64: No matter the world, human nature remains the same!

Boom! Boom! Boom—!!!

Accompanied by an earth-shattering roar!

The sword formation and lightning magic hastily conjured by the Purple Cloud Holy Land disciples fiercely struck the empty spots Lin Chen had previously indicated!

Kicking up dust everywhere!

However… nothing happened.

The Myriad Poison Demonic Lotus, suspended in the sky, still exuded a heart-palpitating aura of death, unmoving!

The attack missed!

"How… how could this be?!"

"The formation… changed!"

All the female disciples of Purple Cloud Holy Land, upon seeing this scene, had the spark of hope that had just ignited on their faces instantly extinguished, drenched thoroughly by a bucket of ice water from head to toe!

Replaced by an even deeper… despair!

And on the other side.

Hua Jieyu, who had successfully "changed the formation" and resolved the crisis, after a brief moment of shock, her enchanting face was instantly filled with a sense of "survival after calamity" and extreme… disdain and mockery for Lin Chen's "petty cleverness"!

"Hehehehehe…"

She laughed, shaking like a branch, her voice filled with the supreme superiority of a victor!

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

"I have to admit, you really did give me a 'surprise'."

"To actually be able to see through the nodes of my Hundred Flowers Killing Formation? Your eyes are truly… special."

Her words seemed like "praise" but were actually full of the most malicious sarcasm!

"It's just a pity…"

The corners of her mouth curled into a cruel arc, like a cat toying with a mouse!

"You are ultimately just a man."

"A fool who only resorts to petty, undignified tricks and doesn't understand what true power and… change are!"

"Do you think formations are dead?!"

Her voice suddenly became sharp!

"Now all your 'petty cleverness' is useless!"

"Next, let this Palace Mistress personally crush you and that group of useless people behind you!"

With that, she no longer gave Lin Chen any chance!

She frantically unleashed all her power!

The sky-obscuring Myriad Poison Demonic Lotus instantly glowed brilliantly!

Carrying a terrifying power capable of turning this entire world into a poisonous purgatory, it pressed down on the Purple Cloud Holy Land disciples, who had nowhere left to retreat!

It's over!

This time, it's truly over!

All the female disciples of Purple Cloud Holy Land closed their eyes in despair!

However!

Just at this darkest, most desperate last moment!

The man who had not moved a single step from beginning to end.

He finally slowly raised his head.

There was no fear on his face.

Only an endless… pity, as if looking at a group of pathetic frogs at the bottom of a well.

"Hua Jieyu, oh Hua Jieyu."

His voice was not loud, but it resonated clearly in everyone's ears, like a divine oracle from the Nine Heavens.

"You are right."

"Formations are alive."

"They can be ever-changing."

"But…"

His voice suddenly became as cold and piercing as ten thousand years of profound ice!

"—Human nature will not change!"

Boom—!!!

These words were like an invisible bolt of thunder!

Striking fiercely into the depths of Hua Jieyu's soul!

Making her enchanting face, full of pride and cruelty, instantly stiffen!

What… does that mean?!

But Lin Chen didn't give her any more time to think!

He made his move!

This time, he no longer "directed."

Instead, he acted personally!

His figure instantly vanished from its original spot!

The next moment!

He appeared like a ghost traversing space and time!

Directly beneath the enormous black demonic lotus that was about to descend!

Then!

Under the horrified, disbelieving gazes of everyone present!

He slowly raised his right hand.

He didn't attack the demonic lotus, which seemed to be the "core"!

Nor did he attack Hua Jieyu, who seemed to be the "talisman eye"!

His fingers transformed into golden lightning bolts!

Precisely pointing at those "human heart" nodes in the void that had already become more "chaotic" and "sluggish" due to the "changed formation"!

"You thought I was attacking your formation before?"

Lin Chen's voice boomed in the ears of all Hundred Flowers Valley disciples like a judgment from the god of death!

"No."

"From the very beginning, I was attacking the fragile and vulnerable…"

"—Trust between you!"

Puff! Puff! Puff—!!!

As his words fell!

Those "outer sect disciple" nodes, struck by his fingertips, instantly seemed to be hit by lightning!

They violently spat out a large mouthful of blood and flew backward uncontrollably!

And their "failure"!

Instantly triggered a devastating… chain reaction!

The "Great Life-Slaying Talisman," which was already operating sluggishly due to "internal strife," after losing several key "strokes"!

Instantly had its spiritual energy surge backward!

Completely losing control!

"No—!!!"

Hua Jieyu let out a shrill scream, not sounding human!

Her eyes were filled with endless horror and disbelief!

(Impossible! This is absolutely impossible!!!)

Her heart was roaring madly!

(He… how could he… discover it?!)

(Those few nodes are the core secret of my Hundred Flowers Killing Formation! They are 'secret doors' I specially left to guard against internal rivals within the sect! Besides me and Master, no third person could possibly know!)

(He… he's just a man! A good-for-nothing from a remote village! How… how could he see through my deepest calculations at a glance?!)

However!

Reality would not give her any time to think!

Puff! Puff! Puff—!!!

Those "outer sect disciple" nodes, struck by Lin Chen's finger light, instantly seemed to be hit by lightning!

They violently spat out a large mouthful of black poisonous blood and flew backward uncontrollably!

And their "failure" instantly triggered a devastating… chain reaction!

The "Great Life-Slaying Talisman," which was already operating sluggishly due to "internal strife," after losing several key "strokes"!

Instantly had its spiritual energy surge backward!

Completely losing control!

"Ah—!!!"

"My face! My face is so itchy!"

"Help! My spiritual energy… is… is devouring my own body!"

For a time, screams rose one after another!

The female disciples of Hundred Flowers Valley who formed the formation were all suffering the most terrifying poisonous backlash!

Some grew strange black corpse spot poisonous flowers all over their bodies!

Some had their skin rapidly rot and turn into putrid, foul-smelling pus!

Even more, their eyes turned pitch black, and they let out beast-like roars from their mouths, actually losing their minds on the spot and beginning to frantically attack their "companions" beside them!

The entire Hundred Flowers Killing Formation, at this moment, completely transformed from a supreme "external" killing weapon into a bloody, "internal"… human purgatory!

And Hua Jieyu, as the "talisman eye," suffered the most terrifying backlash!

"Puff—!!!"

She violently spat out a large mouthful of vital poisonous blood, almost expelling her internal organs along with it!

Her enchanting face instantly aged by several decades at this moment!

Her beautiful hair also turned withered yellow like straw!

She, as a whole, seemed to have all her vitality drained, falling powerlessly from mid-air!

She could only watch helplessly!

The Myriad Poison Demonic Lotus, which she had personally condensed and was capable of "slaughtering gods," after losing control, violently… exploded!

Transforming into the most violent and deadly torrent of poison!

Completely… engulfing her and the hundreds of Hundred Flowers Valley disciples behind her who had already fallen into infighting!

At the same time.

On the other side, with the Purple Cloud Holy Land disciples.

Silence.

Deathly silence.

The Purple Cloud Holy Land disciples stared blankly at the terrifying scene before them, as if "divine punishment" had descended.

Their minds were blank.

After an unknown amount of time.

"We… we won?"

"We… we won… just like that?!"

After a brief dead silence came a disbelieving cheer of survival after calamity!

"Holy Son! Holy Son! How… how did you do it?!"

Lin Ziyan was the first to rush to Lin Chen, her cold, beautiful face filled with endless shock and adoration!

Yes!

How did he do it?!

All the female disciples of Purple Cloud Holy Land stared intently at Lin Chen with a fervent gaze, as if looking at a "god"!

Awaiting his… "sermon"!

But Lin Chen acted as if he had done something insignificant.

He looked at this group of "believers" whose thirst for knowledge was overflowing.

Slowly extended a finger.

Then, in a calm tone, as if "a teacher lecturing stupid students," filled with "wisdom" and "gravitas," he slowly said:

"It's very simple."

He pointed to the "human tragedy" still unfolding in the distance, his voice calm yet filled with all-seeing wisdom.

"Because any seemingly perfect 'formation', as long as it is composed of 'people',"

"Then it will inevitably have an irreparable, fatal…"

"—Flaw."

Just then.

Behind the Purple Cloud Holy Land camp, Xiao Qingxue, who had previously fainted from poisoning, slowly woke up.

The formation shattered and the poison gas dissipated, allowing her to regain a trace of consciousness.

She happened to hear Lin Chen's words.

A hint of confusion flashed in her heart.

(Flaw? What flaw? How could the Hundred Flowers Killing Formation, which can even trap and kill Nascent Soul cultivators, have a flaw?)

"Look,"

Lin Chen seemed not to notice her awakening.

He just continued his "lesson" to himself.

He stretched out his hand and pointed distantly at the corpses of those "outer sect disciples" in the Hundred Flowers Valley camp who had already turned into pus and blood from the poisonous backlash.

"The Hundred Flowers Killing Formation is based on three hundred and sixty-five people, mimicking the stars of the heavens, seemingly perfectly harmonious."

"But among these three hundred and sixty-five people, thirty-six are… outer sect disciples."

"Inner sect disciples are arrogant and self-important; they look down on these fellow disciples whom they regard as 'weeds' from the bottom of their hearts."

"And outer sect disciples also harbor resentment and jealousy, unwilling to merely be 'foils' for inner sect disciples."

"There is no true 'trust' between them at all."

"Therefore, when spiritual energy flows to the 'formation nodes' jointly guarded by them, it will inevitably produce an extremely tiny… sluggishness."

"This is the flaw of the formation. It is also…"

The corners of Lin Chen's mouth curled into a cold arc.

"—The crack in human nature."

Boom—!!!

These words were like a world-splitting bolt of lightning!

Striking fiercely into the depths of the newly awakened Xiao Qingxue's soul!

Instantly enlightening her! Opening her mind!

(So… so that's how it is?!)

She stared blankly at the man who was speaking eloquently!

(He… he wasn't attacking the formation!)

(From the very beginning, he was attacking… human nature!)

(He not only saw through the operation of the formation! He even… even calculated the factional struggles within Hundred Flowers Valley clearly?!)

(This… is this even human?! What… what terrifying calculation and wisdom this is!)

At this moment, Xiao Qingxue looked at Lin Chen's back, and the last trace of "struggle" in her cold, beautiful eyes, which had once been full of arrogance and defiance, completely vanished!

Replaced by the purest and most absolute… submission, from the depths of her soul!

She was finally convinced.

And on the other side.

In the center of the poisonous mist, Hua Jieyu, who had already been disfigured by the backlash and only had one last breath left.

Also heard Lin Chen's soul-piercing "analysis"!

"Puff—!!!"

She violently spat out her last mouthful of poisonous blood, mixed with fragments of internal organs!

Her already unfocused, malicious beautiful eyes glared fiercely at Lin Chen again!

Her eyes were filled with endless regret and… disbelief!

(So… so…)

(I didn't lose to his strength…)

(I lost to… my own… 'cleverness'?!)

She thought she had everyone playing in the palm of her hand.

But she never expected that from beginning to end, she was just the most pathetic and ridiculous… clown in that man's eyes!

Her proud wisdom and proud calculations were simply… worthless in front of this man!

"I'm not reconciled… I'm not reconciled…"

She let out her last desperate roar.

But even so, she still couldn't resist the backlash of the Myriad Poison Demonic Lotus.

From this, one could also tell that the Hundred Flowers Valley's Myriad Poison Demonic Lotus was indeed terrifying and incredibly powerful.

It only attacked, regardless of any defense or consequences.

Lin Chen couldn't help but be horrified looking at Hua Jieyu's current state; it was unimaginable if they had truly succeeded.

However, fortunately, these Hundred Flowers Valley disciples were not harmonious at all.

If this formation were to be deployed by an army like the Dragon Kingdom's in later generations, then it would truly be GG!

But it was a pity that an army like the Dragon Kingdom's would not appear in this world; from his observations, this world with many women and few men was very absurd.

It seemed calm on the surface, but in reality, it was constantly staging a 'Legend of Zhen Huan'.

Therefore, Lin Chen made up his mind that if possible, he would absolutely not touch formations that required concerted effort to be effective in the future.

Unless it was with people he trusted extremely or people who could obey his commands one hundred percent.

However, these were not Lin Chen's concerns now; he was currently just looking at the disciples of Purple Cloud Holy Land.

Looking at this group of "believers" who had been completely subdued by him.

Slowly delivered his final concluding remarks.

"Formations can be ever-changing."

"But…"

"Human nature will not change."