Immortal Taoist

Meng Lin approached the narrow crevice that led out of the cave and extended her spiritual consciousness, sensing the beast's presence still lingering outside.

It was as massive and menacing as ever, its golden eyes gleam with predatory intent. The creature let out a low growl, its gaze hardening as it noticed Meng Lin's probing.

Meng Lin took a deep breath and then exhaled slowly as countless possibilities ran through her mind, the big question still lingering at the back of her mind.

She turned to the Crimson Tortoise Dragon and spoke, "Return to your mark. When I give the signal, you come out" 

The dragon hesitated for a brief moment, its glowing eyes narrowing as it scanned Meng Lin’s face. "As you wish, Mistress," it finally said, its voice echoing with a note of caution.

The dragon's serpentine body began to dissolve into a crimson mist, which was quickly absorbed into the intricate mark on Meng Lin’s forearm. 

The cave dimmed slightly as the powerful aura of the Crimson Tortoise Dragon receded, leaving Meng Lin standing alone by the glowing pool.

She took another deep breath, calming her nerves, and prepared to activate the Formless Cultivation Method. Her body started to shift, becoming smoke as she entered her mist form. 

The sensation of losing her physical form was always a bit disorienting, but it allowed her to move unnoticed through the smallest of spaces.

Meng Lin moved across the narrow crevice where she had initially entered, easily slipping through the rock formation, but just as she passed through the rock wall, a sudden, violent shockwave rippled through the air, sending tremors underfoot.

Before she could react, the beast she had not seen for four days suddenly appeared, its enormous golden eyes gleaming with feral intent. It had been able to notice her instantly.

Roar!!

A sharp, predatory roar echoed through the area, and in the blink of an eye, the beast lunged at her with terrifying speed. Its claws, massive and glinting with a metallic sheen, swiped through the mist that was Meng Lin’s form. 

The force of the strike seemed to be imbued with something powerful, it easily dispersed her mist form, sending a shockwave of pain through her mind.

Meng Lin barely had time to comprehend what had happened. The beast’s attack had not only struck her, but it had also disrupted her mist form, causing her to rematerialize with a jolt.

She stumbled sideways, her body solid once more, and stared in shock at the creature before her. 

‘It can disrupt my mist form? What was that?!'

Her thoughts raced as she tried to piece together how the beast had attacked her. But there was no time to dwell on it. The beast roared again, its eyes narrowing as it prepared for another attack.

Meng Lin’s heart raised slightly, but she forced herself to remain calm. Her mind flashed through the options she had considered earlier. 

The Void-State Tablet was her best bet if she wanted to escape, but using it meant she would have to give up on defeating the beast and miss out on the opportunity to test her new abilities.

But there was something else—something that she had yet to fully explore. The small, dense sphere of Brute Qi within her dantian. It pulsed with a raw, untamed power that had nearly destroyed her before, but now it was under control, contained by an unknown force. If she uses it...'No, not yet'

Roar!!

Another roar brought her back to the present, and she saw the beast charging toward her, its eyes locked onto hers. There was no time to hesitate. Meng Lin steeled herself, circulating the Elemental Qi Convergence Method and taking out the Celestial-Thunder Blade.

Boom!!

With overwhelming weight, pressure descended onto the beast, the Celestial-Thunder Blade in Meng Lin’s hands glowing with a brilliant aura as she channeled Elemental Qi into the blade, its sharp edge crackling with thunderous energy.

The beast, undeterred by the Top Grade weapon, charged forward, its claws extended to strike. But this time, Meng Lin was ready. With a swift motion, she slashed the blade through the air, sending a wave of elemental energy hurtling toward the creature.

The energy collided with the beast's claw causing a deafening explosion that reverberated through the ground. The force of the blast sent shockwaves through the surrounding rocks, violently shaking the ground within several meters beneath Meng Lin's feet.

Roar!!!

The beast lunged from the smoke of the explosion, its body slightly scorched.

Meng Lin held her breath as the beast emerged from the smoke, its fury palpable. Despite the Celestial-Thunder Blade's power, it was clear this ancient creature would not be easily defeated. 

The slight scorching on its scales only seemed to enrage it further, its golden eyes narrowing as it locked onto Meng Lin with a fierce determination.

The ground trembled as the beast lunged again, its massive form casting mirages as it flew toward Meng Lin. She tightened her grip on the Celestial-Thunder Blade, her mind racing for a strategy.

Drawing on her Elemental Qi Convergence Method, she willed the surrounding elemental qi to coalesce around her. The air crackled with intensity as the Elemental qi of fire, erosion, and darkness converged, forming a volatile mix. With a sharp exhale, Meng Lin directed the combined elemental qi toward the blade, infusing it with an intense, crackling energy.

The beast, sensing the energy shift, hesitated for a brief moment as it finally felt danger, but it was too late. Meng Lin slashed the blade downward, releasing a burst of elemental power that erupted in a brilliant flash of darkness. The ground shook violently as the energy wave collided with the beast, engulfing it in a swirling vortex of pure darkness.

For a brief moment, everything seemed to pause. The world around Meng Lin stilled as she looked at the result; it had just crossed her mind to utilize only the most destructive elements for her attacks, and her power output increased exponentially, although her darkness qi seemed to hold much of the power within the attack.

Suddenly, with a deafening roar, the swirling vortex of darkness exploded, sending shards of rock and debris flying in all directions.

Meng Lin was thrown back by the force of the explosion, her body skidding across the rough terrain. She winced as she felt the sharp sting of cuts and bruises forming on her skin, but she quickly pushed herself back to her feet, her eyes searching through the smoke and debris.

The dust began to settle, revealing the form of the beast, now struggling to rise. Its once-imposing figure was more battered, its scales charred more with small cracks forming in its frame.

‘it took a lot more damage…’

Meng Lin’s mind raced as she considered her options. The offensive elemental qi attack had worked, but the beast's resilience was beyond anything she had faced before. There was no guarantee that the beast would allow another attack like that to hit it.

Meng Lin didn't let her thoughts run too much as she slashed out with another sword strike of the three offensive elemental qi, with another swirling vortex of darkness heading towards to beast.

Suddenly, the earth split open beneath the beast, and from the cracks, massive tendrils of golden energy surged forth, wrapping around the creature’s body like a protective cocoon. 

The swirling vortex of darkness struck the golden cocoon, and rather than an explosion, Meng Lin saw the golden tendrils of energy absorbing the swirling darkness effortlessly.

"What!" Meng Lin gasped in disbelief as her swirling vortex of darkness was absorbed by the golden tendrils. The golden cocoon seemed to glow even brighter before shattering to reveal the beast within.

The beast’s scales, once scorched and cracked from the previous battle, now shimmered with renewed vitality. Its form was unblemished, its golden eyes more intense and burning with a fierce cruelty. 

Meng Lin’s breath caught in her throat as she took in the sight. The realization hit, the beast’s defensive mechanism had not only shielded it but had also restored its health. 

Realizing her previous strategies were ineffective, Meng Lin felt a surge of frustration. Her mind raced through possible solutions as she prepared for another attack, understanding that any hesitation could be fatal.

ROAR!!! 

Suddenly, the beast began to undergo a change as massive amounts of Earth and Gold Elemental Qi surrounded its body; the Elemental Qi became corporal and folded around its armored body, slowly turning into a new layer of spiky  Golden Armor. 

Rumble!!, the beast took a step and Meng Lin raised her blade, about to strike. Suddenly a chill ran through her spine as the beast became a blur in her sight, disappearing the next moment, Meng Lin's eyes widened as she wasted no time, Armor began to appear on her body while she tried to locate the beast's location.

Peng!!!

Before Meng Lin could react, she heard a massive noise as her left side was hit by a massive force that sent her flying across the grbitd, opening up a ravine as blood flew in the air while she continued tumbling across the rough terrain.

She came to a stop at a small pond and pain radiated from her left side where the beast's attack had struck with overwhelming force. 

As she tried to move, she looked and realized that her left arm and waist had been shredded into mangled flesh by the beast's attack. 

Both her Armor and the Immortal Lotus Robe, which had protected her from countless dangers, were useless against a single attack from the beast.

Struggling to her feet, Meng Lin's breath came in ragged gasps of pain as blood dripped from the slashed edges of her robe, and she could feel her strength rapidly draining.

Realizing how outmatched she was Meng Lin quickly took out a small golden talisman.

With trembling hands, she activated it. A warm, golden light enveloped her, seeping into her torn flesh and mending the grievous injuries. The pain gradually eased as the talisman’s energy worked to restore her damaged body.

Quickly, her wounds began to heal and she wiped the sweat and blood from her brow, her mind racing with strategies to deal with the beast. Despite the healing effect of the talisman, she knew she couldn’t afford another direct hit with the creature in its current state.

Roar!

The beast's roar reverberated through the air, signaling its approach. Meng Lin's heart pounded in her chest, and her mind flashed back to the small, dense sphere of Brute Qi within her dantian, and she gritted her teeth.

The beast disappeared once more however Meng Lin instead scanned her surroundings, desperately searching for something or someone, she didn't want to use her Brute Qi however she saw no other ways of defeating this beast.

With a deep sigh, Meng Lin focused inward, drawing upon the raw, untamed power of the Brute Qi. She felt it pulse with intensity as it rushed to cover her body.

Thump!!

The air around her crackled with the force of the Brute Qi as it began to emanate from her body, creating a violent, pulsating aura that twisted the very wind around her. She could feel the power surging through her spiritual veins, heightening her senses and amplifying her strength to an almost unbearable degree.

Her eyes turned to her left where the beast, which had been too fast before, became clear in her eyes, its massive claws were raised as it swung across her body, its claws radiating a strange blue light.

Meng Lin felt strangely calm as everything appeared to be moving slower, and her thoughts moved fast. She gripped the Celestial-Thunder Blade tightly, and with a slow motion, she slashed at the approaching claw, the top-grade weapon channeling the raw, untamed power of brute qi.

The Celestial-Thunder Blade, infused with potent energy, cleaved through the air. As the blade met the beast’s claws, rather than an intense clash of power, the blade shimmered red as it slipped through the beast's claws, causing blood to spurt out.

Roar! 

The beast reeled back from the loss of its claw and the ground opened up underneath it as golden tendrils emerged, wrapping around the beast's body in an attempt to protect it. The tendrils glowed fiercely, trying to regenerate the beast’s damaged claws and armor. 

Meng Lin's heart was still calm as she saw the beast’s claw re-forming, the golden tendrils working rapidly to heal its injuries. With no time to lose, she drew back her sword and thrust forward, uttering under her breath.

"Heaven’s Punishment". The blade glowed fiercely as it stuck through the air, directed straight at the golden cacoon.

Meng Lin’s Celestial-Thunder Blade surged with overwhelming energy as she executed the Heaven’s Punishment attack. The blade, now imbued with the raw, untamed power of the Brute Qi, cut through the air, leaving a trail of crackling energy.

The golden tendrils surrounding the beast’s body seemed to shimmer and pulse, trying to resist the incoming attack. But the sheer force and intensity of Meng Lin's attack bypassed the golden cacoon and slammed directly into the beast.

Roar!

The beast’s roar turned into a pained bellow as the energy from the Heaven’s Punishment struck true, creating a massive, gaping hole in its side. The impact of the attack caused the golden tendrils to shatter, and the beast staggered, its mighty form faltering before slowly falling.

Meng Lin, despite her fatigue and injuries, stood with a mix of relief and apprehension. Her breath was calm despite the battle.

However, her body trembled all over; she was utilizing movement too fast for her body, and it strained her muscles quite a bit. The Brute Qi within her was still pulsing, and she could feel its chaotic power.

The Celestial-Thunder Blade, now dimmed and drained, hung heavy in her grasp, its structure holding difficult against the Brute Qi.

She approached the fallen beast cautiously, her senses still on high alert. The environment was eerily quiet, with only the distant sound of slowing water from the pond close by.

Meng Lin looked around, expecting something else to happen; however, to her surprise, the surroundings stayed the same while she began to question her intuition.

After about 10 minutes of nothing happening, Meng Lin let out a sigh of relief and took a moment to catch her breath and assess her condition. 

As she retracted her Brute Qi, she failed to notice a pair of eyes watching her just a couple of miles away from the battlefield.