Chapter 457

418. Chapter 417: Decide Life or Death

Lin Lin Caiyi was now filled with shock and doubt; she had seen the divine needle pierce through her, and though the needle was razor-sharp, piercing her top-grade spirit artifact, the Mystic Turtle Armor, and even embedding itself into the dueling platform, the injury she sustained was minimal—essentially unharmed.

But.

The opponent had unleashed full power, breaking through the defense of a top-grade spirit artifact to land this strike—it could not possibly have been without effect.

But it didn't matter.

Lin Lin Caiyi swallowed a spirit pill, restoring much of her magic power, then rose into the air, immediately commanding her top-grade spirit artifact, the Mystic Turtle Armor, to swiftly distance herself from Li Yi; as a cultivator, her combat relied on spells and spirit artifacts—close-range melee was not her strength.

Yet Li Yi stood motionless in place, merely looking up as she moved away from him.

Hum!

The Fly-Eye Needle, under control, trembled, shook free from the dueling platform, and immediately flew back, circling Li Yi like a golden-gleaming little sword.

Since the killing move had already been revealed, there was no need to hide it further.

"Li Yi, this fairy acknowledges your strength is formidable, unlike other Soul Stage evolvers—but unfortunately, you are not a cultivator; your methods are severely limited. Though you used despicable tactics to gain a temporary advantage, the loser of this duel will always be you." Lin Lin Caiyi, sensing her magic power gradually replenishing, regained her confidence.

The fear of nearly being punched to death was slowly fading.

"My methods are despicable?"

Li Yi couldn't help but laugh: "What was that lightning strike just now? It exceeded the full-power attack of a Qi Refining cultivator—no Foundation Establishment cultivator could have unleashed it. Had I not possessed a special bloodline and worn the Dragonhide Armor, I'd have been ambushed to death. Indeed, you cultivators are born cunning; compared to you, I'm practically benevolent."

"And how could you foolishly assume you'd win this duel? You're already on the brink of death and don't even realize it?"

Lin Lin Caiyi coldly said: "I've merely suffered a minor setback. This duel isn't over—I've already seen through your tricks. Now let me show you my trump card."

Saying this, she swept her sleeve, and instantly nine flag banners flew out—each engraved with intricate talismanic runes, each rune radiating terrifying energy fluctuations, extremely perilous. As she controlled them, the flags flew to all corners, then she clasped a battle array plate, preparing to set up a killing array to annihilate Li Yi with her final measure.

Though setting up an array during a duel was unsporting, she had already used the Thunderbolt Talisman and the Mystic Turtle Armor—Lin Lin Caiyi no longer cared.

This was a life-or-death duel; one side must die before the battle ends.

"Lin Lin Caiyi still had a killing array hidden? I should've used it from the start." Outside the dueling platform, Daoist Lin's eyes lit up: "Good, very good. After swallowing the spirit pill, Lin Lin Caiyi's magic power has nearly fully recovered. Once the array is set, she won't need to maintain the top-grade spirit artifact, Mystic Turtle Armor—she'll only need to activate the array, and this man will surely die."

"Does Lin Lin Caiyi have so many trump cards? She's nearly on par with a Jin Dan cultivator. It seems the Xuexia Sect really invested heavily—just a Foundation Establishment cultivator possessing so many spirit artifacts."

"We've finally survived the most dangerous strike. The advantage still lies with us."

Facing the confidence of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, the Jin Dan cultivators frowned, their thoughts heavy.

Though the dueling platform blocked spiritual sense, anyone with eyes could see Li Yi's strike had landed. Though Lin Lin Caiyi appeared unharmed, they didn't believe the needle had merely pierced her skin.

"Fellow cultivators, this duel may not go well for us." A Jin Dan cultivator sent a spiritual sense message.

"Lin Lin Caiyi isn't weak, but the opponent is deadlier. He grasps opportunities perfectly in life-or-death combat. That divine needle must be deadly—its danger simply hasn't manifested yet."

"Wait—something's wrong." Suddenly, Jin Dan cultivator Zhang Zhang Yihua's face darkened.

One of the floating array flags had suddenly lost control and dropped straight onto the dueling platform.

Could a Foundation Establishment cultivator lose control of an array flag?

That was impossible.

Then came the second, third, fourth—array flags fell like dumplings, one after another, completely losing control.

Only then did Lin Lin Caiyi's face turn pale—she realized something was wrong with her. Her magic power was failing. No—worse—her spiritual sense was dissolving, and rapidly.

"What's happening?" She staggered, barely staying upright, on the verge of collapsing.

She urgently scanned her body internally.

Lin Lin Caiyi finally understood—she had been poisoned. The poison was brutal, invading her dantian and spiritual sea, spreading swiftly and stealthily; had her spiritual sense not failed, she might never have noticed.

No time to hesitate.

Lin Lin Caiyi hastily swallowed an antidote spirit pill.

But it did nothing—the poison continued spreading, intensifying.

She pulled out another antidote pill—but before she could swallow it, her body suddenly lost all weight and plummeted from the air. Had she not forcibly channeled a sliver of magic power to stabilize herself, she would have become the first Foundation Establishment cultivator in the Xian Immortal Continent to die from a fall.

Even so, she collapsed onto the dueling platform, limp and powerless, her magic power entirely gone.

"You—you poisoned me?" Lin Lin Caiyi gritted her teeth, glaring at Li Yi, furious beyond measure.

"Only now noticing? Foundation Establishment cultivators aren't so impressive after all. I thought this poison might resist you." Li Yi regarded her expressionlessly, then condensed a brilliant silver aura: "And did you truly think I'd come to a life-or-death duel without preparation? You're too arrogant. Now pay for your arrogance."

Saying this, he raised his hand and slashed out the silver blade aura.

The hundreds-of-meters distance vanished in an instant.

Lin Lin Caiyi's pupils shrank sharply—she knew that without a defensive artifact, this strike would cleave her in two, leaving no chance of survival.

"Damn it!" She cried out in fury; a spirit talisman flew from her inner clothing, emitting a faint shimmering light that formed a protective barrier around her.

Boom!

The blade aura struck, shattering instantly—the protective barrier didn't budge.

"Still have a trump card? But this poison will only deepen. I don't believe you can hold out forever." Li Yi reached out through the air, his aura snatching up a high-energy sniper rifle from the ground beside him, then raised it and fired.

The energy beam struck Lin Lin Caiyi again—still blocked by the spirit talisman.

But each attack dimmed the talisman's glow slightly.

Lin Lin Caiyi's eyes now revealed terror and despair—this talisman had been gifted by her master before coming to Earth, her final safeguard. Once spent, she'd have no survival tactics left.

Repeated gunfire steadily drained the talisman's spiritual energy; without magic power to replenish it, the talisman couldn't last long.

"Lin Lin Caiyi is going to lose." Seeing this, the dozen or so cultivators from the Xian Immortal Continent grew restless, their faces grim.

Anyone could see Lin Lin Caiyi was cornered, with no chance to turn the tide—not even to defeat Li Yi, let alone save her own life.

Yet even if they wished to help, they were powerless.

The dueling platform's array blocked even Nascent Soul cultivators—only its original owner, Tai Tai Xianweng, could dissolve the array and halt the match.

But for the life of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, would Tai Tai Xianweng break his promise and alienate the Golden Academy? Wouldn't that render this entire visit useless?

Some rejoiced, others grieved—the Golden Academy students, witnessing this, grew excited.

"Li Yi's going to win—the female cultivator's reached her limit, can't even stand up."

"These cultivators are so damn sneaky—still have a trump card this late? No wonder they all look down their noses at everyone. If I had these artifacts and techniques, I could kill their Foundation Establishment cultivators too."

"After all this, it's just a contest of who's richer. I get it now—that's the essence of cultivator duels. It's never about true strength. So these cultivators are all rich kids, we're poor bastards, which is why we always lose. To win, we must be richer, have more trump cards than them."

After watching Li Yi and Lin Lin Caiyi's duel, they suddenly understood many things.

Was Lin Lin Caiyi strong?

Though formidable, she wasn't invincible.

The key was: Lin Lin Caiyi wielded a mid-grade flying sword, a low-grade defensive spirit artifact, the Mystic Light Shield, a top-grade defensive spirit artifact, the Mystic Turtle Armor, a Thunderbolt Talisman, a life-saving talisman, healing pills, and a powerful array—all combined, these made her untouchable by Soul Stage evolvers.

This was the gap in the world's cultural foundation.

Bridging it was too difficult.

Boom!

With the final gunshot, the spirit talisman finally lost all power and shattered—the protective barrier vanished.

Lin Lin Caiyi lay on the ground, gasping, her eyes and lips now a deep green—she was deeply poisoned.

"Time to go." Li Yi lowered the sniper rifle, and the silver aura condensed again—a long spear materialized in his hand.

"Wait—wait!" In desperation, Lin Lin Caiyi raised her hand: "I surrender! You said earlier you wanted me? I'll serve you as slave or maid—just help me cure the poison, spare my life, and I'll agree to anything!"

The tradition of the Xian Immortal World emerged.

When trapped in hopeless despair, male cultivators offered to become slaves, female cultivators to become maids—temporary submission for a chance at survival.

Later, once recovered, they'd seek revenge, kill their master, change their appearance with a Transformation Pill, and become a new hero.

This trick was worn out on the Xian Immortal Continent—no one believed it anymore—but on Earth, it was still fresh, perhaps effective.

"Slave or maid? Ridiculous. Earth people swear to heaven like they're farting—words they don't even believe themselves, so why should I believe you?" Li Yi sneered: "Besides, don't misunderstand—I don't want you. I want your life. Die quietly."

Saying this, he hurled the silver spear—it became a streak of light, striking toward her.

Out of caution, Li Yi had not approached within eight hundred meters, fearing some last-ditch suicidal tactic.

Lin Lin Caiyi was truly cornered—the aura spear struck, she had no strength to dodge, and was instantly pierced through the heart.

Her eyes widened, blood gushing uncontrollably, her life force vanishing rapidly.

With a trace of hatred, Lin Lin Caiyi fell onto the dueling platform, unwilling to die.

Dead!

This Foundation Establishment cultivator lost the duel against Li Yi and died before all eyes.

With Lin Lin Caiyi's death, the dueling platform sensed no opposing life force—the array began to dissolve.