Jun Xiaomo discovered that she seemed to be fated to live a life of hards.h.i.+p. It was as though all forms of troubles and difficult situations would follow her and haunt her incessantly wherever she went.“Cough…cough…” Jun Xiaomo coughed twice and hacked, and a dribble of blood crept out of the corner of her lips once more.Princess Linglong did not hold anything back when she slapped Jun Xiaomo earlier. Jun Xiaomo found herself instantly dazed by the strike, as though her mind was rattled about. Her face had even begun to turn slightly red and swollen.Having seen the fruits of her own efforts, Princess Linglong"s heart began to feel much better. She despised the female cultivators who attempted to seduce Zou Zilong based on their good looks. Since they prided themselves in their looks so much, she would do all she could to take away the only advantage that they held over others!Yue Linglong grabbed Jun Xiaomo by her hair and forced her to lift her head again. In fact, she did it with such force that Jun Xiaomo"s neck had begun to look up at an odd angle.Jun Xiaomo"s eyes were hazy. The image of Princess Linglong standing before her was somewhat blurry. The only thing that she could most clearly make out was the twisted and malevolent expression on her face right now.As the ringing in her ears gradually subsided, the first thing that Jun Xiaomo heard was Princess Linglong"s threats.“Jun Xiaomo, heed this highness"s advice – you should admit that you"ve seduced brother Zou and apologize to me. Otherwise, this highness isn"t going to let you off, even on account of the fact that you"re Sect Elder Tong"s disciple!” Yue Linglong gnashed her teeth as she suggested.Unfortunately, Yue Linglong didn"t understand Jun Xiaomo"s personality one bit. Jun Xiaomo was already feeling immensely stifled and aggrieved. If Yue Linglong had attempted to use softer words to cajole her into a compromise, things might have gone much smoother. However, these high-and-mighty words of intimidation was something that Jun Xiaomo had never – and would never – take lying down.Jun Xiaomo"s swollen face twitched slightly, before she revealed a contemptuous smile on her face, “Dear princess, are you wheedling a three years-old child? Given your current expressions and temperament, would you let me off even if I did what you asked?”Even though Jun Xiaomo addressed her as “dear princess”, her words were evidently filled with disdain and mockery.Princess Linglong cackled wickedly, before snorting, “Smart. Truth be told, even if you admit your transgressions, this highness had never intended to let you go. At best, I might let you die a quicker death.”She had never let off alive any of the female disciples who had seduced her man. This was not simply an issue with her feelings and emotions at any particular time – this concerned her image as the Princess of an entire kingdom. If she spared these “love rivals” of hers, wouldn"t others learn that they could simply step all over her head? She had to make an example of the perpetrators to warn all others out there!The mockery in Jun Xiaomo"s face burgeoned even more as she added, “Princess Linglong, I really pity you. You prefer to live off the lies constructed by the man you hold dear to you rather than open your eyes and see for yourself his true, vile character.”Even though Jun Xiaomo"s expressions were filled with contempt, her voice was incredibly calm and placid, as though she were simply expounding a universal truth.“Silence! Do you think this highness is a fool? You"re just attempting to sow discord between this highness and his fiancé so that you can slip between us through the rift you"ve created! Let this highness tell you something – dream on! This highness had personally seen you embrace her fiancé without any intention of letting go. Furthermore, my maidservant had also personally witnessed you making advances against brother Zou. Are you still denying all this?!”“Since I"ve not done it, why can"t I deny your allegations?” Jun Xiaomo looked at Princess Linglong"s reaction as though she had just stubbed her toe. The expressions in Jun Xiaomo"s eyes were laced with a slight bemus.e.m.e.nt, as though she had just seen a little clown attempt to bully someone.“Good. Very good.” Yue Linglong nodded her head as she added, “Since you insist on denying that you"ve seduced brother Zou, then this highness is going to beat you until you cave!”As soon as Yue Linglong finished speaking, she immediately retrieved a long whip that was covered in spikes from her Interspatial Ring. As soon as the spiked whip made its appearance, the surrounding temperatures immediately dipped considerably, as though a cold front had just hit the surroundings.As soon as she saw the whip, the maidservant beside Yue Linglong immediately s.h.i.+vered and lowered her head as she did her best to mask the guilty-conscience and fear in her heart.She was the one who had called Princess Linglong over just so that Princess Linglong could witness for herself the sight of Jun Xiaomo “seducing” Zou Zilong. The truth of the matter was that the maidservant had already been bribed by someone to act as their p.a.w.n to lure Yue Linglong out at the right time to commit an irreparable mistake.Today, she had received her master"s instructions to bring Yue Linglong to the pavilion by the lotus pond under the pretext of capturing a “s.l.u.t” red handed. In fact, the maidservant was well aware that given the temperament of parties, the truth might be far from what they perceived it to be.After all, having followed Yue Linglong for such a long time, the maidservant could very much tell for herself what Zou Zilong"s personality was like. It was highly likely that Zou Zilong was the one who had l.u.s.ted after Jun Xiaomo"s beauty and made advances against her, not the other way around.However, she could only keep these things in the depths of her heart. She would never reveal these things because she was not a charitable person to begin with. After all, the palace grounds were a place where the survival of the fittest thrived, and there was no room for any unnecessary kindness to others.As soon as Princess Linglong retrieved the spike whip from her Interspatial Ring, the maidservant, whose name was “Xiao-Er”, knew that Jun Xiaomo"s road was coming to an end.This spiked whip was otherwise known as the “Bonebreaker”, and it was a weapon forged from the tendons of the Earthsplitting Dragon. It possessed formidable offensive abilities, and it would synergize and grow in tandem with its master as his or her cultivation gradually improved.Even though Princess Linglong"s present cultivation was only in the elementary-tier Foundation Establishment stage, tens of people had already perished from the dreadful abilities of the Bonebreaker. Her maidservant, Xiao-Er, had personally witnessed how Princess Linglong had unleashed the Bonebreaker on a martial sister, flaying her skin and breaking her bones, until that martial sister finally perished from the excruciating pain of being mangled and contorted in a horrendous manner. When she finally perished, there was not a single bone in her body that remained intact.This was why the maidservant shuddered at the sight when she saw Princess Linglong retrieve the Bonebreaker from her Interspatial Ring to begin with.If Princess Linglong ever finds out that she had already turned traitorous, she would meet with an even more morbid end. At that time, even death itself would be a form of relief to her. The only thing she feared more than death was living a life worse than death.Thus, she kept her lips tightly shut and her expressions well hidden. She knew that she could not divulge any bit of her hidden ident.i.ty.As for Jun Xiaomo, she could only mutter an apology to her in her heart. Under such circ.u.mstances where she was forced to choose between her life or someone else, she would naturally choose for someone else to die in her stead. Thus, Jun Xiaomo absolutely had to perish here and now!The maidservant whose head was lowered at this point in time revealed a vicious expression across her face – Jun Xiaomo, if there"s anyone you want to blame, you can only blame yourself for having crossed the Princess"s path to begin with.Yue Linglong did not notice the peculiar expression and behaviour of her maidservant standing behind her. Yue Linglong"s heart was completely focused on Jun Xiaomo"s body right now, and she contemplated the various options of how she was going to torment the bold lady who had seduced her fiancé.“Jun Xiaomo, this highness knows that you"re a tough nut to crack. If your toughness hadn"t manifested against me, perhaps I might even have increased my a.s.sessment of who you are. Unfortunately, your unyielding personality has manifested in the worst possible time and place. Don"t blame this highness for not remind you to begin with. Do you see the spiked whip in this highness"s hands? Do you know what it"s called?” Yue Linglong began to walk around Jun Xiaomo. As she spoke, she chuckled sardonically, “Oh, this highness forgot that you"re a simpleton from a small, insignificant sect, so you wouldn"t know as much. Then let this princess tell you…”“This is called "Bonebreaker". It"s forged from the tendon of the Earthsplitting Dragon. Even a Ninefold Essenceflame wouldn"t be able to burn or break it. Its effects are best seen when beating up a person – it would allow the person being beaten to experience the sensation of having every inch of his bone being broken and shattered.”Yue Linglong slowly explicated and littered her spiel with well-timed pauses. She wanted to take in Jun Xiaomo"s expressions at various portions of her spiel and see for herself whether she revealed any traces of fear or dread.But to her disappointment, Jun Xiaomo only continued to coldly glare at her with a grimace on her lips.“Hah, forget it. This highness should just let you taste its effects for yourself.” As Yue Linglong finished speaking, the whip in her arm immediately lashed out towards Jun Xiaomo. Pak! A clear whiplash resounded, followed quickly by the sound of silk being ripped out and the sickening crunch of breaking bones.“Ungh…” Jun Xiaomo couldn"t help but let out a groan, and her body began to quiver uncontrollably. It was excruciating. Blood poured out from the location of the whiplash, and her clothes were quickly stained red with her blood.Yue Linglong raised an eyebrow as she continued to deride Jun Xiaomo, “Not bad at all. Most people in the past immediately caved after the very first whiplash. Some would beg for mercy, cry, or even faint from the pain. I"d never expected you to be able to hold out so well. But since you"re able to hold out so well, then keep on holding out, alright? Otherwise, it wouldn"t be any fun for me.”Yue Linglong revealed a macabre smile on her face. As soon as she finished speaking, she began to send lash after lash of her whip onto Jun Xiaomo"s body. Each whiplash was imbued with her spiritual energy, as though she were desirous of draining the remaining life force and vitality from Jun Xiaomo"s body.At this moment, Jun Xiaomo knew that her death was near. Her surroundings had already begun to twist and contort and become hazy. Then, within a few moments, everything faded to black, and she pa.s.sed out.Up to this point, she had not a single time let out a single cry of pain.“Your Highness, she"s pa.s.sed out. Are you still going to keep on beating her?” One of the bodyguards restraining Jun Xiaomo reminded Princess Linglong.Truth be told, Jun Xiaomo"s display of pure grit and sheer willpower to fight through the pain had earned the respect of the bodyguards. That said, they were no more than mere bodyguards to Yue Linglong when all was said and done, and their stature meant that they had to listen to Yue Linglong"s every command and orders. They were not at liberty to simply let Jun Xiaomo off like that.The bodyguard who spoke was not the only one who thought this way. In this cultivation world, it was not only the strong who earned the respect of others – those with incredible determination and willpower could equally also earn the respect of others for themselves, because those with strong willpower and determination would invariably walk further down the path of cultivation than most others.Thus, just as much as the bodyguards were impressed by Jun Xiaomo"s fort.i.tude, they also reminded Princess Linglong that she had fainted in the hope that Princess Linglong would be willing to let her off.However, it was evident that their hopes would be dashed by Princess Linglong"s awful character.The fact that Jun Xiaomo had pa.s.sed out did please Princess Linglong. However, the fact that she had done so without making a peep of sound earlier had incensed Princess Linglong to an even greater degree.Thus, Princess Linglong glared back at the bodyguard who spoke up as she retorted, “So what if she pa.s.ses out? Don"t you know how to wake her up again? We"ll continue until she"s dead!”Thus, under Yue Linglong"s orders, two of the bodyguards fetched a pail of ice water and doused Jun Xiaomo"s body with it.Under the shocking temperature of the ice water, Jun Xiaomo slowly returned to her senses.“Not dead yet, right? You"re pretty strong to be able to hold it all in until you pa.s.s out. However, forcing the issue right now only means you"ll have to suffer yet even more.” Princess Linglong continued to mock Jun Xiaomo.Jun Xiaomo had bit down on her lower lips so much that there was now a deep ring of blood stains within her lips. She glared back at Princess Linglong, shut her eyes, and she grew taciturn once more.“Hmph! Since you"re so good at taking a beating, then you"d better keep your mouth shut as this highness beats you to death!” As Yue Linglong finished speaking, she began to lash out with her whip once more.Crack after crack of the whip…Jun Xiaomo felt an immense wave of pain each and every time she was struck, yet she had also somewhat grown numb to the constant wave of pain emanating from all over her body. Her soul felt as though it were hanging in mid-air, floating above her as she looked at her own body being flailed as she hung on to dear life. The truth of the matter was that she was indeed in her final breaths.Am I really going to perish here? It"s such a shame…what"s going to happen to father and mother, and all of the martial brothers within the Heavenly Peak? And martial brother Ye who"s yet to return…Jun Xiaomo felt as though there was a thick swathe of air lodged in her throat. Then, gradually, the true energy within her Dantian and meridians began to spin quicker, and quicker…Suddenly, Jun Xiaomo"s body exploded with an intense blue light. The two bodyguards beside her was immediately shocked by the appearance of this blue light, and they reflexively loosened their grasp on Jun Xiaomo.Jun Xiaomo noticed the restrains on her arms had loosened, and she quickly capitalized on this prime opportunity that had presented itself. In one fell swoop, she wrested her arms free and quickly stuffed two recovery pills into her mouth.As the true energy in her body continued to increase, she also felt the slightly warm earrings hanging on her earlobes emanate a faint, soulless blue light.It appears that she was on the brink of a breakthrough, while the intense blue light earlier was undoubtedly from the earrings hanging on her ear. In that moment of crisis, the energy stored within her earrings had once again breached their restraints and preserved her life.Seems like brother Rong has saved my life yet again. Jun Xiaomo thought in her heart, as a bitter smile crept up the corner of her lips.Sigh, the debts I"m owing to brother Rong is only mounting as time goes by…
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