Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

For the rest of the time, Lin Zhao did not go out to hunt monsters again.

He remained at the Rock Base, quietly recovering the magical power and spiritual consciousness he had lost in the battle with the Purple Cloud Eagle.

After his battle with the Purple Cloud Eagle, he gained a deeper understanding of the realms above the ninth level of Qi Refining.

"Even among those at the same Qi Refining Level 10 or Commander level, there are significant differences in strength."

He recalled the clan leader Lin Shanhe, who was capable of Foundation Establishment; he was definitely not just an ordinary Qi Refining Level 10 cultivator.

He had already become a second-tier array master before reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, and his combat power was definitely stronger than that of the Purple Cloud Eagle.

Lin Zhao was able to fight against several ordinary Qi Refining Level 10 cultivators at the same time, but in order to take down this Purple Cloud Eagle, he used almost all his trump cards.

"There are always higher heavens and more powerful people out there. Among first-tier demonic beasts, there might be beings even stronger than the Purple Cloud Eagle. I'm still a long way from Foundation Establishment."

With the fall of the Purple Cloud Eagle, the beasts in this area lost their unified command and finally dispersed completely, no longer posing a large-scale threat.

The Rock Base enjoyed a long-awaited peace, and the cultivators no longer needed to be constantly on edge to deal with the endless sieges.

You can freely choose to take on missions to clear out remaining monsters or gather resources, or you can stay at your base and cultivate to recover your energy.

However, the decisive battle between Foundation Establishment cultivators and second-tier demonic beasts on the main battlefield has entered its final stage.

The night was as dark as ink. Lin Zhao sat cross-legged in the temporary cultivation room of the camp, his aura was deep and concentrated, and the four Yuan Treasure Pearls above his head slowly rotated, casting rays of light.

He is practicing the "Taihe Yangyuan Gong" in an attempt to break through to the fourth level.

Around the camp, the light of the warning array flickered in the darkness like breathing, and the figures of the patrolling cultivators cast long shadows in the firelight.

However, an inexplicable palpitation, like a cold, venomous snake, suddenly coiled around Lin Zhao's heart!

He suddenly opened his eyes, his pupils contracting violently in the darkness.

Something's wrong! It's too quiet! Even the usual roars of beasts have disappeared, and a chilling stillness pervades the air.

At that very moment—

"Enemy attack!! Yes..." A shrill, desperate warning scream rang out from the perimeter of the camp, but before it could finish, it was abruptly cut off as if choked by an invisible giant hand!

Instead, a terrifying demonic aura, as powerful as a landslide and tsunami, suddenly erupted from one side of the camp and swept over!

Wherever it passed, the protective array's light barrier shattered like fragile glass, without even a sound!

A massive, almost seamlessly integrated shadow appeared within the camp! It resembled a shadowy cheetah magnified several times over.

Its entire body was pitch black, except for its four claws which burned with eerie blue flames. Its vertical pupils were pure, deathly white, devoid of any emotion, showing only extreme indifference and slaughter towards living beings.

Second-tier demonic beast—Shadow Leopard! A second-tier demonic beast extremely skilled in stealth and assassination!

Its target was none other than the area where several cultivators with particularly prominent auras were located in the camp, and Lin Zhao was among them!

"Not good!" Lin Zhao's hair stood on end instantly. The shadow of death was like ice water poured over his head, completely engulfing him! He could almost smell the bloody scent emanating from the Shadow Blade Leopard's sharp teeth!

Too fast! Too strong! The pressure from the Foundation Establishment level was like a towering mountain crashing down, instantly freezing the flow of spiritual energy within his body, and even slowing down his thoughts!

He wanted to dodge, to unleash his sword wings and escape, but his body was bound by invisible shackles and he couldn't keep up with the speed of that devastating attack!

The Shadow Leopard raised its claw, which was burning with ghostly blue flames, and casually made a slash in the air towards Lin Zhao's location!

A thin, almost invisible, jet-black blade of light silently tore through the air, swallowing up and annihilating everything in its path, from air and dust to even light!

That was a fatal blow, enough to kill a Foundation Establishment cultivator in the early stages!

In Lin Zhao's pupils, the blade of death rapidly magnified, and he could even feel his own soul wailing and trembling!

Am I going to die?!

At that critical, life-or-death moment, he felt a sharp pain in his chest.

The protective jade talisman bestowed by the clan leader suddenly erupted with unprecedentedly brilliant spiritual light, transforming into a thick cyan light shield that blocked the dark blade's edge!

"Snap—!"

However, under the enraged attack of the second-tier demon beast, this jade talisman, which could withstand an attack from a Foundation Establishment cultivator, only lasted for a breath before letting out a mournful cry of being unable to bear the burden, and shattered into dust!

But it was this precious moment that we gained!

Under the threat of death, Lin Zhao's survival instinct was pushed to its limit! His mind was completely clear.

The various insights gained from practicing the "Taihe Yangyuan Gong," the exploration of the "divine gate," and the pursuit of "unity of heaven and man"...

In that instant, they flashed by like a revolving lantern, finally converging into a bolt of lightning that tore through the mist!

The seemingly invincible bottleneck of the fourth level of the "Taihe Yangyuan Gong" shattered quietly like thin ice under the pressure of life and death!

A cool, vast, and unprecedented power of divine consciousness erupted from the deepest part of his sea of ​​consciousness like a bursting dam!

At this moment, his "divine barrier" was broken!

A spiritual realm at the tenth level of Qi Refining!

Om-!

It was as if a thin veil had been wiped away from the world, and the whole world became clearer than ever before in his "eyes"!

Within a mile radius, everything—the panicked cultivators, the charging Shadow Blade Leopard, the chaotic fluctuations of spiritual energy in the air—

Even the panic of the insects and ants underground was reflected in his heart like the lines on his palm!

The surge in spiritual awareness brings not only enhanced perception, but also a more refined control over the spiritual energy of heaven and earth!

The overwhelming pressure from the Foundation Establishment stage, which was originally as heavy as a mountain, was still terrifying, but it could no longer completely suppress his actions!

"roar!"

Almost at the same time as his divine sense broke through, Lin Zhao let out a beast-like roar. His will to survive drove him to make the fastest and most decisive reaction!

The Four Elements Pearl above his head, its light slightly dimmed, trembled violently. He forcibly gathered the surrounding spiritual energy, and the Four Elements Sword Dragon reappeared.

But this time, he had no time to use the Sun Piercer; he was controlling the Stegosaurus.

Without hesitation, it charged headlong into the pitch-black blade of light that had shattered the jade talisman and whose power had been reduced by 30% but was still extremely deadly, and then exploded with a bang!

"BOOM—!!!"

A silver-white sword dragon, even stronger than the tenth level of Qi Refining, was destroyed by Lin Zhao's reckless urging!

The destructive energy that erupted in that instant was like a miniature sun rising over the camp, its blinding silvery-white light illuminating the night sky.

The violent sword energy turbulence scattered and impacted, finally neutralizing most of the deadly dark blade light!

However, the backlash from the self-destruction also instantly affected Lin Zhao's main body and the Four Yuan Treasure Pearl, which was the core!

"Pfft—!" Lin Zhao spat out a mouthful of blood, his face instantly turning pale, and his breath rapidly weakening.

He clearly felt that the connection between his consciousness and the Four Elements Pearl had become extremely weak, the pearl's spiritual light had dimmed, and several fine cracks had even appeared on its surface! This magical artifact was severely damaged!