The moment the thin monkey fell to the ground, the sense of danger finally vanished.
He breathed a sigh of relief and swallowed hard, his heart still pounding.
If not for his extensive combat experience, he would have been more than just severely injured by now.
The thin monkey never wanted to experience that chilling feeling again in his life.
He looked at Zi Linling with a hint of apprehension and asked, "What did you just do?"
A flicker of disappointment crossed Zi Linling's eyes, and she inwardly thought, "A pity."
However, there was no way she would reveal her secrets to the thin monkey.
Thus, she feigned innocence and replied, "What did I do?"
The thin monkey looked at Zi Linling suspiciously but found nothing amiss.
No matter how hard he tried to figure it out, he could never have imagined that Zi Linling, a cultivator at the ninth level of Body Tempering, would possess a Sea of Consciousness that only Saint King realm powerhouses could wield.
He smirked sinisterly and said, "Woman, the more secrets you have, the faster you die!"
Zi Linling looked at the thin monkey with a half-smile and retorted, "If you don't release Xueying, you'll die even faster!"
As the words left her lips, she released another wisp of divine sense, which condensed into a soul needle, and shot it towards the thin monkey's forehead.
Simultaneously, her hands were not idle. She flicked two embroidery needles towards the thin monkey's eyes, and with the first move of the "Autumn Wind Falling Leaves Saber Technique," Leaf Fall Returns to Autumn, she struck directly at the thin monkey's chest.
The thin monkey's expression grew grave. The spiritual energy within his body surged, and a Wood Whip instantly took shape, which he grasped in his hand.
An inch longer, an inch stronger!
With a slight twist of his wrist, the Wood Whip knocked away the two embroidery needles and then swept upwards along the saber, intending to ensnare Zi Linling's arm.
A sly smile played on Zi Linling's lips as she silently mouthed five words: "Wood Vine, Ensnare!"
The thin monkey, who had the upper hand moments ago, felt his heart suddenly lurch. That familiar sense of danger resurfaced.
He instinctively tried to dodge, but at that moment, his body tightened as a green spiritual energy vine bound him tightly.
"This is bad!"
The thin monkey cursed inwardly and prepared to unleash the full spiritual power of his peak Spirit Gathering realm to forcefully break free from the vine's restraint.
However, before he could release his spiritual energy, he felt a sharp pain in his forehead and his entire body swayed, falling towards the ground.
"It's over! She's actually a triple spiritual root!"
The thin monkey smiled bitterly in his heart.
Like Xu Feihu, he had suffered a setback in the gutter.
It turned out that all of Zi Linling's previous moves were feints, designed solely to distract the thin monkey and cover the soul needle's successful penetration of his defenses.
This was, of course, the result of Zi Linling's meticulous calculations.
Everyone believed she was merely a fire and earth dual-attribute spiritual root, which allowed her Wood Vine to achieve surprise and buy time for the soul needle.
As the thin monkey fell to the ground, Zi Linling, who had executed the Dragon Swimming Steps to perfection, was already in front of him, her foot pressing down on his abdomen.
The thin monkey cried out in pain, his mouth naturally opening.
Zi Linling flicked her finger, and a pill shot into the thin monkey's throat.
The pill dissolved instantly upon entering his mouth, flowing down his throat and spreading throughout his limbs.
The thin monkey felt an intense itchiness within his body, and his limbs from the neck down lost all sensation.
By the time his mind cleared, he realized he had become a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.
All of this had happened in the span of a few breaths; the Fatty, the Shorty, and the others had no time to react.
"You... what did you give me?"
The thin monkey looked at Zi Linling in terror, his voice trembling.
Zi Linling replied indifferently, "Poison!"
The thin monkey was taken aback, seemingly not expecting such a straightforward answer.
The Fatty finally reacted and roared, "How dare you! Release Brother Jiang Tang at once!"
Zi Linling's gaze turned icy as she looked at him, a curve forming on her lips. "Release him? Very well! You release Xueying first!"
The Fatty's face contorted with ferocity. Although he disdained Jiang Tang and Xu Feihu, the two flatterers, he couldn't afford to disregard their lives, or who would dare follow him in the future?
However, he deemed Zi Linling unqualified to negotiate with him.
The Fatty's eyes glinted coldly. He yanked Xueying in front of him, grabbed her fair neck, and said in a chilling tone, "Release Jiang Tang, or I'll kill her!"
Although Zi Linling was extremely worried about Xueying's safety, she could not back down at this moment. Otherwise, not only would she fail to save Xueying, but she would also be in danger.
With a thought, the thin monkey was hoisted up by the Wood Vine.
Zi Linling held a knife to the thin monkey's neck and sneered, "Then try it. See if your hand is faster than my blade!"
The Fatty's brows furrowed, the veins on his hand gripping Xueying bulging. He slowly tightened his grip and said menacingly, "Say it again, release Jiang Tang!"
Zi Linling's heart ached for Xueying, but she couldn't show the slightest hint of emotion on her face.
At this point, it was a battle of wills. Whoever faltered first would lose.
Of course, she wouldn't let Xueying suffer.
A sharp glint flashed in Zi Linling's eyes. She tightened her grip on the knife, and a cut appeared on the thin monkey's neck, blood trickling out.
She said coldly, "Release Xueying!"
The Fatty's grip on Xueying loosened, and he said with a chill, "You win! We'll do a swap!"
"Agreed!"
Zi Linling also lowered her knife.
She held the thin monkey and nodded at Xueying.
Xueying, though still shaken, understood Zi Linling's intentions.
She nodded, and seizing the moment when the Fatty and the Shorty exchanged glances, she suddenly bit down fiercely on the Fatty's wrist, which was blocking her neck.
The Fatty cried out in pain, his hand involuntarily moving away. Xueying lunged forward, falling towards the ground.
The Shorty beside them had been on guard against Xueying's escape, but he hadn't expected her to dive towards the ground.
"Yiran, now!"
Yiran, who was in the Goddess Palace, had already communicated with Zi Linling. As soon as Zi Linling gave the order, she immediately took Xueying into the Goddess Palace.
By the time the Fatty and the Shorty reacted, Xueying was nowhere to be seen!
However, their reactions were incredibly swift. After Xueying vanished, they didn't hesitate and directly attacked Zi Linling.
Zi Linling had anticipated this. She chuckled coldly, and the divine sense from her Sea of Consciousness surged out.
Instantly, the Fatty and the Shorty felt as if they had plunged into a quagmire, struggling to move, their attacks slowing to a crawl.
As for the onlookers, those at the Spirit Gathering realm were faring better, but those below it couldn't even stand.
"What's happening?"
The Fatty took a labored step and asked the Shorty, Xu Feihu.
Xu Feihu shook his head with difficulty, "I don't know! It feels like something is pressing down on us, yet we can't see or touch it."
Can't see or touch it?
A flash of inspiration struck the Fatty, but he couldn't quite grasp it.