Chapter 80 Rival, Feud

In that very instant, Lin Moqin (Person Name) unleashed a string of starlight projectiles. The Azurefall 1000 Stars Needle (Magic Treasure), treacherous and vicious, had always proven infallible when deployed against unsuspecting foes.

Fortunately, having nearly suffered a great loss last time, Eldrin had long been prepared this time.

In an instant, he activated the Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss (Magic Treasure), reversing its trajectory. The sword radiance blossomed, carrying Eldrin (Person Name) thousands of feet away as they evaded the majority of the Azure Firmament 1000 Star Needles.

Seeing that the 1000 Star Needles failed to breach the sword aura and the protective screen of the Bell of 9 Echoes (Magic Treasure), Eldrin (Person Name) breathed a sigh of relief. Yet in that very instant, his pupils abruptly contracted as a lethal sense of crisis surged toward him.

Seizing the opening, Lin Baixi (Person Name) summoned the Wutu Divine Thunder Pearl (Magic Treasure), transforming it into a bolt of divine lightning that crashed down from above.

With Lin Baixi's level of cultivation, he was unable to unleash the full power of the Earth-Shattering Divine Thunder Pearl. Yet, had any other Foundation Establishment, Late Stage (Cultivation Realm) practitioner been ambushed in such a manner, they would likely have perished on the spot.

As the divine thunder of the earth struck like a bolt from the blue, Eldrin summoned the Blazing Heaven Sword almost by reflex.

This divine ability, unleashed for the first time since his successful cultivation, revealed its dazzling edge the moment it was deployed.

"Clang—"

A golden sword radiance soared into the sky, clashing with the Eldrin Earth Divine Thunder in a resonating ring, only to be shattered in the blink of an eye.

Eldrin had anticipated this. His cultivation base was far from sufficient, and the might of the Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss he summoned paled in comparison to the Mithrite Divine Thunder Pearl sealed by this Zi Palace Realm cultivator.

However, as the foremost offensive divine ability in Yu County, it managed to weaken the power of the Eldritch Earth Divine Thunder by 30 percent and stall it for the span of a single breath, even though it ultimately failed to block it completely.

A single breath was all it took. In that fleeting moment, Eldrin summoned the White Zenith Severing Dust Blade once more to meet the assault.

Amidst the roaring thunderclaps, the blade of the Great White Severing Dust Sword trembled violently before plummeting downward, its spiritual radiance greatly diminished.

Eldrin knew all too well that this time, the Taibai Severing Dust Blade had suffered severe damage to its spiritual essence. It would likely require at least several months of careful spiritual nurturing before it could be wielded again.

However, the Great White Severing Dust Blade truly lived up to its reputation as a top-grade second-tier magic artifact. Even though Eldrin could only unleash 70 percent of its power, it still managed to diminish 40 percent of the brilliance from the Earth-Sundering Divine Thunder.

The Earth Dominion Divine Thunder, now with only 30 percent of its power remaining, was no longer a grave concern. The Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss (Magic Treasure) swelled against the wind, its form expanding rapidly. Eldrin’s (Person Name) magic power was exceptionally sharp and harmonized perfectly with this immortal sword. In his hands, the weapon’s prowess was in no way inferior to a peak second-grade superior magical artifact at the height of its power.

A brilliant azure sword aura swept across the sky, grinding the Earth Dominion Divine Thunder into shimmering strands of lightning.

Not good.

Seeing his ultimate trump card fail to subdue Eldrin, Lin Moqin paled drastically and cried out, "Bai Xi, run!"

"Uncle Mo Qin." Lin Baixi, unwilling to relent, lunged forward with a frenzied expression. "He's consecutively unleashed multiple magical artifacts—his spiritual energy must be nearly depleted! If we don't eliminate him now, when will we ever get another chance?"

Yet at that moment, Eldrin brandished the Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss once more, forcing Lin Baixi's 2 magical artifacts into relentless retreat.

The consumption of a Life-Bound Magical Treasure is only 30 percent that of a peer-level artifact.

"Enough. No words can deter a man hell-bent on destruction."

Lin Moqin paled at the sight, immediately turning to flee upon his sword gleam.

Abandoning Lin Baixi sealed this battle's outcome beyond all doubt.

After dozens more exchanges, Eldrin’s expression remained icy as he channeled the Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss, cleaving through his opponent’s defensive artifact in a single strike and cleanly severing Lin Baixi’s head.

Before his death, Lin Baixi's eyes were wide with fury, his face contorted in resentment.

After a quick sweep of the battlefield, Eldrin swiftly rode his sword through the air, pursuing the direction of Lin Moqin's escape. Unfortunately, severely depleted of his vital energy after the intense battle, he ultimately failed to catch up with Lin Moqin.

The matter was urgent, so Eldrin didn't dare linger any longer and immediately flew back to Verdant Chariot Mountain.

A dozen or so days later, Eldrin arrived at Pingyang City astride his sword and sought out the old patriarch without delay.

Seeing his grave expression, the old clan leader couldn't help but step forward and ask, "What happened?"

Eldrin did not hesitate and recounted the events of this journey to the old clan leader. After finishing his account, he let out a sigh and said,

"Alas, a pity we failed to eliminate them root and branch."

"I don't blame you for this moment. We were already at odds since the incident involving the Crimson Flame Qi (Spiritual Root) spirit blade."

The old clan leader shook his head, his expression grave as he said, "Matters have escalated to this point, and none of us will emerge unscathed. It seems we must face the Lin family in another confrontation."

"By the way, did you leave any evidence behind?"

Eldrin retrieved Lin Baixi's storage pouch, producing a Mother-Child Resonance Stone from within. He then extracted a concealed sub-stone from the jade vial of Marrow of the Abyssal Water and declared, "Would this suffice as evidence?"

"That will suffice." The old clan leader gave a nod.

"This matter will not only be left unsettled by the Lin family, but we too shall not let it rest. With evidence in hand, things become much simpler. This old man is confident in persuading the other great families not to intervene."

"Alas, the beast tide approaches ever closer. Should we fight now, the casualties would only weaken Yu County's strength."

The 2 conversed further before beginning to inventory Lin Baixi's belongings.

Chen Changxuan gazed at Lin Baixi’s storage pouch and couldn’t help but sigh, “Though Lin Baixi possesses extraordinary talent, his temperament is extreme and unyielding. Should he ever seize power, he could easily bring calamity upon his own clan.”

However, such individuals are exceptionally rare among cultivators. If these obsessives manage to avoid premature demise, they might actually advance further than their more calculating counterparts with greater ease.

"Take Lin Baixi (Person Name), for instance. Reckless as he may be, back in the day he charged straight into Foundation Establishment without ever taking a Foundation Establishment Pill (Spiritual Object)."

"Huh?"

A look of astonishment flashed across Eldrin's face. This was the first time he had learned that Lin Baixi had also achieved Foundation Establishment through his own efforts.

"Yet something still felt off, and he couldn’t help but ask, 'Then why do I sense that his true essence isn’t as profound or sharp as mine?'"

"Do you think everyone is like you?" Lin Changxuan shook his head with a wry smile. "Self-achieved Foundation Establishment cultivators can transcend realms in combat, but that merely means their Qi Sea at the third layer could rival Foundation Establishment, Mid Stage (Cultivation Realm)."

"Yet someone like you, who at the first layer of Foundation Establishment can rival a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator—this old man has never seen such a thing in all his years."

"Among all Foundation Establishment cultivators in Bianzhou, nearly 1 in 3 achieved it through self-guided breakthroughs. Most of these are rogue cultivators or members of minor clans, who dared to risk everything only when approaching 60 years of age—forging their foundations through life-or-death struggles. Their prospects pale in comparison to yours."

"The reason Lin Baixi has become the second most prominent figure in the Lin family is precisely because he achieved Foundation Establishment through his own cultivation. Should he reach the sixth level of Foundation Establishment, his primordial energy would likely rival even my own."

Hearing this, Eldrin finally understood his own extraordinariness. He had previously assumed that all self-established Foundation Building cultivators possessed a similar level of prowess.

However, after years of having his meridians tempered by the Primordial Purple Qi, both the depth and purity of his true essence far surpassed the ordinary—he was actually more formidable than he had imagined. Coupled with the mutual reinforcement of his self-established foundation, he was able to achieve this level.