49: The shadowy wolf reveals its sharp edge, and the ancient battlefield is filled with death.

Outside the mountain hollow, the Kui Wolf Gang bandits' attacks poured down like a torrential storm, Dou Qi radiance flashing, shattering rocks into powder, and filling the air with dust.

"You sneaking rat! Get out here!" the one-eyed brute roared, his ghost-head saber slashing out a fierce blade light that heavily struck towards the depths of the mountain hollow.

However, just as the blade light was about to disappear into the shadows—

The dense shadow seemed to come alive, twisting, and a black figure appeared without warning, standing there quietly as if he had always been there, merging with the darkness.

The blade light slashed through, but it was like hitting nothingness, passing through the dark figure and striking the rock wall behind, leaving a deep saber mark.

The dark figure slowly raised his head, revealing a pale but exceptionally calm face, his eyes as deep as an eternal cold night, without any emotional fluctuations.

It was Lin Chen.

"Playing tricks!" The one-eyed brute was startled but not flustered. He could feel that the opponent's aura didn't seem particularly strong, even a bit unstable. "A Five Star Dou Ling? No... his aura is strange... Everyone, attack him and kill him!"

Upon hearing this, over a dozen Kui Wolf Gang members immediately gathered around with sinister smiles, their Dou Qi erupting, and various vicious Dou Techniques overwhelming Lin Chen. The three people being chased were greatly alarmed and wanted to warn him, but it was too late.

Facing the encirclement, Lin Chen advanced instead of retreating.

He stomped his foot, and his figure flickered out like a ghost, not moving in a straight line but rather flashing along the intersections of light and shadow, like an insubstantial shadow, easily avoiding most attacks. When a few unavoidable attacks came, a layer of bizarre black fluctuation would appear on his body's surface. The Dou Qi energy contained in those attacks was like a mud ox entering the sea, silently devoured and dissolved for the most part, and the remaining power was already difficult to cause him substantial harm!

The Dark Shadow Soul Binding Art — Shadow Erosion! Devouring energy and turning it into one's own!

Although the conversion efficiency was not high and would intensify the backlash, at this moment, it displayed astonishing defensive power.

"What the hell is this?!" A Dou Ling bandit's full-force punch landed on Lin Chen's back, but he felt his Dou Qi rapidly draining away, as if he had hit a bottomless black hole, and he was horrified.

Lin Chen suddenly turned around, his right hand shooting out like lightning, his five fingers as black as ink, their tips entwined with Soul-stirring Shadow Erosion Death Qi, grabbing straight for the bandit's face.

"Shadow Erosion Claw!"

The bandit was terrified, desperately retreating and condensing a Dou Qi armor, but the black five fingers treated the Dou Qi armor as nothing, easily piercing through and grabbing his face!

"Ugh ah—!"

The shrill scream abruptly stopped!

Everyone watched in horror as the bandit's body withered at a visible speed, his skin losing its luster, his hair turning gray, and his vigorous vitality seemingly forcibly drained away. In just one or two breaths, he directly turned into a shriveled corpse! On Lin Chen's pale face, however, a faint, almost imperceptible blush strangely appeared. Although it was instantly suppressed by an even deeper sense of weakness, the Dou Qi he had just consumed had recovered quite a bit, and even the sharp pain in his shoulder blade had lessened a bit!

Devouring vitality to replenish oneself! This was the most overbearing and sinister aspect of Shadow Erosion Dou Qi!

The entire scene instantly fell silent!

Whether it was the Kui Wolf Gang members or the three people being chased, they were all dumbfounded, their scalps tingling as they watched the rapidly weathering corpse, a chill rushing from the soles of their feet straight to their heads!

What kind of evil Cultivation Technique was this, after all?!

"De... Devil!" A bandit's voice trembled as he instinctively retreated.

The one-eyed brute also felt a chill in his heart, but he was fierce after all, and he forced himself to calm down and roared, "What are you afraid of! He's just one person! This evil Cultivation Technique must have a price! Everyone, attack him and wear him down!"

However, before he finished speaking, Lin Chen moved.

Having devoured the vitality of a Dou Ling, although most of it was used to suppress the backlash and heal his injuries, it still allowed him to temporarily gain a trace of power. His figure flickered, as if he had merged into the wind, instantly appearing behind another bandit, his black fingers lightly tapping his back.

The bandit's body stiffened, the light in his eyes rapidly dimmed, his skin lost its color, and he softly fell to the ground.

Fast! Strange! Ruthless!

Lin Chen's figure flickered unpredictably among the crowd. Every time he appeared, one person would turn into a dry corpse and fall. His attacks had no grand momentum, only extreme coldness and death, precisely and efficiently harvesting lives. The Kui Wolf Gang members' attacks couldn't even touch him; instead, they became nourishment for him to replenish his consumption.

This was the benefit brought by powerful Soul Power; his prediction of the battlefield situation and the opponent's movements reached an astonishing height, coupled with the eerie of the Dark Shadow Soul Binding Art, it was simply a slaughter!

"Bastard!" The one-eyed brute's eyes were bloodshot as he roared and swung his ghost-head saber, injecting his Dou Qi without reservation into the saber. A huge bloody wolf head blade light tore through the air, roaring and biting towards Lin Chen!

This strike contained all the power of his Five Star Dou Ling!

Lin Chen's eyes narrowed slightly, no longer dodging. He took a deep breath, and the Shadow Erosion Dou Qi in his body circulated frantically at an unprecedented speed. A stinging sensation came from his Meridians, but he ignored it. Black Dou Qi surged out from his body, condensing in front of him into a continuously rotating dark vortex that seemed to absorb all light!

"Dark Vortex Devour!"

The bloody wolf head slammed into the dark vortex!

There was no earth-shattering explosion, only a grating "hissing" sound. The fierce bloody wolf head was like falling into a quagmire, visibly devoured, decomposed, and dissolved by the dark vortex! In a few breaths, it was completely devoured!

"Pfft!" The one-eyed brute suffered a Qi backlash, spitting out a mouthful of fresh blood, his eyes filled with incredible fear.

Lin Chen's body also swayed, his face even paler. Forcibly devouring energy beyond his own Rank intensified the backlash, but he forcefully suppressed it.

The next moment, his figure appeared in front of the one-eyed brute as if teleporting. In his desperate gaze, a black palm print landed on his chest.

"No—!"

Terrifying devouring power erupted!

The one-eyed brute's body twitched violently, and his vast vitality and Dou Qi poured into Lin Chen's body like a breached river. The vitality of a Five Star Dou Ling was far more abundant than that of the previous nobodies. Lin Chen only felt that the Dou Qi in his body, which had been depleted, rapidly filled up, his injuries healed faster, and even his Soul felt a trace of comfort!

But what followed was an even more violent vitality backlash! It was as if countless needles were piercing through his body, threatening to burst his "container"!

In just a few breaths, the one-eyed brute turned into a dry corpse and fell to the ground.

Lin Chen stood in place, his body trembling slightly, faint black Qi lingering on his surface. That was the Death Qi and negative emotions that could not be fully absorbed, dissipating. He closed his eyes, fully operating his Cultivation Technique to digest this vast power.

The remaining Kui Wolf Gang members had long been scared out of their wits. With a shout, they fled for their lives, disappearing without a trace in an instant.

The three people who had been saved were terrified, both grateful and fearful, standing still and not daring to move.

After a long time, Lin Chen slowly opened his eyes, the black light in his pupils gradually receding, and his aura stabilized a lot. Although the internal backlash was still severe, his superficial injuries had healed by seventy to eighty percent, and his strength showed faint signs of Breakthrough to Six Star Dou Ling!

His gaze swept towards the three people.

The three of them instantly shivered. The young man leading them quickly stepped forward, bowed respectfully, his voice filled with awe, "Th-thank you, Senior, for saving our lives! We are from the Yao Family of Black Domain Great Ridge. We were ordered to find this youying grass for our Young Miss's life. This kindness, the Yao Family will never forget!" He cautiously reported their origins, expressing gratitude while also implying a hint of deterrence.

Lin Chen glanced at them indifferently, his gaze lingering for a moment on an inconspicuous Family crest on their robes. He waved his hand, his voice hoarse, "It was just a coincidence. This place is not suitable for staying long; you should leave quickly."

He was not a bloodthirsty person, nor was he interested in taking advantage of others' gratitude.

The three of them felt as if they had received a great pardon, bowed in thanks again, and then, supporting each other, quickly departed.

Lin Chen withdrew his gaze and looked at the black wooden box in his hand. The youying grass inside emitted an enticing aura.

"youying grass... coexisting in extremely yin Death Qi lands..." he murmured, his gaze turning towards the distant mountain range, rumored to be an ancient battlefield.

The appearance of this grass might not be accidental. It might have flowed out from that direction.

There, the Death Qi and shadow energy must be extremely dense, making it an excellent place for him to heal and Cultivate! He might even find more resources similar to youying grass.

No longer hesitating, Lin Chen took a few Medicinal Pills to temporarily suppress the restless backlash in his body. His figure moved, turning into a faint black shadow, and he sped off in the general direction from which the youying grass's aura came.

The further he advanced in that direction, the colder the energy in the air became, and the light seemed to dim a few shades. The vegetation gradually thinned, replaced by a gray-black soil that looked as if it had been soaked in blood and then dried. Occasionally, he could see some broken weapon fragments and large beast bones half-buried in the soil, exuding an ancient and desolate aura.

The shadow energy and Death Qi in the world became increasingly dense and pure. Lin Chen's Shadow Erosion Dou Qi spontaneously became active, greedily absorbing them, greatly accelerating his recovery. The Dark Shadow Soul Binding Art also operated more smoothly.

He was certain in his heart that he had found the right place.

A few days later, the outline of a vast mountain range, shrouded in gray-black mist and stretching as far as the eye could see, appeared on the horizon. A Soul-stirring sense of oppression washed over him, as if beneath that land, endless wails and death were buried.

The ancient battlefield ruins had arrived!

Lin Chen could feel that the youying grass in his interspatial ring was subtly resonating.

He took a deep breath of the deathly still air, his eyes firm, and stepped into the range covered by the gray mist.

His figure was instantly swallowed by the dense fog, as if thrown into a silent, gaping maw.