Meng Lin’s body pulsed with a fierce red glow as her aura surged, causing a palpable pressure to envelop the area. The ground beneath her trembled, and the very air seemed to vibrate with the intensity of her energy.
Her hair lengthened and flowed around her like a fiery halo, shimmering with an intense crimson hue that reflected the power she wielded.
Her face contorted in slight pain while her youthful appearance matured slightly; her eyes now held a cold and resolute look.
Senior Sister Liu's eyes narrowed slightly, her calm demeanor unshaken despite the power display. "One of the techniques from the Jade Library," she mused, her voice carrying a hint of curiosity.
"Yes," Meng Lin answered, her body suddenly experiencing an explosive burst, her aura erupting outward, sending a wave of intense heat and pressure through the area. The very air around her crackled with energy as all her Elemental Qi swirled into a storm around her.
The effects of the Vital Essence Exchange Technique took hold as her Qi began to replenish, drawing upon her blood essence at the cost of her Life Force. Her full-powered aura filled the area, vibrating with the force of her revitalized power.
Senior Sister Liu smiled slightly. "Impressive. I didn’t expect you to push yourself this far."
Senior Sister Liu remained composed, though her eyes watched Meng Lin with cold calculation. "Even with that technique, do you truly believe you can defeat me?"
Meng Lin didn't respond immediately. Instead, her blade shimmered as she took a slow, deliberate step forward, her aura pulsating ominously. Her Qi began to turn to mist, taking shape into a small gray cloud around her.
Shaking her head, the aura around Senior Sister Liu changed, her sharp gaze turning ruthless as a colossal amount of Qi began to permeate the air.
Boom!!
Meng Lin felt a sickening feeling as if the very atmosphere was being squeezed and compressed by the force of Senior Sister Liu’s energy, even the Peak Stage Rank 4 beasts hadn't make her feel like that.
'So this is the power of a Peak Stage Soul Wondering Cultivator' Meng Lin thought with a weird expression, she could feel that Senior Sister Liu still has hidden strength left.
With a flick of her wrist, Senior Sister Liu manifested a dazzling golden palm a dozen meters wide. The palm radiated with an intense, oppressive force, its surface shimmering with intricate golden runes that pulsed with even more power.
Meng Lin's eyes widened as the golden palm surged forward with unstoppable momentum. The ground cracked beneath the air pressure as the massive hand approached with devastating speed.
Her gaze hardened as the golden palm neared, the pressure and force of the attack almost tangible. Without hesitation, she began circulating the Formless Cultivation Method to the maximum, the mist around her bursting out as she focused her energy on the incoming threat.
As the golden palm closed in, Meng Lin's mist surrounded it, causing it to shimmer with bright light and slowly dissolve.
The immense, oppressive force of the palm was quickly rendered ineffective as the palm's intricate golden runes flickered out of existence, the golden palm itself dissipating into nothingness, leaving only a faint ripple in the air.
The ground where the golden palm was about to strike was left untouched, save for the massive crater left by the failed attack. The air around Meng Lin was clear, the attack’s force having been wiped completely.
Senior Sister Liu's expression quickly changed, a small frown appearing on her face. She looked at her now empty hand, the golden hand that she had manifested vanishing as if it had never been there.
Meng Lin emerged from the dissipated energy, her form pristine and unaffected. Her aura continued to glow with the red light from the Vital Essence Exchange Technique, her eyes locked onto Senior Sister Liu, who was now visibly perturbed by the situation.
Senior Sister Liu's expression hardened as she drew a slender, golden sword from out of nowhere. The blade glimmered with an aura of intense sharpness as it crackled with energy.
Meng Lin's gaze followed the sword's movement, recognizing it as a top-grade weapon. Senior Sister Liu's body suddenly disappeared, teleporting right before the eyes of Meng Lin, who began to spread her mist all over the area, as if anticipating her attack.
Slash!
Crack!!
Blood was splattered as Meng Lin felt a large amount of pain in her back, the mist around her jolting at the sudden appearance of the figure within it.
"Oh!"
Accompanied by the sound of a crack forming on her blade, Senior Sister Liu appeared with slight surprise in her eyes as she quickly disappeared once more, before appearing a few dozen meters away behind Meng Lin.
With an intrigued expression, she raised her golden sword to examine it, noticing a small crack had appeared on the structure of the blade.
'What is this?' she thought. She didn't understand how a top-grade weapon could suddenly crack just from slashing Meng Lin.
Looking back at Meng Lin, her expression hardened as she saw Meng Lin turn with a smile, despite the sudden and unexpected attack.
The slash from the golden sword had struck Meng Lin’s back, but the impact seemed to have only grazed her, leaving her with a faint crimson line of blood running down her back.
Senior Sister Liu’s eyes flickered with both confusion and curiosity. She knew the might of a top-grade weapon; even Nascent Soul Cultivators would be afraid of a full-powered attack by a top-grade weapon. Yet here it had cracked after a single successful strike against the enemy, and why was Meng Lin not injured further.
Meng Lin, with her aura still blazing brightly, took a moment to let her energy settle, allowing her vitality and strength to synchronize with the lingering effects of the Vital Essence Exchange Technique. Despite the pain from the wound on her back, her focus remained intact.
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She suddenly dashed forward towards Senior Sister Liu, her speed doubled by the boost from her Vital Essence Exchange Technique. The ground beneath her seemed to ripple as she moved, her body a crimson blur that streaked through the battlefield.
Senior Sister Liu’s gaze shifted from curiosity to wariness as she observed Meng Lin's sudden acceleration. The crack in her sword was a troubling sign, and the sight of Meng Lin charging at her without hesitation caused a flicker of concern in her eyes.
Instinctively, Senior Sister Liu opened her mouth and spat out a small golden bell while channeling her Qi to reinforce her sword.
Meng Lin closed the distance in the blink of an eye, her sword slashing forward as she circulated the Formless Cultivation Method to the maximum.
Senior Sister Liu's expression tightened as she met Meng Lin's attack with her sword, noticing the large amount of mist coating the aura of her blade.
Boom!!
Her blade collided with Meng Lin's, and the impact reverberated through the air, creating a shockwave that sent debris flying. The golden sword, despite being reinforced by Senior Sister Liu, showed more cracks on its blade, the golden aura surrounding the blade dissolving as the blade came into contact with Meng Lin's.
Quickly taking action, Senior Sister Liu teleported further away before calling out to her golden bell, which began to grow in size.
Rumble!!!
The golden bell expanded rapidly, its size increasing until it towered over Meng Lin like a mountain. It emitted a deafening clang as it materialized fully, sending out shockwaves that shook the surrounding space.
Meng Lin’s gaze remained unchanged as the bell descended, its weight and force threatening to crush her beneath its overwhelming power. She could feel the intense pressure bearing down on her, making every breath a struggle.
However, her aura flared fiercely, her mist converging towards her hand as she raised it to intercept the bell. The moment the bell’s surface touched her hand, it let out a thunderous crash, and Meng Lin felt an intense vibration ripple through her body, almost overwhelming her senses.
Crack!!
Suddenly, cracks began to appear on the bell from where Meng Lin touched it, quickly spreading before the bell began to dissolve away as if it was melting into the air. The immense force that had previously pressed down on Meng Lin started to dissipate, the bell’s energy unraveling and breaking apart.
Meng Lin gritted her teeth as the golden bell’s pressure eased. The cracks on the bell expanded rapidly, causing it to lose its form and disintegrate into shimmering golden particles.
Senior Sister Liu’s eyes widened in shock and disbelief. Her once confident demeanor faltered as she watched the remnants of her powerful weapon dissolve. She hadn’t anticipated that Meng Lin could neutralize such a top-grade artifact in an instant.
“Impossible! What technique is that?” Senior Sister Liu's voice trembled with a mix of frustration and amazement. She stared at Meng Lin, whose aura was still blazing brightly, despite the toll of the action.
Meng Lin, panting heavily, focused on her opponent. Her Vital Essence Exchange Technique had pushed her to the limit, but she could not continue using the technique; otherwise, it would do more harm than good.
Seeing the bell's destruction, Senior Sister Liu quickly recalculated her strategy. She gathered a large amount of Qi and, with a flick of her wrist, summoned a swirling vortex of golden energy. The energy coalesced into a series of sharp, golden projectiles that surged toward Meng Lin with deadly speed.
Meng Lin’s eyes sharpened as she sensed the incoming attack. She once again utilized the Formless Cultivation Method to the maximum, activating the third form again—Form Nullification.
As the projectiles approached, Meng Lin’s aura surged, the mist spreading and touching the golden projectiles, which began to shimmer and dissolve into nothingness before they could reach her.
Senior Sister Liu, seeing her attack thwarted, didn't show much reaction as she took a deep breath, her expression darkening while she began to channel her Qi into a series of rapid, intricate hand seals, her energy flaring around her with intensity.
Meng Lin, not recognizing the danger of the hand signs, focused all her remaining energy on maintaining the third form of the Formless Cultivation Method.
No matter the attack, as soon as they approached her, their form would break down and get nullified, thus her absolute protection.
Rumble!!
As Senior Sister Liu completed her hand seals, the space around her distorted, and the air vibrated under the pressure. Above her, a massive golden sigil materialized, pulsating with a dark, ominous energy.
The sigil began to descend slowly, merging with Senior Sister Liu’s body causing her aura to spike, and her cultivation to surge toward a bottleneck as a vast power flooded her veins.
Her once-aged face began to change—wrinkles smoothing out, her features becoming sharper and more refined, her white hair darkening to a lustrous black, and her skin glowing with a youthful radiance.
Within moments, Senior Sister Liu had transformed into a breathtakingly beautiful figure, her appearance now youthful, vibrant, and mesmerizing, as if she had turned back the hands of time.
Meng Lin stared with a frown as Senior Sister Liu underwent such a drastic transformation. The aura around her had intensified to a suffocating degree, and a palpable energy radiated from her like a star on the verge of exploding.
"Impressive, isn’t it?" Senior Sister Liu’s voice rang out, now smooth and melodic, filled with melancholy. "This is the power of the Golden Sigil—a secret sect inheritance from the Jade Library that grants me a temporary boost in strength. Now you are witnessing a Half Step Nascent Soul Cultivator."
Meng Lin clenched her hand on her sword, feeling an overwhelming weight pressing down on her. Even with the protection from the mist of the Formless Cultivation Method, her body trembled from the pressure exuded.
Senior Sister Liu’s lips curled into a cold smile. “You fought well, but this is where it ends.”
With a wave of her hand, an invisible force lashed out, gripping Meng Lin by the neck and lifting her off the ground. Meng Lin struggled to breathe as she felt her throat constricted.
Panic surged through her veins as her vision blurred, the world around her becoming dim as she felt a force begin to invade her head, causing her spiritual consciousness to be released unconsciously, disrupting the invading force.
"Oh!" Senior Sister Liu raised an eyebrow, intrigued by the sudden resistance. "You’re still struggling? How interesting." Her grip tightened, and the invisible force around Meng Lin's neck increased.
However, no matter how much force she used, Senior Sister Liu wasn't able to bypass the protection of Meng Lin's spiritual consciousness.
And so, with annoyance, she said, "If I can't get to your head, then your soul will do," her now youthful and flawless face radiating both beauty and cruelty as she raised her hand, fingers twisting in a complex motion as a surge of golden energy enveloped her hand, which shot toward Meng Lin's stomach, targeting her dantian.
A searing pain ripped through Meng Lin’s body as she felt her dantian pierced and her soul forcibly pulled from her body as if it were being yanked by invisible claws.
Her vision dimmed, and the world around her faded into a dark void. It felt as though her very existence was unraveling, each fragment being peeled away as she was eventually left with a feeling of nothingness.
Senior Sister Liu grinned, watching Meng Lin's soul from the sphere held within her hand. "Let’s see what secrets you’ve been hiding."
Just as she prepared to delve into Meng Lin's soul, Meng Lin's eyes shot open—her soul flickering with instability. She couldn't feel any Qi within her; however, she felt another source of energy, a soul force, which she directed towards the sphere around her soul, causing Senior Sister Liu to be startled momentarily.
BOOM!!!
In an instant, the sphere erupted in a brilliant, blinding explosion of red and gold light, the violent surge of energy tearing through the air. The shockwave sent Senior Sister Liu tumbling back, her protective Qi barely holding as the force of the explosion shattered everything around them.
The wind blew over the area and the dust settled, only silence filled the battlefield, Meng Lin's body was gone, obliterated by the explosion. All that remained was the faint, dissipating remnants of her Qi, scattered like ashes in the wind.
Senior Sister Liu slowly stood up, her beautiful face now marred with anger and shock. She hadn’t anticipated such an end. Meng Lin had chosen to die rather than allow her soul to be searched.