35: Hunting in the deep mountains, killing in the Soul Palace

The deep mountains before dawn were shrouded in thick fog. Lin Chen had been traveling all night with the Jia Nan Academy's pursuit team.

His gaze swept over Xiao Yan at the very front of the team, then over the fully armed Academy Elders, finally resting on the few unfamiliar faces at the end of the line.

“Three Hall of Souls undercover agents…” Lin Chen silently memorized their features.

Although they were well-disguised, the brand on his left wrist, sensing a similar Origin Aura, would not be wrong.

“Stop!” Grand Elder Su Qian, the team leader, suddenly raised his hand.

The Dou Zong expert squatted down with a solemn expression, examining a scorched mark on the ground: “The Fallen Heart Flame just passed here; the traces are still very fresh.”

Lin Chen subtly approached the mark, his Shadow Erosion Dou Qi quietly seeping underground.

Through special sensing, he could detect that the residual Strange Fire (Exotic Flame) energy in the earth veins was spreading like a spiderweb—this was not a natural phenomenon, but the result of someone deliberately guiding it.

“Grand Elder,” Lin Chen lowered his voice, “the Heart Flame’s movement path is too regular, as if it’s being attracted by something.”

Su Qian’s sharp gaze swept over: “You are?”

“My friend,” Xiao Yan interjected at the right time, “he has some research into energy tracking.”

Su Qian was skeptical but still investigated in the direction Lin Chen pointed.

A moment later, his expression changed drastically: “There’s indeed something strange! Everyone, be on guard, this might be a trap!”

As soon as his words fell, the surrounding fog suddenly turned blood-red!

The ground shook violently, and dozens of pitch-black chains burst out of the earth, instantly entangling three Elders who reacted a little slower.

“Hall of Souls’s ‘Soul Binding Chains’!” Su Qian roared, his powerful Dou Qi erupting, shattering the chains attacking him, “Form a defensive formation!”

The team instantly fell into disarray.

Lin Chen was prepared, rolling behind a boulder while his gaze locked onto the three Hall of Souls undercover agents.

Sure enough, they were quietly approaching Xiao Yan, a strange black light flickering in their hands.

“Xiao Yan! Watch your right!” Lin Chen shouted.

Xiao Yan reacted extremely quickly, sweeping out his xuan heavy ruler, and the azure fire waves forced the attackers back.

But more black-clad figures emerged from the fog, instantly dividing and surrounding the team.

Lin Chen did not rush into battle but quietly took out the container holding the Origin of the Fallen Heart Flame.

A wisp of white fire flowed from his fingertip into the ground, and soon, a clear topographical map of the entire battlefield appeared in his mind.

“Found it…” A sharp light flashed in Lin Chen’s eyes.

Three hundred zhang to the northeast, a powerful energy source was lurking—it was the Silver Masked Man!

Even more alarming was another Aura, no weaker than his, beside him.

“Two Dou Zongs!” Lin Chen’s heart tightened.

This far exceeded the original novel’s configuration; Hall of Souls had sent such a powerful lineup for the Fallen Heart Flame.

In the center of the battlefield, Xiao Yan was already locked in battle with three Hall of Souls envoys.

Although the Green Lotus Core Flame was incredibly powerful, facing the coordinated siege of three Dou Spirits, he gradually fell into a disadvantage.

Lin Chen knew he couldn’t wait any longer.

He took out three pitch-black thin needles, special hidden weapons crafted with Heart Corroding Poison.

With a flick of his wrist, the needles silently disappeared into the fog.

“Ah!” A Hall of Souls envoy suddenly screamed, his movements instantly stiffening.

Xiao Yan seized the opportunity, smashing his xuan heavy ruler heavily onto his chest; the sound of bones breaking was clearly audible.

The remaining two were greatly alarmed, but before they could react, two more thin needles shot through the air.

Having learned from the previous experience, they quickly dodged, only to run right into Xiao Yan’s long-prepared “Eight Extremes Collapse”!

“Boom!”

Two Dou Spirits coughed up blood and flew backward, and the battle instantly reversed.

Xiao Yan looked in Lin Chen’s direction in surprise; the latter merely nodded slightly before disappearing back into the fog.

Lin Chen’s next target was the three undercover agents.

They were disguised as injured students, quietly approaching Grand Elder Su Qian.

One of them held a pitch-black bead with blood-red patterns on its surface.

“Soul Burst Bead!” Lin Chen recognized this powerful weapon.

Once detonated, it would severely damage all Soul bodies within a hundred zhang, clearly intended for Yao Chen.

He quickly calculated the route in his mind.

To stop them, he had to pass through the most intense battle zone, and it would very likely attract the attention of the Silver Masked Man.

“I’ll risk it!” Lin Chen gritted his teeth, his Shadow Erosion Dou Qi operating at full power.

His figure turned into a blurry black line, weaving through the melee.

Whenever someone noticed him, they would inexplicably slip, or be interfered with by a sudden stray arrow.

This was a new technique Lin Chen had learned from Limitless Steps— “Shadow Disturbance,” which could slightly interfere with others’ perceptions while moving.

Three breaths later, Lin Chen had already approached the three undercover agents.

They seemed to have sensed danger, and one of them suddenly turned around, the Soul Burst Bead already raised in his hand!

“Die!” The man sneered, about to crush the bead.

At the critical moment, Lin Chen’s left hand suddenly extended strangely—this was his recently mastered “Shadow Erosion Dou Qi Morphing”!

The pitch-black arm coiled around the man’s wrist like a snake, twisting forcefully.

“Crack!”

The sound of bones breaking and the sound of the Soul Burst Bead hitting the ground occurred simultaneously.

The other two undercover agents were greatly alarmed, but before they could act, Lin Chen had already pounced, his right index finger glowing with a faint light, aiming directly for one of their throats!

“Shadow Calamity Finger · Throat Seal!”

The man hastily parried, but Lin Chen’s attack suddenly changed, his left hand ghost-like, slapping him on the chest.

It looked like a light palm strike, but it instantly turned the man’s face pale—a wisp of Shadow Erosion Dou Qi had already invaded his heart meridian!

The third person, seeing the unfavorable situation, turned and fled.

Lin Chen was about to give chase when his hairs suddenly stood on end!

He instinctively dove forward, and a silver lightning bolt almost grazed his back, shattering a large rock in front of him.

“You little bastard, let’s see how you escape this time!” The Silver Masked Man emerged from the fog, accompanied by a Red Robed Old Man.

The terrifying Dou Zong pressure from both of them solidified the surrounding fog.

A trace of blood seeped from the corner of Lin Chen’s mouth.

Although he had dodged the fatal blow, the aftershock still injured his internal organs.

Facing two Dou Zongs, the hope of escape was slim…

“Lin Chen! Retreat!”

Xiao Yan’s shout suddenly rang out.

He was seen rushing over, holding his xuan heavy ruler, with azure and white flames entwined on the ruler’s body, already fused into a peculiar cyan color.

“Flame Splitting Tsunami Ruler!”

A huge wave of fire swept out, actually forcing the two Dou Zongs to temporarily avoid its edge.

Lin Chen seized the opportunity, rolling behind Xiao Yan.

“Are you crazy? Taking on two Dou Zongs head-on?” Lin Chen whispered.

Xiao Yan grinned: “Don’t I still have you?”

Before Lin Chen could respond, the Silver Masked Man already sneered: “What a pair of deeply devoted friends, then let’s go on our way together!”

He and the Red Robed Old Man attacked simultaneously, silver and blood-red energy intertwined in the air, forming a death net that enveloped the two of them.

Lin Chen and Xiao Yan stood back to back, each activating their strongest Dou Skill.

Just at this critical moment between life and death, an anomaly suddenly occurred!

A brilliant golden light descended from the sky, forcefully splitting open the energy net.

Gu Xun’er arrived, stepping on the Void Realm, golden flames swirling around her, her Aura not inferior to a Dou Zong!

“Bullying juniors, Hall of Souls is truly becoming more and more shameless.” A cold voice sounded, and another figure appeared above the battlefield—it was none other than Mang Tianchi, the Headmaster of Jia Nan Academy!

The Silver Masked Man’s expression changed drastically: “Retreat!”

The Hall of Souls members immediately scattered and fled.

Mang Tianchi snorted coldly, waving his hand casually, and the space rippled like water; seven or eight fleeing black-clad figures were instantly frozen in place.

“Space Lock… Dou Zun!” Lin Chen gasped.

This was the first time he had witnessed a Dou Zun expert in action, and the power to control heaven and earth shocked his Soul.

The battle ended quickly.

Under Mang Tianchi’s deterrence, all Hall of Souls members were captured, except for the Silver Masked Man and the Red Robed Old Man, who escaped using a secret technique.

Lin Chen quietly retreated to the edge of the crowd, preparing to leave amidst the chaos.

But as soon as he turned around, he found that Xiao Yan had already stood behind him at some point.

“Trying to leave without saying goodbye?” Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow.

Lin Chen shrugged: “The show’s over, time to disperse.”

“It’s not that simple.” Xiao Yan’s expression suddenly became serious, “The brand on your hand, I can help you solve it.”

Lin Chen’s pupils constricted slightly: “What do you mean?”

“Old Yao said he’s developed a method to safely remove the Hall of Souls brand.” Xiao Yan lowered his voice, “In exchange, I need your help to find the Fallen Heart Flame.”

Lin Chen quickly calculated in his mind.

This could very well be a trap, but if it was real… the temptation to get rid of the Hall of Souls brand was too great.

“Why help me?”

Xiao Yan smiled: “Because I think you’re not a bad person at heart.

And…” He pointed to Lin Chen’s chest, “You just saved the Grand Elder, I saw it very clearly.”

Lin Chen was silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled too: “Xiao Yan, oh Xiao Yan, with your personality, you wouldn’t survive three days in the Black-Corner Region.”

“So aren’t I living perfectly fine?” Xiao Yan blinked, “How about it, cooperate?”

Lin Chen extended his right hand: “Each gets what they need.”

The moment their hands clasped, a sharp pain suddenly came from the brand on Lin Chen’s left wrist.

He endured it without showing it, but an alarm blared in his heart—Hall of Souls had already sensed his betrayal.

The next actions must be even more careful…