26: The undercurrent devours the soul, and the oriole is behind

The solidified, almost substantial, pitch-black Soul Shuttle tore through the last spatial barrier, carrying a Soul-freezing chill and an avarice born of certainty, now less than ten zhang from the ruins where Xiao Yan was hidden!

The faint glow at the tip of the Soul Shuttle, like the single eye of Hell opening, locked onto the vast yet weak Soul Origin fluctuations emanating from the ancient ring—Yao Chen!

"Venerable Yao! Your Soul belongs to me!" Protector Wu's intent, filled with ecstasy and greed, was like a tangible sharp cone, piercing fiercely into the depths of the ring!

The Soul Shuttle's faint glow intensified, and a terrifying suction force erupted; Xiao Yan's unconscious fingers in the ruins trembled violently, and the surface of the ancient ring flickered intensely, as if it would be forcibly stripped away in the next moment!

High in the sky, Yun Shan floated amidst the shattered cloud sea, his "weak" and "grieved" expression long gone, replaced by a coldness mixed with tension, anticipation, and ruthlessness.

His hand in his sleeve was tightly clenched, his majestic Dou Qi held back, waiting only for the Soul Shuttle to succeed before immediately moving to "receive" the Tou She Ancient Emperor Jade fragment!

His Soul perception was like an invisible spiderweb, meticulously monitoring every subtle movement in the ruins below and the surrounding space, wary of any possible variables—especially the "thief" whose aura had eerily vanished!

Now!

In the underground cave, deep within the shadows of the stalactite pillars.

Lin Chen's seated figure, cross-legged, was like an ancient, unmoving rock.

Just as the Soul Shuttle's faint glow intensified and was about to touch the ring, his tightly closed eyes suddenly snapped open!

Deep within his pupils, there was no longer a flickering faint glow, but two pools of absolute darkness that devoured all light!

A cold, ultimate will of annihilation, originating from the deepest part of the shattered source core, like a sleeping primordial Vicious Beast, roared awake!

"Om—!"

On his left wrist, the dormant Hall of Souls imprint erupted with unprecedented heat at this moment!

But this heat did not come from Protector Wu's lock, but from the imprint itself, which generated a violent resonance upon sensing the pure will of annihilation within Lin Chen's body and the high-level energy of the same Origin contained in the Soul Shuttle above!

The restrained purple-black poisonous patterns on the imprint wriggled frantically, as if alive, and a strange yet powerful attractive force, through the imprint, ignored the spatial distance, like an invisible hook, suddenly wrapped around the pitch-black Soul Shuttle that was about to succeed!

Imprint Resonance · Forced Interference!

This was a new ability brought about by the imprint's mutation after Lin Chen devoured Protector Wu's Origin, refined the Hall of Souls stronghold's energy, and was nourished by the power of the ancient beast Soul!

It could use itself as a medium to forcibly attract and interfere with nearby Hall of Souls energy of the same Origin!

"What?!" At the tip of the Soul Shuttle, Protector Wu's greedy intent was instantly interrupted by an irresistible, immense suction force originating from the same source!

The Soul Shuttle's trajectory, as if yanked by an invisible giant hand, experienced an extremely brief delay and deviation, less than a thousandth of a second!

That fatal suction force was also instantly weakened by this interference!

It was in this split-second delay!

"Chila—!"

A Shadow Erosion Spear, condensed to the extreme, almost pure black in color, yet with annihilating arcs of electricity flickering at its edges, shot out from the shadowy corner of the ruins below without warning!

Its speed was so fast it surpassed visual capture, and there was no energy fluctuation leaking out!

It seemed to be a deadly fangs extended from the shadow itself, carrying pure destruction and devouring properties, its target not Protector Wu's Soul Shuttle body, but the faint glow core at the tip of the Soul Shuttle that was erupting with suction force—the Soul Shuttle's energy hub and Soul locking node!

Shadow Erosion · Soul Devouring Thorn!

Lin Chen's long-planned ultimate strike! With imprint resonance as bait, and pure annihilation as the blade!

"No—!!!" Protector Wu's horrified Soul shriek exploded within the Soul Shuttle!

He felt the power contained within that Shadow Erosion Spear, enough to threaten his Origin!

But the Soul Shuttle was delayed by the imprint resonance, and its energy operation had a gap, making effective defense impossible in a hurry!

"Puff!"

An extremely slight sound, like a bubble bursting.

The Shadow Erosion Spear precisely pierced into the faint glow core at the tip of the Soul Shuttle!

Like a red-hot branding iron piercing into ice water!

The terrifying power of annihilation erupted instantly!

"Zizizi—!!!"

The ear-piercing sound of annihilation accompanied Protector Wu's extremely mournful Soul scream!

The faint glow at the tip of the Soul Shuttle, like a star thrown into a black hole, was instantly enveloped, decomposed, and devoured by the pitch-black Shadow Erosion Dou Qi!

The condensed Soul Power forming the Soul Shuttle, like a sandcastle losing its backbone, instantly began to collapse and disintegrate!

Countless pure but uncontrolled Hall of Souls Origin energy and Soul fragments separated from Protector Wu to drive the Soul Shuttle, like erupting volcanic ash, mixed with a torrent of furious, horrified, resentful negative emotions, exploded and scattered!

"Ah—! Ant! It's you again!! I will refine your Soul Fire for ten thousand years!!!" Protector Wu's roar, filled with endless resentment and shock, accompanied the collapse of the Soul Shuttle, echoing like rolling thunder over the Imperial Capital!

The pitch-black vortex covering the sky violently churned, instantly shrinking into a black dot, carrying Protector Wu's damaged Origin aura, and frantically tearing through space to escape!

He had to leave!

The Soul Shuttle was destroyed, the Soul locking node annihilated, his own Soul Power backlash was severe; if he didn't leave now, he might truly be torn to shreds by Yun Shan and the hidden viper!

Protector Wu, retreated! A true retreat!

At this moment, high in the sky, Yun Shan's cold anticipation instantly froze, turning into unbelievable shock and fury!

"Bastard!!" Yun Shan's eyes were bloodshot!

He saw it clearly!

It was that strange black spear, shot from the shadows of the ruins, that destroyed his painstakingly planned scheme!

Yao Chen's Soul was within reach, yet it was forcibly interrupted!

Protector Wu was seriously injured and fled, and the Tou She Ancient Emperor Jade fragment became a mirage!

What made him even more shocked and angry was that the aura of that black spear... cold, silent, carrying pure devouring and destruction... was precisely that vanished "thief"!

"Little bastard! Get out here for this old man!!" Yun Shan completely shed his feigned weakness, and his furious Battle Sect aura erupted without reservation!

The vast cloud sea churned wildly, instantly condensing into a giant cloud Qi palm that blotted out the sky, carrying a terrifying pressure capable of crushing mountains, and slammed it fiercely towards the shadowy ruins below, where Lin Chen's attack had originated!

He wanted to crush that "rat" who ruined his plans, along with that section of ruins, into dust!

However, just as Yun Shan struck in anger, his aura locked onto the ruins below—

The true killing intent came from behind him!

Lin Chen's figure, like a ghost, appeared without warning in the Void Realm less than ten zhang behind Yun Shan!

He did not teleport, but pushed the stealth properties of Shadow Erosion Dou Qi to the extreme, using the energy turbulence and shadow disturbances caused by the Shadow Erosion Spear's eruption below as cover, like a shadow leap, silently approaching!

At this moment, Lin Chen was enveloped in a faint black mist, his aura perfectly blended into the surrounding chaotic energy flow and distorted light.

His sense of presence was as faint as dust!

His right hand was pointed like a sword, and a deep, pitch-black speck of light, as if capable of devouring Souls, was furiously condensing and compressing at his fingertip!

That was not Dou Qi, but the product of pure will of annihilation and the highly condensed Origin of Shadow Erosion Dou Qi within his body—Source Core Shard Splinter!

"Old dog, your Dou Qi... is too shallow." A cold voice, like a chilling wind from the Nine Nether, directly poured into Yun Shan's ears!

"What?!" Yun Shan's hair stood on end, a fatal chill instantly rushing from his tailbone to the top of his head!

He violently tried to turn around, tried to mobilize the cloud sea Dou Qi for defense!

But it was too late!

Lin Chen's finger, which had condensed all his essence, Qi, and spirit, and was poised to strike, was like a poisonous needle piercing the darkness, silent yet extremely fast, fiercely pointing at Yun Shan's vital spot on his back!

The deep Source Core Shard Splinter at his fingertip, upon contact with Yun Shan's protective cloud Qi—

Chii—!

There was no earth-shattering explosion, only a soft sound like a hot branding iron piercing into snow!

Yun Shan's seemingly vast and majestic protective cloud Qi, in the face of the pure annihilating properties of the Source Core Shard Splinter, was instantly corroded into a bowl-sized hole, as if it had met its nemesis!

The splinter's momentum did not diminish, fiercely piercing into Yun Shan's body!

"Ugh ah—!!!"

Yun Shan let out a mournful shriek that sounded inhuman!

He felt a cold, domineering force, carrying an absolute will of destruction, like a maggot in the bone, instantly invading his Meridians, Dantian, and even directly rushing towards his Soul Origin!

This force was not meant to destroy him, but to... devour!

It frantically devoured the Battle Sect-level Dou Qi Origin within him, which had been forcibly infused by a Hall of Souls secret technique and had a shallow Foundation!

The Source Core Shard Splinter, like a drop of water in a hot oil pan, erupted violently within Yun Shan's body!

Countless tiny yet incredibly domineering forces of annihilation, like billions of greedy poisonous insects, frantically spread, gnawed, and devoured along Yun Shan's Dou Qi Meridians, which were filled with Hall of Souls imprints and were unstable!

"No! My Dou Qi!!" Yun Shan was terrified!

He clearly felt his hard-earned Battle Sect-level Dou Qi, like a flood from an open sluice gate, uncontrollably and frantically draining away!

Being greedily devoured by that cold power that had invaded his body!

His forcibly condensed giant cloud Qi palm instantly disintegrated!

The vast cloud sea churned violently, becoming thin and dim!

His originally profound aura, like a deflating balloon, plummeted at a speed visible to the naked eye!

The Battle Sect Realm, teetering on the brink!

"Little beast! This old man will tear you to pieces!!" Yun Shan went completely mad, his eyes bloodshot, and he desperately mobilized his remaining Dou Qi, forcibly shaking off Lin Chen behind him, while simultaneously striking back with a palm, carrying a hysterical madness, fiercely slamming it towards Lin Chen!

However, the moment Lin Chen succeeded with one strike and devoured a large amount of pure Dou Qi Origin, he had already used the rebound force to merge back into the shadows of the Void Realm like a ghost, perfectly avoiding Yun Shan's furious blow.

He was like the cunningest viper, biting its prey and injecting venom, then immediately hiding in the grass, waiting for the prey to succumb to the poison.

"Puff!" Yun Shan's palm missed, and the Dou Qi backlash in his body, coupled with the ravaging power of the Source Core Shard Splinter, made him spit out another large mouthful of fresh blood!

This blood was no longer a disguise, but true essence blood!

His face instantly turned ashen, his aura directly plummeted from the Battle Sect Realm, barely maintaining at the critical point between Peak Battle Emperor and Battle Sect, and it was still fluctuating and dropping unsteadily!

"Sect Master!!" In the distance, the two Battle Emperor Elders, who had just recovered from the impact of the resentful spirits, saw Yun Shan instantly gravely injured and his aura plummeting, and rushed over in terror, regardless of everything.

And at this moment, within the ruins below.

The pure Soul Power fragments and Soul Origin energy, like volcanic ash, that had dispersed from Protector Wu's collapsing Soul Shuttle, having lost their locked target, were slowly drifting and annihilating in the air above the ruins like ownerless objects.

The Hall of Souls Origin power, Protector Wu's Soul fragments, and the massive amount of furious, horrified, and resentful negative emotions contained within them, were for Shadow Erosion Dou Qi, an even more delicious feast than Yun Shan's Dou Qi Origin!

Lin Chen's figure rapidly shuttled through the shadows, perfectly avoiding the perceptions of Yun Shan and the two Elders.

He was like a phantom walking in the seam between matter and shadow, his Shadow Erosion Dou Qi transforming into an invisible vortex, fully open!

Whale Devour!

This time, it was no longer cautious, but unrestrained plundering!

Those Soul Power fragments, Soul energy, and negative emotions that had escaped from the collapsing Soul Shuttle, containing Protector Wu's Origin aura... like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea, were frantically pulled by an invisible force, surging into Lin Chen's body!

"Ugh!" The forced infusion of a massive amount of high-level Soul Power caused Lin Chen's Meridians to once again experience a tearing, bloated pain!

But his eyes held only cold greed!

The source core fragment in his Dantian spun frantically like a millstone, and the will of annihilation roughly ground these energies of the same Origin!

Stripping away Protector Wu's will imprint, decomposing Impurities, leaving only the purest Soul Origin and energy essence!

Thirty-five drops of Dou Qi liquid rotated, expanded, and split at an unprecedented speed!

The thirty-sixth drop! The thirty-seventh drop! Solidified like black diamonds! Three-star Dou Master Late Stage! Peak! The Bottleneck shattered with a roar!

Om!

The Dantian Qi vortex violently vibrated, its volume suddenly expanding by a circle!

Even more viscous and profound Shadow Erosion Dou Qi wildly proliferated, and the thirty-eighth drop of liquid Dou Qi instantly condensed into a prototype!

Four-star Dou Master!

The Soul Power was even more like a surging torrent injected into it, the Sea of Consciousness instantly expanded, and perception soared!

The Hall of Souls imprint on his wrist, after absorbing a massive amount of pure Soul Power of the same Origin, became deep and restrained in color, like black jade, and the strange sense of resonance became incredibly clear!

He could even vaguely perceive Protector Wu's escape direction and the extent of his Soul Origin damage through the imprint!

At this moment, the ancient ring on Xiao Yan's finger, the moment the Soul Shuttle's lock was forcibly interrupted and Protector Wu's aura disappeared, its intensely flickering light finally stabilized.

Deep within the ring, a vast yet weary Soul fluctuation rippled slightly, seemingly sensing the drastic changes outside, then fell into an even deeper silence.

An extremely faint Soul imprint fluctuation, like a star coordinate, flashed in the depths of the ring, so fast it was like an illusion.

Lin Chen's devouring motion paused slightly, a faint glow flashed in his eyes, instantly capturing that extremely faint stellar fluctuation!

"Starfall Pavilion... coordinate?" Thoughts raced through his mind, but he had no time to delve into it now.

High in the sky, Yun Shan, supported by the two Elders, was listless, his face ashen, his gaze towards the shadowy ruins below filled with deep-seated resentment and terror.

He knew that the "thief" hidden in the dark had not only ruined his plan, severely injured Protector Wu, but also almost crippled his hard-won Battle Sect cultivation!

This hatred was irreconcilable!

Lin Chen's figure completely vanished into the deep, intertwined shadows of the ruins, as if he had never appeared.

Only the faint annihilating aura remaining in the air, and Yun Shan's plummeting Realm and resentful roar, proved the deadly confrontation that had just occurred in a flash of lightning.

The chaos in the Imperial Capital gradually subsided, leaving behind a scarred landscape.

Protector Wu was gravely injured and fled, Yun Shan's Realm plummeted, Yao Chen's Soul was temporarily preserved, and Xiao Yan was gravely injured and unconscious.

But the biggest winner, with soaring strength and Soul Power, carrying a portion of Protector Wu's Origin, Yun Shan's Battle Sect Foundation, and that mysterious stellar coordinate fluctuation, like the deepest night, quietly merged into the shadows of the Imperial Capital ruins, awaiting the next hunting opportunity.

The hidden viper had already tasted the flavor of devouring a Dragon.