The battle continued without a moment of rest.

Palm strikes collided with the translucent blade again and again. Every collision sent violent shockwaves through the isolated domain.

To be honest, Aksai’s choice to fight bare handed was not a very smart move. He also understood it very well. But he had no choice.

Without a suitable weapon that could help him stand on equal terms against Kalina, he preferred fighting using the palm strikes that offered contactless strikes for the majority of times.

Even though it felt like Kalina held the advantage because of wielding a talisman-powered ethereal blade, most of the strikes couldn’t breach Aksai’s defences. And those that did, didn’t manage to cut deep.

The thick vines trembled violently. Some snapped apart while others quickly regrew under Aksai’s control. For the most part, he had let Nuri regulate these vines so that he could concentrate on the battle.

Kalina’s white blade continued slicing through everything in its path. Another cut opened across Aksai’s chest.

Rip!

Blood splashed onto the ground. Before the wound could stop bleeding, another slash landed across his back.

Guardian’s Qi weakened further. The golden layer covering his body flickered repeatedly. It had started dimming, losing its shiny luster. Even so, it still managed to absorb part of every strike before finally breaking apart.

Aksai’s breathing had become much heavier. His robe was already dyed red. Fresh blood dripped from both of his palms.

Several bones inside his left forearm had already developed tiny cracks after repeatedly blocking the talisman blade. The sharp attacks and blunt force trauma faced by his body was unlike he ever experienced before.

His shoulder muscles twitched from exhaustion.

Yet, his eyes remained calm. Not once did he ever think of quitting. Not once did his rhythm become chaotic.

Kalina was also breathing harder now. Her chest rose and fell noticeably. Her forehead had become covered with tiny beads of sweat.

At first, she ignored them. Then she noticed something else.

The poisonous mist had become much denser.

Earlier, it had only floated around the battlefield.

Now...

It had almost filled the entire barrier.

The white poisonous fog drifted everywhere. Visibility dropped rapidly. The vines could barely be seen several meters away. It was as though someone had lowered a thick white curtain around the entire battlefield.

Kalina immediately spread her Spirit Sense. The poison fog swallowed almost everything.

Her Spirit Sense, which normally extended hundreds of meters without difficulty, was now restricted to only a tiny area around her body.

Even that range continued shrinking.

Her face darkened.

This poison... it had become much stronger than before. It was no longer merely affecting her surroundings. It had begun affecting her directly.

Every breath she took carried traces of poison into her body. Even though her late-stage cultivation continuously resisted it, the poison slowly accumulated.

She suddenly felt her breathing become heavier. Her chest tightened slightly. The circulation of Spirit Essence inside her meridians became less smooth.

It was only a tiny delay. Ordinarily, she would never notice it. However, inside a close-range battle, it became fatal.

Her movements slowed ever so slightly. The dizziness became more obvious. Her vision occasionally blurred for an instant before returning to normal.

Even her eyes had begun turning slightly bloodshot. A faint greenish tint slowly appeared across her pale complexion.

"This fuc*king poison..."

she muttered through clenched teeth.

Meanwhile...

Aksai’s movements became even bolder.

The thicker the poisonous fog became, the more dangerous he became. The Spirit Veil Pill continued hiding his presence.

Combined with the dense poison mist and the barrier’s suppression of Spirit Sense, he almost disappeared completely.

One moment, he stood directly before Kalina. The next, he vanished into the white fog.

Kalina immediately swung her talisman blade.

Nothing.

Only poisonous mist scattered apart.

Before she could regain her balance—

Bang!

A heavy palm slammed into her ribs from behind. She staggered several steps forward.

"Agh!"

She immediately turned.

Nobody.

Only white fog.

The vines quietly swayed around her. Her heart began beating faster.

Where...

Where was he?

Before she could search—

Boom!

Another palm landed across her back.

Guardian’s Qi no longer covered Aksai. Instead, only his palms shone with concentrated golden Qi.

Every strike landed before disappearing once again into the mist. He no longer remained in one place.

He attacked.

Retreated.

Disappeared.

Circled around.

Then attacked again.

Kalina swung the white blade continuously. Its sharp edge cut apart countless vines. It dispersed portions of the poisonous fog.

Several times it even struck Aksai directly. Fresh wounds immediately opened across his body. Blood continued pouring out.

However, the more she wounded him, the more relentless he became.

It felt as though he had completely ignored pain. And rightly so, because he had disabled majority of his pain receptors using Nuri’s help to concentrate on the battle.

Kalina could no longer understand him.

Was he trying to kill her or himself?

Another wave of dizziness struck her. Her breathing became rough. Spirit Essence no longer flowed through her Spirit meridians as smoothly as before. Even the talisman blade felt slightly heavier in her hand.

A terrifying realization slowly formed inside her mind.

If this continued, she might actually die here.

Perhaps she could still kill Aksai. He had already suffered horrifying injuries.

But... she herself might not survive afterward.

And even if she somehow survived, she would be crippled for a very long time.

Recovering from such injuries would take months. Perhaps years.

Her cultivation would stagnate. Her enemies inside her faction would seize the opportunity. Those outside her faction would not hesitate either.

Everything she had built over decades could collapse because of this single battle.

This.... This was unacceptable. A fierce light flashed inside her eyes.

’No... I refuse.’

Without another moment of hesitation, Kalina bit the tip of her tongue.

A mouthful of blood entered her mouth. She immediately swallowed it while forming a strange hand seal.

Her Spirit Essence suddenly surged violently.

Deep inside her body, a tiny drop of crimson Essence Blood ignited.

Swoosh. Zoom. Scatter.

A powerful crimson aura burst from her body, driving away the poison mist surrounding her. Her heartbeat instantly accelerated. Her blood rushed through every vein.

The sluggish feeling disappeared almost immediately.