19: Chapter 19 The Foundation Establishment Opportunity and the Final Killing Trap

The blood-soaked cloth was like a hardened shell; with a "snap" of the scissors, it was cut open, revealing a shocking wound.

The scapula of his left shoulder was completely shattered, with stark white bone shards piercing through the flesh and skin, mixed with black, stagnant blood to form a terrifying depression.

Su Qingyao's fingertips were ice-cold, trembling uncontrollably, and she could barely hold the heavy iron scissors.

She bit her lower lip hard until she tasted a salty, metallic tang, only then forcing her chaotic breathing to calm down.

She did not cry, nor did she make a single sound.

Tears and cries of alarm were useless at a time like this; they would only shake his already precarious state of mind.

She piled all the medicinal bottles she could find in the house by the bed, first using clean cloth strips dipped in warm water to wipe away the bloodstains around the wound with an almost reverent demeanor.

Then, she unscrewed the earthenware jars one by one, applying the hemostatic powder that emitted a faint herbal fragrance and the cooling muscle-regenerating ointment in thick, generous layers, sparing no cost.

After doing all this, she took out a small white jade bottle from her inner pocket, warmed by her body heat.

She pulled out the stopper and poured out the only three Medicinal Pills, each the size of a dragon's eye and emitting a faint green glow.

These were "Rejuvenation Pills," a First-Grade Medium Grade healing Medicinal Pill. She had refined them back when she was in the Qingmu Sect, using her proudest alchemical techniques and exhausting countless efforts; they were her final trump card for saving her life.

She picked one up and carefully brought it to Lin Chen's cracked lips, her voice extremely hoarse: "Open your mouth."

The Medicinal Pill melted upon entering his mouth, transforming into a gentle and pure medicinal power that flowed through Lin Chen's limbs and bones like a trickling stream. Wherever it passed, the burning pain and numbness caused by the miasma poison were temporarily suppressed.

His shattered Meridians were like a dried-up riverbed receiving the nourishment of rain; although they could not be repaired immediately, the trend of further collapse was halted.

A faint trace of color returned to Lin Chen's pale face, and the cold sweat on his forehead eased slightly, but his eyes remained frighteningly clear.

He took a difficult breath, signaled to Su Qingyao with his eyes, and extended his still-movable right hand to grope inside his soaked chest.

Su Qingyao understood and immediately reached in, her hand touching something sticky and slippery.

She suppressed her discomfort and pulled out a palm-sized, blood-stained gray cloth bag.

This was precisely the Storage Pouch of Outer Sect Deacon Wang Heng.

In that instant when they clashed in the depression, Lin Chen had risked his left shoulder being crippled, while his right hand had moved like lightning to snatch this item from Outer Sect Deacon Wang Heng's waist.

At the time, Outer Sect Deacon Wang Heng had been furious and panicked, and being anxious to force out the poison, he had completely failed to notice.

The mouth of the bag had a layer of faint Spiritual Qi Restriction, sealing it like a thin layer of ice.

"Help me up." Lin Chen's voice was low and weak.

Su Qingyao helped him up and let him lean against the head of the bed.

Lin Chen could not use his left hand at all, so he could only hold the Storage Pouch with his right hand, carefully pouring the last sliver of Spiritual Qi in his body into it, while simultaneously splitting off a wisp of Divine Sense, like a steel needle, to repeatedly and tirelessly wear down that Restriction.

Time ticked away second by second.

In the Meditation Room, only the sound of Lin Chen's heavy breathing remained, along with the almost inaudible "hissing" sound produced by the Spiritual Qi rubbing against the Restriction.

Half an hour later, with an extremely faint "pop," the Restriction finally dissipated completely.

Lin Chen's vision went dark, and he nearly fainted; this simple operation had almost exhausted all his mental energy and Spiritual Qi.

He turned the bag upside down, and the contents tumbled onto the bed with a clatter.

Dozens of Low-Grade Spirit Stones flickering with a faint light rolled everywhere.

Two bottles of ordinary Medicinal Pills labeled "Qi-Boosting Pill" and "Inedia Pill," a few neatly folded changes of clothes, and a Low Grade Dharma sword with a plain, unadorned scabbard.

Finally, a dull-colored Jade Slip that looked like it was covered in a layer of dust rolled out from the pile of clothes.

Lin Chen's gaze skipped over the Spirit Stones and Medicinal Pills, and he directly probed the Jade Slip with his Divine Sense.

A stream of information flooded his mind; it was a basic Cultivation Technique he was all too familiar with, a dime-a-dozen one—the Mind-Cultivation Technique chants for the first two levels of the "Qi Induction Technique."

In the Black Stone Town market, one could buy three such Jade Slips for a single Low-Grade Spirit Stone.

Just this?

A trace of disappointment flashed in his heart, and he was just about to withdraw his Divine Sense.

Just at this moment, the rough stone ring on his right thumb, gifted to him by Su Qingyao herself, suddenly transmitted an extremely faint, elusive feeling of warmth.

The sensation vanished in a flash, as if it were an illusion.

Lin Chen's heart jolted, and he immediately held his breath, concentrating all his remaining Divine Sense to carefully probe the Jade Slip once more, while simultaneously distracted, sensing the changes in the stone ring.

This time, nothing happened.

The stone ring was as cold as before, and the Jade Slip was just an ordinary, unremarkable Jade Slip.

But he believed that the feeling just now was definitely not an illusion.

This Jade Slip, or rather this "Qi Induction Technique," must have some secret he hadn't discovered.

He gripped the Jade Slip tightly in his palm; his intuition told him that this item might be more important than all those dozens of Spirit Stones combined.

Outside the town, in a hidden cave obscured by vines.

Outer Sect Deacon Wang Heng sat cross-legged, his complexion tinged with an abnormal greenish-black color.

On the ground in front of him was a small puddle of foul-smelling black bloodstains.

It had taken him a full two hours, relying on his profound cultivation of the Ninth Level of Qi Refining, to force out most of the miasma poison that had invaded his body.

But a small amount of stubborn residual poison remained, like maggots attached to bones, lurking deep within his Meridians, constantly eroding his Spiritual Qi and causing his aura to fluctuate unsteadily.

He looked down at the sword wound at his waist that was deep enough to reveal bone; the flesh around the wound had already turned black, and every time his Spiritual Qi circulated to this point, a stabbing, needle-like pain would strike.

"Lin! Chen!"

He growled through gritted teeth, his voice echoing in the narrow cave, filled with resentment and killing intent.

He had not only failed to seize the Opportunity, but had instead been ambushed and severely wounded by an ant in his eyes; this was a supreme humiliation!

He adjusted his breath for a moment, forcibly suppressed his injuries, and staggered out of the cave.

Under the faint light of dawn, he crouched down and, like the most experienced hound, began to carefully search for any traces Lin Chen might have left behind when he fled yesterday.

A blade of grass that had been stepped on, with a faint scent of blood still remaining at the broken edge; on a patch of damp mud, the edge of a not-very-clear footprint was stained with a bit of dark red soil.

These traces were extremely subtle, but they were enough for him to determine Lin Chen's general direction of escape.

Just as he was preparing to track him, his Divine Sense, which had become somewhat sluggish due to his injuries, suddenly swept over a sneaky figure at the edge of the town.

It was Hong Biao.

This thug, who had lost his courage, was hiding behind a broken wall, peeking and looking in his direction, his face full of terror, hesitation, and a hint of imperceptible hope.

When Hong Biao saw Outer Sect Deacon Wang Heng's injured appearance, the struggle in his eyes became even more intense.

In the end, the instinct to survive overwhelmed everything.

He plucked up his courage, flashed out from behind the wall, pointed quickly from afar toward a direction in the south of the town, and then, as if he had seen a ghost, ran away without looking back, his figure quickly disappearing into the intricate alleys.

Outer Sect Deacon Wang Heng watched the direction where Hong Biao had disappeared, a cold sneer curling the corner of his mouth.

Just a dog wagging its tail to beg for pity.

He no longer paid attention to those subtle traces, identified the direction Hong Biao had pointed out, and his figure flickered, like a gray shadow, silently sneaking toward the Lin Residence.

Lin Residence, Meditation Room.

The night was as deep as ink.

Lin Chen sat cross-legged in the center of the Meditation Room, his pale face devoid of any color.

Beneath him, a few Low-Grade Spirit Stones were embedded in specific positions on the ground, outlining a rudimentary prototype of a Formation; it was the simplified version of that [First-Grade Low Grade Spirit Gathering Formation].

A faint glow of Spiritual Qi overflowed from the Spirit Stones, and under the effect of the Formation, it slowly gathered toward him.

Su Qingyao, holding Lin Leyao in her swaddling clothes, stood guard at the entrance of the Meditation Room.

Her face was also as pale as paper, and she poured the last of the wood-attribute Spiritual Qi remaining in her body into Lin Chen's back without reservation, attempting to help him sort out the Meridians that had been thrown into chaos by the miasma poison and the violent Spiritual Qi.

"Waa... waa..."

Lin Leyao in her arms seemed to sense this oppressive and tense atmosphere, her little mouth pouting as she let out a weak cry.

Su Qingyao's heart tightened, and she hurriedly lowered her head, gently rocking the swaddle, comforting her with a voice that was almost a whisper.

The crying reached his ears, and Lin Chen slowly opened his eyes.

He looked at the mother and daughter huddled together at the doorway, looked at the undisguisable worry and haggardness in his wife's eyes, and listened to his daughter's crying that made his heart tremble; his eyes, which had seemed somewhat unfocused due to intense pain and weakness, suddenly condensed with a trace of insane determination.

Outer Sect Deacon Wang Heng could come at any moment.

In his current state, he could barely stabilize his cultivation at the Ninth Level of Qi Refining, let alone resist; he couldn't even escape.

Sitting here was just waiting for death.

Since he was going to die either way... then he would bet everything and seek life in death!

He took a deep breath, as if using all his strength, and issued a command to the System in his mind.

"System, use all accumulated [Cultivation Feedback]!"

Since Lin Leyao's birth, the System would feed him a sliver of extremely faint yet incomparably pure Spiritual Qi every day based on his daughter's health and growth.

Accumulated until now, although it was not enough to make him break through, it was a life-saving straw that could not be underestimated.

"Hum—"

A vast and gentle pure Spiritual Qi emerged from the void, instantly pouring into his dried-up Dantian!

Almost simultaneously, he silently recited in his heart, less like a command to the System and more like a prayer betting everything: "If I can succeed in Foundation Establishment, please lend me a hand!"

[Detected that the host is on the double edge of near-death and near-Breakthrough!]

[Detected "Family Foundation (Spirit Gathering Formation)" initially established...]

[Hidden conditions met, triggering Breakthrough assistance mechanism!]

[Starting to integrate available energy... Host feedback Spiritual Qi, Formation Spiritual Qi, Dao Companion wood-attribute Life Qi, offspring life source Qi...]

The System's cold prompt sound rang out in succession in Lin Chen's mind, like the sound of heaven!

Lin Chen only felt that the Meridians all over his body were like balloons being inflated, swelling crazily; the intense pain almost made him faint on the spot!

But at the very moment his Dantian was about to collapse, that stone ring on his right thumb suddenly diffused an ancient and vast aura, like an invisible large hand, forcibly stabilizing his Dantian Qi Sea that was about to burst!

He slammed his eyes shut, sank all his mental energy into his body, and crazily guided this unprecedented, vast energy mixed with four different attributes, smashing it fiercely against that indestructible Foundation Establishment barrier!

"Bang!"

With a loud bang, the courtyard gate was shattered by an irresistible force!

Amidst the flying wood chips, Outer Sect Deacon Wang Heng stepped into the courtyard with large strides, his whole body exuding an incomparably violent aura.

His Divine Sense swept out, immediately locking onto the source of the violently fluctuating Spiritual Qi in the Meditation Room.

"Hiding here to break through? You're courting death!"

A ferocious, wild laugh appeared on his face; he raised his palm, carrying the Spiritual Qi of the Peak Ninth Level of Qi Refining, and struck towards the Meditation Room door without hesitation!

At the doorway, Su Qingyao's face was as white as snow.

She did not retreat even half a step, but instead shielded her daughter tightly behind her, while her other hand tightly gripped the last bag of soul-disrupting incense powder, prepared to perish with Outer Sect Deacon Wang Heng the moment he broke down the door.

Just at the moment when Outer Sect Deacon Wang Heng's destructive palm power was about to touch the thin wooden door—

Boom—!

A pressure far more vast and heavy than the Qi Refinement Stage by more than ten times suddenly erupted from within the Meditation Room, like a volcano that had been dormant for ten thousand years!

That wooden door, along with the door frame, and even the surrounding walls, were silently ground into powder the moment they touched this pressure!

A violent Spiritual Qi storm swept out, and Outer Sect Deacon Wang Heng's palm, which he had been sure would succeed, was as fragile as paper in front of the storm, easily torn to shreds.

His entire person was struck as if by a ten-thousand-jin heavy hammer; he let out a miserable scream and was thrown away fiercely, crashing heavily against the distant courtyard wall, making a teeth-grinding dull thud.

Amidst the dust filling the sky, a figure slowly stood up from the center of the Spiritual Qi storm.

Lin Chen's left shoulder wound had healed by more than half, visible to the naked eye; under the tattered clothes, the new skin and flesh glowed with a faint luster.

The aura around him was rounded and restrained, yet as heavy as a mountain; in his opened eyes, a divine light flashed and vanished, replaced by a heart-palpitating majesty that controlled everything.

Foundation Establishment Stage!

"No... impossible..." Outer Sect Deacon Wang Heng slumped in the corner, blood spraying wildly from his mouth, his face filled with shock, fear, and complete, utter disbelief.

How could an ant that had been at his mercy an hour ago... how could it ascend to the heavens in one step during this life-or-death moment?!

Lin Chen did not give him any time to think.

He took a step, his figure leaving a faint afterimage in place, and instantly appeared in front of Outer Sect Deacon Wang Heng.

There was no extra nonsense, nor any declaration of a victor.

He pressed his right index and middle fingers together, his fingertips wreathed in a wisp of pale cyan Spiritual Qi that was condensed to the extreme, and tapped it gently on the center of Outer Sect Deacon Wang Heng's forehead.

That sharp Spiritual Qi belonging to the Foundation Establishment Stage, like an invincible steel needle, easily pierced through Outer Sect Deacon Wang Heng's fragile Sea of Consciousness, instantly stirring everything inside into powder.

Outer Sect Deacon Wang Heng's body trembled violently, and all the luster in his eyes completely dimmed and dissipated at this moment.

Everything settled.

The courtyard was in a mess, dead silent.

Su Qingyao could no longer hold on and slumped to the ground, exhausted; Lin Leyao in her arms seemed to sense that the danger had passed and began to cry loudly.

Lin Chen walked to the side of Outer Sect Deacon Wang Heng's corpse, bent down, and picked up his own Storage Pouch that had fallen to the ground.

Almost at the same time, the System's clear prompt sound rang in his mind:

[Congratulations to the host for successfully achieving Foundation Establishment!]

[Life level transition!]

[System synchronized upgrade to version 2.0!]

[Unlocked new modules: [Family Luck Visualization Panel], [Elementary Talent Cultivation Deduction System].]

[Detected absorbable external Legacy information (fragmentary), parse immediately?]

Lin Chen's gaze fell on the dull, lusterless Jade Slip in his hand that he had obtained from Outer Sect Deacon Wang Heng's Storage Pouch.

He chose "Postpone."

He turned around and walked step by step toward the mother and daughter embracing in the ruins.

Just at this moment, the first ray of the morning sun finally pierced through the thick clouds, passed through the collapsed courtyard wall, and shone into this small courtyard that had just experienced a life-and-death ordeal.

The light fell on the rough plaque of the "Lin Residence," and also on Lin Chen's towering, mountain-like figure.

Outside the courtyard wall, those townspeople who had been startled by the huge commotion and had been watching from afar all night were poking their heads out from alley entrances and corners.

When they saw the figure in the courtyard bathed in the morning light, with an unfathomable aura, and the corpse on the ground with eyes wide open in death, their eyes were simultaneously filled with unspeakable awe and fear.

Lin Chen picked up his crying daughter and gently wiped the tear stains and dust from Su Qingyao's face with his fingertips, but his gaze went beyond the ruined courtyard wall, beyond those fearful eyes, and cast toward the vast and inevitably more cruel world in the east.