Reinforcements? Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid

The lethal point of white light at Mercenary Tao's fingertip condensed once more, the cold, bone-chilling aura of death completely enveloping Lin Fan as he lay in the ruins, his consciousness fading.

He could even feel the faint, stinging burn radiating from that destructive energy.

Is this the end...

Just at this critical juncture—

"You bastard! Get away from him!!"

A scream, laced with tears yet filled with extraordinary rage, erupted from the mouth of the alley!

Immediately following, a massive behemoth came charging in with a thunderous roar!

It was a large, multi-functional Engineering Robot, yellow and black, three stories tall and typically used on construction sites!

Bulma was sitting in the crude cockpit, her small face deathly pale, tears swirling in her eyes, yet her hands gripped the control levers tightly as she slammed the robot's massive metal excavator bucket toward Mercenary Tao!

Clearly, in her desperation, she had simply hijacked one from a nearby construction site and rushed over!

Whoosh—!

The giant bucket swung down with a terrifying, wind-whipping force, but in the eyes of an assassin of Mercenary Tao's caliber, it was as slow as a snail and riddled with openings.

Mercenary Tao didn't even turn his head; he merely flicked his sleeve with a casual backhand.

Bang!!

A dull, thunderous boom!

The massive metal bucket, capable of tearing through rock, struck what felt like an invisible wall of steel and instantly recoiled with even greater speed!

The entire massive Engineering Robot staggered violently, and Bulma let out a shriek in the cockpit, nearly tumbling from her seat!

"Another annoying fly."

Mercenary Tao's cold gaze finally shifted from Lin Fan to glance at the clunky robot, a flicker of undisguised disgust and killing intent flashing in his eyes. "Fine, I'll clear you out as well."

The finger he had originally aimed at Lin Fan shifted slightly, pointing toward the panicked Bulma in the cockpit.

The light of the "Dodon Ray" at his fingertip flared bright once more!

Watching the death beam aimed at her, Bulma closed her eyes in terror, her mind going blank.

Yet, it was this clumsy, death-defying interference from Bulma that bought Lin Fan a window of time—perhaps less than a second, but a crucial one!

The stimulation of intense pain and the proximity of death jolted Lin Fan's fading consciousness back to life!

The instinct to survive overwhelmed everything else!

I cannot die! I absolutely cannot die here!

His gaze swept instantly over his blood-drenched chest, across the wreckage of the totaled sports car nearby, and finally locked onto his waist—where several small Hoi-Poi Capsules were hanging, one of which Bulma had filled with his daily supplies and... medicinal pills!

There's still a chance!

One last desperate gamble!

The records in the Great Dao Source Scripture regarding the perils of Foundation Establishment flashed through his mind—it required a massive surge of energy to breach the barrier; success meant a rebirth, failure meant the meridians would shatter and death would follow!

He had intended to proceed slowly, but now... he had no choice but to seek life within the jaws of death!

Using his last ounce of strength, he ripped off the capsule, pressed it, and emptied everything inside—five or six bottles of the newly mass-produced [Qi Recovery Powder], and... a single, small glass vial containing a viscous liquid that emitted a faint, vibrant green light!

It was the essence he had carefully refined from a Senzu Bean he had obtained by chance (perhaps a souvenir Bulma brought back from Korin Tower? Or perhaps a gift from Goku?).

He had intended to save it as his ultimate trump card, as its life energy far surpassed that of the Qi Recovery Powder!

There was no time to hesitate!

A look of madness flashed in Lin Fan's eyes as he shoved all the Qi Recovery Powder pills, along with the small vial of Senzu Bean essence, into his mouth, chewed them into a mess, and swallowed!

BOOM—!!!

It was as if a bomb had detonated inside his body!

An unimaginably vast amount of energy exploded instantly!

The medicinal power of the Qi Recovery Powder surged like a galloping river, while the immense life energy of the Senzu Bean essence erupted like a tsunami!

The two forces merged, threatening to tear his already severely wounded body apart! His meridians burned with agonizing pain, and his Dantian felt as though it were being scorched by fire!

"Ahhhhh!!!"

Lin Fan couldn't help but let out a pained roar; veins bulged across his body, and his skin turned a deep, crimson red!

This sudden explosion of energy and Lin Fan's strange state caused Mercenary Tao, who was about to deliver the killing blow to Bulma, to pause slightly, a flicker of surprise crossing his cold eyes.

What did this brat swallow? Still struggling even at death's door?

"Now is the time!!"

Lin Fan screamed madly in his heart, enduring the agonizing pain of his body on the verge of collapse. Following the techniques of the Great Dao Source Scripture, he frantically guided the uncontrollable, destructive torrent of energy within him—no longer using it to heal his wounds, but driving it all toward the incredibly sturdy Foundation Establishment barrier!

Success or death!

The massive energy, like an enraged dragon, roared and slammed against the invisible threshold of the realm!

Every collision brought heart-wrenching, agonizing pain, but it also caused that immovable barrier to finally... tremble ever so slightly!

There's a chance!

Bloodshot veins filled Lin Fan's eyes as he frantically drove his energy, launching a final, desperate assault!

Fine beads of blood began to seep from the surface of his body, and blood flowed from his seven orifices. He looked utterly wretched, yet his aura was climbing at an eerie, frantic speed, becoming violent and unstable!

Mercenary Tao, who was preparing to fire a Dodon Ray, finally furrowed his brows.

He clearly sensed that the bug beneath his feet, which should have been drawing its last breath, was surging with an extremely chaotic yet abnormally massive energy reaction!

"A deathbed struggle."

He let out a cold snort, ignoring the Engineering Robot standing nearby that had been scared witless, and aimed his fingertip at Lin Fan once more.

This time, he would completely annihilate this bug along with that strange energy!

However, the very moment he was about to unleash the Dodon Ray—

Hum!!!

A strange, indescribable ripple suddenly expanded from within Lin Fan's body!

It was not a powerful "Qi," but a more primitive, more fundamental... pulsation of life essence!

The violent energy around Lin Fan's body suddenly collapsed inward, as if swallowed by an invisible black hole!

The terrifying puncture wound in his chest began to squirm and heal at a speed visible to the naked eye!

The charred, carbonized tissue fell away, and new granulation tissue grew frantically!

Within his body, that sturdy Foundation Establishment barrier, under the reckless impact of the massive energy provided by the Senzu Bean Essence and Qi Recovery Powder, finally... burst open with a roar!

A True Essence force, far purer and more majestic than that of the Qi Refining Stage and carrying a hint of innate quality, surged through his limbs and bones like a newborn torrent!

Foundation Establishment Stage!

At this life-or-death moment, Lin Fan had forced his way through the breakthrough by relying on popping pills and the Senzu Bean Essence!

He snapped his head up, brilliant light erupting from his eyes! Although he was bathed in blood and in a sorry state, his aura was already completely different!

Mercenary Tao's finger, poised to strike, suddenly froze in mid-air.

He looked at Lin Fan, who seemed reborn, and for the first time, that eternally frozen, indifferent face revealed a true sense of...

Astonishment.