Poison Scripture Reveals Its Secrets, Sword Art Reaches Great Perfection! (Two Chapters Combined into One Long Chapter)

Lin Chen's words were like ice picks, stabbing viciously into the heart of every member of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group!

"Collecting a debt? Wiping us out?"

Mu She was first taken aback, then a surge of furious indignation at being looked down upon rose in his heart!

He had already sensed the boy's presence at close range, and the boy had shown no trace of a Dou Wang's aura.

That was right!

How high could someone so young possibly have cultivated?!

Although Mu She couldn't make out Lin Chen's exact cultivation level, those Dou Qi wings clearly weren't the true wings of a Dou Wang.

They looked more like some kind of Flying Dou Technique!

A kid who relied on a Dou Technique to fly dared to talk so big?!

"Brat! You're asking for death!"

"Get him! Kill him!"

Mu She roared sharply.

His three-star Dou Master strength erupted. He drew the saber at his waist and charged forward first!

The dozens of mercenaries behind him also roared and raised their weapons, surging toward Lin Chen!

They didn't believe some young kid could make any waves!

Mu Li's eyes were especially venomous. Hiding behind the others, he glared at Xiao Yi Xian:

"You little bitch! You actually dared to find yourself a helper!"

"Once we kill this kid, let's see how I deal with you!"

Watching the onrushing attack, Xiao Yi Xian turned pale with fright.

Without thinking, she clutched the hem of Lin Chen's clothes.

Lin Chen's gaze remained cold, with even a trace of pity in it.

No matter how many ants there were, they were still only ants.

He couldn't even be bothered to use Yuantu and Abi.

With a thought, the dark-red Purple Cloud Wings behind him suddenly beat their wings!

"Boom!"

A violent gale sprang out of nowhere, whipping up sand and stones!

Mu She, at the very front, felt an irresistible force slam hard into his chest!

"Pfft—!" He spat out a mouthful of blood.

He flew back even faster than he had charged forward, crashing into several of his subordinates and smashing who knew how many ribs!

The ordinary mercenaries were even worse off, like fallen leaves swept up by a gale.

They screamed as they were blown off their feet, their formation falling into chaos in an instant!

"Boom!"

Lin Chen's figure vanished from where he stood, as if he were a ghost.

The next moment, he appeared in the middle of the panicked crowd!

He didn't use any flashy Dou Techniques. He simply threw punches, kicks, jabs, and palm strikes!

Yet every attack contained the terrifying force of a peak nine-star Dou Ling, as well as the overbearing, corrosive power of the Blood Scripture's Dou Qi!

"Boom! Bang! Bang!"

"Thud! Crack! Squelch!"

The dull thud of impacts, the crack of shattering bones, the wet sound of blades sinking into flesh!

Now and then, he snatched an opponent's weapon and stabbed it back into its owner!

The screams rang without end!

He was a tiger among sheep. Wherever he went, severed limbs flew through the air.

Blood splattered everywhere like cheap red paint!

Not a single person could withstand one of his blows!

He was too fast, and too strong!

Often, the mercenaries had lost their lives before they could even see what he'd done!

It was a one-sided, bloody massacre!

At the edge of the square, Xiao Yi Xian watched the black figure darting recklessly through the crowd, like the embodiment of the god of death.

She watched the mercenaries who had been so arrogant moments ago fall in swaths, like stalks of wheat.

Her little face was deathly pale. Her stomach churned violently, and she could hardly keep from throwing up.

Yet deep down, the resentment she had suppressed for so long was also finding an outlet in the bloody slaughter.

The people who had killed her teammates and nearly cost her her life were paying the price!

Mu She struggled to get back to his feet, only to see his own mercenaries being mercilessly slaughtered.

Boundless terror finally filled his eyes!

"Dou... Dou Ling powerhouse?! Spare—"

"Whoosh!"

Before he could finish the word "me," a finger-force shot through the air and pierced his brow in an instant!

The terror on his face froze completely.

Mu Li, hiding behind the others, had already been scared witless. His pants were soaked, and he turned to run.

Lin Chen didn't even look at him. He casually grabbed a bloodstained spear from the ground and hurled it with all his might!

"Whoosh! Thunk!"

The spear flashed like lightning, piercing Mu Li through the back and emerging from his chest.

It carried him several meters before pinning him firmly to the ground!

Mu Li's eyes bulged. Blood trickled from his mouth. He twitched a few times, then fell silent.

In just a few short minutes, not a single living person remained standing in the entire Wolf Head Mercenary Group's compound.

The square was a sea of blood and strewn with corpses, like a battlefield from hell.

Lin Chen stood amid the mountain of corpses and sea of blood, not a speck of dust on him, his expression indifferent.

It was as if he had done something utterly insignificant.

He circulated the Blood Scripture, and its terrifying devouring power erupted again!

The blood essence and lingering souls of dozens of corpses were drawn toward him and flowed into his body.

But soon, he frowned slightly.

These mercenaries were weak. Most were Dou Zhe, with a few Dou Masters among them.

Their essence was impure and scant, and after absorbing it, his cultivation had only increased by a hair.

He was still some distance away from breaking through the barrier to Dou Wang.

He released the devouring power and walked over to Xiao Yi Xian, who was still frozen in shock.

"Let's go."

Xiao Yi Xian looked at the scene before her, which resembled hell, then at Lin Chen's calm face.

Her voice trembled:

"They... they're all..."

"Dead. They got what they deserved."

Lin Chen spoke evenly and took her hand.

"We shouldn't stay here."

He unfurled the Purple Cloud Wings, picked Xiao Yi Xian up, and soared into the sky.

Leaving the blood-soaked place behind, he flew toward Qingshan Town.

It was already late at night when they returned to Qingshan Town.

The town was still quiet. No one knew that the Wolf Head Mercenary Group had been completely wiped out nearby.

After taking Xiao Yi Xian back to the area near the Myriad Herb Pavilion, Lin Chen turned to leave.

"Lin Chen!"

Xiao Yi Xian hurriedly called after him, her eyes full of reluctance and unease:

"Are... are you leaving?"

She knew that she and he were people from two different worlds.

He had saved her and avenged her. That alone was an enormous kindness.

Lin Chen stopped and glanced back at her, then suddenly seemed to remember something.

He took the colorful scroll from his Storage Ring.

The Seven-Colored Poison Scripture. He handed it to her.

"Here. Take this."

Xiao Yi Xian took the scroll in confusion. It felt cool to the touch and gave off a faint, unusual fragrance.

"What is this...?"

"Read what's inside, then tell me what you think."

There was a deeper meaning in Lin Chen's tone.

"I'm staying at an inn in town. I'll be here for a few days."

With that, he said nothing more and disappeared into the night.

Xiao Yi Xian returned to her little room, puzzled, and lit the oil lamp.

She carefully unrolled the colorful scroll.

At first, she read with great interest. It described the preparation of various poisons, their medicinal properties, and their toxicity.

It opened a whole new world to a medical enthusiast like her.

But the farther she read, the paler her face became.

Especially when she came across the account of a peculiar constitution called the "Woe Poison Body," her breathing suddenly stopped!

"...A poison body by birth, drawn to poison upon contact, impervious to every toxin!"

"Yet the poison within cannot be cured. It will eventually turn back upon its bearer, harming others and oneself, leaving one alone for a lifetime..."

"...One must consume poison to cultivate, and one's strength will grow rapidly."

"Yet the toxins within will accumulate and eventually erupt, rotting the body inch by inch until one dies in agony."

"When it erupts, the poisonous miasma will sweep across the land, laying waste to all living things..."

"...Signs by which to identify it: fine gray lines appear on the lower abdomen. After poison is consumed, the lines extend toward the heart, signaling that the end is near..."

The scroll slipped from Xiao Yi Xian's hands and fell to the floor with a slap.

It was as if lightning had struck her. Her whole body turned cold, and she trembled violently, unable to stop herself!

She remembered how she'd been unusually sensitive to all kinds of poisons since childhood, and how she had even... felt a faint craving for them!

She remembered that she really did seem to have an inconspicuous gray line on her lower abdomen!

She remembered how, after accidentally touching poisonous plants, she had not only been unharmed but had felt more alert than ever...

Everything... it all fit!

"No... no, that can't be... How could this happen...?"

She murmured to herself.

Her face was so pale that no color remained. Tears poured from her eyes like beads from a broken string, blurring her vision in an instant.

Someone whose cultivation rose so quickly wasn't a genius...

She was a monster! A harbinger of disaster!

A monster doomed to harm everyone around her, then die in agony herself!

Terrifying fear, despair, and sorrow swept over her like a freezing tide, drowning her completely.

She sank to the floor and wrapped her arms around her knees, burying her face deep in them.

A muffled, utterly despairing sob escaped her. Her slender shoulders shook violently.

At that moment, the world lost all its color.

She didn't know how long she cried. By the time her voice turned hoarse, her tears had nearly run dry.

A pair of warm, strong arms gently drew her trembling body into a cool but reassuring embrace.

Xiao Yi Xian jerked her head up. Through her tear-blurred vision, she saw Lin Chen, who had come back.

She didn't know when he had entered. He was quietly holding her, his gaze as calm as ever.

There was no disgust or fear in it, only a deep... understanding.

"Why... why did you tell me... why did you show this to me...?"

Xiao Yi Xian wept uncontrollably, her words tumbling over each other:

"Because this is who you are."

Lin Chen's voice was low and steady.

"Running away won't solve anything."

He gently patted her back. His movements were a little awkward, yet they had a strange soothing power.

"And who told you this had to be a dead end?"

Xiao Yi Xian abruptly stopped crying and lifted her tear-streaked face.

She stared at him in disbelief:

"What... what did you say?"

"The Woe Poison Body isn't necessarily incurable."

Lin Chen looked at her and spoke slowly.

"I have a way to control it, even... to master it."

"So you won't have to suffer the backlash of the toxins anymore. You'll truly be able to control this power."

This was based on the vast knowledge in Styx's inheritance, as well as the account in the Seven-Colored Poison Scripture.

The possibility he had deduced.

The Blood Scripture's ability to refine all things might offer a way to find balance—or even devour that deadly poison!

And besides, he still had the Karma Fire Red Lotus, which had yet to recover.

Its purifying power was astonishingly strong. It could even purge sin and purify souls!

It was only a little poison!

Xiao Yi Xian stared at him blankly, as if she had glimpsed a sliver of light in the abyss of despair.

Her voice trembled violently.

"R-really? You really have a way?"

"I never lie."

Lin Chen nodded.

"But the process may be very difficult. You'll need to stay by my side and trust me."

"Now, tell me what you think."

"Will you choose to stay here and wait in fear for an uncertain future?"

"Or... come with me and gamble on the chance to take control of your own fate?"

He didn't rush her. He simply watched her quietly, giving her space to think.

Xiao Yi Xian's heart pounded fiercely.

The immense surprise and hope swept away her despair, but confusion and unease followed close behind.

Go with him?

That meant leaving the familiar Qingshan Town and stepping into a completely unknown world, one full of danger...

But what if she stayed here?

She would live in fear every day, afraid of hurting others, until one day...

She looked into Lin Chen's deep, calm eyes.

She thought of the powerful abilities and mysterious methods he had displayed.

She thought of how he had saved her from danger again and again... An inexplicable sense of trust and reliance welled up within her.

She drew a deep breath, as if summoning every last ounce of strength, and nodded firmly.

Her gaze turned resolute.

"I... I'll go with you!"

The corner of Lin Chen's mouth seemed to lift in the faintest curve.

"Good."

"Take the next few days to get ready. We'll need to stay here for a few more days, too."

Over the next few days, Lin Chen stayed at the inn and didn't go out.

He took out the high-grade Earth-tier sword technique Xiao Xun'er had given him:

The Void-Splitting Sword Art.

His soul force sank into it, and the fierce sword intent that could cleave the void and split anything came rushing toward him once more.

An ordinary Dou Ling would need months, or even years, just to grasp the mysteries of this sword art.

But to Lin Chen, the way it circulated, its energy nodes, the contours of its intent...

It was all as clear and straightforward as elementary math to a college student.

The high-dimensional perspective and powerful soul he had gained from the Styx's legacy gave him an innate, overwhelming grasp of any power system below a certain level.

He had even finished analyzing and optimizing the sword art in his mind.

Using Yuantu and Abi to train would have been overkill, so he simply took up an ordinary longsword!

He began practicing in the inn's rear courtyard.

At first, his sword strokes were a little clumsy, but soon they flowed like water!

"Swish! Swish! Swish!"

His figure moved like the wind, his sword glimmered like lightning!

Every thrust carried a razor-sharp force, as if it could tear through space!

Dark-red Blood Origin Dou Qi coiled around the blade, not diminishing its edge in the slightest.

Instead, it added a few measures of domineering, corrosive power!

His sword strokes grew more practiced, his will and sword intent more perfectly attuned!

In just three short days!

"Whoosh!"

A streak of dark-red sword energy shot from the blade, but didn't fly off into the distance.

Three feet from the tip, it suddenly tore through the air!

It spread wildly!

Everywhere the sword light reached, it left a vacuum.

Though it vanished in a flash, its terrifying cutting force was chilling!

The Void-Splitting Sword Art had reached the pinnacle!

Lin Chen stood with his sword lowered, his breathing steady.

In his hands, a high-grade Earth-tier Dou Technique had unleashed power comparable to a Heaven-tier one!

Elsewhere, Xiao Yi Xian had also taken care of her affairs at the Myriad Herb Pavilion.

She had quit her apprentice job and prepared supplies for the journey.

There was less innocence in her eyes now, and more determination and anticipation for the future.

On the morning of the fourth day, they met at the town entrance.

Lin Chen looked at Xiao Yi Xian, who had changed into a practical, pale-purple dress and slung a small bundle over her back, then nodded.

"Have you decided?"

"Mm!"

Xiao Yi Xian nodded firmly, her gaze unwavering.

"Let's go."

Lin Chen said no more. He took her outside town to the flying transport company.

After paying a hefty fee, they boarded a large flying magical beast—a Thick-Winged Bird—bound for the eastern part of the empire.

Its enormous wings beat as it carried the wooden cabin slowly into the air.

They flew toward the distant Tagor Great Desert.

Inside the cabin, Xiao Yi Xian curiously watched Qingshan Town grow smaller and smaller below.

Her heart held both the ache of parting and the anticipation of a new journey.

She stole a glance at Lin Chen, who sat beside her with his eyes closed, and felt overwhelmed with gratitude and an emotion she couldn't put into words.

No matter what lies ahead, as long as I'm with him, everything will be fine, she thought quietly.

They flew for several days, passing over countless mountains and rivers.

The air grew noticeably hotter, dry and scorching.

Below them, the land was gradually swallowed by boundless yellow sand.

They had reached the Tagor Great Desert.

They landed at Mo City, a human city on the edge of the desert.

Mo City had a rugged character, its buildings made mostly of earth and stone.

The streets were crowded with mercenaries and merchants in sun-protective robes, while the air was heavy with blowing sand and heat.

Lin Chen had no interest in sightseeing. He went straight to an inn that looked reasonably clean.

He rented a room and got their luggage and Xiao Yi Xian settled in for the time being.

"Rest here and don't wander off. I'll be back soon."

Lin Chen cautioned her.

The desert was harsh, and Xiao Yi Xian was too weak to come along.

"Mm, be careful."

Xiao Yi Xian nodded obediently.

Lin Chen walked out of the inn and surveyed the ocher city, so full of exotic charm.

His soul force spread quietly, like an invisible web.

He sensed the stronger energy fluctuations in the city, as well as any unusual places that might hold ice-type energy.

Hai Bodong, once known as the Ice Emperor, had now hidden his identity and settled here, running a map shop.

He, and the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame Fragment Map in his possession, were Lin Chen's first target on this trip!