46: The storm rises when the soul marrow is obtained, and the soul sleeps in fear under the underworld

In the narrow, scorching rock crevice, Lin Chen coughed violently, each breath pulling at the tearing pain throughout his body, blood mixed with dust continuously overflowing from the corner of his mouth.

He leaned precariously against the hot rock wall, clutching the hard-won cold Jade Bottle tightly in his hand.

The pure and gentle energy of the earth core soul marrow subtly emanated through the bottle wall, providing a faint sense of relief to his nearly depleted Soul.

“It was worth it… it was absolutely worth it…” He bared his blood-stained mouth, revealing a grim smile of survival.

His shoulder blade was completely shattered, and the Meridians in his body were a mess; his Dark Shadow Dou Qi was almost exhausted, and the emptiness of vitality brought by the backlash was like a persistent gangrene, constantly eroding his will.

This adventure was akin to dancing a death-defying jig at the gates of hell.

He dared not delay, quickly putting the cold Jade Bottle into the deepest part of his Storage Pouch, separating it from the strange tablet Jade Slip he obtained from the yellow springs stele.

Immediately, he looked at the Storage Pouch of the Hall of Souls Dou Huang, his Soul Power struggling to probe into it.

Besides some Hall of Souls tokens of unknown purpose and a few black scrolls emitting a cold aura, there were also some Medicinal Pill.

The Medicinal Pill were mostly for stimulating the Soul and contained Death Qi, which was perfect for his current terrible state.

He unhesitatingly took out two Medicinal Pill emanating rich Soul energy and swallowed them.

The Medicinal Pill melted upon entering his body, and a cool yet slightly tingling energy rapidly spread, temporarily stabilizing his Soul, which was on the verge of collapse, but also causing a slight agitation in the Shadow Erosion Dou Qi in his Meridians.

“Hall of Souls’s things are indeed sinister…” Lin Chen mused, but he couldn’t worry about that much; saving his life came first.

However, just as he was about to further investigate those black scrolls to see if he could find any information about Hall of Souls’s plans here—

The green Jade Slip he obtained from Xiao Yan (Yao Chen) in his embrace once again vibrated slightly and urgently!

This time, it was no longer a vague sensation, but a clear directional one, even faintly accompanied by a trace of heat!

“Not good!” Lin Chen’s face instantly turned incredibly grim.

Yao Chen had indeed sensed it!

Was it due to the unique Soul fluctuations when the earth core soul marrow appeared? Or did his Qi leak when he was just now intimidated by the terrifying existence in the black hole? Or… did his consumption of Hall of Souls Medicinal Pill, that cold Soul energy, stimulate the Soul imprint Yao Chen left in the Jade Slip?

Regardless of the reason, it meant that Yao Chen had not only perceived the anomaly but might have already roughly pinpointed his location!

The Soul perception of a former Peak Dou Zun expert was by no means ordinary!

“I must leave immediately!” Lin Chen endured the intense pain, struggling to climb out of the rock crevice.

But at the moment he moved—

“Boom!!!”

The entire surface of Demon Flame Valley suddenly erupted with a terrifying roar, more intense than any previous one!

It didn’t come from the magma world below, but from… directly above!

Immediately following, a vast and majestic Soul Power, imbued with endless authority and fury, descended from the sky like an overturning firmament, roughly sweeping across the entire underground ruins!

The strength of this Soul Power far surpassed that of Earth Demon Old Ghost, and it even contained more of a human’s monstrous rage than the indifferent pressure from the existence in the black hole just now!

“You scoundrels from Hall of Souls! Get out here!!”

The ancient roar was like a clap of thunder, penetrating layers of rock walls, making Lin Chen’s eardrums buzz and his blood Qi churn incessantly!

It was Old Yao!

He actually directly used his Soul Power for indiscriminate probing and deterrence!

Clearly, whatever “thing” he sensed had completely enraged him!

Was it the aura of Hall of Souls? Or was the earth core soul marrow crucial for his Soul recovery?

Lin Chen’s heart pounded, and he instantly circulated the Dark Shadow Soul Binding Art to its utmost limit, disregarding the pain of his tearing Meridians, frantically squeezing out the last trace of his Dark Shadow Dou Qi, locking all his aura, even his life fluctuations, tightly within his body.

He became like a completely lifeless black stone in the rock crevice, his breathing and heartbeat almost stopping.

That vast Soul Power swept across his area like a searchlight, patrolling back and forth.

Lin Chen could clearly feel the anxiety, anger, and a hint of… an almost imperceptible urgency contained within that power?

Fortunately, he was currently deep underground, and the surrounding environment was chaotic.

Geothermal miasma, violent energy, the lingering cold aura of Hall of Souls, and the terrifying residual power left by the black hole intertwined, forming a perfect interference.

Coupled with the extreme enhancement of the Dark Shadow Soul Binding Art for concealment, and his own “passerby” Physique which gave him a low sense of presence, the terrifying Soul scan paused slightly in his area, but indeed failed to detect him, completely shrunken and hidden.

It continued to sweep towards the deeper magma lake area where the Hall of Souls people had been earlier.

“Hmph! They ran quite fast!” Old Yao’s cold snort came, carrying a hint of unwillingness.

Clearly, he had discovered the lingering aura of the Hall of Souls people below, the shattered spatial compass, and the completely disturbed and lurking magma lake and Earth Core Fire Python, but he failed to catch the main culprits.

On the surface, the melee in Demon Flame Valley had probably paused for a moment due to this sudden terrifying Soul pressure.

Lin Chen dared not move an inch; he knew Yao Chen must still be paying attention to the area below.

Sure enough, a moment later, Old Yao’s voice sounded again, this time with a hint of solemnity and doubt: “What was that aura just now… that made even my Soul tremble… It was there and then not, as if from the Yellow Springs…”

He seemed to be carefully sensing the subtle fluctuations remaining after the black hole disappeared.

Lin Chen held his breath, secretly astonished by Old Yao’s keen perception.

The existence within that black hole was absolutely terrifying!

After a few more breaths, that vast Soul Power receded like a tide; clearly, Old Yao’s attention had returned to Xiao Yan’s battle on the surface, or he had made a new discovery.

Lin Chen in the rock crevice remained motionless, waiting for a full stick of incense to confirm that the terrifying search had truly left, before he suddenly relaxed, almost collapsing from exhaustion, gasping for air, cold sweat soaking his already tattered clothes.

That was too close! He was almost discovered!

If Old Yao had discovered that he was not only present but had also taken the earth core soul marrow and Hall of Souls items… Lin Chen couldn’t even imagine the consequences.

Xiao Yan might still show some mercy, but regarding Old Yao’s recovery and Hall of Souls, that former old man would never be lenient.

“This place is absolutely not to be lingered in!” Lin Chen gritted his teeth, enduring the severe pain, and began to climb arduously up the rock crevice.

He had to take advantage of the ongoing battle and the continuing chaos above to leave this troublesome Demon Flame Valley as quickly as possible!

As he climbed, he rapidly calculated in his mind:

The earth core soul marrow is in hand, but how to explain its origin?

The Hall of Souls scrolls and Medicinal Pill must not be exposed.

The severe injuries on his body and the Hall of Souls aura must be dealt with quickly and cleanly.

Old Yao is already suspicious; he must be extremely careful when interacting with Xiao Yan in the future.

That existence in the black hole… what exactly was it? Hall of Souls seems to be carrying out some plan related to it?

Perhaps there are clues in those scrolls…

More importantly, after this battle, he deeply realized his own lack of strength.

Although Shadow Erosion Dou Qi was strange and powerful, its backlash was also extremely terrifying, and against true powerhouses, concealment was not omnipotent.

The Dark Shadow Soul Binding Art must be improved as quickly as possible, and the earth core soul marrow might be the key for him to rapidly enhance his Soul Power, thereby better controlling his Dou Qi and resisting backlash!

After climbing for an unknown amount of time, the roaring sounds from above gradually became clearer.

Finally, he painstakingly squeezed out of an inconspicuous crack, returning to the surface of Demon Flame Valley, which was almost a ruin.

The valley was still chaotic, with small-scale battles continuing, but it was clear that Jia Nan Academy and the Inner Court powerhouses had gained an absolute upper hand.

In the sky, Earth Demon Old Ghost’s aura was weak, and he was firmly trapped by Grand Elder Su Qian and several other powerhouses; his defeat was only a matter of time.

Xiao Yan’s figure was moving through the battlefield, seemingly anxiously searching for something.

Lin Chen suppressed his aura, perfectly blending into the shadows of the broken walls and ruins, sneaking out of the valley like a ghost.

His plan was clear: first find a safe place to heal his injuries, digest what he had gained, and then… plan his next steps.

However, he did not notice that shortly after he left, an old, ethereal figure flickered slightly, appearing near the crack he had just emerged from.

He looked deeply at the crack, then gazed in the direction Lin Chen had disappeared, his brow slightly furrowed, a trace of elusive doubt flashing in his eyes.

“That faint shadow fluctuation… and a very faint, nauseating smell of Hall of Souls… Below, besides Hall of Souls, there were indeed others…”

Yao Chen’s Soul Body murmured softly, then shook his head, his gaze turning to the trapped Earth Demon Old Ghost.

“Never mind, let’s deal with the immediate trouble first.

The earth core soul marrow… perhaps there’s still a chance…”

The figure slowly dissipated.

Lin Chen, who had successfully escaped Demon Flame Valley, did not know that his seemingly perfect concealment had, after all, left a subtle, almost imperceptible trace under Old Yao’s seasoned experience and powerful Soul perception.

An invisible storm had already quietly sown its seeds.

(Next chapter preview: Lin Chen seeks a place to heal, devouring the earth core soul marrow to strengthen his Soul!)