Victor Jin's slash carried the peak power of a late-stage Core Formation cultivator, cleaving toward me with a force that could shatter heaven and earth. I could feel it clearly — the terrifying energy within that blade aura, enough to rend space itself, as though the very air had been split in two by that single stroke.

Clang!

The Battletide Blade crashed against Victor Jin's bone saber with a deafening boom. An unimaginable force surged through the blade and into my arms — searing pain exploded through my bones in an instant, as if they were about to be shattered to dust. My entire body was sent flying like a kite with a snapped string, tumbling dozens of times through the air before slamming hard into the ground.

Pfft.

I couldn't hold back a mouthful of fresh blood. My organs felt like they'd been knocked out of place, and every bone in my body seemed to have come loose — each tiny movement sent white-hot agony drilling through me.

"Ha ha ha!" Victor Jin saw that I was wounded and burst into wild laughter, madness blazing in his eyes. "The more you struggle, the more excited I get! Come on — show me everything you've got!"

I fought to drag myself off the ground, wiped the blood from the corner of my mouth, and stared at Victor Jin's insufferable, swaggering figure. Fury and indignation surged through my chest. I knew — in my current state, I was no match for him at all.

System, do something! I cried out in my mind, desperate.

Ding! Host's vital signs detected to be dropping sharply. Recommend immediate consumption of a Blood Restoration Pill and a Spirit Restoration Pill! The system's voice rang out inside my head.

Without a moment's hesitation, I reached into my Qiankun Pouch and pulled out a Blood Restoration Pill and a Spirit Restoration Pill, shoving them both into my mouth at once. The pills dissolved the instant they touched my tongue, and a wave of warm energy surged through my entire body. My injured meridians and organs were immediately soothed, and the spiritual energy I had lost began to recover at a rapid pace.

"Victor Jin — don't celebrate too soon!" I glared at him with fury. "Today, even if it costs me my life, I will fight you to the very end!"

The moment those words left my mouth, I reached into my robes and pulled out every single Thunder Blast Talisman I had. Each of those talismans was equivalent to an early-stage Core Formation cultivator's full-powered strike — their destructive force was immense. More than enough to give Victor Jin a real taste of pain.

"Go!"

I swept both hands forward and hurled every last talisman straight at Victor Jin.

BOOM — BOOM — BOOM — BOOM —

A rapid-fire series of earth-shaking explosions erupted. Purple lightning swallowed Victor Jin whole in a single blinding instant. The tremendous force of the blasts made his silhouette flicker in and out of the crackling radiance, and his protective barrier of Gang Qi shuddered violently under the assault of the Thunder Blast Talismans, letting out a sharp, hissing crackle.

While Victor Jin was pinned down by the talismans, I pushed hard to regulate my condition and steady my breathing.

"Ethan Lu — you're courting death!"

Victor Jin burst out from the lightning in tatters. His robes were in shreds, and the black scales of his armor had been blasted to a gory, bloody mess — the wounds exposed beneath them were grotesque and savage. Though a flicker of dishevelment crossed his face, the killing intent in his eyes only burned hotter.

"Did you really think these little toys could stop me? Pure fantasy!"

He raised his bone saber again and came hacking down at me. This blow was even more ferocious than the last — wherever the blade aura passed, thin fractures split open in the fabric of space itself.

I knew I couldn't keep taking hits like this. If I didn't bring out everything I truly had, I might genuinely be leaving my life here today.

System — I'm going to forcibly fuse all three meteorite fragments! I made the bold decision in my mind.

Warning! Fusing three meteorite fragments is an extremely dangerous process. There is a significant possibility that the host's meridians will be severed entirely, or that the host's soul will be utterly destroyed!

I don't give a damn anymore.

I had no way out. Only by temporarily fusing all three meteorite fragments did I have even the slimmest thread of a chance at survival.

End of Chapter 81: A Desperate Gamble