55: Shadow strikes the elder, cold fire breaks the deadlock

Behind the boulder, Lin Chen's breathing almost stopped, his muscles were tense like a bowstring, and all his attention was focused on the Elder Zun from the Hall of Souls whose aura was slightly weaker.

The gap between a three-star Dou Zong and a seven-star Dou Ling was like a chasm; under normal circumstances, the opponent could kill him countless times with just a breath.

But at this moment, the battlefield was chaotic, energy was rampant, and that Elder Zun's full attention was concentrated on besieging Yao Chen, and the subtle, obstructed energy circulation in his left shoulder was as clear as a firefly in the dark night under Lin Chen's enhanced Soul perception!

There was only one chance!

He had to deliver his strongest blow when the opponent was completely unaware, not to injure the enemy, but only to interfere with him for a moment, creating a chance for Yao Chen to catch his breath!

He slowly took a breath, and the Dark Shadow Fighting Energy at the Peak of his seven-star Dou Ling cultivation was compressed and condensed frantically in an unprecedented way!

It didn't gather in his palm but surged entirely to the tip of his right index finger!

The Dark Shadow Soul Binding Art was pushed to its extreme, devouring and absorbing all aura, killing intent, and even light.

That finger became as black as ink, as if the deepest darkness of the Universe had condensed there, and the surrounding space subtly twisted and collapsed, exuding a heart-palpitating destructive fluctuation!

This strike drained more than half of his Fighting Energy and even triggered a backlash within his body; tearing pain came from his Meridians, but he ignored it completely!

Now!

When that Elder Zun once again swung his chain to attack Yao Chen, and the energy fluctuation in his left shoulder showed that fleeting moment of obscurity—

Lin Chen moved!

"Shadow Erosion · Absolute Kill Finger!"

He made no sound, his body like a venomous snake integrated into the shadows, suddenly shot out from behind the boulder!

His speed was so fast that it surpassed the limit of visual capture, like a black thread tearing through space, directly piercing towards the vital point of that Elder Zun's back heart!

The extreme darkness condensed at the fingertip carried the resolve to pierce through everything!

That Elder Zun from the Hall of Souls only suddenly realized it one-hundredth of a second before the attack was launched!

A fatal sense of crisis poured over him like ice water, making his hair stand on end!

He wanted to defend, but his old strength had just been expended, and new strength had not yet been generated.

That slight obstruction in his left shoulder was infinitely magnified at this moment, actually slowing down his recovery speed by a negligible fraction!

It was this slight difference!

"Pfft!"

A faint sound, almost imperceptible!

Lin Chen's fingertip, condensed with all his power, was like a red-hot branding iron cutting into butter, actually breaking through the vast Fighting Energy that automatically protected a Dou Zong powerhouse, accurately pointing at a spot on his back heart!

"Urgh ah—!"

That Elder Zun let out a cry of pain, mixed with shock and anger!

Although he wasn't truly heavily injured, that extremely condensed Dark Shadow Fighting Energy, containing a strange devouring power, like the most poisonous needle, instantly invaded his body, frantically destroying his Meridians.

More importantly, that power rushed directly to his Soul, bringing a brief but extremely intense sting and stiffness!

His movements, inevitably, showed a huge flaw!

The originally flawless triangular combined attack Formation instantly collapsed!

High in the sky, Yao Chen, who had been struggling to hold on and looking for an opportunity, had incredibly rich combat experience.

Although he was also shocked by this sudden change, his reaction was as fast as lightning!

"Good opportunity!"

The eerie white flames in Yao Chen's eyes surged, and the Bone Chilling Flame, which had been suppressed, erupted like a volcano!

"Flame Splitting Tsunami Ruler! Ultimate Version—Bone Chilling Flame Wave Devour!"

He did not use a ruler, but instead controlled the Bone Chilling Flame with his Soul Power, transforming it into a massive, eerie white fire wave that spanned the heavens and earth.

It was no longer a scattered attack but concentrated all its power, like a roaring ice-fire Dragon, fiercely crashing into that stiffened Elder Zun from the Hall of Souls!

"Damn it! Stop him quickly!" The other two Elder Zuns from the Hall of Souls were horrified, frantically urging their chains to try and rescue him, but they were already half a beat too late!

Boom—!!!

The terrifying eerie white fire wave slammed squarely into the stiffened Elder Zun!

"No—!" A shrill scream echoed across the sky!

The Bone Chilling Flame's characteristic of freezing the Soul instantly erupted; even though he was a Dou Zong powerhouse, being hit head-on by an abnormal fire without any defense caused him unprecedented heavy injuries!

His body surface was instantly covered with a layer of frost, his Soul felt as if it were pierced by thousands of ice needles, his aura instantly withered, blood spurted from his mouth as if it were free, and his body flew backward like a kite with a broken string, smashing heavily into the distant mountain wall, his fate unknown!

With one corner of the triangular Formation broken, the combined attack instantly collapsed!

"Junior! You seek Death!" The remaining two Elder Zuns from the Hall of Souls had bloodshot eyes, filled with shock and anger.

They never expected that just as they were about to successfully capture Yao Chen, they would be thwarted by a tiny, ant-like fellow who appeared out of nowhere!

One of them abandoned Yao Chen and angrily struck out with a palm from a distance towards Lin Chen, who was falling due to exhaustion!

How terrifying was a Dou Zong powerhouse's angry strike!

A giant palm, condensed from vast black Fighting Energy, covered the sky and sun, containing destructive power, locking onto all of Lin Chen's Qi mechanisms, and pressing down!

The space itself seemed about to be crushed by this palm!

Lin Chen was currently in an absolute weak period where his old strength was just exhausted and new strength had not yet been generated; facing this certain-kill strike, he was utterly powerless to evade!

The shadow of Death instantly descended!

"His life is protected by me!"

Just then, Yao Chen's cold voice rang out!

An eerie white wall of fire instantly appeared above Lin Chen, blocking the black giant palm!

Boom!

Energy exploded wildly, and the fire wall fluctuated violently, ultimately barely blocking the strike, but the overflowing energy impact still sent Lin Chen below reeling, causing him to spit out another mouthful of blood.

"Yao Chen! You can't even protect yourself, yet you dare to be distracted!" Another Elder Zun roared, his attacks becoming even more frantic.

Yao Chen snorted coldly; although the pressure suddenly increased, with two fewer people attacking him, he could finally barely hold on, and even spare a trace of power to protect Lin Chen.

He looked in the direction Lin Chen was falling, a look of extremely complex shock and admiration flashing in his eyes.

Although he had been somewhat suspicious of Lin Chen before, that astonishing and audacious finger just now, and the pure yet strange Dark Shadow Fighting Energy on his body (not a Hall of Souls Cultivation Technique), made him instantly realize that this young man was definitely not from the Hall of Souls, but rather had risked great danger to help him!

"Xiao Yan! Break through to the southeast!" Yao Chen shouted a reminder to the ground below while fending off attacks.

Xiao Yan below had long noticed the drastic changes in the sky; although he hadn't clearly seen who made the move, the fact that Yao Chen's pressure was reduced was undeniable!

His spirits greatly lifted, his Fighting Energy erupted without reservation, and the Buddha's Fury Fire Lotus, a Fusion of abnormal fires, condensed again, fiercely smashing towards his opponent!

"Want to leave? It's not that easy!" That Elder Zun, injured by Yao Chen, actually struggled out of the mountain wall; although his aura was weak and he was heavily injured, he still pounced ferociously, attempting to block them.

The situation on the battlefield, due to Lin Chen's desperate strike, instantly reversed!

A gap was forcibly torn open from a desperate situation!

Lin Chen fell heavily among the scattered rocks, countless bones in his body broken, his Meridians burning like fire, and the backlash power, like maggots clinging to bone, frantically gnawing at his vitality, his consciousness beginning to blur.

But a difficult smile pulled at the corner of his mouth.

It was worth it!

He did it!

He struggled to lift his head, seeing Xiao Yan fighting desperately towards the southeast, seeing Yao Chen fighting two Elder Zuns alone, though at a disadvantage, temporarily unharmed, and seeing the heavily injured Elder Zun forced back again by Xiao Yan's fierce ruler strike…

However, just then, another anomaly occurred!

That Elder Zun, who had been ambushed by Lin Chen and then heavily injured by Yao Chen, flashed with a crazed, venomous look in his eyes.

He fiercely slapped his chest, spitting out a mouthful of essence blood, which transformed into a strange rune in mid-air!

"With my blood, I inform the Heavenly Venerate! Please bestow the 'Soul Prison Lock'!"

Buzz!

Above the sky, the enormous light barrier that originally sealed the mountain range suddenly fluctuated violently.

An incomparably thick black chain, composed of countless twisted Soul shadows, like a spear of judgment from the Yellow Springs, ignored spatial distance and suddenly extended from the top of the light barrier, carrying a terrifying pressure that suppressed all Souls.

It did not shoot towards Yao Chen, but directly towards Lin Chen on the ground, who was moving slowly due to exhaustion!

This strike contained the immense power of the Formation, far exceeding an individual Dou Zong's attack, vowing to completely crush this meddling little bug!

Yao Chen and Xiao Yan's expressions simultaneously changed drastically!

"Be careful!" Xiao Yan's eyes were bloodshot; he wanted to turn back to rescue, but was firmly entangled by his opponent!

Yao Chen was also desperately held back by the two Elder Zuns, completely unable to Clone himself!

The black chain, like Death's invitation, instantly descended upon Lin Chen's head!

Lin Chen's pupils reflected the constantly enlarging, despair-inducing chain; the coldness of Death once again enveloped him, even more intensely than before!

Is it really over?

Just at this critical moment—

The strange tablet jade in his embrace, obtained from beneath the Demon Flame Valley, placed with the shadow Death Qi crystals, and originating from the yellow springs stele, suddenly, without warning, began to heat up and vibrate violently!

An ancient, desolate fluctuation, carrying a faint but incredibly tenacious vitality, suddenly emanated from the tablet jade!