Twin Swords Astonish, Breakthrough to Dou Practitioner! (2-in-1 Big Chapter)

"Tap... tap... tap..."

The sound of footsteps fell like the drumbeats of the Grim Reaper, striking against Lin Chen's taut heartstrings.

He had just survived a heart-stopping counter-kill, and the Karma Fire Burning Chain had consumed a massive amount of his energy.

Though the energy of his Dou Disciple rank nine was robust, it was by no means infinite.

Facing an unknown enemy at this moment, there was no room for the slightest hesitation!

Lin Chen's gaze turned razor-sharp in an instant, like a hawk locking onto its prey.

He did not attempt to flee or hide:

The cellar was vast and empty, and the footsteps were already right at the threshold.

Any superfluous movement might expose his weakness!

His only reliance was the projection of the two supreme treasures from the inheritance of Ancestor Styx—Yuantu and Abi—which, though incomplete, contained an unparalleled intent of slaughter!

He sank his consciousness deep into his dantian, communicating with the two ancient sword phantoms that floated silently, radiating a faint blood-red glow and grayish-white death aura.

A chill of killing intent, originating from the depths of his soul, instantly flooded his entire body.

Lin Chen poured the meager Dou Qi he had just recovered within his body into these two sword phantoms, unleashing it without reservation like a dam breaking!

"Hum... hum..."

Within his dantian, the Yuantu sword phantom flared with intense blood-red light, as if the wails of billions of dying souls were flickering and fading upon its blade.

The Abi sword phantom surged with grayish-white energy, permeating a grim aura of death that heralded the end of all things and the extinction of reincarnation!

Two terrifying auras, distinct yet born from the same source, brewed within Lin Chen's small frame, poised and ready to strike!

His complexion turned paper-white in an instant, and his body trembled slightly.

This was a sign of his strength being drained to the limit.

Betting everything on one strike to kill!

The light at the cellar entrance was completely blocked.

A figure appeared at the top of the stone steps.

The person who arrived was not the burly man or the sinister character he had expected.

It was a woman.

She appeared to be around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, dressed in a well-fitted dark red combat outfit that outlined her graceful figure.

Her face was beautiful, with willow-leaf eyebrows and almond-shaped eyes, her thin lips painted with vibrant rouge.

She carried a bamboo basket covered with a black cloth, her steps light, her demeanor carrying a hint of laziness and an imperceptible arrogance.

However, when her eyes, filled with scrutiny, swept across the interior of the cellar, that laziness instantly froze!

Her gaze first touched upon the two eye-catching piles of grayish-white powder on the ground, and the tattered clothing belonging to the Jalie Lang brothers scattered beside them.

Immediately after, she saw the opened, empty cage.

And... Lin Chen, standing in the center of the cellar, covered in blood, his clothes in rags, with the marks of melted iron chains still lingering on his wrists and ankles.

He was staring at her fixedly with a pair of eyes so cold they did not resemble those of a child!

"Brother Lang? Brother Bei?! This... what is going on here?!"

The color drained from the woman's face instantly, her red lips parted, and she let out a cry of disbelief.

Her gaze darted back and forth between the ashes and Lin Chen.

Shock, suspicion, and a trace of imperceptible fear instantly crawled across her face.

Clearly, she knew the Jalie Lang brothers, and their relationship was far from shallow!

She was no passerby who had stumbled upon this place; she was an accomplice!

Now!

A warning bell rang wildly in Lin Chen's heart!

The shock in the opponent's eyes lasted only a moment before being replaced by intense killing intent and scrutiny!

She knew the deceased, she appeared in this secret lair of evil cultivators, and she was carrying a basket...

The answer was obvious!

Regardless of who she was, whether she was here to deliver "materials" or to inspect the "results," she was an enemy!

He could not give her any chance to react or call for help!

"Go!"

Lin Chen shouted internally, his will like an arrow released from a bow!

Zheng! Qiang!

Two sword hums, as if coming from the Nine Nether Hells, instantly tore through the deathly silence of the cellar!

They were not physical entities, but two sword phantoms of energy condensed to the extreme—one red, one gray—bursting forth from the palms of Lin Chen's hands!

They shot out!

The Yuantu sword shadow, crimson as blood, trailed a long, bloody streak of light.

Wherever it passed, the air seemed frozen by invisible killing intent, with faint visions of a churning sea of blood and the wailing of vengeful spirits manifesting!

The Abi sword shadow, gray and deathly silent, moved without a sound.

Yet it radiated an aura of extinction that ended all life; where its trajectory touched, light seemed to be swallowed, and space itself warped slightly!

Fast! Too fast!

It surpassed sound!

It surpassed thought!

The astonishment on the red-clad woman's face had not even fully transformed into terror.

The two sword shadows, representing the fundamental laws of slaughter and extinction, had already pierced through her body in an instant, as if ignoring the distance of space!

"Puff! Puff!"

There was no earth-shattering explosion, only two dull sounds of blades entering flesh.

The Yuantu sword shadow pierced her heart, leaving a bowl-sized hole with charred edges as if scorched by karmic fire!

The Abi sword shadow pierced the center of her brow, leaving a finger-sized gray-white hole that seemed to have sucked away all surrounding vitality!

The woman's body stiffened violently, her beautiful face frozen in extreme shock, bewilderment, and a lingering trace of fear of death.

The bamboo basket in her hand fell to the ground with a "clatter," the black cloth flipping open.

It revealed several herbs radiating a cold, sinister aura and a few bottles and jars inside.

She opened her mouth, seemingly wanting to say something, but only a stream of foul blood mixed with fragments of internal organs gushed out.

The light in her eyes dimmed and dissipated rapidly.

She did not even manage to let out a scream before her body collapsed limply to the ground, as if all her bones had been removed.

Breathless, she died on the spot!

Lin Chen could clearly perceive that this woman's cultivation was merely a four-star Dou Practitioner.

Yet she was more troublesome than the Jalie Lang brothers; had it not been for the surprise projection of the twin swords, the outcome would have been uncertain.

The strike was a success!

"Haa... haa..."

Lin Chen's legs went weak, unable to support him any longer, and he fell heavily onto one knee.

He gasped for air, cold sweat streaming down his forehead.

His body was hollow; the Dou Qi he had just recovered, along with most of the energy gained from killing Jalie Lang, had been completely drained the moment he activated the twin sword projections!

Waves of intense dizziness washed over him like a tide, and his vision began to blacken.

The power of the Yuantu and Abi swords was earth-shattering, but the consumption was equally terrifying!

Forcing them to activate with his cultivation at the ninth stage of Dou Disciple was akin to a mayfly shaking a tree; he was drained instantly.

He could not stop!

The crisis had not yet been resolved!

Lin Chen endured the weakness that threatened to make him faint, a flash of ruthlessness in his eyes.

He struggled to crawl up and staggered over to the red-clad woman's corpse.

Looking at that lifeless, fair face, he felt not a shred of pity.

To be able to appear here and associate with the Jalie Lang brothers meant her hands were likely stained with the blood of countless innocent children.

She deserved to die!

Without a moment's hesitation, Lin Chen reached out!

He pressed his hand firmly against the edge of the charred hole in the woman's heart!

At the same time, he channeled the basic volume of the Blood Scripture with all his might!

"Refine!"

He issued the cold command.

A devouring force, far weaker than when he had countered Jalie Lang but far more pure and domineering, erupted from Lin Chen's palm!

Although the red-clad woman was dead, as a four-star Dou Practitioner, the life essence and the Dou Qi energy that had not yet fully dissipated within her were still vast!

Under the guidance of the supreme laws of the Blood Scripture, these ownerless energies flowed into Lin Chen's withered body like a hundred rivers returning to the sea!

This time, the devouring was far smoother than when he had drained Jalie Lang.

The opponent was dead and offered no resistance.

The Blood Scripture operated, efficiently stripping away impurities!

It left behind only the purest essence of life and energy.

The empty meridians were like parched earth meeting sweet rain, greedily absorbing this surge of power.

The dried-up dantian qi sea filled once more, and at a staggering speed, it began to assault an invisible barrier.

The peak barrier of the ninth stage of Dou Disciple was already teetering under the infusion of this pure energy.

The opportunity for a breakthrough was right before his eyes!

Yet, at this very moment, Lin Chen abruptly retracted his aura, forcibly suppressing the urge to break through his current realm.

This place was by no means suitable for a breakthrough; it was fraught with danger, and he had to leave immediately.

Moreover, a hasty breakthrough would lead to an unstable foundation; it would be better to find a safe place to adjust his state of mind, so that a breakthrough later would yield twice the result with half the effort.

The overbearing nature of the Blood Scripture was displayed to the fullest at this moment.

He forcibly stabilized his cultivation at the limit of the ninth stage of Dou Disciple, compressing and refining the excess energy.

He stored it deep within his dantian, to be thoroughly unleashed when he broke through in the future.

Feeling the powerful energy surging and flowing within his body, far exceeding what he had possessed before, a flash of brilliance crossed Lin Chen's eyes.

He did not linger in the joy of his impending breakthrough for too long.

This place was not a place to stay for long!

He rose quickly, his gaze sweeping over the children who remained unconscious in the cellar.

Save them? He had the heart but lacked the strength.

He could barely protect himself now; it was impossible to leave silently while carrying a group of unconscious children.

The risk of exposure was too great.

Furthermore, there was a traitor within the Xiao Clan: Xiao Bao!

This man had to die!

"I will avenge you all."

Lin Chen whispered to the unconscious children, no longer hesitating.

He turned and walked quickly toward the stone steps at the cellar exit.

He needed to leave as soon as possible and deal with the hidden threat of Xiao Bao.

Otherwise, once Xiao Bao became alert and fled, it would be difficult to find him for revenge.

Following the narrow, damp stone steps upward, he pushed open the heavy hidden door.

Lin Chen slipped out.

Outside was an ordinary woodshed, piled with messy firewood and farm tools.

Pushing open the woodshed door, what came into view was a small, somewhat dilapidated courtyard.

The courtyard walls were high and overgrown with weeds; the location was clearly in the outer area of Wutan City, and very remote.

The surroundings were silent.

Lin Chen did not stop for a second, vaulting over the courtyard wall like a ghost.

He quickly blended into the dim, complex alleys of the outer city.

He did not immediately return to the Xiao Clan Nursery located in the inner city area.

Return now?

The risk was too great!

First, although his state had reached the limit of the ninth stage of Dou Disciple, he had just experienced a great battle.

His power had not yet fully stabilized.

Second, Xiao Bao was a guard captain with a certain status and network within the Xiao Clan.

As a five-year-old child, how could he explain suddenly disappearing and reappearing, while carrying the scent of blood and a cultivation level far beyond his peers?

This was simply unexplainable!

It would inevitably arouse the suspicion and questioning of the Xiao Clan's upper echelons.

Once subjected to a rigorous investigation, the risk of the secrets he carried being exposed was extremely high.

Third, and most crucially, he would alert the enemy!

If Xiao Bao learned that the Jalie Lang brothers and that woman in red were all dead, yet he, the "target," had returned alive, what would he do first?

He would inevitably flee!

With his strength as a Dou Master, if he were determined to escape, Lin Chen might not be able to stop him right now.

If he let him run, the future troubles would be endless!

"Xiao Bao... must die!!"

Cold light flickered in Lin Chen's eyes as he quickly made his decision.

He could not return to the Xiao Clan for the time being.

He needed to find an absolutely safe place to thoroughly stabilize his cultivation, familiarize himself with his surging power, and complete his breakthrough.

At the same time... he would wait for the right moment to deliver a fatal blow to Xiao Bao!

He navigated through the chaotic and impoverished outer districts of Wutan City, taking winding paths to avoid any potential eyes.

Relying on the caution accumulated from his past life and the far-surpassing sensory perception granted by the Blood Scripture.

He finally found an extremely concealed side-cave entrance in a desolate mountain near the periphery.

The entrance was obscured by collapsed rubble and dense vines; the interior space was small, but dry and sheltered from the wind.

Furthermore, being deep within the mountain's belly, it was not easily detected.

"This is the place."

Lin Chen cleared a spot and sat down cross-legged.

He finally had the time to calm his mind and carefully sort through his current state and future path.

He prepared to complete that final, decisive breakthrough.

Cultivation Realm: Limit of the Ninth Stage of Dou Disciple.

His foundation had been forged to be incomparably thick by the Blood Scripture, far exceeding those of the same rank.

His Dou Qi was of extremely high quality, appearing a pure blood-red color—condensed, tyrannical, and containing powerful life vitality and predatory characteristics.

Lin Chen felt that his blood-red Dou Qi at the limit of the Ninth Stage of Dou Disciple was likely enough to crush an ordinary Dou Practitioner in terms of quality and power!

It was equivalent to practicing a cultivation technique during the Dou Disciple stage, and a heaven-defying technique that far surpassed the Heaven Tier at that!

Although the Blood Scripture originated from the Primordial Era, it seemed to have extreme adaptability.

After arriving in this world, it automatically adjusted its energy conversion method; what it cultivated was no longer mana, but Dou Qi that conformed to the rules of this world!

However, its essence and status were far beyond any technique in this world.

Furthermore, within his body, there were two inherited supreme treasures:

Yuantu and Abi twin swords:

Supreme treasures of the Dao of Slaughter, representing killing and endings.

Currently in an extremely damaged state, with only a sliver of their origin projection residing deep within Lin Chen's soul.

Their power was less than one-trillionth of their prime, and the cost to activate them was immense.

The only way to repair them was through slaughter!

Watered by the fresh blood of enemies and nourished by the resentment of departed souls!

The more he killed and the stronger the enemies, the faster the restoration.

The information conveyed by the twin swords was cold and direct:

To master slaughter, one must first sacrifice through slaughter!

Twelfth-Grade Karmic Fire Red Lotus:

A supreme treasure of both offense and defense, capable of burning away karma and sin.

Currently also in an extremely damaged state, with only a sliver of its origin phantom remaining.

Activating it could release the Red Lotus Karmic Fire that incinerates all things, but the consumption was equally terrifying.

In summary, both supreme treasures were of the highest status with infinite potential, but the path to their restoration!

Was destined to be a path of slaughter, a mountain of corpses, a sea of blood, and karmic fire burning the heavens!

They complemented the Blood Scripture, forming the core foundation of Lin Chen's path of proving the Dao through slaughter.

Moreover, the Blood Scripture also brought two supreme divine abilities!

It was, in itself, the core technique:

Efficiently devouring and refining the essence blood and soul energy of all living things, converting them into pure blood-origin Dou Qi, tempering the physique, and forging a supreme foundation.

The other two divine abilities:

Boundless Blood Sea:

A great divine ability. In its ultimate form, one can transform into a boundless sea of blood; as long as the blood sea does not dry up, the true body remains immortal.

The prerequisite for cultivation requires a massive foundation of essence blood and soul energy.

Blood God Child:

A mysterious divine ability; one can divide their own essence blood to refine immortal Blood God Child clones that can exist independently or parasitize others.

As long as the clones are not completely wiped out, the self remains immortal!

The techniques and divine abilities all pointed to one core:

Predation and slaughter!

This was the source of his power and the path to restoring his supreme treasures.

The path ahead was incomparably clear, yet equally cruel.

With his thoughts organized, Lin Chen's mind was crystal clear, devoid of any further confusion.

"Power... I need even greater power!"

A flash of blood-red light flickered and vanished in his eyes.

"Xiao Bao is only the beginning!"

"The Jialie Clan... everyone who participated in the murder of my parents and the slaughter of the innocent... not a single one will escape!"

"The most urgent priority is to break through to the Dou Practitioner realm and fully master this new strength."

"And then... hunt down Xiao Bao!"

He took a deep breath, casting aside all distracting thoughts.

The foundational chapter of the Blood Scripture began to circulate slowly, and within his dantian, the blood-red Dou Qi vortex, compressed to its absolute limit, began to assault the final barrier.

The long-accumulated energy erupted with a roar, charging toward the Dou Practitioner realm.

At the same time, he silently sensed the two phantoms of ancient swords with restrained killing intent and the faint flicker of red lotus fire deep within his dantian.

Deep within the desolate mountains, a deathly silence fell.

Only within Lin Chen's body did the blood-red Dou Qi, representing rebirth and slaughter, flow and swell in silence.

He was completing the transformation from a Dou Disciple to a Dou Practitioner.

A five-year-old Dou Practitioner, bearing the inheritance of the Primordial Killing Path.

In this remote corner of the Dou Qi Continent, he lay quietly in wait!