48: Leaving the place to secretly explore the mouth of Emperor Yan, fleeing far away and encountering the traces of old friends

Under the dual effects of the earth core soul marrow and Medicinal Pills, Lin Chen's injuries had stabilized considerably. Although far from healed, he at least had the strength to move.

Lin Chen changed into a clean black robe, adjusted his state to optimal, and once again activated the Dark Shadow Soul Binding Art, converging his aura to near nothingness.

Only then did he quietly return to the periphery of Demon Flame Valley, which was now a ruin.

At this moment, Demon Flame Valley had been temporarily taken over by Jia Nan Academy.

The remaining resistance forces had been cleared, and the students, under the command of the Elders, were busy cleaning the battlefield and rescuing the wounded, a scene of bustling activity.

The air was filled with the smell of gunpowder, blood, and a hint of post-victory exhilaration.

Lin Chen, like a shadow lurking at the edge of light, skillfully avoided patrolling teams, his senses fully extended, searching for Xiao Yan's aura.

Soon, he found his target beneath a relatively intact broken cliff.

Xiao Yan was seated cross-legged, eyes closed, adjusting his breath.

His powerful Dou Qi slowly fluctuated around him like a tide, clearly also recovering from the expenditure of the great battle.

Hai Bodong stood guard beside him, his gaze vigilantly sweeping the surroundings.

Yao Lao's Soul form was not visible, but Lin Chen could faintly sense an extremely weak Soul Power fluctuation lingering around Xiao Yan, like the most loyal guardian.

Lin Chen took a deep breath, deliberately making his footsteps a little heavier, and also released a slight trace of his aura.

"Who?" Hai Bodong's sharp gaze instantly locked onto him, and his icy Dou Qi quietly gathered.

Xiao Yan, who was in meditation, also suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze shooting over like lightning.

After seeing it was Lin Chen, he paused slightly, a hint of undetectable complexity flashing in his eyes.

He then lowered his guard and smiled, "So it's Brother Lin Chen, it's great that you're alright.

The valley was chaotic earlier, and I was worried something might have happened to you."

His tone sounded as warm as ever, but Lin Chen's keen Soul perception caught the fleeting scrutiny.

Yao Lao must have already informed him of the discovery and suspicion from underground.

Lin Chen's face appropriately showed a touch of lingering fear and fatigue.

He stepped forward and said with a wry smile, "Thank you for your concern, Brother Xiao Yan.

The ground suddenly collapsed earlier, and the fire poison miasma erupted; I was swept into a collapsed tunnel and almost buried alive.

It took me a lot of effort to struggle out, and I suffered some internal injuries.

I've been hiding and recuperating until now before daring to come out."

He briefly recounted his experience, attributing his injuries to the earthquake and fire poison, which was reasonable.

Xiao Yan's gaze swept over his pale face and his seemingly unnatural right shoulder, then nodded, his tone filled with concern: "So that's what happened, the underground anomaly was indeed shocking.

How are your injuries, Brother Lin Chen? I have healing Medicinal Pills here."

As he spoke, he made to retrieve the medicine.

"No need to trouble Brother Xiao Yan, I've already taken Medicinal Pills and am fine for now."

Lin Chen quickly waved his hand, changing the subject, his face showing a perfectly timed expression of confusion and shock, "Brother Xiao Yan, there seemed to be a huge change underground earlier.

I vaguely felt several extremely terrifying auras colliding, and even... even a Soul-shaking suction appeared.

What exactly was that? Could there be something terrifying hidden beneath this Demon Flame Valley?"

He directly threw out the question, which made him seem more frank.

Xiao Yan frowned upon hearing this, and seemed to communicate with the invisible Soul Power fluctuation in the air for a moment, then sighed: "To be honest, Brother Lin Chen, there was indeed a major change underground.

It seems to be related to the Hall of Souls's conspiracy; they were planning something big here, but I'm not entirely clear on the specific details.

My teacher only found some residual traces of the Hall of Souls and a... very strange and powerful spatial fluctuation, suspected to be the awakening or arrival of some ancient existence, but it mysteriously disappeared in the end."

He spoke half-truths, pointing out the Hall of Souls but blurring the details of the earth core soul marrow and the black hole, clearly holding back some information.

"Hall of Souls?!" Lin Chen feigned shock, "It's those persistent fellows again! Nothing good ever happens when they appear!"

His tone was filled with indignation, positioning himself as an opponent of the Hall of Souls.

"Indeed." Xiao Yan nodded in agreement, then seemingly casually asked, "Brother Lin Chen, when you were underground, besides the earthquake and fire poison, did you discover any other anomalies?

For example... traces of Hall of Souls members? Or... some kind of special energy treasure fluctuation?"

His gaze seemed concerned but subtly held a hint of probing.

Here it comes! A warning bell rang in Lin Chen's heart, but his face was a picture of bewilderment and lingering fear: "Hall of Souls members? I didn't see any... In that situation, it was good enough to just stay alive.

Treasure fluctuations? It seems... I didn't particularly notice; the energy turbulence was too violent at the time, I couldn't perceive anything clearly."

He perfectly played the role of a lucky survivor, still shaken, completely clearing himself of suspicion.

Xiao Yan carefully observed his expression, seemingly finding no flaws, and the scrutiny in his eyes faded slightly.

He smiled, "That's good, in such a dangerous place, safety is the most important."

At this moment, Yao Lao's subtle Soul Power fluctuations also completely subsided, seemingly dispelling his doubts for the time being, or perhaps believing that even if Lin Chen was hiding something, a Spirit Rank passerby wouldn't affect the overall situation.

Lin Chen felt a little relieved, knowing he had passed the test for now.

He took the opportunity to bid farewell: "Brother Xiao Yan, with things settled here, my injuries are not yet healed, so I plan to leave the Black-Corner Region first and find a quiet place to recuperate properly."

"Oh? Brother Lin Chen is leaving already?" Xiao Yan was a little surprised and tried to persuade him, "Why not stay at Jia Nan Academy for a few days, heal your injuries, and then leave?

I can also fulfill my duties as a host."

"Thank you for your kindness, Brother Xiao Yan." Lin Chen shook his head, his tone firm, "I'm used to traveling alone, and I'm quite heavily injured this time, so I need quiet rest.

I won't trouble you further.

If there's an opportunity another day, I'll share a drink with Brother Xiao Yan."

Seeing that he was determined to leave, Xiao Yan no longer insisted.

He took out a slightly different Jade Slip and handed it to Lin Chen: "Since that's the case, I won't force you.

This Jade Slip not only contains my Soul imprint but can also sense the approximate location of others holding sub-slips within a certain range.

If Brother Lin Chen encounters any of my good friends in the future, it might be of some help.

Take care on your journey!"

This was clearly a step up from the previous Jade Slip, intended for convenient contact, but also subtly implying a potential, more hidden mark.

Lin Chen understood this in his heart and accepted it openly: "Thank you, Brother Xiao Yan! Take care!"

He cupped his fists in a salute, no longer lingering, and turned into a black shadow, quickly disappearing into the dense forest.

Only after completely moving away from the Demon Flame Valley's range did Lin Chen slow down slightly, look back, and let out a long sigh of relief.

Dealing with the protagonist truly felt like walking on thin ice at every step.

He took out the new Jade Slip given by Xiao Yan, and as his Soul Power swept over it, he could clearly feel Xiao Yan's Soul aura contained within, as well as a faint directional signal pointing towards Jia Nan Academy.

He carefully wrapped and Sealed it layer by layer with Shadow Erosion Dou Qi, isolating that sensation, and only then put it away with peace of mind.

"Next, where to?" Lin Chen pondered.

The Black-Corner Region was no longer a place to stay; it would soon become the center of a storm.

He needed to find a place rich in shadow energy or Death Qi, which would be beneficial for both healing and Cultivating the Dark Shadow Soul Binding Art.

Based on his vague memories from his previous life and the information he had gathered before, he roughly decided on a direction—an ancient mountain range located at the border of the Black-Corner Region and the Northwest Continent.

It was said that it was once an ancient battlefield, with extremely heavy Death Qi and rarely visited by people.

Having determined his goal, he no longer hesitated.

He took a Medicinal Pill to aid his journey, and his figure transformed into a blurry black shadow, speeding towards the mountain range.

A few days later, he had completely left the sphere of influence of Canaan City and entered a desolate hilly area.

Dusk was falling, and the shadows lengthened.

He found a sheltered mountain hollow, planning to rest for a moment before continuing his journey.

Not long after he sat down, his ears suddenly twitched.

From a distance, there came the sound of urgent wind breaking and... fierce sounds of pursuit!

"Stop! Hand over the item!"

"Hmph, how dare you, Black Skull Tomb, try to snatch something that our 'Kuilang Gang' has set its eyes on? You're courting death!"

Lin Chen frowned, not wanting to meddle, and immediately converged his aura to hide.

In the hills ahead, two groups of people were engaged in a fierce chase and battle.

The pursued party consisted of only three people, seemingly protecting a young man in the middle who was holding a box.

They fought and retreated, all of them already wounded.

The pursuing party had over ten people, all ferocious-looking, led by a one-eyed big man whose strength had clearly reached around a five-star Spirit Rank, and whose attacks were ruthless.

Just as the three were about to be encircled, the young man in the middle stumbled, and the box in his arms flew out, coincidentally falling towards the mountain hollow where Lin Chen was hiding.

The young man cried out, "Young Miss's life-saving medicine!"

The one-eyed big man pursuing them showed a great surge of greed in his eyes: "Snatch it!"

Several attacks simultaneously blasted towards the box; if hit, the box and its contents would surely be shattered.

Lin Chen initially didn't want to get involved, but the moment his gaze swept over the box, the Shadow Erosion Dou Qi, which had been dormant deep within his Soul for a long time, actually fluctuated slightly on its own, sending out an extremely faint... desire?

Inside that box, there was something that attracted Shadow Erosion Dou Qi!

In a flash of lightning, Lin Chen made his decision.

Just as those attacks were about to hit the box, the shadow in the mountain hollow twisted, and a blurry black figure flashed past like a ghost.

The next moment, the box flying through the air simply disappeared into thin air!

Everyone's movements stiffened, their attacks missed, hitting the ground and raising a cloud of dust.

"Who?!"

"Which hidden fellow? How dare you snatch something from my Kuilang Gang!" The one-eyed big man was both startled and enraged, shouting sharply.

The three people being pursued were also stunned.

In the shadows, Lin Chen looked at the black wooden box in his hand, which was cool to the touch and seemed to absorb light, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

In that instant of action, his application of the Dark Shadow Soul Binding Art seemed to have become a bit more refined.

He ignored the shouts outside and carefully extended his Soul Power into the box.

Inside the box, it was not any Medicinal Pill, but a peculiar plant lying quietly.

It was entirely black, with strangely twisted leaves, like struggling shadows, emitting a rich, pure shadow energy and... a deep, deathly stillness.

This was... Ghost Shadow Grass? And judging by its age and form, it was probably at the level of a fifth or even sixth-grade medicinal ingredient!

This item was a great tonic for those who Cultivated dark-attribute Dou Qi, but it usually grew in extremely yin and Death Qi-filled places, which ordinary people avoided.

No wonder it attracted Shadow Erosion Dou Qi.

Outside, the Kuilang Gang members had already begun to furiously attack the mountain hollow, trying to force out the hidden person.

Lin Chen put away the wooden box, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

Perfect, I'll use you all to test the power of Shadow Erosion Dou Qi after my Soul has been enhanced, and incidentally... replenish some vitality.

His figure slowly emerged from the shadows.