145: Black waters vanished, blood splattered in the desolate forest.

The icy river water, mixed with mud, sand, and withered branches, surged like a roaring black Dragon, washing over Ye Chen's body. He endured the needle-like pain in his Meridians and the bone-chilling erosion of the 'Death Soul Finger' force, which clung to him like a gangrene. He condensed his Chaos Protective Aura to its extreme, preserving his vitality within, and allowed himself to drift with the current.

Above the river, several powerful Divine Senses swept back and forth like searchlights, and several figures rapidly pursued him downstream along the riverbanks. The Dark Hall's reaction speed was astonishingly fast.

Ye Chen held his breath, his chaos primordial fetus slowly rotating. A faint, almost imperceptible Chaos aura permeated, not only concealing his own presence but also, to some extent, confusing the Heavenly Secret's perception, causing a subtle deviation each time the searching Divine Senses swept over the river area where he was located.

Thus, under the cover of the murky river water, he drifted tens of miles downstream until the majestic city walls of Zhennan Pass had long disappeared from sight. The banks were increasingly dense, primeval jungles, filled with a faint, miasmatic mist.

"Puff!"

As he passed a swirling river bend, Ye Chen suddenly drew a breath, his body like a nimble fish, silently darting out of the water and into a large cluster of ferns on the bank, barely splashing any water.

He half-knelt on the ground, coughing violently a few times, dark red blood once again spilling from the corner of his mouth. The finger strike of a Tiangang Realm expert was not easily resolved; the deathly finger force continued to erode his vitality and damage his Meridians. Coupled with the forced use of "Chaos Guixu - Ring of Judgment" to counter the combined attack of multiple Earth Fiend Realm cultivators, he was severely injured internally at this moment.

"I must find a place to heal as soon as possible and expel this finger force." Ye Chen wiped away the blood, his eyes vigilantly scanning his surroundings. This Southern Barren Jungle was filled with towering ancient trees and tangled vines, the light was dim, and the air was permeated with a mixture of rotting vegetation and a strange, sweet, fishy scent. From a distance, the low roars of unknown beasts occasionally echoed, adding to the danger.

He dared not stay in one place for long. He forced a breath of Protective Aura, chose a direction deviating from the river's flow, and his figure, like a wisp of smoke, swept into the depths of the dense forest.

However, the Dark Hall's "Blood Soul Pursuit Order" had clearly taken effect. Just an hour after he had submerged into the jungle, the chaos monitoring compass in his arms once again emitted a subtle warning vibration.

Ye Chen immediately hid behind a giant tree that would require several people to embrace. Through the gaps in the branches and leaves, he saw three burly men not far away, dressed in local Southern Barren tribal attire but with fierce eyes and an aura that seemed subtly out of place with the surrounding environment. They were holding a bone-made, compass-like Magical Artifact and searching carefully. Their cultivation levels were all between Earth Fiend Realm Third Layer and Fourth Layer.

"According to the 'Blood Soul Lure's' instructions, that kid should be somewhere in this area," the leader, a man with a scorpion-shaped tattoo on his face, whispered. "Stay alert! The Dark Hall's reward is enough for our tribe to enjoy for ten years!"

Ye Chen's heart tightened. "Blood Soul Lure"? He immediately introspected, and soon, in the subtle flow of his Protective Aura, he detected an extremely hidden, alien energy imprint, almost integrated with his own blood Qi. It must have been planted by the scar-faced man or other Dark Hall members using a special technique during their previous encounter!

"No wonder they caught up so quickly..." A cold glint flashed in Ye Chen's eyes. He had to get rid of these tails as soon as possible, then find a way to eliminate this "Blood Soul Lure"!

He quietly took out several ordinary Formation Flags from his previous spoils of war. With a flick of his wrist, the Formation Flags silently sank into the surrounding ground, setting up a small-scale, simple illusion formation. Although it couldn't trap experts for too long, it was enough to disrupt perception and isolate movement for a moment.

Just as the three trackers approached within about ten zhang of the giant tree where he was hiding, Ye Chen moved!

Like a long-lurking leopard, he erupted suddenly! The guixu sword, with a sharp whistle that tore through the air, went straight for the man with the scorpion-shaped tattoo! On the sword light, Chaos Protective Aura flowed. Although he did not use the Judgment True Intent, which consumed a lot of Origin Qi, the pure Guixu Sword Intent still carried an aura of annihilating all things!

"Enemy attack!" The man with the scorpion-shaped tattoo reacted extremely quickly, roaring furiously. He savagely slashed out with a poisoned curved blade in his hand; the blade qi was emerald green, clearly containing potent poison. The other two also attacked simultaneously; one threw countless poisoned blow darts, while the other wielded a heavy wolf-tooth club, smashing it at Ye Chen from the side!

Facing the combined attack of the three, Ye Chen's figure flickered like a ghost, narrowly avoiding the poison darts and the wolf-tooth club. The guixu sword's momentum remained unchanged, colliding fiercely with the poisoned curved blade!

"Clang!"

A piercing clang of metal rang out! The overbearing annihilating characteristic of Chaos Protective Aura was fully displayed; the emerald green poisonous blade qi rapidly melted away like ice and snow meeting spring sunshine! The man with the scorpion-shaped tattoo felt an irresistible immense force transmit through his curved blade, his tiger's mouth split open, and he stumbled backward!

Ye Chen, however, used the force of the collision, spinning his body like a top. The guixu sword traced a bizarre arc, stabbing back at the man using the wolf-tooth club!

"Pfft!"

The man had no idea Ye Chen's move would change so quickly. With his strength already spent, he could only watch as the gray sword tip pierced through his Protective Aura and into his heart! The Guixu Sword Intent erupted instantly, annihilating all his vitality!

One person killed in seconds!

Ye Chen did not stop. With a flick of his sword tip, he sent the wolf-tooth club man's corpse flying, smashing it into the opponent using blow darts. At the same time, he pointed his left hand like a sword, and a wisp of highly condensed Chaos Sword Aura shot out from his body, aiming directly for the glabella of the scorpion-tattooed man who had just regained his footing!

The man using blow darts was flustered by his companion's corpse, while the scorpion-tattooed man was terrified, desperately turning his head to dodge!

"Hiss!"

The sword finger did not hit the glabella, but it cut a deep, bone-visible gash on his cheek. The Chaos Sword Aura invaded, instantly numbing half of his face!

"He's injured! Hold on! Reinforcements are coming soon!" The scorpion-tattooed man roared in pain, trying to buy time.

How could Ye Chen give him a chance? The guixu sword was like the Grim Reaper's scythe, its sword momentum unfolding like a mighty river, sweeping over both of them. Severely injured and being tracked, he had to finish the battle quickly!

After a few moves, the man using blow darts had his throat cut by a sudden Sword Qi. Only the scorpion-tattooed man, with blood constantly flowing from his cheek and a weakened aura, was struggling to hold on.

"Tell me, how do I remove the 'Blood Soul Lure'?" Ye Chen's voice was cold, carrying an undeniable killing intent, as the guixu sword pointed at his throat.

A flicker of fear and madness crossed the scorpion-tattooed man's eyes: "Heh... The Blood Soul Lure is a secret technique of the Dark Hall. Unless the caster dies, or an Elder from the Hall makes a move, it's impossible to remove... You can't escape! Soon, there will be more..."

Before he could finish, Ye Chen gently thrust his sword tip, ending his life. He knew he wouldn't get much useful information from these peripheral pawns of the Dark Hall.

After quickly cleaning up the battlefield and incinerating the three corpses with Chaos Fire, Ye Chen immediately sat down cross-legged, fully circulating the Chaos Myriad Transformation Art, attempting to refine or expel the "Blood Soul Lure." However, the imprint was deeply embedded in his blood Qi Origin, like a root, and with his current state and understanding of the technique, he found it impossible to dislodge it in a short time!

"It seems I can only use it as bait for now..." Ye Chen opened his eyes, a fierce glint flashing within. Since he couldn't remove it, he would eliminate as many of the Dark Hall's wings as possible before being surrounded! He swallowed a few Medicinal Pills, feeling the Death Soul Finger force still raging within him, no longer hesitated, and his figure once again disappeared into the dark jungle.

Over the next two days, Ye Chen, like a hunter moving in the shadows, and also like hunted prey, contended and fought with wave after wave of pursuers in this vast and dangerous Southern Barren Jungle.

He utilized the terrain, set traps, sometimes hid, sometimes launched surprise attacks, and successively dealt with four more groups of pursuers, including even a lone mercenary at the Earth Fiend Realm Sixth Level. Continuous combat and escape caused his injuries to recur, leaving him physically and mentally exhausted, but his eyes became sharper, and his use of Guixu Sword Intent and Chaos Protective Aura became more refined and exquisite under the pressure of life and death.

However, the erosion of the Death Soul Finger force and the continuous exposure of the Blood Soul Lure prevented him from getting effective rest. Until the morning of the third day, as he struggled to pass through a swamp permeated with a strong smell of humus, the chaos monitoring compass in his arms emitted an unprecedented violent hum!

He suddenly looked up and saw seven figures on the open ground of the swamp ahead, appearing at some unknown time.

The leader was dressed in the unique black-purple robes of a Dark Hall Deacon, with a sinister face and eyes like a hawk. The aura emanating from him was none other than Peak Ninth Level of Disha Realm! He was only one step away from entering the Tiangang Realm!

The six people behind him were also experts above the Earth Fiend Realm Middle Stage, forming a mysterious formation that sealed off all possible escape routes for Ye Chen.

The Sinister Deacon's gaze fell on Ye Chen as if looking at a dead man, a cruel arc forming at the corner of his mouth:

"Ye Chen, your escape game ends now. Commit suicide, and you can keep your corpse intact."

Ye Chen tightened his grip on the guixu sword, feeling the less than three-tenths of his remaining Protective Aura and his still faintly aching Meridians. He took a deep breath of the humid and dangerous Southern Barren air.

True despair seemed to have descended once again.