
From the moment the Imperial Zi family set their sights on the Heavenly Mandate Zi family, Zi Lingling was destined to be his bane.
Later, he would also discover that Zi Lingling was not only his bane but also the nightmare of the Imperial Zi family.
However, that was a story for another time.
For now, Zi Zhaocai desperately wanted to know if the woman before him was truly Zi Lingling, the matriarch of the Heavenly Mandate Zi family, and if she had indeed broken through to the legendary Emperor realm.
Although he already had an answer to the first question, he still wanted to hear her admit it herself. After all, the matter was of great importance and allowed for no room for error.
As for the second question, if it were true, then things would become truly colossal, and the entire cultivation world might be thrown into turmoil.
Zi Zhaocai managed to calm his mind as much as possible and said, "Are you truly Zi Lingling, the matriarch of the Heavenly Mandate Zi family?"
Zi Lingling was amused. Had she stumbled upon an idiot?
Did such an obvious question even need asking?
However, she still looked at him as if he were an idiot and replied, "Tsk! Money-grabbing dog, are all the people from your Imperial Zi family this dim-witted?"
Zi Zhaocai was choked, and the embers of anger within him began to rekindle.
"An obvious question like this, and you still need to ask?"
"Exactly! If she weren't our Commander Zi, why would she bother wasting her breath on you?"
"That's right, that's right! In this world, besides our Commander, the matriarch of the Zi family, who else could be this powerful at only twelve years old?"
"Damn it! I originally thought the Imperial Zi family was powerful and influential, and that the dogs they released would have brains. Now it seems their dog brains are worse than pig brains!"
"I strongly suspect it's not that the Imperial Zi family's dogs lack brains, but rather their masters lack brains, and therefore never taught them to use their brains!"
The mercenaries of the King's Mercenary Group chimed in, one after another, making Zi Zhaocai feel as if he were about to be reborn from the flames of anger!
Yet, he could not show his anger. He could only gulp down air in large quantities, lest he suffocate himself.
Seeing that Zi Zhaocai was on the verge of exploding, Zi Lingling lazily raised her hand, stopping the mercenaries' "nonsensical chatter."
She smiled and said, "They are correct. I am Zi Lingling, both the matriarch of the Heavenly Mandate Zi family and their commander. Are you satisfied with this answer?"
Although Zi Zhaocai had endured much insult, he had finally obtained the answer he sought.
Therefore, he took a deep breath, suppressing the surging anger, and had no intention of attacking the mercenaries.
Of course, he didn't have the courage to do so.
Moreover, he was still immobilized by Zi Lingling, unable to move at all.
"Satisfied, of course, I'm satisfied!"
He forcefully suppressed his gritted teeth and continued, "May I ask, Patriarch Zi, have you broken through to the legendary realm?"
Zi Lingling sneered inwardly.
Don't think she didn't know what the money-grabbing dog was scheming, but was she someone who easily fell into a trap?
She feigned ignorance and said, "The legendary realm? What is that? Money-grabbing dog, can't you say something more straightforward?"
Zi Zhaocai felt a sweetness in his throat, and a mouthful of blood almost spewed out again.
He wished he could tear the hateful woman before him to pieces, but his reason told him he couldn't.
He forcibly swallowed the rebellious blood, took a deep breath, and then continued, "Legend has it that above the Saint King realm, there is another realm, and that realm is called the Emperor realm."
"Emperor realm? You're overthinking it!" Zi Lingling said indifferently.
"You haven't?" Zi Zhaocai asked in surprise.
Zi Lingling smiled without speaking, but her expression clearly conveyed, "You think too highly of me."
"Impossible! Impossible! If you are not in the Emperor realm, how could you have easily immobilized me?"
Zi Zhaocai was filled with disbelief.
Zi Lingling sneered, "Are your questions finished?"
Zi Zhaocai was lost in disbelief and didn't hear Zi Lingling's words at all.