89: Chapter 89 Bloodstained Pill Chamber and Foundation Pill

This thought exploded in Lin Chen's Sea of Consciousness like a thunderclap.

The Alliance with the Zhu family had just been settled; it was the perfect time to strike while the iron was hot, demonstrate the Lin family's strength, deter petty villains, and solidify the Alliance.

If he could successfully achieve Foundation Establishment at this moment, it would pacify hearts internally and serve as the most powerful stimulant externally.

He made his decision immediately, stood up, and walked out of the study.

The night breeze was slightly cool, blowing away the slight fatigue brought on by days of hard work.

Qin Ruowei was directing the servants to clean up the aftermath. Seeing Lin Chen come out, she walked up to him and asked softly, "Husband, has everything been handled?"

"Almost," Lin Chen nodded. His gaze crossed the courtyard, looking toward the window of the Alchemy Room where the lights were still on. "Ruowei, I am going into seclusion immediately to attempt Foundation Establishment. Please take care of the clan's affairs with Liu Yuan. Unless the sky falls, do not disturb me."

Hearing this, Qin Ruowei was stunned for a moment, but then her beautiful eyes filled with joy. "Really? That's wonderful! Rest assured, Husband, I understand."

She knew the importance of this seclusion for Lin Chen and the entire Lin family, so she immediately turned, lowered her voice, and methodically arranged the security matters within the estate.

Lin Chen walked straight toward the Alchemy Room.

Pushing open the thick stone door that blocked most of the heat, a blast of hot air mixed with the fragrance of herbs and Medicinal Pill scent rushed toward him.

Su Qingyao was guarding a bronze Pill Furnace half a person's height, her expression focused. Her slender fingers were forming fire-control hand seals, and wisps of pale cyan Spiritual Qi were precisely wrapped around the bottom of the furnace to maintain the stability of the fire.

Hearing footsteps, she did not turn back, but said in a cool voice, "The Clear Heart Pill will be ready in half an hour. If you have something to say, wait a moment."

"Yao'er, I am going into seclusion, in the Meditation Room next to you." Lin Chen's voice was very soft, carrying a hint of unquestionable gentleness.

Su Qingyao's fingers controlling the fire suddenly froze, and the flame at the bottom of the furnace flickered violently.

She turned around abruptly, her cool eyes staring fixedly at Lin Chen, looking him up and down as if to see through him.

"Unstable aura, overflowing Spiritual Qi; these are indeed signs of a Breakthrough." She quickly made her judgment, the coolness in her eyes replaced by a hint of imperceptible nervousness. "Why so sudden?"

"It is merely the natural culmination of things." Lin Chen walked to her side, looking at the pills rotating in the Pill Furnace, gradually becoming rounded. "The clan needs a true Foundation Establishment Cultivator to hold the fort."

Su Qingyao was silent for a moment; she understood the deep meaning behind Lin Chen's words.

She did not ask further. Decisively, she brought her hands together, changing the hand seal, and the fire at the bottom of the furnace instantly shifted from vigorous to weak, entering the final stage of tempering.

"Go over first, I will come immediately."

Lin Chen nodded and turned to walk toward the Meditation Room, which was separated from the Alchemy Room by only one wall.

This Meditation Room was one of the places with the most abundant Spiritual Qi in the Lin estate, and it was usually where Su Qingyao meditated to recover her Spiritual Qi.

The stone room was empty, with only a meditation cushion in the center.

He had just sat cross-legged when Su Qingyao pushed the door open and entered.

She held a few Formation Flags and a white jade porcelain bottle in her hand.

She did not speak, but walked quickly to the four corners of the Meditation Room, embedding the Formation Flags one by one into the reserved grooves. As her Spiritual Qi was injected from her fingertips, a pale cyan light screen slowly rose, enveloping the entire Meditation Room.

The Spiritual Qi in the air instantly became viscous and gentle, and even breathing seemed to carry a calming scent of herbs.

"The Spirit-Gathering and Mind-Calming Formation can isolate internal and external auras, and also nourish the Divine Sense to prevent Heart Demon interference." She walked to Lin Chen and placed the white jade porcelain bottle in front of him. "This is Jade Marrow Pill. If your Meridians feel piercing pain when you strike the barrier, take one; it can nourish the Meridians and consolidate your Foundation."

After doing all this, she stood quietly to the side. Those eyes that were always accustomed to avoiding his gaze were now looking at him without blinking, complex and filled with anticipation and worry.

Lin Chen felt a warmth in his heart. He looked up and smiled at her: "Rest assured, it is just the natural culmination of things."

He took a deep breath, slowly closed his eyes, and began to gather his mind and sink into internal introspection.

Inside the Dantian Qi Sea, the Spiritual Qi had already turned into a surging vortex, powerful and turbulent, with every rotation carrying the power to shake mountains.

That invisible barrier separating Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment had already developed wisps of cracks under the impact of the Spiritual Qi vortex.

Everything indicated that this Breakthrough would be incredibly smooth.

However, just as he was preparing to guide the Spiritual Qi to launch the final assault, a feeling of extreme discord and emptiness inexplicably flashed through his heart.

It was as if a lush, leafy tree had a small empty spot deep within its roots.

He followed this feeling to investigate carefully and found that his vitality and blood seemed to be a bit more deficient than usual.

That was it; recently, because of the Zhu family affair and the secret struggle with that mysterious "Shadow" organization, he had been truly exhausted and had hardly had a good rest.

Lin Chen attributed this to recent fatigue and did not delve deeper.

The Opportunity for a Breakthrough was fleeting; it did not allow him a moment of hesitation.

He cast aside distracting thoughts, unified his mind, and guided the long-accumulated torrent of Spiritual Qi in his Dantian toward the barrier covered in cracks, launching the first official assault!

"Boom—!"

It was like crashing waves against the shore; a violent tremor came from the depths of his Dantian, and a tearing pain came from his Meridians.

But he was well prepared. His expression did not change; he continued to guide the Spiritual Qi, like waves of a tide, repeatedly washing over the solid barrier.

The cracks were expanding, and the barrier was thinning.

At first, everything was as smooth as expected.

Su Qingyao waited quietly outside the door. She could feel the aura in the Meditation Room constantly rising and becoming increasingly violent.

Her heart also rose to her throat. Her fingertips subconsciously pressed hard against her lips until they left a glaring white mark.

Inside the Meditation Room, Lin Chen had reached the most critical moment.

That barrier, after experiencing countless washes, was already as thin as a cicada's wing, as if it would completely open in the next instant.

He gathered all the Spiritual Qi in his body, condensing it into the sharpest cone, preparing to deliver this final blow!

However, at this very moment, a sudden change occurred!

The rough stone ring on his right thumb, which had accompanied him his whole life, suddenly emitted an imperceptible warm current without warning.

This warm current was extremely subtle, yet immensely overbearing, instantly merging into the torrent of Spiritual Qi that was about to erupt.

In an instant, Lin Chen felt as if his Bloodline had been ignited!

A strange sense of resonance, centered on the stone ring, spread instantly to every drop of blood in his body.

That was the Bloodline bond he was so familiar with—the kind that the stone ring had briefly connected before the spatial rift outside Tianji City, the invisible bond formed between him and Su Qingyao, and between him and every one of his children.

At this moment, catalyzed by the violent fluctuation of Spiritual Qi during the Breakthrough, this bond was amplified as never before!

Lin Chen was shocked. Before he could even think about whether this sudden change was good or bad, a feeling that made his soul tremble gripped him!

This amplified Bloodline resonance not only did not bring him any help, but instead, as if it had forcibly torn open an invisible wound inside his body!

He could clearly feel that the essence and blood throughout his body were uncontrollably surging toward the stone ring on his right thumb, toward that core connection point of the Bloodline resonance, at a terrifying speed!

It was as if that stone ring had turned into a greedy black hole, wanting to suck him dry!

"Not good!"

Lin Chen roared in his heart, trying to cut off this connection, but everything was in vain.

That suction force originated from the deepest part of his Bloodline; it was simply not something he could resist with willpower.

His complexion, which had been slightly ruddy due to the abundance of Spiritual Qi, instantly turned as pale as gold paper in just two or three breaths!

The torrent of Spiritual Qi attacking the barrier, because of the lack of follow-up, was like a river that had its source cut off, rapidly declining, and it looked like it was about to dissipate.

Even more dangerous, as his essence and blood rapidly drained, a strong sense of dizziness struck his Divine Sense.

Fantastic and bizarre illusions began to appear in the darkness before his eyes, and his consciousness was scattering.

Qi Deviation!

This was the nightmare every Cultivator feared most when breaking through a Realm!

In the Alchemy Room next door.

"Hum—"

The bronze Pill Furnace emitted a soft chime, and the furnace lid popped open by itself. Three pills, each the size of a dragon's eye and exuding an aura of clearing the heart and concentrating the mind, slowly rose.

Su Qingyao was about to form a seal to collect the pills, but a sudden, sharp, knife-like pain came from her heart without warning, as if something connected to her life was being forcibly stripped away.

The fire-control seal in her hand almost dissipated. She let out a muffled groan, and her face turned deathly pale instantly.

Immediately after, an extremely chaotic and rapidly decaying aura penetrated the isolation of the "Spirit-Gathering and Mind-Calming Formation" from the direction of the Meditation Room next door, clearly transmitting into her perception.

That was Lin Chen's aura!

And the trace of Bloodline-derived fluctuation mixed in the aura, both familiar and terrifying, made her heart shatter in fear!

"Husband!"

She didn't even have time to collect the finished pills in the Pill Furnace. Without a moment's hesitation, she turned and burst through the stone door of the Meditation Room.

The scene before her made her feel as if she had fallen into an ice cellar.

Lin Chen was sitting cross-legged on the meditation cushion, his whole body shaking violently, his face pale without a trace of blood, his body trembling like a sieve.

His aura was as weak as a candle in the wind, liable to be extinguished at any moment.

And in the air, the source of that Bloodline fluctuation that made her heart palpitate pointed unmistakably to the stone ring on Lin Chen's right thumb!

Su Qingyao's mind went blank, but her body's instinct and the intuition of an alchemist made her understand something in an instant.

Essence and blood depletion! Bloodline backlash!

She rushed to Lin Chen, without the slightest hesitation, and using her fingers like a knife, she slashed hard across her smooth, jade-like left wrist!

A wound deep enough to see the bone split open, and crimson essence and blood, carrying a faint, fresh fragrance of wood-attribute Spiritual Qi, immediately gushed out.

She brought her bleeding wrist directly to Lin Chen's lips, which were slightly parted in pain, letting the precious essence and blood drip into his mouth.

At the same time, her other hand quickly formed a seal and pressed heavily on Lin Chen's chest.

A gentle, mellow wood-attribute Spiritual Qi, full of life, flowed slowly and firmly into Lin Chen's dried-up Meridians along the secret channel that had long been formed due to their long-term Dual Cultivation and the connection of their children's Bloodline.

Su Qingyao's complexion rapidly turned pale at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Cold sweat rolled down from her forehead in large drops, but those cool eyes were now unusually firm, staring fixedly at Lin Chen's face, without the slightest retreat.

In Lin Chen's scattered Divine Sense, a sweet, warm current with a familiar scent slid down his throat.

Immediately after, a pure and vibrant Spiritual Qi, like rain after a long drought, poured into his Dantian Qi Sea, which was about to dry up.

The torrent of Spiritual Qi that was about to dissipate, after receiving the supplement of this fresh force, re-condensed!

Moreover, this new torrent, infused with Su Qingyao's essence and blood and wood-attribute Spiritual Qi, was tougher and more vibrant than before!

Lin Chen's remaining consciousness instinctively seized this last Opportunity, roaring and guiding this life-saving power to launch a desperate, final blow against that last barrier!

"Crack—"

An extremely faint, yet incredibly clear sound, like an eggshell breaking, rang out in the dead-silent Meditation Room.

The barrier that had troubled Lin Chen for so long shattered in response!

A powerful aura far exceeding the twelfth level of Qi Refining erupted from Lin Chen's body, instantly filling the entire Meditation Room, and even causing the "Spirit-Gathering and Mind-Calming Formation" to shake!

Foundation Establishment! Success!

Lin Chen opened his eyes abruptly, golden electric light flashing and disappearing in the depths of his eyes.

The Spiritual Qi inside his body surged like a river, and every move he made seemed to contain power far greater than in the past.

However, the joy in his eyes lasted only for a moment before being replaced by endless shock and heartache.

The first image he saw when he opened his eyes was Su Qingyao's face, pale as paper, without a hint of blood color.

She was leaning weakly against him, her body cold, her aura withered, as if she would collapse at any moment.

He subconsciously reached out to support her. His fingertips touched her cold wrist and that wound, deep enough to see the bone, which was still slightly oozing blood.

Lin Chen's heart shook violently, as if he had been struck hard by a heavy hammer!

He understood everything in an instant!

He lowered his head and looked at the stone ring on his right thumb, which now seemed a bit brighter than before, and then at Su Qingyao in his arms, who had fallen into a coma due to excessive consumption of essence and blood and Spiritual Qi.

He had successfully achieved Foundation Establishment.

The price, however, was that she had lost nearly thirty percent of her life-essence and blood, her cultivation had regressed, and her Foundation had been damaged; he did not know how much time and how many Heaven And Earth Treasures it would take to make up for it.

A monstrous rage and boundless remorse surged madly from the depths of Lin Chen's heart, but when he saw her haggard sleeping face, it turned into an inseparable tenderness and guilt.

He carefully picked up Su Qingyao horizontally, his movements as gentle as if he were holding a rare treasure.

He placed her on the meditation cushion at the eye of the "Spirit-Gathering and Mind-Calming Formation" in the center of the Meditation Room, took out the most precious pills for nourishing vitality and recovering Origin Qi from his storage ring, and carefully fed them to her.

After doing all this, Lin Chen did not go to stabilize his newly broken-through Realm, but stayed quietly by her side, holding her cold hand, and slowly channeled his newly transformed, more pure Spiritual Qi into her body, clearing up her chaotic aura.

Until her breathing gradually stabilized and a faint flush of blood color returned to her pale face, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

In the Meditation Room, there was dead silence.

Lin Chen looked at Su Qingyao's sleeping face, his eyes complex to the extreme.

He rubbed the stone ring on his thumb that had caused such a monstrous disaster, and there was no longer any joy of Breakthrough in his heart.

This power had come at too heavy a price.

He stayed here, not leaving a single step.

One day, two days, three days.

Su Qingyao's breathing became increasingly stable, but she still did not wake up.

Lin Chen's Realm gradually stabilized through spontaneous circulation, but all his attention was tied to the person in front of him.

At dusk on the third day, outside the stone door of the Meditation Room, there was a sudden sound of hurried yet restrained footsteps, followed by Liu Yuan's shout, suppressing his anxiety:

"Patriarch! An urgent secret report from Manager Han of the Wantong Trading Firm! It is of the utmost urgency!"