Thus, when Zi Donglai sensed danger, a strand of hair on his temple had already been severed by the sharp aura of the scalpel.
The severed hair fluttered and slowly fell.
However, Zi Donglai had no time to appreciate it or be angry at this moment.
He thought to himself, "This is bad," and instinctively retreated backward.
Zi Linling sneered.
The Dragon-Treading Steps contained extremely exquisite principles of the先天八卦 (Xiantian Bagua - Early Heaven Eight Trigrams).
Therefore, the moment Zi Donglai decided to retreat, he had already fallen into Zi Linling's scheme.
Zi Linling, who had anticipated her enemy's move, would not miss such a good opportunity.
The corner of her lips curled up, her footwork shifted again, and the scalpel had already reached Zi Donglai's nape ahead of him.
Zi Donglai wanted to dodge sideways again, but it was too late.
A trace of blood spurted from his nape, forming a string of red pearls.
In a moment of desperation, Zi Donglai crushed a substitution talisman in his hand.
Only then did he narrowly escape having his neck severed.
When he reappeared, he was already three meters away.
Even so, there was a half-inch long cut on his nape.
Although it bled, the wound was not deep.
Zi Donglai looked at the little girl in front of him with shock and an uncontrollable sense of lingering fear.
If his movement had been a moment slower, he would have lost his life here.
He said with apprehension, "What kind of attack is this?"
Zi Linling's pretty face was cold, and she said, "It's the method to deal with you, of course!"
She deliberately emphasized the word "deal with" heavily, aiming to contrast with Zi Donglai's dismissive demeanor earlier and humiliate him.
"However, it's a pity that you managed to avoid it."
Zi Linling shook her head with a look of regret.
"You..."
Zi Donglai was furious. He had lost a substitution talisman!
The value of a substitution talisman was no less than that of a spatial storage bag.
Even a prominent family like the Imperial Zi family only possessed three substitution talismans in total.
Having consumed one now felt like a piece of flesh had been gouged out of him.
"Brat, since you've wasted one of my substitution talismans, you'll pay with your life!"
As he spoke, he began to mobilize the spiritual energy elements within his body.
Having suffered a great loss just now, he no longer dared to engage in close-quarters combat with Zi Linling. Therefore, he switched to spiritual energy attacks.
Zi Linling smiled without warmth and said, "Pay with your life? That's a good idea!"
As her voice fell, the Phantom Dragon-Treading Steps were activated again.
Simultaneously, the scalpel in her hand produced a blade aura as spiritual energy was infused into it.
The moment Zi Donglai's spiritual energy condensed into form, Zi Linling's scalpel arrived at his chest.
"Break!"
Zi Linling's ruby lips parted slightly. The scalpel instantly severed the "life link" between the spiritual energy elements and then, without losing speed, pierced towards Zi Donglai's heart, instantly tearing open a slit in Zi Donglai's chest clothing.
However, that was all.
After the scalpel cut through Zi Donglai's chest clothing, it felt as if it had struck an iron wall and could not advance further.
Huh?
What's going on?
"Girl, this fellow is wearing defensive King-grade armor."
Old Du's voice rang out at the opportune moment.
"Defensive King-grade armor?"
Zi Linling was taken aback for a moment, then quickly shifted her footing.
Because she saw a glint of ruthlessness in Zi Donglai's eyes.
A duel between masters allowed for no mistakes.
The moment Zi Linling was momentarily stunned, she had lost her advantage.
And Zi Donglai, having finally gained the upper hand, would not let Zi Linling go easily?
Therefore, a ruthless expression appeared in his eyes, as his attack was imminent.
But he clearly did not expect Zi Linling's speed to be comparable to instantaneous movement.
Therefore, before his attack could fully materialize, Zi Linling had already left his attack range.
As a result, his attack was destined to miss.
After dodging his attack, Zi Linling instantly widened the distance between them and began to communicate with Old Du from the side.
She said with a displeased expression, "Old Du, are you sure that fellow is wearing defensive King-grade armor?"
Speaking of spiritual practitioners' weapons, one must mention artifact refiners.
Artifact refiners, like alchemists, were graded, and the classification of their levels was very similar.
Artifact refiners, from low to high, were successively divided into Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, Master, King, and God-tier.
And the weapons they forged were also, according to the artifact refiner's level, from low to high, namely Precious Artifacts, Spiritual Artifacts, King Artifacts, Sacred Artifacts, Imperial Artifacts, and Divine Artifacts.
On the Tianyuan Continent, most artifact refiners were Beginner-tier, forging only Precious Artifacts.
However, a small portion of them, due to talent and fortunate encounters, could break through to Intermediate-tier artifact refiners and forge Spiritual Artifacts.
As for Advanced artifact refiners, they were merely rare as phoenix feathers, as forging King Artifacts was not that simple.
Master-tier artifact refiners were, on the Tianyuan Continent, at least in the Four Great Empires, merely legends.
Not to mention King-tier and God-tier artifact refiners, they were even more legendary.
With Sacred Artifacts, Imperial Artifacts, and Divine Artifacts not appearing, King Artifacts could already be considered the best weapons.
This was why Zi Linling's expression was grim.
Old Du said proudly, "A mere King Artifact, how could I possibly misperceive it?"
Mere? A mere King Artifact?
Zi Linling's lips twitched slightly.
She wondered what kind of existence this old man had been a thousand years ago.
Not only were Emperor-realm powerhouses beneath his notice, but even King Artifacts were so insignificant in his eyes.
"Then, Old Du, do you know how to break through that guy's King Artifact armor without damaging it?"
Zi Linling asked humbly.
While this King Artifact was beneath Old Du's notice, it was extremely rare to her.
Old Du rolled his eyes and said, "Didn't you just do it?"
Zi Linling was slightly stunned, then understood what Old Du meant.
Although this defensive King Artifact had powerful defensive capabilities, it had loopholes.
Ordinary defensive King Artifacts could not be completely impenetrable.
Like the defensive King Artifact worn by Zi Donglai, it was not a single piece.
This was also why Zi Linling could cut his nape earlier.
Because the helmet and body parts of this defensive King Artifact were separate, Zi Donglai's neck was his weakness.
This was precisely why Zi Donglai had been willing to expend a substitution talisman.
Thinking of this, Zi Linling's eyes lit up, and her killing intent towards Zi Donglai intensified.
Killing for treasure!
The mere thought of it made her blood boil. Who told her she was "poor" to the point of jingling?
Do not flaunt one's wealth!
Zi Donglai would never have imagined that a set of defensive King Artifact armor on his person would determine his fate.