"Fellow Daoist, we are disciples of the Xuanxin Sect. Please be accommodating."
Chu Heng was surprised by Chu Lingwei's swift reply. His master had personally instructed him when he entered the secret realm to obtain the bones of any Sabre-toothed Tiger above the fifth rank to forge his life-bound artifact in the future.
Now that he had finally encountered one, Chu Heng was unwilling to let this opportunity slip away.
"Are you trying to force a sale?" Chu Lingwei chuckled, her voice laced with sarcasm.
"You... How can you be so ungrateful? We've already offered to exchange it for much more." Meng Xiang, standing beside Chu Heng, was furious. They had already shown her considerable respect, and she was truly ungrateful. "Originally, we were the ones who discovered this Sabre-toothed Tiger."
"Junior Sister Chu, do not be impolite." Chu Heng frowned, as if reprimanding Chu Xiang, but there was no trace of blame in his voice.
Meng Xiang was displeased. She glared at Chu Lingwei and grumbled, "It's true. If we hadn't injured the Sabre-toothed Tiger, how could she have possibly killed it all by herself?"
"If you are useless, do not assume everyone else is as useless as you." Chu Lingwei laughed, a complex emotion stirring within her. Disciples like these from the Xuanxin Sect would eventually lead the sect to ruin.
"Who are you calling useless?" Chu Xiang was enraged. How dare this person insult her!
"Whoever admits it, of course." Chu Lingwei's gaze was sharp as she fixed it upon the five individuals before her. Among them, Chu Heng possessed the highest cultivation, having reached the late stage of the Spirit Wheel realm. The others were all in the early stage of the Spirit Wheel realm.
Her Xuan Tian Burning Fire could challenge opponents of higher cultivation. Facing them, she was not without a chance.
"Let me teach you a lesson." Meng Xiang was hot-tempered and hated it most when others spoke ill of her in front of her senior brother. Her sword lunged straight for Chu Lingwei's forehead.
The spiritual energy in the air twisted the very atmosphere. Chu Xiang held nothing back.
Chu Lingwei's body remained still. Feng Ming, standing beside her, was already furious. These people were truly detestable, trying to snatch what rightfully belonged to others.
Feng Ming stepped in front of Chu Lingwei and unleashed its Netherfire towards Meng Xiang's face.
"Ah!"
Chu Xiang felt a searing pain on her face. Her spiritual energy vanished, and her body was sent flying backward, letting out a pained cry.
"Seeking death." As Chu Xiang was sent flying, Chu Heng summoned his fourth-rank Purple Crystal Winged Lion and attacked Chu Lingwei.
If she refused the toast, she would have to drink the forfeit. Then, he would not be polite.
A smile played on Chu Lingwei's lips. She had been waiting for them to make a move. As Chu Heng and his spirit beast lunged forward, dust and stones flew everywhere. The spiritual energy churned the air, slowing their movements.
"Truly weak."
With a mere simple barrier, they simultaneously revealed their flaws. Chu Lingwei seized the opportunity, her sword-heart united. Xuan Tian Burning Fire was unrivaled among those of the same cultivation level.
With a single move, Chu Heng and his spirit beast were knocked to the ground. Chu Heng's heart was severely injured, and he fell unconscious.
The other disciples of the Xuanxin Sect were greatly alarmed by this, adopting a defensive posture.
"Ah, my face! Why isn't it healing?" Meng Xiang, completely oblivious to her senior brother's unconscious state, consumed a Restoration Pill, but her face remained unhealed.
"Who are you?" He Zhengxuan eyed the person before him warily, on high alert.
Their Senior Brother Chu was the most powerful among them. This person had gravely injured him with a single move. They inwardly regretted offending someone they shouldn't have.
Chu Lingwei covered her mouth and giggled. "Have you forgotten? It was you who stopped me."
He Zhengxuan's heart sank. Of course, he hadn't forgotten.
"Fellow Daoist, we did not intend to offend you. We beg you to show mercy." Under duress, He Zhengxuan and the others looked at Chu Heng and the fourth-rank Purple Crystal Winged Lion, which was still unable to rise. They knew that even if they joined forces, they might not be able to defeat the person before them.
Chu Lingwei sneered, the air around her turning icy. She was letting them know she was very angry.
"What? You were the ones who asked me to stay, and now you're asking me to leave. What do you take me for?" The sword in Chu Lingwei's hand traced a path through the air, leaving behind watery trails that radiated coldness. These erupted into spiritual energy, striking at He Zhengxuan and the others without mercy.
These people had all bullied her before. She wasn't one to be easily appeased.
Just as He Zhengxuan and the others had imagined, even as they channeled their spiritual energy to resist, they could not guarantee their safety.
"You are a devil." Meng Xiang, like He Zhengxuan and the others, spat out blood and fell heavily to the ground.
"Since you say so, then do not blame me for being impolite."
A surge of spiritual energy struck Meng Xiang's face with great force. Her face, already difficult to discern, became even more tragic.
"Weiwei, kill them." Feng Ming flew above He Zhengxuan. It could sense that these people harbored no remorse in their hearts; instead, they were cursing Weiwei inwardly.
Feng Ming's body slowly turned red, enveloped by a fiery crimson aura. If it wished, these people could be reduced to ashes in an instant.
"No, no, don't kill us." The threat of death sent them into a panic. Song Cheng immediately begged for mercy, "Don't kill us. I'll give you everything I obtained in the secret realm. I'll do whatever you want me to do. Just don't kill us."
Meng Xiang finally came to her senses. No one wanted to die. "Yes, yes, as long as you don't kill us, we'll do anything."
They were afraid now.
"Weiwei, a fifth-rank spirit beast is approaching this way." Feng Ming sensed spirit beasts heading in their direction.
Chu Lingwei glanced at these individuals and decided to let them fend for themselves.
She collected their storage bags, mounted her flying sword with Feng Ming, and quickly departed.
Chu Lingwei flew on her sword for about fifteen minutes when a powerful surge of spiritual energy erupted, causing the mountain behind them to shake violently.
"What's going on?"
Chu Lingwei stopped her flying sword and gazed in the direction of the spiritual energy. The sight almost made her fall off her sword. She saw at least a dozen spirit beasts of the sixth rank and above flying towards them.
Even a single sixth-rank spirit beast would have been difficult for Chu Lingwei to handle, let alone a dozen.
She was not only outmatched but also unable to outrun them.
Chu Lingwei found a secluded spot and set up a barrier to wait for these spirit beasts to pass.
Soon, the high-ranked spirit beasts sped past her without stopping.
"They seem to have encountered something?" Chu Lingwei saw a hint of panic in their eyes.
"They are afraid." Feng Ming looked worried. It hadn't told Weiwei that even it felt a sense of alarm.
This was a secret realm, where anything could happen.
"Let's go and see."
Chu Lingwei put Feng Ming back into its spirit beast bag and cast a barrier, preventing it from coming out.