The people around instantly avoided Yun Zhen like the plague, their gazes filled with wariness and curiosity.
Yesterday, when Yun Zhen unsealed her powers, she directly leapt to the seventh stage of the Spirit Practitioner level.
The reason they couldn't see through her cultivation level was that Rong Shuo had given her a bracelet. That bracelet could conceal her cultivation level.
Typically, if one's cultivation level couldn't be discerned, it was either because they had no cultivation at all, or they were far superior.
Since she exuded spirit power fluctuations, everyone speculated that her strength was unfathomable, at least far surpassing their own.
This was exactly the effect Yun Zhen wanted!
She cast a sidelong glance at the angry, beautiful woman, her tone sharp:
"And what are you, exactly, to think you're fit to insult me?"
The woman was momentarily speechless, looking at Yun Zhen with eyes full of hatred, as if wanting to tear her apart.
"Don't be too arrogant! My father is the head of the Su family, one of the three great families of the Great Chu Kingdom, and I am Su Rong, the Su family's legitimate daughter! If I'm nothing, then who are you to claim to be someone?"
Yun Zhen responded indifferently,
"What nonsense? Su family? Never heard of it."
After speaking, she raised her hand, and several tender green leaves floated in mid-air, aligning themselves. Glancing lazily at the surrounding crowd, she said:
"I happened to pass through and sensed unusual movements from the birth of a divine beast. I came to investigate, but someone dared to disrespect me…"
Suddenly, her gaze sharpened.
"If anyone dares to anger me again, I won't hesitate to destroy whatever Su family exists in this Great Chu Kingdom. Wiping out a family is but a trivial matter to me."
With that, Yun Zhen snapped her fingers. Snap!
In an instant, the tender green leaves shot toward Su Jing and Su Rong, surrounding them completely.
Su Jing was startled and tried to pull Su Rong away, but it was too late.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Explosions roared, and flames burst forth!
When the thick smoke dissipated, the two stood there, their robes charred and tattered, their hair singed and curled, shielding their faces with their arms.
Su Jing, being at the eighth stage of the Spirit King level, wasn't severely injured, but Su Rong, only at the sixth stage of the Spirit Practitioner level, was far worse off.
Seeing this, Yun Zhen felt a twinge of disappointment.
It seemed that the spiritual power of this world was incredibly robust; one of her killer moves hadn't managed to claim most of their lives!
Her resolve to grow stronger only deepened.
Meanwhile, Rong Shuo, hidden in a corner, raised his eyebrows in surprise at the scene, a faint smile playing on his lips. But in the next moment, his brows furrowed deeply.
From afar, he saw a trace of blood seep from the corner of Yun Zhen's mouth beneath her veil.
She was injured…
The technique she used must have come at a cost. She treated herself so recklessly!
For some reason, an inexplicable sense of unease filled his chest.
It had to be because her disregard for her own well-being was affecting him. The more Rong Shuo thought about it, the more certain he became. Finally, his handsome face darkened, exuding a chill.
Behind him, Mo Yu silently rubbed his hands together.
At this moment, Yun Zhen stood with her hands clasped behind her back, an arrogant posture, her sharp gaze fixed on the disheveled Su family father and daughter.
"With just a minor move, I've made you look like this. Do you really think you're worthy of my attention?"
A fleeting glint of malice crossed Su Jing's eyes before he lowered his head slightly, clasping his hands in a respectful junior's salute, his tone humble:
"It was my own overestimation of myself. I implore Your Excellency to overlook this offense."
Yun Zhen sneered coldly at his words, her sharp gaze shifting to Su Rong.
"Is this how you've taught your daughter?"
The implication was clear—Su Rong was also expected to apologize.
Su Jing immediately shot Su Rong a warning glance. Su Rong bit her lip and, with a delicate and frail demeanor, said:
"It was my mistake to offend Your Excellency. I apologize."
"Kneel."
Yun Zhen's voice, indistinguishable between male and female, rang out with an irrefutable tone.
Under her sleeve, Su Rong's hand clenched tightly, her nails digging deeply into her flesh, drawing blood.
If she knelt here in front of so many people, how would she maintain her dignity once word spread?!
Yun Zhen's gaze swept over Su Rong, her voice cold:
"To kneel or not to kneel?"
Sensing the murderous intent in Yun Zhen's eyes, Su Jing steeled himself, forcing Su Rong down. With a resounding thud, Su Rong knelt!
"My daughter is young and foolish, and any offense was unintentional. I beg Your Excellency for forgiveness," Su Jing said with a forced smile.
Su Rong's face was filled with humiliation, her anger trapped, unexpressed.
Seeing her expression, Yun Zhen felt some of her inner resentment dissipate.
Lowering her eyes, a glimmer of ruthlessness flickered in Yun Zhen's gaze.
This was just interest; the real punishment was yet to come.
"Hmm."
With a casual hum, Yun Zhen walked toward a nearby tree, leaned against it, arms folded, her right leg bent in a leisurely stance.
By now, many people began to whisper amongst themselves, their eyes darting, calculating their chances. Some mustered the courage to step forward and ask:
"Judging from Your Excellency's tone, you're not from the Great Chu Kingdom?"
Yun Zhen responded indifferently, "Naturally."
Many tried to pry for more information, but Yun Zhen skillfully deflected their inquiries, subtly suppressing their active thoughts.
More groups began arriving.
Yun Zhen narrowed her eyes. She calculated that half an hour had passed; the divine beast was about to appear!
As she straightened her posture, the beasts began to riot, launching attacks on the human teams.
In an instant, chaos erupted.
Lightly tapping the tips of her toes, Yun Zhen leapt onto a tree branch, crouching to observe the unfolding situation.
Roar!
Roar!
"Kill! The beast tide is here! The divine beast is emerging!"
A massive snow wolf roared furiously:
"My king is not something you can covet!"
It was a Sacred Beast!
Sacred Beasts were capable of speech.
Numerous Spirit Kings, and even Spirit Emperor-level practitioners, began launching attacks on several Sacred Beasts.
Suddenly, an intense and dazzling white light burst from the cave, blasting away everyone and everything around it—both humans and beasts.
The sky darkened as thick clouds gathered, and storm winds surged.
The crackling sounds of thunder echoed in their ears, shaking their very souls.
The divine beast was about to undergo the lightning tribulation!
At that moment, the tree Yun Zhen was perched on was shattered by a fierce gale, and she lost her balance, plummeting downward. Just as she was about to land in the most controlled way possible, a strong arm encircled her waist, lifting her. She found herself enveloped in a clean, unique scent.
Yun Zhen looked up and saw the perfect jawline of a man.
"Rong Shuo…" How could it be him? Wasn't he supposed to be at the bottom of the cliff?
Rong Shuo lowered his gaze to her, his tone cold:
"With such meager cultivation, you dare come to a place like this? Do you have a death wish?"
Just as Yun Zhen was about to speak, Rong Shuo disdainfully pushed her away.
Yun Zhen: "…"
Seeing her remain silent, Rong Shuo coughed lightly, asking:
"Were you planning to capture the divine beast?"
"I just came to take a look," she replied casually, "and to teach that Su Rong a lesson. As for the divine beast, I'm just curious to see what it looks like."
After all, raising a divine beast required spiritual herbs, divine pills, and various resources.
Others could afford it, but she definitely couldn't!
It was all just a waste of money!
Rong Shuo frowned, asking:
"Why not take it?"
At that moment, a thought flashed through Rong Shuo's mind:
Could she be aiming for a super-divine beast instead? True, a divine beast might seem a bit low-level, but a super-divine beast—her cultivation and spiritual strength probably couldn't handle it.