23: Dirty sewers and secret plots, strange fire burning souls

Protector Wu’s cold, greedy declaration was like a tangible ice pick, fiercely piercing through the layers of bricks and soil of the Imperial Capital, directly striking the filthy corner where Lin Chen was hiding. The brand on his wrist suddenly became scalding hot, the burning pain reaching deep into his Soul, as if an invisible chain was nakedly marking his position on the terrifying entity’s perception map.

“Ugh!” Lin Chen grunted, the intense pain causing his recently stabilized Qi to fluctuate violently again. He forcefully suppressed his churning blood and Qi, struggling to stand, every inch of his bones groaning under the unbearable burden.

“Lin Chen! Is that you?!”

A mix of shock and anger exploded at the narrow entrance of the side canal. Xiao Yan’s figure broke through the obstruction of the sewage, his xuan heavy ruler held diagonally, the Green Lotus Core Flame flickering restlessly on its body, illuminating the incredulous solemnity on his young face. His gaze was like a tangible blade, fixed firmly on Lin Chen, and constantly sweeping towards the layer of earth above, which seemed as if it could collapse at any moment, sensing the suffocating aura of death that enveloped the entire city.

“That Breakthrough aura just now… and this ghostly thing in the sky… did you attract it?!” Xiao Yan’s voice carried a hint of imperceptible urgency. With Yao Chen in deep slumber, he faced this sudden, catastrophic disaster alone, alongside this mysterious and trouble-making “ally,” his nerves already stretched to their limit. The xuan heavy ruler lifted slightly, its tip’s green flame locking onto Lin Chen’s vital points, a cold killing intent and heavy suspicion silently colliding in the murky air.

Lin Chen forcibly suppressed the dual agony from inside and out, raising his face. The interweaving dark red, dark purple, and ethereal blue light in the depths of his pupils had not fully subsided, a mix of exhaustion and ferocity coexisting as he met Xiao Yan’s flame-burning eyes. He tugged at the corner of his mouth, his voice hoarse like sandpaper rubbing: “Is it meaningful to dwell on this now, Xiao Yan?”

He abruptly raised his left wrist, exposing the dark red brand to the flickering light of the Green Lotus Core Flame. The purplish-black venomous patterns on the brand subtly writhed like living things, their color so deep it was almost dripping blood. A faint but exceptionally clear, cold sense of connection, originating from the same source of energy, continuously emanated through the brand.

“A Dou Master of the Hall of Souls, his true body has descended.” Lin Chen’s voice was low and urgent, every word striking Xiao Yan’s taut nerves. “His target is me, and even more so… the thing inside me that belongs to him!” His gaze was as sharp as an eagle’s, catching the fleeting hint of apprehension in Xiao Yan’s eyes. “The Hall of Souls ‘scent’ on you… Heh, it seems they are quite interested in your ‘teacher’ too!”

Xiao Yan’s fingers, gripping the xuan heavy ruler, suddenly tightened, his knuckles turning white. Lin Chen’s words were like poisonous thorns, accurately piercing his deepest secrets and worries. Yao Chen’s existence, the Hall of Souls’s covetousness—this was the Sword of Damocles hanging over his head! And this Lin Chen, how could he perceive it so clearly?

“What are you trying to say?” Xiao Yan’s voice was as hard as iron, but the green flame on the xuan heavy ruler subtly reined in some of its sharpness.

“A trade!” Lin Chen declared decisively, speaking rapidly. “I can sense him! Through this brand!” He shook his wrist, the burning pain now his only bargaining chip. “This brand was originally meant for tracking and taking lives, but now… after devouring a portion of his Origin, it has become my eyes! I can vaguely sense the direction and intensity changes of his will’s lock one step ahead!”

He met Xiao Yan’s scrutinizing gaze without flinching: “The sewer System of the Jia Ma Imperial Capital is extensive and complex like a labyrinth! This is our only way out! You clear the way, with your Heavenly Flame! Burn away the Hall of Souls’s filthy energy that blocks us, tear open any possible barriers! I’ll guide the way, avoiding the most direct crushing force of his will! We work together to break out of the Imperial Capital! Otherwise, once he completely locks onto this area, you and I… and your slumbering teacher, will all be buried with him!”

Lin Chen’s words coiled around Xiao Yan like venomous snakes. The terrifying pressure of the Hall of Souls’s Dou Master was like a tangible boulder pressing down from above; every second of delay was a fatal luxury. Lin Chen’s strange perceptive ability became the only possible guiding light in the darkness. And the worry for his teacher Yao Chen struck Xiao Yan’s softest and most inviolable weakness. The flickering green flame on the xuan heavy ruler reflected Xiao Yan’s intensely struggling eyes.

“Boom—!”

Another dull roar came from the earth above, as if a Vicious Beast’s paw had landed! The entire sewer shook violently, the filthy water surging and churning, large chunks of rubble and mud falling down. A cold, viscous, and maliciously pulling torrent of will, like invisible tentacles, penetrated the thick rock layers and swept down fiercely! Wherever it passed, the sewage froze, the stone walls were covered with a layer of pale white frost, and countless hidden rats instantly stiffened, their Souls forcibly extracted, transforming into specks of phosphorescent light that were sucked upwards!

“Ugh ah!” Lin Chen bore the brunt, as if struck in the chest by a heavy hammer, spitting out a mouthful of dark purple blood mist. The brand on his wrist burned to the point of tearing, his Soul feeling as if it was being ripped into pieces and dragged out of his body! But the ethereal blue light in his eyes suddenly blazed, locking firmly onto the direction from which the torrent of will swept, and he roared hoarsely: “Left! Third fork! Hurry!”

At the critical moment of life and death, the last trace of hesitation in Xiao Yan’s eyes was completely crushed! He let out a fierce roar, pouring his Dou Qi into the xuan heavy ruler without reservation!

“Chii—!”

The Green Lotus Core Flame surged explosively! No longer just flickering flames on the ruler’s body, but transforming into an incomparably condensed pillar of green fire, like a roaring subterranean Dragon, carrying terrifying high temperatures that could incinerate all directions, it fiercely blasted towards the left fork Lin Chen indicated! Wherever the green flames passed, the chilling, deathly energy permeating the air shrieked like it had met its nemesis, instantly being incinerated and purified! The frozen sewage hissed, emitting large plumes of foul-smelling white smoke, and even the hard stone walls were scorched red and cracked under the terrifying high temperature!

“Go!” Xiao Yan shouted, his figure, with the green fire clearing the way, was the first to rush into the thoroughly incinerated fork. Lin Chen endured the intense pain and weakness, pushing his Shadow Erosion Dou Qi to its limit, transforming into a blurry black shadow, following closely behind. With every step, he left behind a corroded, sunken footprint. As he sped along, he immersed all his attention into the brand on his left wrist. The brand was like an alarm bell constantly struck by immense force, each vibration transmitting changes in the direction of Protector Wu’s will lock from above.

“Turn right! Go straight for fifty meters! There’s a residual Soul Power trap, be careful!” Lin Chen’s voice rapidly transmitted through the murky passage, guiding the direction. Xiao Yan did not hesitate, sweeping the xuan heavy ruler, and the Green Lotus Core Flame surged out, completely incinerating an area ahead that was filled with gray-black mist, with faint, distorted ghost faces appearing, turning it into nothingness!

Fleeing! Desperately fleeing through the vast and dark intestines of the Imperial Capital! The green Heavenly Flame was the only sharp blade tearing through the darkness; each burst briefly opened a path to survival, but with each burst, Xiao Yan’s Qi also weakened a bit, and fine beads of sweat seeped from his forehead. With Yao Chen in slumber, forcefully activating the Heavenly Flame placed an immense burden on him.

Meanwhile, Lin Chen, while desperately sensing the cold will fluctuations from the brand, quietly operated the devouring instinct of his Shadow Erosion Dou Qi to its extreme. Every time the Green Lotus Core Flame incinerated Protector Wu’s residual Soul Power traps or chilling energy, extremely faint, almost dissipated Soul energy fragments, scorched by the Heavenly Flame and rendered inactive, would escape into the air. These fragments were negligible to Protector Wu’s main body, like dust, but for Lin Chen, who had just devoured a portion of Protector Wu’s Origin and whose Shadow Erosion Dou Qi was extremely “hungry,” they were an unexpected nourishment!

His body was like an invisible vortex, fully opening at the moment Xiao Yan unleashed his Heavenly Flame to purify the obstacles ahead! The Shadow Erosion Dou Qi greedily captured and devoured those scattered, “disinfected” Soul energy fragments. Threads of cold, pure Soul Power integrated into his Meridians, like trickling streams flowing into a dry riverbed, rapidly nourishing his heavily injured body and empty Qi cyclone.

Shearing the sheep’s wool! Under the deadly pursuit of the Hall of Souls’s Dou Master, and with Xiao Yan paving the way with all his might, Lin Chen, treading on thin ice, was plucking insignificant but crucial Soul fragments!

With each devour, the cracks that had just healed on his body would split open slightly, seeping out dark red blood beads. That was the price of his body forcibly accepting foreign energy. But his eyes grew brighter and brighter. The thirty-five drops of liquid Dou Qi in his Dantian, nourished by these Soul fragments, rotated more steadily and powerfully, and the annihilation Concept at its core seemed to condense slightly.

“Forward! Left turn!” Lin Chen low-growled again, his voice carrying a hint of imperceptible urgency. In his imprint perception, Protector Wu’s cold and vast will, like a giant millstone, began consciously, slowly, and firmly to grind towards the core node of this area! And the aura coming from that node’s direction… cold, filthy, with a nauseating sense of order, was precisely where he vaguely sensed one of the Hall of Souls’s small sub-halls or energy nodes located beneath the Imperial Capital!

“There! The end of the underground river!” Lin Chen suddenly pointed to an arched entrance ahead in the passage, filled with dense gray mist, where black runes faintly flowed on the stone walls. The entrance emitted a chilling fluctuation far more unsettling than ordinary Soul Power traps. “It’s a Hall of Souls stronghold! The energy is strong, but… it’s also a fulcrum for his power projection! Break it, and it can temporarily interfere with his lock on this area! At least it can buy us a few breaths of time!”

Xiao Yan’s pupils sharply contracted. The gray mist emanating from the archway entrance writhed like a living thing, exuding a strong aura of Soul erosion and spatial confinement. The black runes flowing on the stone walls were even more complex and profound, imbued with an indestructible quality. This was by no means an ordinary trap!

“Are you sure?!” Xiao Yan demanded sharply, his Dou Qi nearly half depleted, and the might of the Green Lotus Core Flame also significantly dimmed. Forcibly attacking such a stronghold carried immense risk!

“The imprint perception… cannot be wrong! This is the only chance!” Lin Chen’s voice was decisive, his eyes fixed on the archway. Shadow Erosion Dou Qi roared silently within him, greedily craving the purer Hall of Souls Origin energy that might exist behind the archway! He needed more “nourishment” to recover, to cope with the desperate escape that was to come! Beyond the archway was the “Treasure Trove” he had predicted, where risk and opportunity coexisted!

The pressure from above suddenly intensified, as if the sky was collapsing! Protector Wu’s cold and tyrannical will, like tangible shackles, began to shrink frantically, firmly locking onto their area! Huge cracks appeared in the ceiling of the sewer, and cold black energy poured down like a waterfall. Wherever it passed, all matter was frozen and decayed!

No time to hesitate!

“Damn it! All or nothing!” A hint of resolute ruthlessness flashed in Xiao Yan’s eyes! He abruptly stopped, gripping the xuan heavy ruler tightly with both hands, raising it high! The remaining Dou Qi in his body was poured in without reservation! The light of the Green Lotus Core Flame instantly dimmed to the extreme, as if all its essence was forcibly compressed and extracted!

A violent, destructive, and terrifying high temperature, far exceeding any previous instance, suddenly condensed on the ruler! The air around the ruler body violently twisted, groaning under the unbearable strain! This was not a complete Buddha’s Fury Fire Lotus, but merely a remnant Fire Lotus that Xiao Yan, after Yao Chen’s slumber, had barely managed to imitate its Concept and forcibly condensed from the Origin of the Heavenly Flame! A pale green Fire Lotus phantom, only palm-sized but condensed to the extreme, with destructive electric arcs flickering at its edges, painstakingly formed at the tip of the xuan heavy ruler!

“Break… for me!!!”

Xiao Yan’s veins bulged on his forehead, his face contorted from overexertion, and he let out a hysterical roar! He used all his strength to hurl the xuan heavy ruler, along with that extremely unstable remnant Fire Lotus, fiercely towards the arching gate where runes flowed!

The remnant Fire Lotus streaked through the foul air, leaving a scorched, vacuum-like trail in its wake, causing space itself to tremble slightly! The next instant—

Boom!!!!!!!

A deafening explosion echoed throughout the entire underground world! Destructive pale green fire waves, like a blooming Hell Red Lotus, instantly engulfed the arched gate! The seemingly indestructible gray mist barrier and black runes on the periphery of the Hall of Souls stronghold, under the impact of the Heavenly Flame containing a trace of Buddha’s Fury true meaning, shrieked piercingly like ice and snow meeting their nemesis, violently fluctuating, twisting, and then… shattering with a bang!

A huge gap was forcibly blasted open! Violent flame energy and the chilling Soul Power forcibly detonated within the stronghold fiercely clashed and annihilated each other! Chaotic energy currents, like a breached flood, swept through the entire passage!

At the very moment this energy annihilation storm erupted, the source core fragment, which had been dormant deep within Lin Chen’s Dantian, suddenly emitted a silent hum that was enough to shake the Soul! A cold and greedy desire to devour, originating from ancient times, like a sleeping Vicious Beast awakened by the scent of blood from its own kind, surged forth!

Lin Chen’s eyes were instantly swallowed by pure darkness! His Shadow Erosion Dou Qi operated on its own with unprecedented ferocity! He was no longer a passive energy absorber but had transformed into a terrifying source of devouring!

“Now is the time!” Lin Chen roared in his heart, using the cover of the explosion’s shockwave, he rushed towards the core of the energy annihilation storm—the gap blasted open in the archway—not retreating but advancing, like a ghost pouncing on its prey!

Inside the gap was not the anticipated stone chamber, but a twisted, shattered dark space! Countless pure but violently uncontrolled Hall of Souls Origin energy, like shattered black crystals, mixed with refined Soul Power fragments scorched by the remnant flames of the Buddha’s Fury Fire Lotus, were transforming into dense purple-black light streams, wildly darting and dissipating in the shattered space!

These energies were hundreds of times purer than the remnants he had devoured during his escape! This was the Hall of Souls stronghold’s accumulated Origin reserves of many years, a masterless Treasure Trove released by Xiao Yan’s forceful blow!

“Devour… for me!!!”

Lin Chen spread his arms, and the invisible vortex formed by Shadow Erosion Dou Qi instantly expanded to its limit! His entire being seemed to transform into a bottomless black hole, recklessly and frantically devouring the dissipating pure Soul Power light streams!

“Ugh ah ah—!” Excruciating pain instantly engulfed him! Massive, violent, pure Soul Power surged in, far exceeding the tolerance limit of his Meridians! Countless blood wounds instantly burst open on his body, and dark purple blood spurted out! But the source core fragment in his Dantian was trembling and cheering madly! Greedily guiding these high-level energies of the same Origin, it brutally scoured and tempered his Meridians, bones, and Qi cyclone!

The thirty-five drops of liquid Dou Qi rapidly expanded, rotated, and split as if they had consumed a powerful tonic! Thirty-six drops! Thirty-seven drops! His aura climbed at a terrifying speed, pressing directly against the threshold of a Three-star Dou Master! Furthermore, a cold and condensed Soul Power was forcibly refined and absorbed, nourishing his injured Soul. The burning sensation of the Hall of Souls imprint on his wrist strangely weakened a trace amidst this violent devouring!

“Lin Chen! You—!” Behind him, Xiao Yan, who had just unleashed the remnant Fire Lotus and was weakly gasping for breath, suddenly saw Lin Chen’s almost suicidal frenzy, and his pupils sharply contracted! He clearly felt the pure Soul Power escaping from the gap being devoured by Lin Chen like a whale! A surge of exploited anger and an indescribable chill instantly flooded his heart!

However, just as Xiao Yan’s cry of shock and anger had left his mouth—

“Ant! How dare you destroy my sub-Origin core?!!!”

A roar far more furious and terrifying than before, like a primordial demon god whose inverse scale had been touched, carrying a monstrous killing intent to destroy everything, exploded directly in the deepest part of everyone’s Soul in the entire underground space!

The ground of the entire Imperial Capital violently arched upwards! Like a giant beast turning over!

In the center of the dark energy vortex covering the sky above the Imperial Capital, a colossal ghostly claw, entirely condensed from viscous black mist and countless suffering, wailing Souls, tore through space. Carrying an extreme chill that froze Souls and a terrifying power that crushed all things, it pressed down fiercely towards the underground area where Lin Chen and Xiao Yan were located!

The ghostly claw had not yet arrived, but the absolute pressure had already descended! Lin Chen’s frantic devouring motion suddenly stiffened, as if he was crushed by an invisible mountain weighing billions of tons! The surging power within him instantly froze, and his Meridians emitted a wail of impending collapse!

An absolute kill! A true absolute kill had arrived! The wrath of the Hall of Souls Battle Sect was about to completely erase these two audacious ants, along with this filthy place, from the world!