Immortality and Cultivation: Starting with Improving Spiritual Root Aptitude

The short, dark blue greatsword that had transformed from a dagger was not as fast as its previous dagger form, but its power had increased several times over, and it rushed towards the enemy with a chilling killing intent.

Even with the short-bladed broadsword still several feet away, Bai Ruanyu's heart sank.

She knew that with the little remaining mana in her dantian, activating the Guardian Ring would most likely not be enough to withstand this attack.

Before Bai Ruanyu could think further, she took the initiative to summon the Xuan Steel Shield. The magical artifact appeared in mid-air and instantly grew several times larger, transforming into a thick barrier in front of her.

Immediately afterwards, her fingertips moved rapidly, and two mid-grade defensive talismans were instantly slapped out from her hands.

"Buzz! Buzz!"

Two soft thuds sounded in succession, and two layers of yellowish-brown light shields quickly enveloped Bai Ruanyu's body. This was a defensive talisman drawn by the first-order earth attribute spell "Thick Earth Shield".

The next instant, the dark blue short-bladed broadsword slammed heavily into the black steel shield, and a piercing metallic clang suddenly rang out.

The black steel shield flew backward and crashed into the muddy ground not far away. The attack of the greatsword was also greatly reduced, its power diminished, but it still carried a force that should not be underestimated.

Before Bai Ruanyu could catch her breath, the broadsword struck the first layer of thick earthen shield, shattering it instantly and barely stopping her for a moment; the second layer of thick earthen shield followed suit, breaking with a crisp sound.

The three layers of defense finally deflected all of the greatsword's attacks. Bai Ruanyu took the opportunity to dodge to the side, her movements fluid and graceful, but her expression was extremely solemn.

She raised her hand and summoned the Xuan Steel Shield that had fallen into the mud. It immediately flew back to protect her, emitting a spiritual light once again.

"Damn it!"

Bai Ruanyu gritted her teeth and cursed in a low voice, her face extremely pale at this moment.

She no longer held back, and the light blue soft sword in her hand suddenly flew out, ready to seize the opportunity to strike Liu Xi's face.

Upon seeing this, Liu Xi curled up a cold smile and made a series of hand seals.

The yellow array flags planted in the distance suddenly lit up with an earthy yellow spiritual light. Instantly, a ball of earthy yellow spiritual light surged out, seemingly containing countless tiny fragments of special material, flowing and surging like sand, instantly enveloping Bai Ruanyu's soft sword.

Bai Ruanyu immediately felt that the spiritual power she had poured into the soft sword suddenly became extremely sluggish, as if she had sunk into a viscous quicksand, making even control extremely difficult.

She planned to retrieve the soft sword and try another method.

But how could Liu Xi give her any chance to continue fighting back?

Seeing that Bai Ruanyu's soft sword was restrained by the array flags, he immediately continued to control the dark blue short-bladed broadsword and slashed at her again. The dark blue light on the blade was even brighter than before, and the killing intent was chilling.

Bai Ruanyu's face paled, a resolute glint flashing in her eyes. She abruptly took out a light blue, high-grade talisman from her storage bag.

She mustered the last of her magical power in her dantian and poured all her strength into the talisman, hoping to activate it before the knife reached her.

"clang--!"

Another deafening clang of metal rang out as the dark blue broadsword struck the black steel shield once more. The shield, unable to withstand the force, was knocked to the ground again.

However, this brief obstruction also allowed Bai Ruanyu to finally activate the first-grade high-quality talisman in her hand.

In an instant, an icicle as thick as an arm appeared out of thin air in front of her.

"go!"

Bai Ruanyu let out a low shout, and the ice spikes shot out like arrows, heading straight for her dark blue broadsword.

The moment the two collided, the ice cone began to shatter into pieces in an instant.

But Bai Ruanyu showed no sign of panic.

If a first-grade high-level talisman only had this much power, she would never have been able to use it in this situation.

The next second, sure enough, a strange change occurred.

Although the dark blue broadsword shattered the ice spikes formed by the talisman, its blade was instantly tainted by the chilling aura emanating from the ice spikes, and a thick layer of frost began to spread across its surface.

In a short while, the entire broadsword was completely frozen by the cold air and fell straight to the ground.

As long as the ice on the blade doesn't melt, this magical weapon called "Azure Shadow Blade" will be difficult to use again in the short term.

Liu Xi, who was in the distance, could clearly sense that the spiritual connection between himself and Qing Ying Blade had not been severed, but he could no longer control his spiritual power in the slightest.

A flicker of surprise crossed his eyes, but he quickly regained his composure and said coldly, "Young Miss, do you think you can rest easy just because you've frozen my Azure Shadow Blade? Today, I'll show you the true difference between the late-stage and mid-stage Qi Refining realms!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he waved his hand, and three more flying needle magic items flew out of his storage bag at his waist.

As soon as the flying needles appeared, they pierced the air with a sharp whooshing sound, aiming straight for Bai Ruanyu's three vital points: her brow, neck, and heart.

Seeing the three flying needles hurtling towards her, Bai Ruanyu felt a chill in her heart, but she did not give up the possibility of survival.

She decisively retrieved the Xuan Steel Shield, poured all her remaining spiritual power into the Guardian Ring, and at the same time, she struck out two more Thick Earth Shield talismans.

A golden light shield and two layers of yellowish-brown light shields instantly enveloped his body, forming a three-layered protection.

However, the defenses of the first two layers proved to be quite vulnerable in the face of the three flying needles.

The two outer layers of thick earth shield shattered almost instantly upon contact with the flying needle.

Even more deadly, Liu Xi's hand seals suddenly changed in the distance. The three flying needles suddenly merged together the instant they broke through the second layer of thick earth shield, transforming into a long needle that glowed with blue light, piercing towards Bai Ruanyu's last layer of golden light shield.

"laugh--!!!"

The azure needle pierced the golden light barrier, but was actually blocked.

"It can still hold on!?"

A hint of surprise flashed in Liu Xi's eyes, followed by a cold laugh. "But I'd like to see how long you can hold out!"

Although he only had less than 30% of his mana left in his dantian, as a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator, his mana foundation was much stronger than that of Bai Ruanyu, who was at the sixth level of Qi Refining.

Even his magical power was almost depleted, so Bai Ruanyu must be at her last gasp at this moment.

Liu Xi was determined to drag things out until the opponent was bound to lose. So, he stared coldly at Bai Ruanyu inside the golden light shield.

Inside the light barrier, Bai Ruanyu's face was already ashen.

Her magical power had long been completely exhausted, and she was now only holding on by sheer willpower. The golden light shield was beginning to dim.

I fear I am truly going to perish here today...

Her heart was filled with resentment; she hadn't witnessed the success of the family plan, nor had she succeeded in establishing her foundation—these regrets overwhelmed her...

In despair, the golden light shield finally gave way and vanished without a trace with a "pop".

Bai Ruanyu used her last bit of strength to dodge to the side. Although she avoided her vital spot, the long, blue needle still pierced her shoulder.

A sharp pain instantly swept through her body. She could no longer hold back and spat out a mouthful of blood, which splattered onto the soil in front of her, a shocking sight.

Dizzy and weak, with her dantian completely empty, Bai Ruanyu would have fainted long ago, but she still forced her eyes open, staring intently at Liu Xi with unyielding spirit.

Liu Xi did not immediately kill her. Instead, he crossed his arms and sneered as he looked her over: "Miss, after all these years of dealing with your Bai family, to be honest, I'm actually a little reluctant to kill you. Especially since you're such a stunning beauty. Normally, I would definitely treat you well."

He paused, then his tone suddenly turned fierce: "However, things could get complicated if you wait any longer. You should just die!"

As he spoke, he manipulated the blue light needle to hover in the air again, aiming it at Bai Ruanyu's brow.

Bai Ruanyu slowly closed her eyes, a tear sliding down her cheek as she awaited death.