Lin Li's heart raced with adrenaline as he gulped and felt his pulse quicken. His heart pounded wildly.
"This... is my chance!"
Breathing heavily, Lin Li focused on the incoming Golden Leopard King.
At that moment, a clear, melodious female voice echoed in the air:
"Vile creature! You cannot escape!"
The woman whom the outer disciples of Xuantian Sect referred to as Celestial Maiden Qinglian floated gracefully through the air, her steps as light as lotus petals.
Simultaneously, the pearl that had dispelled the demonic mist earlier swiftly flew toward the Golden Leopard King, blocking its path.
The pearl emitted a radiant light, forming an invisible barrier.
Clang—!!!
The Golden Leopard King, charging at full speed, crashed into the barrier, producing a resounding noise akin to the toll of a bell.
It was blocked directly above Lin Li.
"Perfect!"
Lin Li's eyes burned with excitement.
At this moment, the Golden Leopard King's attention was entirely on the two Core Formation cultivators.
Luo Zhiyuan, who had already been severely injured, saw that the sect's elders had arrived. He no longer intended to fight the Golden Leopard King to the death. His once desperate resolve now calmed, and he sat cross-legged to meditate, trying to recuperate.
Meanwhile, the Golden Leopard King, having slammed into Celestial Maiden Qinglian's pearl, was now dizzy and disoriented.
It leaped upward only to be struck down.
Beneath, Lin Li gritted his teeth and poured all the spiritual energy he had into his sword.
In an instant, the blade of Ye Fan began to glow with a soft, radiant light.
The Daoist above, who was preparing to launch a powerful attack, suddenly noticed the gleam of spiritual light from below where the Golden Leopard King was falling. He was startled.
"Hmm? Why is there a flash of spiritual light there?"
The Daoist paused his assault.
Just a moment ago, he was about to unleash one of his signature moves: Shocking Flight Sword!
Once executed, the sword light would cut through everything in its path like a flash of lightning, slicing anything in its way cleanly in two!
In coordination with Celestial Maiden Qinglian's interception, it would have been the perfect opportunity to kill the Golden Leopard King and avenge the fallen disciples of Xuantian Sect.
However.
Now, beneath the Golden Leopard King, spiritual light had appeared.
This meant that there was most likely...
No, it was certain that there was a disciple of Xuantian Sect there!
Thus.
If he unleashed his Shocking Flight Sword...
Not only would the Golden Leopard King be slain, but the disciple below would also be killed!
"What a shame."
The Daoist shook his head regretfully.
"I'll have to come up with another plan."
"Hopefully, the disciple down there won't be crushed to death by the Golden Leopard King's fall..."
Lin Li had no idea that this Core Formation Daoist was having so many thoughts in such a brief moment.
Nor did he know that the Daoist was worried about him getting crushed to death by the falling Golden Leopard King...
If Lin Li knew that the Daoist was concerned for his life, he would probably find it both laughable and exasperating!
Right now.
Lin Li was fully fired up!
"Come on!"
He stared up at the rapidly descending Golden Leopard King, his eyes brimming with excitement!
With his hands tightly gripping the Blood-Drinking Sword, Lin Li channeled all the spiritual energy he had into the sword.
In that moment.
The blade was incomparably sharp!
Sharp enough to cut through metal and stone!
Meanwhile, the Golden Leopard King, still reeling from the hit and focused entirely on the two Core Formation cultivators behind it, was completely unguarded from below.
Its defense was entirely focused on its rear.
It paid no attention to the unassuming patch of grass below!
At this moment.
The Golden Leopard King's vulnerable underbelly was wide open!
Finally...
It landed!
Pssh—!!!
At first, Lin Li felt an overwhelming force crashing down on him!
In an instant, he felt his entire body nearly shatter under the immense weight!
Even the ground beneath him cracked under the pressure!
His legs sank deep into the earth!
At that moment!
If it had been any other outer disciple of Xuantian Sect, they would have surely been crushed to death under the Golden Leopard King's massive weight, their internal organs shattered!
However.
The mysterious power within Lin Li that had previously healed the claw wounds on his chest began to activate once more!
The bones in Lin Li's body, which had begun to fracture, were forcibly stabilized by the mysterious power, preventing him from being crushed to death.
His internal organs, rattled and on the verge of collapse from the force, were also held together by the same power, keeping them from rupturing.
At the same time.
Lin Li's internal spiritual energy was completely drained by this mysterious power!
Thankfully...
In that brief moment.
His sword had pierced through the Golden Leopard King's underbelly!
"Roar!!!"
The Golden Leopard King let out a pained howl!
Never in its wildest dreams had it expected that, with its tough hide and fur—impervious even to sharp rocks—it would be pierced by something from the seemingly harmless patch of grass below!
However, though painful, this wound was far from fatal.
After all, this was a Golden Leopard King that had undergone countless battles, honed its skills through blood and hardship, and reached the pinnacle of Foundation Establishment!
Such a wound would heal quickly if it escaped and used its demonic energy for recovery.
But.
What the Golden Leopard King had never anticipated was...
The foreign object embedded in its underbelly...
Was like a bottomless pit, greedily absorbing its demonic energy and blood essence at an alarming rate!
In an instant, it felt overwhelmingly weak!
At the same time!
Lin Li, who was gravely injured, was barely clinging to life thanks to the mysterious power within him.
However.
He had completely run out of spiritual energy.
If this continued, even though the mysterious power was keeping him alive, the energy it required to maintain his life was massive!
At only the fifth level of Qi Refinement, Lin Li didn't have nearly enough energy to sustain himself!
What's more, he had already used up all of his spiritual energy to sharpen his sword and pierce the Golden Leopard King's belly…
Fortunately!
Ye Fan, now in the form of a sword, had pierced the Golden Leopard King's belly and began frantically absorbing its demonic energy and blood essence!
As the sword absorbed, it continuously returned energy to Lin Li.
Originally, Lin Li would have been reduced to a dried-up corpse by the mysterious power within him, but thanks to the energy Ye Fan's sword was returning, his crisis was resolved!
Thus.
The mysterious power repaired Lin Li's body.
And the energy Ye Fan's sword returned to Lin Li would have normally overwhelmed someone at the fifth level of Qi Refinement, causing them to explode from the excess.
But now, the mysterious power within Lin Li absorbed the excess energy, creating a perfect balance!
Before long.
Lin Li's injuries were fully healed!
And the Golden Leopard King, at the pinnacle of Foundation Establishment, was now like a boundless treasure trove for both Lin Li and Ye Fan!
The energy required to heal Lin Li was but a drop in the ocean compared to the Golden Leopard King's vast reserves!