62: In the hunt, you will all become fertilizer!

Facing the advice of Monk Bunu, which was filled with "sincerity" and "goodwill."

Lin Chen simply listened quietly.

Not a hint of impatience or anger from being slighted appeared on his face.

After Monk Bunu finished speaking,

he slowly stood up.

He clasped his hands together and bowed slightly toward this "kindred spirit," the only person in this cold world who had ever shown him pure goodwill.

"Master, Lin Chen appreciates your kindness."

His voice was calm, yet carried a hint of imperceptible detachment.

He did not refute Monk Bunu's theory of "being content with the status quo and remaining in the Eastern Wasteland."

Nor did he explain his grand ideal of "overthrowing the world and establishing Great Harmony," which the monk would surely view as nothing short of "a fool's pipe dream."

Because he knew it was unnecessary.

He looked at Monk Bunu's eyes, which, though clear, had long since had all their sharp edges worn down by the world's "rules."

He knew that ultimately, they were not traveling the same path.

What Monk Bunu sought was "to live better" in this "deformed" world.

What Lin Chen intended to do was... shatter this "deformed" world completely!

Those whose paths differ cannot plan together.

"Master, take care."

"If fate allows, we shall meet again in the Jianghu."

With that, he did not linger for another moment, simply waving faintly at the Purple Cloud Holy Land disciples behind him.

"Let's go."

The group slowly disappeared into the distance of the Black Stone Wasteland, watched by Monk Bunu, whose gaze was filled with confusion and regret..."Holy Son, are we... just leaving like this?" A female disciple of the Purple Cloud Holy Land couldn't help but ask curiously along the way, "Those Pure Yang Sect people didn't seem to have any ill intentions."

"Sometimes, goodwill is scarier than malice," Lin Chen answered faintly. "Because it wears down your fangs and allows you to rot in place with a clear conscience."

The group pondered his words.

Just then,

a white silhouette suddenly flew over from a distant valley, blocking their path.

It was Luo Shui of the Yaochi Holy Land.

She bowed gracefully to Holy Son Lin, her face displaying a gentle and appropriate smile tinged with detachment.

"Holy Son Lin, I trust you have been well."

"I have been ordered by my Elder Yuheng to present the Holy Son with a small gift concerning the Fallen Dragon Valley."

Saying this, she handed over a jade slip containing information.

"This is a map drawn by the predecessors of the Yaochi Holy Land during their exploration of the outer regions of the Fallen Dragon Valley, along with some insights regarding the habits of the 'Blood Fiend Beasts' and the distribution of treasures."

"I hope it proves helpful to the Holy Son."

"Oh? Then I thank the Yaochi Holy Land for their kindness."

Lin Chen took the jade slip, his face betraying no emotion.

Seeing that her task was complete, Luo Shui did not linger, bowed once more, and then turned and floated away.

"Holy Son! Quick, look! What did the Yaochi people write?"

"That's great! With this map, we won't have to stumble around like headless flies!"

The female disciples of the Purple Cloud Holy Land excitedly gathered around.

In their view, this was undoubtedly help in a time of need.

However,

after Lin Chen swiftly scanned the contents of the jade slip with his divine sense, his face, which had been as still as an ancient well, slowly curved into a cold, mocking... sneer.

"Holy Son? What's wrong?" Luo Bingli noticed his abnormality.

"Nothing."

Lin Chen slowly shook his head and casually tossed the jade slip, which everyone considered "priceless," onto the ground like trash.

Then he stomped on it, shattering it completely!

"H-Holy Son?! What are you..."

All the female disciples of the Purple Cloud Holy Land were stunned!

Lin Chen simply picked up a broken stone from the ground.

Then, under the confused and bewildered gazes of all the Purple Cloud Holy Land female disciples, he drew a simple yet incredibly accurate... map on the ground.

"Look,"

he said, his voice calm and filled with the light of convincing wisdom.

"This map appears incredibly detailed."

He used the stone shard to point out several locations on the map.

"This is the Black Wind Canyon; it marks the presence of Wind Spirit Fruits there."

"This is the Scarlet Blood Forest; it marks the lair of the Fiend Beast, the Blood-Patterned Demonic Spider."

"This is the Soul Severing Cliff; it marks the ruins of an ancient cultivator's cave dwelling at the bottom of the cliff."

"At first glance, this intelligence gives us opportunities and warns us of dangers; it seems very 'fair,' doesn't it?"

Everyone nodded instinctively upon hearing this.

"But,"

Lin Chen's tone suddenly sharpened!

The stone shard drew a sharp connecting line across the map!

"Haven't you noticed?"

"All the areas marked as 'dangerous,' such as the Scarlet Blood Forest, the Rotten Bone Swamp, and the Thunder Roar Mountains... they all share one common characteristic."

"That is, they are all located on the... eastern side of this region!"

"And all the areas marked as 'opportunities,' such as the Black Wind Canyon, the Spirit Mist Valley, and the Treasure Gathering Basin... they are all concentrated on the... western side!"

Boom—!!!

At these words,

all the female disciples of the Purple Cloud Holy Land instantly felt as if they had been struck by lightning!

Following Lin Chen's guidance, they recalled the map again, and the color instantly drained from their faces!

It... it was true!

The east was full of danger!

The west was full of opportunities!

How... how could this be a coincidence?!

"Th-this... why is this?" Luo Bingli's voice trembled slightly.

"It's simple."

Lin Chen's eyes shone with the light of all-seeing wisdom.

"Because this map was... incomplete from the start."

"It only gave us half the truth."

He used the stone shard to draw a huge, bloody circle over the western area, the seemingly "safe" land of "opportunities"!

"If I haven't guessed wrong,"

his voice was cold and filled with undeniable certainty!

"Hidden within this western region, which appears full of 'opportunities,' there must be a devastating death trap, far more terrifying than all the dangers on the eastern side combined!"

"The people of the Yaochi Holy Land didn't lie to us directly."

"They merely 'kindly' concealed the most crucial and fatal half of the... intelligence."

"They are using the most brilliant method of 'murder with a borrowed knife'!"

"They want us to think we've gotten a bargain and then cheerfully walk right into the death graveyard they meticulously prepared for us!"

This is the most brilliant way to kill without shedding blood!

This is the true art of the "Queen's Competition"!

After listening to Lin Chen's layered, logically rigorous, yet chilling analysis!

All the female disciples of the Purple Cloud Holy Land present were completely stunned!

Utterly dumbfounded!

They looked at the man before them who had deduced the entire truth from just a partial map.

Their hearts, which had originally held a slight contempt for him due to his "gender," were completely shattered at this moment!

All that remained in their hearts was endless... dread and overwhelming... reverence!

They finally understood.

The difference between themselves and this man was not just strength.

It was... thought and dimension!

"Th-then what should we do now?" a disciple asked tremblingly.

"What should we do?"

Lin Chen smiled.

That smile was filled with the cruelty and excitement of a hunter seeing their prey perfectly step into their trap!

He looked at the unknown "death graveyard" he had circled in blood on the map.

He slowly uttered the ultimate judgment that made everyone frenzied.

"Naturally..."

"We'll turn the tables on them."

"And then we'll wipe out them, along with the Yaochi Holy Land, who thought they could remain uninvolved..."

"in one fell swoop."

Lin Chen's words, though calm, were filled with endless dominance and confidence, instantly igniting the emotions of all the Purple Cloud Holy Land female disciples present like the hottest magma!

A highly complex expression, mixing excitement and fear, instantly appeared on their faces!

They were excited because they were about to follow this omnipotent Holy Son, who was like a "God," on an unprecedented and insane "counter-hunt"!

To trample all the enemies who had looked down on them and schemed against them!

Just thinking about it made their blood boil!

And they were afraid because... could they really do it?

That was the Yaochi Holy Land! The Myriad Sword Pavilion! The Crimson Sun Divine Palace!

They were countless behemoths they once had to look up to!

But when their gaze fell once again upon that composed figure standing calmly before the map, appearing as if the entire world was within his grasp, that last trace of "fear" in their hearts was completely replaced by a more fanatical... trust!

Perhaps... following this man... they truly could create miracles!

And at the very back of the crowd, the one who had remained silent throughout, with a cold, snow-like demeanor, like an outsider... was Xiao Qingxue.

She watched the man who spoke eloquently, seeing through every conspiracy and manipulating all his enemies in the palm of his hand with just a few words.

For the first time in her twenty-plus years, a complex expression named "confusion" and "self-doubt" appeared in her cold, beautiful eyes, which had previously been as still as an ancient well.

Once upon a time,

she, like everyone else,

believed this man was merely a "vase" who had ascended due to the favoritism of his ancestors.

She believed her failure in the Grand Competition was only because the opponent had used some "powerful magical artifact" unknown to her.

She had always been unconvinced.

She had always felt that if they competed again, she might not lose!

But now... when she personally witnessed that man's unfathomable wisdom,

when she personally heard that man's "open scheme" capable of overturning the world,

her rock-solid Dao Heart, belonging to a "Heavenly Talent," wavered for the first time!

(So...)

(I didn't just lose to him in strength...)

(It was also...)

She recalled the Grand Competition.

His "clumsy performance," which seemed "disheveled" but was actually full of "control."

She recalled the celebration banquet.

His "arrogant" manner, which had actually driven the Sect Master into a corner with a "verbal trap."

She recalled just now.

His "casual" manner, which was actually a "logical deduction" that had already seen through everything.

Scene after scene... flashed rapidly through her mind like a film!

She finally understood.

From beginning to end, she was merely a chess piece on this man's board, toyed with at his leisure.

Her proud strength and proud wisdom were, in front of this man, as childish and ridiculous as a three-year-old child.

They were not beings of the same dimension at all.

"I..."

"I deserved to lose."

The moment this thought uncontrollably sprang from her heart,

her proud heart, belonging to a "Goddess,"

finally... shattered completely.

What replaced it was the most primitive and purest form of... reverence that arises after witnessing a "miracle."

She slowly raised her head.

She looked again at the man who was still methodically arranging the "counter-hunt" plan for the group.

Her eyes no longer held the previous "unwillingness" or "killing intent."

Only the fanaticism a devotee holds when gazing upon their... God remained.

Just as the Purple Cloud Holy Land group was still immersed in the shock brought by Lin Chen's unfathomable wisdom,

and just as Xiao Qingxue, the former "Goddess," finally developed a heart of "reverence" for Lin Chen, a sudden change occurred!

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh—!!!"

An extremely faint, almost imperceptible sound of rushing air shot out without warning from the seemingly tranquil, colorful flower sea behind them!

Dozens of poisoned flower needles, flashing with eerie green light, silently shot toward the unsuspecting female disciples of the Purple Cloud Holy Land at the rear of the group!

"Watch out! It's an ambush!!"

Luo Bingli reacted first, shouting sharply as her Early Nascent Soul Stage aura erupted, preparing to intercept!

But it was already too late!

The speed of those poison needles was simply too fast!

And the angles were extremely tricky!

"Ah—!"

"Thud! Thud!"

A series of screams instantly rang out!

At the back of the group, over a dozen female disciples, whose cultivation was only in the Early or Middle Foundation Establishment Stage, were struck by the poison needles before they even had time to react!

Their faces were instantly covered in an unnatural black aura!

They then went limp, foamed at the mouth, and plummeted directly from mid-air!

Although they were not killed instantly, they had clearly lost all combat ability!

"Giggle, giggle, giggle..."

A coquettish, bell-like laugh, full of smugness and malice, slowly drifted from the colorful sea of flowers.

Immediately afterward,

hundreds of women, wearing multicolored gowns, with seductive figures but cruel smiles on their faces, slowly emerged from the flower sea like phantoms, surrounding the Purple Cloud Holy Land group!

A vibrant black rose was uniformly embroidered on their chests!

—The Hundred Flowers Valley!

Leading them was a woman in a pink gauze dress with stunning beauty, whose peach blossom eyes were filled with the malice of a viper.

She was the leader of the Hundred Flowers Valley team, the Valley Mistress's personal disciple—Hua Jieyu!

"My dear sisters of the Purple Cloud Holy Land, I hope you've been well."

She looked at the Purple Cloud Holy Land group, who were both shocked and furious because their comrades had been poisoned, and showed a smile full of "innocence" and "regret."

"Oh dear, I'm so sorry. My junior sisters are a bit heavy-handed."

"They accidentally injured your sisters."

Cunning!

Utterly malicious!

"Hua Jieyu! You are shameless!"

Lin Ziyan drew her long sword, her face frosted with anger, and rebuked, "How can disciples of a dignified Holy Land use such despicable sneak attack methods! Do you have no shame?!"

"Shame?"

Hearing this, Hua Jieyu laughed so hard she swayed, as if she had heard the world's biggest joke.

"My dear sister, haven't you figured out the situation yet?"

"This is the Fallen Dragon Valley."

"Here, there are only hunters and prey."

"There is no such thing as 'shame,' you see."

She paused, her malicious, viper-like eyes slowly settling on the man who had remained silent and calmly watched her the entire time—Lin Chen.

A flash of undisguised light, full of "playfulness" and "malice," crossed her eyes.

"What's more..."

Her voice was filled with a matter-of-fact, cruel logic!

"Whether your Holy Son is a man or a woman,"

"your Purple Cloud Holy Land is ultimately a small obstacle on the Hundred Flowers Valley's path to claiming the championship."

"And I always prefer to clear away all unstable, annoying 'pebbles' right at the start of the game."

"Doesn't that make the subsequent 'game' much more... enjoyable?"

This was her true objective!

Humiliating Lin Chen was merely an incidental action!

Her real goal was to use thunderous means to eliminate the Purple Cloud Holy Land, the seemingly "weakest" competitor, right at the start of the competition!

Killing the chicken to warn the monkeys!

"So..."

Hua Jieyu looked at Lin Chen and the Purple Cloud Holy Land female disciples behind him whose faces were pale with terror, displaying the cruel smile of a "victor."

She even extended a slender, jade-like finger painted with bright red nail polish and beckoned to Lin Chen.

The gesture was full of extreme humiliation and provocation.

"My dear Holy Son, my dear 'vase.'"

"Now, I, your elder sister, will give you a choice."

"Will you obediently take your women, crush your jade tokens, and get out of the Fallen Dragon Valley yourself?"

"Or..."

Her smile became increasingly grim!

"Do you want me, your elder sister, to personally break all your arms and legs,"

"and then plant all of you as 'flower fertilizer' in this beautiful sea of flowers?"