After Bai Feifei lost to Tantai Lingzi, she ranked third.
However, the nightmare did not end there.
Later, Leng Hao consecutively defeated Yue Ren and Bai Feifei, advancing to third among the top ten core disciples.
This lad, with a cultivation of only the early eighth level of the Mortal Realm, completely overwhelmed Bai Feifei, ending the fight within a hundred moves.
Dai Yuling directly challenged Yue Ren and won, but narrowly lost to Bai Feifei. After all, combat wasn’t her strength. Defeating Yue Ren and securing fifth place among the top ten core disciples was already quite an achievement.
Shangguan Lei defeated the once-invincible genius Ming Tian, claiming the seventh spot.
Ming Tian was relegated to eighth.
Under Ling Xiao’s guidance, Zhao Zhi successfully secured ninth place among the top ten core disciples.
In just three days, it was as if they had leaped over the dragon gate like carp.
Meng Yuan was squeezed out of the top ten core disciples, fuming with rage.
However, the rankings of the top ten core disciples were not yet set in stone.
Because one person had yet to make a move, and that was Ling Xiao!
It should be noted that, aside from Lan Yuer, everyone among the top ten core disciples had either been defeated by Ling Xiao or trained by him.
Once this terrifying figure made his move, no one knew how much of a stir he would cause.
For this reason, many disciples in the sect eagerly awaited Ling Xiao’s action.
They believed that once Ling Xiao acted, he would make a tremendous impact, silencing those who looked down on him.
Of course, some believed that Ling Xiao’s elimination of several strong opponents in the Moonlight Pagoda was due to terrain advantages and his cunning schemes.
Even now, some thought the Moon Lady had tampered with things.
Some even speculated that Ling Xiao might be a descendant of the Moonlight Heavenly Maiden, who had personally intervened during the trials to help him achieve astonishing results.
But whether they supported Ling Xiao or not, one thing was certain: Ling Xiao would definitely make a move. Once he did, the situation would become crystal clear.
…
Somewhere in the Moonlight Sect.
The former Supreme Leader Chang Yueli, the former Law Enforcement Hall Elder Jin, the Demon Flame Heavenly Sovereign, and the current Law Enforcement Hall Leader Chang Yueying were seated around a round table.
In the distance, a battle was unfolding.
One side was Tantai Lingzi, who had just defeated Bai Feifei and secured second place among the core disciples.
The other side consisted of Bai Feifei, Ming Tian, Yue Ren, and Meng Yuan.
Bai Feifei was Chang Yueli’s disciple, Ming Tian and Meng Yuan were disciples of the Demon Flame Heavenly Sovereign, and Yue Ren was Elder Jin’s newly accepted disciple.
Tantai Lingzi was Chang Yueying’s disciple.
Their sparring was clearly not about determining a winner, but about helping Tantai Lingzi achieve a breakthrough, better inheriting the Spider Queen’s martial soul legacy to suppress Ling Xiao.
“Tantai, listen carefully. Right now, the four of us cannot act, or we’d surely face deadly consequences. But you’re different. You and Ling Xiao are both disciples of the Moonlight Sect, equal in status. If you can thoroughly defeat Ling Xiao, someone with such strong pride will quickly collapse,” Chang Yueying said.
On the surface, Chang Yueying had accepted the position of Law Enforcement Hall Leader, but deep down, she was far from calm, even harbouring deep resentment.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t have colluded with the other three.
In the battle, energy surged, winds roared, and waves of true essence clashed in the air, shattering surrounding stones and trees.
Tantai Lingzi’s face was cold and striking, with a massive, eerie shadow behind her that inspired fear.
It was a monster with a glamorous human face but a spider’s body.
That was Tantai Lingzi’s martial soul—the Spider Queen.
With Chang Yueying’s full support, she had already grasped a third of the Spider Queen’s legacy. During combat, silver threads appeared in the air.
These threads were invisible unless one’s cultivation and perception were sharp enough.
Each thread had the power to destroy precious treasures.
With Tantai Lingzi’s current cultivation at the half-step Heavenly Sovereign level with one-tenth power, she was terrifyingly formidable, capable of riddling opponents with holes in an instant.
If her opponents weren’t these four but actual enemies, they’d likely be a pincushion by now.
“Yueying, the Spider Queen martial soul is indeed a primordial martial soul legacy, no less impressive than Dai Yuling’s Primordial Gourd Vine martial soul. Ling Xiao’s Black Dragon martial soul and Zhao Zhi’s Black-Winged Roc martial soul are somewhat inferior,” Chang Yueli said with a smile. “At this rate, as long as your dear disciple masters over half of this legacy, she’ll be invincible among the Moonlight Sect’s disciples. Ling Xiao may seem arrogant now, but his potential is far inferior to hers.”
“Indeed, truly formidable!” the Demon Flame Heavenly Sovereign also sighed.
After all, the four opponents were no weaklings.
Bai Feifei had recovered to one-tenth half-step Heavenly Sovereign strength, yet she was no match for Tantai Lingzi in a one-on-one fight.
Yue Ren was a peak ninth-level Mortal Realm martial artist, with considerable strength.
Meng Yuan was a mid-eighth-level Mortal Realm martial artist.
Ming Tian had reached the late eighth level of the Mortal Realm.
Yet, the four of them together were completely suppressed by Tantai Lingzi.
At this moment, Tantai Lingzi’s cultivation was at one-tenth half-step Heavenly Sovereign, fully perfected, needing only a spark to break through to the next stage.
This sparring match was specifically designed for her.
The four opponents were utterly shocked.
Especially Bai Feifei, who felt that even at her peak, she might not be a match for the current Tantai Lingzi.
This woman was terrifying, not only in strength but also in her meticulous mind.
In battle, her techniques were nearly flawless, always striking with precision, achieving optimal attacks with minimal effort.
This inevitably reminded people of Ling Xiao.
Though Tantai Lingzi and Ling Xiao were enemies with vastly different personalities, their combat talents were eerily similar.
Logically, the four of them together should have been able to defeat a one-tenth half-step Heavenly Sovereign instantly, even killing them.
Yet, after attacking for so long, they hadn’t even touched the hem of Tantai Lingzi’s clothes.
Whenever they got within three to five metres of her, they faced terrifying counterattacks, often getting injured.
It was as if an invisible web surrounded Tantai Lingzi, dense and deadly, ensnaring anyone who got close.
“That’s enough!” Tantai Lingzi’s eyes suddenly gleamed.
“Thousand Threads, Myriad Strands!”
With a gentle wave of her hands, the surrounding true essence rippled, forming a massive web that enveloped Bai Feifei and the others.
This terrifying true essence web seemed slow but was deceptively fast, brimming with immense, fearsome power.
Before it even reached them, Meng Yuan was overwhelmed, collapsing unconscious as his blood churned.
The other three were caught in mid-air, unable to advance or retreat, feeling their true essence being siphoned through the web into Tantai Lingzi’s body.
