Lin Qian sat cross-legged in the cave, surrounded by a misty aura of spiritual energy, as if bathed in a white fog. The jade gourd in her hand emitted a soft green light, and a stream of pure spiritual energy continuously flowed into her body. This spiritual energy was purer than any she had absorbed before, as if carrying a power to cleanse her soul, making Lin Qian feel more comfortable than ever before.
"This jade gourd is indeed a rare treasure!" Lin Qian thought to herself with delight. She had originally thought that snatching Ye Lingxi's opportunity would bring divine retribution, but she hadn't expected that her cultivation would be so smooth.
She focused her mind and circulated her cultivation technique, guiding the pure spiritual energy through her meridians, cleansing away impurities from her body again and again. As her cultivation deepened, Lin Qian felt her bottleneck begin to loosen, as if a thin membrane was about to be pierced.
"Foundation Establishment is just around the corner!" Lin Qian was extremely excited. She knew that Foundation Establishment was a hurdle on the path of cultivation. Once she crossed it, she would be reborn and enter a completely new realm.
However, at that moment, Lin Qian suddenly felt a strong sense of crisis surge into her heart. She abruptly opened her eyes and saw a sharp sword aura tearing through the air outside the cave, heading straight for her face!
"Who?!" Lin Qian shouted, her figure flashing as she narrowly dodged the fatal blow. She looked closely and saw a woman in a blue dress with a beautiful and refined appearance standing outside the cave, holding a long sword that gleamed with a cold light in her hand.
This woman is none other than Ye Lingxi, whose opportunity was stolen by Lin Qian!
"Lin Qian, you actually dare to hide here and cultivate! You're incredibly audacious!" Ye Lingxi said through gritted teeth, her beautiful eyes filled with malice. She had been searching for Lin Qian for months, and today she had finally found her trail. Old and new grudges surged into her heart, and she wished she could tear her to pieces!
Lin Qian's expression was solemn, and she sneered, "Ye Lingxi, this opportunity was something I earned through my own abilities. If you want to go back, then let's see if you have the ability!"
Lin Qian's mind raced. Ye Lingxi's arrival was truly ill-timed! She was currently at a crucial moment in her attempt to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage and couldn't afford to be distracted by the battle.
"You're courting death!" Ye Lingxi roared, brandishing her longsword as a barrage of sharp sword energy swept towards Lin Qian.
Lin Qian cursed inwardly, "What bad luck!" Ye Lingxi's timing was impeccable, choosing the crucial moment when she was about to break through to the next level. But she wasn't one to sit idly by and wait to die. With a quick hand gesture, a shield shimmering with golden runes instantly appeared before her, barely blocking the sharp sword energy.
"Damn it!" Lin Qian cursed inwardly. Ye Lingxi's moves were ruthless, clearly indicating she intended to kill. She dared not be careless and quickly summoned her natal magic weapon—a crimson flying sword—to meet the sword energy head-on.
With a deafening roar, the cave shook violently, and dust billowed everywhere. Lin Qian's blood surged from the shock, and she was secretly alarmed, realizing that Ye Lingxi's strength was even greater than she had imagined.
"Hmph, a mere trick!" Ye Lingxi sneered, flicking her longsword and unleashing an even sharper sword aura that hurtled straight toward Lin Qian's face.
In an instant, flames soared into the sky within the cave, sword energy crisscrossed, and the two powerful forces collided, producing a deafening roar. Lin Qian and Ye Lingxi were both exceptionally talented cultivators, their cultivation levels were evenly matched, and this fierce battle was a true clash of equals, with neither side able to gain the upper hand.
"Lin Qian, you stole my opportunity and made me suffer for months. Today I will make you pay for this in blood!" Ye Lingxi was furious and became even more ruthless, with every move aimed at Lin Qian's vitals.
Lin Qian dared not be careless. While doing her best to defend against Ye Lingxi's attacks, she looked for an opportunity to counterattack. She knew that Ye Lingxi's swordsmanship was extremely fierce, and if she were to be entangled by her, her chances of survival would be slim.
"Ye Lingxi, don't think I'm afraid of you!" Lin Qian shouted, her figure moving like a ghost through the narrow cave, trying to widen the distance between herself and Ye Lingxi.
"Trying to run? Not so easy!" Ye Lingxi sneered, flicking her longsword, which transformed into a streak of azure lightning, relentlessly pursuing the enemy.
The two engaged in fierce combat inside the cave, their sword energy and flames carving deep marks into the cave walls, sending pebbles flying and dust billowing everywhere.
The two sword energies collided in the air, producing a deafening roar. The powerful shockwave destroyed all the surrounding trees, and deep, bottomless ravines appeared on the ground.
Lin Qian was jolted back, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of her mouth, but she didn't bother to wipe it away. A fierce glint flashed in her eyes as she coldly said, "Ye Lingxi, since you're forcing me so hard, don't blame me for being impolite!"
Before she finished speaking, Lin Qian quickly formed hand seals, and the crimson flying sword behind her shone brightly, instantly transforming into a red lightning bolt that hurtled towards Ye Lingxi.
Ye Lingxi's expression changed. She hadn't expected Lin Qian to have such a powerful attack method. She didn't dare to take it head-on and quickly dodged.
However, the red lightning was too fast. Although Ye Lingxi dodged the fatal blow, her arm was still grazed by the sword energy, and blood immediately flowed freely.
"Ah!" Ye Lingxi cried out in pain, clutching her arm and staggering backward. Her face was filled with resentment and venom as she gritted her teeth and said, "Lin Qian, how dare you hurt me!"
Lin Qian sneered and said, "So what if I hurt you? Today I'll show you that taking what's mine comes at a price!"
After saying that, Lin Qian once again activated her flying sword and attacked Ye Lingxi. Although Ye Lingxi was injured, her strength was not to be underestimated. The two fought back and forth, evenly matched.
However, at that moment, a sudden change occurred! The once clear sky was suddenly covered with dark clouds, lightning flashed and thunder roared, and a terrifying pressure descended from the sky, enveloping the entire mountain forest.
Lin Qian and Ye Lingxi's expressions changed drastically. They stopped what they were doing and looked up at the sky, a bad premonition rising in their hearts.
"Boom!"
Just then, 003's anxious voice rang in Lin Qian's mind: "Host, this is probably a warning from Heaven! You stole Ye Lingxi's opportunity, and now Heaven has sent down heavenly lightning. Your Foundation Establishment is going to be tough!"
Lin Qian's heart sank. She hadn't expected the consequences of seizing the opportunity to be so severe, but since things had come to this, she could only grit her teeth and face it.
"Hmph, so what if there's heavenly lightning? I, Lin Qian, will not back down easily!" Lin Qian said through gritted teeth.
Ye Lingxi sneered from the side: "Lin Qian, this is the consequence of stealing other people's opportunities! Do you think the Heavenly Dao will let you off the hook?"
Lin Qian glared fiercely at Ye Lingxi: "Stop talking nonsense. This heavenly lightning might not be able to do anything to me!"
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