153: Chapter 153 Inside the Heavenly Pivot Pavilion, a Nascent Soul Interrogates a Death Row Inmate

Gale winds, sharp as knives, howled mournfully in his ears.

Lin Chen only felt the light and shadows before his eyes stretching wildly, the prosperous and magnificent landscape of the Central Continent blurring into streaks of color retreating rapidly beneath his feet.

This was an extreme speed that his current Realm could not control; the escape light of a Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator isolated the spatial turbulence outside that would have shredded a Golden Core Cultivator, but it could not isolate the natural oppression brought by such high-level power.

He endured the slight spasms in his stomach caused by the spatial distortion, calmly adjusting his breathing rhythm, and attached the last trace of Chaos Qi in his body to his eyes, attempting to see clearly the behemoth hidden above the lead-gray clouds ahead.

When passing through a transparent barrier as viscous as mercury, the mournful wind around him stopped abruptly.

A deathly silence instantly enveloped Lin Chen.

Immediately after, a majestic pressure, indescribable in words, pressed down from all directions.

This was not mere Qi pressure, but a power mixed with countless complex Restriction fluctuations and the suffocatingly heavy "Luck of Humanity".

Lin Chen felt as if two mountains of immense weight had suddenly been placed on his shoulders; the bones in his legs made a muffled, overwhelming sound, and he nearly knelt directly onto the plaza paved with unknown white jade.

He gritted his teeth, forcing his spine straight. The cracked Chaos Golden Core within his Dantian was, at this moment, as if filled with molten iron, operating with extreme sluggishness, each rotation accompanied by tearing pain in his Meridians.

This was Tianshu Pavilion, the absolute core of power in the Central Continent.

Here, the Cultivators below the Nascent Soul Stage would have their prideful cultivation stripped to the extreme by the Luck and Restrictions that suppressed the entire continent; life and death were entirely in the hands of the superiors.

Lin Chen's right fingertips subconsciously rubbed the rough stone ring on his left thumb; the rough texture traveled through his nerve endings to his Sea of Consciousness. This was his only source of confidence in this den of tigers and dragons.

The Incarnation of Senior Xuanjizi did not pay attention to Lin Chen's difficult adaptation. With a wave of his large sleeve, the clouds and mist ahead were split as if by a sharp blade, revealing a magnificent palace constructed entirely of a certain dark gold spiritual wood.

The palace gate was over ten zhang high, carved with complex Formation diagrams of the celestial stars, each star emitting a heart-palpitating spiritual light.

The two stepped over the high threshold one after another, and the scene inside the palace entered Lin Chen's view.

The hall was extremely spacious, with several thick, coiling dragon pillars supporting the dome. The air was filled with a faint scent, similar to agarwood but with a hint of cold, metallic sharpness.

On the dark ice floor in the center of the hall stood a middle-aged man wearing dark green official robes with a long sword hanging at his waist.

This man had a gaunt face, a hooked nose, and high cheekbones, his narrow eyes flashing with undisguised sinister intent and scrutiny.

His entire body radiated the fierce fluctuations of a peak Late Stage Golden Core, but in front of Senior Xuanjizi's Incarnation, this fluctuation was suppressed tightly within three inches of his body.

This person was none other than the Deputy Chief of the Sky Patrol Division, Deputy Chief Huangfu Ming.

Hearing footsteps, Deputy Chief Huangfu Ming turned around, his face so gloomy it seemed it could drip water.

He stepped forward quickly, first bowing deeply to Senior Xuanjizi's Incarnation, his posture respectful to the extreme: "Junior Huangfu Ming greets Senior Xuanjizi."

After the salute, Deputy Chief Huangfu Ming straightened up, his cold eyes instantly crossing over Senior Xuanjizi, staring fixedly at Lin Chen following behind like two poisoned daggers.

The earth-shattering commotion at Dragonfall Gorge, and that beam of Geng Metal light that pierced the sky, had long since alarmed the top brass of the entire Tianshu City.

As the Deputy Chief of the Sky Patrol Division responsible for the safety of the Central Continent's hinterland, having an assassin carrying the power of the Ink Abyss infiltrate his jurisdiction, and even triggering the birth of a world-suppressing spiritual object, was an unforgivable stain on his record.

He desperately needed a reasonable explanation, or rather, a scapegoat to divert attention and share the anger of the higher-ups.

"Senior Xuanjizi." Deputy Chief Huangfu Ming's voice echoed in the hall, carrying a condescending, icy questioning, "This youth is merely a Cultivator from a fallen Sect in the Southern Region, with an unknown identity and unclear background. Based solely on his one-sided words, Senior, you allowed him to trigger the world-suppressing spiritual object, and even brought him into the important territory of Tianshu Pavilion. Isn't that too rash? If this youth is actually a cohort of that assassin, staging a bitter ruse, the birth of the world-suppressing spiritual object might bring immeasurable disaster to the Central Continent."

These words were undeniably venomous.

In just a few sentences, he not only directly denied Lin Chen's contribution of risking his life to force out the Geng Metal fragments to save the situation but instead framed him as a conspirator who might be colluding with the Ink Abyss.

His goal was clear: as long as he muddied the waters and pushed the responsibility onto this background-less Southern Region Cultivator, the crime of his Sky Patrol Division's dereliction of duty could be minimized.

Lin Chen stood on the spot, his expression unchanged.

He did not even let his gaze linger on Deputy Chief Huangfu Ming, only quietly looking at Senior Xuanjizi in front.

He was very clear about his current position; in front of a Nascent Soul powerhouse, the arguments of a Golden Core Cultivator were meaningless.

Since Senior Xuanjizi had overcome dissenting opinions to bring him here, he naturally had his own intentions; it was not his place to step forward.

Sure enough, there was not a ripple on Senior Xuanjizi's immortal-like face. He didn't even look at Deputy Chief Huangfu Ming, only calmly spitting out three words: "Bring him up."

Deputy Chief Huangfu Ming's face turned from blue to white.

The sound of heavy chains dragging echoed outside the empty hall.

Two Sky Patrol Guards in heavy armor, expressionless, dragged in a charred figure and threw him onto the dark ice floor in the center of the hall like a bag of trash.

It was Shadow Erosion, tied tightly with soul-binding ropes.

At this moment, his whole body exuded the stench of burnt flesh. That special cloak capable of isolating Divine Sense had long since turned to ash, and the flesh on most of his body had dissolved under the purification of the Geng Metal light, revealing ghastly white bones.

But his chest was still heaving extremely weakly. The pitch-black Ink Abyss power remaining deep in his bone marrow and internal organs was wriggling slowly at his wounds like living maggots, barely maintaining his last trace of life.

Senior Xuanjizi's gaze finally fell on Shadow Erosion.

He did not say another word of nonsense, his withered right hand slowly raised, fingers joined like a sword, pointing across the air at Shadow Erosion's glabella.

A visible ripple suddenly swayed in the air.

Lin Chen felt the surrounding temperature drop to freezing point instantly, and an extremely pure, unimaginably vast Mental Energy condensed at Senior Xuanjizi's fingertips.

That was the Divine Sense of a Nascent Soul Cultivator, materialized to a terrifying degree sufficient to interfere with reality.

"Go."

Senior Xuanjizi spat out one word, and that Divine Sense transformed into a transparent thorn, striking fiercely at Shadow Erosion's fragile Sea of Consciousness with lightning speed.

He wanted to conduct a direct soul search, violently reading all the memories in this spy's brain regarding the Ink Abyss Formation and infiltration routes.

However, the moment the Divine Sense thorn touched Shadow Erosion's glabella, a sudden change occurred.

Shadow Erosion, who had been limp on the ground like a dead dog, suddenly stiffened, springing up as if electrocuted.

His only remaining eyeball suddenly bulged, filled with black bloodshot veins.

Immediately after, an extremely chilling, pitch-black, chaotic energy erupted from the depths of his Sea of Consciousness.

This energy was not defending, but devouring.

It was like a vicious wolf that had smelled blood, following the Divine Sense thorn that Senior Xuanjizi had extended, and actually began to crazily counter-invade.

The black lines spread rapidly like poisonous snakes along the invisible Divine Sense connection. The air was instantly filled with a nauseating, putrid smell like dead fish left for months mixed with rotten wood.

Senior Xuanjizi, bearing the brunt, groaned. The profound clear light circulating around his body, the moment it touched the black energy, actually made a "chi chi" corrosive sound, and the light dimmed at a visible speed.

"Sever!"

Accompanied by a crisp sound like tearing silk, Senior Xuanjizi forcibly cut off the part of his Divine Sense that he had extended.

A violent Qi hurricane instantly rose in the hall, blowing Lin Chen's clothes to flutter loudly.

Senior Xuanjizi's Incarnation took half a step back, his figure becoming somewhat transparent. Clearly, this damage to his Divine Sense was a not insignificant burden even for this Late Stage Nascent Soul powerhouse.

"Extremely bizarre. Within this Ink Abyss power, there is actually a trace of a destructive will that transcends the Law of this Realm; it is protecting his Sea of Consciousness core." Senior Xuanjizi frowned, staring fixedly at Shadow Erosion, who had slumped back to the ground and started convulsing uncontrollably, and said in a deep voice, "If we continue to force a soul search, within three breaths, his Divine Soul along with his Physical Body will be completely annihilated by the backlash of this power, and not even a scrap will remain."

Deputy Chief Huangfu Ming, who was on the side, saw this. Although he felt chilled by the bizarreness of the Ink Abyss power, he still maintained his composure on the surface, and even a trace of imperceptible relief flashed in the depths of his eyes.

Even Senior Xuanjizi failed the soul search, so with the clue broken here, it could not be blamed on his Sky Patrol Division.

"Senior, since such a vicious Restriction has been placed within this wretch's Divine Soul, it seems we won't be able to find out anything."

Deputy Chief Huangfu Ming cupped his hands, his tone revealing a hint of matter-of-factness, "It would be better to execute him on the spot, and then seize this Lin Chen as well for strict interrogation. Perhaps we can pry something out of this brat's mouth; after all, the World-Suppressing Spiritual Object is in his..."

"Senior, the power of the Abyssal Ink is bizarre. Forcibly searching his soul will only cause him to suffer Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering. It would be better to let this Junior try."

A calm yet resolute voice abruptly interrupted Deputy Chief Huangfu Ming's incessant framing.

Deputy Chief Huangfu Ming's words came to an abrupt halt. He turned his head sharply, staring fixedly at Lin Chen, who had stepped forward at some unknown moment.

The atmosphere in the great hall dropped to freezing point in an instant.

A Cultivator at the Early Stage of the Golden Core not only dared to interrupt a Nascent Soul old monster, but even dared to spout wild words, wanting to take over this hot potato in a situation where even a Nascent Soul expert was helpless?

"Presumptuous!" Deputy Chief Huangfu Ming was furious. The pressure belonging to the peak of the Late Stage of the Golden Core rolled over toward Lin Chen without reservation.

"In front of Senior Xuanjizi, how is there any room for an ant like you to spout such nonsense! Even a Restriction that the Senior cannot break, you, a mere Early Stage Golden Core, dare to claim you can try? It is simply the biggest joke in the world!"

Lin Chen didn't even glance at Deputy Chief Huangfu Ming. The Chaos Golden Core within his body vibrated slightly, discharging the incoming pressure into the black ice floor beneath his feet.

He maintained his cupped-hand gesture, his clear gaze looking straight into Senior Xuanjizi's slightly illusory eyes.

"Senior, please observe. During the battle at Dragonfall Gorge, although this Junior borrowed external force to force out the Geng Metal fragments, I personally felt the extreme suppression of this Abyssal Ink power by the Geng Metal Law."

Lin Chen's speaking speed was unhurried and his logic was clear; every word landed precisely on the nodes of logic.

"The reason this black Qi backlashed against your Divine Sense is that it sensed a soul-searching action sufficient to threaten its existence. If force is used, it will surely destroy both body and soul. But if a sliver of pure Geng Metal Qi is used as a guide, like peeling an onion, to first disintegrate its outer defenses, perhaps it can allow this assassin to recover a moment of clarity, thereby forcing out clues."

Of course, Lin Chen would not say that he possessed a stone ring that could simulate the aura of Laws.

His words were three parts true and seven parts false, cleverly utilizing the fact that the Geng Metal fragments had appeared earlier to drape a perfect and reasonable disguise over the method he was about to employ.

Senior Xuanjizi watched Lin Chen in silence.

He had lived for nearly a thousand years; what kind of person had he not seen?

The young man before him, severely injured and under heavy pressure, could remain calm in the face of difficulties from a high-level Cultivator, and could even find the logic to break the deadlock in a desperate situation.

This level of mental fortitude was enough to make one hold him in higher regard.

"What do you want?" Senior Xuanjizi spoke. His voice was flat, yet it stopped Deputy Chief Huangfu Ming from wanting to act out again.

"A piece of 'Cyan-Patterned Refined Gold'." Lin Chen stated his requirement without hesitation.

Once these words were spoken, Deputy Chief Huangfu Ming was stunned for a moment, then sneered as if he had heard some huge joke.

"Cyan-Patterned Refined Gold? That is merely a basic spiritual material used to conduct spiritual power when refining High Grade Magic Treasures. You want to use this scrap metal to carry Geng Metal Qi? Not to mention whether you can mobilize Geng Metal power, even if you could, this Cyan-Patterned Refined Gold could not withstand the impact of the Law and would instantly turn to fly ash!"

Lin Chen ignored Deputy Chief Huangfu Ming's mockery. Of course, he knew that Cyan-Patterned Refined Gold could not withstand the true Geng Metal Law.

But what he wanted was not to carry the true Law, but a medium with extremely high spiritual power conductivity to cover up the true fluctuations of the stone ring on his left thumb.

If he touched Shadow Erosion directly with his hand, with one Nascent Soul and one Late Stage Golden Core present, it was hard to guarantee they wouldn't notice the abnormality of the stone ring.

And Cyan-Patterned Refined Gold was the best smokescreen.

Senior Xuanjizi took a deep look at Lin Chen without asking further. He simply flipped his wrist, and a piece of metal, only the size of an infant's palm, cyan-gray in color, and covered with natural fine patterns, appeared out of thin air. It then floated slowly in front of Lin Chen, supported by mana.

It was cold and heavy to the touch.

Lin Chen took a deep breath and gripped the Cyan-Patterned Refined Gold in his right hand.

He lowered his eyelids slightly, concealing the gravity deep within his pupils.

His left thumb pressed tightly against his palm, and he quietly issued a command in his Sea of Consciousness.

[Ability Activated: Law Aura Simulation (Geng Metal)]

A piercing pain, like needle pricks, instantly spread from his left thumb throughout his whole body.

Enduring the intense pain coming from his Meridians, Lin Chen carefully guided the extremely weak yet incomparably sharp simulated aura seeping from the stone ring, perfectly fusing it with the sliver of remaining Chaos spiritual power in his Dantian.

Chaos spiritual power encompasses all things and is the best camouflage color.

This fused power flowed along the Meridians of his right arm and silently injected into the piece of Cyan-Patterned Refined Gold held in his palm.

"Hum——"

The originally dull and lusterless Cyan-Patterned Refined Gold emitted a faint and crisp sword hum the moment it made contact with this power.

The fine cyan patterns on the metal surface suddenly lit up with a dazzling dark golden light in an instant.

A sharp aura, although extremely weak, yet essentially originating from the same source as the heaven-reaching beam of light at Dragonfall Gorge earlier, slowly radiated from Lin Chen's palm.

Deputy Chief Huangfu Ming's sneer froze on his face. He widened his eyes in disbelief, staring fixedly at the piece of metal in Lin Chen's hand.

He could not understand how an Early Stage Golden Core, whose Origin was nearly exhausted, could fabricate a sliver of aura infinitely close to the Laws of Heaven and Earth out of thin air.

A flash of brilliance also crossed Senior Xuanjizi's illusory eyes, but he said nothing, only quietly watching Lin Chen's next actions.

Lin Chen ignored the shock of others. Holding the Refined Gold emitting dark golden light, he dragged his heavy footsteps and walked step by step to Shadow Erosion, who was slumped on the ground.

He crouched down, looking at Shadow Erosion's face, which was already twisted and deformed with torn flesh.

Beneath the flesh, the black Abyssal Ink power was frantically shuttling back and forth. As if sensing the approach of a natural enemy, it emitted a faint, rustling sound similar to insects rubbing against each other.

Lin Chen did not hesitate at all. A flash of determination crossed his eyes as he thrust his right hand out violently, pressing the scorching hot Cyan-Patterned Refined Gold with pinpoint accuracy right onto the center of Shadow Erosion's brow!

"Sss——!"

Accompanied by a violent explosion like cold water poured into boiling oil, large amounts of thick black smoke gushed out frantically from the center of Shadow Erosion's brow.

The moment this ordinary Cyan-Patterned Refined Gold made contact with the Abyssal Ink power, the patterns on its surface began to crack inch by inch. But before it was completely destroyed, the Geng Metal sharpness that Lin Chen had forcibly simulated had already pierced into Shadow Erosion's Sea of Consciousness like an invisible dagger.

"Urgh ahhhhhh——!"

Shadow Erosion, who had been in a semi-comatose state, had his eyes bulge out violently, and a shrill, inhuman roar that did not belong to a human issued from his throat.

His body thrashed and convulsed violently on the black ice floor, and even the sturdy Spirit-Binding Rope was strained to the point of creaking, digging into his flesh and bone.

The Abyssal Ink power within him had completely gone berserk.

Those black substances that were originally lurking deep within the Meridians and bone marrow, after sensing the fatal threat of that sliver of Geng Metal aura, gathered frantically toward his face, which had not been attacked, like a herd of frightened beasts.

In the terrified gaze of everyone, on Shadow Erosion's forehead, which had already lost a layer of skin, those black energies rapidly intertwined, twisted, and bulged, actually forcing out the outline of a blurry human face filled with endless pain and resentment.

That human face formed by the Abyssal Ink power had its features twisted together. It seemed to want to break free from beneath Shadow Erosion's flesh, opening a toothless, pitch-black mouth.

Lin Chen pressed down tightly on the Cyan-Patterned Refined Gold, which was about to shatter, the veins on the back of his hand bulging.

He stared fixedly at that eerie human face.

In extreme pain, that blurry human face spat out an ancient and awkward syllable in an inhuman, dry voice that sounded like two pieces of sandpaper rubbing violently together.

"...Xu..."

The moment this syllable was uttered, the last trace of black light in Shadow Erosion's eyes extinguished completely, like a dying candle blown out by a strong wind.

His violently convulsing body stiffened suddenly, then collapsed onto the cold ground like a pile of mud.

The Cyan-Patterned Refined Gold at the center of his brow finally could not withstand the conflict of power, turning into a handful of extremely fine iron powder that slid down through the gaps in Lin Chen's fingers.

Shadow Erosion was dead. All his vitality, Divine Soul, along with the chaotic Abyssal Ink power within his body, had all vanished mysteriously at the moment that syllable fell, leaving not even a trace behind.

The dry and strange pronunciation of the word "Xu" spiraled up along the dome of the great hall, then struck the thick coiled-dragon pillars, turning into layered echoes that reverberated repeatedly within the spacious Tianshu Pavilion.

A profound silence fell.