Lightning Tribulation? No, it's a Ki Blast!

Amidst the ruins, Lin Fan stood bathed in blood.

The horrific puncture wound on his chest had already healed, leaving behind only a patch of tender new flesh—a testament to the heart-stopping near-death experience he had just endured.

Within his body, a brand-new power surged like a mighty river: Foundation Establishment True Essence. It was scouring every meridian with unprecedented speed and force, bringing with it an extreme sense of exhilaration, as if he had been reborn.

Power!

A sense of strength dozens of times greater than the Qi Refining stage flooded his entire body!

His five senses had become incredibly sharp; he could even clearly "see" the trajectories of dust motes in the air and "hear" Bulma's rapid heartbeat from the cockpit in the distance.

His divine sense range had skyrocketed, and with a mere shift of his intent, his control over his own energy had reached an entirely new level!

Foundation Establishment stage!

He had finally crossed that threshold!

However, before he could even begin to savor this newfound power, a bone-chilling, intensely concentrated killing intent locked onto him once more.

It was sharper and more dangerous than before!

It was Mercenary Tao!

The shock on the face of the world's number one assassin lasted only for a fleeting moment before being swiftly replaced by an even more intense murderous aura.

He didn't care what strange changes had occurred to Lin Fan, nor did he care how different his aura had become. In his dictionary of slaughter, there were only two options: target alive, or target dead.

The target was still alive, and had even become stronger?

Then he would simply use even greater power to crush him completely!

"No matter what evil arts you've used..."

Mercenary Tao's voice was as cold as ten-thousand-year-old ice. For the first time, the aura he had kept restrained erupted without reservation!

A terrifying pillar of Ki soared into the sky, blasting away the rubble and dust on the ground to form a domain of absolute dominance!

"In the face of absolute power, you are still..."

"An ant!"

He slammed his hands together at his waist, and a massive amount of Ki gathered with unprecedented speed!

The energy was so vast and violent that it caused the surrounding air to twist violently, emitting a heart-palpitating hum!

A blue energy sphere, far larger than any Ki Blast he had used before and so blindingly bright it was impossible to look at directly, rapidly took shape between his palms!

This time, he would not use the concentrated Dodon Ray; he would use a Ki Blast with a wider range and greater destructive power to wipe Lin Fan and this entire area off the face of the earth!

"Die!"

Mercenary Tao roared, thrusting out the massive Ki Blast—which contained enough power to level a small mountain—with all his might!

BOOM—!!!

The blue sphere of destructive energy tore through the air like a roaring comet, carrying the terrifying momentum of crushing everything in its path as it hurtled toward Lin Fan!

Wherever it passed, the ground was easily ripped into deep trenches by the stray energy, and the metal walls on either side melted like wax!

Having just broken through, Lin Fan didn't even have time to stabilize his realm before facing this devastating blow!

The shadow of death loomed once again, but this time, Lin Fan felt none of the despair or helplessness he had felt before!

His Foundation Establishment True Essence circulated on its own, moving at a speed far exceeding that of the Qi Refining stage!

His speed of thought and reaction time skyrocketed along with it!

Facing the world-destroying Ki Blast, a sharp glint flashed in Lin Fan's eyes. Instead of retreating, he took a step forward!

His hands moved rapidly in front of him, and the surging Foundation Establishment True Essence within him poured out like a breached dam. It was no longer the weak True Qi shield of the Qi Refining stage, but something that instantly condensed into a more solid, heavy barrier shimmering with a faint cyan-gold luster—

"True Essence Barrier!"

Hum!

A translucent energy barrier, formed from highly condensed Foundation Establishment True Essence, suddenly appeared!

Mysterious runes flowed faintly across the barrier, radiating an aura of stability, resilience, and endless vitality!

This was not the Ki-based defense of the Dragon Ball World, but a true cultivation technique for personal protection!

The next moment!

Mercenary Tao's full-power Ki Blast, capable of leveling a small mountain, slammed violently into the True Essence Barrier Lin Fan had hastily erected!

BOOM—!!!!!!!

An earth-shattering explosion instantly swallowed everything!

Blinding blue light mixed with cyan-gold radiance flared wildly, and the terrifying energy shockwave spread outward like a tsunami!

The surrounding abandoned pipes and reinforced concrete ruins were easily torn apart, sent flying, and vaporized like toys made of paper!

The large engineering robot piloted by Bulma was tossed away like a leaf in a gale, slamming heavily into a distant wall, and Bulma let out a terrified scream from the cockpit!

At the center of the explosion, light raged and turbulent energy tore at everything!

Lin Fan gritted his teeth, his body trembling violently, and a trickle of blood spilled from the corner of his mouth once again!

The True Essence Barrier was covered in cracks the moment it made contact, the immense impact force piercing through the barrier to strike him with such ferocity that his internal organs felt as if they had been displaced!

Although the Foundation Establishment True Essence of the Foundation Establishment stage had undergone a qualitative change, Mercenary Tao's full-force strike was simply too terrifying!

There remained a massive gap between the energy levels of the two!

The barrier... was not going to hold!

A fierce glint flashed in Lin Fan's eyes as he frantically urged the newly formed Foundation Establishment True Essence within his dantian, pouring it into the barrier without regard for the cost!

Simultaneously, he stomped his foot, using the force of the explosion to propel his body rapidly backward!

Crack... crack...

The cracks on the True Essence Barrier multiplied, and finally, with a groan of unbearable strain, it shattered with a roar!

But!

It had successfully neutralized the core, most violent power of the Ki Blast!

The remaining energy shockwave slammed heavily into Lin Fan's arms, which he had crossed in front of his chest for protection!

Bang!

Lin Fan was sent flying backward again by the blast, a bone-crushing pain radiating from his arms, his blood and qi churning, leaving him in a wretched state.

But he... had held on!

He hadn't been vaporized instantly, nor had he been blown to smithereens!

He crashed heavily onto the ground in the distance, rolling several times before barely coming to a stop, and spat out another mouthful of stagnant blood.

The dust and smoke slowly dissipated.

Mercenary Tao stood where he was, watching Lin Fan in the distance—who, despite being disheveled and spitting blood, was clearly still alive. For the first time, that icy, unchanging face of his displayed an expression of incredulous shock and... a hint of gravity!

His full-power Ki Blast, capable of destroying a small military base... had actually been blocked?!

Blocked by this insect, whose aura had been pitifully weak just a moment ago but had suddenly become somewhat bizarre... blocked head-on by a form of energy defense he had never seen before?!

How was this possible?!

For the first time, Mercenary Tao felt a sliver of doubt regarding his absolute efficiency as a killer.

In the distance, Lin Fan struggled to his feet, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and felt the Foundation Establishment True Essence still surging within his shaken body. Looking at the shocked Mercenary Tao, he grinned, revealing a blood-stained, exhilarating, and icy smile.

"The world's number one killer..."

"Nothing special."

Foundation established, True Essence born.

Though the disparity in strength remained, the roles of... hunter and prey, it seemed...