The Oriole Behind

Time rewound to the moment Zhang Hao charged out of the encirclement.

To Lin Chen, although the man who had bought the Foundation Establishment Secret Method had acted swiftly, Lin Chen had been watching him from the shadows all along. The instant he moved, Lin Chen reacted immediately.

The moment the other party took out that pearl, Lin Chen understood at once. He immediately used an Earth Escape Talisman to burrow into the ground, successfully evading that terrifying Ball Lightning.

Originally, Lin Chen had intended to leave just like that. It was not that he feared battle, but that he worried a large-scale melee between cultivators would bring unforeseeable variables and uncertain risks to his safety.

After all, the Cultivation World contained all manner of bizarre secret arts and Spirit Artifacts. No one knew whether an ordinary-looking cultivator possessed a means capable of effortlessly killing someone.

Let alone if things dragged on and he could not get away, only to be caught by the Azure Cloud Sect cultivators who arrived later—he might well end up being wrapped up like a dumpling.

But Lin Chen had not expected that the cultivator being besieged would be so formidable. His counterattack was so fierce that he had nearly wiped out every cultivator present.

As the hidden Lin Chen witnessed This Scene, a thought immediately Flashed through his mind:

Opportunity!

The Researched and Developed Soul Nurturing Incense from some time ago, along with his research into the Foundation Establishment Realm, had nearly drained every Spirit Stone On Their Body.

If he accumulated them slowly, who knew how long it would take? It would also delay the pace of his cultivation and research.

So Lin Chen had to think of another way.

And now, the opportunity had arrived!

The cultivators On the Field were either outstanding Rogue Cultivators or the backbone of cultivation families. The Spirit Stones they carried would certainly not be few.

And now they were gravely injured. If he slaughtered them, he would surely gain a handsome fortune.

Rob the rich to aid the poor; horses do not grow fat without night grass, and men do not grow rich without windfall wealth. What Heaven bestows, if one does not take it, one will instead suffer the blame...

Countless thoughts Flashed through Lin Chen's mind, ultimately condensing into a single word:

Do it!

With that thought, Lin Chen Without Hesitation took an item from his Storage Bag.

It was the Soul Nurturing Incense he had Researched and Developed most recently!

Though he had decided to Make A Move, Lin Chen was not foolish enough to rush straight out.

After all, every cultivator On the Field was battle-hardened. Each had more tricks and Backup Plans than the last. Though they were badly wounded, they were by no means easy to kill.

If he jumped out completely unscathed, he would likely be besieged by everyone.

Because each of them understood clearly that when they themselves were seriously wounded, Making People around them seriously wounded as well was the best way to protect themselves.

At that point, they would not keep their methods Hidden in reserve for Lin Chen to harvest after their deaths.

They would instead Without Hesitation unleash every means at their disposal at Lin Chen.

No matter how strong Lin Chen was, he could not withstand the siege of several hundred talismans!

Therefore, if he wanted to kill all these cultivators, he had to find a way to employ some insidious and ruthless... ah, no, intelligent and wise methods.

Like the Soul Nurturing Incense in his hand.

These cultivators possessed all kinds of Detoxification Pills. Ordinary sleeping drugs simply would not affect them.

But the Soul Nurturing Incense he had Researched and Developed was different. After absorbing it, one would experience a calming effect, and their entire body would grow drowsy.

Pills such as Detoxification Pills and Rejuvenation Pills would not alleviate this sleepy effect; instead, they would worsen it.

This was because It Is a Kind Of tonic, rather than a harmful substance. The drowsiness it produced was a bodily instinct, meant to help the body recover better. Naturally, it would not be removed by Detoxification Pills.

If one fell asleep somewhere safe, then coupled with healing pills, their injuries would certainly recover quickly. It could even nourish a cultivator's soul.

But if they fell asleep on a battlefield... hehe.

"The same thing, in different environments, can turn from a tonic into poison!" Lin Chen sneered.

He was a transmigrator. His way of thinking was not as rigid as these cultivators'. The Soul Nurturing Incense he had Researched and Developed might be nothing more than a cultivation treasure to them, but for Lin Chen, so long as he changed his perspective and the environment, it could become a superb weapon for blindsiding people!

Thinking of this, Lin Chen took out several sticks of Soul Nurturing Incense in succession, finding inconspicuous spots around this Group of Cultivators and lighting them one after another.

These incense sticks had all undergone special treatment. They burned colorlessly and odorlessly, making them difficult to detect.

At the Same Time, Inside the Room, the remaining cultivators were all taking out various healing pills from their Storage Bags and hurriedly Taking It.

Their eyes also furtively assessed those around them, revealing A Trace of greed and wariness.

They were wary because they themselves were seriously wounded, and greedy because everyone else was seriously wounded too.

Now, it depended on whose injuries were worse and who recovered faster.

For a time, On the Field fell into an eerie silence.

At the very edge of the crowd, the greed in the eyes of a pockmarked cultivator was nearly impossible to suppress.

He stood at the outermost edge of the crowd, and Coupled With the Ball Lightning's power having been weakened layer by layer by those in front of him, his injuries were far less serious than everyone else's.

Hehe, even if I missed out on the Foundation Establishment Secret Method, it's no big deal. More than twenty people, more than twenty Storage Bags—there won't be any problem scraping together one Foundation Establishment Pill. This is this old man's lucky break...

He hurriedly swallowed a precious healing pill. As he felt his body steadily recovering and strength gradually returning to his limbs, his gaze wandered over everyone Inside the Room.

Who should I start with... Hmm?!

His gaze sharpened, because he discovered that several people Inside the Room had silently Fell Down.

'Why did they suddenly die?! No, that's not right—their chests are still rising and falling... Damn it, someone's poisoning them!'

In an instant, countless thoughts raced through his mind. The Pockmarked Cultivator did not step forward; instead, he went with the flow and lay down, quietly taking a Detoxification Pill that he had gone to great lengths to obtain.

'Heh, with so many people here, Even If someone makes a move, it won't be easy to take them all down. Perfect—some idiot has struck first. Once he takes care of every last one of them, I'll come out and launch a sneak attack... yawn.'

Bang!

Bang!

The cultivators present seemed unable to hold on any longer, Falling Down One After Another.

'At last, they've finally lain down... This, this is my...'

As the Pockmarked Cultivator lay there, he suddenly sensed that something was wrong. Not only had his drowsiness not faded in the slightest, it was growing heavier and heavier. Even his eyelids were fighting each other.

'W-What's Going On? Didn't I already take the Detoxification... snore...'

He tried to struggle to Stand Up, but his entire body merely shifted as though stretching lazily before collapsing weakly back onto the ground. Soon after, he sank into a deep sleep.

Whoosh!

A massive hand of spiritual energy suddenly condensed in midair, then viciously grabbed at the cultivators below!

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

The heads of one body after another were crushed in succession like balloons.

"No..." A cry rang out from among the cultivators, yet it was weak and faint.

"Heh, playing dead so you can counterkill? You're still far too green. Trying to out-scheme us transmigrators in deviousness... no, I mean cunning... no, why do I keep thinking of such strange words?" Lin Chen hurriedly shook his head.

Clearly, an Old Schemer had been playing dead, intending to counterkill. Unfortunately, such tricks were useless against Lin Chen.

Lin Chen never ended a battle without grinding his enemies' bones to dust and scattering their ashes.

Though he had been born into a peaceful society in his previous life and lacked both combat experience and common sense regarding the bloody struggles of the martial world, that did not mean he was some greenhorn without experience in conflict. After all, he had read plenty of novels.

As long as one remembered the lessons from how most villains in novels were killed, along with the Protagonist's methods of scheming against others, one could compile them into a book titled Basic Rules for Survival in Another World.

Feigning death to counterkill, drugging people unconscious, making a feint in the east and attacking in the west, striking exclusively below the belt, and the like.

Besides This, there were also such principles as: if you could avoid showing yourself, then do so; if you could kill from afar, never fight up close; if you could use Conspiracies and Schemes, never rely on strength...

Perhaps these Rogue Cultivators truly had Their Own thoughts and methods, and had repeatedly succeeded with them.

But their methods amounted to no more than a few kinds. How could they compare with the wild ideas and accumulated wisdom of tens of thousands of netizens in the information age of his previous life?

Once Lin Chen had seen through their methods, naturally he would not fall for their tricks. Instead, he would turn their own schemes against them and lure them into his trap.

This was the advantage of grasping the other side's information in battle, and even more so, the gap in breadth of vision and perspective!

"That'll do." Lin Chen, Hidden in the darkness, lightly tapped a finger.

The liquid in several white bottles placed beside him began to seep out, forming a pale green Thin Mist that drifted toward Inside the Room.

Sizzle—

A piercing sound of flesh corroding came from Inside the Room. When the Thin Mist dispersed, no one remained within; only a puddle of unknown liquid was left behind.

"It's done." Within a forest, Spirit Thread wound around Lin Chen's hand as he strung together more than twenty Storage Bags from the ground, one by one, and tied them onto himself.

"Even If each Storage Bag contains only a few hundred Spirit Stones, that's still close to—or even over—Ten Thousand. Sure enough, honestly working for a living can't compare to getting rich off a windfall... Hmm?"

Lin Chen seemed to sense something. He abruptly paused and turned to look to the side.

Boom!

A terrifying explosion rang out again from the forest not far away. In the briefest instant, a fireball rose into the sky, illuminating a radius of several hundred meters as brightly as day!

Lin Chen's Footsteps halted as he looked in that direction, the corners of his mouth twitching.

Such a huge commotion would definitely draw every cultivator from the other areas over here.

If he ran out now, the other cultivators would surely think the Foundation Establishment Secret Method had fallen into his hands. That would be troublesome.

"I need to find a scapegoat to draw their fire. And if I'm not mistaken, the cultivator who bought the Foundation Establishment Secret Method should be..."

Lin Chen did not hesitate for long. He swiftly used the Invisibility Technique, silently making his way toward the area.

"Is this a Second-tier Talisman? Or some specially made Foundation Establishment method? Or did they self-destruct and perish in Mutual Destruction?" Arriving at the site of the explosion and seeing the area blasted into a barren expanse, Lin Chen could not help but feel surprised.

"Cough, cough—" A bout of coughing came from the lingering black smoke.

'Hmm??' Lin Chen's Gaze sharpened. He swiftly snuck behind the person making the sound, true energy surging through his body as his massive hand viciously reached forward!

"It belongs solely to me... Bang!"

Blood and flesh splattered.

"What did she just say?" In the darkness, Lin Chen took out a handkerchief and gently wiped away the blood that had accidentally splashed onto his hand, somewhat puzzled.

But that was unimportant. With a flick of his hand, a strand of Spirit Thread pulled the Storage Bag up from the ground and hung it on his body.

Yet despite gaining such a great haul, Lin Chen showed no joy on his face. Instead, he looked toward the center of the explosion and let out a soft sigh.

'As expected, it was him...'