33: Chapter 33 Poisonous Claws in the Black Mist Forest

"It smells even more choking than usual." Lin Chen's gaze pierced through the thin mist, landing on a withered iron birch tree a dozen zhang away. Some of the moss that should have been attached to the trunk showed unnatural curling and charring, as if it had been fumigated by some poisonous substance.

Liu Yuan had already crouched down. Although his injuries had not yet healed and his spiritual power was insufficient, his eyes remained as sharp as ever.

He used a withered branch to brush aside the damp fallen leaves on the ground, pointing at several faint, barely discernible imprints: "Look here. The moss has been stepped on, but someone tried to cover it with fallen leaves. The traces are very fresh, no more than half a day old, and very light. These are the footsteps of a Cultivator."

Following the direction of those faint imprints, his finger pointed decisively toward the depths of the forest.

Su Qingyao took a small porcelain bottle from her bosom, poured out several emerald-green Medicinal Pills emitting a cool medicinal fragrance, and distributed them to everyone: "These are Miasma-Clearing Pills. Take them first."

Lin Chen took the Medicinal Pill but did not swallow it immediately. Instead, he spread his Divine Sense forward cautiously, like an invisible net.

The Divine Sense of the Foundation Establishment Stage far exceeds that of the Qi Refinement Stage, capable of covering a range of nearly a hundred zhang.

Where his Divine Sense reached, it was deathly silent.

There was no rustling of insects, no crawling of snakes or rodents. Even the sound of the wind blowing through the leaves seemed exceptionally hollow and dull.

It was as if an invisible mouth had devoured all the vitality of this forest.

"The area has been cleared by someone. There is an ambush ahead." Lin Chen's voice was very low, yet it clearly reached everyone's ears.

He placed the Miasma-Clearing Pill into his mouth. A wave of coolness traveled down his throat into his lungs, and the strange smell of humus mixed with spiciness in the air immediately faded significantly.

Old Man Shi's face turned pale. He was merely a Mortal; in such dangerous life-and-death struggles between Cultivators, he didn't even qualify as cannon fodder.

Lin Chen glanced at him, then looked at A-Tu, who was equally nervous but forcing himself to remain calm, and said in a deep voice: "A-Tu, protect Old Man Shi and follow behind Senior Liu. Qingyao, you provide support from the center. We should not stay here long; we will charge straight through."

Waiting in place or taking a detour would only give the hidden enemy more time to prepare.

Only by breaking through head-on with the fastest speed could they disrupt the opponent's rhythm.

The team readjusted their Formation. A-Tu and Old Man Shi were protected in the very center, Liu Yuan was in the front, and Lin Chen brought up the rear. The group maintained their vigilance and cautiously stepped into the Black Fog.

The light in the forest was dim, with visibility less than thirty zhang. Pale black mist coiled between the tree trunks like cold, venomous snakes.

Underfoot was a thick layer of rotting leaves; stepping on them felt soft and silent.

After venturing about two li into the forest, Liu Yuan, who had been walking at the very front of the team and was responsible for scouting, suddenly raised his hand to signal the team to stop.

He did not look back, but gestured with his chin toward a patch of ground three zhang ahead.

It looked no different from the rest of the area, but the experience of Liu Yuan, a former Foundation Establishment Formation Master, told him that the color of the soil there was slightly fresher than the surrounding area.

However, the incident occurred from the side and rear of the team.

A-Tu, whose nerves had been tightly coiled, suddenly felt his foot soften; he had actually stepped into a shallow pit beside him that was perfectly camouflaged by withered leaves!

"Bad!"

A-Tu was terrified, but the strict training Lin Chen had given him in daily life proved useful at this moment.

He did not subconsciously panic and retreat—that would very likely have collided with Su Qingyao and Old Man Shi behind him, disrupting the entire team's Formation.

In a flash, he made the most correct reaction. His body lunged forward violently, and at the same time, he frantically poured the little spiritual power he had left into the "Diamond Talisman" already stuck to his lower leg!

Almost at the same instant he lunged forward, the bottom of the shallow pit made a "hissing" sound. A dozen Bone-Eroding Centipedes, the length of chopsticks, jet-black all over, with heads glowing with an eerie, ghostly blue luster, shot out from the pit like black lightning, heading straight for the position of his lower leg where he had just been standing!

Hum—!

A layer of faint golden light instantly appeared on A-Tu's leg. Several of the fastest Bone-Eroding Centipedes collided head-on with the light shield, were bounced back slightly by a rebound force, and let out "squeaking" shrieks.

"It's Insect-Attracting Incense and Heart-Corroding Grass juice!" Su Qingyao's cold, clear voice rang out, without a trace of panic.

The moment her voice fell, she flicked her wrist, and a packet of pre-prepared pale yellow medicinal powder was precisely scattered out. Like a celestial maiden scattering flowers, it instantly enveloped the area within one zhang around A-Tu.

An extremely pungent odor, similar to sulfur mixed with some kind of potent herbal medicine, suddenly dispersed.

Those Bone-Eroding Centipedes that were about to lunge again seemed to have encountered the most terrifying natural enemy in the world. They let out a chaotic shriek, turned their heads, and burrowed into the thick layer of fallen leaves, disappearing without a trace in an instant.

The trap had been broken.

But it had also completely exposed their position.

"Hehehe... Your reaction is not slow at all."

A hoarse and unpleasant laughter, like the cry of a night owl, came sinisterly from the thin mist on the left.

"Little girl, hand over all the anti-poison pills you have on you, along with your Alchemy methods. In consideration of you being so sensible, this old man can consider leaving your corpses intact."

Before the words had even faded, a hunched figure slowly stepped out from the thin mist.

The person who came was an old man with a thin, withered physique, almost skin and bones. His face was pale and bloodless, and his eye sockets were deeply sunken, like two black holes.

He leaned on a crooked black wooden staff. The head of the staff was embedded with a human skull the size of a fist. In the empty eye sockets of the skull, two points of greenish ghost fire flickered as he walked, emitting an unsettling, evil aura.

The Spiritual Pressure of the Foundation Establishment Early Stage was released like a tide without any concealment, mixed with the increasingly thick, spicy poisonous miasma that had appeared from who knows where, pressing down fiercely on the five of them, including Lin Chen.

Old Man Shi and A-Tu's faces instantly turned deathly pale, and their breathing became difficult.

Behind the old man, three Cultivators dressed in black tight-fitting clothes with black scarves covering their faces appeared silently. They spread out in a standard fan shape, the spiritual light of the Magical Artifacts in their hands flickering, completely sealing off the retreat path of Lin Chen and the others.

Judging from the spiritual power fluctuations emanating from them, they were all experts of the Qi Refinement Late Stage.

"It's the Qi family's Guest Elder, 'Poison Elder'!" Liu Yuan's eyes narrowed, staring fixedly at the skull Magical Artifact in the old man's hand, and he whispered rapidly: "He is using that Magical Artifact to stimulate the toxic mist! This is 'Heart-Corroding Poison Miasma', which can contaminate one's spiritual power and corrode the Physical Body! Qingyao's anti-poison pills are not of a high grade; in this concentration of poisonous miasma, she won't be able to last for half a quarter of an hour!"

A cruel smile appeared on Poison Elder's withered face; he seemed to enjoy the sight of his prey being poisoned in despair.

However, the panic he expected did not appear.

Because the moment his voice fell, Lin Chen moved.

Without a word of nonsense, without a shred of hesitation.

His figure was like an arrow released from the string, instantly vanishing from his spot, stirring up a rapid sound of breaking wind!

But the target he pounced on was not Poison Elder directly in front, but the Qi family Disciple on the right who was slightly further away and trying to outflank them from the side!

When picking persimmons, one should pick the soft ones!

Capture the ringleader first?

No, that is a strategy for when forces are evenly matched.

Now, it is about breaking the situation!

That Qi family Disciple clearly did not expect Lin Chen's reaction to be so swift and his target so clear. His pupils shrank suddenly. In great alarm, he hurriedly activated his protective spiritual light while frantically bringing out a palm-sized small bronze shield to protect himself.

It was too late.

Lin Chen's figure had already approached like a ghost.

He pressed his fingers together like a sword. The pure spiritual power of the Foundation Establishment Early Stage, tempered and refined through System feedback, was all concentrated at his fingertips, radiating a layer of pale golden luster with extremely strong penetrating power.

He didn't even try to forcefully strike the small shield glowing with spiritual light; instead, he used an incredibly tricky angle to precisely strike the node where the small shield connected to the Disciple's arm, the weakest point of the protective spiritual light!

"Crack!"

A crisp sound that made one's teeth ache.

The spiritual light of the small bronze shield instantly dissipated like a bubble pricked by a needle, and a penetrating force slammed fiercely onto the Disciple's wrist.

"Ah—!"

A shrill scream pierced the deathly silence of the forest.

The Qi family Disciple felt a piercing pain coming from his wrist. His entire arm instantly went numb, and his body flew backward uncontrollably, crashing heavily into a thick, ancient tree several zhang away. With a dull thud, he slid softly to the ground and passed out directly.

Having succeeded with one strike, Lin Chen did not stop. He tapped his toes heavily on the ground, his figure twisting back like a fallen leaf. Borrowing the force to turn, he lunged again at the Qi family Disciple in the middle, who had not yet recovered from the shock of his companion's instant defeat!

This scene, happening in the blink of an eye, was fast enough to dazzle the eyes!

"How dare you, brat!"

Poison Elder was both shocked and angry.

He completely did not expect that this Foundation Establishment Cultivator, who looked the strongest, would act so decisively and ruthlessly. Moreover, this speed and this explosive power—how could it look like an ordinary Foundation Establishment Early Stage!

He gave a sharp shout, and the black wooden staff in his hand slammed violently onto the ground!

The green fire in the eye sockets of the skull on the staff head flared up, and it suddenly opened its lower jaw, spewing out a thick, ink-like green poisonous smoke.

The poisonous smoke twisted and rolled in the air, acting as if it were a living creature. It transformed into a ferocious venomous python head, opened its large mouth, and with a pungent, fishy stench, viciously coiled toward Lin Chen's back!

At the same time, Poison Elder let out a sharp whistling sound from his mouth.

"Rustle, rustle..."

Under the surrounding fallen leaves and at the rotting tree roots, more poisonous insects were stirred by the whistling sound. A black mass of them surged like a tide from all directions toward Liu Yuan, Su Qingyao, and the others, who were being protected in the center!

This was his usual trick: the main body attacks the primary target, while simultaneously using swarms of insects to harass and kill the weak, leaving the opponent unable to attend to both ends!

"You beast, don't even think about it!" Although Liu Yuan's spiritual power was insufficient, his combat awareness remained.

He quickly took out several pre-prepared Talismans from his bosom—these were the several First-Grade Medium Grade "Evil-Expelling Talismans" and "Purifying Flame Talismans" he had taken the time to draw after his injuries had slightly improved.

He flicked his wrist, and the Talismans ignited without fire, transforming into several strands of majestic golden light and several balls of explosive flames, which landed precisely where the insect swarm was densest.

Where the golden light passed, the evil poisonous miasma hissed, and a gap was purified; the flames exploded, and the poisonous insects in the front were instantly burned to charcoal, temporarily blocking the offensive of the insect swarm.

Su Qingyao protected the terrified, pale-faced Old Man Shi with one hand, while the other hand held a handful of silver needles quenched with a special anti-poison ointment. Her cold, clear gaze was locked tightly on the stray insects attempting to bypass the Talisman's flames, ready to strike at any moment.

And Lin Chen, who was facing the python-headed poisonous smoke, made a move that left even Poison Elder astonished.

He did not dodge or avoid it, and he did not even slow down his speed by a fraction!

He saw him take a deep breath, and the Spirit Nourishing Technique he mainly cultivated operated at an unprecedented speed.

A layer of very faint halo, carrying the warm breath of his Bloodline, emerged from beneath his skin.

This was the weak resistance to various negative energies that naturally derived from the Spirit Nourishing Technique after it had been cultivated to a very high level, under the dual blessing of System optimization and offspring Bloodline feedback!

Pfft—

The green poisonous smoke instantly engulfed him.

A burning, stinging sensation came from his skin, and wisps of dizziness rushed straight into his brain, attempting to paralyze his nerves.

But Lin Chen only paused slightly. That layer of warm spiritual light reacted violently with the toxins that had invaded his body, neutralizing most of them into nothingness.

He forcibly broke through the blockade of the poisonous smoke, his movements almost unaffected, and his figure appeared once again in front of that dumbfounded Qi family Disciple!

That Disciple watched helplessly as Lin Chen withstood Poison Elder's life-bound poisonous smoke and rushed out unscathed. The last shred of his will to resist completely collapsed. With his heart and gallbladder shattered, he turned around and wanted to flee into the Black Fog.

A cold light flashed in Lin Chen's eyes. He pushed out a palm levelly, arriving after the target but striking first, printing it solidly on the Disciple's back.

"Pfft!"

The Disciple was struck heavily, a mouthful of blood sprayed out wildly, and his whole body fell forward to the ground. After twitching twice, he had no more sound.

At this, the last Qi family Disciple was scared out of his wits. How could he dare to have even half a thought of fighting? With a strange cry, he had already turned around and plunged into the thick Black Fog without looking back, fleeing frantically.

In the blink of an eye, three Qi Refinement Late Stage helpers—two unconscious, one fled.

The cruel smile on Poison Elder's face had long since frozen, replaced by a deep wariness and disbelief.

His Heart-Corroding Poison Miasma would cause even ordinary Foundation Establishment Early Stage Cultivators to have stagnant spiritual power and greatly reduced combat capability if they withstood it head-on. This kid actually... actually acted like nothing happened?

He glared fixedly at Lin Chen, and a desire to retreat had already sprouted in his heart.

The intelligence was wrong today; he had run into a tough nut.

Without the slightest hesitation, Poison Elder's figure drifted backward, like a weightless withered leaf. In a few flickers, he merged into the thick fog, leaving behind only a hoarse and spiteful threat echoing in the forest:

"Good kid, you've got some skills! But this Cuiping Mountain is not a place you can get your hands on! The Qi family will never let you go!"

The voice faded into the distance and soon disappeared.

With Poison Elder's retreat, the whistling sound also stopped abruptly. The surrounding poisonous insects receded rapidly like a tide, and the Black Fog Forest returned to that deathly silence once again.

The poisonous smoke slowly dispersed, and Lin Chen's figure was revealed.

He quickly checked himself. The exposed skin was slightly scorched red, but the spiritual power in his body was flowing smoothly, and there was no major issue.

Su Qingyao's Miasma-Clearing Pill and the resistance of the Spirit Nourishing Technique were the greatest contributors.

He walked quickly to the two unconscious Qi family Disciples. He did not kill them; he only crippled their Dantian, and then skillfully searched their bodies for their Storage Pouch and an identity token engraved with the character "Qi".

"The Qi family already knows our target and route." Lin Chen tossed the token to Liu Yuan, his voice slightly low due to the intense exercise just now. "We must speed up! Before their main force arrives, find and initially control the Spiritual Vein node!"

Liu Yuan took the token, looked at it, nodded, and added with a grave expression: "Just now, when that Poison Elder stimulated the poisonous miasma, I vaguely felt that in the northeast direction, which is the direction of Cuiping Mountain, the Spiritual Qi fluctuations here were pulled. The Spiritual Vein node is highly likely to be in that direction."

The situation was even more pressing than expected.

The team took a short rest, and after taking Medicinal Pills again to restore the consumed spiritual power, Old Man Shi led the way more diligently, moving toward the depths of the Black Fog Forest at a speed nearly twice as fast as before.

Everyone knew that the ambush just now was just an appetizer.

The real struggle had just begun.

Traveling through the remaining distance of the Black Fog Forest, they did not encounter any further obstacles, but that deathly silence made people's hearts feel increasingly heavy.

Half an hour later, when everyone finally walked out of that oppressive Black Fog and the scene before them suddenly opened up, a death aura, even thicker than in the Black Fog Forest, rushed toward them.

Ahead was a vast Rocky Ravine.

Strange rocks stood jaggedly, gullies crisscrossed, and not a single blade of green grass could be seen on the ground, only gray, decaying sand and stones and weathered skeletons.

The Stone-Skinned Lizards and Iron-Clawed Crows that Old Man Shi said should have been entrenched here were nowhere to be seen.

The entire Rocky Ravine was as quiet as a giant graveyard.

Liu Yuan's gaze, however, crossed this dead land and locked tightly onto the silhouette of the mountain range at the end of the Rocky Ravine, which was shrouded in thin mist.

A look of uncertainty and shock slowly appeared on his face.

"Something is wrong... The Formation fluctuations there... how could it..."