30: Dark River breaks through, myriad poisons devour the soul

The sound of the underground dark river's current formed an eerie echo in the confined space, and the pitch-black water surface occasionally bubbled, releasing poisonous mist with a putrid smell.

Lin Chen sat cross-legged on a black reef protruding from the water, his body enveloped in viscous, almost solid Shadow Erosion Dou Qi, and thirty-eight drops of ink-jade-colored Dou Qi liquid spun wildly in his Dantian, forming a miniature vortex.

"It's still not enough..."

Lin Chen suddenly opened his eyes, and a faint firelight flickered in his pupils.

He raised his hand and took out three emerald-green poisonous pills from his Storage Ring; these were spoils of war scavenged from a Battle Spirit of the Myriad Scorpion Gate.

Without hesitation, he directly threw the poisonous pills into his mouth; the sharp toxins instantly exploded in his oral cavity, but were forcefully swallowed, wrapped in Shadow Erosion Dou Qi.

"Hiss--"

The potent poison burned his esophagus, and spiderweb-like emerald-green patterns appeared on Lin Chen's skin.

He gritted his teeth, formed hand Seals, and the rotation speed of the Dou Qi vortex in his body abruptly increased, forcefully crushing and purifying the violent poisonous energy.

Those emerald-green patterns were devoured by the black Dou Qi at a speed visible to the naked eye, eventually transforming into a wisp of pure energy that converged into his Dantian.

Just at this critical moment, the entire underground space suddenly vibrated violently!

Pebbles rattled down from the rock wall above, and unnatural ripples appeared on the dark river's surface.

Lin Chen's Soul perception instantly spread out, penetrating the thick rock layers—

Above the valley, dozens of Myriad Scorpion Gate Disciples were slitting their wrists, their blood dripping onto the pre-carved Formation patterns.

As their mournful chants echoed, the earth veins of the entire Poisonous Miasma Valley trembled, and dense poisonous mist gathered from all directions, forming a giant emerald-green vortex in mid-air.

"Myriad Poison Bone Corroding Great Formation..." A hint of solemnity flashed in Lin Chen's eyes.

In the original work, this move required sacrificing the life force of the Formation setters; once formed, even Battle Emperor powerhouses would have to temporarily avoid its edge.

It seemed Elder Scorpion Mountain had completely gone mad, willing to drag everyone down with him at any cost.

A dazzling, pale white firelight suddenly erupted from the direction of the cave; Yao Chen's illusory figure floated in mid-air, and the Bone Chilling Flame transformed into a sky full of fire rain, freezing the incoming poisonous arrows.

But more poisonous mist was gathering, and the plants in the entire valley withered at a visible speed, their life force forcibly extracted by the Great Formation.

"Teacher! Watch out for the left side!" Xiao Yan's shout came from inside the cave.

Although weak, the aura of the Green Lotus Core Flame had stabilized considerably.

Lin Chen retracted his perception, a cold smile playing on his lips.

The current situation was even more perfect than he had expected—Yao Chen and Elder Scorpion Mountain were both severely injured, making it the best time for him to reap the benefits.

But before that...

The Dou Qi vortex in his body suddenly emitted a crisp cracking sound; the thirty-eight drops of liquid finally completely fused, forming an even more solidified pitch-black core.

A surge of power instantly flowed through his entire body, and every inch of his muscles cheered with joy.

"Six-star Dou Master, achieved!"

Lin Chen slowly stood up and stretched his limbs.

The Breakthrough brought not only an increase in power, but also a new level of control over his Shadow Erosion Dou Qi.

He made a grasping motion with his right hand, and a wisp of shadow condensed into a solid-like short blade in his palm, with strange black electric arcs flickering on its edge.

The dark river's surface suddenly exploded, and a poisonous scaled python, over three zhang long, burst out of the water, its crimson snake pupils locked onto Lin Chen.

This Fourth-Tier Demonic Beast was clearly attracted by the commotion of the Breakthrough.

"Just in time to test my new power." A cold light flashed in Lin Chen's eyes, and his figure instantly vanished from its original spot.

Before the poisonous scaled python could react, a black shadow had already appeared at its seven-inch mark, and the Shadow Blade effortlessly pierced through the gaps in its scales.

"Shadow Calamity Finger · Soul Devour!"

Black electric arcs surged into the Demonic Beast's body along the blade, and the poisonous scaled python's massive body instantly stiffened, the light in its eyes rapidly dimming.

Even more strangely, its corpse did not fall, but was enveloped in a layer of black ice crystals, suspended in mid-air.

In a few breaths, the entire giant python transformed into a shriveled husk, all its essence completely devoured.

Lin Chen looked with satisfaction at the wisp of pure energy that had been added to his palm; this was the true terrifying aspect of Shadow Erosion Dou Qi—it could not only devour human Cultivators, but also perfectly convert the life force of Demonic Beasts.

Suddenly, the Hall of Souls brand on his left wrist heated up without warning.

Lin Chen frowned as he looked, only to see dense dark-gold runes appearing on the surface of the ink-jade-colored brand.

These runes writhed like living creatures, eventually forming five twisted characters: Dark Shadow Soul Binding Art!

"This is..." Before Lin Chen could think further, a massive stream of information forcefully rushed into his Sea of Consciousness.

The intense pain made him kneel on one knee, his forehead veins bulging.

In a daze, he saw countless images flash by—pitch-black chains piercing Souls, shadows transforming into cages, and powerhouses being drained of their Origin in despair...

When the sharp pain receded, Lin Chen found himself inexplicably mastering a brand new Soul Skill.

He instinctively raised his hand, and a wisp of black mist entanglement around his fingertips, vaguely forming the shape of a chain.

"A secret Soul Skill of the Hall of Souls?" Lin Chen pondered, "It seems the Soul fluctuations emitted when Yao Chen awakened activated a deeper Legacy within the brand..."

Violent vibrations once again came from the rock layers above, accompanied by Elder Scorpion Mountain's hysterical roar: "Yao Chen! Even if I sacrifice my old life today, I will make your Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering!"

Lin Chen's eyes narrowed; time was running out.

His figure flickered, transforming into a ghostly shadow and speeding along the dark river.

As he passed a fork in the road, he keenly noticed strange symbols carved on the rock wall—these were the secret marks of the Myriad Scorpion Gate.

Following the marks, Lin Chen quickly discovered a hidden stone chamber.

Inside the chamber were three sealed Jade boxes, covered with complex poisonous patterns.

Most striking was an emerald-green crystal suspended on the central stone platform, with a drop of dark-red liquid sealed inside.

"This is... the essence blood of the Ten Thousand Scorpion Gu?" Lin Chen's eyes lit up.

The original work mentioned that the Myriad Scorpion Gate cultivated a special poisonous Gu, whose essence blood could greatly enhance the power of poison-attribute Cultivation Techniques.

It seemed Elder Scorpion Mountain was preparing to use this to strengthen the Great Formation's power.

Without hesitation, Lin Chen directly broke the Restriction and put the crystal into his Storage Ring.

Just as he was about to leave, the brand on his left wrist suddenly vibrated violently, and a piece of information forcefully flooded his mind:

"Northwest direction, three hundred zhang, Hall of Souls rendezvous."

Lin Chen's heart trembled.

This hint came too strangely, but he couldn't afford to think too much at this moment.

He quickly destroyed the Restrictions on the remaining two Jade boxes, took the poisonous pills and a scroll of bamboo slips inside, and then sped off in the direction indicated.

Passing through the winding dark river passage, a glimmer of light appeared ahead.

Lin Chen restrained his aura and quietly approached the exit.

Through the water curtain, he saw an astonishing scene—

Yao Chen's Bone Chilling Flame had already frozen half the valley, but the emerald-green poisonous clouds were still continuously gathering.

Elder Scorpion Mountain stood at the core of the Formation, bleeding from all seven orifices but laughing madly.

Even more unexpectedly, on the rock wall on the other side of the valley, three figures in black robes were quietly observing, wearing the unique silver emblem of the Hall of Souls on their chests.

"As expected, there's a rendezvous..." Lin Chen's eyes narrowed slightly.

The aura of one of the figures was particularly sinister, at least at the Battle Emperor level.

This discovery made him instantly change his original plan.

Just at this moment, Elder Scorpion Mountain suddenly spat out a mouthful of essence blood, forming a strange hand Seal with both hands: "Myriad Poison Bone Corroding, sacrifice my essence Soul!"

The entire Great Formation suddenly contracted, and countless poisonous arrows shot towards Yao Chen and the cave.

Yao Chen's expression changed, and the Bone Chilling Flame formed an ice wall in front of him, but it was clearly running out of power.

Seeing that the poisonous arrows were about to break through the defense—

"Now!"

Lin Chen's figure appeared like a ghost behind Elder Scorpion Mountain, his right index finger flickering with a heart-palpitating faint light, pointing towards his vital spot at the back of his heart.

"Shadow Calamity Finger · Origin Devour!"

However, just as his fingertip was about to touch, a ferocious poisonous scorpion tattoo suddenly appeared on Elder Scorpion Mountain's back, forcefully blocking this fatal blow.

"Little bastard, I've been waiting for you!" Elder Scorpion Mountain turned around with a sinister grin, his bloodshot eyes full of madness, "Did you think I didn't notice you secretly peeking?"

Lin Chen's alarm bells rang, and he retreated without hesitation, activating Limitless Steps.

But it was too late; the ground beneath his feet suddenly lit up with a dazzling emerald-green light, and countless poisonous thorns burst out of the earth!

In the nick of time, the brand on Lin Chen's left wrist suddenly erupted with a dazzling faint light.

Those dark-gold runes he had just comprehended automatically appeared, forming a protective barrier around him.

Even more astonishingly, a pitch-black chain shot out from the Void Realm, accurately piercing Elder Scorpion Mountain's shoulder.

"Ah! This is... the Hall of Souls's..." Elder Scorpion Mountain's expression instantly froze; he was horrified to find his Soul being forcibly pulled.

Lin Chen was also stunned, but instinct made him seize this Opportunity immediately.

He formed hand Seals with both hands, fully activating the newly comprehended Soul Skill: "Dark Shadow Soul Binding!"

More chains shot out from the shadows, firmly binding Elder Scorpion Mountain.

The Soul of this Battle King powerhouse was forcibly ripped out of his body, emitting a mournful wail.

Lin Chen did not hesitate; his Shadow Erosion Dou Qi fully operated, beginning to frantically devour this rare "nourishment."

"Presumptuous!" A furious roar came from afar.

The three Hall of Souls powerhouses finally made their move, and the black-robed leader raised his hand, unleashing a silver lightning bolt.

Lin Chen decisively gave up on continuing to devour, grabbing the still incompletely absorbed Soul fragments of Elder Scorpion Mountain and rapidly retreating.

Just as the silver lightning was about to strike him, a pale white fire wall suddenly came from the side, intercepting the lightning.

"Scum of the Hall of Souls, how dare you interfere in my battle?" Yao Chen's cold voice rang out.

Although he was not in good condition, his eyesight was incredibly sharp, and he instantly recognized that Lin Chen was using a secret technique of the Hall of Souls.

The three parties confronted each other, and the situation instantly became delicate.

Lin Chen stood at the edge of the battlefield, his left hand secretly holding a spatial Jade Slip he had taken from Elder Scorpion Mountain, while his right hand was ready to activate the Dark Shadow Soul Binding Art at any moment.

His gaze shifted between Yao Chen and the Hall of Souls members, his mind rapidly devising a plan to escape.

Just at this moment, another change occurred!

Elder Scorpion Mountain's corpse, with most of its Soul devoured, suddenly twitched violently, a blood hole exploding in its chest, and an emerald-green scorpion shot out, directly pouncing on Lin Chen's face!

"Be careful! That's his life-bound Gu!" Xiao Yan's reminder came from afar.

Lin Chen's pupils contracted sharply, and he almost instinctively raised his left hand.

The moment the Hall of Souls brand on his wrist touched the Gu, a pitch-black spatial crack suddenly appeared, swallowing the Gu in one gulp.

Immediately after, a powerful suction force came, and Lin Chen's body was also uncontrollably pulled towards the rift.

"Trying to run?" The Hall of Souls Battle Emperor snorted coldly, and a silver chain tore through the air.

Yao Chen also made his move at the same time, the Bone Chilling Flame transforming into a giant palm that grabbed at Lin Chen.

In a life-or-death situation, a ruthless glint flashed in Lin Chen's eyes.

He abruptly threw Elder Scorpion Mountain's Soul fragments towards the Hall of Souls members, and at the same time crushed the spatial Jade Slip in his hand: "Shadow Escape!"

The pitch-black rift suddenly expanded, swallowing Lin Chen.

In the last moment before disappearing, he vaguely heard Yao Chen's angry roar and the Hall of Souls Battle Emperor's curses, as well as... Xiao Yan's thoughtful whisper:

"This person's aura... why does it feel somewhat familiar..."

When his vision became clear again, Lin Chen was already in an unfamiliar forest.

He knelt on one knee, spitting out a mouthful of clotted blood.

Forcibly activating an unmastered Soul Skill coupled with spatial teleportation had put a huge burden on his body.

But when he looked inward at his Dantian, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curve upwards.

After devouring part of Elder Scorpion Mountain's Soul, his Dou Qi Cultivation had directly jumped to the Peak of Six-star Dou Master, only one step away from Seven-star.

More importantly, the runes of the Dark Shadow Soul Binding Art were already deeply branded in the depths of his Soul, waiting to be slowly comprehended.

"Hall of Souls, Yao Chen, Xiao Yan..." Lin Chen wiped the blood from the corners of his mouth, his eyes gradually becoming profound, "This game is getting more and more interesting."

He looked up at the vaguely visible mountain outlines in the distance; that was... the direction of the Black-Corner Region.

According to the original plot, Xiao Yan should soon be heading to Jia Nan Academy.

And there, there were more worthwhile Opportunities.

Lin Chen's figure slowly merged into the shadows, and the forest returned to silence, with only a wisp of black mist that had not yet dispersed, proving that someone had once stayed here.