52: Another breakthrough!!!

Within the pit, Death Qi like a cocoon tightly enveloped Lin Chen. He sat cross-legged, like an old monk in meditation, his aura perfectly blending with the surrounding environment; if one didn't look directly, his existence was almost imperceptible.

The Medicinal Power of the earth core soul marrow spread, and gentle yet vast Soul Power nourished his damaged Sea of Consciousness, soothing the Soul fatigue caused by forcibly using Shadow Erosion · Body Fusion. At the same time, the effects of the healing Medicinal Pill were also at work, combined with the endless Death Qi energy around him, the terrifying wound on his back visibly squirmed and healed, and his broken bones emitted a faint hum, reconnecting.

Time flowed in absolute silence.

After an unknown period, Lin Chen's internal injuries finally stabilized. Although not fully recovered, they were no longer critical. He slowly opened his eyes, a sharp glint shining within them, his Soul Power having benefited from the misfortune, seemingly becoming a touch more refined.

It was time.

He took a deep breath, flipped his palm, and the black, glossy crystal, exuding pure Shadow Death Qi, appeared in his hand. The moment the crystal appeared, the Death Qi and Shadow energy within the pit seemed to respond to a monarch's call, becoming even more active, subtly bowing towards the crystal.

"Whether I Breakthrough or not, it all depends on this," Lin Chen's gaze was firm, without any hesitation. He held the Shadow crystal in both hands, and the Dark Shadow Soul Binding Art roared into operation!

"Buzz—!"

The crystal vibrated violently, and the vast, ocean-like pure energy within it seemed to find an outlet, surging into Lin Chen's body like a breached flood!

This energy was a hundred times purer and more massive than the free-floating Death Qi outside! Moreover, it was extremely gentle, requiring almost no refining, and could be directly converted into the most Origin Dark Shadow Fighting Energy!

Lin Chen's Meridians were instantly filled with the vast energy, even feeling distended. He dared not delay, fully guiding this torrent to circulate wildly through his body along the Cultivation Technique's path, eventually converging into the Dantian cyclone.

The Dark Shadow Fighting Energy in his Dantian became abundant, solid, and powerful at an astonishing speed!

The cyclone's rotation speed became faster and faster, and its volume slowly expanded. In its center, the previously somewhat illusory prototype of a Battle Crystal began to solidify and clarify at a visible rate, emitting a dark luster.

Six-star Dou Master Middle Stage... Six-star Dou Master Late Stage... Six-star Dou Master Peak...

The barrier to Breakthrough arrived as expected, but under the almost infinite energy support of the Shadow crystal, that barrier appeared fragile and weak.

"Break!"

Lin Chen let out a low roar in his heart, controlling the vast torrent of Fighting Energy, like a raging sea, to fiercely crash against that invisible obstacle!

"Boom!"

A loud sound, audible only to him, seemed to echo within his body, and the barrier shattered! A broader space of power appeared before his eyes!

Seven-star Dou Master!

It was a natural progression! Without the slightest stagnation!

However, the Shadow crystal's energy had consumed less than one-third! The torrent still surged!

Lin Chen naturally wouldn't waste this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. He continued to stabilize his Realm and charged towards a higher level!

Seven-star Dou Master Early Stage... Seven-star Dou Master Middle Stage...

His aura climbed steadily, his internal Fighting Energy becoming more robust and refined than ever before, and his understanding of the Dark Shadow Soul Binding Art continuously deepened with the increase in power. The many subtle aspects of techniques like Shadow Spin: Vortex, Shadow Grasp, and Shadow Erosion · Body Fusion, which he had created on the fly, became increasingly perfect and exquisite under the deduction of his powerful Soul Power.

When the Shadow crystal's energy was finally completely absorbed, his strength had already stabilized at the Seven-star Dou Master Peak level! He was only a hair's breadth away from Eight-star!

One crystal saved him several years of arduous cultivation!

Lin Chen slowly opened his eyes, two substantial dark lights flashing across them. His aura was well-rounded and restrained, yet contained a terrifying explosive power. He gently clenched his fist, feeling the surging power within his body, an unprecedented sense of strength emerging spontaneously.

"Seven-star Dou Master Peak... Coupled with the enhanced Soul Power from the earth core soul marrow and the newly comprehended techniques, even facing a low-level Battle King now, I might not be without the strength to fight!" A surge of heroic spirit rose in his heart.

More importantly, with the increase in strength, his control over the Shadow Erosion Dou Qi within his body became more precise. Although the constant sense of backlash still existed, it was no longer as suffocating as before, becoming easier to suppress and guide.

He stood up, stretched his limbs, and his body emitted crisp crackling sounds. He was in better condition than ever before.

It was time to leave here.

He once again used Shadow Erosion · Body Fusion. This time, he was more proficient, and the consumption was significantly reduced. His body seemed to melt into the shadows, silently slipping out of the pit without causing any disturbance.

Back on the ground, the gray mist remained, but the omnipresent spatial lock and cold gaze in his perception had disappeared. It seemed the other party had temporarily withdrawn their surveillance after confirming the loss of their target.

Lin Chen did not relax in the slightest, maintaining his Body Fusion state, like a true ghost, stealthily moving deeper into the ancient battlefield. He became more cautious, spreading his Soul perception to its maximum extent, avoiding any potential energy traps and wandering vengeful spirits.

He had a hunch that the Hall of Souls's stronghold here, or the so-called "Yellow Springs Entrance," was likely in the core area of this battlefield.

Along the way, he discovered many rare dark-attribute medicinal herbs and some broken ancient artifacts, and even found a small fragment of a Shadow crystal, all of which he carefully collected. These resources were crucial to him.

The deeper he went, the larger and more complete the skeletons on the ground became. Some skeletons even shimmered with a faint golden-jade luster, indicating that their owners must have been Battle Sects or even stronger existences in life. The fragments of broken weapons also emitted terrifying fluctuations, showing their extraordinary past. The Death Qi and resentment permeating the air were almost tangible; an ordinary Great Dou Master would likely lose their mind instantly here.

If not for the miraculous Dark Shadow Soul Binding Art, Lin Chen would never have been able to stay here for long.

Suddenly, he paused, merging behind a giant beast-head skeleton, his gaze sharply fixed on the front.

Not far ahead, the terrain began to slope downwards, forming a huge basin. In the center of the basin, it was not the imagined mountain of corpses and sea of bones, but a relatively complete ruin of black stone structures, ancient and eerie in style, like a deep underground temple or altar.

And at this moment, at the entrance of that ruin, there were active figures!

Not vengeful spirits, but living people! And they were wearing familiar black robes!

People from the Hall of Souls!

They seemed to be busy, driving black stone pillars carved with runes into the ground, seemingly setting up a huge Formation. In the center of the Formation, faint, heart-palpitating spatial fluctuations emanated, ten times stronger than those in Demon Flame Valley! The fluctuations were mixed with a faint, almost imperceptible cold, deathly aura, similar to that of the black hole but much weaker and more distant.

Lin Chen even saw two familiar figures—the Battle Emperor and another Battle King who had fled in panic from the Demon Flame Valley's underground lava lake, terrified by the Earth Core Fire Python and the black hole! They were now respectfully standing behind an Elder Zun in dark purple robes, whose aura was as deep as an abyss, whispering something.

The purple-robed Elder Zun had his back to Lin Chen, his face unclear, but the aura emanating from him made Lin Chen's Soul tremble—a Battle Sect! And definitely not an Early Stage Battle Sect!

"Elder Zun, the spatial coordinates have been initially stabilized, but the 'door' on the other side is extremely unstable, with immense repulsive force. The last attempt at 'transference' failed, awakening the guards on that side, leading to energy leakage and the Formation of those mutated Soul Puppets in the outer area," the Battle Emperor respectfully said, still with lingering fear.

The purple-robed Elder Zun slowly spoke, his voice hoarse and majestic, the same voice that had previously controlled the spatial lock and vengeful spirits: "It's fine. The awakening of 'the other shore' is a long process, and setbacks are inevitable. This time, with enough Death Soul Power accumulated, we can try again. As long as the 'seed' is successfully sent in, it will be a great achievement."

He paused, then asked, "That little rat who was peeking earlier, has he been dealt with?"

"Your subordinate is incompetent! That rogue's movement technique is extremely bizarre; he was able to merge into the Death Qi environment, evading the detection of the Soul Puppet army and the spatial lock, and ultimately... disappeared," sweat beaded on the Battle Emperor's forehead.

"Oh? Able to evade detection here?" The Elder Zun's voice betrayed no emotion. "It seems he is no ordinary person. Perhaps related to those forces that have been secretly opposing our Hall. Send more people to patrol the surroundings; we absolutely cannot let him interfere with the 'flower planting' grand plan."

"Yes!" The Battle Emperor quickly assented.

"Continue setting up the Formation. Three days from now, during the lunar eclipse, when the Death Qi is at its densest, we will attempt 'transference' again!" the Elder Zun commanded.

"As you command!"

Lin Chen, hidden behind the bones, heard their conversation clearly, and a storm raged in his heart.

Transference? Seed? Flower planting? The other side of the door? Guards?

These words, linked together, pointed to a chilling truth—the Hall of Souls was actually trying to open a passage to the so-called "Yellow Springs" or "the other shore"! And they wanted to send some kind of "seed" over? What did they want to do? Cultivate the so-called "other shore flowers"?

And on the other side of that "door," there seemed to be powerful "guards"? Did that refer to the terrifying existence in the Demon Flame Valley black hole?

Three days later! During the lunar eclipse!

He had inadvertently stumbled upon such an astonishing conspiracy!

He had to find a way to stop them, or... get the message out!

But facing a Battle Sect Elder Zun, several Battle Emperors and Battle Kings, and countless controlled vengeful spirits, his current strength was akin to a mantis trying to stop a chariot.

Lin Chen's mind raced, his gaze sweeping over the ruins and the Formation being set up. An extremely risky plan gradually formed in his mind.

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