Zi Lingling's sharp tongue was no less potent than Ye Lingyuan's.
The demon dragon was instantly enraged, wishing it could obliterate Zi Lingling with a dragon's breath.
However, facing two peak-stage Small Divine Realm experts simultaneously, it was overwhelmed and could only spare Zi Lingling the occasional glare.
"What are you staring at? Don't think your bulbous eyes give you the power of a light bulb! If you push me too far, I'll dig them out and use them as balls to kick!"
"You court death!"
The demon dragon, beside itself with fury, deliberately took the brunt of Ye Lingyuan and Zi Guochang's attacks and charged towards Zi Lingling, heedless of the consequences.
At that moment, it longed to whip Zi Lingling, that venom-tongued shrew, to death with its tail and tear that stinking woman, Zi Lingling, apart with its claws.
Zi Lingling's eyes narrowed. Her Phantom Dragon Steps shifted rapidly beneath her feet, skillfully evading the demon dragon's onslaught.
She knew that to contend with the demon dragon, Ye Lingyuan and Zi Guochang had to cooperate. She certainly wouldn't be foolish enough to engage it head-on.
"Hmph! With a pile of actual black dung like you blocking the way, what other dung would I look for?"
The demon dragon's nose was practically smoking with anger, but Zi Lingling was too slippery to catch.
Instead, because it was busy chasing Zi Lingling, it was struck by Zi Guochang.
Though the wound wasn't deep, it still drew blood.
The demon dragon, being a creature of demonic energy and a manifestation of negative emotions, became even more frenzied upon seeing blood. It spewed dragon's breath and dragon flames indiscriminately, occasionally unleashing a divine dragon's tail sweep.
If not for the protective formations surrounding the cave, this place would have long since been reduced to ruins.
Yet, even with its full might, it couldn't catch Zi Lingling, who was more cunning than a fox.
In its frustration, it roared, "You little brat, have the guts to stop running!"
Zi Lingling's Phantom Dragon Steps were executed with masterful skill.
Thus, she could still playfully taunt the demon dragon, "Black loach, have the guts to stop chasing!"
The demon dragon unleashed two more streams of dragon's breath, cursing, "Brat, don't let me catch you, or you'll be sorry!"
Zi Lingling retorted, "Black loach, I've tasted all sorts of soups, but never loach soup. How about you do me a favor and let me have a taste of something new?"
The demon dragon's spine nearly contorted with rage.
But Zi Lingling was too sly; she never directly confronted it, merely leading it in circles.
The demon dragon's disadvantage lay in its enormous size and lack of agility when turning, not to mention the constant need to defend against the powerful moves of Zi Guochang and Ye Lingyuan.
Consequently, the dragon's frustration was beyond words.
Ye Lingyuan chuckled.
He had always known that Zi Lingling's mouth could argue its way out of anything and never suffer a loss.
Of course, he also knew that Zi Lingling was deliberately provoking the demon dragon to create an opportunity for him and Zi Guochang.
After all, Zi Lingling's creed was that any problem solvable by wit required no extra effort.
Zi Guochang, a man of few pretenses, was even more lenient, especially considering this eccentric and lively person was his daughter.
While secretly amused, he used his divine sense to lock onto the demon dragon, searching for its weaknesses.
The three humans and one dragon were cramped in the narrow cave, especially the demon dragon.
It had already taken several direct hits from Ye Lingyuan and Zi Guochang.
Fortunately, its thick hide allowed it to endure for the time being, but prolonged combat would inevitably lead to its defeat.
As its wounds grew deeper, the demon dragon began to feel pain.
Yet, this very pain gradually cleared its rage-clouded mind.
"Not good! I've been tricked by this wretched girl!"
The demon dragon inwardly cursed, its mind racing to find a way out of its predicament.
Surviving for a thousand years in the depths of the Dark Abyss and becoming the leader of a pack of demonic beasts, the demon dragon was by no means unintelligent.
Soon, it shifted its strategy, adopting an unyielding defense.
In other words, it stopped chasing Zi Lingling and instead coiled itself into a ball, leaving only its head and neck exposed for attacks.
This rendered its vulnerabilities almost nonexistent, much to the chagrin of Ye Lingyuan, Zi Guochang, and Zi Lingling.
Unable to outwit it, Zi Guochang and Ye Lingyuan prepared for a direct confrontation.
After all, men and women had different combat styles; women preferred to overcome hardness with softness, while men favored strength against strength.
However, Zi Lingling was unwilling to engage in a direct fight, nor did she want to witness Zi Guochang and Ye Lingyuan do so.
Therefore, she began to taunt the demon dragon again, "Hey! Black loach, why have you suddenly turned into a turtle with its head retracted?"
The demon dragon snorted and ignored her, focusing its attention on a serious battle with Zi Guochang and Ye Lingyuan.
"Black loach! While this defensive stance allows you to counter-attack, it also prevents you from using some of your skills. So, in the end, you'll still be defeated."
The demon dragon snorted again and continued to ignore her.
While deflecting most of Ye Lingyuan and Zi Guochang's attacks, it began to ponder once more.
Although Zi Lingling was provoking it, her words held a great deal of truth.
Therefore, it was weighing the pros and cons to make the right decision.
Seeing that the black dragon was not reacting to her taunts, a hint of disappointment flashed in Zi Lingling's eyes.
"Black loach, how about you hand over your reverse scale, and we can be friends?"
Zi Lingling once again employed her supreme persuasive tactics.
"Hmph! Be friends? If you truly wanted to be friends, you wouldn't be asking for my reverse scale.
Do you know where a dragon's reverse scale is located? It is the vital point of its life.
Asking for my reverse scale is no different than asking for my life.
Therefore, this is not about making friends, but about preparing for an eternal feud!"
Zi Lingling raised an eyebrow and contacted Long'er in her contracted space, asking, "Long'er, is what the demon dragon says true?"
Long'er nodded and replied, "It is indeed so! For us dragons, once our reverse scale is taken, we are left with nothing but to await death."
Zi Lingling was now in a dilemma.
She transmitted her thoughts to Zi Guochang and Ye Lingyuan, asking, "Why do you insist on taking the demon dragon's reverse scale?"
Just as Ye Lingyuan was about to explain, Zi Guochang spoke first.
"Lin'er, the bottom of this Dark Abyss is an independent space. It exists parallel to the Tianyuan Continent but is also connected to it.
This connection is the method of passage between the Tianyuan Continent and the space at the bottom of the Dark Abyss.
There are two ways to achieve this. One is the reverse scale on the demon dragon. This reverse scale is the key that connects the space at the bottom of the Dark Abyss with the Demon Realm.
The second method is to gain the acknowledgment of the space at the bottom of the Dark Abyss, and the way to gain that acknowledgment is to find the origin of this space.
Zi Lingling, after processing this immense piece of information, transmitted her thoughts, "So, to leave the bottom of the Dark Abyss, one must either obtain the demon dragon's scale or gain the acknowledgment of the space's origin?"