CG C124: Fighting a Foundation Establishment Cultivator

Without warning, Jin Ling dashed forward. Her sword became a blur, aiming for Kai's neck. Time seemed to slow as Kai's survival instincts kicked in.

"Swift Wind Step!" he gasped.

Kai's body blurred, leaving afterimages as he narrowly avoided decapitation. The sword passed so close he felt the wind brush against his skin.

"Oh? Not bad for a Qi Refiner,” Jin Ling's eyebrows rose slightly. “You might last a whole minute at this rate."

Kai didn't respond, focusing on maintaining his defensive stance. I can't let her dictate the pace of this fight. I need to find an opening.

Jin Ling didn't give him much time to think. She lunged forward again, this time with a technique of her own. "Crimson Flame Strike!"

Her sword erupted in brilliant red flames, the heat intense even from a distance. Kai knew he couldn't dodge this one. Instead, he activated another skill.

"Iron Skin!" he shouted. A faint metallic sheen covered his body just as Jin Ling's flaming sword made contact.

The impact sent Kai skidding backward, his feet leaving furrows in the ground. He gritted his teeth against the pain. The Iron Skin had reduced the damage, but he could still feel the burn where the sword had struck.

"Interesting,” Jin Ling murmured as she raised an eyebrow. “You're full of surprises, aren't you?"

Kai managed a grin, despite the pain. "I try to keep things exciting."

This isn't good. One hit, and I'm already feeling it. I need to turn this around somehow.

He decided to go on the offensive. Gathering his qi, Kai activated another skill. "Flame Palm Strike!"

He dashed forward, his palm wreathed in fire. Jin Ling's eyes widened slightly, clearly not expecting a fire-based attack. She didn't even try to dodge. As Kai's flaming palm struck her chest, she didn't so much as flinch. Instead, she grinned, the flames seeming to be absorbed into her body.

"Cute," she said, grabbing Kai's wrist. Her touch was scorching hot. "But fire is my domain, little cultivator."

With a casual flick of her wrist, she sent Kai flying across the clearing. He slammed into a tree with bone-crushing force, sliding to the ground in a crumpled heap.

Get up, Kai commanded his battered body. Get up or you're dead.

Slowly, agonizingly, he pushed himself to his feet. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, and he was pretty sure he had several broken ribs.

Jin Ling watched with a mix of amusement and grudging respect. "I'm impressed you can still stand. Ready to give up yet? I promise I'll make it quick."

"Not a chance," Kai spat out a mouthful of blood.

Jin Ling shrugged. "Your funeral." She raised her hand, and suddenly the air around them became unbearably hot. "Crimson Inferno Cage."

Walls of flame sprang up around Kai, forming a tight circle. The heat was suffocating, making it hard to breathe. Sweat poured down his face as he looked for a way out.

Kai closed his eyes, focusing on the flames, searching for any openings.

"Lightning Step!"

Kai eyes shot open as electricity crackled around his feet, and in a flash, he burst through the wall of flames, his clothes smoking but his body largely unharmed thanks to Iron Skin.

"Wind, fire, and now lightning? But... how?" Jin Ling's eyes widened.

Kai disappeared once more and reappeared behind her, hand covered with electricity. "Static Charge!"

His palm struck Jin Ling's back... and she didn't even flinch.

"Interesting," she mused, turning to face him. "I can tell you have the potential to be a powerful cultivator."

Before Kai could react, Jin Ling's hand shot out, grabbing his throat. She lifted him effortlessly, Kai's feet dangling above the ground.

"But potential isn’t enough," she continued, her grip tightening. "You lack the time to grow."

Kai clawed at her hand, gasping for air. Black spots danced in his vision.

Can't... breathe...

Just as Kai was about to lose consciousness, Jin Ling tossed him aside like a rag doll. He hit the ground hard, coughing and gulping in air.

"Get up," Jin Ling commanded. "I'm not done playing yet."

Kai pushed himself to his hands and knees, every movement agony. I can't win. She's too strong, too fast. I need... I need a miracle.

As if in answer to his desperate thought, a bolt of lightning split the sky overhead. The battle between the Nascent Soul cultivators was intensifying, their clash sending ripples of power through the air.

An idea began to form in Kai's mind. It was insane, probably suicidal, but it was all he had left.

I need more time to make this work…

Slowly, painfully, Kai rose to his feet. Jin Ling watched with mild interest.

"Oh? Still have some fight left in you?" she asked, amused.

Kai didn't respond. Instead, he closed his eyes, focusing on his remaining qi. Subtly, he began drawing in the ambient lightning energy from the air, channeling it high above them where the chaos of the Nascent Soul battle would mask its presence.

"What are you planning now, little cultivator?” Jin Ling's eyes narrowed. “Another futile attack?"

Kai opened his eyes, a glint of determination shining through the pain. "Why don't you find out?"

"Bold words for someone barely standing. Fine, let's see what you've got," She dashed forward, her speed blurring her form. "Crimson Flame Whip!"

A long, fiery whip materialized in her hand, lashing out towards Kai. He activated his Swift Wind Step, narrowly avoiding the scorching attack. The whip struck the ground where he had been standing, leaving a deep, smoldering gash in the earth.

Kai reappeared a few meters away, panting heavily. Just a little longer...

“Flame Serpent Strike!"

She thrust her palm forward, and a massive snake-like stream of fire shot towards Kai.

A faint, shimmering barrier of pure qi formed around Kai as the fiery serpent slammed into him. Kai gritted his teeth, pouring more energy into the shield. When the attack finally dissipated, Kai's barrier was barely holding, but he was still standing.

Jin Ling looked genuinely surprised.

"You're more resilient than I thought,” she admitted. “But how long can you keep this up?"

Not long enough, Kai thought grimly. He could feel his qi reserves depleting rapidly. His final attack was nearly ready, but he needed to buy just a bit more time.

"My turn," Kai said, trying to sound more confident than he felt. He reached into his storage ring, pulling out seven slender daggers.

"Nice toys you have there, little cultivator."

Kai didn't respond. Instead, he closed his eyes, concentrating intensely as he infused lightning qi into them. With a series of rapid gestures, Kai sent the daggers flying towards Jin Ling. Each blade moved in a complex, unpredictable pattern.

Jin Ling's eyebrows rose slightly, genuinely intrigued. She dodged gracefully, her body weaving between the daggers with inhuman speed.

"Not bad," she admitted, easily evading the attacks. "But you'll have to do better than that."

Suddenly, the daggers changed direction mid-flight. Instead of striking at Jin Ling directly, they embedded themselves in the ground around her, forming a perfect heptagon.

Before Jin Ling could react, arcs of lightning sprang between the daggers, forming a field of electricity. The air sizzled as the lightning cage closed in around her.

"Thunderbolt Prison," Kai gasped, sweat beading on his forehead from the effort of maintaining the technique.

For a moment, Jin Ling stood motionless within the lightning field, her expression unreadable. Then, a small smile played across her lips.

"Clever," she admitted. "Using real weapons as conduits... you're more resourceful than I gave you credit for."

She reached out, touching one of the lightning arcs with her fingertip. The electricity sparked and flared, but seemed unable to harm her.

"But still," Jin Ling continued, her smile turning predatory, "far too weak."

With a casual wave of her hand, crimson flames erupted around her. The fire expanded outward, pushing against the lightning field. For a brief second, fire and lightning clashed in a spectacular display of light and energy.

Then, with a sound like shattering glass, the lightning field broke. The daggers, overwhelmed by the intense heat, began to melt where they stood.

Jin Ling stepped out of the fading lightning cage, brushing an imaginary speck of dust from her shoulder. She looked almost bored.

"A valiant effort, little cultivator," she said, her voice dripping with condescension. "But now, let me show you true power. Crimson Phoenix Talons!"

Her hands became engulfed in intense flames, shaped like the talons of a massive bird. She swooped down, her fiery claws raking across Kai's qi barrier.

The barrier shattered like glass, and Kai screamed as the flames seared his flesh. He was sent flying, crashing through several trees before coming to a stop.

Kai struggled to his feet, his body a mass of pain. Blood trickled from numerous cuts, and angry red burns covered his arms and chest.

Jin Ling landed gracefully, flames still dancing around her hands. "Had enough yet?"

Kai spat out another mouthful of blood. "Not... not even close," he gasped.

Jin Ling's eyes flashed with anger. "You're either incredibly brave or incredibly stupid. Let's find out which. Crimson Inferno!"

The air around them suddenly became unbearably hot. Flames erupted from the ground, forming a swirling vortex around Jin Ling. Trees caught fire, the clearing becoming a raging inferno.

Kai felt the heat searing his skin, his clothes beginning to smolder. Almost there... just need to hold on a little longer...

As the wall of flames rushed towards him, Kai's body took on a metallic sheen. The fire struck him with tremendous force, but instead of incinerating him, it rebounded.

Jin Ling's eyes widened in shock as her own flames rushed back at her. She raised her arms to defend herself, but the unexpected reversal caught her off guard. The rebounded fire struck her, sending her stumbling backward with a cry of pain and rage.

"You... you dare?!" she snarled, her perfect composure finally cracking. Angry red burns marred her skin where her own flames had struck her.

The air around Jin Ling shimmered with heat. Her body began to glow, and suddenly, she was engulfed in flames shaped like a phoenix. The fiery bird screeched, the sound painfully loud.

"Crimson Phoenix Flames!"

The massive firebird spread its wings, the heat so intense that the very ground began to melt. The sheer power emanating from Jin Ling was overwhelming, scorching the very air around them.

Kai stumbled back, but even as fear gripped his heart, a smile tugged at his lips. It's ready.

"Any last words, little cultivator?" Jin Ling asked, her voice echoing with power and fury.

Kai looked up, meeting her fiery gaze. "Just five," he said. "Thunder Voice: Lightning Hammer Strike!"

His voice, amplified and charged with lightning qi, boomed across the clearing. The sudden burst of sound caught Jin Ling off guard, making her flinch for just a crucial second.

In that moment of distraction, the massive hammer of pure lightning that Kai had been quietly forming throughout the battle came to life. It streaked down from the sky, moving faster than Jin Ling could react.

The hammer of lightning struck with devastating force. There was a blinding flash and a deafening boom that shook the entire clearing. For a moment, everything was obscured by a brilliant light and billowing smoke.

When the air cleared, there was nothing left of Jin Ling but a scorched crater in the ground where she had been standing.

Cultivator Jin Ling eliminated

+150 XP

+150 XP Gained for eliminating a cultivator a realm higher.

Kai collapsed to his knees as he stared at the smoking crater.

I did it, he thought, his mind struggling to process what had just happened. I actually did it. I killed a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

But there was no time for celebration. The sounds of battle still raged around him, reminding Kai that the fight was far from over.

With a groan, Kai turned to survey the battlefield. His body screamed in protest, every muscle aching, his qi reserves almost completely depleted. But he couldn't rest yet. His eyes found Shen Yu, who was kneeling beside the body of his fallen opponent.

Kai watched, curious, as Shen Yu's hand moved swiftly, retrieving something from the corpse. From this distance, Kai couldn't make out what it was, but he saw Shen Yu quickly tuck it away into his storage ring. Then, to Kai's surprise, Shen Yu gently closed the dead cultivator's eyes, his movements almost respectful.

As Shen Yu stood and turned, his eyes met Kai's. For a moment, Kai thought he saw a flicker of... something in Shen Yu's eyes. Surprise? Respect? Guilt? But before he could be sure, Shen Yu's face returned to its usual impassive mask.

"Well fought," Shen Yu said. "But the battle isn't over yet."

Kai nodded weakly, his vision blurring at the edges. The thought of facing another opponent, especially a Core Formation cultivator, made his stomach churn. He could barely stand, let alone fight.

"I... I can't fight anymore," Kai admitted, his voice hoarse. "I'm completely drained."

Shen Yu's eyes narrowed slightly, but there was a hint of understanding in his gaze. "Those Core Formation cultivators are beyond our current abilities. Even a glancing blow from one of them could be fatal."

Kai felt a mixture of relief and surprise at Shen Yu's admission. It was rare for the usually stoic disciple to acknowledge any weakness.

"What should we do?" Kai asked, fighting to stay conscious.

Shen Yu was silent for a moment, his eyes scanning the battlefield. Finally, he spoke. "There's a hill to the east. We should go there and keep watch. If we see any reinforcements coming, we can signal the others. That's how we can help without risking our lives needlessly."

Kai nodded. It wasn't much, but it was something they could actually do in their current state. "Let's... let's head there now."

When they reached the top of the hill, Kai turned to see how the others were faring.

Yin Mengshuang was still locked in combat with Li Yuan, her illusions keeping the Crimson Phoenix cultivator off-balance, she seemed to be playing around with him, it wouldn’t be long before he was killed. Qi Liaxuan seemed to have the upper hand against Zhao Xiuying, his strange time-altering techniques slowly wearing her down.

And high above it all, Wang Lin and Elder Bu continued their titanic clash. The sky itself seemed to tremble with each exchange of blows.

As Kai watched, he couldn't help but feel a sense of awe. This was the power of true cultivators, the kind of strength he would one day have.