140: Chapter 140 Earth as a Shield, the Eldest Son's Bloodline Hidden Within

The air around them grew increasingly scorching as they descended deeper. Veins of dark red earth fire were faintly visible on the rock walls, resembling massive blood vessels dormant beneath the ground, emitting a terrifyingly immense Spiritual Pressure.

Lin Chen walked in front, his footsteps echoing in the claustrophobic tunnel, monotonous and heavy.

Lin Haoyu followed closely behind, feeling the cold sweat on his back evaporate instantly in the high heat; even his breathing carried a hint of burning.

They walked until they reached the end of the tunnel, where a heavy stone door cast entirely from the second-grade top-tier Spiritual material "Crimson Flame Copper" blocked their path.

Lin Chen made no unnecessary movements. With a wave of his large sleeve, the stone door opened with a teeth-grinding, heavy friction sound, revealing a Meditation Room of just over ten zhang square behind it.

This was the core of the entire Black Wind Valley's earth vein fire energy, and also the most hidden hub of the Formation.

Once the two stepped inside, Lin Chen made a backhanded gesture, and the stone door slammed shut.

Immediately following, a pure golden Spiritual light overflowed from his fingertips, spreading rapidly like water ripples. In the blink of an eye, it transformed into an indestructible golden light barrier around the Meditation Room.

This barrier not only isolated all possible Divine Sense probing from the outside but even completely excluded the scorching heat of the earth fire. The room suddenly became so quiet that only the breathing of the father and son could be heard.

After finishing all this, Lin Chen turned around and sat cross-legged on a slightly warm meditation cushion.

He habitually raised his right hand, his rough fingertips slowly rubbing the unremarkable stone ring on his thumb.

With every rub, the cold sternness in his eyes became more restrained, replaced by a bottomless calmness.

"Kneel down." Lin Chen spoke lightly. His voice was not loud, yet it carried an unquestionable majesty.

Lin Haoyu did not hesitate at all. His knees went weak, and with a "thud," he knelt before Lin Chen. His back was straight, but his slightly trembling hands betrayed his extreme inner anxiety.

Everything that happened today—from Venerable Xueli's provocation to that bizarre and terrifying black slime, and then his father suppressing it with thunderous means—this series of events had long exceeded the psychological endurance limit of a Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator.

"Now, it is only us father and son here. Outside the barrier, even if the sky falls, I will hold it up." Lin Chen stopped rubbing the stone ring, his gaze piercing Lin Haoyu's eyes like a torch. "Tell me, what exactly did you experience in that Secret Realm? Every detail of that 'Wu Earth True Source' and that jade talisman—even a trace of breeze or a drop of cold sweat—recount it to me exactly as it was. Do not leave anything out."

Lin Haoyu took a deep breath, trying to calm his wildly beating heart.

He closed his eyes, and the dim Secret Realm, which resembled the Nine Hells, reappeared in his mind.

"It was in the deepest part of the Secret Realm, a wasteland without life, where even the Spiritual Qi was completely dead..." Lin Haoyu's voice carried a hint of hoarseness, as if he had returned to that desperate moment. "I was originally just picking a few Spiritual Plants that had gone extinct in the outside world at the edge, but I didn't expect a crack to suddenly open in the shadows beneath my feet. There was no Spiritual power fluctuation, no Killing Intent, nothing at all... By the time I reacted, I had already been targeted by a vaguely shaped shadow monster."

Lin Haoyu's Adam's apple bobbed with difficulty, and cold sweat seeped from his forehead again.

"That thing had no physical form; it was like a mass of condensed ink. My Flying Sword slashed at it, but it was like a clay ox entering the sea, not even stirring a ripple. The sound it made... was like fingernails scratching inside the skulls of thousands of people. It was calling out for something, making one want to cut off one's own Meridians just by hearing it."

Lin Chen's eyes suddenly narrowed.

This description was exactly the same as the aura emitted by the pool of black slime left behind after Venerable Xueli self-detonated!

That was definitely a derivative of the power of the Ink Abyss.

"I used up all my trump cards. All my defensive Magical Artifacts were like paper before it, collapsing at the slightest touch. It wasn't attacking my Physical Body at all; it was devouring my vitality and Divine Soul!" Lin Haoyu's body trembled uncontrollably. "I was forced into a dead end, with a massive, mostly weathered skeleton behind me. Just as the monster lunged at me, and I thought I was doomed... my chest was cut by a bone spur on the skeleton."

He subconsciously touched his chest. Although the wound had long healed, the bone-chilling deathly intent seemed to remain.

"Fresh blood gushed out and happened to splash onto a dust-covered, unremarkable earthy-yellow jade talisman within the skeleton's chest cavity." Lin Haoyu opened his eyes abruptly, his gaze flashing with the shock of having survived a disaster. "In that instant, the jade talisman came alive! It was like a desert meeting sweet rain after a long drought, instantly sucking my blood dry. Immediately after, a yellow light so heavy that it felt like it would crush space itself erupted from the jade talisman!"

Lin Haoyu's fingers clenched into fists, his nails digging deep into his flesh.

"That light was not blinding, but it carried a sense of tolerance and absolute weight, like the mother energy of all things. The shadow monster, which even top-tier Magical Artifacts couldn't scratch, let out an extremely shrill scream the moment it touched the yellow light. It was like snow thrown into a steel-smelting furnace; it only lasted less than three breaths before it was completely crushed and purified, not even leaving behind a trace of residue!"

Hearing this, Lin Chen's breathing paused for a moment.

Just the aftershock of the jade talisman's eruption could instantly obliterate a suspected Late Stage Foundation Establishment Ink Abyss monster?

The grade of this Wu Earth True Source was probably much higher than he had estimated.

"After the monster died, the jade talisman also exhausted its physical material and turned into a beam of extremely pure earthy-yellow light, drilling directly into my Dantian." Lin Haoyu's tone became extremely solemn, as if conveying some divine decree. "The moment the light entered my body, an idea exploded in my Sea of Consciousness... It was a very old, very weary voice."

"What did it say?" Lin Chen leaned forward slightly and asked in a low voice.

"It said... 'The Ink Abyss appears, the Great Calamity arrives. This is the World-Devouring Demon; all Dharmas are empty, only the Origin remains undying... I use the extreme of Wu Earth to leave a glimmer of hope... Successor, be cautious, fear it, fight it...'" Lin Haoyu recounted word for word, each word feeling heavier than a thousand catties.

The Meditation Room fell into a deathly silence.

"World-Devouring Demon, all Dharmas are empty, only the Origin remains undying..." Lin Chen chewed on these twelve words, the cold glint in his eyes growing stronger.

Those idiots at the True Blood Temple actually dared to attempt to control this World-Devouring Demon, which even ancient mighty figures could only barely leave a "glimmer of hope" against?

It was simply ridiculous!

They were not only playing with fire, but they were also dragging the entire Xuanling World down with them to be buried!

"You did well, not getting drunk on power, nor spreading the word to anyone." Lin Chen slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air, the cold sternness on his face easing slightly. He beckoned to Lin Haoyu. "Come forward and take off your upper garment."

Lin Haoyu obeyed, kneeling forward and neatly removing his upper garment, revealing a strong but somewhat pale chest due to years of Cultivate.

Lin Chen extended his right hand, his palm firmly pressed against the back of Lin Haoyu's heart.

"Relax your mind and soul, do not offer any resistance."

The moment the words fell, the brilliant and flawless Chaos Golden Core in Lin Chen's body suddenly spun.

An extremely pure, overbearing, yet exquisitely controlled Golden Core Spiritual power probed directly into Lin Haoyu's body along his palm.

Lin Chen's Divine Sense, like materialized eyes, followed this Spiritual power, driving straight in and instantly arriving at Lin Haoyu's Dantian Qi Sea.

In the center of the Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator's lake-like Spiritual power Qi Sea, a Spiritual Root vein emitting a faint earthy-yellow light was suspended.

That was Lin Haoyu's innate Earth-grade Earth Spiritual Root.

However, at this moment, this Spiritual Root had undergone a heaven-shaking transformation.

Under the meticulous observation of Lin Chen's Divine Sense, he discovered that the so-called "Wu Earth True Source" had not perched in a corner of the Dantian like ordinary exotic treasures, but had completely and utterly merged into the Origin of Lin Haoyu's Spiritual Root!

The surface of the entire Earth-attribute Spiritual Root was now covered with a barely visible crystalline thin film.

This thin film seemed to be pieced together by countless tiny micro-Formations, slowly flowing with the heavy, vast aura of the earth.

To verify his conjecture, Lin Chen's mind stirred, transforming a trace of his probing Golden Core Spiritual power into an extremely cold, tyrannical aura, desperately mimicking the "Ink Abyss" fluctuation emitted by that pool of black slime earlier, and carefully approached Lin Haoyu's Spiritual Root.

Just when that simulated cold aura was an inch away from the Spiritual Root—

"Hum!"

That layer of originally calm crystalline thin film seemed like a Vicious Beast that had been provoked, instantly and autonomously glowing with a blinding yellow light.

There was no aggressive sharpness in this light, only a purity of "heaviness" and "isolation" to the extreme.

Under the illumination of this yellow light, the sliver of cold aura simulated by Lin Chen did not even have room to struggle; it was like an egg hitting a bronze wall, instantly disintegrating and being completely purified into formless Spiritual Qi.

"Hiss—"

Lin Chen inwardly gasped, and his Divine Sense abruptly retracted into his body.

He slowly opened his eyes and withdrew his palm from Lin Haoyu's back, a complex light flickering in his gaze.

There was shock, there was realization, and even more so, a trace of deep solemnity.

"Father, is there... something wrong with my body?" Lin Haoyu, sensing the strangeness in Lin Chen's expression, could not help but ask anxiously.

He could feel the power within his body, but precisely because it was too powerful, he always felt a sense of trepidation, as if walking on thin ice.

"Not only is there no problem, but it is actually a tremendous stroke of fortune." Lin Chen looked at his eldest son, his tone unprecedentedly serious. "Haoyu, listen well. From this day on, the primary goal of your Cultivate is no longer simply pursuing a Breakthrough in Realm or the accumulation of Spiritual Qi. Your Spiritual Root has completely merged with the Wu Earth True Source, forming a 'Origin Crystal Membrane' that is immune to all evil."

Lin Haoyu listened, his mouth slightly agape.

"The people from the True Blood Temple want to capture you because you are the 'anchor point' to resist the Ink Abyss. But the people of my Family will never become anyone else's tool!" Lin Chen's voice suddenly rose, resounding with power. "I want you to become the 'living beacon' of my Family! I want you to use all your energy to sense, to familiarize yourself with, and to dig deep into the power of this Wu Earth True Source. I want you to not only be able to resist the power of the Ink Abyss but also to find the method to completely eradicate it!"

What a heavy expectation this was!

It was equivalent to placing the future survival of the Family during the Ink Abyss catastrophe directly on the shoulders of this eldest son who had just reached the Foundation Establishment Stage.

Lin Haoyu trembled violently. Looking at his father's eyes, which seemed capable of carrying the entire world, a surge of indescribable hot-bloodedness and heroism suddenly welled up in his previously anxious heart.

He was the eldest son of the Family; if even he could not share his father's burdens, who could?

"Son... will definitely not fail this mission! Even if I am shattered to pieces, I will never let that evil entity set foot in the Family!" Lin Haoyu kowtowed heavily, his forehead striking the stone floor with a muffled thud.

"The children of my Family do not need to be shattered to pieces; I want you to live, to live more powerfully than anyone else!"

After saying this, Lin Chen took a deep breath, and the Chaos Golden Core within his body erupted with an unprecedented roar.

His face instantly paled, and he pressed his right hand, fingers formed into a sword shape, sharply against his own heart!

"Puff!"

A drop of blood, radiating a blinding light and looking as if it were cast from solid gold, was forcibly squeezed out from his heart pulse and hung suspended in mid-air along his fingertips.

This was not ordinary essence blood, but "Golden Core Heart Blood" that contained a Golden Core Stage Cultivator's insights into the Dao of heaven and earth, fused with his Origin power!

For Lin Chen, who possessed the "More Children, More Blessings System," his Origin blood had an almost Heaven-Defying strengthening and compatibility effect on his offspring.

"Close your eyes, focus your mind, and open your Sea of Consciousness!" Lin Chen commanded in a low voice.

Lin Haoyu dared not disobey in the slightest; he immediately closed his eyes and completely opened his Divine Sense.

Lin Chen flicked his finger, and the golden drop of heart blood turned into a streak of golden light, instantly merging into the center of Lin Haoyu's brow.

"Boom—!"

Lin Haoyu felt as if ten thousand thunderclaps had exploded in his mind simultaneously!

A vast, unimaginably pure energy, mixed with countless fragments of insight regarding the Earth Dao, as well as steadfastness and suppression, poured into his limbs and bones like a flood breaking its dam.

His cultivation barrier, which had already reached the Peak of the Foundation Establishment Early Stage due to the Fusion with the Wu Earth True Source, could not even withstand a single breath under the impact of this power and shattered instantly!

Foundation Establishment Middle Stage!

Foundation Establishment Late Stage!

It was not until his cultivation stabilized at the Peak of the Foundation Establishment Late Stage that the surging aura gradually calmed down.

However, even more terrifying than the increase in cultivation was the transformation of Lin Haoyu's temperament.

His original immaturity and restlessness had been completely washed away, replaced by a heaviness and steadiness like a thousand-year-old rock; faintly, he even carried a hint of Lin Chen's shadow.

Lin Haoyu opened his eyes abruptly, a golden light flashing in his eyes before vanishing.

Feeling the power within his body capable of splitting mountains and shattering rocks, as well as the newly acquired insights into the Dao in his mind, his eyes could not help but grow hot.

He knew very well what price his father had to pay to force out this drop of heart blood.

"This power is to ensure you have enough self-preservation strength when facing that unknown evil entity." Lin Chen masked the slight irregularity in his breathing and waved his hand to remove the golden light barrier. "Get up, there is still much to do outside."

Lin Haoyu, with red-rimmed eyes, bowed deeply once more before putting on his upper garment and silently standing behind his father.

The stone door reopened with a rumble.

Outside the Earth Fire tunnel, a cool night breeze carrying a faint medicinal scent blew in.

Su Qingyao was standing prettily five steps away from the stone door.

She wore a green shirt, her figure so slender it seemed a gust of wind could knock her over. Her two hands were anxiously twisting her sleeves, and her usually cold eyes were now visibly bloodshot, clearly having waited here for a long time, and perhaps even having cried in secret.

The moment she saw Lin Chen come out, her tense shoulders suddenly slumped, and the worry in her eyes almost overflowed, but she only bit her lower lip, not making a sound to disturb him.

Lin Chen looked at his wife's attempt to appear calm, and the softest part of his heart felt as if it had been fiercely tugged.

He strode forward, disregarding his son behind him, and grabbed Su Qingyao's hands, which were cold as water.

"I'm fine," Lin Chen said in a low voice, his palm continuously transmitting warm Spiritual Qi, trying to dispel the chill in her body.

These three short words, combined with the warmth of his palm, were more effective than any thousand words, directly conveying an absolute sense of security that "I have everything under control."

Su Qingyao's eyes reddened again; she gripped Lin Chen's large hand tightly in return, as if grabbing a life-saving straw, and nodded slightly.

"Qing Yao, the plan has changed." Lin Chen's voice returned to being calm and decisive. "The Pill Hall's previous Alchemy plans are all shelved. From now on, your only task is to research that evil aura. I want a Pill Formula that can stabilize a Cultivator's Divine Soul and forcibly dispel cold, evil thoughts! Even if you have to use your lives to fill the gap, you must test out the medicinal effects for me in the shortest possible time!"

Hearing this, Su Qingyao's expression tightened; she immediately understood the seriousness of the situation and nodded solemnly in agreement.

"I need to enter a short closed-door cultivation immediately, not only to consolidate my Core Formation cultivation but also to deduce a method to restrain that pool of demonic blood I suppressed." Lin Chen turned his head to look at Qin Ruowei, who had been waiting quietly not far away.

Qin Ruowei immediately stepped forward and bowed her head respectfully.

Lin Chen flipped his wrist and threw over the Storage Rings he had previously looted from Sect Master Tie Kuang and Cave Master Yue Ji.

"Ruowei, the contents of these two rings, plus the resources of the Family treasury, are all at your disposal. During my closed-door cultivation, the Family will enter the highest alert status. Anyone who dares to cause trouble at this time, whether internal or external, will be killed without mercy!"

"Yes!" Qin Ruowei took the rings, her cold voice carrying an undisguised aura of slaughter.

Lin Chen's gaze passed over Qin Ruowei and landed on the edge of the distant square.

There, two thick chains formed from runes were locking Sect Master Tie Kuang and Cave Master Yue Ji tightly to stone pillars like livestock.

Both of them had their cultivation crippled and their Divine Souls constrained; at this moment, their auras were withered to the extreme, like two heaps of rotting meat.

"As for those two..." Lin Chen's tone was flat, without a trace of fluctuation, as if discussing two insignificant dead objects. "Don't kill them for now."

He paused, his gaze turning to Su Qingyao, a heart-chilling, icy cruelty flashing in the depths of his eyes.

"Leave them for Qing Yao... to test the drug resistance and rejection reactions of the new Medicinal Pill. The Physical Body foundation of a Golden Core Stage Cultivator is an excellent testing Material, don't waste it."

As soon as these words were spoken, the surrounding air seemed to instantly drop to freezing point.

Qin Ruowei's heart tightened abruptly.

Testing medicine?

That was by no means the ordinary ingestion of Medicinal Pills, but rather the torture of having to use one's own Physical Body to endure various extreme medicinal properties, or even simulated evil toxin erosion, while fully conscious!

For two once high-and-mighty Golden Core Old Ancestors, this was living Hell, a hundred times more terrifying than being skinned or having their tendons pulled!

She instantly understood the deeper meaning behind the Clan Chief's words.

This was not only a cruel punishment for those who dared to offend the Family, but also a cold declaration to squeeze out the last bit of marrow and blood value from the enemy!

In the face of the Family's survival, so-called benevolence was nothing but a joke.

"This subordinate understands; I will definitely make them... serve their purpose to the fullest." Qin Ruowei took a deep breath, a chilling coldness also surfacing in her eyes.

Lin Chen said no more. He looked up at the night sky above Black Wind Valley, shrouded by the mountain-protecting Formation, and then turned abruptly, his wide robes flapping loudly in the night wind.

He strode towards the deeper parts of the earth veins, where a special area had been temporarily carved out specifically for suppressing and imprisoning extremely dangerous objects.

Right beneath those layers upon layers of Formation Seals, deep within the subterranean fire magma, a trace of an extremely subtle yet hair-raising palpitation was silently probing outward along the textures of the earth veins...