25: Devouring shadows in the abyss, raging clouds and mist

The deep underground cave returned to dead silence. Lin Chen’s figure had completely merged into the deeper darkness, like a drop of water dissolving into an ink-black sea, leaving no ripple. He did not go far, but followed the most concentrated shadows and the purest Death Qi veins in the cave, silently sneaking behind a massive naturally formed stalactite column. Here, shadows intertwined, and the cold moisture seeping from the rock walls mixed with the unique decaying scent of the underground, forming a perfect hiding place. He sat cross-legged, and his Shadow Erosion Dou Qi circulated on its own, greedily absorbing the endless Shadow power and Dead Silence Qi from the surrounding environment. His entire Aura was restrained and silent, as if he had become part of the stone column, his presence minimized to the extreme.

Just as he had calmed his mind, preparing to further consolidate his rapidly increasing Realm and Soul Power—

“Rumble!!!”

Above ground, in the central area of the Imperial Capital, terrifying energy fluctuations erupted again! This collision was far more violent and chaotic than the previous descent of the ghostly claw! However, Lin Chen’s abnormally sharp Soul perception, enhanced after its rapid increase, penetrated the rock layers and instantly captured an extremely subtle but malicious Soul Power transmission from the core area of the battlefield!

“Protector Wu! The Aura of that ant who stole the Origin has completely vanished! He must have escaped deep underground! Xiao Yan is critically injured and on the verge of death, and Yao Chen’s Soul is within reach! This is the best time to seize his Soul! Do not waste any more energy fighting this old man here!” The voice was none other than Yun Shan! His tone was urgent, carrying a hint of imperceptible anxiety and a commanding tone. Where was the righteous indignation he had shown earlier, scolding the Hall of Souls and acting on behalf of heaven?

“Hehehehe!” Protector Wu’s cold and hoarse Soul transmission followed, full of mockery and greed: “Yun Shan, you are quite impatient! Very well, that thief’s Aura did indeed vanish strangely, so we’ll let him go for now. However, to help you Breakthrough to Dou Zong, and allow your Cloud Mist Sect to dominate the Northwest, what the Hall of Souls seeks…”

“The Tou She Ancient God Jade fragment will certainly be offered! Yao Chen’s Soul is yours!” Yun Shan’s voice was decisive, carrying a hint of ruthless determination, “Act quickly! Delays will lead to complications! Xiao Yan must have a contingency left by Yao Chen!”

Lin Chen’s tightly closed eyes suddenly snapped open, a dark light flashing deep within his pupils, like the eyes of a Vicious Beast preying in the darkness! A cold arc curved at the corner of his mouth: “As expected! Colluding together!” He instantly saw through the truth of the “earth-shattering battle” above—it was merely a grand show staged by Yun Shan and Protector Wu for the countless beings in the Imperial Capital! The purpose was twofold: first, to force the heavily injured Xiao Yan to expose Yao Chen, and second, to use the chaos to eliminate Lin Chen, this unexpected variable!

As far as his Soul vision reached, the scene instantly “changed flavor”:

High in the sky, Protector Wu’s giant ghostly claw, condensed from viscous black mist and wailing Souls, was still terrifying, but its striking trajectory, though seemingly violent, cleverly avoided Yun Shan’s vital points. Each collision with Yun Shan’s vast sea of cloud Dou Qi, though seemingly earth-shattering and energy-splashing, was actually more like a tacit “energy release” between the two, deliberately directing the battlefield’s aftermath downwards towards the Imperial Capital—especially the area where Lin Chen had disappeared earlier! This was to destroy evidence!

Yun Shan’s hair stood on end, and he roared repeatedly: “Hall of Souls demon, die!” The sea of clouds around him surged, and giant light swords moved freely, their Aura astonishing. But deep within his Dou Qi, Lin Chen keenly perceived an unstable Foundation and a cold, obscure foreign energy imprint! This was precisely the fatal flaw left by the Hall of Souls’s secret technique of forcibly infusing Dou Qi and promoting growth prematurely! His vast and profound Dou Zong Aura, in Lin Chen’s eyes at this moment, was like a castle built on quicksand, merely a facade!

The two Battle Emperor Elders, seemingly fighting to the death to protect their master, were actually more like pawns kept in the dark. Most of their attacks were guided by Protector Wu, landing on irrelevant building ruins, fruitlessly consuming their own Dou Qi.

“Wind’s Fury: Meteor Slaughter!” Yun Shan roared again, and the giant cloud-white light sword, with a sharpness that seemed to pierce the sky, fiercely “slashed” towards the ghostly claw. This time, the might of the collision was still terrifying, white light and black radiance violently clashed, and an energy hurricane tore through the earth. But Lin Chen clearly “saw” that at the core of that energy annihilation, Yun Shan and Protector Wu’s Soul Power transmissions were fiercely exchanging words:

Yun Shan: “The ruins below! Xiao Yan is there! His Aura is weak! Yao Chen’s Soul fluctuations have appeared!”

Protector Wu: “Hehe! I sense it! What a pure and vast Soul Origin! Truly worthy of being the Medicine Venerable! Yun Shan, stop those annoying flies! Once I capture Yao Chen, the Ancient Emperor Jade fragment will be yours!”

Boom!!!!

Accompanying the last earth-shattering collision, Yun Shan and Protector Wu, as if “exhausted,” had their Auras plummet simultaneously! Yun Shan’s figure swayed violently in the air, his face “pale,” and “blood” gushed from his mouth (Lin Chen keenly perceived that the Dou Qi contained in that “blood” was extremely thin, more like a disguise). He roared downwards, his voice filled with “grief” and “weakness”: “All Elders, heed my command! Form the Cloud Mist Covering Sun Array to protect the people of the Imperial Capital! This fiend… leave him to me!” His figure swayed, as if he wanted to pounce on Protector Wu again, but appeared “powerless.”

And the two true Battle Emperor Elders had long been “shocked” flying back by the resentful spirit shockwaves deliberately guided by Protector Wu, their Auras weak, making it impossible for them to provide support in a short time.

Protector Wu’s giant ghostly claw was also “slashed” into pieces, black mist churned violently, and his Aura also “plummeted.” He let out a roar filled with “unwillingness” and “malice”: “Yun Shan! And that little bastard with the Heavenly Flame! You ruined my plans and stole my Origin! This enmity is irreconcilable! I will return!” Amidst the roar, the black mist vortex that obscured the sky began to shrink violently, and Protector Wu’s Aura quickly became distant and blurry, as if he was about to flee.

However, beneath this illusion of “retreat”!

At the center of the shrinking black mist vortex, a pitch-black Soul shuttle, condensed to the extreme and almost completely integrated into the shadows, silently tore through space. It carried a Soul-freezing chill and extreme speed, like a venomous snake emerging from its hole, aiming directly at a certain ruin in the Imperial Capital below that had been most severely ravaged by the energy storm! It was where Xiao Yan had fallen! At the tip of the Soul shuttle, a faint glow flickered, emitting a greedy pull towards the Soul Origin! This was Protector Wu’s deadly killing move! Taking advantage of everyone (including the possibly hidden Lin Chen) thinking he was heavily injured and retreating, and their guard was down, he went straight for Yao Chen!

And high in the sky, the “heavily injured and weak” Yun Shan, a cold calculation and anticipation flashed in his eyes! He feigned inability to pursue, but in reality, all his Soul perception was firmly locked onto that Soul shuttle! He was waiting for the moment Protector Wu successfully captured Yao Chen! He was also wary of any possible accidents—such as the vanished “thief”!

In the underground cave, Lin Chen sat under the shadow of the stalactite column, like an ancient statue. His eyes were slightly closed, but the cold arc at the corner of his mouth grew deeper.

“The show… has finally reached its climax,” he murmured in his heart. All the false performances above were completely exposed under his rapidly increasing Soul perception!

Above his head, the thick rock layers seemed to become transparent. In his Soul perception, he clearly “saw” the “dust” of energy, mixed with various violent attributes, raining down like a storm after that last “fierce collision”—

Soul fragments, shattered by Yun Shan’s “sword Aura” and contaminated by Protector Wu’s Death Qi, containing intense unwillingness and disguised malice.

The pure Soul Power embers (bait deliberately released by Protector Wu) that had lost their activity after being “burned” by the Green Lotus Core Flame, but were still pure.

The bone-chilling negative emotional fluctuations that escaped when Protector Wu “roared in fury.”

The Dou Qi residue that escaped after Yun Shan and the Battle Emperor Elders’ Dou Qi erupted, carrying the sharpness and suppressive properties of the cloud attribute, but with a weak Foundation and a hidden Hall of Souls imprint!

The most primal Dead Silence Yin Qi that remained after the “torn” resentful spirits and fierce specters dissipated!

These energy fragments, for the two giants who were “acting,” were merely planned losses, like scattered bait. But for Lin Chen, who was currently in an absolute shadow death zone, his presence reduced to freezing point, and whose Shadow Erosion Dou Qi intensely craved negative energy and Dead Silence Qi, it was the most tempting feast in the darkness! Especially the ethereal Hall of Souls imprint fragments in Yun Shan’s Dou Qi, like a lighthouse in the night, clearly pointing to the “flaws” in the Hall of Souls’s power at its Origin!

“Buzz…”

Deep within his Dantian, the dormant source core fragment, upon sensing the diverse “delicacies” raining down from above, especially upon perceiving the homologous yet impure imprint fragments in Yun Shan’s Dou Qi, emitted a silent yet intense tremor of desire!

Lin Chen’s thoughts stirred, no deliberate activation was needed. In his transcendent state of perfect integration into the shadow environment, the Shadow Erosion Dou Qi seemed to gain a life of its own, like countless invisible, intangible, yet incredibly greedy Shadow Erosion tentacles, silently extending upwards, penetrating the rock crevices!

These Shadow Erosion tentacles precisely captured and entangled those scattered energy fragments! Especially those containing negative emotions, Dead Silence Yin Qi, the Hall of Souls imprint fragments in Yun Shan’s Dou Qi, and the pure Soul Power embers that had been “sterilized” by the Heavenly Flame, were all met with the frantic “welcome” of the Shadow Erosion Dou Qi!

Devouring! A silent feast!

The pure Soul Power embers were stripped of Impurities, transforming into a sweet spring that nourished his Soul and Dou Qi.

The cold negative emotions were crushed and decomposed, converting into fuel that drove the circulation of the Shadow Erosion Dou Qi.

The dense Dead Silence Yin Qi and the death intent within the Soul fragments were greedily absorbed by the Shadow Erosion Dou Qi, strengthening its inherent characteristic of plundering vitality.

Most critically, it was the Hall of Souls imprint fragments contained in Yun Shan’s Dou Qi residue! These fragments were entangled and decomposed by the Shadow Erosion tentacles. The faint information about the operation of the Hall of Souls’s secret techniques contained within them, as well as the homologous yet impure Soul Power characteristics, were greedily absorbed and analyzed by the source core fragment! Lin Chen’s understanding of the Hall of Souls’s power and his own imprint deepened rapidly and silently! The dormant imprint on his wrist subtly warmed, resonating strangely with the devoured imprint fragments, as if completing some missing information!

With each act of devouring, the thirty-five drops of Dou Qi liquid in Lin Chen’s body, like concentrated obsidian, solidified imperceptibly, and their rotational trajectories became more rounded and profound. His Dou Master Middle Stage Realm was completely stabilized and quietly advanced towards the Late Stage! Within his Sea of Consciousness, his Soul Power, like a seedling nourished by sweet dew, slowly and steadily grew stronger, and the range and precision of his perception expanded silently.

He was like a ghostly glutton hidden in the darkest corner of the battlefield, greedily sucking up the “poisonous drool” containing deadly secrets and power, while two venomous snakes were acting and spewing poison at each other!

Above, the “retreating” Protector Wu’s true killing move—that condensed pitch-black Soul shuttle—had torn through space, carrying a deadly Aura, and was now within an inch of the ruins where Xiao Yan was hiding! The faint glow at the tip of the Soul shuttle even illuminated Xiao Yan’s pale, blood-stained, unconscious face in the crevices of the ruins, as well as the extremely faint Soul fluctuations emanating from the ancient ring on his finger!

“Yao Chen!!!” Protector Wu’s greedy intent seemed to pierce through space, roaring from the tip of the Soul shuttle!

And the “heavily injured” Yun Shan, suspended high in the sky, stared intently downwards, his hand in his sleeve quietly clenching, waiting only for the Soul shuttle to succeed before immediately demanding his “reward”!

In the underground cave, Lin Chen also sensed this deadly killing intent. His devouring action did not pause in the slightest, but the dark light in his eyes flickered rapidly, and he instantly saw through Protector Wu’s target and Yun Shan’s calculations.

“Yao Chen’s Soul… Protector Wu’s full-power strike from his injured body… Yun Shan’s ethereal Dou Qi and Hall of Souls imprint…” Lin Chen licked the blood seeping from the corner of his mouth due to devouring the violent energy, and an extremely cold calculation and… unprecedented greed flashed in his eyes.

Protector Wu’s true body retreating was fake, his full-power Soul shuttle strike was real, his own Soul Power consumption was huge, and there would definitely be a brief opening after the strike!

Yun Shan’s superficial heavy injury was fake, in reality, his Dou Qi consumption was limited, but the ethereal Dou Qi and imprint forcibly infused into his body by the Hall of Souls were his biggest weakness!

Xiao Yan was on the verge of death, and Yao Chen’s Soul was exposed, about to be captured!

This chaotic, deceptive, yet fatally tempting situation…

“The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind?” Lin Chen’s figure, in the dense shadows, silently stood up like a ghost, his gaze penetrating the rock layers, locking onto the Soul shuttle’s target—that ruin, and also locking onto the “weak” but highly focused Yun Shan high in the sky.

“No… it’s a venomous snake lurking, intending to devour both pincers!”

Shadow Erosion Dou Qi silently boiled in the darkness, a hunt awaiting the prey to reveal its fatal flaw was now ready.